Hi! Thank you for all your reviews, any authors out there know how motivational they can be!
So just a warning, this chapter does have some mature content, but nothing too explicit (I think).
I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer – I do not own anything.
Previously…
"I can't marry Melanie." Scarlett's eyes widened in shock. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, it wasn't that. She looked to see if he was joking, but he looked even more deadly serious than normal.
"For goodness sake Ashley, why ever not?" she questioned, bewildered at the turn of events.
"Because I'm in love with you." He said.
"No you're not!" Scarlett blurted out, before she could stop herself.
"Oh Scarlett, you are so dear to me. You have such a passion for living that I could not even hope to possess and you're beautiful and charming. How could I marry Melanie when I'll always want you?"
Scarlett looked at him with something akin to horror and bewilderment clouding her features. Once upon a time, she would have been thrilled with his confession, but now she merely felt awkward and an increasing sense on anger that he could so easily dismiss Melanie, and on the day they were set to announce their engagement. He hadn't wanted her a year ago and now he thought he could waltz in and claim to love her?" How dare he?!
"But you love Melanie" she stated, trying to keep her temper. "You're going to marry Melanie. Remember?"
"Melanie won't mind. She'll want me to be happy Scarlett. Please, say you'll marry me?" he all but begged.
He looks pathetic, Scarlett thought in disgust.
"Ashley Wilkes what has gotten into you?" she cried. "You think I'll marry you? Because I won't." she clenched her fists by her side.
"I don't love you" she said slowly, as Ashley's face dropped in disappointment.
"Surely you don't mean that Scarlett?" he mumbled. "I know you care for me."
Her green eyes narrowed "Well I don't. Not like that."
"Are you sure? I just thought…" he trailed off and shifted his feet.
"You thought what? That I loved you? That I've been pining over you for the last year? Well, I haven't. I'd rather marry Charles Hamilton than you." Scarlett shouted, her Irish temper finally getting the better of her.
"I think you should leave." She said coldly
"Scarlett, please give me chance to prove how much I love you. I know I could make you happy, make you love me" it was the wrong thing to say.
Scarlett snapped and before either knew what was going on, she slapped Ashley.
"How dare you. You can't make me do anything" she shrieked. "Now leave me. Go!" Scarlett snapped, staring at the red hand print on his cheek with slight satisfaction.
"Ok, but if you change your mind-"
"I won't"
"But if you do, tell me before tonight" he said in an unusual show persistence. Then he slipped out the room and shut the door behind him before Scarlett could reply.
Anger clouded her mind and then her eyes fell on an ugly piece of porcelain. Her fingers traced the cool vase for a second before she grabbed it and threw it against the fireplace with a wordless shriek. The satisfaction at the crash and the explosion of china was short lived however, when a low whistle came from the direction of the couch.
"Has the war started already?"
Scarlett gasped as a man rose up from behind the steep backed couch. Somehow she was not surprised to find that it was Rhett Butler.
"Sir, you should have made your presence known!" Scarlett stammered.
"And interrupt that beautiful declaration of love?"
"Eavesdroppers" she began
"Often hear highly amusing things" he grinned.
"You, sir, are no gentleman." Scarlett said, scowling.
"And you, miss, are no lady."
"Oh, how dare you presume to know anything about me?!"
"I know that any girl who throws family heirlooms and collects men like other girls collect flowers is no lady."
"I do not collect men!" Scarlett shrieked.
"No? Then what would you call that little gathering you had outside earlier?"
"It's not my fault if they choose to spend time with me over other girls is it?" Rhett laughed.
"From what I saw, you certainly weren't doing anything to discourage them. Even that delightful dress of yours suggests-"
"Suggests what?" Scarlett asked, cutting him off. His eyes skimmed over the front of her dress and Scarlett shifted, resisting the urge to cross her arms over her front. "If you think that I'll just stand here and let you insult me then you're mistaken! Besides, I wasn't doing anything wrong." she said, feeling the need to defend herself for some reason.
"You don't have to explain yourself me Scarlett." He grinned, leaning against the back of the couch.
"How do you know my name?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Your ardent admirer, Ashley Wilkes. 'Oh Scarlett, you are so dear to me. You have such a passion for living that-'"
"Oh do hush up!" Scarlett hissed, but secretly finding Rhett Butler's impression of Ashley highly accurate and amusing.
"So he can't take a hint?" Rhett asked.
Scarlett huffed. "No. he's pathetic and boring and he's not even a good kisser!" then she clamped her hand over mouth at what she'd just revealed to a relative stranger. Mortified, she looked up to hear Rhett laughing.
"You're priceless Scarlett!" he chuckled.
"I… what I meant was that…well…" Scarlett trailed of as he laughed harder.
"Oh you cad, won't you just shut up? Someone will hear you." Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment and anger. A gentleman would have ignored her slip, but then again, a gentleman wouldn't have provoked her into saying it in the first place.
"I'm sorry" he replied, not looking remotely apologetic "I just can't remember the last time I had such a good time at a country picnic. It sounds like you make a habit of kissing plantation boys. Tell me, how many have had the…ah… pleasure of being more intimately acquainted with you?"
Scarlett stood there, gaping in shock at his inappropriate question.
"It is not proper to ask a lady such things" she eventually managed to say.
"No, it isn't, but we've already established that you are no lady." His black eyes shone with mirth, clearly amused at the turn in conversation
"You know, they say I kiss very well." He added, when it was clear that she wasn't going to reply.
"I'm sure it's not for lack of practice." Scarlett muttered under breath, but not quietly enough, as he started laughing again.
"What can I say? I have a way with women." Scarlett couldn't help herself from glancing at him, taking in the well-tailored suit, the broad shoulders, the dark eyes and hair and finally the white teeth contrasting against his tanned skin in a grin.
"See something you like?" he smirked as she blushed and averted her eyes to a point behind him.
"No." she said obstinately. Then, feeling his eyes on her, she looked up, determined not to let him think he'd gotten to her.
"I bet you I can kiss better than all your country beaux." He stated matter-of-factly.
"You have a mighty high opinion of yourself and your talents Mr Butler and I think his conversation has gone far enough." She said firmly.
"And pray tell, my dear, how you know my name. Did you ask?" This thought seemed to please him.
"What? Of course not." she scoffed "With a reputation like yours I imagine it would be hard to find someone who didn't know your name."
He gave a mock sigh.
"And there I was, hoping that you were interested in me."
Scarlett frowned. She just did not understand this man.
"So, about that bet?" he asked
"You can take your stupid bet to Halifax" Scarlett snapped.
"Is the idea of kissing me really that repulsive to you?" No, Scarlett thought. Although she would never admit it, the idea of kissing a man like Rhett Butler was an exciting prospect, but she would be damned if she let him know.
"One kiss. If you admit that it's the best kiss of your life, I'll leave you alone and your little secret will be safe."
"Secret?" Scarlett asked.
"Yes, ugly though it was, I'm sure the Wilkes won't be too pleased to discover a family heirloom has been destroyed. Also, I'm sure your father won't be too pleased to hear about his daughter's…err…extra-curricular activities. Just so I have me facts straight, how many boys have you kissed?"
Scarlett gasped. "You wouldn't. That's blackmail."
He chuckled, "And I'm sure you know a lot about that"
"Oh, you're hateful" Scarlett cried, but didn't move to leave the room, even though every nerve was screaming at her to go. Slowly, Rhett Butler walked over to her, until Scarlett could feel the heat from his body. He towered over her diminutive form and she could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. A part of her knew that this was not what well brought up young ladies do, but another, increasingly louder part was secretly glad that he had given her an excuse to kiss him.
"One kiss, Scarlett." He whispered, and when she made no move to back away, he wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her into him. Tilting her chin up, he bent his head towards her until his lips touched hers, ever so lightly. His clipped moustache tickled her and sent jolts of electricity through her body and she gripped onto the lapels of his jacket for support, lest her legs give way. Taking this as a cue, Rhett tightened his arms around her and deepened the kiss. Scarlett couldn't breathe. His hands were searing her skin through her dress and his lips were insistent against hers. Moaning softly, Scarlett wrapped her arms round him, melting into his body. Part of her was surprised to feel how hard and muscular he was compared to the country boys but she quickly forgot this as his tongue swept over lips, demanded entry, which she gave. His tongue swept into her mouth, and Scarlett was amazed that it didn't feel wet and disgusting, as she expected it to. When she felt like she was about to faint from lack of air, he dragged his lips off hers and pressed kisses down the side of her neck.
Weaving her hands into his hair, Scarlett closed her eyes at the sensations he was evoking. His lips travelled lower, brushing over her bosom, and Scarlett opened her eyes in surprise. She had never allowed any boy to go further than a quick kiss, and now she was acting like a wanton lady with a man she'd only just met.
"Scarlett" she barely heard her name whispered against the skin of her breast, but it was enough to send shivers down her spine. In that moment she didn't care that this was wrong and that Ellen and Mammy had not brought her up to behave like this. The only thing she knew was that it felt good and she didn't want to stop him, but what if someone walked in? They were in the library after all.
"Rhett?" Scarlett mumbled. He looked up, meeting her eyes.
"The… the door's not locked." She stuttered. He continued to hold her stare for a second and Scarlett noticed how his eyes darkened with desire.
Swiftly, he let go of her and strode quickly to the door to lock it. Scarlett stood rooted to the spot, half afraid that if she moved she would come to her senses, and half afraid that she wouldn't.
She watched as Rhett locked the door and for a moment they stood still, watching each other, taking in the situation. She wasn't sure who moved first, but a moment later, she was back in his arms, his lips possessive and demanding and she reacted in kind. She cautiously ran her hands over his abdomen and was pleasantly surprised to elicit a small moan from him. Together, they stumbled to the couch and collapsed onto it. Scarlett knew that she could not stop whatever was going to happen. She was ashamed to admit that she didn't want to stop it. How could anything that felt so good be wrong? In Scarlett's mind, it couldn't. She was vaguely aware of pushing Rhett's jacket off his shoulders and running her hands over his muscular, shirt covered chest as his hands roamed over her body. They were both breathing heavily when Rhett laid Scarlett down on the couch, hovering over her. Bending down, he kissed her again and Scarlett's breath hitched in her throat when she felt his hand drift over her calf and up to her thigh, her dress bunched up around her waist.
"I can stop if you want" he murmured against her lips. Pulling away, he looked her in the eye.
He wasn't going to force her, she realised. She knew she should stop but in her befuddled and passion clouded mind, she couldn't quite remember why.
"No, don't" she murmured, feeling the blood rise to her cheeks at her admission. She expected him to kiss her then, but he didn't. He just kept looking at her, his dark eyes intense and probing, as if trying to see into her soul, to see whether she really wanted this. Wanted him.
"Kiss me Rhett." Scarlett whispered.
That was all the confirmation Rhett needed and his hand around her thigh gripped her a little bit tighter.
"With pleasure" he whispered before kissing her.
Oh she was going straight to hell for this. To willingly let a man who wasn't her husband touch her in this way was…wrong? No, surely not, Scarlett thought as goose bumps erupted on her skin as he trailed his hand higher and higher up her thigh. For something to be wrong it had to feel bad and this definitely did not feel bad. Quite the opposite, and as his hand got to the top of her thigh Scarlett squirmed in anticipation. She moaned into his mouth as his fingers expertly stroked her and she raked her hands over his back and dug her nails in as the pleasure mounted. She felt him grin into her lips before his mouth left hers and pressed kisses down the side of her neck.
Just as she was sure that she couldn't take any more, he pulled away and fumbled with his belt and trousers whilst Scarlett tried to catch her breath. The next thing she knew, Rhett had positioned himself above her. She could feel the heat rush between her thighs and bit her lip in anticipation.
"Are you sure?" His voice was husky and she nodded in response. Then he proceeded to bring Scarlett to an ecstasy that she never knew existed.
After, he held onto her trembling body as he lay next to her, limbs entwined, their laboured breathing the only sound in the room. She felt the heat from his body and his arms that previously held her in a vice like grip had loosened and now caressed her arms in a surprisingly tender gesture.
Then, suddenly, she held a shout from outside. Startled, reality finally came crashing down on her.
"Rhett, get off me" she said, pulling out of his arms and struggled to sit up. She was breathing heavily now, out of fear rather than passion, and swung her legs off the couch. Swiftly, she stood up, taking great care to straighten her skirts. She moved across to the window and saw a swarm of activity outside. She ran a hand through her tussled hair, trying to smooth it down as she let the full weight of what she'd just done sink in. She'd gone to bed (well, she supposed the act was the same no matter where it was done) with a man who she wasn't married to. And if that wasn't bad enough, she'd enjoyed it. Encouraged it even! Well, she thought as she wondered what was going on outside, I won't think about that now. I'll think about it tomorrow.
With that thought in mind, she squared her shoulders and lifted her head. She needed to get out of there before they were found. Turning round, she saw Rhett standing by the couch. He was fully dressed and didn't have a hair out of place. No sign of what they had just done lingered. Not meeting his eyes, Scarlett pushed her hair behind her ears.
"Good day Mr Butler" she said, her voice cool and aloft as she swept towards the door. She might have behaved like the worse kind of wanton woman, but she would be damned if she would wait around and have him laugh at her or make some snide comment and degrade her further. She was Scarlett O'Hara and she would leave with her dignity intact, if nothing else. She unlocked the door with shaking hands and stepped out, shutting it behind her. Not once did she look back.
So… Pretty please let me know what you think! Reviewing only takes a second :P
Miss Ivy