Playing With Fire
Title: Playing With Fire
Characters: Carter/Serena
Rating/Word Count: PG-13/984
One-Line Excerpt: "As if you'd ever get married."
"This is so boring," she says out of the corner of her mouth, her gaze fixed on the purple flower petals lining the makeshift aisle of the outdoor wedding.
Carter isn't looking at her - he's looking at either the bridesmaids or at the cake (and she hopes it's the latter). "You're the one who dragged me here," he accuses, but she hears the hint of amusement in his tone.
"I had no way of knowing that the groom was going to have some kind of existential crisis five seconds before his bride was set to walk down the aisle."
"Even I could have predicted that one, beautiful."
She pouts, turning a little in her chair so that her body is angled toward his. "My grandmother insisted that we be here," she admits.
"So it's true." He mimics her movement, swiveling toward her a bit and draping his arm along the back of her chair. "Cece controls our lives."
Serena smiles, reaching for his free hand and linking their fingers together. "But she lets us pretend that she doesn't. Which is sweet, if you think about it."
He laughs low in his throat and lifts a single eyebrow. "I'm surprised she hasn't insisted on planning a wedding for us yet."
"As if you'd ever get married." She squints in the sunlight and ignores the pitter-patter of her heart.
"As if you'd ever get married."
She turns toward him, an honest grin tugging at her lips as she comments, "Touché."
He lifts the arm that's behind her, resting his hand against her neck instead, his fingers tangling in her hair. She leans into his touch and he smirks, his eyes dark as he says, "It is way too fucking hot."
"Mm," she murmurs noncommittally, watching the way that he watches her lick her lips. "Thought you liked to play with fire."
Carter laughs, slowly untangling his fingers from hers - and then he gives her wrist a sharp tug, pulling her toward him, into his lap. She goes willingly, falling into him with a quiet giggle.
He touches his nose to her jaw and inhales slowly as he counters, "Thought you liked to play with me."
She sighs, leaning her head against his shoulder and glancing up at him through her lashes. "True."
He leans in to kiss her, slow and deep and lingering, a completely unapologetic display of affection. "How much trouble do we get in if we leave?" he whispers against her mouth.
"Lots."
"It's too hot to be in the city. You are too hot to be in the city."
She nips lightly at his lower lip. "That's not on Grandma's list of acceptable excuses for leaving a wedding."
"I'll tell her," he bargains easily, his hand brushing the side of her breast. She grabs his wrist and gives him a scolding look, but he continues, undeterred, "I'll tell her that I was at risk of being burned to death, sitting out in the sun all day, and that you took pity on me…"
Serena bumps their noses together and tells him gently, "Cece loves you, but not enough to believe that."
"C'mon, sweetheart," he coaxes, his dark blue eyes probing hers. His voice is so husky it's almost a whisper, and it gives her shivers even in the unbearable heat. "Run away with me."
A burst warm wind flirts with the hem of her dress and the wisps of her hair that have come lose from the updo she put it in this morning. "You never leave a wedding before you give the bride your best wishes," she lectures, verbatim.
Without missing a beat, he counters, "What if there was a more important wedding to attend?"
She touches his cheek. "Are you delirious?"
"I'm just saying, beautiful…what if you got married?"
She tenses a bit but she doesn't move from his lap. "What if I got married?" she repeats, but it becomes a whole new question when it leaves her lips.
Carter nods. "And what if I got married…at the same place…and at the same time…"
"You have heatstroke," she declares softly, digging the heel of her shoe onto the toe of his.
He pulls his foot away, but he doesn't take his eyes off her face. "That would be a legitimate excuse to leave, wouldn't it?"
"We're not - we're not going to - " She blows out her breath. "You are being ridiculous."
"And you look so beautiful today."
She shakes her head; she's had enough of this, she wants him to be serious. "Carter," she hisses, "we are not getting married just to leave this goddamn wedding, we will sit here and - "
He cuts her off as if she hadn't spoken at all. "And I love you."
Serena breathes in sharply. It's too hot to have this conversation.
With his lips against the corner of her mouth and his arms wrapping around her, Carter repeats, "Run away with me."
She takes a deep breath and lifts her eyebrows, giving him her haughtiest stare. "You know," she begins, and it's a test that she's giving him, "there's really no need for that."
Something changes, almost imperceptibly, in his face. "No?" he asks carefully.
"No." She tilts her head, pointing down the purple-petal-lined aisle toward the altar. "Everything's all set up right here."
Carter's eyebrows fly up, his expression matching hers, as he smirks at her. "Hijacking a wedding?" he murmurs, trailing his fingertips down her spine. "You're playing with fire, beautiful."
She presses her mouth to his, dizzy from the heat. "Thought you liked to play with me."
Characters: Carter/Serena
Rating/Word Count: PG-13/984
One-Line Excerpt: "As if you'd ever get married."
"This is so boring," she says out of the corner of her mouth, her gaze fixed on the purple flower petals lining the makeshift aisle of the outdoor wedding.
Carter isn't looking at her - he's looking at either the bridesmaids or at the cake (and she hopes it's the latter). "You're the one who dragged me here," he accuses, but she hears the hint of amusement in his tone.
"I had no way of knowing that the groom was going to have some kind of existential crisis five seconds before his bride was set to walk down the aisle."
"Even I could have predicted that one, beautiful."
She pouts, turning a little in her chair so that her body is angled toward his. "My grandmother insisted that we be here," she admits.
"So it's true." He mimics her movement, swiveling toward her a bit and draping his arm along the back of her chair. "Cece controls our lives."
Serena smiles, reaching for his free hand and linking their fingers together. "But she lets us pretend that she doesn't. Which is sweet, if you think about it."
He laughs low in his throat and lifts a single eyebrow. "I'm surprised she hasn't insisted on planning a wedding for us yet."
"As if you'd ever get married." She squints in the sunlight and ignores the pitter-patter of her heart.
"As if you'd ever get married."
She turns toward him, an honest grin tugging at her lips as she comments, "Touché."
He lifts the arm that's behind her, resting his hand against her neck instead, his fingers tangling in her hair. She leans into his touch and he smirks, his eyes dark as he says, "It is way too fucking hot."
"Mm," she murmurs noncommittally, watching the way that he watches her lick her lips. "Thought you liked to play with fire."
Carter laughs, slowly untangling his fingers from hers - and then he gives her wrist a sharp tug, pulling her toward him, into his lap. She goes willingly, falling into him with a quiet giggle.
He touches his nose to her jaw and inhales slowly as he counters, "Thought you liked to play with me."
She sighs, leaning her head against his shoulder and glancing up at him through her lashes. "True."
He leans in to kiss her, slow and deep and lingering, a completely unapologetic display of affection. "How much trouble do we get in if we leave?" he whispers against her mouth.
"Lots."
"It's too hot to be in the city. You are too hot to be in the city."
She nips lightly at his lower lip. "That's not on Grandma's list of acceptable excuses for leaving a wedding."
"I'll tell her," he bargains easily, his hand brushing the side of her breast. She grabs his wrist and gives him a scolding look, but he continues, undeterred, "I'll tell her that I was at risk of being burned to death, sitting out in the sun all day, and that you took pity on me…"
Serena bumps their noses together and tells him gently, "Cece loves you, but not enough to believe that."
"C'mon, sweetheart," he coaxes, his dark blue eyes probing hers. His voice is so husky it's almost a whisper, and it gives her shivers even in the unbearable heat. "Run away with me."
A burst warm wind flirts with the hem of her dress and the wisps of her hair that have come lose from the updo she put it in this morning. "You never leave a wedding before you give the bride your best wishes," she lectures, verbatim.
Without missing a beat, he counters, "What if there was a more important wedding to attend?"
She touches his cheek. "Are you delirious?"
"I'm just saying, beautiful…what if you got married?"
She tenses a bit but she doesn't move from his lap. "What if I got married?" she repeats, but it becomes a whole new question when it leaves her lips.
Carter nods. "And what if I got married…at the same place…and at the same time…"
"You have heatstroke," she declares softly, digging the heel of her shoe onto the toe of his.
He pulls his foot away, but he doesn't take his eyes off her face. "That would be a legitimate excuse to leave, wouldn't it?"
"We're not - we're not going to - " She blows out her breath. "You are being ridiculous."
"And you look so beautiful today."
She shakes her head; she's had enough of this, she wants him to be serious. "Carter," she hisses, "we are not getting married just to leave this goddamn wedding, we will sit here and - "
He cuts her off as if she hadn't spoken at all. "And I love you."
Serena breathes in sharply. It's too hot to have this conversation.
With his lips against the corner of her mouth and his arms wrapping around her, Carter repeats, "Run away with me."
She takes a deep breath and lifts her eyebrows, giving him her haughtiest stare. "You know," she begins, and it's a test that she's giving him, "there's really no need for that."
Something changes, almost imperceptibly, in his face. "No?" he asks carefully.
"No." She tilts her head, pointing down the purple-petal-lined aisle toward the altar. "Everything's all set up right here."
Carter's eyebrows fly up, his expression matching hers, as he smirks at her. "Hijacking a wedding?" he murmurs, trailing his fingertips down her spine. "You're playing with fire, beautiful."
She presses her mouth to his, dizzy from the heat. "Thought you liked to play with me."