After having the door closed in his nose, Tony stood there, millimeters away from it. He let out a low groan and thumped his head against it several times before turning around and walking back towards the bed. He scrambled with the sheets and placed his head on her pillow, sighing deeply. He didn't understand why she couldn't give him more credit. Because he was trying his hardest to be a decent boyfriend, but he was new at this stuff, so she ought to cut him some slack, but no…
He really shouldn't have pointed her eagerness out, because he was perfectly aware that he'd been as eager as her the night before, if not more so. But the sex had been amazing, he'd give her that. It held a new level of intimacy that Tony wasn't really ready to face yet, but he was willing to try. There goes all the moaning and wild sex, he thought. Better read some shit about tender kissing and appropriate words for this type of encounter.
But the whole thing was that it was hard. Tony had thoroughly examined each possibility of problems after entering a relationship with her. Jarvis did some statistics too, but he hadn't imagined it would be so difficult. Pepper was special, she was perfect. He wasn't. He was flawed and had a thick record with womanizing in the past. While that had been fun in the past, he'd long gone sick of feeling alone all the time.
Tony stood there with her pillow in his arms, sniffing out of it regularly for quite some time before coming up with a plan. The moment it hit him, he jumped out of the bed and into the shower, getting cleaned quickly, but not before mentally imagining her there with him, under the spray, taking care of him in a special way.
After he got out of the shower, hair dripping wet, he grabbed a towel and rubbed it against his head, effectively drying most of it. He found his shirt on the floor and picked it up, putting it on. He did as well with his jeans and sneakers before making his way to the giant mirror in the hallway, where he brushed his hair and winked at himself, admiring his sexy self.
He grabbed the room card and locked it, heading for the exit. He pulled out his phone and dialed one of his trusted employees from the Paris SI subdivision and asked him to get him an Audi R8 ready for that night, along with a few suits and other outfits delivered at his private apartment. When he reached the streets, he put on his sunglasses and called Happy, who was staying in the same hotel as Pepper and asked him to pick up his armor later and deliver it to his apartment, as well. If he detected jealousy in Happy's voice, Tony wouldn't comment on it.
After all, Pepper was his. Or was she? He didn't know anymore. He had to straighten things up with her and show her that he cares more about the feelings than the physical part, but how could he do that? Dammit.
Calling out for a taxi, he asked the driver to take him to the SI building, where the annual convention took place. When he got there, he entered the building and asked one of the receptionists where he could find Pepper. The woman replied in a heavy French accent that she'd left with Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors. Tony scrunched his nose and bit the inside of his cheek, wondering what the hell he was doing at the convention in the first place. Thanking the woman, he hurriedly got out his Stark phone and traced Pepper's phone signal.
His jealousy got the best of him, much to this dismay. Getting into the nearest taxi, he sped off to Pepper's location, heart hammering in his chest. If she's trying to make me jealous, I swear to God.
The small French bistro made Tony sick to his stomach. He stepped out of the car and watched his girlfriend and Musk sitting at a corner table, looking like they were discussing business. But that didn't convince Tony and his sudden throbbing vein at his temple. He tightened his fists and casually made his way over to their table, sunglasses still perched on top of his nose.
"Miss Potts. Elon!" He greeted with a huge grin, masking his jealousy pretty lamely.
Pepper turned sharply at the sound of his voice and cringed, swallowing hard. She let her eyes fall down to his tightened fists and blinked quickly, watching as Elon sat up and gave Tony a firm handshake. In that moment, Pepper wished she'd just make herself invisible and walk away without them noticing. When she felt Tony's warm hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly, she started trembling.
She tried to maintain her composure – she really did, but after everything that had happened the previous night, she felt exposed and vulnerable to him. When Elon's phone started ringing, her eyes snapped up towards Tony's face and she pulled away from his touch.
"Now you're checking up on me?!" Her once calm voice wheezed through her teeth.
"Baby please listen to me." Tony tried, one hand sliding into the hair at the back of his neck, tugging slightly. "I know this looks funky. I have no excuses other than the fact that I'm an asshole. Please, just… finish up here and let me take you back to my place. And we can sort this out, I swear."
Pepper's eyes were unreadable and cold and that sent shivers down Tony's spine.
"I'll think about it." She said flatly and turned her attention back to her meal, completely ignoring Tony, who was suffering inside. He swallowed miserably and left, feeling his chest constrict with every breath he took. Instead of sulking some more, Tony took another taxi and headed towards his apartment, mentally preparing for when and if Pepper was going to come and let him explain himself.
A/N: Lovemaking is what you're going to get. Soon. Review until then?