Peggy would admit no weakness. She would not stop to grieve. She needed to move on with her life and that's what she planned on doing. Steve would not be coming back from the dead just because she was sad. She knew this. She had worked hard to get into the army and to stay in the army, and she was not going to jeopardize it because she was sad.
Peggy had been given the appropriate amount of time for grieving as predetermined by the army. She would take no more, and she would internalize it. That didn't stop her from carrying his picture in her wallet. It also didn't stop her from crying when she thought she was alone.
It was during one of these times that he found her. His voice was gentle and his arms a welcome distraction. He would make jokes and laugh at them, even if she didn't. It didn't bother him when she was crying. He would continue talking, just for the sake of it. And she felt happy that he did it. Peggy felt no pressure to laugh and smile and talk back. She knew he was helping her as much as she was helping him. She was getting out the emotion they both held back.
He had been Steve's friend. For a number of months, he had worked alongside Steve and had helped him. The three of them had been good friends, and now they were down a member. Howard had hidden himself in his work for the last few months. He'd only recently come back from an Arctic excursion, trying yet again to find Steve's plane from his last known location. It was a fruitless endeavor. He would spend months out there, only to come back bitter and angry.
One time he had returned carrying a box under his arm that he refused to allow anyone else to get close to. He flew to California and refused to come back for so long, Peggy thought he forgot about all his friends in New York.
But eventually he did come back. He came back rather suddenly and quite the different man. Not that Peggy minded. She didn't actually see him for a while, until he found her in her private quarters. And that was where he sought her out every time he came to the base. He knew to look there if he couldn't see her out training the recruits. And that's where they grew closer.
At first they simply became best friends. Peggy's heart healed a little, and so did Howard. The strange aloofness that he wore had lessened, and their friendship did them both wonders. They started leaving the base. He would take her out to dinner, or to a movie or a play, and she would have a great time.
And then there would be good bye kisses in the car. At first she felt guilty, her mind often returning to memories of Steve and their shared kisses. But those soon lessened and eventually she was accepting Howards kisses like he was the only person that mattered. And in a way, he was. He was gentle and kind. He cared about her and he held her in a way no man had done before. He didn't mind that she was in the army—a man's line of work. In fact, he had said on more than one occasion that it actually turned him on more.
The kisses were chaste at first, barely more than a brush against their cheeks. They soon became kisses on the mouth. Eventually Peggy found herself with her arms wrapped around Howard's neck, her lips pressed against his and her body flush with his. She didn't quite know how it had happened, but here she was.
They broke apart and Howard pulled away slightly, looking at her with his eyes hooded and full of lust. She nodded, the motion barely moving her head but he understood. He took her hands and allowed her to lead him into her quarters. Once the door was closed and locked behind them, the couple wasted no time. Peggy's fingers scrambled at the hem of Howards dress shirt, opening it and touching his muscular chest with tentative fingers.
His coy smile gave her strength and his own fingers gliding over her body caused her to become more aroused than she thought possible. His soft murmurs and softer kisses on and against her neck caused shivers to run down her spine.
Her knees grew weak as he unzipped her sundress. She felt the fabric pull against her skin softly and pool on the floor. She stepped out of it daintily, her fingers tangling in his hair as she kicks it aside. His arms wrap around her body, lifting her the few inches to her bed. He lowers her gently, kneeling before her and removing his top. Leaning down, he places his lips against hers again, his tongue sliding into her mouth. She loved the feeling of his mustache against her face.
His calloused finger tips hooked under the hem of her panties, slowly working them down as he continues to kiss her. Peggy is torn between realizing what's happening and concentrating on his mouth. She doesn't mind the way he moves against her, or that he tosses her panties aside. She doesn't mind that she's lying below him in only her bra, or that her hair is a messy halo around her head. She just has her mind set on him.
His eyes roam her body quickly, taking in everything he's thought about and so much more. She could see in the way he was panting and tense that he was eager to continue. Her hands trace down his chest and grab onto his belt, unhooking it and slowly pulling it away from his hips. Her heart was pounding in her throat from her nerves.
"So are you two… Do you… fondue?"
A blush made its way onto her face and her hands slowed. She knew what he meant by that. Whether or not she and Howard had coupled in the past was really none of Steve's business. But he asked anyway. She liked that recklessness in him. But it was different with Howard.
He brought his calloused hands down, sliding them against her and she let out a pitiful gasp, thoughts of Steve banished from her mind. Peggy moaned, her toes curling as he works her, his mouth meeting hers to feel her passion. His free hand intertwined with hers, holding it tightly as he works her. Her gasps were muffled against his lips and her body shuddered.
His fingers were like magic, he knew how to rub all the right places. He teased her entrance but refused to enter, instead relying on sheer skill to give her pleasure. And damn it it was working.
She tangled her fingers in the sheets, her body tingling all over. Her lower abdomen was a hot coiled spring ready to burst. Just when she thought she was going to split in two, he pulled his hand away. She whimpered, wanting more. He pulled back with a smile. His eyes danced with mirth as he let his pants fall down, exposing him. She allowed herself to look him over, her smile growing on her face.
Howard was fully erect, ready to enter her whenever she deemed herself ready. And she was. He had made sure of it with his amazing fingers. Gently, he grabbed her hips, spreading her and exposing her. His fingers slide down to her butt, moving her up slightly as he leaned down. His lips pressed to hers as he leaned down into position. She braced herself feeling his cock sliding between her thighs. There was nothing in this moment Peggy wanted more than this.
Her head rolled back as she felt him enter her, he fit inside her perfectly. She moaned, shuddering and shifting below him. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled back, his deep throated moan vibrating his body, making her clench around him. He buried himself to the end, closing his eyes and rotating his hips.
Peggy's breath hitched in her throat as he did, feeling him pull out and rock back in. Her fingers left his hair and dug into his back, scraping long gashes down it as the tension building up inside her finally broke. Her body felt like it was on fire, her senses were dancing and alive. Everything was amazing.
Above her, Howard grunted at the feeling of her orgasm, his fingers digging into her thighs and shifting their position slightly, pounding into her deeper. Each thrust ignited her nerves, crashing into her with such force she saw stars.
Finally just when she thought she couldn't handle any more, he pulled out. He was covered in a fine layer of sweat and his fully erect penis quivering and on the verge of orgasm. Peggy reached down, her petit hand grasping him before he could bring his own down and his loud, masculine moan filled the room again. She gripped him tight, pumping him.
It didn't take long for him to finally tip over the edge. She felt his body tense up and shudder, his orgasm shooting hot and thick streams onto her stomach. He grinned sheepishly as she made eye contact. "Er—Sorry." His voice was breathless and still dripping with lust.
"It's okay." Peggy dabbed a finger in it, squishing it between her pointer finger and her thumb, grinning at the texture. "I heard its good for the skin." She hadn't heard it, but she wanted to break the tension somehow.
Howard grinned slightly and pulled back, his erection dying down as she sat up. "I'll go shower, I suppose." He nodded and leaned over, fishing in his pants pocket to pull out a cigarette. She made a face at him but didn't comment, instead going to into the shower to clean up.
By the time she came back, Howard had left. She shouldn't be surprised, she supposed. That was how he was. But, she mused, wrapping herself in her bathrobe, it still hurt that he would leave her like that.
