Chapter Four

Seconds seemed to stretch into long minutes of suspended reality as Harry gazed deeply into Severus' eyes, the passing of time a lost concept while ensnared within the heat of that sultry gaze. His erection which had softened slightly over the last few minutes of emotional revelation, roused to full hardness once more. Heart racing, he dropped his gaze to the man's mouth, to those soft, thin lips that were still wet from their kissing and edged closer, feeling an overwhelming compulsion to taste them again, to run his tongue along their seam and invade the warm, wet cavern beyond.

He never got the chance though.

In one lightning-fast move, Severus tightened his grip around Harry's back and stood up like a shot, half-carrying, half-dragging Harry along with him. Somehow, their joined hands had stayed clasped through the change in position and Severus tightened his grip on Harry's smaller one as he led him past the hearth, through an open doorway and into a dimly lit room.

Then those soft lips were against Harry's in a deep, driving kiss, their bodies upright and pressed together, limbs entwined and entangled like twisted vines of Devil's snare.

A soft "Lie down" was murmured against Harry's panting mouth just as he became aware of a mattress against the backs of his legs. He complied, sinking down to sit on the edge of the large bed situated in the center of the room and then shifting further inward so that he could recline back. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he heard whispered words and saw, through the murky shadows of the darkened room, Severus' wand swishing through the air.

At once, dozens of candles throughout the room were lit, their ambient light chasing away the room's looming veil of darkness, leaving it awash with warm luminescence. As Harry stared around him, mesmerized, he saw out of the corner of his eye, Severus' wand brandished once more, its tip aimed directly at himself.

Green eyes widened in surprise as the man's next incantation was voiced in a seductive whisper. A chill skated across Harry's skin and he looked down, shocked and embarrassed to find himself wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. Head jerking upward, he stared, wide eyes growing even wider, at Severus, who was wearing no more than he was.

"That's some spell," he muttered, voice quavering in his nervousness. He swallowed, feeling that same tightness in his throat, his mouth turning dry when Severus came closer.

The man offered him a lopsided grin before joining him on the bed and climbing on top of him. Harry drew in a sharp breath at the never-before-felt sensation of hot bare skin against his, his embarrassment melting away as he wrapped his arms around Severus' back and squeezed, forcing their bodies more tightly together. The small gesture caused their erections to once again press together and Harry let a needy whimper escape his lips, his body trembling.

Severus slid his long arms under Harry's back and returned the embrace, whispering to him assurances Harry hadn't even realized he needed to hear until they were brushed against the shell of his ear in a rush of warm breath.

"It's OK, Harry. I'll be gentle with you. I promise I'll make you feel good."

Pulling back from Harry's ear, he placed a tender kiss to his mouth and then gazed deeply into his eyes.

"Do you want me inside you?" he breathed, the hushed words trembling slightly.

A rush of excitement raced through Harry at those erotic words, shaking his limbs and curling his toes. He wriggled under Severus' weight, his need almost painful now, body begging to be touched.

"Yes. God, Severus... yes!"

Severus pushed himself to sit up on his knees. He snatched up his discarded wand from the bedside table and whispered the now familiar charm to remove clothing.

Harry propped himself up on his elbows as another cool rush of air danced across his body, bringing a wave of magic that grazed his sensitive skin. Then he was staring down at his own naked body, its focal point the rigid erection which was now fully engorged and dripping with pre-come.

Embarrassment threatened to consume him once more, but before it could take root, Severus was between his thighs, his wand pointed at the fingers of his own left hand and a new spell escaping his lips. When his wand was lowered, those fingers were glistening – clear, shiny lubricant smeared across each long, slender digit.

Harry let his eyelids fall over his eyes, tendrils of anxiety winding around his heart. He wanted this – Merlin, how he wanted this! – but he could not help feeling nervous. He had absolutely no experience with giving or receiving physical pleasure and it was more than obvious that Severus had.

What if he turned out to be a disappointment?

What if he reacted wrong or did something stupid that turned Severus off? What if–?

"Harry... look at me."

Green eyes snapped open, locking with soulful black ones whose depths shone with equal parts warm regard and fiery passion. The look calmed Harry as much as it excited him and he soon found himself caring very little for 'what ifs,' especially when a cool, slick finger began circling his entrance.

"Oh...!"

"Good. Now that I have your attention, I will tell you that there is no possible way you could ever turn me off, Harry. You're stunning... perfect... and I desire nothing more than to make you writhe beneath me in pleasure. Now, if you wouldn't mind exiting my mind... at least until after I reduce you to a quivering puddle of mindless need on my sheets... or until I enter you, whichever comes first, I would greatly appreciate it."

Harry felt his lips curve up into a wide grin at hearing Severus' speech – a delicious mix of tender voice, lavish praise and deadpan words – only to reshape them in an 'o' of surprise as a sharp surge of indescribable pleasure pulsed through him, his breaths coming out in panting gasps. Severus had pushed one of his long fingers into his entrance and hooked it, pressing against a spot that had him writhing and breathless.

"Yes! Oh shit! Fuck... Sev..."

Biting down on his lower lip to curtail another string of pleasure-induced expletives, Harry closed his eyes in ecstasy, feeling more and more of those blissful sensations as Severus pumped his finger in and out of his channel, twisting and turning and rubbing that spot again and again. When a second finger was added, he flinched, his muscles tightening reflexively to counter the ripples of pain accompanying that pleasure, but the discomfort ended as soon as Severus' skillful fingertips found that wonderful place inside him once more.

By the time a third slickened finger was added, Harry was indeed a quivering puddle of mindless need on Severus' sheets, his legs spread wide with feet flat on the mattress and his hips bucking up into Severus' thrusting hand. The man had not touched his erection in the last few minutes, yet Harry already felt close to losing it.

"Oh God, Sev, please... please fill me... please... I need you inside me!"

At once, those driving fingers withdrew and a pillow was placed under his backside, causing his hips to be raised up. Severus seized his wand one final time and in a shaky, broken whisper, incanted the lubricant spell while pointing the switch of ebony at his own engorged length.

Harry had no memory of Severus divesting himself of his boxer shorts – nor did he care at this point – but now he found himself unable to look away as he stared at that exposed erection, thick and long and impossibly hard, dripping with shiny lubricant. Harry's desperate yearning seemed to multiply tenfold as he watched Severus' wet fingers stroke that long shaft, using the same fingers that were buried inside him only moments ago to spread glistening substance onto every inch of reddened, aroused flesh. Unbidden, wicked thoughts started whirling inside his head, anticipation flooding him as he wondered how good it was going to feel, stretched by that hard length, filled by it, have it pounded into him again and again and again...

"Fuck, Harry! You just can't stay out of my mind, can you?!"

Severus lunged forward, crushing their mouths together in a frenzied kiss of gasps and moans, hot breath and driving tongues. His hand slid between their bodies, long fingers finding Harry's aching erection and curling around it, squeezing and stroking the hard flesh. Then he shifted forward on his knees, the action forcing Harry's legs to bend back toward his own body and his hips to arch upward.

Trembling with pleasure, his every muscle taut and quivering, Harry pulled back from their fiery kiss. His breaths were coming out hard and fast against Severus' mouth and his heart was like a caged animal, driving against his ribs as if trying to escape. He brought his hands up to Severus' cheeks, sliding them to the back of his neck to grip long strands of ebony hair as he waited for Severus' next move.

He didn't have long to wait. Within seconds, he could feel the slick, blunt head of Severus' length nudging at his entrance, the man's hand guiding it to trace slow wet circles around the quivering muscle. The sensation sent new ripples of pleasure spiraling through Harry and he threw his head back, his mouth stretching open in silent euphoria.

Are you ready for me, Harry? came a whisper of blurred thought, flickering into being inside his mind. Are you ready for me to fill you? To become part of you?

Nothing but an incoherent moan escaped Harry's tight throat and gasping mouth, but he answered Severus nevertheless, his mind sliding into place within his lover's mind without thought or understanding, instinct taking over where logic had previously failed.

Yes, Severus! Yes... please... I need you...

Harry heard a sensual growl from above him, followed by an intense feeling of fullness in his lower region. He exhaled sharply at the burning sensation, gritting his teeth, his fingers grasping onto strands of Severus' hair at the nape of his neck to quell his own body's shaking. Then Severus was pushing forward, easing himself deeper and deeper inside him with careful, slow deliberation. With that sizable erection breaching him for the first time, Harry could feel every bit of its painfully slow progress, each torturous second like an eternity until it was fully sheathed inside him at last, the silence between them filled with broken gasps and groans of pleasure.

By the time Severus was buried as deep inside him as was possible, the musty scents of sweat and exertion and sex hung heavy in the air. Severus slumped forward and claimed Harry's mouth again in another driving kiss, his body trembling with the effort of holding back.

Tell me when you're ready for me to move, Harry, echoed Severus' disembodied tones. They sounded more rich and real than ever before, reverberating inside his mind right alongside those intense undulations of mounting pleasure, melding with them, heightening them. I don't want to hurt you... but I want you to feel me moving inside you. I want to make you delirious with pleasure.

Oh God, Severus! Now. Move now, I'm ready for you!

Severus pulled out slowly, as slowly as he had entered, pulling gasps from both of them. Then after a long, slow moment of torturous stillness, he slid back in, quicker this time.

Harry released his tight grasp on Severus' hair and grabbed his shoulders instead, fingertips digging into the sweat-dampened skin as a flood of sensation whipped through him. He exhaled sharply and then sucked in another breath just as Severus withdrew again, plunging back in a split second later. Before he could draw in another shaky breath, Severus did it again, this time at a slightly different angle, driving hard into the spot he had caressed earlier with his fingers.

FUCK, YES! Oh, Sev... more... harder... faster...

Severus obliged Harry's desperate plea, pistoning his hips with much more force and speed. His hands were now flat on top of the mattress with fingers splayed, his body curved forward as he rocked and bucked and thrust, huffing out ragged, shallow breaths against Harry's parted lips.

Harry was trembling, muscles clenched hard and tight in his abdomen, unmistakable spirals of heat traveling up his spine. He groaned, arching his neck as Severus' thrusts increased in speed.

I'm so close, Sev. Kiss me... please...

Those thin lips felt hot as they met Harry's, salty from sweat and quivering from pleasure. They pressed lightly at first, Severus' tongue darting out to taste and caress as his heated breath flooded Harry's mouth, melding with Harry's own frantic, panting breaths.

Severus' hand then grabbed Harry's own, unfurling the clenched fingers from their vice-like grip on his own shoulder and placing it on Harry's chest before lacing their fingers together – the gesture a replica of what Harry had done to him earlier on the sofa. After giving that hand a gentle squeeze, Severus inched forward, deepening their breathy kiss, his tongue strong as it drove in and out of Harry's mouth, moving to the same fast rhythm as his thrusting hips.

Come for me, Harry. Come on, love. I want to feel you tighten around me.

The resonance of that deep, rich voice echoing inside his mind, cajoling him, ordering him to come was all it took – Harry broke their kiss and threw his head back, his orgasm ripping through him like a tidal wave of sensation, every muscle in his body tight and trembling, his breath trapped inside his heaving chest. He cried out, a long howl of released ecstasy that was soon joined by a similar exclamation from Severus, buried deep inside him, body shaking though his own climax.

After several long, blissful moments just feeling his body shivering from the aftershocks of release, Harry opened his eyes to see Severus reach for his wand with an uncharacteristic fumbling of fingers. Severus cast a cleaning charm on the both of them and slumped forward, long arms sliding under Harry's sweaty back and pulling their bodies close again, his face burrowing in the hollow of Harry's neck.

Harry felt his muscles release, his trembles falling away. His frenzied breaths began to lengthen and deepen and his heart rate slowed to a normal, easy rhythm. As he threaded his fingers through Severus' damp hair, tucking a few loose strands that had fallen across his cheek behind his ear, he contemplated the series of events that had brought them here, the complicated web of occurrences that had led to this surprising connection and had forged this unbelievable foray into pleasure never before known to him... both physical and emotional alike.

Turning his head, he pressed his lips to Severus' ear and finally asked the question that had been burning inside him since this all began.

"How can mind play take place without eye contact, Severus? You never did explain it to me."

Lifting his head, Severus looked deeply into Harry's eyes, one corner of his lips inching upward as he gave his reply.

"In order for mind play to successfully occur, both individuals must be engaged in some form of intimate touch and they both must possess..."

He paused and Harry was astonished to see new color tinging the man's cheeks, dark eyes averting to stare down at Harry's collarbone.

"What? Both of them must possess... what, Severus?"

"...the desire to be loved by the other," Severus whispered, still staring at Harry's chest.

Green eyes widened in surprise, the obvious implication behind Severus' words hitting him like a ton of bricks.

"You love me," Harry whispered, stunned.

Severus nodded without looking up and Harry was enchanted to see a lean cheek darkening still further with blush. Then he frowned.

"Wait a minute. So when you made that rule... no mind play... you... you were..."

"I was giving you a clue, yes," Severus affirmed, his eyes finally lifting to once again lock with Harry's, lips turning up again in an easy smile. "I'll admit it was a rather indirect and highly unconventional way of letting you know of my feelings for you. But I'm a Slytherin, Harry. I certainly wasn't going to spell it out for you. I had hoped you would have understood my meaning and then I would know based on your reaction, whether or not I had a shot with you. I figured you'd either turn tail and run screaming through the door – letting me know quite clearly of your disgust at the thought of being with me – or you'd make a move, knowing how I felt for you."

Harry had to smile at that. He actually had ended up following the second option, banging away on Severus' door like a crazed, love-sick lunatic, despite his ignorance regarding the significance of mind play.

"Well, I chose the latter, even though I didn't really understand what you were implying," he admitted softly, his own cheeks flushing with color, "and I would have chosen it as well if I had understood. But since I never did put any of my Gryffindor determination into learning mind magic," he added, his own smile growing to mirror Severus,' "your plan was a complete flop!"

Severus chuckled at that.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," he whispered, brushing his lips along the seam of Harry's mouth, his tongue teasing his lower lip with slow, seductive caress. "Thanks to the famous Harry Potter's penchant for breaking rules, I got what I desired in the end, now didn't I?"

"Hey!" Harry protested, bristling a little at Severus' smug tone. "Don't forget, you broke a rule, too!"

"Ah, yes. No tongue. How could I have forgotten?" Severus replied, voice dripping with devilish sarcasm. "Hmm. I wonder how many different ways I can break that particular rule..."

With that very promising remark, he lowered his head and stopped Harry's chuckle with a long, slow, wet exploration of his neck, chest and stomach, his tongue mapping out every inch of the dampened skin as he made his sensual descent. And as he neared Harry's renewed erection, sliding a slick path along the underside of his aroused flesh, Harry found himself thanking Merlin, the French Menace and every God in the heavens for the existence of rules...

...and for the sheer pleasure of breaking them.

Story End

A/N: My apologies for the late arrival of this fourth and final chapter, though I sincerely hope it was an enjoyable read despite its delay! Thanks to all you have read, reviewed, favorited and followed this fun little story. Your praise and support is very much appreciated! I'd also like to, once again, thank my very talented beta, YenGirl, for her fabulous input, edits and encouragement. You're the best, Yen! You truly are! :)

Look for the first chapter of one of my new, WIP, full-length stories to be posted soon – hopefully by the end of April. I have two that I am currently working on – an angsty Severitus called Forsaken Scion and a slightly angsty, yet heartfelt, RENT-inspired Snarry called One Blaze Of – though I have not yet decided which one I want to concentrate my efforts on first. If you have a preference, by all means, drop me a PM – I would love to hear your opinion! ;)

Please review.