It's finished! Sorry for the delay in posting, it takes me ages to write steam as I can't help but think every word I write is either prudishly tame or goes too far the other way and becomes terribly smutty. Hopefully this has finally ended up being more romantic/erotic than cheesy/porny though and serves as a fitting conclusion to the story. I'm sad to see it finish and might well end up adding an epilogue at some point, but for now I think Rhett and Scarlett are finally happy and deserve to be allowed to stay that way for a change! Hope you enjoy, thanks for all the comments and encouragements over the course of this story and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW and let me know what you think of the finale. Not sure if I'll get a chance to write again for a while, but if this does end up being my final GWTW story then at least I know I'm going out with a bang!
Scarlett ran her hands agitatedly through her drying hair for what felt like the hundredth time in the last twenty minutes and tried to keep her mind off both Rhett's prolonged absence and the events that were sure to unfold once he finally did make his way up to their bedroom for the night.
It had been over an hour since she had left him outside on the porch and in that time she had already called Mammy up to unlace her, received a fifteen minute lecture on the perils of getting soaked and going to bed with wet hair from her disgruntled servant and worn a giant hole in the carpet by pacing back and forth repeatedly while waiting impatiently for her husband to come to her.
It wasn't so much the time he was taking that was troubling her, after all it was still only early and Rhett would not want to risk offending Suellen and Will by leaving too soon- especially not now that they were to be living under the same roof as them for six months every year-, but rather that with each minute that passed in which he did not appear she felt herself grow ever more nervous.
Gone now was the fearless bravado that, conferred upon her by the drama and excitement of the storm, had allowed her to act so brazenly with Rhett. In its place had settled a far less pleasant feeling, one which made her wince at the very thought of her earlier actions and worry about how she would ever find the courage to replicate them later on.
She wished she were better at these things, but in truth marital relations had always been something of a sore point for her. In no other area of her life was she so hesitant and unsure, to the extent that her night-time self was little more than a weak, almost unrecognisable shadow of the proud, defiant figure she cut in the daylight hours.
Even now, when she wanted Rhett as never before, the thought of the act itself terrified her. It went against everything that she had ever been taught, every lesson on propriety and ladylike behaviour that had been so rigidly drummed into her since childhood. More than that though, the idea of opening herself up to Rhett so totally, of laying herself bare in front of him when he was so experienced and she, despite the help of three husbands, was still little better than a novice in such matters left her feeling unbearably vulnerable. She knew it would take just one wrong word, one cruel jibe or archly-raised eyebrow on his part to shatter her self-confidence and leave her unable to ever look him in the eye again.
That was why she had always been so shy and distant in their previous encounters, reasoning that the less she contributed the less she could get wrong and therefore the less he would have to tease her about. Even on the infamous night of Ashley's birthday party the heat between them had been almost exclusively generated by him. Indeed the only time she had ever dared to take the lead was when they had lain together the night that Melly had died.
That had been such a strange, overwhelming yet glorious encounter, powered by years of pent up longing and frustration along with a painful, crippling amount of regret. In it she had given more of herself than ever before, letting her newfound love shine through in every gentle touch and tortured moan. For that one night she had let go of all that had previously held her back, had laid her pride and her reservations aside and eagerly lost herself in her husband's embrace.
It had been so much more than she had ever imagined, so much more than she had ever even dared to hope for, and yet even then in the back of her mind she had known that the only reason she was able to act so fearlessly was because he was planning on leaving in the morning and so would not be around to chastise or taunt her after the event.
Now though Rhett was here to stay and while Scarlett couldn't be gladder of the fact, it also made this first encounter since his return more significant than she would have liked. This was after all her opportunity to show him how much he had been missed, how deep her love for him ran and how greatly she had changed in their time apart. She so wanted it to be perfect and yet she had little to no idea of how to go about making it so.
Shivering slightly in the cool air of her bedroom, Scarlett remembered Mammy's earlier words about the dangers of letting herself get rained on and winced despite herself; becoming ill was the very last thing that she needed at this crucial time in her and Rhett's relationship.
Heading towards the wardrobe, Scarlett planned to wrap a dressing gown over her sheer, silken nightdress in order to keep warm. On opening the cupboard though her eyes were caught as always by the item of clothing hanging up against the back of its door. An item she had brought with her from Atlanta and placed there upon her arrival back at Tara.
Rhett's white shirt.
Reaching out a hand to stroke down its length, Scarlett closed her eyes and remembered the moment six months ago when, crying over Rhett's departure for Charleston and not wanting the servants or children to witness her distress, she had hurried up to her room and found the shirt lying out on her bed.
For a second she hadn't understood how it had come to be there, had thought her eyes were surely playing tricks on her, but then slowly she had realised that Rhett must have put it there, deliberately leaving a piece of himself behind as a silent promise that he would return.
She remembered now how she had rushed over and picked the shirt up, screwing it tightly to her face and desperately inhaling the scent of her husband which still clung stubbornly onto the threads of fabric between her fingers.
She had stayed like that for hours, laid out on the bed, the shirt clutched tightly in her grasp as if she were afraid that it too would disappear if she didn't hold on hard enough.
Eventually the soothing, familiar scent had managed to calm her anxious heart and, wrapped up in its white warmth, the pillow beneath her head had seemed to transform into a solid, tanned chest and the shirt beneath her palms into a warm, large hand. Caught up as she was in this dreamy oasis between waking and sleep, she could almost imagine that Rhett truly was lying beside her once more, the reassuring weight of his presence shielding her from all harmful and unpleasant thoughts.
It was this comforting sensation of being held that had finally allowed her to drift off into a peaceful and much needed slumber and for many nights afterwards she was only able to get to sleep by placing his shirt on the pillow next to her and burying her nose into its crumpled, tear-stained folds.
Over time the need to sleep this way had lessened, until finally two months after her return to Tara she had been able to dispense with it completely. Even then though she had been loath to get rid of the shirt altogether and so had hung it carefully up in her wardrobe, feeling oddly reassured each morning and evening when she went to change and was reminded of its constant presence once more.
Now that her husband had finally returned though, she had little need of it any longer and was unexpectedly sad to think that this shirt, which in the days since Rhett's departure had taken on such a pressing importance, had once again been reduced to just another piece of clothing.
Seized by a sudden urge to feel it around her once last time, Scarlett reached out and pulled the shirt off its hanger, slipping her chilled arms through its wide sleeves and wrapping the material round her middle, tucking the sides in and folding her arms over her chest to make sure it stayed in place.
Turning her face to nestle her nose into the collar flap, Scarlett breathed in that familiar, earthy smell that in her mind would forever be linked to notions of safety and home. Instantly she felt warmer and calmer, her earlier fears dissipating somewhat as she reminded herself that the man downstairs was no longer the cruel, embittered Rhett Butler of their marriage, but a new, invigorated Rhett who was finally willing to let himself be loved.
This Rhett would not laugh at her as the old one would have delighted in doing for he had promised to make her happy, wanting only to be the cause of her smiles rather than her tears.
It was just as this calming thought struck her that Scarlett heard the sound of footsteps along the corridor outside her room, the sort of level, confident tread that could only ever belong to one man.
Sure enough, before she had a chance to remove his shirt from her shoulders the door to her room swung open and the shadow of her husband stood out sharply against the candlelit glow of the hallway.
Feeling suddenly like a child caught playing with something it knows it shouldn't, Scarlett blushed red and pulled the fabric of the shirt more tightly around her as if hoping this might help hide it from his gaze.
For a moment neither of them moved, Scarlett staring fixedly down at the floor while she felt the scorching heat of Rhett's gaze upon her.
'You kept it,' he said a minute later, his voice unusually low and thick and much closer than Scarlett had been expecting. Looking up she saw that Rhett had crossed the room and was now standing directly in front of her, his eyes burning down upon her with a dangerously intoxicating intensity.
Slowly he lifted his hands to cup her shoulders, sliding them softly down her covered arms, pulling gently as he went so that she was forced to uncross them from her chest and let the shirt fall open to reveal the thin, pale green nightdress underneath.
Her throat feeling uncomfortably thick, Scarlett could only nod wordlessly in response, watching with wide eyes as Rhett's hand came up to touch the soft skin of her chest, his palm pressed flat against her beating heart. He held it still there for a few moments, no doubt enjoying the way his proximity made her pulse flutter wildly beneath her breast. Teasingly he began to stroke his fingers back and forth across her flushed skin, venturing further northwards with each pass until, reaching the base of her throat, he skimmed them lightly up the sensitive side of her neck before coming to rest his hand amongst her rumpled curls.
Cupping the back of her head like this, he lent her back slightly, snaking his other arm around her waist for leverage as he did so before moving his mouth down over hers.
Scarlett sighed wistfully at his touch, sensing in his kiss both an apology for all that had gone before and a promise for all that was yet to come.
It started softly, his lips barely touching hers as his fingertips played lightly with the hair at the nape of her neck, before gradually growing in fervour as he exerted more pressure, nipping at her bottom lip in a silent request to be let inside.
Opening under him, Scarlett gasped as the warm, wet heat of his tongue invaded her mouth, exploring and claiming as it went while silently challenging hers to come out and play. Grasping his muscled forearms, her hands struggled to find purchase before finally winding themselves securely round his neck, pulling him impossibly closer and refusing to ever let go.
Feeling Scarlett respond eagerly to his touch, Rhett grunted and increased his ministrations, his hands moving to roam and rake across her body as he bent his knee slightly between her legs and lowered her slowly onto it.
Moaning into his mouth, Scarlett started as the unexpected contact caused a foreign, forbidden feeling to flash through her, making her stomach flip and her eyes threaten to roll back into her head. Before she could temper her reaction though, Rhett began to rock her sinuously back and forth over his knee, pushing her down onto it so that her damp, tender flesh rubbed unceasingly up against the scratchy material of his trousers and created the most sinful, exquisite type of friction that Scarlett had ever known.
Without stopping this dizzying movement, Scarlett felt Rhett break the kiss, causing the two of them to pant heavily against each other's open mouths for a few seconds, before he leaned down and pressed his lips against the side of her neck. Flinching slightly at the ticklish sensation, Scarlett's breath caught when his light kisses increased in both pressure and intensity until he was actively biting and sucking on her neck, reddening her skin and making it hot and shockingly sensitive to his every touch.
His attentions never ceased and soon Scarlett found herself unable to withstand the strength of the sensations he was exposing her to. Caught up in a deliciously sinful trap between his lips and knee, she soon realised that escape was impossible as any movement away from one only served to bring her unbearably closer to the other. Whimpering at her predicament and feeling Rhett grin wickedly against her neck as he pushed his knee even more firmly against the place between her legs, Scarlett flushed red at the thought of how quickly her husband was able to reduce her to a squirming, writhing mess of nerves and need beneath him.
As if sensing her distress, Rhett pressed one last teasing kiss to the soft spot behind her ear before moving away and gradually bringing the rocking of her lower body to a halt. Before she had a chance to catch her breath though, he bent down and swept her bodily off her feet, bracing his hands underneath her thighs so that she had no choice but to wrap her legs tightly around his waist in response.
Crying out in surprise, Scarlett clasped her hands more firmly around Rhett's neck and burrowed her head into the safety of his strong chest. With slightly unsteady footsteps he began to move, carrying her away from the wardrobe and across the room towards the waiting bed.
Halfway there he staggered a little, his foot catching in the edge of her rug and threatening to send the two of them crashing to the floor. Yet apart from an initial surge of panic, Scarlett wasn't scared, knowing instinctively that she was safe in Rhett's arms and that even though he may stumble every now and again he would never truly let her fall.
Sure enough he soon regained his balance, successfully navigating the last few steps before lowering her gently down onto the bed. Rhett paused above her for a moment, taking the time to reach out and stroke her tousled hair back from her face while nudging her nose playfully with his. Watching him now, laying above her with a wide, undisguised smile upon his face, Scarlett realised he was wearing an expression she'd never witnessed before but now wanted to put there every day. It was as if something really good was happening, something he'd yearned after for a long time but had never dared hope would actually come to pass.
It made her warm in places that up until now she had thought dead and cold and basking in this new found heat she almost didn't notice when Rhett stood up and began to shed his clothes.
Scarlett swallowed nervously as she watched his remove each item, envying the confident, nonchalant way in which he revealed his body to her and wishing she too possessed that same level of physical self-assurance.
Instead though, now that she was no longer caught up in the heady fog that Rhett's proximity always inspired in her, Scarlett's earlier insecurities were beginning to resurface and self-consciously she reached down and pulled Rhett's shirt back round to cover herself.
Seeing the movement Rhett grinned, his normally dark eyes suddenly seeming to light up the entire room.
'I see that your love for my shirt hasn't abated during our time apart, my pet', he teased lightly, shrugging off his the last of his clothing and crawling up the bed towards her, his arms braced either side of her body as he moved to cover her completely.
Shivering slightly, Scarlett tried hard to hide her uneasiness as Rhett pulled the sides of the shirt apart and began stroking along the edge of her nightdress, his hand rising and falling as he followed the line where the silk met the swell of her breasts. Her breath grew shallow and stilted at his touch, goosebumps erupting across her body at the feel of his fingertips ghosting over her flesh.
Inching lower, Rhett bunched the fabric underneath his palm and whispered hoarsely 'I want to see you.'
Touched by the way he sought her permission, Scarlett found herself unable to deny his request and quickly nodded her head in consent, only feeling a pang of mortification once Rhett had ripped her nightdress from her and lay staring openly at her now exposed form.
Shifting uncomfortably under his prolonged scrutiny, Scarlett moved to pull the shirt closed over her front, lowering her head as she did so that Rhett would be unable to read her expression.
'Scarlett?' he murmured, his voice low and full of confusion.
Stubbornly she kept her eyes down, ignoring the hand that had snaked under her chin and was trying unsuccessfully to tilt her head upwards.
'Scarlett.' he repeated, his tone stronger and more authorative now as he silently conveyed his wish for her to look at him.
Reminded suddenly of an almost identical exchange between them from six months ago, Scarlett couldn't help but think that while so much had changed for the better since that night, sadly her insecurities remained very much the same.
As it seemed did her complete inability to ignore Rhett when he addressed her earnestly like this, causing her now to glance up at him despite her many reservations. Expecting him to look angry at her sudden change in mood, Scarlett was surprised to note that instead he wore only an uncertain and slightly sad expression.
'You don't have to do anything you don't want to.' He said solemnly, stroking her cheek softly as he regarded her with large, placating eyes.
Embarrassed though she was by his allusion to the act they were about to engage in, the thought of hurting Rhett when he was being so achingly sweet with her caused Scarlett to overcome her nerves and speak out, 'It's not that…I mean, I do want to… it's just…'
'Just?' he prompted gently, cupping her cheek tenderly in his palm.
Unsure of how to phrase her fears, Scarlett remained mute.
'What's the matter, honey?' Rhett asked, 'You can tell me.'
'I can't.' Scarlett said, hating the way she was ruining the night over something so petty, but uncertain as to how to try and fix it.
'Why not?'
'You'll laugh.'
'My pet,' Rhett said seriously, a touch of something dark and pained underlying his soft tone, 'of all the reactions I'm likely to have I assure you that laughter isn't one of them.'
Looking into his eyes and reading only sincerity there, Scarlett knew she had to overcome her lifelong aversion to admitting she had any weaknesses, knew that she had to take a chance and trust Rhett if their new life together was to stand any chance of succeeding. After all no marriage could survive without honesty, their earlier attempts were nothing if not proof of that, and Rhett had more than earned the right to hear her concerns tonight.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Scarlett composed herself before explaining, 'It's just I've never been very comfortable with this sort of thing, I never know what it is I should be doing and I don't want to disappoint you, especially not now. What if I do something wrong? Or, what if I'm not any good at it?'
'Impossible.' Rhett breathed, looking greatly relieved as he regarded her once more with kind, understanding eyes.
In response to his dismissive answer though Scarlett shot him a skeptical look, thinking that perhaps Rhett didn't understand just how deep her apprehension truly ran. How could he though, when he himself had more experience than any other man she had ever met? And just how was she supposed not to worry about such matters when she knew full well that he had been cavorting with loose women all his life, women who knew every last scandalous trick under the sun and were paid exclusively to employ them? How could she even begin to hope to sustain his interest, to be able to compete with women like that Watl…
Scarlett pulled herself back from the edge just in time, reminding herself sternly that she had pledged never to think of that awful woman again. It did no good to dwell on the past, to lose her temper over things that could never now be undone no matter how greatly one might wish that they could.
'Scarlett, look at me.' Rhett commanded, waiting until she had reluctantly obliged before continuing, 'Do you trust me enough to listen to what I have to say and accept it as the truth?'
Slightly disconcerted by the intensity of his gaze, Scarlett found herself nodding almost despite herself, reasoning that since his return this morning Rhett had given her no reason to think him dishonest.
'Good.' He said, an air of calm, natural authority slipping into his tone which for once relieved Scarlett rather than irritated her. Normally, she despised when Rhett took control, fought tooth and claw to regain the upper hand for herself, but at this very moment she was glad of it, happy to let him guide her for perhaps the first time ever.
'Lay back and close your eyes.'
Doing as he instructed, Scarlett relaxed back into the soft down of the duvet, feeling the tension leave her body as she shut her eyes and surrendered herself to the darkness.
For a moment there was nothing, just an easy silence punctuated only by the sound of Rhett's steady breathing above her before finally she felt the gentle pressure of his hand upon her cheek.
'Do you really have no inkling of just how alluring you are, my pet?' he asked, his voice low and deep and so achingly rough it seemed to scrape along her skin in time with his hand, 'Surely you must know the effect you have on men, after all I have certainly seen you take advantage of it enough in the past.'
He chuckled softly to himself for a second, no doubt recalling some of her earlier, less honourable escapades, before his hand began to edge its way gradually southwards, running lightly along her cheek, across the strong outline of her jaw and down the valley of her neck towards the base of her throat.
'In all my years of travelling never have I encountered a woman with skin so luminously white that it practically begs to be lovingly, endlessly caressed, hips which sway so enticingly that they make every man in the vicinity religiously track their every movement and eyes so bewitchingly, hauntingly green that to look into them is to fall utterly and irrevocably under their spell.'
'You have no idea of how much I have wanted you my dear,' he continued, his hand feathering across her collarbone before sliding down to part the sides of the shirt. Ensnared as she was by the lulling sensation of his words, Scarlett allowed him to do so without protest,even forgetting her apprehension enough to arch into his touch as he bent down and pressed soft, butterfly kisses across her breasts.
Dragging his hand down the centre of her stomach, the rough skin of Rhett's palm sent shivers dancing across Scarlett's spine and forced her to bite her lip sharply to prevent a moan from escaping. She squirmed pleasurably as he dipped the tip of his finger into her naval, before beginning to breathe more heavily as his hand continued steadily downwards until it came to cup her most private area.
'Scarlett, look at me.'
For a moment she thought about disobeying, considered what would happen if she simply screwed her eyes tightly shut and refused to acknowledge what he was currently doing to her, but the sound of his voice, so uncharacteristically gentle and encouraging, caused the last of her fears to fade away and her eyes to open almost of their own accord.
Seeing her respond, Rhett rewarded her with a blinding smile and Scarlett found herself grinning foolishly back at him, her heart rejoicing at the happiness her and Rhett were now able to share with one another.
'I have never wanted a woman as much as I want you, since the first day I met you I have longed only to make you mine. I have spent each and every night dreaming about how it would feel to have you beside me like this, warm and willing and wanting, to claim you as my own at long last and to finally be allowed to give myself over into your care.'
Seemingly overcome, he lent down and nuzzled his face into Scarlett's neck, composing himself for a moment before placing his forehead against hers and staring deeply into her eyes while his fingers began to run back and forth along her slick folds, tracing invisible patterns as he drew ever closer to the place where she yearned for him most.
'There's nothing you could do that would displease me,' he whispered as he carefully parted her lower lips and sunk his index finger into her heat, the feel of his touch making Scarlett cry out and turn her head swiftly away from him.
'No honey, no more hiding,' he said, using his free hand to encircle her head and pull her back to face him.
With wide eyes Scarlett forced herself to meet his gaze once more, gasping softly at look of overwhelming love and desire that she found engrained there.
'There's nothing you could do that would ever cause me to laugh at or ridicule you,' he said, slipping a second finger in alongside the first and dragging them slowly back and forth against her heated, moist flesh.
Grinding her teeth together to prevent the sensations from overwhelming her completely, Scarlett reached up and carded her hands through Rhett's dishevelled hair, pulling him down so that his forehead once more sat against her own and his face was the only thing that she could see.
'Because my dear, stubborn, infuriating Scarlett,' he said, his thumb moving up to roll over something which stole her breath completely and made her cry out and clutch at him desperately, her entire body convulsing as her vision failed her and the whole world turned a bright, searing white, 'for me it has only ever been you.'
'Rhett' Scarlett moaned helplessly, clinging to him as he continued to stroke her, softer and slower now than before, until her body finally stopped shaking and her world righted itself once more.
Completely overcome by the combination of his words and actions, Scarlett could only lie spent and panting beneath him, her mind trying to think of something to say in response that would convey the depth and scope of her newfound love for him.
Ever since Melly had died and she had realised her feelings for her husband, Scarlett had hoped that one day she would find true happiness with Rhett, that they would finally be able to cast aside the errors and hurts of the past and live life as they should have done from the very start. But never, in all the time since that dreadful day had she ever expected to experience such a perfect state of bliss as this, to reach a place where her body, heart and mind were all utterly fulfilled, completely at peace and wholly and everlastingly Rhett's.
'You're beautiful.' He said, staring lovingly down at her and, while she had heard those words countless times before from hundreds of different men, never had she believed them so deeply as she did in that moment.
She did feel beautiful; beautiful and strong and confident in a way she wouldn't have imagined possible before this night and suddenly the reservations and anxieties that she had carried around with her since her first night with Charlie seemed to drain utterly away, disappearing as effortlessly and completely as the darkness does at the dawning of a new day.
She loved Rhett for allowing her to achieve this, for showing her how relations between man and wife should truly be and now she wanted nothing more than to help him feel the same way. Looking up she wrapped her hands eagerly in his hair and pulled him down for a heated kiss, tongues and teeth clashing together messily as she poured the extent of her gratitude and devotion into his eagerly waiting mouth.
Under the strength of her onslaught Rhett's arms gave way and he fell forcefully down on top of her, the entire length of his body pressing heavily against her own. Rather than shying away from the contact though, Scarlett only pushed herself harder into it, relishing the way that being completely covered by him like this made her feel safer and more cherished than anything else in the world.
The kiss picked up its pace, emotion fuelling the fire that had always burnt just beneath the surface, a fire that Scarlett had always previously tried to smother within herself but was now ready to let burn brightly.
He was so warm and strong, radiating heat as he groaned and rocked above her, he felt so good encasing her like this and she just wanted more. Always more and only ever him.
Arching up off the bed towards him she felt him digging into her hip, hard and long and leaking, and without stopping to consider her actions she disentangled her legs from his and lifted them to wrap around his waist, moaning at the feel of him now pressing insistently up against her core.
Rhett grunted at the action and pulled back, a slow, predatory grin sneaking its way across his face as his black eyes danced playfully in their sockets. For a moment Scarlett froze before realising that he was laughing with her rather than at her. Reassured, she relaxed back down before smiling wickedly at the thought of the level of depravity her and Rhett were sure to sink to now that they were finally working together instead of against one another.
Rhett chuckled darkly upon seeing her smile, no doubt reading her mind as easily as he always had and approving of the sinful thoughts that he found there. The vibrations of his laughter caused him to rock against her and Scarlett huffed in sudden impatience as she tried to unsuccessfully urge him closer.
'Did you want something, my dear?' he teased, his face serious while his eyes smiled knowingly down at her.
Scarlett rolled her eyes and pouted, 'You know I do.'
'And what exactly would that be?'
Knowing he wouldn't cease until she gave in and said it, Scarlett sighed and rearranged her face into her practiced belle-pose, eyelashes fluttering over wide, innocent eyes as her lips pursed enticingly, 'You Rhett. I want you.' She simpered.
Rhett threw back his head and laughed unashamedly at her display, reaching out to entwine her fingers with his as he lined himself up at her entrance.
'Do you, Mrs. Butler?' he whispered earnestly, all trace of earlier playfulness gone.
'Yes.' She whispered back, her voice catching as Rhett chose this moment to finally push inside and unite them fully.
He moved slowly at first, tentatively, almost as if he were afraid that any sharp movement might startle her and break the fragile connection that had stolen over them since he had first arrived in her room earlier this night.
Bending his head he peppered her throat and chest with kisses, sucking and rolling her nipples in his mouth as he ran his fingers constantly back and forth over her hands as if to reassure himself that she was really there, that after all these years she finally wanted him every bit as much as he had always wanted her.
Quickening his thrusts, Scarlett watched as a muscle in Rhett's jaw twitched in time with his movements inside of her, his lips thin and stretched as he fought to reign in his reactions. Frowning at the thought that he was keeping part of himself back from her, Scarlett became determined to make him lose his legendary control. Pulling her hands from his so that she could run them lightly across his back, she revelled in the way that his straining muscles rippled and shuddered under her tender touch.
Encouraged, she dug the heels of her feet into the small of his back and began rocking herself against him, pulling away before moving back down to meet his thrusts head on. Instantly Rhett tensed above her, groaning and grabbing her hip in his large palm. Driven on by a sudden careless abandon though Scarlett refused to stop and soon she had him panting openly against her mouth, his eyes wild and unbridled as he stared deeply into hers.
'Scarlett' he growled, his voice thick and low and needy, both cursing her for the effect her actions were having on him and silently begging her not to stop.
Hearing his wordless request, Scarlett redoubled her efforts, moving more assuredly beneath him and forcing him to shift his weight in order to keep up. Moving so that he was now leaning up on one hand, Rhett tightened his other round her hip and used it to help pull her more sharply towards him each time he surged up to meet her.
The change of angle caused him to rub up against something deep within Scarlett, something which made her whole body jerk violently and ripped a tortured whimper from her lips as she clenched tightly around him.
Startling by the sound, Rhett pulled back suddenly, his face showing alarm before he took in the flushed and heated look she was currently wearing.
'There?' he asked hoarsely, the muscles in his arms straining as he fought to hold himself rigidly in place.
'Please,' Scarlett said, her voice now little more than a desperate sob.
Reading her need, Rhett lent down to place a kiss upon her open mouth, linking his hand with hers as he did so, before burying his head into the crook of her neck and moving with a newfound sense of purpose and intent, his hips relentlessly driving back and forth as he hit that secret spot inside her unceasingly with every pass.
Writhing beneath him in earnest now, Scarlett willingly gave up control and surrendered herself to Rhett's ministrations, moaning softly in his ear as he brought her closer and closer to the edge with each determined thrust.
She hung there for a few seconds, so close to falling over it almost hurt, needing only that little extra push to send her soaring, when suddenly Rhett began to groan and shake above her, his movements becoming wild and frenzied as he drove himself fiercely into her core.
'Scarlett' he panted, the sound of her name on his lips making her clench fiercely around him and cry out sharply as she finally let go and followed him over into the sweetest of all oblivions.
Trembling and slick with sweat they clung to each other, both of them unable and unwilling to move so much as an inch as they fought to regain their breath and calm their beating hearts.
Scarlett was the first to break the stillness, Rhett's weight above her, so pleasant only moments ago, soon becoming too hot and oppressive for her to bear.
Groaning lowly in the back of his throat, Rhett extracted himself and rolled over onto his back, pulling Scarlett with him as he went so that she ended up all but draped across his chest, her head nestled on his shoulder and her leg threaded between the two of his.
They stayed like that for some time, enjoying the comfortable silence and basking in the recollection of all that had just passed between them.
Eventually though their breathing returned to normal and their skin cooled, Rhett's deep, slow inhalations making Scarlett worry that he would fall asleep before she had a chance to tell him what she needed to.
'Rhett?' she ventured hesitantly, poking him slightly in the side to get his attention.
'Yes, my dear?'
'I'm glad you came back.'
'I'm glad you waited for me.' he replied, pulling her closer against him and turning to plant a kiss on her forehead.
'Thank you for giving me a second chance, I know you said you didn't believe in patching something up and telling yourself that it's as good as new, but I'm grateful that you broke your rule for me.'
Chuckling softly, Rhett lent his head back so that they could see each other properly and said, 'Honey, there isn't a single rule I ever made that I didn't eventually end up breaking for you.'
A wide, genuine smile breaking out across her face, Scarlett reached up to kiss Rhett one last time before cuddling closely into his chest, pulling the forgotten shirt over herself and shivering slightly as she listened to the last few drops of rain from the storm clatter against her window.
Sensing her chill, Rhett reached down and pulled the covers up from where they had become pooled at the bottom of the bed, never letting go of Scarlett as he draped them over them both and wrapped her up more firmly in his embrace.
Sighing contentedly, Scarlett snuggled as close to him as she possibly could, turning her face into the crevice of his neck and breathing him in deeply, knowing that the soothing scent, so much more potent now that he was really here beside her, would soon send her to sleep.
Just as she was beginning to drop off though, Scarlett heard the clock in the downstairs hallway strike the hour, the sound of its ghostly, metallic chimes reverberating throughout the silent house.
Hugging Rhett tightly to her, Scarlett thought about counting the gongs before realising with a smile that it no longer mattered what time it was, that for her and Rhett the new day had already started six months ago when he had first awoken in his bed to find her next to him. That had been such a overwhelming night, one in which old lives had ended and new loves had begun and where things thought forever broken had somehow managed to be repaired just before they were lost for good.
Closing her eyes and giving herself over to the blackness, Scarlett clutched Rhett tightly against her and allowed herself to drift off, safe in the knowledge that when tomorrow finally arrived it would find him by her side.