"Ignorance is bliss." Cameron walked out of the room, her stride purposeful. He knew she was angry. So far, the score this time was House, 1, Cameron, 0. But did anger mean she believed or not? House lay there a moment longer, then grabbed his cane and followed her out. "Cameron. Cameron, wait."

She turned and waited for him to catch up to her. Her gaze was inquiring.

"So, this didn't affect your faith in happy marriages?"

She smiled ruefully. "Would it make you happy if I said it did?"

"Answer the question."

"No. You'd have to pay for that answer, House. Good night." She turned but he reached out and grabbed her hand. Startled, she stared down, flashing back to House grabbing Maria's hand in the ladies room.

"Tell me."

The hall was quiet, empty for the moment. "Let go of me," she said in a low voice. She averted her gaze, hoping he didn't see her flush.

He had. He released her hand and touched her cheek with a finger. "Tell me."

"Is this another puzzle for you? Sorry, I'm not handing the piece over. Guess you'll just have to figure it out on your own." She turned to leave.

"How do I figure it out without a clue? Why won't you answer the question? Think it would change anything?"

She faced him, hands on hips. "Well let's see. If I say it doesn't change what I think, that will just give you more chances to mock me. And if I say it does change what I think, that now I don't believe in any happy marriages—what? Does that make me that much more like you?" She took a step in his direction, pleased when she saw him flinch. He shifted but she stepped into his space. "And if I'm more like you, does that mean you'd wanna try me now?"

He glared into her eyes but that turned into astonishment when she didn't back down.

"So," she purred, and he almost choked. Allison Cameron purred at him. "Let's go to your place, House. Pay for the answer you want." She began walking to the elevator but stopped when she realized he didn't follow, and her shoulders sagged slightly. "Fine. Guess you don't want the answer bad enough."

She pressed the elevator button and waited, inwardly cringing. What had she just done? And how was she going to face him tomorrow?

The elevator opened its doors and she stepped inside and pressed the button for the lobby, willing the door to close faster. It almost shut, she was just inhaling to exhale a relieved sigh—when a cane stuck into the space and the door opened smoothly once more.

House stepped in and the door closed completely this time. She refused to look at him.

"Chickening out?"

"Right. Like you're going to do this." She finally met his eyes, willing herself to look confident.

Now he averted his gaze. "You didn't mean it. This is not the healthiest way to prove—"

"Healthy? You think you're healthy?"

"I know I'm not. But you still have a chance—"

"A chance to be what—healthy? What am I now, House? I'm damaged. You're damaged. People are damaged. Haven't you figured that out yet? Yes, that marriage turned out to be fucked up. My marriage was brief and probably fucked up too. What does that have to do with you and me?"

The elevator doors opened. Neither stepped out and the doors closed. The elevator remained stationary.

"I'm not what you want. What you need—"

She cut him off again. "I get to decide what I need. Not you."

He shifted his weight against his cane. "If I wasn't crippled would you still want me?" He was ready to continue with a cutting verbal attack but she raised her hand, silencing him yet again.

"You know what, House? You can come up with all the excuses you want. Me? I don't care why I'm attracted to you. You're brilliant and you're an ass. I still want to jump your bones, which probably makes me flawed—"

He cut off her words with his lips on hers. They stayed like that for seconds with no other movement. Then she groaned at the moist touch of his tongue gliding along the seam of her lips. She opened them slightly and he thrust into her mouth, widening her, and paused, waiting.

Her hands reached his waist and gripped tightly, and his tongue began stroking hers, exploring, tasting, expertly increasing her heart rate. She pressed against him and felt a bulge along her belly through their clothes.

He eased back, hand on her head, fingers parting strands of her hair. "No promises."

She gulped and nodded, eyes wide and a loud thrumming in her ears. He pressed the open button and the doors parted.

The ride to his apartment was silent. Cameron sat, hands folded limply in her lap. House drove quickly, parked, and they made their way to his home and inside. Once the door closed, Cameron touched his wrist. She felt reckless. If this was to be their one time, their only time, she wasn't going to waste it being shy. "I want you to kiss me again." For a brief moment she thought he looked vulnerable. "I want your tongue in my mouth, I want to feel it stroking mine and—"

He wound one arm around her waist and kissed her. His tongue, thick, wet, demanding, made her knees buckle and she battled to keep herself upright. He moved slowly, so slowly, inside her mouth, tasting, teasing, and she felt so wet, wondering if that tongue would be used anywhere else or would this be a quickie, never to be repeated.

Finally he withdrew and she was pleased to see his breathing was as ragged as her own.

"What else do you want?" His voice was hoarse and she smiled.

"Where else would you like to put that tongue? She deliberately kept it vague. Some men were freaked out by that.

He smiled and cupped her between her legs, eyes glinting at her quick intake of breath.

She smiled back and they walked into the bedroom. She switched on the lamp and faced him as he sat on the edge of his bed. He gestured. "Strip."

"What about you?"

"What about me? I'm a visual guy." His expression dared her.

She grinned, turned her back on him, and began a slow striptease, starting with a sultry gaze over her shoulder. She could see that this was the last thing he expected and that gave her the courage to turn again and peel her clothes off with motions slow and sure, wiggling out of her pants with a gyration that made his jaw drop. When she reached to remove her bra and panties, he was there, stroking the material, thumbs brushing her nipples through the satin. He pulled down one cup and leaned down to suck hard and she moaned and arched, pleasure and pain racing a direct line to her clit.

"Greg."

He froze. "Greg?"

"Greg. House." She cupped his face, then ran her hands down his shirt and lower, palming his erection. "I want you naked. And I want the lights to stay on."

His mouth went dry. "There's no need for that." He hissed as her hand stroked him harder. "No," he ground out.

"Yes." She backed away and turned on the other bedside lamp. She licked her lips.

He stared at her with indecision and panic.

"I'm going to strip you," she said quietly. "You're not backing out of this now."

He jerked his head with one short nod and sat back down on the edge of the bed. Cameron quickly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled off his tee shirt. She bent and tongued his nipples and he gripped her hips tightly.

She grinned. "Kick off your sneakers and lift up." She then pulled off his jeans and briefs, letting her hungry gaze promise great things.

He hooked a finger inside her panties and she hissed. He pulled them down and licked between her thighs.

"So…you like my tongue?" Devilry crinkled his eyes.

"Oh….yeah…" she groaned as he fastened onto her expertly. "I—my knees—I—" She whimpered as she stood and trembled and finally he released her, pulling her onto the bed.

He removed her bra and twisted to bend down and continue licking and sucking while she writhed beneath him. He fucked her with his tongue, feeling her loosen and expand, and then finger fucked her while he sucked until she cried out, contracting around his fingers. He waited while she came down off her high.

Cameron gazed at him with sultry and sleepy eyes. "Get onto the bed."

He lay back, hands behind his head, and touched his tongue to his lips, smirking. She was on him so fast he didn't know what hit him. She tongued his mouth with powerful thrusts, mimicking the motions as her body rode his.

He came hard and fast and lay there limp as she grinned and slid off him. He sighed, somehow disappointed. It was too fast, too soon. He meant to go slower, drag it out, but she milked him so hard and fierce and his body knew a good thing when it had it.

He stared at the clock and turned away from her, pulling at the blanket.

"House." Her soft voice tickled his ear. "Greg. I'm still damaged. So are you. And I'm not done with you yet."

"Maybe you have me confused with a younger guy." He hated the words that spilled out of his mouth, refusing to look at her.

To his surprise, she laughed, a breathy sound filled with genuine amusement. "If you think I'm giving up on sex this good—sex I know we've only touched the surface of—" She made a long, humming sound of satisfaction that made his cock suddenly twitch, and he stared down his body with brows drawn.

"Forget it, Greg." She laughed again. "Forget it, House. But if you need a reason…." She trailed off teasingly and he turned his head to hers in puzzlement. "That answer to the question you wanted? The price just went up. You haven't paid nearly enough yet."

He turned to lie on his back, impressed with her machination. "I see." He lifted his arm and she slid under it and nestled there. "And just how many fucks will it take for me to get my answer? And what if I figure it out on my own?"

She grinned back. "But you'd never know for sure what I think. Not for sure." She let her words hang in the ensuing silence.

He gazed calmly into her eyes. "Probably not."

She let out a relieved breath that they both ignored. And the last thought that flitted across House's mind as he followed her into sleep was, Ignorance is bliss.