As soon as Rhodey took off from the roof, Pepper turned her head towards Tony, only to see him gazing back at her with a funny look on his face.
"What?"
"Seals fighting over a grape? Seriously? I would have thought of a better metaphor for us." He snorted and reached out for her hands, gripping them gently in his iron-clad ones.
Her soft laugh warmed his heart and he took this opportunity to release a shuddering breath. He had been so tensed for the last few hours and he was glad that it was finally over. His seemingly distant look didn't pass unnoticed by Pepper, who squeezed his cold hands.
"I'm not letting you go, Potts." Tony stated and held her gaze.
Pepper swallowed hard and looked back into his eyes, studying his brown orbs intently, eager to find the truth in his words.
"I'm not asking you to, Tony." She responded and shook her head slowly. "You're right. It – it was just a rough patch. I shouldn't have panicked."
Tony's blood returned to his cheeks as soon as he heard this. Smiling lightly, he felt her tremble in his grasp. Taking a step towards her, he felt her flinch slightly.
"You okay?" He asked, growing concerned. "You're not hurt or anything, right? Cause if you are, you really should have said something!"
Pepper found this rather amusing, so she simply giggled and shook her head.
"No, genius. I'm not hurt. I'm just freezing!" She half-jokingly said.
"Oh." Tony pursed his lips and pondered his options for a minute. "Okay… alright. Where's Happy?" He wondered out loud and reached down for his helmet.
The redhead took a few steps back and pulled out her phone, dialing Happy's number. After a few quiet seconds, the chauffeur picked up and Tony watched Pepper have a quick discussion with him before she looked out in the distance at the Expo.
"Happy said he's at Hammer's facility." Pepper explained and gasped when Tony wrapped his arms around her.
"Is this… is this ok?" He whispered as he gazed into her eyes. His heartbeat grew stronger the moment her hands slid over his chestplate and into his hair. He felt her tremble slightly, but this time he was pretty certain that her reaction wasn't because of the cold.
Pepper said nothing. Instead, she leaned up and pressed her warm lips to his, while playing with the slightly damp hair at the back of his neck. Upon feeling the soft vibrations of Tony's muffled groan against her lips, her knees buckled and she pulled back, feeling momentarily dizzy.
Tony pulled back as well and bit his lower lip, as if he regretted the loss of the warmth of her mouth.
"Not weird." He reconfirmed once again and grinned like a fool. "So…" He drawled out and stroked her spine with his hands.
"Happy's off in Queens. That means no ride for the Stark Industries' CEO."
Pepper nodded slowly and raised an eyebrow. Although she felt a little scared inside, she couldn't help but feel relieved. The past few weeks had been hectic for her and even though she was reluctant to admit it, Tony's recent behavior had taken a toll on her. From hiring Natalie to his disastrous 'I was going to make you an omelette and tell you' speech, Pepper realized something.
He's an idiot. But he's my idiot, she thought.
Tony was still rambling when she finally refocused on him.
"Were you even listening, Potts, or were you wondering what I'm wearing underneath the suit?"
"You're an idiot, Stark." She retorted smartly and tapped his shoulder.
"I'm a smart idiot." He agreed gently and winked at her. "Ok. Enough talking. I'm starving, plus I have a really bad itch somewhere between my legs that I can't quite reach until I've got rid of the—hey! Stop hitting the hero! You're supposed to adore me!"
"If you want to be adored get me out of here." She grinned and held onto him tightly as he flew her down.
As soon as they were on the ground, Pepper stepped back from him and brushed the hair out of her face. She glanced over at a police officer that was making his way towards them and silently prayed that no one had died during the attack.
"Miss Potts?" The officer asked as he approached them.
"Officer? Has everyone been transported out of the compound?" She asked, turning into corporate-mode instantly.
"Yes, we've successfully got everyone out. There have been over three hundred people hurt, but none of them have been mortally wounded."
Pepper's shoulders relaxed in relief. She kept on talking with the police guy while Tony fidgeted with the broken helmet quietly. Inside his head, the gears were spinning uncontrollably. All that he could think of was the fact that he'd just kissed Pepper, Pepper, the woman that practically ran his life for more than twelve years. The faint aroma of her kiss still lingered on his lips as he licked them slowly, feeling a shot of electricity run down his spine, rendering him more aroused than before.
Fuck, he thought.
He wanted her. Bad. But how could he make her believe that his intentions were truthful? He'd been a dick for the past six months to her. He had pushed her away because he couldn't take another rejection. The first one had stung so badly, it made him irrationally itchy whenever she was near him. But things were different now, weren't they?
The kiss had been real. Her feelings were raw. He knew that. She'd just showed him that she loved him as much as he loved her, but would that be enough? He'd mistreated her and hurt her on purpose just to make her feel the same things he'd felt when she rejected him.
AAAH! Why does this have to be so damn complicated?
He could only think of one thing. It clouded his brain and made his heart speed up. The only thing he wanted more than getting out of the suit, showered and fed, was to strip her naked and pound her so hard against the sheets, just to show her how it had felt all those months ago when she'd almost kissed him and ditched his proposal to be his girlfriend.
His eyes snapped up and he watched her make her way towards him. His temple pulsated as he blinked quickly, trying to slow down his breathing.
"Hey." She greeted him with a secret smile on her lips. "I'm going to head down to the station for half an hour. I need to make a statement. I'll call Happy to give me a ride back to your penthouse afterwards. I need a change of clothes, a hot shower and some food." She explained to him and watched his big eyes almost devouring her right there.
"Are you okay, Tony? You look pale." She reached up to touch his forehead, but he flinched away.
"Nah, no worries. I'm just tired, I guess. I'll see you back at the penthouse."
Pepper nodded and watched him put on his helmet and fly off. Sighing to herself, Pepper walked to the police car and got in, her mind spinning. She'd wanted to get away from him for a little while just to cool off a bit. The intensity of his kiss had startled her. Half of the reason why she was sitting in the back of a police car was the uneasiness that came with all his actions and words.
She knew that she was probably being irrational, but his recent behavior clouded her judgment. She was positive that this sudden display of affection and need was something that he'd been bottling deep inside for quite some time, but her reserve was understandable. She couldn't risk everything for something that was going to be all passion and sweet nothings for just a while.
But her heart was screaming. She needed this. She needed his whole being. She'd needed him for years, longed for his occasional touches and lingering glances, but never dared to do anything about it, until he came back home after three whole months. The almost kiss had haunted her dreams for months, but in the end, she scolded herself for being so week and clingy.
But Tony was still Tony. He was still the arrogant bastard who drove her nuts on a daily basis.
"Miss Potts?" The police officer's voice cut through her inner-struggle. "We're here."
"Thank you, officer." Pepper smiled and got out of the car, mentally slapping herself for over-analyzing things. She headed inside the building and tried to focus on a more important thing: the company.
At least for the moment.
A/N: See this little box below? It'll only take a few seconds, but I'd appreciate it if you left a little review!
