Well I am back for part two
For a moment Steve was left standing on his own in the middle of the room alone, attempting to catch his breath. Did he hear what he had thought he had heard. Was she simply teasing him or had it been a genuine offer. For a second he stood motionless, until his feet decided to move of their own accord. He piratically ran into the elevator, calling out for her floor he tapped his foot and folded his arms. His resolve diminishing with every floor that rushed passed. Would she think him crazy for showing up at her door? Would she be disappointed if he didn't? Before he could think on it too much he was there, the elevator opened and he was looking down the corridor at her closed door. Taking a deep breath, he decided the only way he would know for sure would be to ask her. Walking slowly now he remembered the way she had held him when they had hugged, he hadn't been imagining that, and the things Tony had said played on his mind. He wasn't the only one who had seen something between the two of them. His hand came up, closing into a fist he knocked on the door.
Natasha peeled off her jacket and stretched her stiff muscles, tossing the Jacket on the back of a chair she sat on the bed and pulled off her boots. Left only in jeans and a red tank top she felt almost normal. She had left Steve downstairs, probably confused, and she knew she should not have done that. She was torturing herself as much as him. It was her business to know people, to observe their behaviour, to manipulate, to find a weakness and exploit it. She had seen Steve's weakness, and she had used it. She had seen his need for her and she had played on it, and now she felt bad. Before her self loathing could take hold however a knock at her door had her heart racing. She knew exactly who it was, and for a second she considered not answering it. Knowing that he really deserved an explanation however she padded across the plush carpet and pulled open the door.
"What exactly did you mean?" Steve asked as soon as Natasha opened the door. She quickly grabbed the front of he shirt and pulled him into her room and closed the door.
"Walls have ears." she said quickly going to her own fridge and removing a bottle of water. Steve was glad it wasn't more Vodka, however much a drunk Natasha appealed to him, sober was probably better.
"Want something?" She asked and Steve couldn't miss the double entendre, but this time he managed to control his desire to look away.
"Just an answer." he replied referring back to his earlier question as Natasha popped the lid off her water and drank quickly before setting it down on the table. Her tongue coming out to wipe away any moisture that had escaped. Steve couldn't help but stare at her tongue caressing her lips, and he even had the courage to now look her in the eyes after his brief distraction. The blush that rose on his face however he could not control.
"Which answer would you like, and to what question?" Natasha said unable to stop stalling, she hadn't yet come up with a convincing lie for her earlier statement, and in truth she didn't want to.
"What you said to me downstairs, what did you mean by you could teach me a thing or two." Steve said having had enough of these games. He had been waiting three months for her to return, and he had no idea how long she would be here this time, it was now or possibly never.
"I meant it exactly the way it sounded. That is assuming you haven't been hiding a secret girlfriend in your room." Natasha said her voice holding something Steve couldn't quite pin point, until he saw her grasp her lower lips with her teeth. She was nervous, probably not as nervous as he was right now, but still it was there behind a thin veil of aloofness. This somehow made Steve feel better, he relaxed slightly and lent against the wall behind him.
"You seem to still have a problem with my kissing technique, what if I told you I had been practising?" he asked as he watched her eyebrow shoot up and a small lopsided gin appear on her face.
"I'd say prove it." The challenge was clearly evident in her voice. She stood legs slightly apart, arms folded and head tilted to the side. Steve moved forward he was now mere inches from her and yet they were not touching in any way. He could feel the tension thick in the room, her smell was invading his senses and his head span slightly at her proximity.
"Come on solider show me what you've got." Natasha said her voice deep and thick as she spoke, it sent a chill down Steve's spine.
"Yes Ma'am." he bent forward now, his hand reaching for the back of her head, cupping it gently, as he felt her hand on his shoulder, and another flat on his chest. Her lips tilted upwards to accept his descending mouth, and at the last second Steve closed his eyes. Her warm moist lips touched his, soft gentle, only moving slightly, as he almost ghosted his mouth over hers, the barest touch almost sending him weak at the knees. Pressing forward, knowing this was his chance, he placed his other hand around her waist and drew her in closer, pressing himself against her now he opened his mouth slightly and darted his tongue across her bottom lip. His mouth pressing firmly against hers, his tongue now seeking entrance into her mouth battling with her tongue for dominance. His need for her almost overwhelming her as he kissed her loosing all sense of time of anything that wasn't Natasha Romanoff.
Natasha was glad of the hand Steve had wrapped around her waist, for she was sure if it hadn't have been there, she would be a mere puddle on the floor. His kiss was searing into her soul, bit by bit until she was nothing but nerve endings. Never had a kiss left her so breathless, and so in need until this one. And it wasn't just his technique, but it was because of whom she was kissing.
As Steve broke the kiss and stepped back slightly he couldn't help the large smile that appeared on his face as he took in her glassy eyed expression, and her swollen lips.
"Better?" he asked already knowing the answer, but needing t hear her say it.
"Not bad, not bad at all, so what else have you been practising?" Natasha's lips curved up in an oh so sexy smile, and Steve felt his heart start to beat more fiercely inside his chest. For a moment he was silent, just enjoying the moment, looking into her large green eyes, dilated with desire, and lips still curved upwards. For a moment he could almost believe she truly loved him.
"Maybe that's where you come in." Steve said his hand rubbing small circles on her lower back, as Natasha lent forward to place her lips on his once more, there was something very real, and very wrong about kissing him this way. In that moment, whilst their lips were pressed together in a timeless rhythm she knew she could take this no further. It wasn't fair to him, or to herself. For Natasha knew she simply could not love him back. And she knew Steve did love her. It was in his face every time he looked at her. In his eyes as he pulled back from their furious kissing, and in the touch of his hands.
Steve noticed the change in her demeanour almost immediately, she wouldn't quite meet his gaze, and when she did, she held this almost indifferent expression. If he didn't know her better, he would say she was ashamed.
"Nat?" he said raising his finger to lift her chin so she would look at him.
"Well I guess this has been fun Rogers, but I think your lessons are over for tonight." Natasha replied, almost hating herself, but not enough to reconsider her statement. Steve pulled away from her immediately as though he had been burned, his hands dropped to his sides, and his eyes hardened against her fake smile.
"If that's what you want." He said feeling like his heart had just dropped into his boots. Right now he was finding it hard to just draw his next breath. He looked at her, that fake sexy smirk plasters all across her face. It sickened him to think she had been playing him all this time. Just like all the men before him, all the nameless targets, the one night stands, and the ones she had been sent to kill. He choked back his anger and thrust his hands in his pockets, refusing to look at her any more.
"Like I said its been fun, don't go thinking we aren't still friends." Natasha said frightened now that she had really hurt him. Reaching out for his arm, she was shocked almost enough to take a step back from him when he wrenched out of her grasp.
"Friends, I guess the meaning has change since my time." Steve said his voice dripping with anger, as Natasha folded her arms across her chest and a frown appeared on her face.
"No it hasn't, I am your friend Steve, just things maybe got a bit out of hand." Natasha said realising that this was probably more her doing than his. Steve was simply following his heart, unaccustomed to doing anything else, he had not learnt how to shield himself from certain disappointments.
"I thought never mind I was clearly mistaken." Steve said turning to leave, but he felt Natasha reach out to him again, touching him lightly on the shoulder. Once he had stopped his progression to the door, she removed her hand quickly.
"Look I am sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, I guess I am a little drunk, and well curious." Natasha said hoping an apology would smooth over the treacherous waters they were currently navigating.
"Maybe in future you should consider who you are playing with before you get to curious." Steve said, he felt like a total jerk for saying it, but right now he was just so god-damn angry that he needed to vent, and he needed to vent at her. He didn't wait for a response, he could stand no more lies from her, it was just killing him to see her fake smile, her fake emotions, and even though for a moment when she had said she was sorry, he truly felt she had meant it. The damage was already done, and now he new he would have to spend the next few weeks putting his heart back together. As he walked down the corridor he somewhat selfishly hoped she would go away again, maybe to find herself or whatever other excuse she could think of for simply running away.
At this moment Steve had never felt so unlike himself, he was angry and hurt, and he just wanted to hit something. He knew why of course, he had loved Natasha Romanoff almost from the first time he had met her. She was strong, independent, beautiful and made him laugh. Now he was almost running to his room, trying not to think of her fake smile, how her eyes looked at him like he wasn't even there. For a second he felt like running back to her and asking her why. Why had she done it? Why him? But he didn't, he knew why. Because she could.
Natasha had collapsed on her bed, curled up into a small ball she just lay there staring at the wall. She would cry, but she knew she didn't deserve the tears of self pity. She could have been with Steve right now, and everything would have been perfect, but no she had to get scared and run from him, from what she felt for him. Now he hated her, and she had no clue how to put things right without admitting what she felt for him, and why she had pushed him away. Punching the mattress underneath her she sat upright, in her haste she made her head spin but she ignored it. Grabbing a pair of sneakers and ripping off her jeans, she went to her beside draw and pulled out a pair of running shorts. Pulling them on and lacing her shoes, she quickly walked to the door and snatched it open. There was no way she was going to sit and brood in her room, she needed some physical activity, and if she couldn't have what she had originally intended to be having with Steve then she would get it all out of her system another way.
Marching down the corridor and piratically falling into the elevator she didn't realise that the car was occupied, but it was too late, the person inside had clocked her state of distress and had coughed to alert her to his presence.
TBC... So will Natasha stop running from her feelings, and will Steve ever forgive her for what she has done? Or is it too late, has the damage already been done.
Comments suggestions, all welcome, I will endeavour to update quickly thank you for reading. XxX