It was loud.
"What?!" She screamed over the music and the ruckus of drunken college students. As she took another swig of her Blue Moon.
"I said: Are you going to shut up and dance with me?" Rhett took a shot of...something brown. Probably whiskey. That was what he had gotten for her the past two or three shots...four? It might have been four. She had stopped counting after the first dance...
Dancing with Rhett was...exhilarating.
"Are you going to continue to quote song lyrics everytime a new song comes on?" Her words slurred a little and he noticed. He slowly smiled at her before grabbing her hand and pulling her out onto the dance floor again.
"I do believe that you are tipsy, Ms. O'Hara."
"I do believe that you are...probably correct, Mr. Butler." She laughed loudly, finding amusement in her statement for...unknown reasons. She had always thought that there where four stages of drunkenness: "buzzed", tipsy, drunk and passed out. She would say that she was probably on the far side of tipsy and she should probably slow down or else she was going to regret it tomorrow.
Shut Up and Dance ended and the music played until a new song blended into the present one. She liked this song too.
"I love this song!" She screamed at Rhett as they started to adapt to the new beat.
Rhett listened for a second, taking in the first few lines. He nodded, "I can see that."
She frowned. "Why do I get the feeling that was a deraga-deraga-?"
"Derogatory." He finished for her. "I meant no disrespect. I was merely acknowledging that this sounds exactly like something you would enjoy. Ambiguous lyrics. Boisterous, loud bass. Synthetic keyboard..." He smirked.
He pulled her in close to him as they began to sway with the music, moving his hands up and down her back. She got into it too, putting her hands around his neck, using him as an anchor as she moved. She tried not to get too close...she still had enough sense to know that if she started grinding on him, this night was only going to end one way. But, damn, it was hard not to.
A few songs later, Scarlett decided she needed a "water" break. Whenever she asked the bartender for another Blue Moon, Rhett interrupted and told him, "Just a glass of water."
The bartender looked conflicted for a second, but must have trusted Rhett's judgment because when he returned he had a tall glass of water in his hand. She seethed. "What are you doing?" Turning towards Rhett from atop her stool. "I am not that drunk." He had a lot of nerve.
"Perhaps not at this moment, but another shot from now? Another bottle from now? That may not be the case. Someone has to regulate you." He gestured to the bartender to bring him another shot.
"So I'm too drunk for another but you aren't?" She took a sip of water, as he settled onto the bar stool next to hers. She was drunk enough for his offense to roll off her back. She wasn't of any mind to hold a grudge tonight. Not whenever he smelled so good and looked so good...and his knee inadvertently rested against her thigh. She swallowed.
"As a matter of fact, I am not drunk at all. Just enjoying myself. The environment, the music...the view." He kicked the shot back smoothly before looking at her out of the corner of his eye. He grinned.
"You ready to go?" He must of noticed that she was kind of zoned out, overly focused on his leg touching hers. She nodded without thinking and he paid their bill, grasped her hand and they headed out.
By the time they had gotten to the car, she knew that she was a little more drunk then she had originally thought. Things were kind of spinny. Spinny. Ha! That's funny...Rhett opened the door for her and helped her into the car, for which she was grateful.
Next time, she was going to have to remember to take a little more time between drinks...
"Yeah, that might be wise for next time." Rhett stated as he got into the car.
She looked at him, confused. Then she realized, Oh, I said that out loud.
She leaned her head against the seat, creating at bit of stability for her spinning head before looking at Rhett. He was unbearably handsome. His dark skin and dark hair. Those lips. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. She had missed looking at him.
"Maybe I would have paid a little more attention if I hadn't been so distracted." She shifted so that she was turned towards him, her head still resting against the back of the seat.
He laughed. "Distracted? By what?" He was grinning.
She shifted again, pressing herself into the seat. "By you...who else." Fuck it, she thought. I want him to know.
His grin fell just a bit at that. But not in a way that said he was displeased. She could tell the difference...somehow. Something about being in this state of mind made everything he did so clear! It wasn't like he was disappointed. It was like he didn't expect it.
She had shocked him.
She shifted again.
He gained his composure quickly. She absently noticed that he was shifting as well and perhaps this car had really uncomfortable seats- "How was I distracting you?" His voice was silk. He was amused.
She leaned her head back and began to ramble. "The way you danced. The way you constantly quoted song lyrics throughout the night. The way you kept breathing on my neck. The way your lips look when you smile..." She opened her eyes at that. She hadn't realized she was going to say that until it was already out of her mouth, hanging in the air between them in a car that had to be shrinking. He seemed a lot closer to her now then he had earlier.
He smiled widely at that and even in the dim streetlights she could see that his eyes had taken on a dark look. Like he was imagining she was a lamb...and he was a wolf. Strange analogy, Scarlett, she thought to herself. She was suddenly very sleepy.
"Well, you are pretty distracting yourself, my love..." His voice purred, and she shivered as her eyes closed again.
Next thing she knew, Rhett was leaning over her. "Wake up, Scarlett. We are back." He spoke softly.
She blinked several times and took his proffered hand and climbed out of the car. Her brief nap had cleared her head...a little. Everything wasn't spinning quite as much as before. Which was a big plus. Still, she held onto Rhett's hand as they walked into the hotel and towards the elevator.
When they boarded the elevator, she rested her body against the back wall. Rhett did the same, his shoulder touching hers. She looked over at him and he was watching her. She didn't want to say goodnight. She didn't want the night to end. She needed an excuse...her already muddled brain scrambled...
"I feel really sticky." Rubbing her arms, up and down.
"For some reason, that makes me think of lollipops." He smirks at her and in a dark voice he says, "You would be a delicious lollipop, Scarlett."
She knew that he was trying to rile her up, and usually it would have work. But the alcohol made her less self-aware and made him way funnier.
She laughed. Obnoxiously.
She wanted to dance with him again. "I am coming up to your room. I want to use that amazing shower..."
He turned towards her placing his hands on either side of her head against the elevator wall. "You are welcome in my room anytime, Ms. O'Hara. You are the future Mrs. Butler, after all." His nose was touching hers now. "You are also welcome in my amazing shower..."
"I want to dance some more too. I'm not ready to go to sleep." She smiled up at him.
"Then sleep, you shall not..." He stayed close to her until the elevator dinged. The doors opened. He stepped to the side and gestured for her to proceed him. She stepped out of the elevator, towards the only door on the hall. He kept his hand on the small of her back as they approached the door. Part of her wanted to push it away because it almost burned, while the other, much more dominate part, wanted him closer. Wanted his hand to travel from the small of her back around to her stomach...then slowly down...
Her breath caught at the thought. He unlocked the door, opened it, and he was waiting for her.
It was still just as breathtaking as before. It was a chilly night, so the staff had come in and lit a fire in the large fireplace. It cast an alluring glow over the ornate furniture. He helped her out of her jacket without a word and placed it over a chair. Immediately, she went to sit in front of the fire. Watching the fire licking and curling over the logs made her think of Rhett again. Tonight, everything seemed to.
He came and sat next to her. She noticed that he had started some music.
"You said you wanted to dance, and I always aim to please." He grinned as she shakily took his hand, her body lit up at the feel of his skin. It was a slower song and he took her in his arms, right where she wanted to be. So close.
After a few moments, she whispered abruptly. "I hate that you make me feel this way." Her tongue was loosening again. It seemed to do that when he touched her in this state. Or when he looked at her. Or when she could feel him in the room, even when she couldn't see him. I am out of my mind.
"How do I make you feel?" His voice was in earnest but when she looked up and caught his eyes with her own, they were smiling. No...they were hiding...
She leaned into him. "Like..." She paused, realizing she was saying so many things. She sighed and it was almost a laugh. "You are infuriating."
There was a pause and she wondered what he was thinking. She was about to look up at him when he laughed, quietly, before pulling her closer. And she happily found herself tight against his chest.
She couldn't breathe. She thought for a moment that maybe he was holding her too tight. But his hands-slowly, softly gliding over her back-told her that he wasn't. He skimmed his fingers over a patch of exposed flesh at the base of her shirt and she softly gasped. He noticed and his hands tightened against her as he took in a deep, long breath. His movement caused her body to press wholly into his and she felt how badly he wanted her. It took her breath away.
She lifted her head, grazing her nose against the side of his neck, almost nuzzling him. He looked down and she saw it fall-the wall, the guard that she hadn't even known was there until she saw him without it-was gone from his eyes, his face, and she could see...he was on fire. One hand swiftly shifted from her back, to the side of her face, his hand firmly encasing her jaw while his thumb traced slow circles over her cheek. His eyes took in every inch of her face, her eyes. Searching.
And then his mouth was on hers.
Oh, God.
Those lips that she had been thinking about and dwelling on all week where on her and that was all she could take in. She moaned into his mouth as she grabbed at his arms. The force of his kiss was so great that the only thing keeping her upright was his hands, still on her back and now gripping her neck-like a vice. He wasn't going to let her go. Thank God...
She opened up to him, no holds barred. His tongue claiming her mouth with a force akin to wielding steel. And she was his to mold, to brand, to burn. She wanted to be consumed in the flame that he created. Wanted to feel the fire that he had stoked. She wanted to dive head first into the smolder that she had seen in his eyes just seconds ago. Never to feel the cold again...
Suddenly, her mind said: Bad idea. And she pushed the thought away.
She thought of Ashley.
That should have done it. But, God help her, she didn't care. Ashley was to her, in that moment, like the memory of a dream after you had awoken. In her whiskey-laden mind, she surmised that she had never been awake before now. That it had all been a dream until now. And Rhett was waking her up.
Oh, Rhett.
Her treacherous mind broke through the haze once more, knowing that she was almost completely lost to him: You've given into him so easily. All that had been needed to get her to surrender to him was a few drinks and a song? But in the haze of her desire, her passion, where all justification and all pretense was being burned away by the fire set by him, she knew that she had given up to him long ago. Maybe even before coming here to Atlanta and before she had asked for his help.
Maybe before she ever met him.
His lips had traveled from her mouth down her throat before he had her bent over his arm like a rag-doll, pressing his face flush into the valley between her heaving chest, leaving her completely at his mercy.
Scarlett had almost forgotten what it was like to want sex. Her limited experience had been disappointing: fumbling with inexperienced boys in twin size beds and school bathrooms. She hadn't seen the point after that. This was different. She had sex with those other men. Rhett was going to fuck her. There was no guessing or wondering or doing on her part. Sex was going to be done to her. The thought made her body ripple...
He lifted her back up. Using the momentum, he easily hefted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She undulated against his body at the feel of it against her core, moaning embarrassingly loud.
Rhett carried her slowly, precisely, towards the bedroom, gripping her bottom, pulling her closer to him even as she continued to move against him. His arms were shaking and his mouth was unsteady. At first she thought that maybe she was too heavy, but immediately realized-
He was trying to stay in control.
She didn't want him in control. She wanted him unguarded and in abandon, like she was. She wanted him desperate. She forcefully rolling her hips into his waist, wordlessly begging. Please...
He stopped walking and his tongue plunged deeper into her mouth; still he was controlled. She rolled her hips into him again, this time breaking the kiss. "God, Rhett...please..." She gripped his hair, to the point of pain, tugging him towards her without taking his mouth. She wanted him to take her.
Instantly, his mouth was sealed to hers. And there it was: pulling, delving, tasting...biting... God, yes. They didn't make it to the bedroom. They didn't even make it to the bedroom door. Scarlett came crashing down on the sofa, in front of the fireplace, with such force she was surprised it didn't crumble beneath them. Rhett was ripping her clothes off-literally ripping. She didn't care. In fact she rejoiced and ripped right along with him. She just needed to feel his skin against hers. Her clothes were gone, might as well have been incinerated. And he made quick work of his...peeling his shirt off to reveal his dark torso, loosening his belt and releasing what she most longed for from his clothing. She had to touch him.
He grunted, as if she had ran into him full force, as soon as her hand gripped him. He was on her before she could explore further. Mouth claiming hers again. And his skin...was everywhere.
Abruptly, he was leaning over her. His breath warm on her face as he breathed heavily. "Where do you want me, Scarlett?"
He leaned back, resting his hands gently over her stomach, running his fingers back and forth in little zig-zags. She swelled underneath him.
"You know where..." She was breathless, almost aggravated that he was asking her this. Like he didn't know...
He moved his hands lower down her stomach. "Show me."
Gladly...With no thought at all, she gripped his hand and guided it to where she wanted him most. He hovered over her naked flesh until she was nearly ready to scream at him. Then...bliss.
His deft fingers didn't have to do much. She was soon at the crest only to come crashing down in wave after wave-relief. Just as quickly as she had risen and fallen, he was inside her. Deep, swelling then retreating. He swung her legs over his shoulders and continued to gliding himself into her. Every stroke was a swell in a bold, glorious symphony. She knew that she was going to come undone again. In a way she never had before. No sooner had she come to the realization-
As she came back down from her pinnacle, Rhett found his and with a groan that was nearly a growl his head fell back only to fall forward again. His eyes caught hers.
She was completely his.