Natasha and Steve get to know each other and plan for another date later that night.

Steve Rogers was the man of Natasha's dreams. He didn't drink, didn't smoke, had a good relationship with his mother without it being some creepy Psycho-type thing, he paid his taxes and liked to be early to everything. That wasn't all. He was an artist, too!

They were having the most wonderful time together and Natasha dreaded the moment when she would have to leave. Being here with Steve was like something out of a dream.

Natasha had made up her mind to let him know she was interested. First, she had to find out if he had a girlfriend. Hopefully, he didn't because Natasha may have to get rid of her if he did. She was just that interested in Steve.

The redhead drank down the rest of her orange juice and looked him over. "I just can't believe that a guy like you would do an auction date. That doesn't seem like your cup of tea. I mean, you're obviously not the type to be desperate for a date. So why'd you do it?"

"Well, my friends talked me into it."

"Your friends? Lady friends or...?"

"Ha, no. My guy friends. Sam, Bucky and Thor. We're all friends with the woman who was auctioneering, Pepper Potts. She's passionate about wildlife preserves and charities, things like that. She decided to be hold the auction and she needed a few more men to participate as dates."

Natasha crossed her legs and bite into a large strawberry. Okay, so she'd have to slip the girlfriend question later, then. Her eyes flicked down to Steve's arms. The sleeves of his shirt he were pushed up to his elbows and she could see tan lines on his bare skin. Damn, he had nice muscles...

Focus, Natasha.

She smirked and gave him a look. "So Pepper didn't ask you to participate in the auction?"

"No, she wouldn't do that. She's too humble, but she kind of mentioned it to her boyfriend, Tony, and he told us that we should do it to help her cause. And Tony has a certain...way of persuading people to do stuff."

"Ah, a blackmailer?"

"No, he just gets on your nerves until you want to either strangle him or give in so he'll shut up, but in this case, he had a point. I was hesitant because I'm not very comfortable meeting someone I don't know. Well, I know how to socialize, but being an auction date was a little...intimidating to me."

This man could be intimidated? Natasha raised her eyebrows. "Why? Is it because you're insecure around women or something?"

Steve laughed and covered his head with his hand. "No, it's not that. I'm not insecure around women. I mean, you're a woman and I'm having a great time with you."

Natasha could feel the blush on her cheeks. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"You're welcome. I'm not used to being around women much, I suppose. I do have a few as friends, but I never had a lot of time for dating because of art school. Don't get me wrong, there were women who were classmates and teachers, but I was just so focused on doing my best in the classes that I wasn't really paying attention to them."

Oh, Steve. You're even more interesting to me, now. And you just gave me the perfect opening to ask if you have a girlfriend.

"Not paying attention to women, huh? I guess that explains why you're single...?" She made sure to give him an innocent look so he wouldn't suspect that she was fishing for information.

It didn't work, though.

Steve cocked his head to the side and slowly smiled at her. Natasha felt her heart pound in her ears as he observed her silently. She felt naked under his watchful gaze and she cleared her throat. "What are you looking at?"

"A beautiful woman who's fishing for information. You don't have to go about it like that, Natasha. If you want to know if I have a girlfriend or not, just ask." he replied.

How did he know that?! She couldn't have been that obvious! Natasha's eyes widened and she scoffed, shaking her head as if what he was saying was incredible. He saw right through her coyness and addressed it, point blank, even complimenting her while doing it.

He was too much.

Suddenly, she felt shy and nervous, like a kid who got caught with her hand inside the cookie jar. Natasha looked down at her wrist on the table, then back up into Steve's blue eyes. "Do you have a girlfriend, Steve?"

There was a laughing twinkle in his eyes as he shook his head. "No. I don't. That position is vacant...for the moment."

It took all of her strength not to squeal in surprise at his words. What had he meant by that? Was he insinuating that he wanted her to be his girlfriend? Natasha swallowed hard and did her best to appear nonchalant when she was really an excitable mess inside.

"Oh? Well, that's...interesting." She hummed in her throat and stretched her arms out on the counter.

"Yeah, it is. And what about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No, there's no man in my life right now. No special man anyway."

"I'm glad to hear that." Steve smiled at her from across the counter and his fingers grazed her arm. Natasha knew it was done on purpose, but her breath halted regardless. The electricity that ran though her when their skin met was tantalising.

She licked her lips and tried not to tremble under his steady gaze. Never in her life had she wanted to kiss someone so badly. It was getting harder to resist the urge to throw herself at him from across the counter and kiss him until their lips were bruised from passion.

Instead, Natasha pulled her hand back and crossed her arms. She wasn't the kind of girl who liked to play hard to get or anything, but she also didn't want him to think that she would be an easy catch. Steve would have to work if he wanted to keep her around.

Yet, when Natasha looked into those beautiful blue eyes of his, her hands grew clammy and her heartbeat intensified, and she knew he wouldn't have to work too hard. She really liked him.

"So we're both single. That's good to know for...future reference," she said with a bit of sultriness to her tone.

Lay on the charm, Natasha.

"It is." There was a flash of something in Steve's eyes and he leaned forward. "Listen, it's already past twelve and I know that you probably need to go home, but I was hoping that you'd go out with me tonight."

Well, that was a little unexpected. Natasha figured that they'd continue flirting for a few minutes, then she'd leave, go to work the next day, spend the whole day distracted by daydreams about Steve and then, to her surprise, realize that he'd left a message on her cell phone hours ago and wanted to take her out on a date.

I really need to stop watching rom-coms.

She blinked at him and curved her lips just so. "But aren't we already on a date?"

"No. This is different. I brought you here because I didn't want to take you to your place and leave you there or stay and let you wake up and freak out because a strange man was in your apartment."

"So you brought me here for my benefit and not your own? You didn't ogle me in my sleep, did you, Rogers?"

His cheeks turned beet red and Natasha raised her eyebrow at him. There was an unmistakable look of guilt in his eyes and she felt a surge of excitement. Normally, Natasha would be pissed if a man who she barely knew had ogled her in her sleep, but Steve was no ordinary man. In fact, she was sure he was one of a kind.

"It...wasn't like that. I, uh, had to take off your shoes so you wouldn't hurt your feet wearing them. I moved some of your hair out of your face and I just looked at you for a minute because you were really beautiful in that dress. You still are."

Steve said this in a near-reverent tone and Natasha's toes involuntarily curled from the sound of it. She breathed slowly so as not avoid hyperventilating.

"Be honest. I look like a mess." She muttered, looking away, unable to keep her eyes level with his intense gaze.

Footsteps sounded and Natasha blinked, watching as he came from around the counter and stood in front of her chair. The proximity of their bodies made Natasha feel warm all over and her wasn't even touching her. God, she was a wanton.

"You are beautiful in that dress, slept in or not. And I'm always honest." He smiled at her and put his hands in his pant pockets.

Steve stood there, looking innocent enough, but there was something so deliciously tempting about his earnestness that made Natasha catch her breath. Steve Rogers was truly a good, decent man and he wasn't the kind of man who would lie to a lady. She already knew that because of what he told her about his mother - thank you, Sarah Rogers for instilling your son with good values.

This was a man Natasha could see herself going on dates with, falling in love with, getting married to, having children with. All of those yearnings for hearth, home and family, all of the things her mother had wished for her to experience, suddenly made sense now. Natasha wanted all of those things, and finally, she realised that they were possibly within her grasp. That is, if she had the guts to take the risk.

Well, she chose not to waste any more time. Pulling him forward by his shirtfront, Natasha pressed her lips to Steve's and kissed him, putting all of the pent-up attraction and desire she'd felt towards him into it.

Steve had been taken by surprise by her aggressive approach, but he didn't complain. After a few seconds passed, he moaned and slid his hands onto her waist, squeezing her body tightly.

Natasha hissed and grabbed him by his hair, not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to keep him close to her. Their lips moved over each other passionately, hands fisted on hair and skin, light moans leaving their mouths like whispered prayers for more. Natasha had to be the one to pull back or else she might have been very tempted to let him rip that green dress from her body and take her on the counter.

When their lips were disconnected, she sighed, lightly bumping her forehead with his as she let her hands fall to his shoulders. "Mm. That was...nice."

Steve's breathing was as heavy as hers when he replied, "Yeah...Natasha? You never answered my question. Will you go out with me tonight?"

She gave him a little smile, hopped off the chair and grabbed her purse and high heels. Once she put her shoes on and had her purse around her shoulders, she turned to him and gave him a brief kiss. "Definitely."

He grinned like he had just won the lottery. "Pick you up at seven?"

"It's a date," she said, slipping him a piece of paper. "My address," she told him. He nodded and they both walked to the front door. Steve, ever the gentleman, opened it and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll see you tonight."

Natasha smiled and began to walk away. "Until then, Rogers." The redhead hummed to herself happily as she made her way down the hall, knowing that Steve was watching her the entire time.

Last night, she may have gotten drunk and embarrassed herself in front of a stranger, but now, things were looking up. She had a date with the man and something told her that he was going to be more than just a great date by the end of the night.

Today was a hell of a good day, and it was already getting better.

This chapter is like a bunch of rainbows slapping you in the face. Mercy, mercy. -fans self-