Chapter 23- Beautiful

Beautiful

Honestly, I don't know how I did it. I don't know how I convinced my parents that it was okay that my friends and I were staying at a hotel instead of their home. And I don't know how on earth I told Draco I was okay with getting a room with him. I didn't really want anyone else to know Draco and I would be sharing a room, especially Ron, but I was sure Analiza and Ginny knew by the way they turned to look at me when they left the lobby. So, more than likely, Harry and Ron would be told by the end of the night.

Draco swung his arm around my waist as we walked down the hall to our room. We lazily bumped into and stumbled over each other's feet like to drunkards. And in a way we were. Drunk off each other.

"You sure your okay with this?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling down at me.

"No." I answered honestly and laughed nervously. "But I wanted to talk to you alone."

We reached our door and he let go of my waist to battle the key card into the slot. The little light turned green and he pushed it open.

He turned to me before entering and grabbed my waist again, pulling me closer. "That's okay." He said smirking and leaning in so that our noses touched and his breath cascaded down my face. "I wanted to get you alone." He closed the space between our mouths and kissed me softly.

My stomach jumped. I hoped he didn't mean what I thought he meant. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe I wasn't ready for this. Draco was very persuasive and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to tell him no when he goes too far. I was afraid I wouldn't want to tell him no.

He pulled away, held open the door for me, and ushered me inside.

"What's wrong?" He asked, noticing the look of concern on my face. "You said you wanted to talk." He said like he just now realizing it. "Merlin! Did I do something wrong?! Your father! Is he mad at me? What did he say? Are you mad at me? What ever it is, I'm sorry! I should-"

I cut off his nervous rant by grabbing his shirt crashing my lips on his, just long enough for him to realize that I wasn't upset. When I let go he looked shocked and didn't say anything. I laughed at his confused expression as I got out the trunk from my pocket and set it on the bed to enlarge it.

"I'm not mad at you." I opened my suitcase and took out my PJs. How was I going to say this? "I just want to know what's going to happen now."

"What do you mean?" He asked while walking to the other side of the bed and taking out his suitcase as well.

"Well, we found my parents, and I-" I didn't exactly know what I wanted to say. "I just feel like something more should happen between us now." I said quickly, before I could think myself out of it.

He raised an eyebrow. "Like what?" He asked.

Like what? Like what? Like what? Merlin, I had no idea. What was I expecting? I think I was hoping he would know. Draco always has a way of knowing things like this.

I must have been spacing out, because Draco's voice made me jump. "Hermione, tell me what you were thinking. I want to know."

What was I even thinking? That I want to be with you forever! I wanted to shout. That I want to wake up each morning to you! That I- "I love you!" I shouted.

The words seemed to shock Draco just as much as they shocked me. I slapped my hands over my mouth and timidly watched his eyes grow and his jaw fall slack. It seemed as though neither of us could come up with words to say. I wished I could kick myself. Stupid! So stupid! Why did I say that?! I wanted to cry. I wanted to shrivel up and die right there. I wanted to speak up and take back what I said, but I couldn't because it was all true. I loved Draco Malfoy.

The next thing I knew, Draco was grabbing me and snogging me senseless. I have no idea how he made it around the bed so fast, but in less than a second, he had gone from standing across from me to bruising my lips with his.

He pushed against me hard, making our teeth knock together. My lips were going to be black and blue, I was sure of it. The only thing keeping me from toppling over was his arms that were pulling me close to him.

"I love you too." He breathed, barely getting it out before ramming his mouth back on mine. "Oh my God, I love you!"

I savored his words. My head spun, my knees buckled, and my hands shook at they wrapped around his neck. I felt so amazing. He loved me. He loved me! I wanted to shout. I wanted to run around and jump in the air. But I contained myself. Instead of going berserk, I pulled away from him and stared lovingly up into his stormy eyes.

"So now what?" I asked, realizing that our confessions of love for each other only added more weight to my previous question.

"You could move into my flat when we get back to England." He moved his hand up to twirl his fingers in my hair and gently brush my cheek.

I smiled. I could. I definitely wanted to. My family had seemed as though they were all for moving back to England. Everything seemed so perfect. "Under one condition." I said, remembering the way his flat seemed to breath 'Malfoy'. "I get to bring in some of my Gryffindor decor to balance all the Slytherin." I teased, but at the same time I was serious.

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "I suppose I can handle a little Gryffindor here an there." He teased right back.

I pulled his face down to mine again and kissed him through my smile. "I'm going to get changed." I said, wiggling out of his arms and picking up my clothes.

"I'll help." He said slyly and tugging at the waistband of my shorts.

I pushed his hands away and smirked. "Nice try."

He shrugged and gracefully slipped his shirt over his head without messing up a single platinum hair. I had turned to use the bathroom, but I stopped mid twist, distracted by his sudden bareness. Why was he so perfect? I couldn't help but stare at his flawless form.

He noticed me staring and smirked smugly. "Want to join me?" He asked just as slyly as earlier.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and blushed. Yes. God yes I did. "Stop it, Draco." I tore my eyes away and shook my head before my body had a chance to move involuntarily toward him. He simply laughed as I shot into the bathroom and hurriedly changed into my PJs.

Before I could slip my shirt over my head, Draco was in the doorway in nothing but his boxers and a white tee-shirt. I shrieked in alarm and did my best to hold the shirt over my chest.

"What are you doing?" I hollered. "Put some pants on!"

"Relax, Hermione! This is what I sleep in." I hugged the shirt tighter to me when I noticed his eyes rake me just like I had done to him earlier. "You know, if we move in together, I'll see you like this all the time." He said smartly.

I hated it, but he was right. We'd be sharing the same bed and bathroom and space. And as much as I refused to let go of my morals, I realized he'd probably see more naked than this eventually. But I continued to glare at him anyway, because I was stubborn, as I slipped the shirt quickly over my head. It's not that I was completely uncomfortable with it, it was just that it wasn't something I was used to. And I was never too comfortable in my own skin anyway, mostly thanks to the man standing right in front of me, but he'd proven he hadn't meant all he said.

I picked up my discarded clothes off the ground and blushed when I noticed he was still staring at me with love in his eyes. "You realize you're beautiful, right?" He said, making me blush an even deeper shade of crimson.

"Shut up." I said jokingly as I brushed past him.

"You are." He said and poked me in the ribs.

I squealed, feeling goose bumps blossom across my abdomen from were his finger had been. "Don't do that!" I huffed. I flung my clothes into my trunk and shrunk it again. Draco's was already put away.

I felt him come up behind me and trap me between him and the bed.

"What?" He said. "This?"

He squeezed my sides, making me gasp and struggle to keep myself from laughing. This was so not funny! I whipped around and slapped his hands away from my sides.

"Don't!" I said forcefully, but I couldn't stop the smile that was spreading across my face.

"Hermione Granger!" He said in mock shock. "Are you ticklish?"

"No." I lied, folding my arms and staring defiantly at him.

"Really? So If I do this-" He poked my side again. "-I shouldn't get a reaction." I couldn't help but squeal a little and buck to the side.

"Stop!" I whined and tried to push past him.

However, before I could get anywhere, his fingers were digging into my sides and I was having a laughing fit. I tried to push his hands away and wiggle away from his fingers, but all I managed was to fall backward on the bed.

Without missing a beat, Draco crawled on after me and straddled my waist before I could roll away. He attacked my sides and stomach, switching between both whenever I would move my hands to cover the other. I could hardly breath!

"Stop!" I managed and to my relief, he obliged.

He smiled down at me as I struggled for breath.

"Okay." I panted. "I'm ticklish!"

He laughed. "I know." He leaned down and rested his forehead on mine. I closed my eyes and sighed, thankful that he was done. "I want you to say you're beautiful." He said.

"You're beautiful." I retorted, quite pleased with myself that I'd been able to think to say that right away.

I felt a squeeze on my side again and I yelped and squirmed under him.

"You know what I mean." He whispered.

I savored the feeling of his breath cascading down my face and his forehead pressed on mine. I inhaled his smell deeply. "I'm beautiful." I sighed.

His head moved away from mine and then our lips connected. He kissed me slowly this time and passionately. "Yes you are." He whispered in between pecks.

He rolled his tongue over my lips and I opened my mouth to let him in. Suddenly I saw the lights go out from behind my eyelids and I realized that Draco must have switched them off with his wand. I moaned when he bit my lip and sucked on it. Then he moved his kissing and biting and sucking down to my jawline and up and down my neck, I'm sure, leaving marks all the way.

"We should go to bed." I breathed.

My breath hitched when he grabbed my earlobe in between his teeth and then blew in my ear softly and I couldn't help but let out a whimper of pleasure.

"Draco," I whispered, but that only seemed to encourage him and he started making his way back up to my face. "Bed." I said again.

This time he nodded and rolled off me. He pulled the covers away from the pillows and I crawled to lay there. He slithered in beside me and pulled the covers back over us. Our legs wrapped together and he hugged me from behind, pulling me as close to him as I could get and breathing in my hair deeply. I closed my eyes and grabbed his hand. I traced meaningless patterns over his fingers and knuckles until I was too tired to move anymore.

"Goodnight." He whispered in my ear. "I love you, Hermione Granger."

I adored the way he said that. "I love you too, Draco Malfoy." I said, grinning from ear to ear.

I felt so happy, so wonderful, so lucky, and so wanted.