Summary: This is basically part 2 of chapter 1. Fluffy smut with, well, I don't want to give anything away. I did mark off the smutty part if you don't want to read that.
Notes: Wow, it's an update. You probably thought I forgot about this story, eh? Well, I didn't. I was working on further chapters and I feel confident I'm enough along with them that I can post this and not feel huge pressure. It's a psychological thing.
Anyway, what you need to know, aside from 'read the first chapter...' My Steve is a hopeless romantic. I've kind of always pictured Steve that way, mostly because he's such a pure idealist. And I know nothing about sex. Everything I know I learned from romance novels and fanfiction so if I messed up something here, forgive me. Maybe someday I'll meet a nice guy and he'll teach me all about it. :D
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Steve drove toward the Brooklyn Bridge, his heart in this throat. Maria hadn't given him her address so she must have supposed he meant his home. He wasn't sure if that was exactly what he'd had in mind when he'd asked, but he wasn't about to argue with her. After they crossed into Brooklyn, he turned off south toward a spot from which they could see the city. When he pulled into the parking area, he was surprised that he didn't feel her tense. Of course, it was entirely possible that Maria could take him out without breaking a sweat, but still, that sense of confidence she had only served to embolden him and want everything about this night to be perfect.
"I thought you might like to see this," he said, as he removed his helmet and climbed off the bike. "It's a pretty popular spot to see the bridge and city lights."
He offered his hand as she climbed off as well and had the distinct feeling she wouldn't have accepted it from just anyone. She kept her hand in his as they walked over to the fence along the riverside. Steve stood to her left so he would have a better view of her as she looked at the lights. Maria had a soft smile on her face when she looked out across the water back toward the city.
"You live here in Brooklyn?" she asked.
"Yeah, still," he told her. "Except for college, I never moved far from where I grew up."
She turned back to him, her smile still playing on her face, and Steve wished he was better at hiding his feelings because he was sure she saw his moment of doubt by her reaction. He was second guessing his decision to take her to his apartment. They'd only just met and Steve had never done anything like this in his life. But she leaned down and kissed him again and Steve's hands went around her back then slid down and rested on her hips. He deepened the kiss and, as earlier, was forced to come up for air. Nothing like this had ever hit him so hard, so fast.
"It's beautiful," she said, as she turned back to look once more at the city they'd just left. "Thanks for bringing me here."
She took his hand in hers again and led them back to his motorbike. Steve felt himself relax a little more. She wanted this as much as he did, it appeared.
They rode another mile to his apartment. Steve found it difficult to concentrate with Maria's arms wrapped around him and her bare thighs brushing against his legs. He parked the bike and they walked up the street.
"When I first moved in, there was an Italian restaurant downstairs," he explained. "They closed a few months ago and it's a lot quieter now."
She had a small smile as she listened to him talk about the neighborhood. They arrived at the entrance shortly and they took the one flight of stairs to his apartment side by side.
"Does your building have an elevator?" he asked as he turned the key in his door.
"No, it only has four floors, I'm on the third," she explained as he let her pass into the entry.
"Three flights of stairs every day, no wonder your legs."
He started to tell her exactly what he thought of her legs, and he'd been thinking about them a lot since she'd sat behind him on the bike when they left the club. But he stopped, afraid he'd say something foolish and ruin the whole night.
"My legs, what?" she said as she looked around the living room and kicked off her heels.
The removal of her shoes brought Steve's eyes back down to those legs. But he cleared his throat and looked away.
"You don't do this much, do you?" she asked.
"What? Bring home women I only just met?" he asked with a nervous chuckle. "No, I've never done this."
She smiled and walked toward him.
"I've never gone home with a guy I just met, either," she told him. "But that's not what I meant."
She stopped before him and Steve took her hands in his and stared, not a little nervously, into her eyes. They were the most amazing color of blue he'd ever seen. There were flecks of silver in them which caught the light and made them take on a beautiful hue.
"You don't just give people random compliments," she said. "Or is it just women who make you nervous?"
Steve sighed. This wasn't exactly the direction he wanted the conversation to turn.
"Because, for the record, I wouldn't mind knowing exactly what you think of my legs," Maria told him.
She took her left hand out of his and ran her fingers through his hair in a slow intimate way.
Steve moaned quietly in pleasure and took Maria's other hand and brought it to his mouth. He kissed her palm, then her wrist. He was rewarded with a shuddering breath from her as she sighed his name. He continued to trace her arm with his lips. When he reached her shoulder, pushed her dress down to the side to kiss the skin there. She leaned her head back as he kissed along her clavicle and spent some time pleasuring her with his tongue and occasionally teeth.
She whimpered and pulled his face up to kiss her and, as they kissed, he guided her into the bedroom.
Once there, she sat down in the small armchair he had in the corner and pulled him down to her until he was on his knees before her. She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders as she pressed her lips against his. Steve was only too glad to be rid of it and tossed it quickly to the opposite corner. Maria chuckled against his lips but it turned to a gasp when Steve slid his hands from her waist to slide into her dress to caress her skin. The blue dress she wore had a v-cut lower than her breasts and, if Steve was honest, doing this very thing had been in his subconscious since they'd been in the club. He watched Maria as her head lolled back in pleasure. He wondered if it would feel even better if one day she wore the dress just for him.
Steve quickly shuttled that thought to the back of his mind. He didn't need to remind himself that he was falling for this woman at an unsafe speed.
He slipped his hands up to her shoulders again and pushed the dress down. Maria pulled out her arms, then Steve wrapped one hand around her neck and pulled her down to kiss him as the other returned to pleasure her breasts. His kisses turned greedy as he felt Maria's hands slide down his back to his waistband. She slid her fingers inside his pants and glided them around the front where she began to undo his belt. His lips moved along her jaw to her neck and he nudged her chin up with his face in order to have full access to her pulse point. He could feel the blood racing beneath his lips just as she snapped open his pants and slid the zipper down. At that, Steve forgot any misgivings he had about tonight, about this woman, about his height versus hers, about his feelings. He wanted to give her everything, all the things he hadn't given anyone in far too many years.
He tugged at her hands to have her stand as he backed away slightly. Still on his knees, his eyes at her waistline, he pulled her dress down then slipped his hands inside her panties to pull them off with her dress. He took it slowly, sliding his hands behind her to feel her backside, he lingered when she moaned in pleasure and put a hand on his head. Finally, he slowly pushed the clothes down her long legs, wishing at first his hands could feel more of the toned flesh at once, then realizing that he could take it slower if he lingered over the skin the way he desired. He pressed his lips against the juncture of her hip and her pelvis and the groan it elicited told Steve exactly what she wanted. And he wanted so badly to give it to her, but he didn't think he could hold out that long. It had been too many years since he'd felt this good during sex. It had been forever since he'd actually made love to a woman.
Instead he kissed and licked and nipped at the flesh just above her hairline and the teasing was enough to make her begin to tremble. Steve would have smiled, and might even have felt smug, except her reaction was effecting him far more than he expected. Finally, he reached her ankles and she stepped out of her clothing. Steve leaned back and took her in from her beautiful feet, toned legs, shapely hips and waist, gorgeous breasts and arms, to her face so full of lust and desire that he almost thought he'd lose control at that moment.
Maria held out her hand to him and he took it and stood, then he pulled her into a passionate kiss as they walked the few steps to the bed. She sat on the end and he leaned over her to continue kissing her. Her hands traveled down his chest and returned to his waistband but now pushed the clothes down around his hips, lingering as he had, her teasing touch doing nothing to stop his desire to push her back on the bed and take her immediately.
She slid off the bed to pull his pants all the way off. Steve sat down on the bed as she pulled his shoes and clothes off. She knelt before him and kissed the inside of his knee, then continued up one side with her lips, the other with her hand, until she brushed his hard cock again with her fingers. As soft cry of pleasure escaped Steve's lips and he prayed he could hold on for longer. She chuckled, her breath blowing out against his thigh, eliciting another gasp from him.
Her hand went around his waist, only to be replaced with her lips. Steve breathed out hard, it felt good, but this was not what he wanted from her tonight. He touched her forehead and shook his head at her when she glanced up at him. Then with trembling hands he reached out to pull her up to him. He laid back on the bed and reveled at the feel of Maria's hair as it brushed his skin while she kissed her way up from his waist, across his chest, lingering at his nipples, eliciting soft groans of pleasure from him, finally to his neck then ending at his lips. He put his hands up to her face and kissed her hard. She lifted herself over him and straddled his hips.
Steve moaned against her lips as the pressure and her wetness affected him all the way to the soles of his feet. His hands slid to her breasts and the weight of them in his palms he was sure was more pleasure than he was bringing her. Finally he pulled her up higher to take one breast in his mouth and one in his hand, while his other hand drifted between her legs and slid into her curls. He sighed loudly at the feel of how wet he'd made her. He slipped his finger up and down teasing her clit as he fought the urge to simply pull her up onto his face and eat her out.
Later, he thought to himself. And that time he didn't deny that he wanted a thousand more "laters" with this woman, a million more nights to please her, to make her moan, and hear her call his name in pleasure. She was doing that now. Steve thought it had been so long since anyone had wanted him the way she did, more than sex; he thought she must surely have felt it too. All he wanted to do was prove he was worthy of her desire. He slid a finger into her core as he flicked her clit with his thumb.
"Oh, g-d, Steve," she cried out.
He sank his finger in as deeply as he could and was surprised at the tightness there. It was incongruent with her beauty. Surely he couldn't be her first, not for someone this beautiful, this strong, he just couldn't be. He gave in to the desire to press another finger inside her, to stretch her. She shuddered and whimpered and Steve felt the gratifying taste of salt on her skin as she began to react. After another minute she pulled away and lay on her back next to him, gasping for breath. He knew he hadn't made her come yet, it hadn't been so long he'd forgotten the tells. Still, he gave her a moment to regain control before he rolled over and rubbed his hand gently along her arm.
Her eyes were still shut so he looked at her with all the longing he would be afraid to if she could see him before he leaned down to gently kiss her lips. When he pulled away to look at her again, he found her smiling up at him as if he were a long lost lover. Only a moment earlier he had wanted to push this, make it fast and hard, unsure he could wait any longer for the pleasure. Now he wanted to take it incredibly slow, take his time with her to show her everything this could be, he wanted to pray for a blizzard in August so they wouldn't have to leave for days.
Steve kissed her again, slowly, softly, and deeply. He gently touched her face then slid his hand down along her neck, her shoulder, her arm, then rested it on her hip, drawing circles lazily with his thumb at her pelvis. She sighed contentedly against his lips and despite the internal and external heat, he felt the goose pimples rise all over his body.
She reached up to him and deepened the kiss as she pulled him over on top of her. He pressed his knee between her legs and her hips jerked involuntarily. Despite Steve's desire to take it slower, it didn't take long for the two of them to become heated again. Maria had taken him in hand, and even though she was gentle, Steve felt fire coursing through his veins.
"Steve, please," she finally whispered.
He nodded and wordlessly reached over to the side table. He hadn't used any in a while, but he had learned long ago it was a good idea to be stocked with a few condoms. So he had a small box of four in the drawer, where it had remained, unopened, since he'd bought it shortly after moving in six months earlier.
He laughed at himself as he tried to open the box with shaking hands while he was still over Maria. Finally he sat up on the edge of the bed and ripped open the box. He glanced back at her, expecting to see a smirk or the roll of her eyes, instead she was looking at him the way he'd looked at her earlier when she couldn't see him. Steve smiled as he realized she'd felt the same thing he had, that connection, or whatever it was he'd felt when she'd let him sit down in that booth with her. It had intensified when they'd touched as he shook her hand, grown stronger as he watched her deal with that jerk in the club, and, by the time they were headed to the bridge, it had solidified and started to grow into something that Steve had only the vaguest memory of ever feeling.
Maria slid her hand up Steve's arm and sat up next to him and began to place languid kisses on his shoulder. He shook his head as he smiled, surprised by his feelings. Then he cupped her face and brought her lips to his. As he kissed her he slid his arm around the front of her to one breast so he could hear her moan again. She arched her back to press her breast into his hand causing Steve to moan as well. He deepened the kiss as she glided her hand up the inside of his thigh, then he leaned her back down onto the bed and kissed her hard. Her hands came up and she dug her fingers into his hair pulling him to her as if she couldn't get him close enough for her liking.
Steve forced himself to pull away from her so he could slip on the condom. He reached back into the drawer and pulled out the lubricant. When he was ready her turned back to her. The wood headboard of Steve's bed had a decorative rod iron border at the top and Maria had raised her arms above her in order to weave her hands into it. He hadn't bought if for that reason but now he was seeing the benefits. She had the tip of her tongue caught between her teeth as if she was anticipating his next act. He slowly lowered his gaze to take in her body, then stood and walked to the foot of the bed.
He leaned down and kissed the inside over her ankle, nipping, then laving the soft, thin flesh there. Steve smiled as Maria reacted in pleasure, then he took his time moving up the rest of the leg while his hand caressed the other. He felt the muscles ripple beneath his lips and hand as Maria moaned and whispered his name and pleas for more. He glanced up at her as he ministered the spot behind her knee and began to force open her legs. She still had a tight grip on the head board, her head thrown back in pleasure, her teeth occasionally took her bottom lip between them and bit down. Steve had to force himself to stay his course.
He finally reached the juncture of her legs and slid one hand into the curls and opened the folds to allow his mouth access to the tender, sensitive flesh. He dragged his tongue slowly from the bottom to the top and reveled in Maria's resulting irregular breaths. As he swirled his tongue around her clit, Maria whimpered loudly, which only served to encourage him. He sucked the small piece of flesh between his lips and reached around to pull her legs up around his shoulders. She gasped his name when she realized his intentions, then she moaned and whimpered as he slid one, then two, fingers inside her. Her noises became more guttural the closer she came to release and Steve briefly traded places between his fingers and his tongue then she cried out and bucked uncontrollably.
She was trembling as he pulled away and began his journey up the rest of her body. When he reached her breasts she found the energy to move her hands into his hair again, still gasping for breath. He took his time at each perfect mound, licking, sucking, and nipping. His free hand caressed her body gently as he worked her back up to where he wanted her. His lips traveled up to her neck. He desperately wanted to leave a mark there, but he made the small mark low enough, along the collarbone, that she could easily cover it with a blouse. He didn't want any other man to see his mark and get ideas about Maria.
He tried not to think of how possessive that sounded. Maria didn't seem like the type of woman one could claim, but he certainly didn't want anyone else to ever touch her like this.
Finally, her gasps turned into groans and Steve knew he would be able to take her all the way up again. He pulled himself over her and kissed her hard on the lips. She wrapped her legs around him and bucked up against his hard cock as if telling him she was more than ready. He pulled his face away from hers so he could watch her as he slid inside her tight core. Using his hand to guide himself in, he slowly pushed into her flesh. She was too tight, not for his liking, it felt good, but it still made no sense. What was wrong with men in Chicago? How could anyone have allowed this incredible woman to remain alone long enough that Steve, in all honesty, felt as if he was experiencing his first time all over again?
She whimpered and he carefully watched her face to make sure he wasn't hurting her. As if she sensed his examination, she opened her eyes and held his gaze. He saw the pleasure there and smiled as best he could in the midst of his own. As he sank down to his hilt, he found he suddenly wanted to tell her everything he felt for her. But it didn't seem right to tell her then, not when it could be misconstrued as the sex talking. He catalogued and stored his thoughts for later as he began to pull out and press back in and build a rhythm with her. He briefly had a vision of the two, together in the other room wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa. He was telling her everything he thought, everything thing he felt as she pressed herself back into his embrace. This vision drove him on; the need to give her pleasure, to take his own in return, making everything about him hard. When he felt himself drawing closer, he slipped his hand between them and began to rub her clit to bring her to fruition again.
Her voice, which had been gasps and moans and whimpers, now cried out in great pleasure. And Steve along with her could no longer contain his voice. He felt her begin to quiver around him and he thrust harder and harder.
"Come for me," he pleaded with a groan in her ear.
And she did. As Maria's muscles contracted around him Steve felt the fire under his skin burn hotter. Her cries and her pleas spurred him on. Finally he felt himself on the very edge and he thrust into her and held himself still for a moment as the fire burst into his veins and exploded under his skin. Then he thrust again and again and again until he was finally spent and collapsed in a sweaty puddle atop her. He gasped for breath, thinking it felt as if he'd never catch it.
Maria clung to Steve as if for dear life for what seemed like minutes, but was probably only seconds before she slowly relaxed her grip. As she released him, he raised himself over her to look at her. She seemed as deeply in awe of the moment as he. Something had happened between them, he could see it in her eyes. Steve had a word for it, but was afraid to use it yet. She still looked too unsure, there was still too much disbelief on her face. But Steve could be patient when need be, so he only smiled and rubbed his nose against hers as he leaned in to gently kiss her.
Steve trailed kisses down to her neck, to the spot on her shoulder where he'd left a mark, tasting the salt on her skin. As he took deep breaths in, the smell of their union permeated his senses. It had been years since he'd made love to a woman, but he remembered the feel, how much better he liked the act and the slow way he floated back down afterward. He kissed her ear gently before he ventured to whisper the only word he could work up the courage to say at the moment.
"Stay."
Maria nodded then Steve rolled to his side and pulled her into his arms. She tucked her head under his chin and put one arm around him and Steve breathed out a contented sigh as he began to stroke her hair. Worn out as he was, he didn't allow himself to drift off to sleep until Maria's breaths puffed evenly across his chest.
The first thing to invade Steve's senses when he awoke the next morning was the smell of them. He breathed deeply and smiled. But as he became more aware, his chest tightened and he found he didn't want to open his eyes. When he reached a tentative hand across the bed, he discovered the sheets there were cold. From the lack of any noise anywhere in his small apartment, he knew she was gone.
Immediately his mind tried to grasp for hope. She probably had to go to work. She didn't have any clothes here but that fancy dress she'd worn the night before. Maybe she'd left a note, with her number, her name, something.
His heart in his throat, Steve sat up in the bed and looked around. On the chair in the corner he saw his clothes, folded neatly. That was an odd thing to do, he thought. But there was no note atop the pile. He walked to his bureau and pulled a pair of boxers from the top drawer and slid them on. He walked the few steps it took to look around the rest of the apartment, but found nothing. In the kitchen, the last room he'd checked, he leaned, palms pressed against the counter. He took several deep breaths, finally shaking his head, as the reality of the time started to press in on him. He didn't have time to think about this. He had a job to get to and he couldn't be late his first finally dragged himself into the shower and got ready to leave.
When walked out onto the sidewalk forty-five minutes later, he looked down to where his motorbike was parked. He had the fleeting thought that maybe, just maybe, she'd left something there. He walked quickly to his parking space as he fought an internal battle of hope versus despair. In the end, he was forced to shove his despair into a dark corner to deal with later. He mounted his bike and tried to ignore the feeling ghosting his skin of Maria's arms wrapped around him as he drove back into the city.
When he arrived at Stark Tower, he was given a temporary pass and sent to the 35th floor where the financial department was housed. He headed to the manager's office as he'd been directed by the guard downstairs. The red-headed assistant greeted him with a pleasant smile and motioned to a chair. Steve took the proffered seat but only had to wait seconds before the assistant returned and told him to go ahead in.
Steve stood as he tugged his tie and re-buttoned his suit jacket, then walked through the open door.
"Mr. Rogers, go ahead and shut the door and have a seat, I'll be with you in a moment," the woman at the desk told him.
She was looking at a page she was signing and had yet to as much as glance up at him. Her brunette hair was done in a tight bun, she wore a tan suit with a white blouse. Steve couldn't breathe as he eyes drifted to her collar that hid the mark he knew was there, the mark he'd put there last night.
She finally turned to look up at him, obviously confused as to why he had yet to comply with her requests. Steve watched as the blood drained from her face until he was sure she was as pale as he must be himself. Her mouth opened slightly but no words came out. Finally, Steve broke the silence.
"Maria?"
Notes: Oh, I truly hope that inflicted pain. It still kills me, and I wrote this, originally, back in January.
So, yes, I finally fell for the prompt, "Person A goes to a club/bar and hooks up with Person B for a one night stand. Then next day Person A shows up at his/her new job only to discover that Person B is their new boss." Don't worry, it gets worse (but just the typical romance novel type of pain, I do so love happy endings), so for those of you who were missing my angst in the midst of all the recent fluff, I hope I made you a little happy. :)
Dresupi, I hope this is to your liking.