#team sin

She sat on the edge of the pool, legs and feet in the water, and watched him from behind her sunglasses, his smile wide and charming, as he laughed at something Sirius said. He stretched up, torso on full display in only a pair of navy blue swim trunks with a ridiculous antler pattern, the kind that fell a few inches above the knee, and her heart stuttered a beat. Even from across the deck, she could practically feel the muscles of his chest, knew what they would feel like against her own, under her fingers, pressed against her back. Knew what his hands would feel like on her, running down her sides and through her hair, tugging at her hips.

Mary kicked her, shaking her out of her reverie. She flushed, shifting, kicking her legs out to splash more water onto her legs. James smirked at her, tongue coming out to lick his bottom lip, clearly having followed her train of thought.

Sirius just rolled his eyes at James’s cheeky smile, leaning over to Marlene beside him and whispering just loudly enough for both James and Lily to hear, “just get a room already, fuck’s sake.” Immediately, blood rushed to Lily’s face, and she dropped her head, taking a sip of her drink as a cover.

“Ow! Uncalled for, mate!”

James glared as Sirius, unapologetic. Remus, no help as per usual, just laughed, swimming up beside the four of them. “What are we beating Sirius up for now? May I join?”

“James is mad I’m spitting straight facts.”

“I’m mad you’re being a five-star wankstain.”

“I’m mad I was not here to witness whatever got Sirius smacked,” Remus added. Unhelpful.

By mid-afternoon, the sun was savagely beating down on them. Lily, sprawled on a cushioned lounger, was sure she was burning, at least a little, despite the copious amounts of sunscreen she was putting on once an hour. She felt warm and sticky, but was hesitant to go back into the water, should the cool retreat only give her a false sense of security. However, the ponytail she had secured to keep her hair off her neck wasn’t helping either.

“I’m getting another drink. Want one, Mare?” Lily asked, standing up.

“Hmm? Oh, no; I’m good, Lils.” Mary said, turning over onto her stomach in her own lounger. “I think I am just going to tan a little more and then hop back in.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back.” Lily slipped her sandals and breezy cardigan cover up back on, carefully picking her way around the pool to avoid the water being splashed out of the pool: Dorcas, perched on Marlene’s shoulders, was trying her damnedest to push Peter off Sirius’s shoulders, and the incredibly competitive chicken fight was causing water to end up all over the concrete.

“Hey Lily! Come join us!” Marlene shouted, distracted. Peter took advantage of the moment to shove Dorcas, causing both of them to topple into the pool with a large splash. Sirius laughed, following them underwater only to burst up with Pete in his arms. He began a rousing round of “We Are The Champions,” singing and spinning Peter around while Marlene and Dorcas splashed water at him, gracious in their defeat.

James, amused, had essentially draped himself on the stairs leading into the pool, sunglasses on. The sun was shining in his hair, and his white teeth seemed to sparkle in the light as he laughed at his best friend’s antics. Looking up and seeing Lily passing, his smile widened, and he reached out a hand, brushing his long fingers gently over her calf to get her attention.

“Hey, come sit. The water is really nice.” She stopped, and his fingers slid down her leg and circled her ankle, holding her and tugging lightly, as if to guide her into the pool next to him. Lily looked down as he gazed up at her. She couldn’t see his eyes through his sunglasses, but she could feel the heat of his stare. Her breath caught in her throat.

“I was just headed to the bar.” His thumb began to stroke the skin above her ankle lightly, and Lily’s heart sped up a little. “But maybe after.” He just stared at her, thumb moving rhythmically.

Lily shifted forward a little bit, closer to his hand, and he smiled gratefully up at her. His hand slid up her calf toward her knee, fingers trailing lightly, causing Lily to shiver and sigh. Her blood rushed to her ears, and her body moved toward his as he ran his hand over her.

A splash broke her concentration, and James’s hand retreated. Cool water hit her feet and she looked up. Marlene and Dorcas were staring at her, eyebrows raised. Dorcas broke out into a smile, leaning into her girlfriend a little. Remus bobbed to the surface, smiling sinisterly up at them, shaking out his wet hair.

Lily cleared her throat, looking back down at James. He was watching her, head cocked to the side.

“Right, uh, I’m going to go get a drink. I’ll see you,” she said, bright and overly cheery, desperate to get away. Turning and walking quickly to the large veranda behind the house, Lily all but runs up the three steps to the tree-lined path that lead to the cabana house.

The patio, shaded from the heat of sun by the trees at the top of the lawn, was a retreat in and of itself; there was an instant temperature difference when the sun was not right above her, and the sudden secluded feel allowed Lily to slow her heart, focus on her breathing. Lily sighed dreamily after a moment, pleased to have a bit of a reprieve. Humming slightly, she kicked off her wet shoes, walked over to the little bar set up just outside the cabana house,  and began to mix a drink. Maybe a little extra vodka.

“Sun scare you away?” James said, suddenly behind her.

Lily startled, swearing loudly before regaining her composure. James chuckled, and she turned around to glare at him, though there was no real heat behind it. “No, just getting another lemonade.”

“Getting a little hot?”

Lily scoffed, rolling her eyes. “It’s the heat, James,” she said dryly. “That’s what it does.”

James just hummed a suspicious noise. “I don’t know, doesn’t seem like it’s just the heat making you sweat.”

“It’s definitely not you, if that’s what you’re implying.”

His return smile was wolfish, predatory, and his eyes were sparkling at her. Lily felt her face start to redden, and quickly turned away, back to her drink before her. She reached over, grabbing the warm lemonade. When she stood back up straight, she could feel James behind her, hovering close but not close enough to actually touch her. She froze, and she felt the blood rushing in her head, pounding in her ears at his proximity. So close. Her traitorous heart beat faster.

“I think I’m contributing. At least a little bit,” he said, voice low in ear.

She shivered involuntarily before finding her voice. “You have no effect on me at all.”

He took a half-step forward, closing the space between his chest and her back. She had to force herself not to lean back into his touch and to focus on the drink in front of her. He leaned forward, lips brushing the spot behind her ear that he knew drove her crazy. “Oh yeah?” he said, reaching a hand up to push her wrap off her left shoulder, baring it to him. “Then why are you blushing?”

Lily’s knees went weak, and she gripped the bar in front of her to remain upright. James’s arms came around her, hands resting on the bar, bracketing her in as he rested a bit of her weight on her back, pressing into her. He let out a quiet breath of laughter before kissing her neck in the same spot where he had touched her before. Lily let out a small moan, closing her eyes and leaning into his kiss. James hummed an answer from the back of his throat, slowly moving his lips down her neck until he was kissing the place where her neck met her shoulder. He bit down, sucking gently, then blew cool air over the developing bruise. She shivered again.

“You taste like sunscreen,” he murmured against her skin. A flash of heat sparked low in her stomach, and she sucked in a quick breath. Lily could feel his smile, thinking he won somehow. She pressed her hips back slightly, pulling his attention away from her shoulder for a moment. He reciprocated, right hand coming off the glossy granite countertop of the bar to rest on her waist, fingers brushing, teasing, before settling it on her hip to hold her in place.

Instinctively, she pushed back again, wiggling a little.

“Shh,” he said, lips resting on the skin of her shoulder. “Stay still.” He resumed kissing her, mouthing and nipping back up her neck. Her head started to swim a little, all of her attention zeroed in on where his lips were touching her. He was taking his time, working her up masterfully, and she cursed herself for letting this happen, no matter how good it felt or how much she wanted him to keep going. She was supposed to be staying away from him.

He nipped at her earlobe lightly, and her breath hitched. His hand moved from her hip to skim up her waist, pressing her back into him completely, every inch of his toned torso flush against her bare back. Her head fell back, bumping lightly to rest on his right shoulder, exposing her neck completely.

“James, come on,” she said, but she didn’t really know whether it was meant to stop him or egg him on.

“What, Lily? What’s wrong?” he asked, but his tone was smug. If Lily wasn’t in a daze, she would kick him in the shin.

His hand moved across her stomach, sliding up to that this thumb was edging against the bottom of her bikini top, and then around to the side of her left breast. Instead of going under the material, however, he lingered there on the outside, thumb brushing the soft skin right at the edge, teasing her. Her nipples hardened in response, and she tried to press into his hand, but he resisted, calmly rubbing his nose along the skin behind her ear, whispering into her ear.

“You know, I don’t think I have told you how beautiful you are all day. Quite rude of me, actually, considering you look more than beautiful, especially right now. But you knew that, didn’t you? Picked this bathing suit out special, didn’t you? You know I have always loved you in red. So sweet, so cute, so fucking sexy.” He nipped at her earlobe again, and Lily whined, leaning fully into his embrace. “So fucking responsive,” he murmured, shifting them both forward, closer to the bar.

“You’re so fucking annoying,” Lily said, straining into his hand again. He laughed a little, breathless, shifting his thumb to run directly over her nipple and back with the barest pressure. She could feel him hardening behind her, and she pressed back into him, against him, deliberately teasing him back. The moan Lily let out was obscene, and the rational part of her brain admonished herself for being so open with her lust, her intentions to affect him just as much as he was affecting her.

Her right hand was gripping the counter tightly, keeping steady, while her left flew to press over her mouth, quieting her noises. James continued to tease her nipple, always keeping just the barest bit of pressure, but pressing his hips fully into her bum. No matter how much she squirmed, he kept a steady rhythm, light and teasing, until she was aching and arching into his hand, desperate. Heat pooled in her stomach, warming her from the inside out. She couldn’t escape the heat - the flush in her face, her arousal, the solid warmth of James’s tanned skin against her back.

“Annoying? I think you like it when I’m bothering you.”

“Shut up.” He hummed from the back of his throat like he was considering it, dropping his head to bite at the skin of her shoulder again, right over the spot he had already been working on. Definitely going to have a bruise. Her subconscious mind preened like a schoolgirl at being marked up a bit, at the delicious feel of his teeth at her skin, scraping a little to elicit another shiver. It was possessive in a way she knew she shouldn’t like, but the dirty part of her brain revelled in anyway. James was playing her perfectly, and she hated it.

His hand fell away from her nipple. Lily whined at the lost of contact, but it died in her throat when he stretched his hand wide, covering the expanse of her stomach so that his thumb was at the lacy edge of her top, but his pinky was tucked into the lacy, elastic band of her highwaisted bottoms. James’s thumb pressed into her sternum, effectively securing her against the muscles of his chest. It knocked the breath out of her, and she froze, waiting for the hand to slide back up to her chest. Instead, he ran his nose back up her neck until it was buried in her hair above her left ear.

“Lily, if you want to stop, tell me right now.” His voice was strained, and Lily felt a sudden wave of affection for him. He really is the sweetest thing. These were the moments that tricked her brain, made her confuse the tension always threatening to boil over between them with longing, the heated gazes with a potential for connection or feeling or maybe love. Confuse the caresses for more than just desire and lust.

When they first kissed, six months ago, the mutual want had taken her by surprise, overwhelming her. She had never really given much thought to anything real with James, more of a passing fancy. She was romantic by nature, but logical about the partners she chose, and kissing James had shocked her. He had poured so much passion into the kiss, and she found herself daydreaming about it for weeks after, blushing every time they saw each other, leaning into each casual touch he offered. A year and a half of friendship had proceeded that kiss, though, and she did not want to spoil that base with visions of a parallel reality, where James Potter and Lily Evans could be more than just best friends and neighbors and organic chemistry lab partners.

But right now, she was plastered to his front, flushed, heart pounding, and already halfway to overstimulation from James Potter’s mouth on her neck. So she didn’t think about how sweet he was or her emotional or moralistic convictions in ending their sexual relationship two weeks ago.

“I don’t want to stop,” she said, turning in his arms so that she faced him. They were barely a breath apart, and the change in position forced her to press her breasts to his chest. His eyes fluttered closed for a second as she rubbed against him, her clothed nipples dragging against his bare skin, making her shiver. She pushed the rest of her cover up off her shoulders, letting it fall down her arms and pool at their feet, and then brought her hands up to rest on his pectoral muscles. He tensed slightly at her touch. “Please don’t stop.”

James stayed still despite her touch, opening his eyes to search hers, to see that she wasn’t lying, his hand now resting on her back, level with one of the ties for her top.

“Oh thank god,” he said, diving in to kiss her, pressing her fully against the bar now at her back. It was uncomfortable and dug into her back, but the ache disappeared from her consciousness as James immediately escalated the kiss from lust-filled to obscene. His teeth tugged at her bottom lip, making her gasp and open her mouth to his tongue.

He was completely in her space, crowding up against her, hand toying with the back tie of her top for a moment before moving lower, reaching down with the apparent intention of grabbing her bum. Instead, he found the countertop.

He pulled away slightly, mouth still on hers lightly, making her chase him away from the bar until she was far enough away that he could reach her bum, hoisting her up easily in his arms. “Should have told me that was digging into our back,” he said, directing her to wrap her legs around his waist, lips attaching themselves to her neck again to deepen the same bruise, this time biting down hard, as if in admonishment.  

“Sorry,” she said, moaning at his rough treatment. “Was kinda distracted.”

He smiled against her skin. “Don’t let it happen again.”

He kissed her again, setting her down so she was sitting on the top of the bar and he was nestled between his legs. His hand was still firmly on her bum, groping and squeezing, before gliding back up her back to the tie of her bathing suit, deftly toying with the strings but not undoing them. The other hand reached up to her neck, changing the angle of the kiss now that she was leaning down slightly to his mouth, holding her in place so he could lick into her mouth.

Lily shifted forward so that she was flush against James’s chest still, keeping her legs around his waist tightly, arms locking around his neck to keep him pressed completely to her body, unable to move. She rocked her hips toward him as much as she could, dragging a low growl out of him. She moaned in satisfaction at the noise, and he gripped her hip tightly with his left hand, forcing her to stop moving.

“Stay still,” he said against her lips, barely taking a break in kissing her.

“No,” she said, childishly defiant, obstinate for no reason other than to be obstinate.

“Brat,” he said, but there was affection in his voice.

She giggled into the kiss, and he bit her bottom lip, burying the sound in a sudden gasp. He pulled her impossibly closer, tilting their heads so that they were turned almost sideways. His hand on her back slid under the ties holding her top together to rest on her upper back, holding her tightly to him, stealing her breath. The kiss shifted toward desperation, frustration at being so close and yet not.

The feral urge to be as close to him as possible overtook her, and she straightened up as much as she could in an effort to eliminate all space between them. The kiss was rough and dirty-hot, tongues sliding together. James panted into her mouth, out of breath, and she moaned when the hand on her back retreated down to her bum, and the one of her hip came up to her neck to start unraveling the knot that kept her bikini top up.

“James,” she panted, pulling away. Instinctively, his lips moved to her cheek, then her jaw.

“Hmm?”

“Untie the strings.”

He pulled away to look at her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she breathed, taking his mouth again.

James took no time at all to start working at the knot, fumbling a little in poorly hidden overexcitement.

“You’re so fucking dirty, you know that? Letting me undress you in public. So sweet to me, so sweet for me. What if one of our friends came up here looking for us? Do you want that? Do you want them to see how good you are for me?”

Lily moaned, forehead falling to rest on his shoulder as he kept whispering to her, fingers deftly untying. She felt the strings coming down, top pooling at her waist. His fingers followed it, sliding down her neck to her shoulder, then under her arm to her ribs. James pushed her back a little, and she allowed him to direct her, unlocking her arms from around his neck and setting them slightly behind her to keep her balance as he tilted her torso back.

She was completely on display like this. His words came back to her through her haze, and she felt a thrill of excitement course through her. Because he was right; any one of their friends could come up to try to find her, or them, or even just to get another drink or go to the bathroom, and see her, top around her waist, her legs wrapped tightly around James, lips swollen, lipstick smudged. And James, staring at her like she was a goddess, like she was everything. But she felt powerful, and that filled her, making her smile brightly at James’s bewildered look, despite having seen her naked more than a few times at this point.

“Oh, Lily, you’re absolutely perfect.”

She beamed at his praise, flushing a little, and arched her back a little more, pushing her breasts out further.

He swore under his breath, eyes raking over her bare chest, clouding slightly as he studied her. “Jesus, Lily, please. Can I touch you? Please let me touch you?”

She pushed herself back up, reaching for him, and he met her halfway, pushing back into her space. She put her hand down behind her again on the bar, keeping her balance, and his hands glided to her back, untying the other knot and removing the entire top of her bathing suit from her body, placing it on the counter beside them. His hands went to her waist before ascending up, over her stomach to tease her breasts lightly, taking them in hand gently.

Lily watched him, fascinated and embarrassed at the care he was showing. She was suddenly incredibly aware at the intimacy of the moment, the seclusion of the trees, and the cool air he was blowing over her nipples, watching them peak again at the stimulation. His thumbs ghosted over them, and then she felt his tongue laving over her right nipple, stroked a broad sweep and then flicking it lightly. After a moment, he switched to the other one, finger running over the wetness his mouth had left, circling slowly before pinching the abandoned nub between his thumb and forefinger. She keened, legs tightening, and arched further into his mouth, egging him on.

“Does that feel good, Lily? God, you’re so gorgeous, so sweet, I can't believe you’re mine.”

Mine.

It shot through her like lightning. Without thinking, she shoved her body forward, grabbing at his face with her hands to bring his mouth up to hers, holding him there. Shocked, his hands gripped at her hips, squeezing tightly as she reclaimed his mouth with her own, moaning as soon as their lips touched.

Lily let the emotion bubble up in her, and tried to push it into the kiss. All the confusion, the longing, the lingering touches and heated stares. The domestic daydreams, the naughty fantasies. The lust and love and fear and hope, all in one kiss. Because mine felt like a promise, and her lust-addled brain could only leap at that without any other forethought.

Her breasts were squashed against his chest painfully, and his hands were tight on her hips, tight enough to bruise, maybe. But he responded to her, pulling her in, biting at her mouth, accepting all of her passion and returning it.

She pulled away for a moment to kiss a trail down his neck, biting playfully at his shoulder where he had marked her, hands roaming his chest and arms. “James.”

“Hmm, Lil? What?” he slurred at her, eyes shut, hands releasing her hips to palm her thighs, still around his waist, her ankles locked at his lower back.

“Please,” she said, returning to his mouth, hoping he would just take the hint. No dice. He indulged her for a moment, before pulling away enough to speak to her, lips against hers.

“Please what, Lily?” His voice was deep and raspy.

“I’m, uh - hmm - just wondering, you wouldn’t happen to have a condom on you right now, would you?”

He kissed her hard, one hand coming up to hold the back of her neck tightly, keep her mouth locked with his. Her nails dug into his shoulders, scratching down his upper arms. He hissed through his teeth a little at the pain, kissing her again and then pulling away.

“I’ll be right back.”

She started, squeezing her thighs. He broke their hold gently but easily, sliding out of her grasp and starting to turn away.

“James!” she hissed. “Don’t you dare leave me half naked on the patio!”

He turned back, looking at her. His eyes swept over her form, from her messy ponytail to the bruising beginning to show on her inner thighs from gripping onto him. “Are you sure? You certainly look pretty, all messed up like that.”

“James Potter!” She gave him her sternest look, and he hummed in response, making a pleased noise in the back of his throat.

“Adorable,” he teased, fitting himself neatly into the space between her thighs again. He picked up her bikini top, rubbing the material for a moment before tucking it into the pocket of his shorts.

“I hate you, you know that?”

His eyes blazed at her, looking over her ruffled form once again. “Oh, I highly doubt that.” He leaned in, nipping lightly at her bottom lip. “I think you really, really like me, Lily Evans.”

This kiss was slow and dirty, drawing her back into his arms fully. His hands skimmed her body the entire time, teasing and gliding. As he licked into her mouth, he pulled her arms around his neck again, she placed his hands under her thighs, lifting slightly. Lily pressed her hips forward, into his touch, looking for friction as her arousal reignited.

“Hang on, yeah?” he said against her mouth, and then lifted her into his arms, walking them backwards and toward the cabana house. Lily yelped, suddenly in the air, and her arms and legs tightened around him. He chuckled into her mouth, pressing her against the glass door leading into the little house. He ground into her, lifting her slightly so she could feel him hardening against her. She moaned into his mouth, breathless. His hips locked her in place against the glass, and he took a hand off her bum to reach behind her, fumbling to get a grip on the handle for the sliding glass.

“Fuck, Lily, hang on, I almost have it,” he said against her mouth. She nodded, kissing him again, licking into his mouth. He shifted her again, causing her to rub against him, and he growled deep in his throat. “Oh for fuck’s sake, open!”

She smiled into his mouth when he finally got his hand around the door, heaving her off the glass to slide it open behind her. He shuffled them through the door, turning to press her into the wall beside it, both hands returning to the back of her thighs to squeeze them, hitching her up against him. She rolled her hips as much as she could in her position, and James groaned beneath her.

“There isn’t a bed but...” he trailed off, gesturing behind him at the room. Lily lifted her head from his, looking around behind him. The cabana house consisted of a large room, surrounded on two sides by floor-to-ceiling glass, and a bathroom off the back wall. The remaining wall had a massive television mounted on it, and a huge shelving unit filled with books and movies flanked it.  All the windows had large, gauzy white curtains, and it was set up to be a lounge of some sort. A large beige sectional couch took up most of the space on one side, the other dedicated to an indoor bar and bar sports.

“Couch is fine,” she said, breathless, nodding, pressing against him. His arms tightened underneath her.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she agreed, kissing him again. He backed them up toward the couch, sitting them down and pulling her on top of him and into the cradle of his lap, her legs bracketing his on the couch. She shimmied as close as she could, grinding down on him, rocking her hips.

James swore, pulling away to watch her. Panting, Lily’s head fell back a little, and she shut her eyes, focusing all of her senses on the feeling between her thighs. She let out a heavy breath, placing her hands squarely on James’s shoulders for balance, and ground down on him, solid and hard in his swim trunks.

James slid his hands from the back of her thighs to her hip, easing her motions, pushing up into her space when she came down. Her moan stuttered out of her, and she opened her eyes, steading herself and slowing down. She blushed to the roots of her hair when she looked at James. His pupils were blown out, and he was watching her as if she had suddenly performed magic: in awe and fascinated desire. He shifted under her, cock twitching through the two layers of clothing separating them. Instinctively, she rocked her hips again.

“Sorry about that,” she said, breathing heavily.

James stared at her, stunned. “Lily, god, don’t ever apologize for that. That was incredible. You’re so fucking beautiful.” He leaned up, and attached his lips to her neck, kissing and murmuring against her skin. “Did that feel good, love? Riding me like that? Taking your pleasure? You were gorgeous, a goddess. Take what you want, Lily. What do you want?”

She moaned under his attention, his praise. “Please.”

James made a growling sound in the back of his throat, pulling her closer, kissing down her collar to her sternum, ducking his head down to take her nipple into his mouth. His hands descended from her hips to the tops of her thighs, flexing slightly to dig in, then dipping the right one toward her center. One long finger touched her, running down the crotch of her bathing suit bottoms, then two ran up. Lily keened, hips stuttering forward to try to get his fingers closer to where she needed him.

“Please, James, just touch me.”

He hummed around her nipple, apparently pleased. He released her with a pop, free hand immediately reaching up to run over the reddened, wet nipple, kissing up her chest only to bite down slightly above her right nipple, sucking another, smaller mark into her skin. Lily moaned, pressing into his hand. “Good girl.”

Not even bothering to take her bottoms off, James shifted his fingers under the lace edge of the crotch, running a finger down the bare heat of her, growling low in his throat.

“Jesus, Lily, you’re so fucking wet,” he stated plainly. She flushed, embarrassed, biting back a moan as he ran a finger down her center, nudging briefly at the core of her, before adding a second and repeating the process several times.

“Come here, baby.” He kissed her once again, sweetly this time, licking at her bottom lip lightly. His fingers moved slowly toward the bundle of nerves at the top, sliding, teasing gently. Her hips shifted closer, inching up, urging him to the perfect angle. When he finally touched her, she whined, melting into his arms and moaning into his mouth.

He circled her clit slowly, drawing it out, making Lily squirm in his lap. The slow build was excruciating, contrasting with the desperation she was feeling, and all she could focus on was the feeling at the core of her and James’s fingers. She gripped his hand, trying to make him go faster, and he immediately stopped.

“Was that not enough? You told me to touch you. Did you need more?”

Lily bit back a whine, releasing his hand. “Stop teasing.”

James smiled against her mouth. “I can do that.”

Slowly, he withdrew his fingers from her bottoms, using his other hand to push them off of her. Lily lifted each leg in turn, shifting to sit squarely in James’s lap, legs wrapped around his waist. Pulling away from Lily’s mouth, James offered his hand instead, holding two fingers out to her with a cocky smile.

“Suck, sweetheart,” James said, tone matching the smirk on his face, other hand on her leg pulling her down to slide her bare skin against the bulge in his shorts. She moaned, leaning forward to take his fingers into her mouth, swirling her tongue around them before sucking.

James’s answering growl ran right through her, hand on her thigh tightening slightly as he rocked up into her, pulling her attention from her task. She moaned around his fingers, pressing back down. James sucked in a breath, inhaling sharply, and she opened her eyes to look into his. He was staring at her, eyes darkened by lust. She pulled away, smiling sweetly, innocently at him.

“Oh, and I’m the one teasing? Good try, Lily,”

With a quick movement, he slid Lily back over his lap, knees on either side of him, opening her legs slightly to make room for him. Slowly, he slid one, then two fingers into her, groaning when she immediately tightened around him. Lily gasped, head coming forward to rest on James’s shoulder as his fingers moved inside her, working into a slow rhythm. His thumb came up to tap lightly at her clit, keeping a similar pace.

Lily felt like she was going to explode.

“I thought we said no teasing,” she said, voice breaking a little as she tried to keep her hips from bucking upward, setting her own pace.

James smiled at her, smug. “You said it, I didn’t listen.” Nonetheless, he increased his pace, causing Lily to sigh.

“Fuck, Lil, you’re so fucking hot and wet and sweet and soft. You feel so good, baby. You’re so lovely like this, needy and wet for me. Do you wanna cum, baby?” His voice was dark and deep, breaking, and Lily wanted to bury herself in it. She moaned, shaking slightly in his arms as he increased his pace. His free arm came around her back, anchoring her in place, and he went even faster, encouraging her hips to move, matching the rhythm he had created for them.

“James, I’m - I think I’m going to -”

James shushed her, increasing his pace.

Lily pulled away. “No, not yet,” she said, grinding down on him. “I want you inside me, James.”

James laughed a little, breathlessly, removing his fingers from her to grip her hips tightly. Lily, emboldened and a little more than frantic, reached down, sliding her hands into the waistband of his swim trunks. His hips lifted at her touch, sending shockwaves through her, and she hummed, pleased at his reaction. His eyes bored into hers, watching her closely, and she bit her lip, pausing. He pushed his hips up again, raising a brow at her.

“Payback’s a bitch, huh?” she said, ghosting her hand over him. He groaned, shutting his eyes tightly.

Swiping her thumb through the precome gathered at the tip of him, she took up a slow, steady rhythm, one reminiscent of James’s own on her. He groaned beneath her again, pushing up into her hand, desperately. His fingers tightened on her hips, asking for friction. She resisted, lifting up a little to keep away, earning a growl.

“Such a brat,” he said, strained, pleading. He looked at her, trying to seem stern, but falling short. “Stop teasing.”

Giggling, she moved her hand a little faster. With her other hand, she pushed the shorts down and away from his body awkwardly, half desperate and clumsy.

“Lily,” he growled, stopping her movements with the edge in his voice. She nodded at him, removing her hand and allowing him to shove the shorts the rest of the way down. His hands were rough on her and he settled her over him, remaining in control despite their positions. He shifted up, rubbing against her, and Lily moaned, breathless and needy and finally.

James shifted her slightly, leaning over to the coffee table and reaching under it, hand frantically grabbing around on the underside. Finally, he succeeded, and with a small noise of triumph, pulled out a silver package.

“You keep condoms taped to the underside of the coffee table? Poor Effie.”

“No, Sirius keeps condoms taped to the underside of the coffee table because according to him, we are all idiots and ‘you never know when the fancy may strike.’ It’s one of his many stashes. At least the knowledge finally comes in handy.”

Lily rolled her eyes, shifting back again for James to settle himself upright on the couch, holding her over him. With a nod to her, she lifted up, resting her weight in her hands on his shoulders. He held her close as she settled over him, and slid down slowly, biting her lip to suppress the moan threatening to rip through her as she felt him slowly fill her. James’s head fell against the back of the couch, and he watched her open up around him through heavily lidded eyes. His grip on her hips was bruising, rough, as she took all of him inside her, moaning loudly when she bottomed out. She giggled, breathless, flexing her muscles around him, making him twitch inside her.

“Fucking minx.” She smiled, pleased and punch-drunk, using her grip on his shoulders as leverage, moving over him in a slow and long and lazy rhythm, revelling in the feeling of him stretching her. After a minute, she increased her pace, tightening her thighs where they bracketed his legs.

Lily was rapidly approaching orgasm after being edged so many times, could feel it building in her lower stomach, tightening her limbs and making her gasp and grind down wordlessly each time she pushed down. She took her right hand off James’s shoulder, sliding it down in the minimal space between them, finding her clit quickly and setting a faster pace. James murmured to her, sweet nothings, mouthing at her neck and throat and jaw. He slumped down a little, giving her more room, and watched as she increased the pace once again, hand moving in tandem hips stuttering and shifting until she was shaking in his arms. She pressed down full, grinding aimlessly in his lap and she rode out her orgasm, smiling and blinking at him lethargically.

“Do you absolutely bloody gorgeous you are when you cum? God, Lily, I can never get over it. It will never get old, watching you cum for me and only for me. And you clamped so tightly around me, it was incredible. I almost came right then, watching your touch yourself and take your pleasure. So pretty for me, so good, sweetheart. Will you cum for me again, love? One more for me?”

James nipped at her throat, shocking her and causing her to moan. He gathered her in his arms, sliding them under her thighs to lift Lily up, all the while still inside her. He sat upright fully on the couch again, settling her in a straddle over him.

Lily lifted up, ready to move again, but James stopped her, holding her hips steady. “My turn.”

She nodded, frantic and needy, the waves of her orgasm still lingering. She tightened her fingers on his shoulders, and he lifted her hips again, guiding her down, pushing through the final haze of her orgasm. There was a spark of arousal in her stomach, expanding outward and burning through her, and she moaned, rolling her hips in James’s hands, long, deep strokes from below. One hand migrated to her hair, reaching under her ponytail to the base of it and tugging lightly, causing Lily’s head to fall back and her hands to fall to his thighs, pushing against them for leverage as she arched her back.

“Oh, fuck, Lily, you feel so good. So tight and wet for me, moaning so pretty. Come on, love, give me another. I’m so close, I’ve been half-gone all day just being around you in that ridiculously hot bikini. So good for me, sweet girl.” Lily’s hips stuttered down as he talked to her, voice low and husky, on the verge of breaking. She broke the pace he had started her on, and she moaned again, hair sticking to her mouth as she opened her eyes, surging forward again. Her mouth landed on his, and they clung to one another, panting.

Her hands squeezed his shoulders, frantic and overcome. As she neared the edge, she could hear James murmuring against her mouth, kissing lightly, teasingly. “Come on, Lily; cum for me.” Her hips stuttered forward one more time, and James bit down lightly on her bottom lip Her eyes slammed shut as she fell off the precipice again with a cry, legs shaking. She clung to James’s shoulders, trying not to collapse into them, when his arm pulled her closer to him, and his hips came up again once, twice, pressing fully into her, holding her so tightly it took her breath.  

After a moment, she relaxed, boneless and energized at the same time. Her breath came heavily and she let out a short laugh, lifting her head to look at James.

He leaned forward, taking her lips in a long kiss, pulling her closer. She kissed him back, pleased, humming against his mouth, and then kissing down his neck to his shoulders lightly, coming down from her high. Lily ran her hands over his chest, shifting slightly up and off of him.

James pulled her back down, into his arms, kissing her cheeks and face repeatedly. “So lovely, so sweet.” Lily settled into his arms, content for doze for a minute before she had to get up. James ran his hands up her arms comfortingly, hugging her close.

She only allowed herself to indulge for a minute before an anxious feeling settled over her. Quickly, she untangled herself from him, picking up her bathing suit bottoms, muttering her excuse and all but running to the bathroom.

While she peed, she debriefed with herself.

She liked James. She liked being around him and talking to him and also having sex with him. She knew that.

But what about the “mine” he dropped.

She didn’t want to get her hopes up - James chatted a lot of shit in bed, it was kind of his thing. She couldn’t be crushed if it didn’t go her way. Which was the whole point of trying to avoid the very thing she had just spent quite a bit of time doing.

She needed to tell him, right?

Probably. Maybe not. If she told James she loved him, it might mean the end of their friendship at most, the end of all sex with James at the least. And that was a huge risk.

Maybe just a break-up conversation. Ending the sex part of their friendship for real, like an adult, instead of just avoiding the problem would at least help her guard her heart.

She had decided. And now she just had to do it.

James’s eyes were closed when she returned to the big room, bottoms on and ponytail as fresh as could be without a brush, though still topless. She crossed her arms over her bare breasts, trying to calm down. With a final deep breath, she walked over to the couch, standing awkwardly in front of him.

“James, I need to tell you something.”

He opened his eyes, looking at her and cocking his head to the side, reaching up to run a hand through his own hair.

“I think we should stop having sex.”

His smile was slow, building. “Okay. Why’s that?”

“Well,” she started, pacing a little along the coffee table, gesticulating, forgetting her current state. “Sex can lead to feelings, and while I am not asking you how you feel, I think I may be developing some, and I do not want to make things awkward or uncomfortable.”

“You have feelings for me?”

“I might!” she said, throwing her hands in the air, still pacing. “I mean, it's possible. But I don’t know! And at the risk of me getting hurt, I think it is best that we just stop now before that happens.”

He stared at her, smiling and shaking his head. Reaching out, he stopped her pacing, pulling her down on the couch next to him. “Please sit. We are going to take a deep breath. We can talk about this.”

“I already talked about it.”

“So you might have feelings for me. Yeah?”

She looked at him, staring. His eyes were gazing at her, but blank, revealing nothing but a general intent on her. “‘Might’ meaning I probably do have feelings of some sort, yes. And they most likely trend toward emotional attachment and affection beyond that what is customary of a friend you sometimes have sex with.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “And therefore having sex with me is a bad thing, because it may lead to more feelings? That might trend toward, I don’t know, love and companionship?”

“That’s the hypothesis, yes.”

“You know, for the smartest person I know, you’re kind of an idiot.”

“James! That was so mean! Way to kick a girl when she’s down. I’m baring my soul here.”

“Lily, I’ve been in love with you since about a month after we met.”

“Oh,” she said, closing her eyes, trying not to throw her arms into the air and shout for the joy of it all. He loved her!

“Yeah, oh,” he said, a smile evident in his voice. He turned slightly to face her, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her into his lap. His nose nudged against hers, and she smiled, opening her eyes to his.

“I love you, too,” she said, leaning into his space to kiss him sweetly, tenderly.

“Well, thank goodness, because this was about to get really embarrassing if you didn’t say it back. And after all that agonizing planning in the bathroom.”

She smacked him lightly on the chest, blushing. “Should we go back to the others?”

“Probably,” he said, releasing her with a final kiss, and climbing off the couch to pull his swim trunks back on. “Though I doubt very much they noticed we were gone.”

Lily rolled her eyes, reaching into his pocket to take her top back (“Oh, cheeky”) and swiping his hand away from her bare breast when he made a half-assed move to touch her. “It’s like you don’t even know Sirius and Marlene. Of course they’ve noticed.” She reached behind her to retie the strings of her top, before just letting James do it, quickly and neatly.

He just grinned. “I know. I was just trying to make you feel better about seducing me mere feet from all of our friends. Absolutely wanton, absolutely despicable. You’re just insatiable.”

Lily scoffed in mock outrage. “Me seducing you? Please! You followed me to the cabana with the sole purpose of rubbing yourself against me like a dog in heat!”

“Two words, babygirl: red bikini.”

“Maybe you’re just too easy,” she suggested, walking out the open sliding door, picking up her cover up and wrapping it around her, primly smoothing her bathing suit like it was a dress.

“Only for you, love,” he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Why do I like you?”

“Beats me. Glad you do though,” he said, wrapping her in his arms to kiss her one more time before they left the privacy of the patio.

When they emerged, hand in hand, six heads turned to them.

“Fucking finally,” Mary called, nudging Marlene on the arm. Marlene’s smile was vicious, spreading slowly across her face. She glanced at Sirius out of the corner of her eyes, and he nodded, with a matching smile.

“Did you two take a break to clean up? You didn’t have to do that!” he said. Lily’s hand flew to the space where her neck met her shoulder, and she closed her eyes, preparing for the incoming joke. James just chuckled, apparently extremely chuffed at this turn of events.

“No, sir, why do you ask?”