Tony awoke the next morning to the sound of birds chirping in the trees outside and sunshine gleaming through the bedroom window. Pepper was wrapped tightly in his arms, with the heavy quilt that was the bedspread draped over the top of them, and she was softly dozing with her head to his chest. He loosened his hold on her and moved very carefully to prop himself up on one arm to watch her sleep just for a moment. He gently brushed her hair back from her face and looked at her adoringly. He still couldn't believe it. He'd finally asked her to marry him, and she'd actually said yes. She was going to be officially his, and he her's, forever.
Pepper stirred. She inhaled slowly and opened her eyes. She turned her head to look up at Tony and he beamed. "Good morning, beautiful," he cooed. He bent to kiss her shoulder, and she smiled.
"Good morning," she replied. "Sleep well?""
"Best I've slept in a long time," he said. "I needed that. And so did you, I'd imagine."
"Mmmmmmm," Pepper hummed, nodding in agreement. "I definitely prefer this sleeping arrangement." She twisted to where she was lying flat on her back, looking up at Tony.
He bent to gently give her a peck on the lips. He looked down at her left hand, and picked it up. He held it up to the light. The ring sparkled. "I love the way this looks on you," he said tenderly, kissing her hand.
Pepper wrapped her fingers around his and looked at the ring in admiration. "So do I," she said. She looked at Tony. "It's perfect. The diamond, the setting, everything is just..." She sighed happily, and looked back at the ring. "Exquisite."
"Isn't it?" Tony agreed. "You know most of the men in my family had the setting changed to match the style of the women they were giving it to? But I didn't. My mom had great taste, and I thought it was perfect for you just the way it is. Is that weird to you at all?"
"Not at all! I agree, it is perfect," Pepper said, rolling onto her stomach now, and propping herself up on bent elbows. "You've never told me much about your mother."
It dawned on Tony that he'd never really talked much about his parents to Pepper other than the occasional gripe about how he and his dad didn't get along. "Okay," he said slowly. "Well," he thought for a moment, running his hand gently through her hair and down her back, creating goosebumps on Pepper's skin from his feather-light touch. "She was a very elegant woman. Extremely kind and gracious. She had dark wavy hair, and people that knew her say I have her eyes, but I don't know. My father met her in Italy when she was 18 and he was 23. They fell in love, so he brought her to New York and married her."
Pepper smiled warmly. "What else?" she said softly.
Tony smiled warmly back. He was delighted to be able to share some memories about his mom with Pepper. Like a lot of Italian families, Tony was the apple of his mother's eye when she was alive. And he missed her a lot from time to time. "Well, her family name was Carbonell. I'd guess that I probably still have relatives somewhere in Italy now that I don't even know. My grandfather, her father, didn't like Pop very much, so she really didn't talk to her family very often once she came to the US."
Pepper's eyes saddened. "That's too bad," she said sweetly. "Maybe we could look them up some day?"
"Yeah, maybe," Tony said. Truthfully, he hadn't really thought about it. He vaguely remembered an Uncle and a couple of cousins from when he was a kid that had come to visit them in New York once. Past that, he couldn't recall anything else.
"I'm sure she was a tremendous cook, right?" Pepper said, changing the subject to something more upbeat.
Tony smiled proudly. "Ma was the best," he purred. "Me, on the other hand..."
"Can burn water. I know. I've had to be witness to it unfortunately," Pepper teased.
Tony smiled at her joke. His eyes glazed over in thought. "She'd be in the kitchen cooking for hours, sometimes." Tony's voice was soft as he reminisced. "She'd have the radio cranked. It was always Italian opera, usually some live recording from the Met. Her favorite was anything of Pavarotti's and she knew all of the words." Tony's eyes sparkled as his memory came alive. "She'd be belting it out right along with him at the top of her lungs. And Pop would always yell from the other room, 'Pipe down, Maria! I'm trying to watch the game!' " Tony said, rolling his eyes at his father's reaction. Pepper giggled at the excitement Tony had in telling her the story, and he smiled at her warmly.
"So did she have a good voice?" Pepper asked.
"She did alright, yeah," Tony said. He smiled fondly at recalling the memory. "But that was her favorite thing to do. Cook, and listen to opera."
Pepper watched him lovingly for a moment. Tony was silent. He raised her hand and kissed it tenderly. "All I know is, you would've loved her."
"I can imagine. I wish she was around so I could learn some of her recipes," Pepper replied.
"Oh, yeah," Tony said in agreement. "So do I! And she would've loved to have an apprentice. In fact," he said. "She would've loved you. Period."
Pepper smiled. "And why is that?" she asked.
Tony raised a gentle hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Because I love you," he said softly. All of this talk was making him miss his mom horribly, so he stayed silent for a few moments, stroking Pepper's cheek, until the lump in his throat loosened. He wished she was still alive, especially now that he'd be getting married, and Pepper was pregnant. He knew she'd be thrilled for him, and she would've been a very doting grandmother.
Pepper leaned over to kiss his lips. Tony turned over onto his back, and Pepper laid back down and nestled into his chest. He started rubbing her back in slow circles, reveling in the moment with her in the quiet of the bedroom.
"Hey," Pepper said, drawing him out of his thoughts after a few moments. "How about some breakfast?"
Tony smiled. "Sounds fantastic," he replied, raising his head to kiss the top of hers.
Pepper raised up onto all fours and smiled at him. She pecked his lips before climbing out of bed. He watched her still naked body move across the room, reluctant to have her leave his side and to cover up with a long white v-neck t-shirt. He admired her long legs as she left the room and walked toward the kitchen.
Tony rolled back onto his back, and worked his jaw in thought. He couldn't believe how, from one moment to the next, it went from looking like the world was doomed, and he'd lose Pepper in the process, to being here, in this little oasis away from everything, with her, engaged and a soon-to-be father. If I thought protecting her was important before, he thought. I have my work cut out for me now.
He turned his head to watch her bustle around the kitchen, and he smiled, so grateful she was safe again, and they were together. "Hey, baby?" Tony called out. "I think I'll hit the showers before breakfast."
"Okay! But don't dawdle. This won't take long," she called back.
Tony rolled out of bed and wandered through the living room, naked, to the bathroom off the kitchen. Pepper caught a glimpse, and Tony noticed. He smirked at her cockily. "Like what you see, Potts? " he teased making a detour back into the kitchen, puffing his chest.
Pepper giggled. "Did you come in here just to strut like a peacock for me?" she teased.
"Yeah. Is it working?" Tony said, stopping to flex his muscles.
Pepper laughed out loud, and lovingly pecked his lips. "Well, you're cute for trying, anyway," she joked.
Tony teeter-tottered his head, "Okay, I guess I'll take it," he said. He stood in front of her and ran his hands up her thighs, raising the t-shirt she was wearing to expose more of her body to him. "You could halt production and come join me, you know," he purred in her ear while giving her a sexy smolder.
"I'll have to take a rain check," she replied. "I'm more hungry than horny at the moment. Funny what pregnancy does to your appetite."
"And sex drive," Tony corrected. "Last night, you were certainly quite the opposite."
"Enjoyed that, did you?" Pepper purred.
"Oh yeah," Tony purred back, smirking.
"Well, go take your shower and there might just be more where that came from," she teased, walking her fingers playfully up his bare chest.
Tony's eyes brightened, looking from her fingers to her eyes. "Yes, ma'am," he said, grinning. Pepper giggled and lightly smacked his behind as he turned to go. She secretly admired the view before it disappeared out of the corner, and then she sighed and shook her head smiling, grateful he'd made it through the last few weeks alive and back into her arms.
Tony turned on the shower and let the water heat up. As he waited, he noticed the pregnancy test that Pepper had sent him a picture of sitting on the bathroom counter still. He picked it up and studied it. "Pregnant," he muttered to himself. He shook his head and smiled. "Unbelievable."
XxXxXxXxXx
Tony showered, enjoying the feeling of the hot water washing away the aches and pains of the last few weeks. A few minutes later, when we was finished, he climbed out, and wrapped a towel around his waist. Just then, Pepper appeared in the doorway. "Breakfast is ready. Everything is warming in the oven," she informed him.
"Okay, Pep. Uh, c'mere for a minute," he said, motioning for her to come in.
"What?" she asked, sitting down on the counter in front of him.
Tony examined his face in the mirror. "Lookin' a little scraggly, here, Potts. Wanna help me out?"
Pepper smiled. "Haven't done that for a while," she mused.
"I know, but I figured it would be a good time for you to do it," he said. "Plus, you do a better job than I do. And I love being pampered by you anyway, babe."
Pepper smiled. "Well, since you put it that way, how can I resist?" she said. "There is a can of shaving crème and a straight razor in the drawer."
"Ooo, straight razor," Tony cooed.
"I know. Your favorite," Pepper cooed back. Tony retrieved the items from the drawer and handed them to her, and then stepped between her legs. Pepper squirted some shaving crème into her palm. She smoothed it over Tony's cheeks and neck, and he stared lovingly into her eyes as she extended the blade and carefully began to shave his face. When she finished his cheeks, she motioned for him to raise his chin, and he did, and she glided the blade in slow upward strokes on his throat. "There," she said, one she'd finished. "You're doing your chin. I'm not risking botching that," she joked.
"Fair enough," Tony said, taking the razor from her, and stepping out from between her legs to lean into the mirror. He began to meticulously carve out the patch under his lower lip. Pepper watched him as he worked. Once he was finished, he rinsed his face, and patted it dry with a nearby hand towel. He surveyed their work in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. "Well, hello, handsome," he purred. Pepper giggled. "Perfect. Not even a nick. Not bad for using the same razor Fury has used to shave that dome of his," he said. Pepper laughed and Tony smiled. He bent to peck her lips. "What dya' think?" he asked.
"Mmmmmm, handsome as always," she cooed, kissing him again. She watched as Tony opened his toiletry bag and splashed on some aftershave. Pepper's insides instantly fluttered with arousal. She forgot how much she missed that smell, and it instantly made her want to drag Tony back into the bedroom.
Tony eyed her long legs, and the level of the counter top in relation to his body. "You know?" he rumbled. "This counter sits at just about the right level for a, uh, certain activity, wouldn't you say?"
Pepper giggled bashfully.
Tony chuckled. "Oh, if Fury only knew the things we're going to be doing to defile this place while we're here. He would never have given us the keys."
Pepper laughed. "If he knows you, he's already thought about it," she assured.
"And betting you'll keep me in line," Tony rumbled. He stepped back between her legs, and lowered his lips to playfully kiss her neck, flicking his tongue flirtatiously against her skin as he did it. Pepper squealed in delight. "Which was a tactical error on his part, I might add," Tony said.
Pepper bit her lip and looked into Tony's eyes wantonly. "Okay, this is a dilemma," she said. "I want breakfast, but you also smell fantastic, and it's driving me wild right now."
"Hmmmm, what to do, what to do," Tony murmured into her ear as he nibbled the lobe. "Well, Potts, we're already here, so..."
Pepper nodded emphatically, her chest heaving with sudden arousal. "Yeah, that's exactly what I..." She didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she kissed Tony's mouth hard while simultaneously yanking the towel down from around his hips. His erection bobbed to attention, and Pepper moaned. Tony growled as he scooted her bottom to the edge of the counter, and expertly slid into her.
"You're so wet, baby," he moaned hoarsely. "You want me?"
Pepper nodded emphatically again. "Yes. Always," she replied hoarsely. She braced herself with one hand on the counter, wrapping the other arm around Tony's neck and tilting her body into his. Tony wrapped his arms under her legs, and grasped the tops of her thighs. He thrust harder, and Pepper squeaked with pleasure. He pumped her body, making her moan and call his name.
Tony bit his lip and furrowed his brow, feverishly fucking Pepper on the counter and feeling the heights of arousal switch into pre-orgasmic spasms. Pepper gripped his shoulder as she cried out, and then ran a hand down to her sex to swirl her fingers over her swollen clit.
"Ooooooyeahhhhh. Fuck that's hot," Tony groaned, as he watched.
Pepper smiled coyly, and bit her lip, panting. But her expression turned into a frown when Tony pulled out of her and sank down to a crouching position.
"What's wrong?" Pepper asked.
Tony was now eye level with her sex. He flicked his eyes back up to her's and smirked. "Not a god damn thing," he quipped, grinning, his eyes wild with desire. He swiped his tongue up her opening and around her clit like he was licking an ice cream cone, and Pepper jolted, moaning.
"Holy hell, has it been too long since I did this to you," Tony remarked.
Pepper nodded. "Yes. Yes, it most certainly has," she agreed breathlessly.
Tony did it again, and then stayed on her clit, flicking his tongue over it again and again, making Pepper squirmed and moan. Then, he began sucking it and Pepper inhaled through her teeth sharply. "Ooooh!" she said. "Yes, just like that!" she begged.
Tony repeated the motion and moaned against her skin, making her writhe with pleasure. Pepper rested a hand on the back of his head, and Tony moved closer to wrap his arms around her thighs. "Oh! God!" she cried. "Oh! Yes!"
"Mmmmmmm," Tony purred, tasting her flavor as she began to come. He sucked and licked her folds voraciously now, and Pepper cried out in ecstasy.
"My God, you taste good," Tony said, his words slightly muffled as his mouth was still devouring her sex. Pepper yelped and howled with orgasm pleasure as she held her hand to the back of his head, with Tony increasing his movement and pressure on her pink folds. Orgasmic pulses wracked her body, and her legs trembled, despite Tony's tight grip on them.
"Oh! Tony! Fuck me! I need you inside of me!" Pepper cried out, as he finished his work eating her out.
He slowly came to a stop, and laid soft kisses all the way up her stomach, to her chest, and then met her gaze. He smirked at her cockily, running a hand over his goatee to wick away her fluids. "As you wish," he said. "I won't ignore you begging me to fuck you."
Pepper smiled weakly, but then pulled him into a deep kiss, pushing her tongue into his mouth and moaning at the taste of her sex still on his tongue as she kissed him. She yanked his hips into hers forcefully. Tony angled his still erect member downward, guiding it back into her with his hand, and then resuming the thrusting motion he was doing prior to. Pepper broke the kiss and hummed loudly with appreciation, and Tony grunted as his body reacted to the sensation.
"Feel good, baby?" Tony asked breathlessly.
"Ohhhhhyessss," Pepper hissed. She looked down her body to watch Tony slide in and out of her body over and over again.
"You like to watch me fuck you?" Tony asked, noticed where her gaze had landed.
Pepper nodded. "Yes. You're so big," she purred in reply.
Tony's eyes lit up. "Yeah, Pep! Keep talking to me. Fuck, I love it when you talk to me."
Pepper's insides fluttered at the thought that her words were turning him on even more. "You're so big, Tony. I love it when you're inside of me, and you fuck my little pussy with that big, hard..."
Tony inhaled sharply through his teeth."OOOOOHGODYEAAAHHHHH!" he growled, his hips jerking as he was pushed over the edge. His cock rammed against her g-spot as he thrust into her hard over and over, and Pepper yowled with extreme pleasure. "Oh! Fuck!" Tony cried out, thrusting one last time and staying buried balls deep as he let go of his load inside of her, unable to hold back any longer. He grunted loudly, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut until his body released him and he popped his eyes open again, grinning with deep satiation.
"Jesus H on a bicycle, that was hot!" he exclaimed, falling forward lazily into Pepper's arms, panting. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, stroking his dampened hair. He pulled back to look at her in awe, and she giggled again. "Wow," he gasped. "You and your dirty little mouth."
Pepper smiled bashfully. "Well, it worked, didn't it?"
Tony nodded and huffed, trying to catch his breath. He stood back up, and pulled out of Pepper, his cock now medium soft, and softening further by the second. He rolled his eyes in amazement, and Pepper sat up, smiling proudly.
"Now, breakfast?" she asked smirking.
Tony nodded and grinned. "Yes," he panted breathlessly. "You earned it."