cuddys_house | That evening (Wednesday)

That evening (Wednesday)

Cuddy was pretty pleased with herself by the time she headed home at the end of the day. Even though there was still so much to be resolved between she and House, the simple fact that he'd come back to her, that he was trying, that made all the difference in the world to her mood. She'd known a relationship wouldn't be easy. She was prepared to deal with him and all his issues (at least she thought she was prepared) but when she thought he'd ended it she'd hardly known what to do with herself. She'd been a mess then. She could deal with his issues better than she could deal with the absence of his issues. And if that didn't prove she was crazy, she didn't know what would.

Crazy or not, she'd been able to focus on her work for the first time in two weeks. She'd put a healthy dent in the backlog of paperwork on her desk, she'd run several meetings with a minimum of fuss. She'd even kicked a little ass with some lazy med students instead of moping around over House. It had felt good. Damn good. She'd done her job like she knew she was capable of doing it and she was going to see House that evening. Maybe that didn't seem like much but to her it was everything. She'd had to be careful, though, not to look too pleased with herself during the committee meeting. Wilson had been there and she could almost feel his eyes on her. She'd managed to look appropriately bereft, even managed to work up a few tears when he stopped her after the meeting to ask how she was. She'd kept their conversation short so she wouldn't give away the truth, and she was pretty sure Wilson still thought things were not going well between her and her 'anonymous' boyfriend.

Other than a stop at a small local market to pick up some homemade spaghetti sauce and a loaf of french bread, she drove straight home. Once there, she set the groceries in the kitchen and put a pot of water on to boil. House had never said when he'd be over, but unless he'd picked up a new case she figured it was safe to assume he'd show up around mealtime. He might not care enough about food to cook for himself but she hadn't yet seen him turn down an opportunity for someone else to feed him. And even though her own appetite had been off it wasn't completely gone. In fact, she'd felt less nausea that day than any other time in the last couple of weeks which made her suspect that some of it had been due to emotional upset and not pregnancy. Not all of it--she sure wasn't going to go anywhere near coffee for a while--but some, and that was an improvement she'd gladly take.

As soon as she had the initial preparations for dinner under control, she headed back to her bedroom to change into something more comfortable, keeping an ear out for House's arrival as she did.

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Not too much longer after Cuddy left for work, House left her place to go home to shower, change into some clean clothes and check his messages. No messages, and no food in his apartment, he discovered, when he decided to eat some breakfast before going to work. That wasn't anything new. It was a little annoying, though, because he was hungry. He contemplated for all of five seconds about going grocery shopping at some point during the day, then gave up that thought altogether along with searching for food and settled on a cup of instant coffee. He picked up some takeaway breakfast on the way to work instead and ate it while still sitting on his bike once he parked up in his parking space at the hospital. A healthy breakfast of deep fried hash browns and reconstituted orange juice.

Then he went into work. His day ended up being a little more bearable than he thought it would be. By mid-morning, the anxiety he'd felt earlier when he'd first woken up had subsided. He even socialised a little with his team by joining them out in the courtyard for coffee just before lunch. Maybe getting back together with Cuddy had been a good thing for his anxiety because, despite how unpleasant his morning had been, knowing that he was going to see her tonight put him in better spirits. It was definitely much better prospect than going home and moping in front of the television, feeling sorry for himself.

What put him in even better spirits was when Wilson came to visit him in his office. House played the miserable role well, but he was secretly extremely amused at the way Wilson was casually inquiring how everything was going with Cuddy. Boy, Wilson was good at lying, House thought to himself. Had he not known that Wilson had already seen Cuddy, House would have believed Wilson's act. By the time Wilson left, looking somewhat troubled by how little House had divulged to him, House was positively smug. He couldn't remember the last time he felt happy at work, but this was about as close to it as it got. He wasn't happy as such, but he was definitely in a much lighter mood for once.

On the way to Cuddy's place after work, he stopped by his apartment again because he was pretty sure he was going to end up staying the night again. He was getting sick of having to make detours to his apartment from her place in the mornings, so he decided to plan ahead this time. He grabbed a change of clothes, as well as the bottle of diazepam - of which he was in need of a refill soon - and quickly checked his mail. Just before he left, he suddenly had a change of mind: it was going to get annoying to keep stopping by his place to grab clothes. He doubled back to his bedroom and hunted around for all the clean clothes he could find, and packed them all into a small duffel bag he'd grabbed out of the closet. Backpack over his shoulders and his duffel bag strapped to his bike, he finally made his way to Cuddy's house.

He was actually really looking forward to spending the night with Cuddy. By the time he rolled into her driveway and knocked on her front door, he felt almost like his old self, as though all the stresses of the last few months, and particularly the last couple of weeks, weren't even resting on his shoulders right now. It really felt good to know he and Cuddy were back together again. He reached for the doorbell that was located just below Cuddy's house number, 925, and rang it.

And rang it again, just to be persistent. And again, to be annoying for good measure. And again, because he was childish jerk. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again...

Cuddy had only gotten as far as kicking off her shoes, removing her jewelry, and unbuttoning her blouse when the doorbell rang. She made an annoyed noise and started to rebutton her blouse so she could answer the door without providing whomever was on the doorstep with a peep show when the bell rang again. And again. She let out a different annoyed noise then because the only person who would be that obnoxious was House.

She left her blouse undone as she walk to the front door, her heart beating a little faster in anticipation. She'd been anticipating it all day but some insecure and frequently wounded part of her psyche had worried that maybe he wouldn't show up. Knowing that he had, that in about thirty seconds she'd actually see him, banished all those nasty little fears and she felt damn near giddy.

"I heard you the first time," she said as she pulled the door open. She held back until he got two whole steps into the house, then she threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. She clung to him, so happy and grateful to have him back that she never wanted to let him go. After a moment, though, she became aware that he hadn't really been prepared for her sudden embrace and for him it was a bit awkward since he was loaded down with stuff.

"Sorry," she murmured, faintly embarassed by her display. She loosened her grip and looked up. "I suppose it would be redundant to say I'm glad to see you."

House was just about to push the doorbell again when the door opened. He stood there, finger poised at the doorbell with an innocent eyed look. "Maybe, but I didn't know that," he replied. He dropped his eyes to her unbuttoned blouse as he stepped inside. "I really hope that's not--"

He stopped abruptly, finding himself being hugged fiercely and without warning. He stood stiffly, duffel bag in one hand, cane and helmet in the other with Cuddy hanging off him. "Okay," he said slowly but lightly because he was secretly glad of her response even if he wasn't sure how to react to it. "What have I done wrong this time?"

He peered down at Cuddy as she pulled back, widening his eyes speculatively at her explanation. "I don't know. Maybe I just smell really good."

He extracted himself from her arms long enough so he could set down all his belongings. "Speaking of things that smell, I smell cooking," he observed as he shrugged out of his jacket. He hung it up, then faced back to Cuddy. "Making food, or just brewing a new evil potion?"

He drew Cuddy towards him, giving her an obnoxious smile that quickly grew affectionate as he studied her face. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, one that rapidly grew deep and longing because he was really glad to see her, too. Then he pulled back just enough to peer down at her unbuttoned blouse and therefore, her cleavage.

"So, answering the door with your blouse open and ready for me..." he speculated. He glanced up and met her eyes. "Is it my birthday?"

"You don't smell bad," Cuddy said, still a little flustered by her reaction. She was an affectionate person but outside the bedroom she tended to stick to the small gestures, light touches on the arm, soft kisses. She wasn't normally so effusive, grabbing a man the moment he appeared in her doorway. She could only explain it as a reaction to relief of having put the last two long, lonely weeks behind them.

She pushed the door closed and locked it as House set his things down. She glanced down at his stuff, curious because he usually showed up with just whatever was on his back, maybe with his backpack if he was coming from work. She wanted to know what he'd brought with him but she got distracted when he pulled her into a deep kiss.

"You can think it's for you if that makes you happy, but I was just changing into something more comfortable." She gripped his shoulders again, pulling him close to meet him in another slow kiss, their tongues twining lazily at first. She slipped one hand up to the side of his head as the kiss grew more heated.

"How hungry are you?" she asked, nodding toward the kitchen. "Because if you're not, I could slip into something really comfortable...like nothing."

"It's more fun if I think it's for me," House replied, just as Cuddy pulled him down for another kiss.

He closed his eyes, sucking on her tongue as slowly as they were kissing. He reached up and cradled her face in his hands, urging her just a little closer as the kiss deepened. Then he sucked at her lower lip and thrust his tongue in deeper the more passionate the kiss grew.

He was breathing a little quicker by the time Cuddy pulled back and he kept her face framed in his hands even as she nodded towards the kitchen. He raised his brows at her suggestion of comfortable 'attire'. "Oh, I'm hungry," he said mock seriously, if not suggestively, as he guided her mouth back to his. "Starving, in fact."

He closed his eyes again and coaxed her into a deep, hungry kiss. He was actually hungry and had thought that maybe at some point in the evening he'd get cozy with Cuddy... but now that he was here, with his hands on her, he didn't want to stop touching. He'd gone way too long without being able to touch and make love to her; he'd missed that, just like he'd missed her.

He dropped his hands from her face to her blouse and fumbled around for the bottom button that was still done up, undoing it while still kissing her. Then he reached both hands underneath her shirt, onto her warm skin. He slid his hands around her waist, then down over the material of her skirt to her ass and gripped it as he pulled her firmly against him.

"So, this slipping into nothing thing," he murmured in between nibbling kisses. "Need a hand?"

"Well, if you're starving, this can wait. I wouldn't want to put you to 'work' on an empty stomach," Cuddy teased.

It wouldn't take long to get supper ready--the sauce was essentially done and the spaghetti noodles just needed to be tossed in the pot to boil. She'd planned to have dinner, maybe a little time for them to talk before heading to the bedroom. Somehow, though, that didn't sound as good as it had when she'd been making plans. Once she'd gotten her arms around him, kissed him, everything else faded in importance.

Boy, she'd barely let him get in the door yet. The way she'd jumped on him, one would think all she cared about was sex. It wasn't all she cared about but she'd missed the physical intimacy as much as she'd missed the rest of their relationship. She'd been too tired to do more than cuddle with him the night before. She wanted to make up for lost time, two weeks of lost time.

"It might take two hands," she said with a sly grin. "After all, these bra clasps can be so tricky."

She started backing down the hall, kissing him even as she pulled him along with her. Their movements weren't frantic or clumsy. She felt a deep passion for him but it was slow and steady and she intended to take her time indulging that passion.

"Two hands, and teeth," he corrected her as she began guiding him down the hall. "Well, for the panties. The only correct way to remove those is with teeth."

He'd only set foot in her house for no more than five minutes, and already it felt like things were back to the way they should be. The way House wanted it to be: no pregnancy weighing on his mind, no horrible fight to recover from, nothing like that. Or, really, he was just avoiding. He was good at avoiding. The way Cuddy had jumped him the moment he stepped inside definitely helped him to ignore anything unsettling that lingered between them. How much he missed her, too, only added to that.

As he followed her down the hall, unable to keep his hands off her, he slid his free hand up over her breast and then up to her shoulder to push her blouse down. He worked it off both shoulders with one hand and by the time they reached her bedroom door, the blouse was already on the floor, discarded. House hooked his cane onto the door handle as they passed it so he could use both hands properly like Cuddy suggested, and once they were in the bedroom proper House wrapped both arms around her in a firm embrace while they kissed.

Like last night, he felt a sudden well of gratefulness fill up in him on top of his passion, glad that he had Cuddy back in his arms and, more importantly, back in his life. He broke the kiss for a breath and dropped his face to the side of her neck, squeezing her a little tighter in his arms just to cuddle her for a moment.

Then he turned his head a little more so his mouth was against her neck, and began to kiss it slowly up to her jaw. "So, what do you need help with taking off first?" he murmured.

As soon as House pushed her blouse off her shoulders, Cuddy let it slide down her arms and let it drop somewhere along the hall. Then she slipped her hands under the hem of his shirt so she could feel his skin, warm under her hands.

She pressed her hands more firmly against his back when his embrace grew stronger. She didn't know if he was feeling the same way she was but she did know she wanted him as close as possible. Closer, even, than was physically possible. It frightened to need him so much but she knew without a doubt, thanks to the last couple of weeks, that she did. Even with all the uncertainties and fights and all the general insanity of being in a relationship with him, it's what she wanted. It's what she needed.

"Well, I did mention that tricky bra fastener," she said, her voice slightly strained as she craned her neck back to allow him free access to kiss along her throat. Before he could act, though, she pushed his shirt up, tugging until he helped her pull it over his head. She leaned toward him again, pressing a kiss to his breastbone while she ran her hand over his chest in a way that was almost admiring. No, he didn't have the best body in the world, or the most handsome face, but he was precious to her and that made him beautiful in her eyes.

"Did I mention how much I've missed you?" she said softly. She pressed another kiss to his chest, then turned within the grasp of his arms until her back was against his chest.

"Bra," she reminded him. "Or any other fasteners you find back there. Go crazy."

"They designed those bras the wrong way," he said. "The fastener should be at the front. Easier access. Faster, too."

About to reach for her bra so he could undo it, he found his shirt being pushed up instead. He raised his arms, discarding the shirt to the floor as Cuddy kissed his chest, and dropped his hands to her shoulders while she caressed him. This was another thing he'd missed: the way Cuddy touched him. Like she was touching him now. Touching him like he was handsome and appealing and loved. Even in all his determination to resist affection and the idea that someone would find him attractive, he couldn't help loving the way Cuddy touched him.

"I think you've mentioned it before," he replied, and dry though his remark was, it wasn't without affection or meaning. Because, yeah, he'd missed her, too. He lifted a hand and stroked it down through her hair as she kissed his chest again, then circled his arms around her when she turned around. He didn't reach for her bra strap straight away, just cuddled her against him again while dropping a few kisses to her shoulder. Apparently, he was in an affectionate mood. Affectionate and loving and grateful, which wasn't a mood he was often in, but it wasn't often he faced the prospect of losing someone important to him, either.

"What, like a secret zip that undoes this Cuddy suit you're wearing?" he teased, his mouth to shoulder. "Let me guess: there's a hideous monster hiding underneath this skin. Like Medusa. Wolf in sheep's clothing."

He didn't really think that of her, but he couldn't resist teasing her, regardless. He placed a few more kisses to her shoulder before letting her go so he could undo the bra strap. He got it off after fiddling with it for a couple of seconds, drew it down Cuddy's arms and tossed it aside. Then he wrapped his arms right around her again, keeping her back pressed to his chest.

He turned his attention to the side of her neck, his eyes closed as he kissed it gently. He ran his hands over her belly, then up to her breasts and cupped them. Hunching into her, he began to trail his kisses down to her shoulder again before turning his face towards the side of Cuddy's head. For a moment, he just nuzzled it and pressed a light kiss against her hair.

"Mmm, Lisa," he murmured quietly and affectionately, as though just saying her name was enough to voice just how much he loved her.

"Yes, exactly," Cuddy said dryly when he accused her of being some sort of monster. "You'd better leave that zipper alone. I don't think you're ready to see the real me."

House had probably seen more of the real Cuddy than anyone else had in a long, long time, though. He'd seen a great deal of her career track going all the way back to college. He'd seen her professional successes, and the failures. He'd also seen her personal failures including the internet dating and the fertility treatments. Often she hadn't been happy about how much he'd seen, how clearly he saw into her deepest hopes and fears. Yet, given where their relationship was right now, she was also relieved. She didn't have to hide who she was because he'd already seen it. She did try to hide her inadequacies because, well, she wasn't proud of them. She still tried to present herself as the woman she wanted to be and not necessarily the woman she was. But he knew who she really was, and evidently who she was was okay with him.

She let her head rest back against his shoulder after he'd removed her bra, closing her eyes as his hands moved over her body. She lifted one hand to his cheek and turned her face to his for a kiss when he murmured her name. "Skirt," she prodded, pulling slightly forward so he could unzip the back of her skirt. She wiggled her hips until it fell to the ground, then took the last couple of steps to the bed.

She knelt on the side of the bed, motioning him closer. When he was standing next to the bed, she tilted her chin up for a kiss while she dropped her hands to his belt. She teased him a bit, smiling against his mouth as she took her time unbuckling the belt and slowly, very slowly, unfastening his jeans. She gave his pants a quick shove down but she had to move back a bit so he could sit on the side of the bed to finish removing his pants. She didn't let him work unmolested, though. She knelt against his back, draping her arms over his shoulders and kissing the side of his neck.

"I was just getting to that part," House replied when Cuddy said about her skirt.

Well, he'd almost been getting to that part. But when Cuddy stepped forward for him to unzip her skirt, he didn't waste any time. He slid his hands over her hips as she shimmied the skirt off and was just about to step back up behind her when she moved to the bed. Which wasn't a bad move at all on her part because the way she knelt up on the bed gave him a good view of everything. He noticed her breasts seemed fuller, though. Fuller and firmer. Her areolas seemed a little darker, too, and dotted with a few Montgomery's tubercles; typical breast changes during pregnancy. While he was in no way displeased that her breasts had some added bounce to play with, it was still a reminder that she was pregnant.

He was a bit distracted at first because of that thought when Cuddy leaned up to kiss him, but once he closed his eyes and focused on the fact that she was undoing his pants, he'd returned his full attention to her. Of course, she was undoing his pants a little too slowly.

"Sure, just take your time," he complained dryly. "I got all night."

At last, she shoved them down his hips. He turned and sat on the bed to tug his shoes, socks and pants off, smiling to himself as Cuddy draped over him and began assaulting the side of his neck. Once he'd got everything off, he sat up a little but reached up over Cuddy's arms draped over him and ran his hands down them. He turned his head to meet her lips and kissed her. Once the kiss grew deeper, he let her arms go and shifted on the bed to face her more, leaning back into kiss her again. And again, once he moved a little more onto the bed, and then again when he rested his weight on his hands, crawling slowly as he began urging her to lie back.

"Suppose I'd better remove those the 'correct' way," he said suggestively, glancing southwards to her thong.

Cuddy kept edging back on the bed as House shifted around, their movements interrupted by kisses. Eventually she ended up flat on her back, which was pretty much her plan so she didn't resist in the least.

"You could remove them incorrectly, but then I'd have to assess penalty points," she teased. Of course, removing a thong with the teeth was a bit more difficult than it sounded. He was also probably taking his time in retaliation for the way she'd taken her time unfastening his pants. She simply lay back, though, and enjoyed it. She'd thought she'd lost the chance to ever be with him again and she wasn't going to complain if things were going a little slowly. Well, she wasn't going to complain yet.

"Come here," she murmured once he'd completed his task. She pulled at his upper arms until he was stretched out fully over her. She lifted her head to draw him into a deep kiss, tangling her legs with his. It was such an amazing feeling to have him against her again, no barriers, just warm solid flesh. The thought of barriers reminded her that one positive side effect of being pregnant was that there was no need to worry about condoms now. She wasn't sure House would see the plus side, though, so she kept that thought to herself.

"At the risk of sounding like a complete sex fiend, I've really missed this, too," she said between kisses to his jawline. Given the way she'd nearly jumped him at the door (and not for the first time) it would be understandable if he thought she was a tad sex-crazy. Somehow, she didn't think he'd complain too much though.

"Better do it correctly, then," House said with pretend seriousness.

He smiled at her briefly before he lowered his mouth down to her neck. He kissed a slow trail down to her chest, moving across to her left breast which he gently nuzzled and grazed his stubble over it. Latching onto her nipple, he sucked it softly, pulled away with a gentle bite and moved straight across to her other breast as he cupped it up into his hand. He paid a little more attention to that breast until he decided to keep travelling downwards.

He kissed a line down her belly, nuzzling against it a couple of times, then finally reached her hips. He had to scoot back so he could actually have room to pull her thong off, and when he gripped the elastic between his teeth and tugged, he found getting it off with his teeth was way harder than it sounded. He finally gave up, hooking his fingers into the elastic to yank them down her thighs. Once they were down to her knees, though, he took them in his teeth again and dragged them the rest of the way down. Cuddy helped by moving her legs just so when he reached her ankles and he sat back up with her thong dangling from his teeth, a triumphant grin on his face. He tossed his head to the side to throw her thong away from his mouth with a flourish... and they only flew about three inches from him before landing right in front of him on the bed. He frowned down at it, picked it up and used them as a slingshot to fire them across the room, where they landed on top of his shirt a little distance from bed.

Cuddy then reached for him, and he obliged by crawling back over her, settling his hips down between her thighs. He closed his eyes, meeting her deep kiss with equal depth, and he surged his body against her gently because it felt so good to feel her against him like this again. While she kissed along his jaw, he reached a hand down to her thigh and sensually rubbed it, then ran his hand slowly up the length of her body as though he was relearning it.

"You are a sex fiend," he murmured back, though he said it in the most loving way because he really had no problems with her wanting him this much at all. Hell, he wanted her just as much. He'd missed this and had been pretty certain for a while there that this, along with everything else in their relationship, was never going to happen again.

He turned his head until he met her lips again and he slid his tongue deep into her mouth, kissing her with a slow burning passion. He opened his eyes when he broke away for a brief moment for a much needed breath, looking into hers, and immediately crushed their mouths back together as a fierce tug of love gripped him. He shifted a little more, rocking his hips against hers so his penis slid against her clit.

"Only occasionally," Cuddy demurred. Heaven knew she'd never denied that she loved sex but loving something that felt this good was hardly a crime. Besides, she didn't jump every man who came her way. She had standards after all, even if they did slip a bit when she'd been through a long dry spell. Being with someone she cared for as much as she cared for House, though, was different from simply indulging a physical desire. She love him, she loved sex--it was the perfect combination and she saw no reason to be coy about it.

Her soft sounds of pleasure were swallowed up in their kiss but she broke away only long enough to draw in enough air to continue it. Her kisses were increasingly demanding, hungry; if she were the kind of man-eating monster House teased her about being, she'd be devouring him right now. She'd be savoring smell and feel and taste of every inch of him, but since she wasn't a man-eating creature, she didn't have enough mouths, or hands, to do that. She had to settle for sliding her hands over his back and down to his ass while they engaged in deep, probing kisses.

Squirming a little as her need for him grew, she shifted one leg higher, over his hip, so that the pressure from his penis was focused on her clit. She rocked her hips rhythmically against his, squeezing his penis between their bodies. She tried shifting her body further, angling her hips so he could enter her, but the weight of his body on hers was a little too much--she couldn't move far enough to make it happen.

"Either work with me here," she said breathlessly. "Or roll over and let me drive."

The way House ran his hand over her body quickly grew as hungry as the way he was engaging in kissing Cuddy. He felt like he didn't have enough hands, or big enough hands at least, to touch Cuddy in all the places he wanted to touch at her once. When she hitched her leg higher up against his hip, he traced the length of her leg from her thigh down past her knee, then retraced the path until he was exploring her side again, occasionally cupping her breast and squeezing it tenderly.

He rocked his hips right back against Cuddy's while she moved hers, his penis sliding over her clit and between her labia, which felt intoxicating. He was aware at the back of his mind that because Cuddy was pregnant, there was no need for a condom. But he was too caught up in passion to put much thought into what that meant, other than the fact that he wanted to be inside her.

At her breathless command, House shifted his hips a little until the tip of his penis met her entrance, and he began to push in. Within a few motions, he was deep inside her. His thrusts were slow, pushing in deep and drawing almost the full length back out because he really wanted to make this last as long as possible. Just slow lovemaking without any cause to rush; there was no need to rush.

He pulled back from the kiss to look down at Cuddy, resting his weight on his forearms either side of her shoulders, and for a little while he alternated between dropping kisses to her lips, her chin and her cheeks, and staring into her eyes.

When House finally slid deep inside her, Cuddy made a little sound that would've been embarassing if she'd actually been worried about anything like that. She wasn't, though, because it felt too good to feel him in her, on her, pretty much filling all her senses.

She was content with the slow pace he set, taking the time to savor the closeness. She kept one hand trailing up and down his back, her fingers tripping over the bumps of his spine. She brought the other hand up to cup his cheek, rubbing her thumb over his stubble as they exchanged brief kisses. Whenever he paused to stare into her eyes, the intimacy was almost overwhelming. The way he looked at her, the openness of his expression, made her remember all over again why she'd decided to take a chance on a relationship with him--because he was capable of intimacy, and of sharing it with her.

"Hey," she murmured as they gazed into each other's eyes. She lifted her head, enticing him into a longer, deeper kiss. Unconsciously she shifted her leg, drawing it up higher over his hip. The resulting change in the angle of his penetration forced her to break the kiss with a small gasp, closing her eyes tightly as a surge of pleasure flooded her belly. "Mmmm yeah, just like that," she said, encouraging him to move just a wee bit faster.

As Cuddy craned her neck up, House closed his eyes when their mouths met, pouring his whole attention into the kiss. He shifted his hips a little just as Cuddy hitched her leg up higher, and he pulled back to look down at her when she gasped. He thrust a little firmer, a little faster, at Cuddy's urging, but still kept the pace even.

He lowered his mouth to hers again and indulged in another deep kiss, then moved down to kiss her neck. He pressed a couple to her throat before burying his face into the side of her neck, focusing on the feel of their bodies moving together. Resting his weight on one arm, he reached his other hand down to the leg Cuddy didn't have wrapped around him, and gripped it. He hoisted it up until she had both legs hooked around his waist and pulled away so he could change the angle of his thrusts a little, moving his weight onto his hands so he was looking down at Cuddy again.

He started to add more of a roll to his hips and with Cuddy's legs hooked around him it gave him more control over how both their bodies fitted together. He pressed his pelvis against hers as firmly as he could with each thrust in so he was penetrating as deeply as possible. He fixed his gaze on Cuddy the whole time, though occasionally his eyes fluttered closed whenever he felt ripple of pleasure trip through his spine. An urge to start pounding away to reach completion began taking a hold of him, and it showed in the way his arm and shoulder muscles tensed under the strain of keeping himself propped up.

He forced himself to stop, however, holding himself still inside Cuddy. As frustrating as it was for him, he found some amusement in how it frustrated Cuddy, and he gave her faint, teasing smile. For a few seconds, he just let Cuddy shift all she wanted against him, but he refused to move because he wanted to get himself back under control. If he kept going he'd likely end up reaching orgasm before Cuddy, which he didn't want, not just because he wanted this to last as long as possible, but because once it was over for him, it was over. He didn't have the gift of tiny refractory periods.

At last, he had mercy on Cuddy once he felt sufficiently back under control. But instead of resuming his thrusts, he said as he gripped her hip to roll her with him, "Your turn to drive."

He tended to last longer if Cuddy had more control over what was happening. Plus, he just loved having her on top. Of course, because of his leg, he couldn't maneuver himself into any position without difficulty, so he ended up slipping out of her on his way onto his back. But once he was on his back, he impatiently reached for Cuddy to encourage her to mount him.

He settled comfortably into the pillows, caressing her thighs as she guided his penis back inside her, then slid his hands up to her hips to grip them when she began to move while gazing up at her.

Cuddy moved her other leg up at House's urging, hooking her ankles to help hold her legs around his waist. He could thrust deeply this way but she didn't have as much leverage to push back against him. He took advantage of that fact, coming to a complete stop just as she could feel the orgasm building deep in her pelvis. She tried to make him move, twisting her hips, using her arms to regain some leverage, but it wasn't nearly enough to create that deep friction she needed.

"You bastard," she said, smiling even through her frustration. She didn't know if he'd slowed down for her benefit or for his, or just because he loved tormenting her. She got some consolation in seeing how difficult it was for him to hold back. Small consolation, though, very small.

"It's about damn time." She swung her leg over him once he'd settled on his back and eased his penis back inside her. Instead of picking up the action where he'd left off, though, she leaned forward. She gripped the sides of his head and captured his mouth. Her hair tumbled down around their faces as she sucked at his lips, his tongue...but she kept her hips still until he started protesting the lack of activity.

"I'm driving now, remember?" she taunted when he whined at her to move. She leaned back, though, bracing her hands against his chest. She started to roll her hips, shallow at first, then increasingly deeper and faster. She closed her eyes and listened to the harsh sound of his breathing and slick sounds of their flesh merging together.

"Oh, god," she moaned. She was rocking against him vigorously by then and it was good. It was great. It was...not quite enough. She slid one hand down his chest and across his belly until she could slide her finger along her clit. She opened her eyes and watched his face as she gave herself that little extra bit of stimulation she needed. After a moment, though, her eyes closed again as her body first tensed, then shook with release.

"You love it," he taunted when Cuddy called him a bastard.

It was about damn time, though, when Cuddy straddled him... except she wasn't moving. House indulged in her kisses for a few moments, kissing her deeply and hungrily, running his hands through her hair and down over her back, until he was a little short of breath and short on patience.

"Come on," he complained, trying to get Cuddy to move by gripping her hips and tugging at them. Of course, she didn't comply. "Don't make me start with the name calling," he added, still positively whining. He snorted when she said she was the one driving, and replied, "Yeah, but you're driving way below the speed limit."

At last, Cuddy peddled the accelerator by sitting up and assuming an almost teasing rhythm, sliding up and down on his penis. That wasn't enough, either, and he grabbed at her hips, thighs and squeezed her breasts in what he hoped was encouragement. Then, finally, she slowly picked the pace up.

"Now we're talking," he murmured, running his tongue across his upper lip. He gazed up at her and the eye contact seemed to drive his passion further. Seeing he had use of both hands, he made good use of them, running his hands over every ounce of skin he could reach. Once Cuddy closed his eyes, House dropped his hands to her hips and held them tight, lifting his head from the pillow to watch their bodies moving together where they were joined. He added a twist to his hips, darting his eyes up to her when Cuddy moaned in pleasure.

As she began sliding her hand down his chest, he rested his head back to the pillow... until he realised she was touching herself. Lifting his head from the pillow, he looked down at what she was doing, then up at her face, his face an open expression of hunger. When she arched her neck and began to hit climax, he reached a hand up and caressed her cheek.

"That's it," he murmured breathlessly. He loved watching her orgasm, how full of passion and expression she was in that moment. He pushed her hair back from her sweaty face once she bowed her head again and then urged quietly, "Come here," as he guided her down to kiss him.

He met her mouth, kissing her until her breathing evened out a little. He circled both arms around her in a secure embrace and buried his face into the side of her neck to focus on his own release. He found it a little frustrating, though, because his mind was very willing for release but his body seemed to be a little uncooperative. Every time he thought he was about to hit climax, he seemed to lose it.

Loosening his hold on Cuddy, he met her eyes again when she pulled back a little and he slid his hands onto her ass to guide her body in an angle that he needed. "Ohh," he groaned deeply when he felt the first true tingle of pleasure in the base of his spine.

He stared up into Cuddy's eyes, his face stern with concentration, until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He let out another quiet moan and his breathing suddenly deepened. He arched his back and neck, his mouth slack, straining as his body began to shake and jerk with the force of his orgasm.

Cuddy loved how tender House was with her after she reached climax. She always felt weak and uncoordinated as the pleasure ebbed. The way he held her and soothed her made it easier and more pleasant because she could allow the orgasm to fade away naturally rather than struggle to regain control of her body immediately.

She began to return his kisses as her breathing and heartrate slowed. She also became more aware that he was trying to reach his own climax. Her muscles still felt loose and her limbs a little shaky but she had enough control to move back into a position that allowed him to get the penetration he wanted. She braced her hands on either side of his head and continued dropping soft kisses to his face, murmuring encouragements.

She pulled back to watch his features contort with pleasure, her heart constricting with how much she loved him and loved sharing this incredible intimacy with him. The feeling was all the more potent because of the recent fear that she might never get to experience this intimacy again.

"Love you," she said softly, because she could never say it enough. She lifted one hand and gently traced the lines in his face, soothing them away as his body began to relax. She relaxed her own body, settling on top of him. She pressed soft kisses to his mouth, his jaw, and down his throat. Then she nestled into him, her head tucked between his neck and shoulder. She ran her hand over his chest, toying with his chest hair and enjoying the peaceful feeling--their bodies spent and their minds, at least temporarily, at ease.

House let out a final gasp just before his orgasm began to ease off, panting a few sharp breaths while his body quickly mellowed into that blissful post-orgasm buzz. Every muscle was still tense but felt incredibly relaxed at the same time. He felt any lingering stress he may have had on his mind just melt away.

With his eyes still closed, he lay at complete ease while Cuddy softly stroked his face. Her fingers on his skin, tenderly tracing over his forehead and cheeks, felt so soothing. As Cuddy began settling down on him, he lifted a hand from where it was resting on her ass and placed it on her back, stroking a slow, lazy line down her spine. He moved his other hand and tenderly ran it up her back as she kissed from his mouth down to his neck, then rested it on the back of her head when she nestled it against his shoulder.

His breathing and heart rate slowly returned to normal while Cuddy caressed his chest. He moved his hand that was resting on her hair down to her face and urged her to lift her head. Guiding her mouth to his, he indulged in a few light kisses, then opened his eyes again to look at her. Moving both hands up to her head, he idly swept and raked her hair back while taking his time to study her face.

"I love you, too," he finally replied, murmuring, because this, like last night, was another moment where it mattered enough to say it.

"You also love it when I drive," Cuddy teased in a soft voice. She lowered her head and gave him a soft, lingering kiss.

After a moment she shifted a little. His penis had softened enough to slip from her body. Although she regretted the loss of that contact, she needed to straighten her legs out anyway. She loved it when she drove, too, but it did give her thighs a work out and no amount of yoga seemed to eliminate the risk of cramping. She lifted off him and settled down against his side, stretching her legs along his. She draped one leg over his thigh as she propped herself up on one elbow.

"I'm glad you're here," she said. "And not just because of the sex," she added with a smile. She leaned in and pressed kisses to his temple, his cheek, even the tip of his nose. There was so much they needed to work through, so many difficult questions that needed answers. Still, what counted the most was that he'd come back. She knew he was freaked about the baby and he still had the PTSD to deal with. Despite all that, he'd come back.

"I felt so empty the last couple of weeks." And now she felt so complete, her heart so full it almost hurt. This time, though, it was a good hurt. She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his. "I'm going to shut up now or I'll start crying. I'm tired of crying."

"You're a good driver," he agreed. "Especially when you go over the speed limit."

He smiled briefly against her lips when she pressed her mouth to his, then closed his eyes while the kiss drew out. The moment his penis slipped free of her, it was a bit of a jolt back to reality, not just because of the loss of contact but because the wetness he felt there reminded him they'd just had sex unprotected. And that she was pregnant. He chose not to allow himself to think about it now. Later, maybe. But not now.

As she stretched out along his side, he took the opportunity to stretch, too, arching his back a little and flexing his feet to stretch his calf muscles. Then he relaxed with a sigh just as Cuddy got comfortable next to him.

"Oh, come on, we both established you're a sex fiend," he taunted when she pointed out she was glad he was here not just because of the sex, but not without affection in his voice as Cuddy dropped kisses to his temple. He closed his eyes to enjoy the affection she was showing him in return, wrinkling his nose up when she kissed the tip of it. He sobered, though, when Cuddy continued, saying how empty she'd felt. When she rested her forehead to his, he sincerely hoped she wouldn't cry. He didn't want to deal with tears. He'd dealt with enough emotions these past couple of weeks, his own and Cuddy's, to last a lifetime.

He did lift his hand to her head, though, and lightly stroked her hair back. But contradicting his gentle gesture, he teased lightly, "Don't do that. I'll have to make fun of you if you start doing that."

"Right, as opposed to all the other things you make fun of me for doing."

She curled into him, tucking her face against his neck again and taking a few calming breaths to get her emotions under control. Not because he'd make fun of her. She already knew he hated dealing with tears. The truth was, so did she. Especially tears that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Obviously a lot of things had happened in her life recently--big changes--and she had very good reasons for being emotional. But she refused to let her emotions get the better of her. She definitely didn't intend to let her hormones get the better of her. Feeling happy or sad or scared about what she was going through was natural. Letting those emotions rule her--that wasn't going to happen if she had anything to say about it.

She relaxed again after those deep breaths and she tilted her head up to kiss his jaw. She moved her mouth back to the angle of his jaw and nibbled at his earlobe for no better reason than that sometimes his reaction amused her.

"Not much of a hostess, am I? I promised you dinner and ended up jumping your ass."

Her eyes suddenly opened wide and she sat up so fast it made her head spin. Dinner. She'd forgotten all about diner and she hadn't turned the burner off under the pot of water. Sure, it was big pot of water and would take a long time to boil off and leave the pot itself to burn but still--it was careless. Stupid.

"Oh, hell," she muttered, looking around for her robe, or anything to cover herself. "I left the burner on."

When Cuddy buried her face in against his neck, House thought for a moment that Cuddy really was going to cry. He supposed he'd just... lie here, and stroke her hair until she calmed if that was what she was going to do. He wasn't sure what else he could do, much less say. He rubbed the back of her head, then ran his hand down her hair a few times.

She seemed to relax, though, which made him relax. He rubbed her hair again as she placed kisses to his jaw... then squirmed slightly when her mouth latched onto his earlobe. "Ah," he complained softly. It wasn't unbearable but it was still ticklish; damn his earlobes for being so sensitive.

He had a remark ready at her statement that she wasn't a good hostess, but ended up looking up at her in confusion when she suddenly sat up. He lifted his arms and propped his hands behind his head as mild disappointment set in that Cuddy was leaving his side. He'd been enjoying their moment together, even if her threat of tears had made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

"That's not like you," he replied, watching her look for something to cover up. It really wasn't like Cuddy to do something like leaving a burner running like that. He pursed his lips as she began reaching for her robe. "I like my hot, female chefs nude. Gives the food a more organic element to it."

He noticed she seemed a bit frazzled by the fact that she'd left the burner on. "Cuddy, relax," he added as she headed out of the room.

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