Author's Note: I wish this story were some indication of an epic comeback, but unfortunately it's nothing more than a song being stuck in my head until I wrote this fic. However, as I'm sure many people did at the beginning of 2014, I did make some resolutions and one of those was to try to get back to writing, but part of that is trying not to force such. I'm letting the wind take me where it might, which is why I'm working (slowly, sadly) on two pretty long multichapter fics but also welcome ONESHOT prompts of any variety - song, picture, quote, thought, mineral. Whatever. So, let me have it. I need things to try when the muse isn't singing for the others.
As for this story, the song that provided the inspiration (and also provides a great soundtrack while reading) is Drake's "Just Hold On". It's a sexy song, which is why this is rated M. Haha. The entire backstory (and fore-story, for that matter) is left open/vague, but it's to be assumed that it isn't far from what we saw on Glee (pre-season 4). Please read and review, as I always enjoy the feedback! Thanks in advance.
Puck lifted his hand to grab another flute of champagne from one of the passing trays, his eyes flicking toward the blonde for a moment to express some sort of gratitude. She smiled seductively and probably would have stopped to engage him in conversation if he hadn't honed right back onto his original target. It was hard to see past the crowds of people, not to mention the elaborate architecture of the interior itself, but he'd always been good at keeping an eye on her. Even when they were younger and he probably shouldn't have been (and therefore had to do so while pretending to ignore her), there was something about her that almost hypnotized him.
That something was quite obvious tonight. The cut of her dress dangerously paired with some pretty extensive work with her hair and makeup team left little to the imagination, though deep down he knew that wasn't even the half of it. She'd always been beautiful, even when her outfit choices left much to be desired. But in the time they'd been separated and most recently as her celebrity status had increased, her image had shifted. Gone was the girl who would meekly stare at a boy through the veil of thick eyelashes, wondering if he liked her or if she were talking too much. She was a woman now, one who was growing more confident with each passing day.
And he'd like to think that was all on his shoulders, but he knew better than to push his luck. Just her association with him was giving her entire management team cause for concern, which wasn't unusual for him or this business. They all played a role outside of their positions in the industry. Still, part of him wished he could change his past for her, and it was a thought he'd had when they were younger, too; there was so much about himself that he regretted when it came to her.
"Yo, man, what's up? I thought they banned you from these things after the last time."
Puck tore his eyes from her form, focusing on the chuckling man in front of him. He'd worked with him recently, but couldn't place where or for what. Rick something. He shrugged his shoulders casually and finished the last of his drink, using the excuse of putting the glass behind him to again locate her through the throng of people. She'd finally broken away from some of the lingering reporters and had moved closer to a circle of women from the cast. They'd all sneered at him earlier at the premiere, so he didn't have to think long or hard to know what they must be saying to her.
"How do you even know him?"
"He hasn't stopped looking at you all night. It's creepy!"
"Yeah. Are you his date or his prey?"
"Both would be fine with me."
Rachel digested the words coming from the women around her, a little slow to catch the last comment while the three women berated the lone naysayer. Apparently Rachel was too nice to be with someone like him and she could do so much better and he wasn't anything like her previous boyfriends and she's in a difficult time in her career and about a hundred other things that she failed to hear because she'd stopped listening. Instead, she let her gaze find his and ignited at the thought that he'd been watching her all night. The room was filled with gorgeous women, some from the movie and others just guests or part of the wait staff. There was no reason for someone like him to be so focused on her, but that had been the case since they were young - and it still thrilled her.
She never expected them to reconnect, especially not by chance in the middle of a busy New York street. The details of that conversation, even though it had only been a few months, were completely gone, but she still remembered how she'd felt: Alive. He'd always had a power over her, but not in the way the tabloids or even those around her were concerned about. She wasn't powerless in their relationship, rather just the opposite; he made her feel like she could do anything, be anything. There was something about him that forced her to see herself through his eyes, and that wasn't nearly as scary as it had been when they were younger. Because even though now she had to worry about the paparazzi or her public image, she held absolutely no shame about having a man like him want or need or maybe even love her.
"I have an early morning, so I think I'm going to head out," she announced suddenly, promising to see them all soon even as she practically sprinted toward the exit. She could feel him following her, could sense the way the crowd parted to accommodate his own rushing form. There were a million reasons they both should stay, but the one reason they shouldn't was all that mattered at that moment. After all, between each of their demanding schedules, this moment could very well be the last for a long time.
She shivered the second he was close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off of him, daring a glance over her shoulder as she waited for the attendant to retrieve her coat. His responding smirk could only be described as devilish, and it had her gripping the counter for balance. She was still often thrown at just how handsome he was - and how much of an effect on her that he had - but they were professionals. They needed to maintain a certain level of decorum in public, if only to avoid yet another crisis involving their agents pretending to be their parents.
"Hey," he greeted huskily, his mouth close to her ear even though the music was relatively quiet near the coat check.
"Hey," she parroted, her back settling heavy against his broad chest. He felt like a glove that fit her perfectly, and her breath shallowed at the thought of how close she needed him. "Are you ready?"
He groaned in response, his eyes trailing down her bare back to where the dress ended right above her ass. The material curved perfectly around the taut flesh (which he could tell wasn't covered by any underwear), but it still wasn't enough. Or, rather, it didn't compare to the real thing. Not that it stopped him from copping a feel while he helped her put on her coat. Her resulting blush was reason enough.
"Let's go home," she whispered, her eyes dark before they dropped to watch the way his hand took hers. Their fingers interlaced and she was struck by how smooth his skin was as he led her out front to wait for their car. She smiled for a few cameras and answered the innocent questions about the party, but the probing quickly turned to their relationship and she found herself shielding her face in his chest. He was better with those types of questions, whether it was because he was more charming or just better at misdirecting. Both played a key role, and it was still amazing to her how easily he could appear unaffected when she knew otherwise.
"Home, Jeeves," he commanded playfully to the driver, who thankfully seemed to have a sense of humor as the car started to move down the street toward Puck's apartment. It was still silly to both of them that they couldn't just walk the few blocks it was to either of their homes, but between the attention and the attire it was silly to think they could do such a thing anymore. New York wasn't Lima, and they weren't two nobodies anymore either. "Ya gonna fall asleep, Princess?"
Rachel shook her head against its sagged position on his shoulder, a soft smile crossing her face at the term of endearment. Sometimes she'd forget that they had a history that went back so far, long enough that she could remember a time when she was his 'hot, Jewish-American princess'. The feelings she had for him now were so new and so overwhelming that she hated to wonder what she may have been missing in all those years prior.
"I just want to be home," she confessed softly, her eyes checking the driver to ensure he wasn't eavesdropping. "I want to be with you."
Her voice cut through him like a knife, the gnawing feeling he'd dealt with all night growing to the point of painful as she pressed against him just a little more. They were still only barely touching, the bare skin of her arm grazing the fabric of his tuxedo shirt and his hand resting casually on the top of her exposed knee. Yet his entire body was on fire, screaming at him to forget about the driver and the photographers that would no doubt be camped out the front entrance of his place. They were going to walk in together. They were adults. It was obvious what was going to happen behind closed doors, so what was the point of avoiding some skewed clothing or smudged makeup or disheveled hair?
"Ya know you're killin' me, right?"
She smiled at his frustrated chuckle, her eyes closing in understanding. It was torture to be so close to him and need to keep her distance. The way his fingers moved against the heated flesh of her knee had her dizzy, the way it was so captivating despite being 100% reflexive on his part. He didn't even know he was doing it, but the methodical beat had her humming, not unlike the instrument she felt he was unknowingly playing.
"Ditto," she answered coyly.
Back when they'd started to get more serious, moving into a relationship instead of just two old friends catching up, he'd noticed that her verbosity severely decreased in his presence. He'd told her to shut up more times in his life than probably anything else, but he also enjoyed listening to her. She was known for her voice and he sort of hated that she mimed herself in fear that her words would come back to hurt her (or them). Nothing hurt worse than the thought that she couldn't express herself openly, especially to him.
"Just wait."
It was meant to come out as a warning or maybe a promise, but his tone deceived him, sounding more like a plea than anything. He was holding on by a thread, and the way he could see in his periphery her chest rising and falling a little more rapidly wasn't exactly helping matters. She was an incredible actress, but she couldn't hide the way her body responded to him. Her skin flushed and her mouth parted just enough to allow her to breathe more deeply. It was all so subtle but such intimate detail that he couldn't help but feel proud to know/experience it.
"I don't know if I can," she admitted, her eyes again glancing toward the driver and then the road ahead of them. They weren't far from his place, but considering the centimeter that was between them was too much distance, another block seemed like eternity. "Noah?"
His grip on her tightened, the tips of his fingers indenting the smooth skin near her knee before falling from her thigh and landing on her hand atop the leather seat. He didn't know what he was trying to tell her, whether to hang in there or go for it, but Rachel had never been the kind of girl who needed told what to do. And, if she was, she wasn't the kind who'd listen anyway. She'd built her entire career on being confident enough that she was more talented than anyone else, no matter what anyone else might have thought. Not that he'd ever doubted her for a moment, which is why he wasn't entirely surprised when the partition started to climb up toward the roof of the car.
She was in his lap the next second, her coat ripped off her shoulders and her lips hot on his. He couldn't remember the last time he'd really kissed her, and that thought alone was reason enough to make this time count. He wanted to commit every crevice of her mouth and delve of her tongue to memory, knowing without a single shred of humility that he was the only one who possessed her to act this recklessly. She'd told him so during a rather passionate encounter a month or two ago, one that had been preceded by one of those life-altering, serious talks they'd had despite the claims their entire relationship was nothing more than a publicity stunt.
The press didn't need to know that they had a history longer than most of their careers. They didn't need to know they'd made plans to collaborate in the future in order to have more time together. They didn't need to know that she was it for him. That was just for them, for her.
Everything was for her.
"Fuck, B." She pressed against him insistently and he struggled against his will not to move right to the main event. He could feel the car moving over to the right lane and knew they'd soon slow down in front of his apartment. It wasn't enough time to satisfy either of them, but stopping their current entanglement seemed even less appealing. "Fuck."
Rachel smiled at the effect she was having, the expression dripping from her face and giving way to a high-pitched gasp when his hands reached dangerously high and found the hem of her thigh-highs. She could feel his wicked grin against her chest as he placed an open-mouthed kiss within the wide, plunging neckline of her dress, his thrust upward a clear indication that he'd discovered the easy access. She couldn't for the life of her care to be bothered by it, though, only rocking back into him to ensure he knew it had been purposeful when she'd gotten ready earlier tonight.
"Noah," she keened, her head falling back when she felt his teeth graze across her collarbone. She could feel the tips of her hair tickle her lower back, the chill she felt doing nothing to squelch the heat coming from their exchange. "Pull it."
Puck grunted into his next thrust, obeying her command as his hands drifted off her ass. One rested heavily on her lower back, pushing her even harder into him, while the other continued to trek up. He twirled the ends of her long, chestnut strands around his palm, pulling gently before swiping his tongue up the column of her completely exposed throat. He felt her breath lodge somewhere in the middle, felt the way her pulse skipped as he passed by the vulnerable spot before reaching her mouth. She devoured him hungrily, nipping at his lips the way he'd approved of all those years ago. She'd only gotten better at it.
"We're here," he announced bitterly, his breath heavy as his head lolled back in an attempt to put some space between them. The action caused her tiny hands to slide off his face, her fingers clutching at the lapels of his vest in desperation. He could hear the whine in her voice when she asked if she was a mess, but he knew better than to open his eyes and actually look. Instead, he threw his long-abandoned coat over her shoulders and kissed her temple, maneuvering her onto one side of the backseat and him on the other; she'd blushed at his sweetness, but he really just needed as much of her covered up as possible.
"Thank you," she all but purred after accepting his help out of the car, his responding wink enough to make her want to tighten her hold on his hand and drag him through the handful of reporters waiting for them. He forced them to play nice, though, signing a couple of autographs and taking a few pictures before the doorman granted them access inside. He seemed completely over the moment as they walked toward the elevator, his arm slung casually over her shoulders as he trash talked about some sports team with one of the other building tenants. It wasn't until they were all the way up to his floor and barely in his apartment did she realize he'd only been acting, too.
"Christ, Berry," he growled, pushing her against the front door. "Ya know how hot it is when you act all innocent like that?"
She blinked in surprise, not sure what he meant. Then again, that might have less to do with her attention to detail and more about her inability to form any coherent thoughts when he had her pinned against him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yeah, sure," he laughed, his eyes following the descent of her dress as it pooled by her feet. Her gaze eventually flitted back up her frame, his mouth all but watering at the lustful expression looking back at him. "Keep up the good girl act, if you want. Just makes it better when I break you."
She swiped her tongue across her suddenly dry lips, a twinkle in her eyes as she challenged, "Bring it."
I got my eyes on you
You're everything that I see
I want your hot love and emotion, endlessly
I can't get over you
You left your mark on me
I want your hot love and emotion, endlessly
*s*
'Cause you're a good girl and you know it
You act so different around me
'Cause you're a good girl and you know it
I know exactly who you could be
*s*
Just hold on, we're going home
Just hold on, we're going home
It's hard to do these things alone
Just hold on, we're going home
*s*
I got my eyes on you
You're everything that I see
I want your hot love and emotion, endlessly
I can't get over you
You left your mark on me
I want your hot love and emotion, endlessly
*s*
'Cause you're a good girl and you know it
You act so different around me
'Cause you're a good girl and you know it
I know exactly who you could be
*s*
So just hold on, we're going home
Just hold on, we're going home
It's hard to do these things alone
Just hold on, we're going home
*s*
You're the girl
You're the one
Gave you everything I love
I think there's something, baby
I think there's something, baby
*s*
You're the girl
You're the one
Gave you everything I love
I think there's something, baby
I think there's something, baby
*s*
'Cause you're a good girl and you know it
You act so different around me
'Cause you're a good girl and you know it
I know exactly who you could be
*s*
Oh just hold on, we're going home
Just hold on, we're going home
It's hard to do these things alone
Just hold on, we're going home
Hold on
