Private Universe

Private Universe

The living room was illuminated only with candles when he arrived, lots of candles. "Ginny?" he called out to her.

"You're early!" she called from the bathroom. "I'm not ready yet!"

"What are you doing?" he asked silkily.

"I just got into the bath," she answered. "Go ahead and pour yourself a glass of wine or something. I'll be out in a moment."

Remus went to the bar and poured two glasses of wine. He proceeded to the bathroom as if a normal occurrence. The bathroom was also illuminated solely by candles. The tub was brimming with bubbles, and only Ginny's vividly red hair that was piled on top of her head was visible in the mountain of suds. The bathroom smelled lightly of citrus, which suited Ginny well.

"Take your time," he added, bending down to give her a small greeting kiss and handing her the other glass of wine.

"Why are you back so early?" she asked after taking a sip. "Not having a good time?"

"You weren't there," he answered simply as he sat at the end of the tub and motioned for her to give him her foot.

She obliged him happily and raised her foot out of the bubbles. He gently began to rub, knowing all the right locations to massage to completely relieve all her built up tension. Her feet were perfect as far as he was concerned--not too big or small for her stature, each toe in perfect symmetry with the others, each nail neatly trimmed. Their silky skin was untouched by the freckles that covered most parts of her body, and the water had turned her normally milky complexion a soft pinkish color.

She basked in the attention her feet were receiving. When he began to massage up her leg, however, she yanked it away hastily, splashing him in the process.

"Need to shave my legs," she answered his unasked question. "Like I said, you're early!"

He smiled seductively, "I'll do it for you."

"You will not!" she replied indignantly.

"Why not?" He raised his eyebrows up suggestively. "Could be great fun."

"You, with a razor, could be fun?" she asked cynically.

The look he implored her with could melt steel. "All right, fine! But the first knick and you're history!"

He only grinned as he gathered her shave cream and razor. Why she insisted shaving the Muggle way was beyond him, but far be it for him to complain.

"Oh no," she cooed. "If you are going to shave my legs, you're going to have to get in this bath with me."

"I don't like smelling like oranges." he countered offhandedly, referring to her selection of bubble baths.

Most men wouldn't have thought twice about sliding themselves into a steamy hot tub with a very naked Ginny Weasley, but Remus Lupin was a private man by necessity. His tendency to remain reserved carried over into many aspects of his life, and undressing in front of his new girlfriend was still very unnerving for him--especially when he could feel her eyes upon him intently.

I like the smell of oranges," she purred. "They smell... edible."

He quirked an eyebrow at her and began to laugh. Ginny loved it when Remus laughed, truly laughed, that is. He shook with mirth and his hazel eyes danced with merriment. He took pleasure in the simplicities life had to offer and basked in every one.

"Edible?" he finally reiterated.

"Oh yes," she continued as she squirmed beneath the bubbles. "An orange, in all its ripened glory, is succulent, and juicy." She licked her lips for effect before adding, "And bursts in your mouth in an explosion of tastes."

Remus felt his body tense and temperature rise. "Why Ms. Weasley," he began, looking at her through hooded eyes, "if I didn't know any better, I might think you were trying to seduce me."

Ginny briefly thought about retorting that it was he who had suggested shaving her legs in the first place, but given the playfulness of her current mood, she smiled sweetly as she took another sip of wine. "You think?" she teased.

Remus was usually a man with great emotional and physical control, however, his mind and body seemed to be working on two different plains of existence at the moment, his body not listening to a damn thing his mind was trying to tell it. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, she had control over him, a control no one had ever had before.

"Mmmm..." he smirked down at her, "that will just have to wait for later. Right now, Ms. Weasley, I have other plans for you."

This time it was her turn to quirk her eyebrows up at him. "Other plans? Just what are you thinking, Remus Lupin?"

His smirk turned into a grin. "Well, you are just going to have to wait and see." He disappeared out of the bathroom for a few moments only to return with something tucked behind his back.

Ginny eyed him precariously, seriously reconsidering her decision to allow him to do this.

This time Remus sat behind Ginny and began to massaging her temples. She felt him lean closer to her. "Do you trust me?" he whispered into her ear.

"Why?" she asked hesitantly, still enjoying the relaxing sensation his gentle messaging was creating throughout her body.

"A simple yes or no will suffice," he answered.

She could hear the smile playing on his lips. "You know I do," she sighed in exasperation.

"Good," he answered smugly as he slid a satiny piece of cloth around her eyes and fastened it securely behind her head.

"Oh no you don't," she began to protest but was quickly quelled by a reassuring hand.

"Trust me," he whispered as he placed one last kiss on her neck before rustling around the bathroom.

She felt his feet slide into the tub next to her; feet that were connected to very bare legs. She smiled at the thought of it before running her fingernail gently over the top of his foot, causing him to squirm. Not many would have guessed that Remus was an extremely ticklish bloke.

He gently removed her left leg from the water and ever-so-gently brushed away all the bubbles before resting her ankle on the side of the tub. He shook the can of shaving cream before squeezing a dollop out into the palm of his hand. He carefully smoothed the foamy cream over her leg, starting at the ankle and clear up to the point it met the water, which was actually quite high up on her leg. His touch sent a shiver up her spine.

She felt him gently shake with a repressed chuckle as he continued the repetitive motion until her entire leg was slathered in shaving cream. He rustled around for something else; she could only assume it to be the razor.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing," she asked before she became his test guinea pig. "You have done this before, right?"

"Do you really want to know if I've done this before?" he asked skeptically.

"Maybe not," she answered when the implication of her question finally dawned on her.

Ginny wanted to jump when she felt the razor make contact with her skin; not because he had done anything wrong, just her fear he might. The first stroke of the razor was from her knee to her ankle. When it broke contact with her skin, Ginny released the breath she had been holding.

"Don't you trust me?" Remus cooed. Before Ginny could respond, he made another stroke with the razor.

Ginny notice he had a steady hand, never wavering. He worked with the precision of an artist, a realization that actually surprised her. She could envision him sitting on the edge of her tub, in the buff, his tongue bit firmly between his teeth, and practically squinting at her leg to make sure each stoke was made with perfect precision. A giggle escaped before she could repress it at the thought of this.

"What's so funny?" he asked as he continued his quest to shave her legs. "Surely you are not that ticklish?"

"Why am I blindfolded?" she asked in a feeble attempt to change the subject.

"Isn't that what the big bad wolf does to all his damsels in distress?"

She couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't often Remus referred to the werewolf within him, let alone made jokes about it. "No," she finally said, "I think the wolf's line is 'better to eat you with' or 'I'll huff and I'll puff', but no damsels in distress."

"Hmmm," he chuckled as he began shaving her thigh, "the better to eat you with, huh? I think I like that line."

"You're hopeless," she giggled again, finally relaxing enough to enjoy the pampering.

Remus just laughed in response and set her leg back into the water. "Time for the other leg," he announced.

Ginny could just hear the smile in his voice. Never would she have imagined in her wildest dreams that she would be dating Remus Lupin. While she had fancied him during her Hogwarts years, she knew that it was an utterly ridiculous thought. But here she was, three months into a relationship with him, and thus far things were working out beautifully. Well, besides the fact that they hadn't told anyone they were dating.

She decided she didn't want to ruin the current mood by broaching that subject again. She knew that her parents would be aghast, and her brothers would go into overprotective mode, although they would warm up to the idea after a while. It wasn't her family or their friends that concerned them the most; it was the press, namely one Rita Skeeter.

Ginny imagined all the dreadful things that woman would find to write about her and Remus' relationship, imaging the headlines reading something like: "Student/Teacher Relations, not what they used to be", or "Forget the Quaffle; Cannon's Chaser Chasing Older Men" or even better yet, "Werewolf sighted with Red Head, has the fairy tale finally come true?"

At the thought of the last headline, Ginny giggled. If she hadn't been blindfolded, she would have noticed Remus cock a querying eyebrow at her as he slathered her other leg with shaving cream.

"What are you thinking now?" Remus finally asked as he began the same ritual as he had with the other leg.

"About all the things I'm going to do to you when you're done," she replied with a smile.

"I think I like the sound of that," he laughed. "I'll be right back."

It seemed to her that Remus had been gone an awfully long time when she finally heard him come back into the bathroom. His hand grazed the water. Then with an uttered spell, the water warmed back to a perfect warm. The sound of a filling glasses told Ginny that Remus was pouring more wine.

After he had resettled, he began to shave the other leg. She thought several times about yanking him in the tub with her and having her way, but something told her that the unfolding events would be worth the wait. Her mind wandered to the beginning days, when she had first met him on the train her second year, or when they all stayed at Grimmauld place. Those days seemed like a lifetime ago, almost surreal.

It wasn't long before Remus had let the water out of the tub and was rinsing away the residue of the bubbles from her. She was still blindfolded, and he refused to let her remove it. He aided her to her feet and stood her on a towel as he dried her off with meticulous precision; making sure ever inch of her was dry.

Once Ginny was dry and wrapped in a towel, although possibly not the biggest towel Remus could have gotten, he moved closer to her. She noticed that he was still dressed as his body brushed up against hers. His lips gently teased the nape of her neck as his fingers snaked through her hair until he found the pins that kept it piled on top of her head.

It wasn't long before his lips met hers, hot with desire. Her hands gripped at his shirt fiercely as a cascade of hair came tumbling down from the pins that had held it up.

With great effort, he pulled away from her. His hands slid down her arms and grasped her hands before they broke contact. Still blindfolded, he began to lead her out of the bathroom.

Once her toes curled into the plush carpet of the hallway, Ginny yanked him back into her, capturing his lips with hers. It was her turn to play, although she received no arguments from her victim of choice. She tugged at his shirt desperately, willing it to go away.

Remus laughed softly, "We're in the hallway, Gin."

Once she had partial success (meaning his shirt was no longer tucked in and half unbuttoned), she smiled playfully. "So?" she asked as her hands finished the work on the shirt and pushed it off his shoulders.

Remus took pity on her and removed it the rest of the way. Her light touch over his smooth chest sent shivers down his spine and created a wave of gooseflesh.

Soon her hands found their way down to the other aberrant items. Remus grabbed her hands before she had complete success with the buckle of his belt.

"I'm blindfolded," she chided, her voice husky with desire. "I can't see a thing." She knew that, for whatever reason, Remus was very self-conscious about his naked form. And although they had shared an intimate relationship almost from the start, this aversion was not something he easily overcame.

"We're still in the hallway," he repeated, as if she had forgotten.

"What? Sex isn't just for the bedroom anymore, you know," she stated as she removed the blindfold completely so that she didn't miss his reaction. "And come on, fair is fair after all. I'm in a towel and you're still practically dressed." As she said that, her hands again went to unfasten the belt at his waist.

Again he grabbed her hands to ward off her advance, yet moved in for a sensual kiss. Their mouths sought each others with desperation and force. Ginny was soon pressed firmly against the hallway wall, and noticed that her towel had been completely removed. She momentarily questioned her decision about locations until she felt Remus' hand leave the nape of her neck and began to wander over her silky skin. His mouth left her lips, trailing kisses along the same path his hand had followed.

She moaned in eager anticipation as his tongue traced a trail from her neck to the swell of her breasts, and his hand moved even lower. He continued lower, sinking to his knees in front of her. Her hands moved from around his neck to bracing herself against the wall as he began placing soft kisses over her abdomen.

Remus chuckled as she shifted, trying to adjust to their current location. "Just remember, this was your idea," he added cheekily as he nipped playfully at her inner thigh.

A low, frustrated growl erupted from the beautiful redhead; frustrated that her plan was not unfolding the way she wanted; frustrated that her current location was causing her great deal of aggravation, and frustrated because Remus was teasing her, a skill he was very adept at.

He would kiss, and nip, and lick, and touch and bring her to the brink of insanity without ever going anywhere near where she wanted him to be. He was always gentle and always took his time, making sure she was not left wanting, all the while maintaining perfect command over his desires and wants, often leaving Ginny wondering if there was more she could do for him.

Noticing her unsuccessful attempt to position herself, Remus stopped antagonizing her momentarily. "You're right about those oranges," he smirked as he trailed kisses back up her stomach and slowly stood, finally nuzzling her neck again.

Ginny smiled flirtatiously before again attempting the belt buckle still at his waist. This time he let her have success, and his belt was soon several meters away flung to the floor. He smiled softly at her prowess. "You sure you want to continue this here?"

That look! She gave him that look! The one that she gave while biting at her pouting lower lip; the look that made her brown eyes look like chocolate swirls under heavy lids; the look that came from a slightly downward tilted head; the smoldering look that told him he had her right where he wanted her; the heated look that nearly drove him over the edge; the look that said 'I want you now'.

She began to fidget with the fastening of his trousers. A low rumbling escaped from the back of Remus' throat. Call it what you will, a growl, a groan; perhaps even a moan, but it relayed the desire within him. His lips hungrily sought hers as they continued to stand in the hallway.

"This...won't...work," she finally managed to say in between heated kisses and playful nips.

"What...do...you...suggest?" he finally asked as he tantalized her ear while she pressed her body into him.

Surged with desire, their lips rarely parting, Remus guided Ginny into the living room. The soft throw in front of the fireplace offered a romantic and semi-comfortable location as Remus gently guided Ginny to the floor.

When she finally had complete success with his trousers, he wasn't sure, but now, by the light of flickering candles, on the plush carpet by the warm fire, he consumed her in the way she wanted to be consumed. He was slow and deliberate; savoring every moan, every movement, and every gasp she made.

Her first climax was always the most intense, and tonight was no exception. She nearly drove him mad as she called his name in her moment of rapture, and it never ceased to amaze him that he could bring her such joy.

They continued to make love into the dwindling hours of the morning. The candles had all burned out, although the magical fire in the fireplace still offered warmth and illumination to the flat. Upon finding his trousers tossed nearby, Remus easily reached his wand without disturbing Ginny and Summoned the blanket and a couple pillows off the sofa as Ginny now lay in his arms contentedly.

Remus looked down to see that Ginny had finally fallen asleep. He kissed her gently on the forehead and smiled.

The promise of love is hard to ignore

Who said the chance wasn't getting any better

The labor of love is ours to endure...

It feels like nothing matters in our Private Universe.

~ Neil Finn