"I don't see the point in underwear this skimpy. It looks like dental floss. Doesn't it ride up in the wrong places?"
I snatched the offending thong out of Clint's hand and shoved it into my bag. He was being maddeningly unhelpful as I packed for my weekend away. It was Saturday morning and I was leaving as soon as I was done. My hair and makeup was ready for tonight. All I needed to do was check into my hotel and get dressed.
"You were the one who said, 'Get the sexy underwear, men are visual creatures and like to unwrap their present'," I said, grabbing the matching bra for the thong. "As if I needed an excuse to spend money on lingerie."
I'd been lucky that being on the ranch for a few weeks made my bank account look very healthy coming into Christmas. It wasn't looking quite as healthy now thanks to Christmas and dress shopping for this weekend. Dress shopping had turned into lingerie and shoe shopping. Something I really didn't need any more of. But despite his hangover while shopping, Clint had been amazingly helpful.
I thought it would be awkward with us living together. But we'd settled into a comfortable routine. We went to work together. I'd started back at the gym very gently and done a few shorter flights in the Quinjet. I'd very tentatively done some work with my bow most mornings with Clint as we weren't allowed on the gun range until after Christmas. Natasha and Jared both joined us in those morning practices, except with throwing knives. It was strangely peaceful being back at work with all of us together. Jared's ankle was looking good enough he was up for some light sparring. Clint had been more than happy to whip his ass back into shape. Natasha had been sore, but our morning yoga sessions by ourselves seemed to eventually work her kinks out.
When we weren't at work, Clint was the perfect housemate. He cooked and cleaned without any complaints. There were only minor disagreements on what to watch on TV. He even put the toilet seat down. I loved his cooking the most. He'd been slowly building up food that I could chew. My orthodontist appointment had been disappointing. My elastics were still on to move my bite back into place for another 6 weeks. But I could chew soft foods now. I'd been so excited to eat a banana when I could finally open my mouth wide enough to take a bite out of it. I'd gotten a lot of teasing for it too since it was in the STRIKE rec room when I discovered I could do it. Even I had to admit it sounded a bit dirty when I took that first mouthful.
"I still stand by the fact it's Natasha fault that you brought La Perla," Clint said with a snort. He was lounging on my bed watching me pack. "I'm all for sexy lingerie but there is not enough material on those to justify the money you spent on them."
I wasn't going to admit I vomited in my mouth a little when the cashier rang my purchases up. Clint was right that the money I spent on them was ridiculous for the little amount of fabric that was on them. Natasha had been very insistent on the particular red and black lace thong and bra set. The thong had ribbon ties on the sides. It screamed needing to be untied with someone's teeth. It was most of the reason why there were flashes of nerves starting to kick in. After my phone call with Gareth last week I was feeling confident to take the next step in moving on with my life. While I was feeling confident about doing this, I was also nervous as hell. This could all crash and burn spectacularly.
"You should pack some toys," Clint interrupted my thoughts.
"What?" I quickly snapped back to the conversation we were apparently having. I wasn't fooling Clint. I'd been folding the same shirt over and over again while my mind had drifted.
"Sex toys," Clint said slowly emphasizing each word far too heavily. "Especially the one that has 12 different settings you like to cycle through."
I didn't know whether to throw something at Clint or dig myself into the carpet and die of embarrassment. That particular toy wasn't that loud. Or so I thought. Jared certainly never complained he could hear it and he'd be the first one to bitch about it.
"I hate you for ruining my favorite toy," I settled for grumbling at him instead, turning around so he couldn't see my bright red face. "I didn't think it was that loud."
"It's not." Clint sounded so fucking proud of himself, I went back to considering throwing something at his head. I rummaged around in my wardrobe for a pair of jeans instead. "It's the vibrations that give it away."
It didn't make me feel any better. I knew Clint didn't sleep with his hearing aids in once he felt comfortable somewhere. I'd forgotten that he had said many times that every other sense gets amplified when he didn't have them in.
"Kari, come here." Clint's laughter didn't take long to break the embarrassing silence on my part. I turned around to see a smile on his face and him with his arms open. "I'm sorry, I'm an asshole I know. Come hug me and I'll make it better."
"No, you'll tickle me. You can shove your hug up your ass Barton." I had to turn around again so Clint couldn't see me smile. He had good reason to smile today and I was very proud of being the reason for that.
After his disastrous one night stand, he'd been very quiet and withdrawn. More so than before. When I tried to get some help putting the Christmas tree up, it had made things worse. A few glasses of whiskey later, Clint finally admitted he was heartbroken that he wasn't going to see his kids for Christmas. For him, Christmas was such a big deal and it was killing him knowing he wouldn't see his kids this year because of his own fuck ups.
That night I started emailing Laura about Christmas plans. The negation that followed felt like it was worthy of a SHIELD level 1 situation. As much as I loved Laura, I'd felt like slapping her on several occasions over the last week. She didn't want Clint anywhere near their new places but refused to let the kids come up to DC either. When I told her she was being unreasonable, and quite frankly, a bit of a bitch, it'd ended up in a tearful phone call. I knew she wasn't being a bitch on purpose, a broken heart could make you say and do some stupid shit. But after a gentle reminder that Clint was still the father of their children and nothing was going to change that, things became a little easier. The plan was all of us would fly to Kentucky, rent a car and stay the next town over on Christmas Eve. Laura had picked up work at the local hospital and she was working an afternoon shift on Christmas Day so Clint could have a Christmas dinner with the kids. Natasha and I would arrive just before she left, then Clint, Jared and Coulson would follow once Laura was gone. It wasn't perfect, but it gave Clint what he desperately needed at the moment. Something to look forward to.
Laura had emailed Clint the plan herself as well. It wasn't much, but I hoped it was a small step in the direction of them being amicable. Hell, it might even be a step towards them fixing this whole fucking mess. But seeing Clint happy and almost walking on clouds for the last two days had been a good thing. Except for that he seemed to have his fucking annoying teasing streak back in him. Some of it was still forced, but in the times it wasn't, it was really good to see him smiling again.
"I promise I won't tickle you," Clint sounded sincere. "Come here and hug me. I promise I'll never tease you about the sex toy again."
"You're a shit." I complied with his request, walking over to the bed. Clint wrapped his arms around me from his sitting position on the bed, putting his head on my stomach. The hug was tight enough that breathing became uncomfortable after a few seconds. But I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair. I was very glad I could give him something to look forward to. I was missing Laura and the kids like crazy as well, so Clint wasn't the only one looking forward to Christmas.
"Can I decorate the apartment while you're on your dirty weekend away?" Clint's voice was slightly muffled in my shirt. "Your Christmas tree sucks ass."
"While I'm on my weekend away with my old workmates," I corrected Clint. "Yes, you can decorate the apartment but if anything sings or dances, it's being used for target practice."
"Does this mean you'll start wearing sexy underwear in the locker room for your new workmates?" Clint asked, looking up at me with his chin resting on my stomach. "Because I think someone might really enjoy that."
The suggestive wiggle of Clint's eyebrows earned him a shove. Unluckily for me, he was holding onto me too tightly and I ended up sprawled over him on the bed. At least no one else was around to hear my very undignified shriek. Natasha had pointed out a few days after our night at JoJo's that she was pretty sure Tex had a crush on me. He'd been drinking a protein shake and when I commented it smelt good, he brought one in for me the next morning and the rest of the powder so I knew what to get when it ran out. I scoffed at Natasha and told her 12 year olds had crushes and he simply had good manners. But it'd stuck and become a constant source of teasing from her. Clint had joined in the fun of teasing me yesterday as well.
"Let me go." I couldn't stop the giggle escaping from me. It was so good to see Clint happy. "I have to keep packing. It's meant to snow later and I don't want to get stuck in the weekend traffic."
Clint instantly let me go. I scrambled off the bed. I was nearly out of reach when he shot forward and landed a stinging slap on my ass.
"Get going woman," he said smartly. "You've got a hot date."
I wasn't going to bother with the comeback it wasn't a hot date. Otherwise, we'd swing right back to this is a dirty weekend away. Which it would probably end up being if I was being honest with myself. Although I was nervous, it felt like I was doing the right thing. My body was agreeing very heavily with me that some action was needed. After Gareth's phone call, I'd ramped up the sexting to the point where I was frustrating myself. I'm sure he was going to have some form of payback in mind because I'd sent him far too many dirty messages while he was at work. Apparently, a boner in a full flight gear was one of the most uncomfortable things in the world.
I threw the rest of the clothes I needed in my bag and grabbed my dress that was hanging up in a garment bag. It'd taken me ages to find the right one. It needed to be a long dress, something formal and not too revealing. But I also wanted to make a statement with it. With Clint and Natasha's help, I was sure I'd accomplished everything I wanted to.
"Are sure you have everything?" Clint asked, the idle chatter of while I packed turned serious.
"I'm sure I do." I zipped my bag up, ignoring another flash of nerves. "Thanks for getting the car for me."
Clint had gone over to Riley's old place earlier and got his BMW for me to drive down. While I loved my Kawasaki, my ass and back wouldn't appreciate the 3 hour ride on it. I was going to take Jared's car but Clint made the suggestion taking the BMW instead. A long drive would do it the world of good to keep it running. It was a nice car to drive, so there weren't any arguments from me about it. It did feel a little odd taking my boyfriends old car to a potential hook up though. But I'm sure if I took my Kawasaki, Riley would get up out of his grave and smack me for being so stupid.
"No problem." Clint got up off the bed, stretching as he went. "Here, I'll take your bag so you don't crush your dress."
When he wasn't being a shit, Clint could be so helpful when he wanted to be. I don't think the kitchen had ever been used this much. I certainly wasn't complaining about the home-cooked meals. It was helping me put some muscle back on after my inactivity. Even Mom couldn't do mashed potatoes as good as Clint.
"Are you going to be all right this weekend?" I asked as we walked out of the apartment and to the elevator. Jared and Natasha were coming over tonight to watch cheesy, old horror movies. I'm sure I heard the mention of pizza and beer too. I had no doubt there'd be at least one of them sticking around for the rest of the weekend.
"Now I have your permission to decorate the apartment, I have more than enough to keep me occupied," Clint said with a gleam of mischief in his eyes. "I promise nothing will sing or dance."
Why did I get the feeling I was going to come home and it would look like a Christmas factory vomited in the apartment? I should have remembered Clint's out of control Christmas decorating from last year.
"And bake some more crack cookies," I said casually as the elevator started to go down.
Clint had baked 2 dozen sugar cookies earlier in the week. I wasn't ashamed to admit once I found out dunking them in milk made them soft enough for me, I ate all but 5 of them. Since then I'd dubbed them crack cookies because I'm sure they were as addictive as crack.
"Fine, I'll make you more crack cookies." Clint huffed dramatically, but a smile was playing on his lips. We'd made it to the car and Clint waited until he put the bag in the backseat before he spoke again. "In all seriousness, are you going to be all right? I can drive down and get another room. That way you have some muscle for back up."
"Yeah, I'm going to be fine." I smiled, hanging the dress up. Jared had said something very similar last night. It seems I had 2 older and protective brothers now. "Besides, I can kick his ass with one hand tied behind my back. I've got all the muscle I need."
I flexed my arm with a confident smirk. My biceps looked laughable, but the words were true enough.
"You dork," Clint said with a laugh, pulling me into another hug. My smirk softened into a gentle smile as I hugged him back. "Thank you for everything you've done over the last week."
"You don't need to thank me." I closed my eyes, enjoying Clint's firm embrace. "You were there for me when my world fell apart. It's the least I could do."
Clint didn't say anything, he really didn't need to either. He hugged me a little tighter. As shitty as this year had been, it could have been much worse without the support I had. If I hadn't impressed Clint at the range that day last year, my life could have taken a very different turn. One that might have seen me taking that step off the roof that night. Instead, I was still here and piece by piece, putting my life back together. Clint and Natasha might tease me mercilessly about this, but I knew they had my back no matter what happened. We were a crazy little family and we'd be there for each other. I thought after Thanksgiving and talking about Riley a lot might have really set me back But it seemed to have the opposite effect, it helped me heal a little more from losing him. Mom was right in that I couldn't keep living in the past. Nothing was going to change what happened and no one was going to begrudge me moving on with my life. Taking this step was pretty fucking terrifying though.
"Drive safely, yeah?" Clint said without breaking out hug. "Text us when you get there."
"Yes Dear." I replied with an eye roll. "Let me go so I can get started. The traffic can still be horrid on the weekends."
"Go." Clint released me with a small push towards the driver's seat. "Don't speed. Have fun."
I didn't need to be told twice, I climbed into the driver's seat and with a wave to Clint, I was on my way. It was a long and boring drive. The promised snow didn't fall, but a drizzling rain followed me all the way from DC. As predicted, the traffic was shit, stretching my driving time out to 3 and a half hours. I was glad for Clint insisting he did most of my make up before I left. All I needed to do after I checked in was put lipstick on and get dressed.
The hotel I'd booked at was one of the nicer ones near Langley Air Force Base. I'd paid extra for the deluxe room so I had a spa in the bathroom. Check in was relatively painless, except for the receptionist giving me a strange look. I was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, making me look odd in the fancy foyer. As I went up to my room, I sent everyone a text message letting them know I'd arrived safely. The room was well worth the extra money. I'm not sure if the king size bed was calling my name first or the extra large spa in the bathroom. I grabbed a scotch from the mini bar and drained the ridiculously priced small bottle in one swallow. The nerves from before were starting to come back.
"Come on woman, get your shit together." I coached myself. "This is only dinner. You don't need to be nervous about dinner."
I didn't have time to be nervous either. Gareth wouldn't be far away thanks to my slower than planned trip here. Knocking back the last drop of scotch, I stripped off my clothes and went into the bathroom with my bag and dress. I took in a deep breath as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Clint's make up job was sublime, as always. My hair had stayed in the gentle waves Clint had teased them in on the drive here. After a quick coat of lipstick and spray of perfume, even I had to admit I looked amazing.
I shimmed into the tiny pieces of silk that really couldn't be called underwear, tying the ribbons a little tighter around my hips. Natasha talked me into a pair of thigh high stockings as well and once it was all together, I had to admit she was right that it looked great. My phone vibrated as I was putting on my coat of lipstick. It was Gareth.
I'm here. Do you want me to come up or wait in the bar?
Shit. He was early. We were taking a taxi from here so we could both drink for the night. Fuck it, I was nearly ready. I quickly tapped out a reply.
I'll be about 5 minutes. Have a drink and get one for me.
I quickly got what I needed to put in my purse and went out to the main room. I unzipped the garment bag and slid it off the long midnight blue dress. It was a simple dress, halter neck and backless except for 2 straps crossed over the back. The slight gather at the waist made me look like I had decent ass and hips. It was so simple but it looked amazing on me. I slipped into my silver heels. I had to go with a smaller than usual heel so I wouldn't tower over Gareth. He was only an inch taller to me so it limited my shoe choice. I snuck a quick look in the mirror, as always thanks to Clint and Natasha's impeccable taste, I looked incredible.
Grabbing my purse, I shoved everything I needed in it. I grabbed my coat and headed out the door. It didn't take long for me to get down to the bar. I spotted Gareth straight away. He was sitting at the bar in his formal uniform, half turned towards the door. I took a second to appreciate his muscular form in uniform. He looked damn good. He glanced in my direction and did a double take, a grin spreading over his face. The grin was contagious as I strode towards him.
"Hey there Captain, going my way?" I asked as I walked up, sliding into the seat next to him. He had a glass of scotch sitting on the bar waiting for me. Straight up, no ice. Someone had been listening.
"Hey there Agent." Gareth grinned, he got up and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "You look incredible."
"Thanks." I slid into my seat and picked up my drink. "Cheers."
"Cheers." Gareth clinked his glass against mine. I didn't miss the appreciative look as his eyes raked up and down my body. I hid my smile behind taking a sip of my own drink. My nerves started to dwindle away at how comfortable this felt. "How was your trip down?"
"Long," I said with a wrinkle of my nose. "But I kept myself amused with my terrible singing. How was your day?"
"Much better now you're here," Gareth said with a confident smile, taking a sip of his drink. His smile gave me a brief flicker of butterflies, in a very good way. "I'm very happy you're here. This is a really nice place."
"I know." I took a sip of scotch, making an appreciative noise as it slid down easily. "I have a spa in my room that's hopefully going to be well worth the extra money."
It was a little bit of bait to see how Gareth would react. It was quick, but I didn't miss the obvious hard swallow he did before talking again.
"I'm thinking I should join SHIELD," Gareth said, chuckling a little. I smiled into my glass at his quick change of subject. It seems someone didn't want to be getting an inappropriate boner so quickly in the night. "You seem to be way better paid than I am."
"You'd be an improvement on some of the pilots I know." I shuddered thinking back to my horrible 2 weeks of pilot training. "Remember when I had that 2 weeks of pilot of training as punishment?"
"Yeah, I remember." Gareth shook his head with a small laugh. "You have to tell the story of setting off the flashbang in the men's showers tonight. Everyone will love it."
"I'm pretty sure I still have pictures of me with pink hair to go with the story." The punishment was still worth the look on Rumlow's face as he came running out of the bathroom after I set off the flashbang and smoke grenade.
Gareth's phone interrupted any reply he was going to make. He glanced at the screen with an annoyed look on his face.
"Taxi's here," Gareth said with a small grumble. "Dammit, I didn't expect for it to get here so early."
"The night is young, we can always come back later," I said, letting the implication hang in the air. I knocked back the scotch in one quick motion. The expensive tasting liquor made me feel all warm and fuzzy. It also gave me some much-needed courage to continue with the train of thought. I pressed on from the thought from earlier. "Order room service, head up and try out the spa."
"You're making it very tempting to ditch tonight and head up there right now." Gareth squirmed in his seat, finishing off his drink. "Let's go before my resolve crumbles."
I hid my triumphant grin as I got out of my chair. Gareth followed me a second later, offering his hand to me. I slid my hand into his, enjoying the chaste touch. It shouldn't be sending a thrill through my body, but it was.
"So how's work been this week?" I asked innocently as we made our way outside. I knew exactly how his week had been because I'd been texting him non stop.
"Frustratingly boring," Gareth said with a knowing smirk. "You seem to have a lot of time on your hands this week."
"It's nearly Christmas and we aren't the team on standby." My explanation wasn't a lie. Natasha and I technically weren't due back at work until after New Year. But both Max and Andrew had been happy enough to clear us for light duties from a physical and mental side of things. "There's an abundance of spare time on my hands right now."
"What do you actually do all day?" Gareth asked, his tone turning from teasing to serious. "I can't actually imagine how you fill your days."
"It depends." I paused before we went outside so I could put my jacket on. Gareth moved to help me into the thick wool trench coat. It didn't exactly go with my outfit but I'd freeze to death without it. "Morning is always working out. Natasha and I do secret girl stuff before Barton gets there. Then we spar, my brother has been joining in too while he's still around."
Jared was expecting to be back on some easy assignments any day soon. My recovery had been long, but it was nothing compared to the time it'd taken for his ankle to finally get better.
"Then we do stuff like hitting the range, update qualifications if we need to." I racked my brain as I tied my coat up trying to think of other shit we did during the day. "I do flights if I'm needed. It's really not that exciting unless we get a mission."
"Doesn't that sound familiar." Gareth opened the door for me. The taxi was waiting right at the entrance much to my relief. I didn't need to be getting muddy in the 5 steps it'd take to get there. "You know I tried online dating very, very briefly. All the girls were under the impression my days were straight out of the Top Gun movie. They were so disappointed when they found out I spend more time at a desk than in a jet."
"It ruins the image, doesn't it?" I knew that exact feeling. When I was dating, most guys thought I spent all day flying. "I can't even begin to thinking of starting to explain my job to a person not in SHIELD if I ever attempt date again. Guys used to be intimated enough when I was a pilot."
As I slid into the taxi, my phone began to ring. It wasn't one of my usual ringtones I had assigned to people, just the generic tone. I wrinkled my nose as I got it out of my bag. I didn't recognize the number either. But it was a California area code. I stared at the number contemplating whether I was going to answer or not. I scrunched up my nose and sent it to message bank. Before I could apologize to Gareth about the interruption, the phone rang once and my screen suddenly came to life. The smirking face on the screen was definitely not who I was expecting.
"Hey Ice Queen." Tony Stark himself was spinning around in a computer chair. "You know you shouldn't screen your calls. You never know who's on the other end of the line."
What the fuck was Tony Fucking Stark doing calling me?
"What do you want Stark? I'm busy." I stared at my phone, not quite believing this was happening. Next to me, Gareth's eyebrows were nearly in his hairline in surprise.
"You look pretty. Are you out with your hot doctor friend?" Without waiting for a reply, Tony held up to jewelry boxes. "I need an opinion for Pepper's Christmas present. You two never stop talking and you're about the only female friend she has who doesn't have to be nice because she's their boss. Which one?"
I don't know how the fuck he managed to talk so much without taking a breath. I could barely keep up with him. Pepper and I didn't talk constantly either. We chatted randomly of and off. Sometimes one of us would forget to reply or get too busy. But when we could, we picked up where we left off. I didn't have time to contemplate on what he said either before he was opening both the jewelry boxes and holding them up.
"Where do you think Pepper is going to wear them?" I had to cover my surprise up very quickly at the sight of the expensive jewelry. The bracelet was studded with diamond and sapphires. The necklace was a diamond choker with rubies. I didn't doubt it as real jewels. Both of them looked ridiculously expensive.
"I don't know." Tony rolled his eyes at my question. "But girls like expensive jewelry. Don't they? I want to make sure our first Christmas is a good one. Who's the Air Force Captain with you?"
"Just focus on your presents and not on what I'm doing." I swear Alexi had a longer attention span than Tony. I tilted the phone away from Gareth, who was currently trying very hard to cover his laughter. "I think they're very gaudy and they'd spend more time in Pepper's jewelry box than on her. Pepper is like me and wears simple jewelry. What's plan B?"
"Plan B, C and D were more jewelry." Tony snapped the boxes shut, looking frustrated. For someone so smart, he could be really clueless sometimes. I'd never tell him I found this kind of sweet that he was ringing me to make Pepper happy. Their relationship was still new and I remembered the pressure I was under trying to find Riley something last year. "Suggestions?"
"My favorite bit of jewelry is that braided leather bracelet I always wear." I decided to take pity on him and be helpful. "My best friend made it for me, learning how to do it off a YouTube video. You're handy, I'm sure you could think of something meaningful to make her. It'd mean a lot more than a piece of jewelry you got from the store."
"You wear a necklace with the bottom of a .338 bullet too," Tony said, looking distracted already. He'd put the jewelry boxes down and looked like he was scrolling through something on his computer. "Huh. If this doesn't work, I'm blaming you."
"If it works you can give me that sapphire bracelet," I said smartly. "As you noticed I have company, is that all you wanted?"
"You didn't tell me who it was you're with." A mischievous smirk crossed Tony's face. "Or what happened with your hot doctor friend."
"I'm allowed to have more than one friend." I rolled my eyes. "And I'm with one of my old workmates going to a dine-in night. Goodbye Stark."
For once, Tony got the hint and ended the call before I could get in another word. I shook my head while staring at my now blank screen. When did my life get so fucking weird that I had billionaires ringing me up for Christmas present advice.
"So?" Gareth broke the silence, making me look over to him. "Did that really happen?"
"It really happened." I shook my head again. "Welcome to my fucking weird life."
"I knew you were dealing with Stark after you drunk phone call," Gareth said, looking curious. "But how do you know Pepper Potts?"
I spent the rest of the cab ride explaining to Gareth how I first met Pepper at the press conference after Tony Stark had come back from Afghanistan. I had to skimp on the details of my exact involvement on the whole incident before Stark came out as Iron Man and leave out the details of why we were babysitting Stark a few months ago. But there was still enough detail there to make it an amusing story.
"And you say your job is boring." Gareth chuckled as the taxi pulled up the front of the Officers Mess. I still had my Air Force ID, so there was no worrying about having to sign me onto base. "Are you ready for this?"
"Not really, but let's go."
Dine in nights could either be painfully boring and stiffly formal. Or they could dissolve into a fun night with plenty of alcohol. It depended on who the invited guests were and whether they stuck around after the formal part of dinner. Christmas ones usually involved higher up officers in the Air Force, so it could be very boring. I remember the last one I went to, I'd spent most of the night texting Jared under the table because I was so bored.
After shedding my coat, I only managed to make it 5 steps before I was surrounded. I was taken back by the sudden attention all on me. Poor Gareth barely got a hello from everyone. It felt very weird being the center of attention. While I expected it the last time I was here, this time it felt odd. I used to blend into the background so well at Air Force functions. That was all long gone.
Cocktail hour passed in a blur of conversation. I'd been kept so busy talking, I'd barely touched the scotch Gareth had gotten me. I was glad when the call was finally made for everyone to sit down. It was exhausting having so many people vying for my attention. It was almost a welcome relief to have to sit there in silence while listening to speeches before our entrees were served. I still had the amusement of Gareth's ex-wife sending me nasty looks throughout the speeches though. At least someone had the brains to keep us on opposite sides of the room. Once the entrees were served, the conversation flowed around the table easily and the center of attention drifted away from me. It was probably a good thing, I'd taken my shoes off and I was distracting Gareth under the table by running my foot up and down his leg. It was fun to watch him squirm in his seat and try and keep his attention on what was happening around him.
It wasn't until mains were being served that I was suddenly the center of attention again. One of the servers came up with a bowl of pasta instead of the chicken or steak alternative drop.
"There was a request for soft food?" The server asked.
"That's me." I put my hand up. As much as I hated being one of those people who needed something special made for them, I didn't need to embarrass myself by getting something I had to shred into tiny pieces to eat. Gareth had made sure I got something I'd be able to eat without any problems. I could feel a lot of curious eyes on me as the server came and placed the spaghetti with a creamy looking sauce in front of me.
"I'm going to be the rude one and ask," Helix piped up before the silence got too uncomfortable. "Why do you need soft food?"
"I broke my jaw," I said simply, taking a sip of scotch. I thought Gareth might have told everyone after Sharpe got in touch with Coulson after Odessa. "I only got it unwired a few weeks ago. I've still got brackets and elastics on my back teeth to try and put everything back into its correct shape."
"How the fuck did you break your jaw?"
"Car accident." It wasn't really a lie. There had been a car accident involved in the events that led up to my face nearly being crushed to a pulp by a ghost assassin. "At work."
No one pressed for details as soon as I said it was at work. There were plenty of sympathetic words thrown my way before the subject got dropped. The rest of dinner passed quickly and before I knew it, I was telling the story of throwing the smoke grenade and flashbang into the men's shower over a piece of warm chocolate cake for dessert. A few people had gravitated over to see what we were all laughing about, so I ended up retelling the story again. I even passed my phone around with the photo of my horrendous pink hair.
After dessert, there were more speeches. The local Senator was the guest of honor, an older gentleman who'd flown jets in Vietnam. Unfortunately, he also liked the sound of his own voice and talked for half an hour. The only consolation was that wine was put on the table for everyone before he started. As much as I didn't like white wine, the glass of it got me through the long droning speech. It didn't hurt that Gareth was getting his payback and distracting me for the earlier teasing. I casually draped my leg over his during the speeches. We were sitting close enough to together that no one had noticed. My dress had ridden up enough that Gareth had been running his fingers up and down my thigh. He'd done a good job at hiding the small surprise when his hand came in contact with the thigh high stockings. It was pouring fire on the horniness I'd built up all week. It took a lot of effort to keep myself from reacting to it. The senator was the only one with a long speech, the rest of the formal part of the evening almost seemed rushed after the long speech. With the formal proceedings over, the night would switch to a more informal feel now.
"Do you want to stay and dance?" Gareth lent over and asked me quietly as soon as we had a second to ourselves. Sharpe's wife had come over and spoke to me for 10 minutes. Sharpe's 50th birthday was in February and she was giving me all the details for the party along with fussing over me getting hurt. I didn't think she was ever going to stop talking to me until Sharpe came over and dragged her away.
"I'm done for the night." It wasn't me being tired that was me wanting to get out of here. I was also ready to grab Gareth back to my room and make some of the texts from earlier this week come true. I'd had enough to drink that I was relaxed and the nerves from earlier were long gone. "Wanna come back and try out the spa?"
"Let's go then." Gareth didn't need any extra encouragement. He downed the last of his drink while I put my shoes back on. It took ages to say goodbye to everyone but we finally got out and into the freezing night air.
I turned to ask Gareth how long it would be. it was bad timing on my part as Gareth had turned his head towards mine too. We were too close together and ended up knocking our heads together.
"Ow." I laughed, rubbing my forehead.
"Fuck, sorry." Gareth groaned, wincing as touched his own forehead. "That was not the sexy move I was planning."
"Sexy move?" I asked, feeling a smile creep onto my lips.
"Yeah, I was going to turn and kiss you." Even in the dark, I could see a faint tinge of red crawl across Gareth's face. "Apparently I'm not as smooth as I want to be."
Neither was I. What I was about to do could end up in one of us with a bloody nose. But the scotch from earlier gave me the courage to do it. I grabbed Gareth by the tie, yanking him close enough to me so I could kiss him. There was a brief wobble before Gareth caught his balance, but to my surprise, it actually worked. Our lips met in a soft kiss. Gareth only hesitated for half a second before deepening the kiss. My arms came up, wrapping around his neck as we kissed. Gareth's hands went to my hips as he pulled my body in closer.
The feel of his lips against mine sent tingles through my body. I could feel goosebumps rising on my arms as his lips brushed against mine. The kiss didn't last long, the sound of a car pulling up made us both jump and pull apart. Our taxi had arrived.
"Let's take this somewhere warmer," I said with a breathless laugh. Even with my thick coat on it was freezing.
Gareth didn't waste any time pulling me into the taxi with him. I ended up sprawled over him, barely able to get out the hotel name before Gareth was kissing me again. There wasn't any fumbling this time. I was in Gareth's lap, kissing him before the taxi moved away from the curb. The alcohol from tonight kept my brain quiet enough to let my body enjoy the feel of Gareth's lips against mine, his hands running over my body. It was easy to lose track of time as we made out like a pair of teenagers in the back seat of a car. It wasn't until the driver cleared his throat we pulled apart, realizing we were at the hotel.
"Sorry." Gareth apologized as we untangled ourselves. The taxi driver looked rather unamused at our antics. Gareth quickly gave him some money as we stumbled out of the cab and into the hotel. The trip up to my room was a blur of kisses and slightly inappropriate groping. We were lucky there was no one else in the elevator with us.
Once we got into the room, I took no time in pulling Gareth's jacket and tie off. My fingers didn't want to cooperate on his shirt buttons. Gareth's hands were on the bare skin of my back. He broke the kiss just as I managed to get his top two buttons undone.
"How the fuck do I get your dress off?" Gareth asked with a breathless laugh. "I can't find a button or zip."
I laughed with him, taking a step back. I grabbed the dress and in one movement pulled the dress over my head. Goosebumps hit my body as the air touched my bare skin. I felt a tug of nerves as Gareth stared at my body. I was amassing a collection of scars on my body. The latest one from where I'd had the emergency chest tube after Odessa was still red and angry looking on the side of my ribs. Gareth seemed to ignore them though, his eyes falling down onto the skimpy piece of material barely covering any essentials.
"I thought you might enjoy untying it with your teeth." I gave what I hoped to be a flirty smile as I took a step backwards the bed. "After all, didn't you tell me you wanted to see if you could make me scream?"
Gareth didn't need any further encouragement. He closed the gap between us, quickly taking his shirt off and kicking off his shoes as he went. My heels were going to get in the way, so I toed them off. I kissed him again as I walked back to the bed. When the back of my legs hit to bed, Gareth gave me a gentle push down onto the bed.
My back hit the bed with a small bounce, making a breathless giggle escape from me. I enjoyed the view as Gareth fumbled with his belt and finally got his trousers undone. I'd seen plenty of photos of Gareth naked, but seeing it in real life was a different thing. With his muscle, he wouldn't look out of place in the STRIKE locker room. He wasn't huge muscled but had enough definition and leanness to him to make it very enjoyable to look at as he stood there in his boxers.
"Nice abs," I said smartly to push away the nerves that were trying really hard to make themselves known. I crossed my ankles and put my hands behind my head, smirking up at Gareth.
"Same could be said for you," Gareth said with a small chuckle as he got onto the bed. He ran his hands up my outer thighs, placing a kiss just below my belly button. He ran his lips across my stomach until he came to the ribbon on the side of my thong. "Did you buy these just for me?"
Gareth's lips against the skin of my stomach made my brain short circuit. I had a hard time getting the words to come out in a coherent sentence.
"Yep." I swallowed heavily. Every fiber of my being wanted his mouth to move a few inches south right now. "Like them?"
Gareth made a noise of acknowledgment before dipping his head down. His teeth grazed along my sensitive skin as he took the corner of the ribbon in his mouth, giving it a tug. The knot easily came undone, dropping the thong a little lower on my body. His hand came down to push the thigh high stocking on my leg down. I jumped as his fingers ran down the puckered scar on my thigh.
"Sorry." Gareth looked up from his exploring. Even in the dim light the scar from Yelena stabbing me was visible. "That looks nasty. What happened?"
"Later." I didn't want to talk about it now. No doubt Gareth would want to hear about the collection I was amassing on my body. "With all of them."
Gareth nodded, seemingly content with my brush off. He continued sliding the stocking off my leg, placing kisses as he went. With agonizing slowness, he repeated the sweet torture on the other side of my body. Once my leg as free of the stocking, he slowly kissed his way back up my inner leg. The open-mouthed kisses on my skin tickled and burnt at the same time. It felt like an eternity as he reached my inner thigh.
"I believe I promised to make you scream?" Gareth's voice tickled my oversensitive skin. I squirmed in his grasp, wanting more right now. The nerves were gone and now all I could think of was how amazing it all felt.
"How are you going to do that?" I teased, feeling breathless as I looked down at a very smug looking Gareth.
"Not sure." Gareth lightly nipped my thigh, making me jump. "Any suggestions?"
I didn't get a chance to answer as Gareth moved between my thighs, grabbing the thong in his teeth and pulling it away from my body. The sudden and brief contact against the spot I very much wanted him to touch made me groan in anticipation and frustration.
"Tease." I murmured. "I'll pay you back for that."
"And how are you going to do that?" Gareth asked, sounding very amused.
He interrupted my reply again. Except for this time it was what I was craving. HIs mouth came down on me. His tongue dragging across me very slowly made something between a curse and a moan escape from my lips. It was all the encouragement Gareth needed. There wasn't any hesitation in his movements, he seemed to remember exactly how I liked it from my descriptions.
Everything became a blur very quickly. There was no gentle ease or build up into my orgasm. As soon as Gareth added his fingers, I was gone. It was so intense I think I blacked out for a few seconds. I'm not sure if it was a screaming moment or not because my brain was fried. When I came back down to earth, I was breathing like I'd run a marathon. Gareth had his chin resting on my hip, looking up at me with smug male pride written all over his face.
"Someone was paying attention," I said with a breathless laugh. My entire body felt like jelly, none of my limbs wanted to work yet.
"You're very specific and demanding," Gareth chuckled as he moved up my body. "There was also the fleeting moment of worrying about my neck being snapped if I do a bad job."
As soon as he was close enough, I pulled Gareth down for a kiss. In the moment of distraction, I hooked my leg behind his and flipped us over so I was on top. I grinned down at Gareth, very pleased at the look of surprise on his face.
"I wouldn't snap your neck," I teased, leaning down to brush another kiss on Gareth's lips. "I'd just be bossy and demanding until you got it right."
"What a horrible way to spend the night," Gareth teased me right back, the sarcasm heavy in his voice. He wound his fingers through my hair, keeping me only inches away from his face. "Trapped between gorgeous woman legs making her scream my name. Not sure how I'd ever cope with it."
"I didn't scream your name." I pointed out with a cocky smile. "Guess you'll have to try harder next time. Speaking of hard things."
As I spoke, I ground my bare body against Gareth's boxers. His free hand came to grip my hip hard enough it'd probably bruise. I didn't miss the sharp intake of his breath as I purposed rubbed myself up against his hard cock through his boxers.
"Should have taken them off." Gareth sounded like he was having a hard time focusing right now. "Let me up so you can have your way with me."
He released his grip on my hair and I scooted back far enough so I could get my fingers underneath the waistband of his boxers. Gareth didn't need any extra encouragement, he lifted his hips making it easier for me. Unlike his teasing, I wasted no time in yanking his boxers off and throwing them off the bed. Right now I was very glad for the slightly awkward conversation we had the other day about needing a condom or not. It wasn't the actual conversation that was awkward, more the fact Natasha had gone into his USAF medical files to look for me.
"Hopefully next time I can repay the favor." I pushed that thought out of my mind as our bare bodies pushed together. Before Gareth could reply, I shifted so I was positioned over his cock. Whatever Gareth was going to say died on his lips as I sunk down on him. He wasn't huge, but he was still thick enough that I felt my body stretch to accommodate him. I bit back a moan as I shifted, lifting myself off him nearly completely. Gareth grabbed my hips hard, keeping me in place.
"I'm going to regret teasing you before, aren't I?" Gareth was very out of breath as he looked up at me. I grinned in response, slowly lowering myself down on his cock again. Part of me wanted to have him slam into me and fuck me so hard I'd remember it every time I moved for days. But being in complete control and having him at my mercy right now was a lot of fun.
"Where would you get that idea?" It took a lot more concentration to speak than I'd ever admit. As I went lower on him, Gareth's grip on my hips tightened. My own self-control was starting to slip and I quickly gave in. In one quick movement, Gareth was fully seated within me. It felt amazing. My body felt like it was on fire, all my nerve endings were screaming for me to move or do something to keep the sensations happening.
Gareth's self-control was gone. His grip on my hips shifted against and he started to move. His thumb came up to brush off my clit and I could barely focus on anything except the sensations shooting through my body. The combination of him fucking me and brushing up against my clit had another orgasm rushing up to hit me again. It wasn't as intense as the first one, but it was still strong enough that I saw stars. I was barely coming down from it when Gareth shifted beneath me and flipped me over onto my back.
"You're a lot of fun to get off," Gareth said with a breathless chuckle. I didn't have the breath to reply, so I chuckled with him. It was swiftly replaced with a quiet moan as he slid into me again. I hitched my legs up so they were hooked around his waist, shifting the angle of his cock hitting me. My nails dug into his back as he wasted no time setting a pace that I was going to feel in the morning. It didn't take long for his own strokes to become erratic and with his own guttural groan, Gareth slammed into me once more and came. I lightly stroked his back as he rode out his own orgasm. He half collapsed on me, sounding very out of breath.
Neither of us moved for what felt like a long time. The room was quiet except for the sound of both of us trying to catch our breath. It was Gareth who moved first, pulling back enough so he could kiss me. I smiled against the chaste brushing of our lips.
"I need to move." Gareth sounded very reluctant despite his words. "I don't want to squash you."
"Tougher than I look," I murmured, suddenly feeling very tired. It made Gareth chuckle quietly as he brushed a few strands of hair away from my face. I reluctantly untangled my legs from around his waist and Gareth pulled away from me. He didn't go far, he rolled on his back and pulled me into him. I instantly cuddled into him. He was warm and solid, something I'd missed so much in the last few months. My entire body felt boneless as I lay against him, but I was very content.
"Sorry, I like to cuddle." Gareth smothered a yawn. He pressed a gentle kiss against my forehead. "Am I going to annoy you if I stay a few hours?"
"Nope." I closed my eyes. "I'm ordering room service for breakfast if you want to stay."
"Sounds good." Gareth's voice sounded far away as he kissed me again. "Thanks for coming tonight."
The smart ass joke I wanted to make was gone as I drifted off to sleep, feeling very content.
I woke up to an empty bed and a small hangover. I blinked away the last bit of sleep looking over at the empty space that I'm sure Gareth had been in only a few hours ago. I rolled over, looking at the clock. It was still early, only 0730. The sound of the shower starting drove away any developing thoughts of being left alone with Gareth saying goodbye. I was sticky from last night and still had my make up on, so a shower probably wasn't a terrible idea. I got up and walked into the bathroom, not bothering to knock. Gareth poked his head out from the shower door, looking surprised.
"Did I wake you?" Gareth asked. His eyes seemed to have a hard time staying on up my face.
"Nope. Move over so I can join you."
Gareth grinned at my demand, obediently opening the door. The steam from the shower was starting to fog up the bathroom already. I grabbed a face cloth before I stepped into the warm shower, scrubbing the remains of my make up off. No doubt I was going to break out for a week now after sleeping in my make up. But the sex had been worth it. As soon as I stopped scrubbing at my face, Gareth pulled me into a hug and dropped a brief kiss on my lips.
"What time do you have to leave today?" Gareth asked me, shifting so we were both under the warm spray of water. I closed my eyes, enjoying the stream of water on my back and being pushed up against Gareth's naked body.
"Not until tomorrow." I felt like I could go to sleep right here. The combination of the warm shower and Gareth's arms around me felt like the perfect combination for sleep. "I didn't know how much I was going to drink and I didn't want to drive home if I was really hungover. Why?"
"I thought we might catch a movie or something if you wanted to?" Gareth's voice wavered slightly as if was nervous. "Or you can kick me out when you're done with me. I hate being the girl right now, but I have no idea where we're going with this if I'm being honest."
I laughed quietly at his last statement. We hadn't really talked about the aftermath of what would happen after we had sex. This had the potential to get awkward if one of us wasn't on the same wavelength.
"We are enjoying each other's company when we can." I dropped a brief kiss on Gareth's lips. "With no pressure of anything further because we live 3 hours apart and both work crazy jobs."
"Sounds like a plan." The relief was clear in Gareth's face as he kissed me back. Inwardly I was relieved as well. I'd hate to have an amazing night ruined because we got our wires crossed. "So what do you suggest we do?"
"I think you should see how strong you are and fuck me up against the shower wall," I said with an innocent smile "Then we can order breakfast and eat it in the spa. Maybe after that we might be fit to be seen in public."
I had no idea where this sexy and confident part of me was coming from. But the look on Gareth's face as he processed my words was well worth any niggling doubts I was feeling. A second later, I found myself pushed up against the shower wall with my legs hiked up around Gareth's waist. With a pleased smirk, Gareth lent forward and kissed me.
Authors Note.
This one ran away on me. Sorry, but sorry! I didn't want to leave it on a cliffhanger.
I hope everyone enjoyed it. There's some fun chapters coming up so thanks for sticking through the last few where it felt like there wasn't a lot happening. As always, thank you so much for your reviews. I appreciate every single one of them. I'm still aiming for updates about twice a month at the moment so here's hoping I can keep it up.
Until next time.