Home Away From Home (Natasha)

[Justin Scotts]

It would take a little more than an over-eager mother to drive Justin away at this point. As long as she sat back and let things take their own course, Justin was prepared to continue this little game. For now, anyway. He still hadn't determined what the end game really was just yet. It might be that Mrs. Sheppard would get everything that she wanted, but he wasn't going to think that far ahead just yet. Right now, he was just having fun.

"The hotel is quite impressive," Justin replied. "I enjoy staying here whenever I need to take a break from my family."

The only flaw in the hotel, in Justin's eyes, was the fact that muggles were allowed to stay here as well. Perhaps the proprietors thought that muggle money was as good as wizarding money, but Justin didn't like having to share the space with them or to be careful using magic in the lobby and hallways.

"If you don't mind," he continued, "I was just about to ask your lovely daughter for a dance?"

He turned his gaze to Natasha, and held out his hand to her inquiringly.

[Natasha Davenport]

Surprised but hiding it well she nodded, "Is it alright mother?" she asked knowing the answer already before receiving the shameless approval. She set her napkin aside and took Justin's hand.

It was warm and soft yet masculine at the same time and she felt her heartbeat quicken, she faintly remembered feeling like this before but she couldn't recall when. Finally her thoughts cleared and once out of earshot she shook her head at him, "Careful...in case you didn't notice my mother has wedding decorations in mind."

[Justin Scotts]

Justin chuckled. "Yes, I know," he replied. "She's not exactly subtle about it. I feel like we should be discussing china patterns."

It probably wasn't helping that he'd whisked Natasha off to the dance floor. He was encouraging all of her hopes and dreams, and if he were smart, he would be beating a path to the door instead of dancing. But he had wanted to get Natasha alone for a few more moments, so that he could leave her with something to think about at least.

"I'm surprised, however, that she hasn't already made arrangements for you with some eligible young man. She rather strikes me as the type who wouldn't want to leave anything to chance."

[Natasha Davenport]

For a moment Natasha's composure slipped and her steps faltered as indignation rose up inside of her. The comment about China patterns didn't sit well with her, she didn't want to get married not now, not ever. "Don't get your hopes up. I'm not exactly that easy. You may be cute, and Mr. December in the wizarding's most eligible calender but I have no intention of getting married to you or to anyone." She announced solidly.

She sighed as he made the comment about her mother, " She and my father decided not to force the matter. It's really only since she remarried that she suddenly saw the need for me to do the same."

[Justin Scotts]

If there was anything she could have said or done to make him start thinking about the unthinkable--marriage--it was that. Informing him that she wasn't interested, playing hard to get... For a man like Justin who was used to getting everything he wanted, telling him he couldn't have something only made him want it more.

His smile spread. No matter what Natasha said, he knew perfectly well that all he had to do was tell her mother that he was considering marrying Natasha and the woman would make sure it was done, whether Natasha wanted to or not. He could have her easily, and he knew it. But it was too easy... and he wanted a challenge.

"Mr. December?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow at her. "I take it that was intended as a compliment, however grudging it might be. Don't worry, princess. Marriage is the furthest thing from my mind as well."

[Natasha Davenport]

Natasha wasn't just playing hard to get, she really was hard to get, impossible some might say. She was in love with her step brother or so she felt, but more than that, she saw no reason to marry, not when she could be successful on her own. Then she would have the freedom to be with anyone she wanted, when she wanted.

"No it wasn't a grudging compliment. Just a fact, and any eligible young lady with half a brain knows who is desirable and who isn't." she shrugged, " As for the month of December...well perhaps you reminded me of Christmas" the thought was spoken aloud and surprising even to herself. She did see him a little bit like Christmas, Winter was an unforgiving season, harsh but so beautiful. He was like that, and yet Christmas...it was warm and wonderful and so full of magic, even the muggles thought so. Was that how she saw Justin? How could she even be sure? She hadn't ever really seen Justin before...well not in any of those lights...he was always so mysterious and well older than her.

She brushed off the comment, "...that is any girl who does manage to snag you will have her entire family thinking it's Christmas."

She stopped him once they were at the dance floor, " Oh, one more thing, don't call me princess." she faced him then as a fencing partner might, one chess player facing another, one master of war against the other. Every movement was a challenge, and now the stage was a dance floor, now she only had one thing on her mind, could he keep up?

"Well then, shall we?"

[Justin Scotts]

Nothing was impossible, not for Justin Scotts. And every woman, even one who swore she wasn't going to get married, had her weakness... or price. If he decided he wanted her, he would have her, one way or another.

But for now, he was more than content with just playing their little game. He had no objective at this point, no goal... he just wanted to play.

"You flatter me," he said. "But I am not so easily... snagged, as you put it. I have no desire to be tied down at this point in my life. Since you've managed to resist your dear mother's matchmaking attempts, I suspect you know exactly how I feel... we're too young to make such a commitment. We should enjoy ourselves. Are you enjoying yourself, Natasha?"

He could have laughed when she told him not to call her princess. Didn't she know that she was only encouraging him to do just that?

As they reached the dance floor, he put his arms around her, pulling her very close to him. His face was so close to hers that she would be able to feel his breath on her face. His eyes twinkled with mischief... and a trace of something else. "Oh, you take exception to being called Princess?" he teased. "Does it hit a little too close to home?"

[Natasha Davenport]

If only he knew. She was no where near a princess. Oh she got everything she wanted that was true, at least for material things, but for heaven sakes it wasn't like she was Ophelia Burke. No she had to plot and scheme her way to getting what she wanted, she had to work for it, but she wouldn't have it any other way. The moment you got spoiled, the moment you let your guard down, there was someone like her ready to take it all from you.

"If you say so." she said with a nonchalant shrug as she danced with him. "I'll let you be the judge."

[Justin Scotts]

It made him just a little bit crazy every time she did that. She was a fiery, opinionated girl who knew what she wanted and how to get it. Yet she had this infuriating way of suddenly turning all demure and innocent; all fluttery eyelashes and evasive answers. It was the female version of "playing it cool," and it was quite effective on him. If she was playing hard to get, it was working.

"No..." he said, tilting his head and looking at her through squinted eyes. "No, you're no princess. You're more like a queen... cold and imperious. You play the innocent when it suits you, but if I make a wrong move, it's off with my head. Am I right?"

[Natasha Davenport]

She didnt' know how much she liked being called cold but she supposed that was only a fair assessment. She sighed and looked up at him, for the barest of moments she let her guard slip and he could see just how tired she was. The whole charade, keeping her guard up, this battle with her mother and everything in between. She was just a girl, not a princess, not a queen, just a common girl who was so busy trying to keep the world from collapsing she really didn't know any better than how to be cold.

"Something tells me you can hold your own." she said with confidence," It's not as if you'd let me cut off your head in the first place."

[Justin Scotts]

Justin laughed, a low rumble deep in his chest. "No, you're quite right," he replied. "I wouldn't. But it would be amusing to see you try."

He flashed her another one of his dazzling smiles. Although he didn't have a plan at the moment, he rather wanted her to think that he did, so that she'd be second-guessing every move he made. It gave him just a little more power in the current situation.

The song was almost over, and he glanced over her shoulder at Mrs. Sheppard. "Well, what do you say? Should I raise your mother's hopes and give you a kiss before I escort you back to the table?" He winked at her, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

[Natasha Davenport]

"Try it and see what happens" she said and the ice queen was back. She didn't want to be toyed with and she didn't want to hear he mother's rant about how Justin Scotts was a most eligible bachelor, nothing was going to come of this Natasha was sure of that and besides the fact she wasn't willing to be a pawn in some game of his, oh no she was a queen and he would acknowledge that fact.

Her chin raised slightly her chest puffed out, defiance in her entire frame.

[Justin Scotts]

Justin wondered fleetingly whether she would remember his kiss. They had kissed during the Hogsmeade attack, and he had been masked, so she didn't know it was him. But he knew who she was. And that kiss... it still haunted him. He'd kissed plenty of other women, but that kiss stood out... and he didn't think it was just because of the situation. Chaos had been raging all around them, and that stolen kiss--the sweetness of her lips, the taste of surrender--was impossible to forget.

"Well, now you had to go and dare me," Justin said with a smile. "I was only joking, but now.... Now I think I have to kiss you."

And before she could protest, Justin leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

[Natasha Davenport]

There was a hitch of excitement in the air, as if electricity was running a steady current between wherever their bodies were connected, and the kiss merely set it off. It was as if the lights went off and there was no one else in the room, and for such an innocent kiss it sure as hell could have led them to dangerous waters. She had never felt anything like his kiss, no that wasn't true, the masked man that had kissed her, it was so similar yet at the same time she reasoned that it was the danger and excitement, and here too in front of everyone, in front of her mother....her mother!

Oh that pratt! He was doing this on purpose and she was going to have to pay for it later with an endless barrage of questions from her mother.

Thinking quickly she bit down hard on his bottom lip. There was only the faintest hint of submission in that kiss, which surprised her since she had her fair share of kisses in the past but she never let anyone take control away from her.

"You'll learn Mr. Scotts, that you cannot just take whatever it is you think you have to have." she said with fire in her eyes. It was the fire that changed the sentence, had she been cold or an ice queen it would have been a stern door slamming in the face, but the fire, the way she was breathing heavily now, the look in her eyes...it was all an invitation.

[Justin Scotts]

"Ow."

Justin pulled back sharply when her teeth sank into his lip, and he narrowed his eyes at her, but not in a threatening way. In fact, as he licked the blood from his bottom lip, his mouth was curving up into a sly, seductive smile. So this was how it was going to be, then, was it? Oh, the game was on. And now he knew exactly what he was playing for. He was playing for her heart... and he was playing to win.

"We'll see about that, Miss Davenport," he replied coolly. "I always get what I want."

And with that, he abruptly turned and walked off the dance floor, leaving her standing there.

[Natasha Davenport]

"Want something else." she said reading the threat in his eyes. Her blood was on fire, and worse as she turned to return to where her mother was standing she read the expression in her mother's eyes. They'd be having a long conversation about this later.

Damn Justin Scotts.