DISCLAIMER: in the first chapter...

A/N: Sorry for the delay. The last chapter got a little stuck in the second part. :D This is for poohlvr571, who remained patient and asked me so nicely not to forget this story.

Review!

PUGNACIOUS and DRUNK 4

By bloodymary2

The silence stretched between them heavily.

Rhett's gaze was unsettling, as he observed every twist and frown appearing on her face. He had always been able to read his wife so clearly, had known how she thought even. But, what he was seeing at that moment couldn't possibly be true. It was not longing he saw reflect in her brilliant green eyes. Couldn't be.

Scarlett, for her part, tried to maintain her eyes focused away from Rhett's penetrating observation. She wanted nothing more than to flee this room and this conversation, even knowing without a doubt that she would leave it the loser. A tentative step backwards, a glance over her shoulder.

So much easier to just leave.

Her husband was having none of that, thought. With two powerful strides, he stood between Scarlett and the door. In a whirl, she turned, catching her freedom duly blocked by his broad shoulders. There was something in his gaze she had seen before, watching and probing. It left her feeling unsettled, like a mouse being stalked by a cat, ready to pounce at any minute.

She swallowed hard.

Few things in life could come as close to scaring her like Rhett could.

"You are mistaken, if you think you will be leaving this room before answering my question… with the truth." When the menacing words produced nothing but more nervous shifting, Rhett stepped even closer to Scarlett and, again, grabbed her upper arms in a strong grip. "What…Do… You… Want?"

Scarlett couldn't understand why he seemed so adamant in getting an answer to that particular question. He had always been only mildly interested in her, never allowing her to believe, for even a second, that his feeling ran any deeper than the fondness one held for a possession. It shouldn't matter, what she wanted.

Except, he was demanding an answer and Scarlett couldn't bring her throat to stop clenching long enough to do so.

I want...

She didn't know what she wanted. How could she possibly quantify the strange yearning in the pit of her belly? Or put into words the disappointment seeing Ashley earlier had brought. The world was upside down and she knew not how make it right side up again.

So she wondered… Minutes before, Scarlett had tried getting Rhett drunk, hoping to repeat the night before without having to ask for it. She may not have known what she wanted in the long run, but Scarlett was sure she had finally come to an answer to her husband's question.

Right at that moment, she wanted him to kiss her.

Pride too strong to admit defeat, she did the next best thing. She kissed him.

First feeling to course through his veins at the wonderful touch of her lips, voluntarily, upon his, was excitement. The thrill of knowing Scarlett was trying to seduce him - not to gain something in return, but simply because she wanted him to take her in his arm – was a powerful drug. He knew her too well, though, and was unable to avoid the suspicion from rising to the surface. This could easily have be a way to manipulate him into succumbing to her bidding.

Rhett broke the kiss and pulled slightly back, his eyes narrowing.

"What happened at the mill today?"

"I saw checked the accounting books and the workers." She whispered, not daring to inform him that his tight grip on her arms hurt.

"And saw Ashley…" She swallowed hard, bit her lip and looked away.

She didn't answer, but then again, she didn't need to. Rhett's face darkened and Scarlett could see he was beyond angry. She knew he would be, though she failed to understand exactly why.

"And what, your precious Ashley wasn't man enough to please you, so you had to come back to the brute of a husband you have." His taunt was piercing and Scarlett found herself with the inexplicable desire to cry. She didn't, though.

Rhett shook her shoulders, eliciting an involuntary cry to escape her lips. "I won't have you jumping from his bed into mine, Scarlett. Do you understand?" Another shake. "I'll kill your precious Ashley before I let that happen."

And just like that, Scarlett could no longer control the tears wishing to burst. It wasn't the threat on Ashley's life – who she had gone to for comfort and whose only words had been of reproach. If she allowed herself to be honest, Scarlett wasn't even sure why she cried.

But cried she did, sobs wrecking her small frame.

For a moment, Rhett stared at his wife, believing her tears to be as fake as that piece of hair she seemed so fond of wearing. His gaze was indifferent. Fat tears were marring her pale skin, though, and the sobs were so strong, her body could scarcely stand on its own. Doubt crept in.

Could her tears be real?

He hadn`t expected that to be possible.

A hand tucked a strand of silky hair behind her delicate ear and his grip turned from harsh to comforting. The moment almost reminded him of a night, standing with her in his arms, crying, as Atlanta fell all around them. Scarlett wasn't about to comply, though. She pounded onto his chest with anger, instead.

"This is all your fault! Why did you do this to me!"

Now, Rhett was no stranger to Scarlett's bursting temper and had, in fact, found amusement in it since the day they had met. He could, however, usually understand the reason for her temper flaring. This time, he remained bewildered.

Did what?

Her irate question was immediately followed by a half comprehensible rant, giving him no chance to ask her about his supposed crimes. Most of what she said failed to form into words he could discern, but Rhett heard enough.

The mill and Ashley and being confused and wanting him to make her feel better. Old and not how she remembered and his words making her feel worse. Wanting to come home and Rhett and stupid drinking and…

"And it`s all your fault, Rhett Butler!"

She was mad and blaming him for it and all he could do was laugh whole heartedly. His ears could scarcely believe her unplanned confession and the happiness that brought to his heart. With a cry of joy, he grabbed her around the waist and spun her around, merry as the day Bonnie was born.

"Have you gone mad? First talking about yourself like you were someone else completely, showing up at my room practically naked and now laughing at nothing! Have you heard any of what I sai…"

He kissed her, drowning her complaints and though she was surprised at his affection, Scarlett soon found herself too breathless to think, much less speak.

"Why haven`t you kissed me like that since that day in Pitty`s parlor?" she asked quietly, confusion making her brow furrow. Scarlett hadn't exactly meant to say that out loud.

She was rewarded by another deep and knee bending kiss. "An unforgivable mistake, my dear. I shall strive to prevent it from happening again."

When he tried to steal another kiss, she pulled back, hands on his chest. "You mean you won`t kiss me like that again? Why?"

"I meant quite the contrary, my little minx. I won`t ever go a day without kissing you like that again."

And Rhett proceeded to make exactly that, easily taking her breath away. Scarlett could hardly keep track of each swirl of his warm tongue against hers. Or the way his lips molded so perfectly upon hers. Desperate to make it last forever, she pressed herself closer and kissed him back, exploring in a way she had never truly dared to before.

It wasn't enough, though.

Scarlett wanted to feel his skin beneath her hands, wanted to have her husband touch her the way he had the night before. And there were too many pieces of clothing on them both preventing her desire from coming true. She broke the kiss, not pulling back more than an inch.

"Rhett… please…" She lacked the proper words and the courage to say them, but her big, expressive eyes had always been far more eloquent then her short tempered mouth. Rhett had no trouble reading her now.

In the past, he might have been tempted to make her say the words, to make beg for that which he had already been so willing to give. But, gazing upon her hungry eyes, focused entirely upon him… how could a man so in love like him resist.

"My love…" Slowly and sensually, he traced a path of open mouthed kisses from her parted lips to her cheek, all the way to that delightful spot behind her ear, which made her sigh.

With hands infinitely gentle, he pulled the belt of her robe, making the fabric part and revealing her pearly nightgown. Never faltering in his exploration of her neck, Rhett lightly followed the silky fabric up, brushing against her covered breast, all the way to the back of her neck. He then proceeded to pull the robe away, until it pooled at her feet.

Encouraged, Scarlett tentatively tried to do the same to his open vest. Her hands were trembling though, and her small height made reaching for Rhett's broad shoulders a difficult task to achieve. His chuckle at her expense made her frown, temper rapidly flaring. She hit his shoulder and tried to leave his embrace. He held her fast, his mirth quickly giving way to such an intense stare, Scarlett lost her train of thought.

"Never leave, Scarlett… never." It wasn't an order, or a request. Yet the plea within the words made the breath catch in her throat. Suddenly, she didn't feel like distancing herself anymore.

Another passionate kiss and Rhett pulled her body to his, leaving her feet to almost dangle uselessly in the air. Clothes were smoothly removed, desperately tugged off and finally, still standing in a tight embraced, Scarlett felt, once more, the delicious feel of Rhett's bare skin pressed against her own.

Like she was a delicate flower, he carried her to the settee and placed her before him, completely uncovered. Strangely, it didn't occur to her to be ashamed of being so bare and exposed. Wonderfully, the only thought fleeting her mind, was that of impatience.

She wanted so much more.

Welcoming was the feeling Rhett got when he lay upon her warm and shivering body. Heaven was the certainty he achieved when her arms folded about him. Nothing could take away from the perfection of this moment.

Hands explored arms and chests. They caressed hips and legs, until the final moment, when Rhett could no longer hold back. With bodies aligned, he allowed her slender legs to circle his waist and plunged deep and fast into her. Gaps escaped them both, air too lacking for kissing, but need of proximity too great to distance their breaths, as he withdrew and plunged. Again and again. Time had no meaning. The past was left behind. There were only their bodies swaying back and forth as one. There was only their chests pressed, heartbeats in synchronized frenzy.

When, at last, they reached the epitome of their pleasure and their bodies shuddered in release, they did so together.

...

"Rhett?"

"Uhm?" Scarlett saw how his eyes remained closed, a happy smile gracing the corner of his lips. She almost abandoned the thought which had been plaguing her, but curiosity spoke louder. Hugging his chest and hiding her face in the nook of his bare shoulder, she mumbled a question:

"Why were you so drunk last night?"

He paused only briefly, before offering an answer. "I ran into Ashley"

Scarlett stiffened, her hand clutching his arm, as she expected him to turn cruel as he usually did when Ashley's name was mentioned. Still, she didn't want to let him go. His reaction, however, was completely different from the expected. Rhett gently turned and hugged her even closer.

"I was mad and lost track of how much I drank, which is quite uncommon for me, love." He chuckled and whispered something Scarlett couldn't quite understand and cared little about. All she knew, all she wanted was to remain in his arms, where she felt safe. It had been so long since that feeling had been within her grasp.

Contemplation was not her forte and Scarlett happily pushed such thoughts aside, content to think about it another day. Why waste time contemplating things when she could simply enjoy it, after all.

When Rhett shifter, she tightened her grip around him, softly pleading, "Don`t leave."

Don`t leave me, was what she had really meant and Rhett had heard it as loudly as if she had actually said it. It was a plea and a declaration all at once and he could not help but smile.

"I`m not going anywhere, ever again, my love. Promise."

I love you, he whispered in his mind, a bit afraid to say the words out loud, just yet.

"Good."

And though the word was not the love declaration he wanted to hear - nothing like the foolish one she had made to Ashley that day in the library -, Rhett felt content, because they felt like one stronger and more real than the one he had envied for so many years.

She loved him too.

It was only a matter of time before she realized it herself.

And he didn`t mind waiting. How could he when her ability to be so dense was one of the things which had endeared her to him in the first place.