If possible, Scarlett was more nervous now then she'd been on their wedding night. The knowledge that Rhett loved her seemed to only heighten her senses and his every touch affected her even more than it had previously, which was saying something. His hands caressed every inch of her body, leaving goose bumps all over her skin, and she couldn't help but quiver and intake deep breaths of air. Rhett chuckled softly at how she responded to him, feeling utterly stupid for not having realized she loved him earlier. Her arms were snaked around his neck, her hands running through his silky jet black hair, until she brought them down to his chest to unbutton his shirt, this time around managing without Rhett's help to pull it down his shoulders, though she was still trembling just as much as she had the first night they'd spent together.
With his body pressing up against her as his one arm wrapped around her waist the other wound in her thick locks, she let her body fall back completely onto the bed, her head resting on the pillow. When his hands moved down to rip off the now encumber some nightgown, her hand swiftly came out stop him as she whispered, "Don't."
Rhett gave her a puzzled look. "Why? It's served its purpose don't you think?"
"I like it," she said with a smile, looking up at him.
"I'll buy you another."
"No. I like this one."
He chuckled softly, brushing his fingers across her cheek.
"I never knew about this need for mementos," he murmured, now gliding the silk up to her waist, causing her to shiver once more. "I know you kept the flower."
"Oh," she said breathlessly, flushing and bringing her hands up to her face in embarrassment.
"No, don't hide your face Scarlett, " he whispered as his lips left burning trails from her collar bone, up the length of her neck, and along her jaw until reaching her parted mouth. "It's one of the sweetest things you've ever done," he finished, before kissing her with gradual intensity.
Breaking their kiss, he once again took the silk gown into his hands, and she raised her arms as he slid it up over her head and tossed it carelessly to the floor. She was enveloped by his body, his flesh searing hers as he pulled her even tighter into his warm embrace. His lips gently grazed the hollow of her throat and ever so slowly reached her mouth, and then he pulled away for an instant, leaving her in anxious doubt. Opening her eyes and seeing the passion but also the glint of uncertainty in his gaze, she reassuringly whispered, "I love you Rhett," and then she was overcome by his kiss and ravenous hands and pulled into a dizzying dream that she never wanted to end.
Roused by the tickling Scarlett felt at the back of her neck causing the small hairs to stand on end, she reluctantly opened her eyes and realized Rhett was waking her with his feather-light kisses. She smiled, no longer annoyed for having been woken from her dream because the reality that she was faced with now was so much better than any fantasy she could come up with. Rhett's arm was draped across her hip and wrapped around her waist with his hand resting on her bare stomach, and she placed her hand softly on top of his, intertwining their fingers.
"You're awake," he breathed.
"You made sure of that."
"Are you complaining?" he asked grinning, but while pulling his hand and arm away from her.
She giggled, and then he turned her body towards him so that she was now facing him.
Taking her index finger and running it over his chest, she looked up at him then murmured, "No."
He chuckled softly, clasping her hand and bringing up to his lips.
"I've been watching you sleep for a while now, wanting you to wake up. I couldn't sleep."
"Why?" she asked, concern tingeing her voice.
"I couldn't stop thinking—I need to know something. How long have you been in love with me?"
His eyes were dancing, waiting eagerly for her reply, and she knew he wouldn't allow her shy away from the question, though it puzzled her as to why he needed this information so badly.
"I—um—it's been a while," she answered, looking away from his searching eyes.
"How long? Before we got married?" he pressed on.
"Yes."
He took in a deep breath, then sat up straight and ran a hand quickly through his tousled hair.
"Before or after I came back from England?"
"Before. When you proposed," she gave in, watching him, bewildered.
He laughed, but it was not a pleasant laugh. "We've managed to waste a lot of time. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought you would laugh at me," Scarlett said sheepishly, looking away.
"Oh god," he muttered, pulling her tightly against him, kissing the top of her head. "This is my fault. I should have—you've loved me all this time and you haven't said anything for fear I'd laugh at you? I assumed it was pride or—when you said you loved me that day I proposed, you meant it didn't you?"
She nodded her head. "And then you were so mean to me, and I couldn't let you know so…I lied."
"I'm an idiot," he said bitterly.
"I won't disagree with you," she replied with a smirk and he chuckled.
"Well that proposal could have taken a much better turn than it did. I don't even think I could've brought myself to leave you had I known."
"Lucky for you, you have a lifetime to make it up to me," she answered cheekily, giving him a quick peck on his lips. "Rhett, why didn't you tell me you loved me?" she asked, now curious.
He had never said nor done anything that ever made her assume he could have possible loved her, nothing that she had noticed anyway. In fact, he had gone out of the way to do just the opposite. He had told her that he could only feel for her what he would feel for a friend but that he did want her body, so she wondered why he felt the need to keep everything he had truly felt a secret.
He gave her this look that seemed to say: do you really have to ask? , and then it dawned on her.
"Ashley," she whispered, afraid the mere mention of his name would cause him to turn cold.
"Yes, Ashley. It drove me crazy knowing you cared for him. I thought that by marrying you I could erase him from your mind and that you might come to love me with time, but it appears as if you beat me to it."
He chuckled softly and she was glad to hear the light humor return to his voice.
"I also couldn't let you use my love against me Scarlett; you're so brutal to those who love you, so I did what I could to hide my love from you."
She sat up straight, covering herself with the sheet, and moved her body to the side so that she was no longer touching his bare skin.
"That's not true. I never would have hurt you," she said softly but assertively, not wanting to believe herself as he had described her, hurting the ones who loved her.
"Scarlett, don't pull away," he said reaching for her.
"No, don't touch me. You think I'm horrible."
Struck by her words, he made no attempt to touch her.
"I don't think you're horrible, I just know you Scarlett. I know you better than perhaps you know yourself. I know you because you're just like me."
Because she was not moved by his words and because she looked away stubbornly, he continued, "Don't you think there is even the slightest possibility that you would have held my love over my head if you hadn't figured out you loved me? Did it never cross your mind before, the thought of punishing me if I ever told you I loved you?"
Rhett was watching her alertly, hoping his words were having some affect because the last thing he wanted to do was quarrel with her. Wordlessly, she was thinking over what he had said. Although she wanted to pretend as if she'd never thought of bringing him down a peg by using his love against him, she had on a few occasions, and that thought had once given her some twisted pleasure.
"I suppose it had, at some point, crossed my mind," she said reluctantly, annoyed by how well he knew her.
He refrained from laughing outright though he wanted to, quite badly, but he only said, while grinning, "Get back over here."
Complying, she laid her head upon his chest, and he closed his arms around her, locking her to him. She relished the warmth of being wrapped up in Rhett's arms, forgetting why she'd been upset in the first place.
Having been at their suite for two days, they received their fist callers, Melanie and Ashley, in the afternoon of their third day back from New Orleans. When they had gone to greet the Wilkes', Rhett had clasped his arm possessively around Scarlett's waist, not wanting to let her go for an instant in Ashley's company, being so determined not to let her go that Scarlett had to pinch him for him to drop his arm so that she could go to hug Melanie. His eyes were glowering fiercely when Ashley gave Scarlett a chaste peck on her cheek, and when Scarlett caught his gaze, she gave him a warning look to behave himself. Rhett had offered Ashley a drink before going to sit down on the long couch with the rest of them, which Ashley had respectably declined, so Rhett had gone and poured himself one, silently cursing the little gentleman.
"So dear, how was New Orleans?" Melanie asked sweetly.
"Oh it was wonderful Melly, and so exciting," Scarlett said energetically, remembering how much fun she'd had. "You and Ashley must take a trip there when you get the chance."
Rhett sat down next to Scarlett, drink in hand, and he wanted to laugh outright, knowing they certainly would not enjoy visiting such a place. Catching Ashley's eyes on him, Rhett put down his drink and took Scarlett's hand in his, placing a velvet kiss on the back of it. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, and he only smiled devilishly back at her, his white teeth gleaming, and then she looked back towards Melanie.
Smiling, Melanie said, "I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself Scarlett. You seem so much happier now."
"Yes our Scarlett here has quite thoroughly relished her new found marital bliss, haven't you my pet?" Rhett said, his black eyes dancing mischievously.
Scarlett looked back up at him, blushing and annoyed, but when she saw the merriment in his eyes she wanted to laugh. He was definitely enjoying himself.
"I have," she replied with a smile.
Ashley's cheeks grew pink, and he looked away from the happy couple. Rhett smirked, satisfied, and Scarlett shot him an irritated look. Melanie only smiled kindly, not even noticing Ashley's discomfort because she was too thrilled at how happy her sister finally was after witnessing months of her quiet melancholy.
"How have the mills been Ashley?" Scarlett asked, hoping that two weeks hadn't given him sufficient time to destroy what she had worked so hard at establishing.
He smiled gratefully for the change in subject and replied, "They're fine. I've done the best I could while you were away. I'm sure everything will run much more smoothly now that you're back."
Rhett had taken a sip of his drink then coughed shortly at Ashley's ridiculous reply while Scarlett grinned at the compliment, knowing this to definitely be the truth.
"I don't know how soon Scarlett will be returning to work Mr. Wilkes. She has the planning of our new home that's bound to take up a lot of her time, isn't that right love?"
Rhett was watching her intently, daring her to deny it, knowing what he would say if she did.
"Yes, well, I will be quite busy, but I do plan on dropping by the mills to check over things."
"But honey, we don't want you to take on too much at once," Rhett said with a convincing look of concern on his face. "I don't know if I could bear it if you wore yourself out, my dear."
"Oh darling, you worry too much about me," Scarlett said looking at him with pleading eyes, begging him to stop, and then he chuckled softly and brushed his lips over the back of her soft hand once more.
"Oh yes dear, do promise to be careful," Melanie said in a worried tone. "A new home does sound so exciting though. Where will you be building your home?"
"I've bought us the lot on Peachtree Street," Rhett answered with a genuine smile directed at Melanie.
"How lovely. Isn't it lovely Ashley?"
"It is Melanie," he said tersely, his hands in tense fists on his lap.
"You'll be living so close to us and Aunt Pitty as well, oh Scarlett I'm so happy. We'll still be able to see each other just as often."
Melanie's face was filled with joy and Scarlett couldn't help but smile at her warmly, thankful that she had someone else who loved her just as much as Rhett did.
When Melanie and Ashley took leave of the Butlers, Melanie couldn't help but state how content she was to find the new couple so happy.
"Oh Ashley, they are so in love. Isn't it wonderful?" she said, placing her hand in the crook of his elbow as they walked home together.
He nodded his head in reply, but he clenched his jaw in frustration.
"It's so nice to see her happy. I think we should have been more supportive of this marriage from the start," Melanie continued.
"You really believe she is happy Melanie?" he asked softly.
"Why of course Ashley. I don't think I've ever seen her in such high spirits."
And with that, they walked home, Ashley in reflective silence as Melanie was cheerfully going on about her dear sister.
Rhett was grateful when they finally said their goodbyes and when the docile Mr. Wilkes was out of his sight, just as grateful as Ashley had been to leave. Scarlett also felt slightly relieved when they'd gone because she did not know how long Rhett would be able to restrain himself from flinging obvious gibes Ashley's way, though up until they'd departed, he'd been deceptive enough as not to make them too noticeable, but Scarlett was sure Ashley had caught at least a few of them.
Rhett sat in his chair smoking a cigar with a wide grin on his face when Scarlett approached him, one hand on her hip and her emerald eyes reproving him.
"Rhett, did you have to do that?"
He laughed and, feigning ignorance, asked, "Do what?"
"You know what," she said firmly.
"I suppose I do," he answered, smirking, clearly amused.
"You're mighty proud of yourself aren't you?"
"Yes, and why not?"
"Rhett! You made a grown man blush," she said frustrated.
He laughed loudly. "Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me. I will definitely be replaying that moment in my mind."
He chuckled again then looked at her, seeing that she was evidently not impressed by his behavior. "By the way, very good acting on your part Mrs. Butler. I was surprised to see you play the doting wife so flawlessly."
Scarlett rolled her eyes and went to stand right in front of him.
"I think you know by now that I am a horrible actress," she answered then took a seat on his lap.
"And what exactly does that mean?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers.
She ran her hand through his hair tenderly before answering, "I think you know what that means."
"So why don't you say it?"
"After today? I don't think you deserve it," she teased.
He chuckled, put out his cigar, then took her chin gently into his hands, looking deeply into her two glimmering green eyes and said, "I love you."
She placed her two hands behind his neck and giggled, "I know," before pulling him in for a kiss.