The hot evening air was a pleasant blend of warm lucidity and damp coolness. A short rain shower had just blown through the area, and the atmosphere had a soothing smoky feel to it. There were clouds and tendrils of steam rising into the air all over the grounds.
A black sports car glided through the empty streets at a leisurely pace, the couple inside of it merely enjoying their quiet time together. Steve "The Captain" Rogers and Natasha "The Black Widow" Romanoff had recently come to adore the serene peace of each other's presence. Having just left their favorite movie theater, both of them were resisting the urge to hold one another's hand. They had only started to see each other during their private time over the last three months, and being in an actual relationship was still new for the both of them.
"So that was the infamous 'Star Wars?'" Steve said with a grin.
"I know it had been on your to-do list for a while. Did you enjoy it?" Natasha asked with a gentle smile.
"I think I enjoyed just spending time with you more," he told her.
The spy glanced over at him but quickly turned away. His complete honesty always had a way of cutting through directly to her heart. Just the tone of his voice seemed to be able to pull truth out of her in a way that no one else could. He made her feel things inside which she thought were long dead and some that she didn't even know existed. Her defensive mechanism rose up, and sought a point of contention to try to put some protective distance between them.
"If you didn't stick so closely to your old fashioned values, we could have had a lot more fun in the theater tonight, you know?"
Steve turned to look out the passenger side window beside him. He remembered looking around the practically deserted dark vintage theater as the lovely redhead had begun to suckle his neck while her hand had trailed up the inside of his thigh. The way she had easily and stealthily unbuttoned his shirt down past his upper chest had been mesmerizing and intoxicating. Then, when the sexy spy had started to seductively kiss her way down his broad chest with searing hot kisses while unbuckling his pants and sliding down to her knees in front of him, he simply hadn't been able to take any more.
The chivalrous soldier had quickly grabbed her shoulders to pull her back up into her seat beside him, wrapping a slightly trembling arm around her to prevent any more attempts at public displays of affection. Natasha had followed his reserve without question, and he had felt a touch of the cold distance of The Black Widow between them for some time afterward. He had rejected her. It had not been easy to get this woman to begin to open up, and even the slightest additional space between them was a setback. He very much desired to be close to her, but the great tactician couldn't figure out the right path.
"Having sex in a crowded movie theater might not be the most discreet way to have fun," the soldier said a little too firmly.
"There were three people in the theater, Steve," the spy laughed incredulously. "I know things were more conservative in the world when you grew up, but in today's society, normal adventurous everyday couples do things like that for each other. It's called falling in…"
"I wasn't raised that way," he interrupted, immediately wishing that he had let her finish her statement.
"I wasn't raised at all," Natasha spoke in a barely audible whisper.
"I'm sorry," he said comfortingly. "I didn't mean…"
"It's okay," she interrupted gently. When the spy spoke again, her voice had the quiet resignation he had heard in her tone before in the car on their drive to New Jersey, when she had asked him who he wanted her to be. "If you don't want me to be adventurous, then I won't be."
The soldier paused for a moment, trying not to struggle with his male pride. "Have you ever been… adventurous… with anyone like this before?"
"No," the spy answered without looking at him.
The soldier paused again, reevaluating this battle. He was reminded of the old proverb which states, 'sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win.' The woman Natalia inside of the warrior Natasha was trying to open up to him, and he needed to be as receptive to her as humanly possible. Being a spy, she had been forced to live the life of a chameleon, having to change and adapt in order to stay alive. Along with not having a childhood in her formative years, this had left her with very little grounded identity. When she had asked him who he wanted her to be, she had shown a willingness to change into whatever he desired. However, that wasn't what he wanted from her.
Steve needed to get to know the real Natalia. He wanted to explore her inner self with her in all areas, to help her learn to be comfortable with civilian life. One of the things they had in common was the fact that both of them had very little knowledge of how to live normal lives in this world.
Just the fact that this guarded woman had opened up this much to him was a privilege. She remained detached from most other people, but she had allowed him to see some of what was underneath the surface of her strong exterior. He knew that he was willing to do whatever it took to explore the depths of the woman hidden beneath all that pain.
Then, Steve spoke with a lightness in his voice that the spy wasn't accustomed to hearing. "How about pulling over by this lake off to the right over here, and we'll see about this 'adventurous' thing."
Natasha's eyes had become cold, glassy and detached. She didn't even look at him as she smoothly drove the car off the main road and onto the thin worn dirt path leading to a small lake that was barely noticeable from the highway. As the spy pulled to a stop near the edge of the lake just beyond a thicket of trees, the scenery around them struck her.
It was a beautiful locale. The path leading to this secluded lake had no doubt been carved out by couples using this spot as a lover's lane. The water was glistening almost brightly in the dusk light, with the rays of the moon just starting to make it sparkle. The trees blew slightly with a continuous gentle breeze, and the smoky steam overhanging the area added an almost gothic appeal to it. It seemed almost surreal.
Natasha was drawn out of her thoughts by the feel of Steve's large fingers sliding along the curls of her hair. She had come to relish this feeling over the last few months, as the soldier seemed to have a fascination for feeling through her silken tresses which almost bordered on being a fetish. She didn't want to admit to herself how much this pleased her. She wanted him to be attracted to her. She wanted him to desire her the same way that she desired him. She had even spoken with Pepper recently about other feminine hair treatments, completely intent on captivating him even more.
A small piece of Steve's heart sank when Natasha finally turned away from the lake to look at him. That familiar analytical coldness was there in her eyes once again. He didn't want that. He wanted the warm Natasha, the one that secretly desired to slip out into the heat of the day and live.
His body was always warm. He decided to try to heat her up.
Moving his hand down to his waist, Steve removed his seatbelt, leaned over and kissed her soft red lips. At first, she barely responded, only expecting a rudimentary embrace. Then, the soldier pressed his lips against hers again with more fervor. He placed his hand on her side to pull her out toward him a little, and he kissed her again, passionately, ardently, expressing his deeply sensual desire.
The woman beneath the spy began to respond to him. Her breath started to come in short gasps, and she leaned more into him. Her small hands cupped his cheeks as she kissed him back, quickly opening her mouth to deepen their embrace.
When their wet tongues started to duel in the backs of their mouths, the soldier smiled. So did she. He had found her.
Not wasting another moment, Natasha threw her seatbelt off of her and smoothly slid over to straddle his hips, her knees pressed along the sides of his waist. His muscular arms wound around her back, crushing her against his torso. The spy wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders, her slender fingers tangling in his golden hair as she pressed down on him and kissed him desperately.
Steve wanted Natasha so badly. He was more than ready for her. He knew that he should never have let her think that he didn't want her in the movie theater. He had been wrong, and he intended to make it up to her.
"Natasha," Steve whispered to her intently. "I want you just the way you are, and I want all of you."
She couldn't hold back a loud moan as he began to suckle his way down the side of her sensitive neck. Her nerves were on fire. Natasha was already panting almost uncontrollably and she felt a little lightheaded. Her hands vainly clutched at the windshield and door for something to grab onto as Steve leaned her back against the dashboard of the car.
Only this man could make her feel this way. Steve was able to light her womanly fire in ways she had never imagined. She had never experienced wanton desire like this, and she had never expected to feel adoration the same way that other people did in their lives. Steve had changed this for her. She came alive when she was with him. He took away the cold winter she had always felt inside and replaced it with a warm summer. At this moment, he was burning her up.
He was always so extremely attentive with her. The soldier seemed to constantly notice everything about her down to the last detail. He made love to her with the same intensity. He would pleasure her endlessly, often almost denying himself, as if not pleasing her body beyond measure was some kind of sin. It was becoming almost impossible not to fall deeper for him. The intensity of their passion was constantly overwhelming.
The lovers gazed at one another in breathless anticipation as his hands grasped her waist along the edge of her shirt …
Suddenly, the spy roughly grabbed the back of his head and shoved his head down into her neck. She leaned backward, her athletic body almost contorting in her agility. She leaned both of them as far down under the window as they would fit.
"We've got company," she whispered quickly. "It's park patrol."
"What?" Steve whispered loudly in surprise. "Do you think he saw us?"
"I don't know," she answered. "He's driving around the lake."
"I'll go talk to him," the soldier volunteered.
"No," she replied firmly. "I'll talk to him. It wouldn't be good for Captain America to be caught making out beside a public lake."
"It won't be a problem," he told her, planting a kiss on the side of her neck. "I'll handle it."
"No, Steve," she told him as she turned his head up to look at her. She was shocked that, even in her serious mode, the kiss he gave her had sent a shiver down her spine. She steadied herself, and her voice became quiet, dire and grave. "The American hero can't be with the Russian spy," she said sadly.
Steve's face became an intense frown, and his words were filled with depth and meaning. "That's not what I believe. I believe in the forgiveness and acceptance of Christ Jesus as Saviour. I'm not ashamed, Natasha," he told her. "Steve Rogers can be with Natasha Romanoff."
The spy's world stopped moving. Among this man's many gifts and talents, he seemed to have the ability to constantly render her speechless, make the earth move for her, and slip what was left of her heart and soul out of her body to make her his own. No man had ever been dedicated to her like this. No man had ever shown her this level of compassion. No man had ever… cared… for her like this.
Before she could try to speak again, they were startled by the short, shrill blast of a siren.
It wasn't an alarm sounding. It was the short blast officials used when they were merely calling attention.
Steve and Natasha both looked over at the park patrol car a few yards from them. The sight they saw surprised them.
A large, burly uniformed officer sat in the driver's seat, staring at them with a half-hearted smile. Strangely, he gave them an enthusiastic nod of acknowledgement before turning to look beside him. Then, a female guard sat forward to get a look at them, and she waved at them happily. As she waved, it was obvious that the man's arm was around her shoulders in a lover's embrace, and she slid her arms around his waist as she laid her head back down on his shoulder. The cruiser then slowly rolled on past them and back toward the other side of the park to disappear into the night.
Steve and Natasha looked back at each other and smiled.
"I guess anyone ... even partners ... actually can fall in love," he grinned.
Natasha's smile faded to an intense gaze. There was a gentle light in them, hidden deep down inside. For the first time in her life ... with only this man ... she allowed herself to feel the joy of hope.
"Anyone?" she asked in a heartfelt whisper.
"Anyone," he told her firmly.
They wrapped their arms around each other, and held on tightly, as if to never let go.
End.
