Title: Protect My Heart

Author: Erik-in-CT

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer or Marvel Comics, and not myself.

Author's Note Part 1: So I've managed to avoid the mob with the flaming torches and pitchforks, though I had to hide out for a little while. This update will hopefully appease some of the angry crowd. Don't expect any plot advancement in this chapter. It's just pure smut for the sake of smut. Please note that the rating has just jumped up to "M" because of this chapter, so don't read it if you don't like it!

By the time Tony started up the stairs, his mind had already moved on past the annoyances of the business that Pepper had brought upon his morning. He'd be damned if he let any more interruptions take him away from Bella. "Hey Jarvis," he said as he made his way up towards the bedroom, "Lockdown the outside of the house. I don't want anyone coming in. And activate Directive Six."

"As you wish sir," Jarvis replied, and Tony could hear the whirring of the locks clicking on the exterior doors of the house. It probably wouldn't hold out the vampire boy if he cae back, but at least it was worth a try. And with directive six activated, Jarvis wouldn't bother them for anything short of a nuclear blast, and even then he might hesitate to disturb them.

When he entered the bedroom, he found Bella laying on the large bed, apparently having fallen back asleep. He took a moment just to admire the sight before him. With her chocolate hair fanned out on the pillow around her head, she looked very alluring, and if he wasn't mistaken, the flow of the satin sheets over her slender form betrayed no hint of the clothing she had been in when he left. A lascivious smirk set upon his lips as he moved towards the bed, pulling off his shirt as he approached. Gingerly, he sat on the edge of the mattress, reaching out a hand to brush a lock of hair from her forehead. She stirred under his touch, brown eyes peeking open to gaze up at him.

A smile graced her lips as she shifted to make more room for him next to her. "Hey," she said sleepily. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, just fine," he said as he moved to lay next to her, slipping underneath the sheets with her. His hand sought out her waist to pull her body against his, and he was delighted to find his observation correct. She was nude under the sheets, apparently on quite the same wavelength as him. She moved willingly to press herself against him, gasping softly as her chest came into contact with his, warm skin contrasting sharply with the cold metal of his RT. "But right now is just about us," he whispered, bending his head to brush his lips along her ear.

"Perfect," she said with a shiver as her hands came to rest against his sides, fingers stroking lightly against his skin. God, it had been a long time since he had touched and been touched like this. Since before Afghanistan. Tony felt Bella's warm breath ghosting against his shoulder in soft pants, and he shifted to brush his fingers over her chin, turning her face up to his.

"Is this alright?" Tony asked, looking into her eyes and seeing the nervousness behind the chocolate depths.

"Of course, yes," she said, "I mean, I've never...but I want to...with you," she continued, her words broken as a flush colored her cheeks. That would explain some of her nervousness, he figured. And suddenly he felt like the evil villian, corrupting an innoncent youth. The thought actually excited him in a way, and he bent his head to capture her lips with his, pouring the passion he felt for her into the kiss. He thrilled at the soft moans coming from her and his arms tightened around her, their bodies flush against each other.

Tony could feel Bella becoming more sure of herself, her touch growing firmer as she gained confidence. Her fingers slid lightly over his side and along his stomach, drawing a quiet moan from him. Watching him as though she was waiting for him to object (yeah right), her fingers fumbled with the button on the waistband of his pants. With an encouraging grin, he reached down and steadied her shaking hand, helping her get the button undone, and then lifting his waist as she slowly pushed the fabric off of his hips. Before she could move to push them further down, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back up for a kiss as he kicked the pants off with his feet, pushing the fabric down off the edge of the bed.

With his arms around her, Tony rolled until he was on his back, Bella resting on top of him. She gasped, eyes opened wide as she found herself straddling his waist, her hands pressed against his chest. Taking delight in her reactions, he watched her face as he moved his hands across her belly, sliding them slowly up to brush against her breasts. The soft gasp that fell from her lips went straight to his groin, and he shifted to press up against her. She surprised him by pressing back down against him, pulling a groan from him.

Suddenly the easy pace he had been taking seemed frustratingly slow. He was achingly hard, and wanted this woman in his arms with an urgency had hadn't known before. His hands grew more firm in their touches, sliding across her chest to cup his palm around her breasts, thumbs grazing lightly across their peaks. Her eyes fell shut as she moaned at his touch, head falling back as she leaned into his hands. Pulling himself up, Tony let his lips brush against where his fingers had just caressed, suckling softly at the delightfully puckered flesh. He felt Bella's fingers thread and curl through his hair as she pressed against him, his name falling from her lips in a heated murmur.

Using lips and tongue, he continued his attentions upon her breasts until she was whimpering and twisting against him. Then he pulled away, glancing up at her face. Her skin was flushed, tiny beads of sweat gathered at her temples, eyes closed, and her lips parted as heavy breaths passed them. It was one of the most beautiful sights he'd seen. Moving his hands to her waist, he lifted her off of him, turning them until the had reversed positions, and he leaned over her, supporting his weight with his arms on either side of her shoulders. She looked up at him with desire in her eyes, and a trust that he knew he would never, could never, break.

"I want you Tony, please," she whispered as she lifted her hands to run her fingers along his waist. Then with a daring she hadn't shown before, she moved her hand lower, fingers brushing against the hard length of him. A gasp made its way past his lips, and she smiled dazzlingly. Her fingers gingerly wrapped around him, unsure despite her daring, and stroked him gently. Feeling his breath growing heavy, Tony shifted his weight to one arm, reaching down to slide his fingers over hers, guiding her hand and encouraging her touch.

Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers as his fingers shifted to brush teasingly against the soft curls between her legs. The he pressed more firmly, rubbing his fingertips against her softness, causing her to whimper and shift against him. She was tantalizingly warm and soft, and he ached to take her and make her his. He took a few more moments to press and rub his fingers against her, then he pulled back, grasping her hand and pulling it away from him. For a moment she looked up at him with a worried look, as though she thought she might have done something wrong. But he just smiled down at her, lowering himself so that the hard length she had been stroking rested against the soft skin of her womanhood.

Her eyes fell shut, teeth catching her lower lip as she arched up against him in a wordless plea. And he was more than happy to give into her silent demand. Moving slowly, he pressed against her, his head falling to nuzzle against her neck and murmur soothingly to her as he moved. He felt her tense up against him as he began to press inside of her, and he stroked his hand gently along her side as he kissed her shoulder and neck. After a few moments he felt her begin to relax, and he continued his movements. Then he moaned in satisfaction as he felt himself encased fully inside of her sweet warmth. He stilled for a moment, letting her get accustomed to the feeling. Then she shifted against him, her lips forming words that her barely a whisper. "Tony...please," she breathed.

With slow, easy movements, he began to move against her, drawing from her embrace before pressing back in. Then all thought left his mind as his body took over in that instinctual dance, thrilling at the way she moved with him. Eventually her soft moans and whimpers increased in their intensity, and he could feel her body tensing up around him. "Yes, Bella," he growled into her ear as he sped up the thrust of his hips. Then he heard his name spill from her lips in a breathless yell, and the tightness that enveloped him was enough to push him over the edge. Stars danced beneath his eyelids as he rode out the high, breath gasping as his arm clenched around her, holding her tight against his body.

Gradually, he felt his body begin to relax, his breathing returning to normal. Slipping away from Bella, he shifted to lay beside her, smiling as she turned to rest against him, slipping under his arm to rest her head on his shoulder, her hand laying casually against his stomach.

"Wow, Tony..." she said quietly, "that was amazing.". She lifted her head to gaze up at him, a tiny smile creeping at the corners of her mouth.

"I'd have to agree," he said with a laugh, his hand coming up to brush against her cheek in a gentle caress. Her smile brightened, and she sighed happily as she returned her head to his shoulder, eyes falling shut as exhaustion began to creep up on her. "Get some rest," he said quietly, fingers trailing lightly over her back as he pulled the sheets up and tucked the fabric around them.

Author's Note Part 2:

Alright. There ya go. I told you not to expect any plot advancement. But Tony and Bella finally did the deed. lol For those who haven't read the novelization of "Iron Man", the "directive six" Tony mentions is "Never interrupt me when I'm with a beautiful woman".

It looks like the story will cap at about 20 chapters, unless some damn plot twist bunny sneaks up on me (it's been known to happen). So expect about 20 chapters. Which means, we're almost there! *gasp* What will happen?

As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are welcome!