Life After Death

by Team Damon

Sequel to Breath of Life. He's overcome a lot to get to where he's at, but he still has a long way to go. She knows that it's not going to be easy, but she also knows that he's worth it. And neither of them have the slightest clue what in the world they're doing. Bucky/OC, post-TWS and non-Civil War compliant. Now complete!

40. Chapter 40

A/N: sticking this note here at the top again this week because, well, you guys all had SUCH AWESOME feedback for the wedding chapter that I have spent the whole week in a perpetual state of blushing :D which, writing this particular chapter didn't help with the whole blushing thing, but we'll get to THAT in a minute lol. Thank you guys SO MUCH, you are all the BEST, and words cannot express how much I appreciate each of you taking the time to read my giant chapters. It makes the time and effort required to write these monsters very much worth it :D oh, and before I forget, 127Fluffy Kittens - your comment on how I must have an awesome love life or have read Fifty Shades of Grey made me laugh so hard I almost choked lol, because I assure you, I don't have the first thing and haven't (and won't) read Fifty Shades :p I just have a really overactive... imagination. But thank you so much! :D

Now, on to the honeymoon lol. Here we have about 25,000 words of pure honeymoon things, and by things I do mean things. It's still my typical vaguely worded, non-graphic sort of things but THINGS nonetheless and WOW am I exhausted now after writing it lol. I hope you guys enjoy, and I am SO EXCITED for the next phase of the story. Weeeeee!

Also, as usual, my HUGE thanks to midnightwings96 for being indispensable as always. She is responsible for not only most of the ideas in this chapter but also for suggestion the honeymoon location and just SO MUCH and I would be lost and stuck back at chapter, like, 3 without her lol.

Thank you guys again, I love you all, and I hope you enjoy! :D chapters should go back to normal length next week :)

---

Day one

The morning following her utterly glorious wedding day, Summer awoke in an unfamiliar but warm and comfy bed. The sheets were tangled around her legs and pooled at her waist, leaving her top half uncovered, and she was laying on her side with her back to a man whose last name she now shared. After blinking a few times and letting all the memories of the day before come rushing back to her, she glanced down towards her chest and broke into a silly smile when she saw the arm wrapped around her waist and the hand gently holding her breast even as the person it was attached to slept soundly.

She giggled to herself, both at Bucky and at the sheer joy and perfection of everything. She was still tired and she was a bit sore, but she couldn't remember a morning that she had been happier to wake up to.

Slowly, trying not to disturb him, Summer shifted to lay on her back, and Bucky automatically moved with her but didn't wake even a little. She smiled and watched him sleep for a few moments, torn on what to do next.

On the one hand, she was pretty sure that the morning after one's wedding night was probably supposed to involve waking up in one another's arms and, in all likelihood, skipping breakfast in favor of something a bit more exciting. On the other hand, however, she was starving, still wearing candle wax from the night before, and not entirely willing to wake Bucky up when he was sleeping so well.

Ultimately, she decided to slip undetected out of the bed and get a bit of time to herself to do such mundane things as brush her teeth, take a shower, and then very seriously consider what to wear for the rest of the morning.

Chances were that Bucky would hear her clamoring around the little kitchen she was going to make breakfast in, so what did she want him to see her wearing during their first morning as a married couple?

The answer ended up coming quite quickly and easily. The lingerie set that she had worn under her gown the day before had come with a long, very sheer robe that she found in her suitcase and put on... over nothing. Grinning to herself, she began to head out of the bedroom, only to pause, creep back in, grab her high heels, and then hold back a mad cackle as she dashed for the kitchen.

Once she was safely within the confines of the little cottage's kitchen, she slipped the heels on and then went about scouring the fridge and cabinet for food. There wasn't a lot of it, but she found enough to get a decent breakfast going and distract herself from wondering when Bucky would wake up and come find her.

While she cooked, she also texted Natasha asking how David was holding up. She got a very to the point reply back that said he was still sleeping and to stop texting and get back to enjoying her honeymoon. Summer grinned at that and obeyed, setting her phone aside and finishing up breakfast.

Her heels clicking noisily against the hardwood floor, Summer took a plate to the table and set it down, then turned around to go back and retrieve a fork. In the process, she glanced towards the kitchen's doorway and then froze, a smile crossing her face when she saw that Bucky was awake and currently staring at her as he stood as still as she was.

Hair a mess and dressed only in very well fitted black boxer briefs, Bucky watched her square her shoulders and face him fully and smile, as to show herself off. She was suddenly very aware of how the robe's tie had come half undone in the process of moving about the kitchen, leaving it covering even less of her than it already was. Knowing that what was covered was still on display thanks to the sheer material, Summer relished the way that his eyes raked over her and then cheerfully chirped, "Good morning."

He was at a loss. His eyes dropped from her head to her toes - lingering especially long on her shoes, which was why she'd put them on to begin with - and then rose back up to meet her playful gaze, but he still couldn't seem to find actual words to say. Smirking, she turned and was back on her way towards the silverware drawer, making sure to sway her hips a little as she walked and feeling his eyes glue themselves to them.

Once she had her fork, she nonchalantly walked back to the table and then pulled out a chair and sat down, not saying another word but hearing his quiet footsteps as they slowly brought him out of the doorway and closer to her. She took a few bites of food and then smiled up at him once he was within reach and had stopped, staring down at her like she was the center of the universe. She swallowed and then said, "I also made coff..."

Bucky sliding down to his knees in front of her without warning made her words die in her throat, and the first thing he did was untie her robe and pull it apart, leaving it hanging on her arms and fully exposing her body to his eyes. Then his hands went to her legs, which had been crossed, and he pulled them apart before hooking behind her knees and pulling her closer to the side edge of her seat. She gasped quietly in surprise, then smiled when Bucky asked lowly without breaking eye contact, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Eating," she shrugged innocently, unable to wipe the grin off of her face. "I'm hungry."

His deeply serious expression lightened then, just for a moment as he grinned crookedly and replied, "Yeah, so am I."

Then he pulled one of her legs straight, supporting her calf with his metal hand while his other traced the delicate straps and fastenings of her shoe, all while his eyes took their time in enjoying the sight before him. His lips pressed a gentle but hot kiss to the inner part of her ankle, and somehow, just that one single touch made her entire body tingle. Then he looked up at her, made eye contact that made her bite her lip in anticipation, and then he was lazily kissing his way up the inside of her leg, each kiss longer and more open mouthed than the last.

After he had placed her leg over his shoulder and was dragging his lips up her inner thigh, he looked up at her again and flashed her a grin before saying, "You'd better hold on to something, sweetheart."

She had one hand on the table and one in his hair when he got started, and while it wasn't the breakfast she had imagined serving her husband on the first day of their honeymoon, it was certainly something neither of them would forget any time soon. He was relentless from the start, and her plan to teasingly walk around all but naked and in heels backfired in only the best of ways.

And she might have left a scratch or two on his back from the pointed heel of her shoe, but every time he felt it, it made him moan against her and only attack her with even greater determination. By the time she noisily and uncontrollably shakily reached her end, he was panting and flushed and she was halfway out of her seat. Food all but forgotten, she only came back around to reality when she felt strong arms wrap around her and set her back upright in the chair. Holding her to his chest and still kneeling but on one knee now, Bucky kissed her forehead and smiled against her hair as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks for breakfast," he teasingly whispered near her ear, his hand stroking through her hair, and she groaned and buried her face deeper into his neck, somehow still managing to be a little embarrassed after everything.

But, after a moment or two, he gently eased her head up so he could look at her, and as he smiled at her in an incredibly loving and warm but still heated way, she blushed and ran a hand up his bare chest. "You're, um... welcome?"

His eyes telling her how cute he found her, he leaned in and kissed her, and it was incredibly chaste compared to what his mouth had been doing a few moments earlier. She held him close and kissed him again, then became wholly confused when he pulled his hands away from her and said after they'd parted, "I'll go get the coffee."

Then he started to get up. But her hands yanked him back down by his shoulders, and she asked with her brows furrowed, "Are you kidding me?"

His expression was all innocence, which she found ironic. "What?"

She tilted her head, giving him a pointed look, and asked with a slightly humorous tone of offense, "What about my turn?"

He paused, jaw clenching but otherwise impressively poker faced as he replied, "You said you were hungry, so I figured..."

She sighed, as if explaining what she said next was a heavy burden, then snaked one hand behind his neck to play with his hair while the other trailed a slow line down from his collarbone through the middle of his chest and on. "See, here's the thing. I'm your wife now. I've got this pretty ring and your last name and the whole rest of my life to spend with you, and a big part of that is taking care of you."

Her fingertips tickled slowly down over his stomach, he licked his lips and let them curve slightly upwards. "Yeah?"

She nodded in confirmation, fingers reaching the waistband of the only fabric on his body. "Yup." Then her hand moved lower, over something that he had apparently been ready to somehow ignore, and she watched with great satisfaction as he instantly tensed and hitched his breath. "So why don't you get off your knees and let me do my job?"

He responded by letting out a huff of a breath and kissing her, much more deeply than he had before, but he still didn't do as she said for awhile. He seemed content with the teasing touches of her hand and her mouth joined to his, but she had better plans for it and eventually broke away to say in slight exasperation, "Stand up."

He gave in that time, getting to his feet and letting her instantly tug him forward by his hips. He watched her all the while, flushed again and unable to keep his hands off of her, so he busied himself with brushing all of her long dark hair out of her face as she did away with the last barrier between them.

Feeling more daring today than she normally ever did, thanks in large part to her dance the night before and the incredible experience that it had been, she glanced up at him first and grinned. "Might want to hold on to something." She paused, and before she could think better off it, added, "Sweetheart."

He laughed. And it was the first time she ever heard a laugh from him turn into a moan.

What better way to officially start a honeymoon?

---

Eventually, once they both managed to actually consume food and, begrudgingly, get clothes on, it was then nearly time to head to the airport to catch their flight out. Summer did her best to clean up the cottage and leave it in acceptable condition while also making sure they had everything they needed for the trip. Having prepared well in advance, it wasn't too difficult of a task, and before she knew it, they were on their way.

She had never flown anywhere with Bucky before, and it didn't occur to her until right as they were walking into the airport that she was about to go through TSA security with one of the world's most wanted, prolific, and terrifying fugitives. Then there was the whole issue of getting through the scanners with an arm made entirely of metal, and she was on the brink of a panic attack after they'd gotten their boarding passes and were walking straight towards security.

But Bucky was entirely calm, in his usual incognito casual attire and ever-brilliant hat, and Summer at his side looked up at him a bit wide-eyed just before they reached the line for security.

He noticed this and gave her a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

"Security," she whispered harshly. "This is stupid! We should have talked Tony into letting us use his jet or something, because -"

"Relax," he whispered back. "They won't see anything. Tony fixed that when he fixed my arm last year."

"He did? But -"

"Yes, now stop before you attract attention," he said, and she promptly shut up.

And, to her eternal relief, they really did get through security perfectly fine. Thank God for billionaire geniuses named Tony Stark.

After that, getting on the plane and getting in the air was a breeze. It was the first time she had flown since Steve had paid for her to fly to New York to visit Bucky, back before they had even had their first date. Realizing this placed her mind in a happy, nostalgic sort of place, and once the plane reached cruising altitude, she turned away from the window to her right and smiled at the man sitting next to her and holding her hand on top of the arm rest between them.

She liked the fact that his ring was on his right hand. It meant that when they held hands, she could see and feel both of their rings, and it was the sort of thing that made her feel even more warm and fuzzy inside.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much," he remarked, brushing his thumb over her hand and leaning his head back against his seat. They were alone in their row, and the plane in general was fairly empty.

"Well, I am a newlywed on my honeymoon," she pointed out. "And I haven't seen a frown on your face lately, either."

He grinned at that. "Nope."

She smiled back, then sighed. "So. A whole week to ourselves. What are we going to do the whole time?"

His grin widened and shifted into something a little more... suggestive. "I'm sure we'll find ways to stay busy."

"Maybe," she teased. Then she glanced out the window again, and something suddenly occurred to her. She mulled the thought over for a minute or two before deciding to just come out with it, because if there was any time to ask the question on her mind, it was definitely this week.

She turned back to him and asked quietly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Do you really have to ask that?" he replied with a small smile.

She smiled back, all of a sudden blushing slightly. "I... well. Okay. So, I was just wondering something."

He nodded, waiting. She dropped her voice lower. "I was wondering what, um... what... okay." She paused, rolled her eyes, then reminded herself that she had stripped and given this man a fricking lap dance the night before. If she could do that, then she could spit out this question.

"I was wondering if there's anything you want to do but haven't told me before. Like a... fantasy, I guess."

"Oh." He looked surprised for a moment, but then he grinned and asked, "You mean besides last night?"

"Yes, besides that," she smiled, eternally proud of herself for pulling that off a little too well.

Bucky's expression turned contemplative, and he thought for a few moments before shrugging and finally saying, "I mean, I don't spend a lot of time fantasizing. I don't normally have to."

"Well, I know," she replied. "But what I mean is like... okay. So when you're alone and you have to..." She gestured vaguely and added with raised eyebrows, "to yourself. What do you think about?"

Looking a little surprised by her question, he laughed and looked away, and she thought for one mildly terrible moment that she had overstepped or... something. But then she remembered that she was married to this guy now and the question was totally within reasonable bounds.

"What?" she smiled. "I just want to know because... you know. For reasons."

He turned back to her and smirked. "Reasons, huh."

She nodded. "Yes."

His gaze narrowed a little, and he tried to turn the tables on her. "What about you? What do you think about?"

"Oh no, you're not flipping it around on me, nope," she quickly shook her head, smiling. "I asked you first."

"Fine," he conceded. He spent another long moment in thought, and when he spoke, what he said surprised her. "I don't really... want to tell you. Not because I'm embarrassed or anything but I just... I don't think you'll like it."

She furrowed her brows and wondered how in the world that could even be possible. Unless he secretly had one of those weird fetishes that she wouldn't speak of, but that seemed highly unlikely. "Why not?"

He paused again, his eyes dropping to stare at their joined hands. "Because you've been through things and I don't ever want to bring any of that back for you."

Now she simply had to know the details, whatever they were. "Just tell me."

He swallowed, chewed his lip for a second, then closed his eyes briefly before letting it out. "It's about control. Controlling you. Tying you up and..."

He trailed off, and she pointed out in confusion, "I told you last night that I wanted you to tie me up."

"But it's more than that," he insisted. "It's not just tying to your wrists to the bed and doing everything else the same."

"What is it?"

At this point, they were whispering to keep the conversation private. Bucky looked at her and said, "Controlling everything you feel and do. Making it last. Getting you there and stopping. Over and over. Just..."

"... Dominating me?" she guessed, squeaking a little. He was naturally dominating, but he'd never gone quite that far. Not only had he never restrained her, but he'd never kept her on the edge like that. It was usually more his style to push her over it repeatedly until she was half dead and in need of an ambulance.

"I guess so," he shrugged. "But I wouldn't ask that of you. And I know you said you wanted the tying up thing, but are you sure?"

"Yeah," she answered without hesitation.

"You have to be sure," he said, eyes and demeanor incredibly serious. "Because if anything I do to you ever reminds you of what he did..."

She shook her head quickly, squeezing his hand to emphasize her next words. "I trust you, Bucky. And I would tell you the minute anything starts to freak me out, but I know it won't. And if you want to... control me and do all of that stuff... then do it."

He looked at her cautiously, almost like he thought what she was saying was too good to be true. "Summer, I..."

"Seriously," she nodded. "I want you to. It sounds... yeah. I'm all for it. I'll die, but I'm okay with that."

"If I hurt you or went too far..."

"You won't," she assured him, urging him to believe her. "Besides... I kinda don't think you could take it very far, anyway."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh?"

She nodded, grinning at the sudden challenge in his eyes. "There's a term for what you're talking about, you know. It's a thing. But you don't like denying me anything. Especially not that."

"I like it in my head," he replied simply. He grinned when she faltered at that a bit, no doubt because she was imagining him imagining it.

"... Exactly what do you think of?" she asked, dying for a specific or two. If this was going to happen - and God, she hoped it did - she wanted to know what to expect, beyond the general idea.

Perhaps because he believed her when she told him that she really could handle this, he spoke his next words in a more comfortable and intentionally low, heated way, surely looking to get a rise out of her. "A lot of begging. Just... watching you whine and beg me to let you come. And not giving in until I've done everything I can to get you there and then stopping. A lot. Then when I let you, you just... scream because it's that good."

Her face aflame, she hung on every word he said and then had to look away when he was done, because she needed to giggle nervously and not scream the way that she wanted to. What he was proposing was terrifying in an intriguing and amazing way, and once she regained enough of her wits to speak, she didn't hesitate to give the idea her most enthusiastic stamp of approval.

"Okay. Yeah. Yes. Now I need it."

He looked surprised again. She still couldn't understand why. "Really?"

She nodded nearly hard enough to jostle her brain. "God yes. And tonight, please. Because now I'm not gonna be able to stop thinking about it. Good God."

As she used her hand to fan herself, Bucky smiled and unconsciously bit his lip, finally letting it show a bit how relieved and excited he was for his little idea to have gone over so well. She glanced at him and smiled, still fanning herself, only to immediately stop and clam back up when he asked her a certain question again.

"What about you? Ready to tell me now?"

She shook her head vehemently and leaned back in her seat, body language signaling her unwillingness to say a word. "Nope. Besides, I haven't had time for that in like... months. Maybe years. Well, since you."

"But I didn't help you with that at first," he pointed out, getting a little closer to her and using his disguised metal arm to brush a piece of hair behind her ear. "We waited a pretty long time. What did you think about then?"

"Let's just say you and leave it at that," she smiled with false sincerity. "Now let's change the subject."

He nodded. "Fine."

Of course, however, only a few moments later, Bucky's expression became curious again and he asked, "Did you have one of those vibrator things they sell in the aisle next to all the condoms?"

Her eyes widened and she looked at him as if she was suddenly scandalized. "What? No! I mean, maybe, but... no!"

He grinned. "You didn't always have my arm, so..."

She dragged her free hand down her face before muttering, "You know what, you're right, and yes, I was alone and had no sex of any kind for over five years, so even if I did, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," he said with slightly wider eyes, though his amusement was still obvious. "Nothing at all." He paused, and when she thought she was safe again, he proved her wrong by adding quietly, "I just remember finding this weird little... thing in the drawer by your bed, back when I first lived with you, and I didn't figure out what it was for months."

She groaned and hid her face by smothering it on his shoulder. "That's why you don't go through deprived people's bedside drawers, you jerk."

He kissed her hair, and she could hear the smile on his face in his tone. "Sorry. But for what it's worth... I think it's hot."

Of course he did. She drew away, pouting a little and still blushing like mad as she closed her eyes and announced, "I am taking a nap before I die of embarrassment or smack you for looking through my stuff."

She heard him chuckle, but he left her alone as she kept her eyes closed resolutely and pretended to need a nap in the first place. All was quiet for about two minutes, and then he just had to go and speak again.

"I honestly thought it was a weapon of some kind."

She burst out laughing, and she kept laughing until the urge to cringe and jump off the plane went away.

They would arrive at their destination in just two more hours. Summer hoped that her fiery blushes didn't actually erupt into literal flames before they got there, because she was starting to think that it was a real possibility.

---

After their flight touched down at a relatively small airport in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Summer left Bucky with their luggage to get their car rental taken care of. Natasha had reserved the car for them, having indeed set up essentially all of the honeymoon thanks to how seriously she took her position as maid of honor, and Summer was somehow not surprised at all when she ended up picking up a sleek black convertible sportscar. She'd never driven anything like it before, and when she pulled up in front of where Bucky stood waiting for her, she couldn't tell if he lusted more for the car or for the woman driving it.

But not really. She could totally tell. And when she traded places with him to let him drive, handing him the keys, the way that he looked at her all but screamed I want to do unspeakable things to you both on and in this car. She hoped he would.

Afterwards, they had a few hours-long drive to their destination, but with the way that he drove, they got there in considerably less time. He didn't drive quite as insanely as he had when he had zoomed past her and Natasha on the way to Clint's farm the previous morning, but he did drive a lot faster than he ever would with a kid in the backseat. But he had such a good handle on the car that she never once felt like she was in danger or was destined to end up in a ditch.

All along the way, Summer was a veritable chatterbox and even childlike as she took in the drive with her face nearly pressed to the window. When Bucky would glance over and grin at her antics, she would merely explain that she hadn't actually been to that many places in her life. She'd never been outside of the country, and she hadn't visited all that many states either, so she was more than ready to soak up the new scenery.

And once they got to Tony's impressive vacation home that sat tucked away and shrouded in privacy on Lake Blue Ridge, she found that the scenery was even better than the pictures had showed.

Surrounded by tall, lush green trees and the clear, clean, turquoise water of the lake in its backyard, the house was at the end of a long, winding driveway that was also hidden for security purposes. As instantly in love with the picturesque area as she was, the house didn't disappoint either. It was large, incredibly well maintained and manicured on the outside, and it looked like a real home and not anything like the tower that Summer was used to living in.

When they parked at the end of the driveway and then got out after sharing an excited smile with one another, Summer found herself breathing a big lungful of incredibly clean and fresh air, and she decided right then and there that now that the wedding was over and taken care of, getting their own real house would have to be next on the agenda because this was awesome.

"Here," Bucky said, tossing her the keys to the house. "Go on in. I'll get our stuff."

She smiled, jumped forward to give him a single little kiss, and then she dashed off to explore the place they'd be spending the next week in.

As private as the house was, it was full of huge glass walls and windows throughout the two floors. That was the first thing she noticed. The second was how warm and immediately comfortable she was in the space.

There was a fireplace in the living room, along with all the latest and best electronics making up an entertainment center there. The kitchen was sleek, spotless and even fully stocked with seriously expensive, fresh food, and Summer had to wonder whose job it had been to come and stock this place for two mysterious week-long occupants. Then she caught a glimpse of the staircase leading to the second floor, lost her train of thought, and ran up the stairs with a big, silly grin.

The master bedroom was even better than Tony had told her it was. Decorated mostly with calming shades of blue and white, with some hints of green throughout, the colors reminded her of the lake outside. The bed was huge, four poster and dressed with only the best and most expensive sheets and bedding. The next thing she peeked at was the bathroom attached to the room.

The bathroom was also rather large, and she grinned when she discovered a big circular-shaped bathtub and a separate, roomy shower. Knowing they'd definitely make good use of those, she headed back out to the bedroom and then noticed something even better - a balcony.

A good, real balcony was always something she had wanted but had never had, and the kid in her came out some more as she pushed aside long white curtains and opened the two big glass doors to the balcony. She walked to the edge of it, placing her hands on the rails and smiling as she inhaled deeply and took in the gorgeous view from where she stood.

She heard birds chirping amongst the trees and watched the water rustle below, and her smile grew even bigger when she leaned over a bit and spotted a jacuzzi on the deck and a little boat docked not far away. She instantly had plans for both.

She had leaned over just a little bit more, just to try to get a better glimpse of everything, when she heard the sudden distinctly mechanical sounds of Bucky's arm shooting out from behind her and wrapping around her waist, swiftly yanking her back and against his chest. His tone was concerned and startled as he asked, "What the hell are you doing? You could have fallen, or..."

She smiled and shook her head, turning her head to look up at him as she clutched at the arm still holding her securely. "I was just looking. I was fine. Look at all of this! Isn't it gorgeous?"

He looked at her in slight exasperation but looked up anyway, nodding as he took in the view himself. The breeze was softly rustling his hair, and she could have stared at him like that for a long time.

"It is," he agreed, looking back down at her and bringing his other arm around her, cradling her now rather than keeping her from plunging down into the water.

She beamed at him, then giggled a little when he softly kissed her neck. "Did you bring everything in?"

He nodded, raising his head and placing a kiss on her jaw. "Yep."

"Good," she sighed before turning in his arms and pulling him down for a sound kiss. Now that they were officially here, at their honeymoon destination and standing on this balcony right in the middle of true scenic beauty, a sudden rush of happiness had bubbled to the surface and left her unable to do anything but pull him closer and revel knowing that he was all hers for the whole week.

No work, no Avengers calls, nobody bothering them or interrupting them or demanding even a moment of their time. Nothing but them and whatever the hell else they wanted to do for the rest of the week.

What she wanted to do at the moment was clear by the way that she kissed him deeply and refused to let him go, pushing the jacket off of his arms and letting it hit the balcony floor. If he was surprised he didn't show it, instead immediately kissing her back just as long and passionately and letting his hands wander wherever they pleased.

When they broke for air, Summer opened her eyes and smiled as Bucky grinned and gave her that look. She stifled a giggle and said, "Wanna go find out how comfy the bed is?"

"Already?" he teased, though his right hand was already under her shirt and sliding gently along the small of her back. "Sure you wouldn't rather get some food or..."

She shook her head, answering him by pulling up his t-shirt and yanking impatiently until he tore his arms away from her to allow her to take it off of him. She dropped it on top of his jacket and then immediately paused and felt herself frown upon finding his arm still holographically disguised to match his right. He looked confused at her reaction until he glanced down, paused, and said, "Oh."

Then he shifted the arm and disabled the hologram, and Summer looked up and met his gaze as she smiled and pulled him close again. "Sorry. I love you no matter what you look like, but I like you best when you're you."

He replied by softly kissing her, then turning her and walking them through the door, away from the balcony and towards the bed that would likely never be the same once they were done with it. He ripped her clothes off of her body along the way, and when they fell into a heap on top of the bed, they both laughed quietly and broke the kiss before climbing fully into the bed and falling into the rhythm they knew all too well and loved. They left the balcony doors open, and the breeze kept the room cool while doing nothing to keep the eventual moans and other sounds from drifting out into the atmosphere.

But they weren't worried. After all, there were no neighbors to disturb. Unless one counted the birds outside, who got quite the earful as the afternoon dragged on.

---

The day passed by in pure bliss. They didn't bother to unpack yet, instead leaving their new bed eventually to roam around the house, get some food made, and then take a walk outside along the length of the property. They didn't think to throw much of any clothes on until they reached the last task, and once they got back inside, the clothes came back off before they even made it upstairs.

Bucky could hardly believe that any of it was real. Since the moment they had officially been married, he had felt like he was going to wake up at any moment and find that it had all been a laughably implausible dream. But it hadn't happened yet, and keeping Summer near and touching her constantly kept at bay the sudden irrational fears that everything was going to disappear. Thankfully, she didn't seem to be complaining.

After the sun had gone down and they had finished the dinner that Summer had thrown together using the surprisingly high quality ingredients stocked for them, it was her idea to try out the bathtub. He didn't object in the least, and that was where they found themselves when his mind drifted to what was to come later that night.

She was sitting between his legs, head leaned back on his chest and eyes closed as he ran a soft, soapy cloth over her chest, just under her collarbone. She purred as he slowly moved it lower, and the sleepy quality of her voice made him grin, kiss the top of her head, and ask, "Getting sleepy on me?"

"Maybe," she smiled, not opening her eyes. "I woke up pretty early... travelled pretty far... maybe I need a nap."

He nodded, his tone light as he replied, "Go ahead. I thought after we're done here, we could see about getting started on what we talked about on the plane, but if you'd rather sleep..."

Her eyes popped open and she turned her head and twisted it to look up at him with suddenly very wide awake eyes. "You mean..."

He nodded, and that was all she needed to grin excitedly and then splash him a bit with how quickly she tried to sit up straight and bolt out of the tub. But he was faster than she was and always would be, and he held her back before she could get very far. Holding her against him again, he kissed under her ear and murmured, "Not yet."

"Why not?" she whined, though she immediately sank against him.

"Because," he said, kissing a slow line down her neck, "if you want to do this, it means letting me call the shots. And right now, I'm not finished with you in here yet."

She whined again a little bit, but she gave in and let his wandering lips and hands do their work. He wanted her already needy by the time he took her to bed, and since they'd already done this a few times that day, he wanted to take his time and make sure that she was properly and thoroughly ready for another go.

Not that it took much to get her there, but that was beside the point. Just because he could have her ready and willing to beg in mere minutes didn't mean he wanted to, at least not this night.

He did nothing but touch and tease her in the tub, purposefully keeping his hands from her most sensitive places and only kissing her lightly along her neck, shoulders, and ear. It took some time, but once he was satisfied with how frustrated she was, he told her to go ahead and leave the tub and dry herself off.

He was right behind her, watching her wrap a fluffy white towel along her dripping form as he absently threw one on himself, and before she could turn to ask him what next, he reached to her hair and pulled it out of the haphazard bun she'd put it in before the bath.

He'd never get sick of watching her hair tumble down her back, long and soft and begging to be touched. In some ways, her hair had been one of the first things he had ever loved about her, though he hadn't known it at the time. He never would have guessed then that they would have come this far, that she would be his wife and that he'd be happy. He especially never would have thought that she would be willing to entirely give up control to him, and yet here they were.

He reached forward and pulled all of her hair back behind her shoulders, tickling his left hand and soft on his right. Then he leaned in closer, closing his eyes as he inhaled the scent of her hair and reminded himself to stay steady. This was his chance to bring his long-neglected thoughts to life, and he needed to do it right.

But it was hard to keep focused when she leaned back against him, tilting her head back and bringing her hand to the back of his head, trying to coax his lips to hers. He let her pull him down at first, but just before their lips would have touched, Bucky stopped and breathed in more roughly than he meant to.

"Go to bed," he told her, voice low and heavy with anticipation. "Lie down. Wait for me."

An incoherent but quiet sound was his answer, and then he let her slip away to follow his orders. He glanced in the mirror after watching her walk away, wondered still what the hell she saw in him, then turned and headed back to the bedroom himself.

She was climbing into bed, still wearing the towel, when he walked into the room. She blushed when she turned and their eyes met, and he watched her scoot towards the middle of the bed as he headed towards their suitcase on the floor. He only looked away to lean down and unzip the bag, then rummage through it to find what he was looking for.

He found it near the middle of his pile of clothes. A silk black tie with dark red stripes, one of two that Summer had packed for him, and while then he had thought it silly to pack such a thing, now he was glad that she had.

Tie in hand, he straightened up and headed towards the bed. She watched him all the way, eyes big and as excited as they were nervous. Then they got bigger when he nonchalantly dropped his own towel and followed her into bed.

He knew how she liked it when he crawled to her, so that was what he did, and the effect was instant. She bit her lip and scooted back against the pillows behind her as if to get away even though they both knew she'd sooner die than leave the bed. He stopped short of her, just before he would reached her, and then after running his eyes slowly from her feet to her eyes, he remarked, "You know, the first time we slept together, it also started with you in only a towel."

She smiled at the unexpected memory, and it seemed to briefly disarm her. "And our first I love you's."

He smiled back just as warmly, remembering that night and how incredible it had been to hear those words and have her for the first time. A lot of time had passed since then, as well as a whole lot more firsts, and a low thrill flew through his belly as he realized that this was definitely going to be a first of its own.

He couldn't wait any longer. But he had to ask her a few things first, before he did anything with the tie in his hand.

His left hand took one of her ankles and extended her leg, and then he was crawling over her while making very sure that he didn't actually touch her at all. She stared up at him and his face was the picture of seriousness as he asked her, "You're still sure about this?"

"Oh my God, yes," she replied breathlessly.

"Okay. But promise me you'll tell me the minute any of this starts to bother you, or if you don't like anything. Promise me, Summer."

She nodded quickly. "I promise."

"I mean it. Don't hesitate to say something. I only want this if you do."

She nodded again, vaguely resembling a bobblehead at this point. "I want it, Bucky, please stop making me wait."

At this, he let his concerned and cautious expression slip into something a lot more teasing. "I haven't even gotten started making you wait, Summer."

He loved the fretting way that she frowned and whined quietly. He knew that she thought that he couldn't do it. But she was wrong.

Grinning in dark anticipation, he nodded towards the bedpost behind her and said, "Put your arms up."

She didn't hesitate to obey. Once her hands were near the wood they'd soon be tied to, he leaned forward and placed the tie between his teeth as his hands went to her wrists. After positioning them how he wanted them, he held them in his right hand while his left pulled the tie out of his mouth. He glanced down and, seeing how Summer was watching him and already breathing heavily, he teasingly ran the silky fabric against her cheek before placing it where he needed it, looping it around the wood a few times.

He then quietly and methodically began tying her wrists to the bed. He'd never done this to anyone before - or at least he was pretty sure that he hadn't - but he made sure to make it tight enough to keep her restrained but loose enough to not hurt her.

And once he only needed to tug on the fabric one more time to fully restrain her, he did it with his teeth instead of his hand. He thought it would be a nice touch, and the way that Summer's mouth dropped open as she watched him seemed to suggest that she agreed.

Once he was finished and satisfied with his work, he sat back and let his eyes soak in the sight before him. Summer, laid out before him in only a towel, already blushing and breathing shortly though he hadn't even begun yet, bound to the bed and completely at his mercy.

He met her eyes and grinned in a way that even he could tell was utterly dirty. He was going to make this a night they'd both never forget.

---

Summer would be eternally proud of the way that she didn't freak out or start flashing back to her night of hell all those years ago the minute she found that she couldn't move her arms. None of it came rushing back, not a single speck of it, and instead she found that she actually quite loved this. Of course, it was early in the night, but just because of the way that he looked at her... she was all about this.

For a long moment, Bucky sat there, staring at her as if trying to decide what to do first. Her heart already pounding in her chest, she tugged experimentally at her restraints and found that she was well and truly stuck, and she was okay with that so long as he just stopped staring at her and touched her some time this year.

The first thing he did after presumably deciding on a plan of attack was reach his right hand down to her towel and gently pull it off of her. Once it was on the floor, near his own towel, he took another long moment to stare at her and take her in, from top to bottom. Once his eyes reached her closed legs, he tapped one thigh with a single finger and said, "Open."

She obeyed, and her blush intensified when his eyes went there and surely saw how embarrassingly ready she already was for him. It only made him grin even more, then lift up his eyes and say in a sinful tone, "You're even more fucking perfect like this than I imagined."

He knew what his cursing did to her. He knew it, he relished it, and she knew it. He didn't curse much in the daytime, though, and she thought it was intentional. Like he didn't want it to ever lose its impact or her get fully used to it, so he reserved the bulk of his vulgarity for moments like these.

All she could do was keep breathing and wait for him to do something. When he finally did, it was lowering himself down to hover over her more closely, then trace her lips with his right thumb.

"I've imagined you like this a lot," he admitted. "Never thought I'd get to see the real thing."

She smiled at that, then kissed his thumb just before it left her lips. He leaned down and she closed her eyes, thinking he was going to kiss her, but his lips landed instead high on her neck. She opened her eyes and sighed, knowing better than to start whining now. This was only the beginning of what she'd gotten herself into.

He painstakingly slowly kissed his way down her neck, to her chest and everywhere but the places that would make her tingle with pleasure. More than once, her hands tried to go to his hair like they were used to doing in situations like these, but they were useless to her now. She couldn't guide him or take anything from him. She simply had to wait and try to keep her voice under control as he took the term "taking one's time" to new levels.

He kissed all the way down to her feet, running his lips up to the top of each one before kissing back up to her legs. His hands followed his kisses, both hot and cold and more than enough on their own to make her need much, much more.

Once his kisses were dragging slowly up her inner thighs, she fully expected to just keep on his merry way and ignore what laid between them. But he didn't exactly meet her expectations. Instead, once he got there, he looked up at her and maintained full and searing eye contact as he opened his mouth and stole just one little taste of her. She jerked and let out an embarrassing gasp, and he grinned at her and then kept on his merry way back up.

She groaned and dropped her head back on the pillow. She heard him playfully remind her "Patience" just before he bit at her side hard enough to surely leave a mark. She yelped in surprise, then shivered when his tongue soothed over the skin.

It felt like an entire year had passed before he rose back up, lips close to hers but still not touching. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, trying to lift her head and kiss him, but he stayed just shy of where she could reach, running his fingers through her hair while she asked, "Can't you at least kiss me?"

"I can," he replied playfully, their lips still so close but not close enough. "But I like this too much."

She let out a huff through her lips, letting her head fall back against the pillow again. "This is torture."

Then he chuckled darkly and kissed her cheek. "Oh no, this isn't torture yet. Not even close."

She was about to ask what the hell could be worse when he started sucking at a few different points in her neck, intent to mark her clear, and then his hands were wandering lower. His right hand finally went to her breast, teasing it before his mouth followed and began a different form of torture. All she could do was gasp and squirm, looking for friction and finding none, though she tried.

By the time he lifted his head and gave her a break, she was already trembling, and he could see this as he looked her over. His hand sliding slowly across her stomach, his eyes lingered below it before he grinned a little to himself and murmured against her ear, "You've already ruined these sheets, malyshka."

Her eyes, which she hadn't remembered closing, flew open and she was ready to voice how unfair it was to throw Russian pet names at her at this particular time, but then she closed her eyes and moaned with relief because his hand was finally showing her the attention she needed. Once again, she tried to reach for him to pull him down for a kiss, but she was still very tied up and he was still entirely in control. She didn't complain, though, because he was still kissing everything but her lips and there was nothing teasing about what his fingers were doing to her. And she was so wound up that it wasn't going to take her long at all.

"You're shaking," he noted, pulling away just enough to look down at her. She moaned wordlessly in reply, and he watched what his hand was doing to her for a moment or two before leaning down and kissing the corner of her mouth. "So close, so soon..."

And then he stopped. She almost squealed in indignation, and then she remembered that his denial was what tonight was all about.

She whined and turned her face towards her arm, trying to hide it for some irrational reason, but cool metal fingers grasped her chin and pulled her face back to where he could see it.

"No hiding," he said firmly. She nodded, though she wanted to scream in frustration and maybe cry a little bit, because she knew that he had barely even gotten started and she was already ready to die.

He shifted, holding himself up on his right arm rather than his left, so that his metal hand could pick up where his other left off. She braced herself, wondering how she was going to endure this and not just explode. As that hand made its way to her, she closed her eyes and listened to Bucky tell her how beautiful and perfect she was, not entirely in English. That alone gave away how affected he was, because he didn't lapse into Russian just for the heck of it. He only ever did that because he couldn't help it, and if he couldn't help it, that was quite the good sign.

He languidly teased her with his metal fingers and rained kisses across her chest before he bothered to turn on the vibration. The second that he did, she let out a sound that she was shocked she was even capable of, and her entire body arched towards him as he watched her in awe.

It was perfect. She felt helpless in the best of ways, and being at his mercy like that made everything somehow feel even stronger. It was so good, in fact, that he had to rip his hand away when she got too close way too fast.

That time, she merely sighed and dropped back against the pillow. She was going to cry if he kept this up as long as he had suggested he would. But surely he would lose the will to string her along eventually...

He bit at her earlobe, and her resulting shiver brought her back to reality. She opened her eyes when he looked down upon her again, his gaze meeting hers and his eyes utterly ravenous as they took her in.

He leaned down, and she thought he was finally going to kiss her. He didn't. Instead, he kept his lips a breath away and began tracing her lips with his flesh fingertips again.

"I love your mouth," he said, greedily taking in her lips and gently pressing down on her bottom one with his thumb. "You don't know what you do to me."

Judging by what was pressing against her hip, she did have an idea of what she did to him, but she kept her mouth shut. Or, more accurately, she opened it when his fingers bade her to do so, and then she was sucking on two of them like they were a different part of him.

He moaned. She kept her eyes locked with his all the while, and she thought that maybe he would crack now and give in. After all, he surely needed some relief of his own, and he could only hold out for so long.

Instead, he watched in heated wonder as she let herself become all but wanton, humming and flicking his fingertips with her tongue, hoping to break his resolve in the process.

But all he did was start talking again.

"You're so good at that," he marveled quietly, eyes glued to her mouth. "I bet you'd love it if I let you do it right now, like this. Wouldn't you?" His eyes flickered up to hers. "I've never let myself fuck your face before. But you'd love that, wouldn't you?"

Her brain derailing, her jaw slackened and she lost her hold on his fingers. He withdrew them and smirked at her wide-eyed look. "I'm not going to. Not tonight. But I think you've had long enough of a break."

He almost kissed her. His lips brushed hers just before he disappeared, sliding down her body with determination born anew. She tensed, knowing what was coming and both dreading it and wanting it more than life itself.

This time, he didn't linger or tease her to death, because he didn't have to at this point. Instead, all the warning she got was a nip to her inner thigh before his mouth was on her and she was at his mercy all over again.

He started and stopped more times than she could count. He went from unbearably slow and teasing to merciless at a mere whim, more than once, and the noises coming out of her mouth sounded pathetic to her own ears. And every so often, he'd stop, look up at her, wait until her breathing had evened by just a fraction, and then start again.

This happened over and over and over. Many times she came close to losing it, and each time he stopped at exactly the right moment to leave her hanging. It wasn't easy for either one of them - he was panting and sweaty and she was an absolute wreck. But he didn't give in, even when she reached the end of her rope.

She had been so close once again, so very close, and after now being denied so many times that it was criminal, she felt him start to pull away again. But this time, she didn't let him go so easily. Before she could even comprehend what she was doing, she wrapped her thighs around his head, using her legs for leverage, and forced him back down.

She then froze with the sudden realization of what she had done. Apparently, all those months of dance training from Natasha had resulted in her legs being strong enough to do what they had just done. She hadn't known, because she hasn't exactly tried to do anything like that until that moment.

Still holding him in place, she looked down at Bucky and felt her heart skip. He was staring up at her in the same kind of shock that she was in, only he appeared infinitely aroused and extremely impressed by her new strength.

He didn't say a word before dropping his face back down and devouring her with new and reckless abandon.

It was perfect. And she knew that this was it, that he was going to stop torturing her now and just let her fall apart. It had been so long since they had started this, and he had to know how badly she needed it. He couldn't deny her again.

Only he did denyher again. And he grabbed her legs and held them still to keep them from pulling him back down when he stopped.

This time, she actually did cry. It didn't feel like normal crying and it certainly wasn't sad or happy crying. It was more like the bubbling over of a volcano's worth of frustration, and as the tears streamed down from her eyes, Bucky crawled back up to her and immediately held her and began wiping the tears away.

He hushed her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear, trying to calm her down. He kissed her temple, her forehead, ran his fingers through her hair as she trembled and strained against the fabric keeping her arms and hands tied down. She wasn't sure why she was acting like this, and she didn't have the brain power to even try to figure it out.

"Shh, baby," he whispered, thumb tracing her cheekbone and kissing her temple again as her breathing only calmed just slightly. "Look at me."

She obeyed, opening her eyes and finding him incredibly close but too far away to touch. Her eyes instantly dropped down to his lips, and it was an unspoken plea that didn't fall on deaf ears this time. Maybe it was the crying or her general distress that did it, but either way, he finally took enough pity on her to truly kiss her at last.

It was long and slow and deep and almost everything she needed. He moaned into the kiss and it was the closest she had ever come to falling apart just from a mere kiss, and if he had just barely touched her once, she might have. But he didn't.

It felt like it lasted forever and yet was over too quickly all at once. His forehead against hers, he reluctantly broke the kiss, breathing almost as heavily as she was and taking a moment to steady himself.

But she didn't need a moment. She'd had far too many moments, so she wrapped her legs around his hips again and pled shakily into the tiny space between them, "Please."

He didn't resist her. She felt him grind just barely against her as he asked, "Please what?"

"You know what," she replied, shuddering when he moved more firmly against her. It still wasn't enough, but it was something.

"Say the words," he said, tone still softer than before but utterly commanding.

She almost whined again. Words... what were words, anyway?

He kissed her, again moaning lowly as his tongue touched hers, and then he broke away to say, "I won't touch you again until you say it."

"Say what?" she asked in exasperation, desperation, and a bunch of other terms she couldn't remember the meaning of in that moment.

"You know what," he replied, parroting her words back to her with a faint grin. "You know what I want to hear. And I know that mouth of yours can be just as dirty as your mind if you'd just let it."

She groaned in despair and shook her head. "I can't."

"You can," he assured her. "And if you don't... I won't let you come. I mean it."

She didn't doubt him, not after he'd kept this up for this long. Still, she tried to reason with him. "But don't you want to?"

"Oh I will," he said smoothly. "Even if you don't say the words... my hands aren't tied up." When the implications of his words made her stare at him and blush incredibly deeply, he smirked and added, "I'll do it right here, on top of you. But I won't let you watch. Then when I'm done, I'll only untie you once you've calmed down, but I still won't touch you. And I'll tie you back up if you try to touch yourself."

He was evil. Diabolical. Utterly mean and sadistic and she loved him so much that she might spontaneously combust with the sheer power of her love for him.

"But all you have to do is tell me what I want to hear," he reminded her, sweetly and gently touching her face. "Just say the words, Summer, and I'll fuck you into this bed until you scream."

... How could she think, let alone speak, when he was talking to her like that?

He was still moving against her, and all it would take was the slightest of shifting to end their misery. She whimpered, unable to do or say anything,

"Come on," he urged her, between slightly sloppy kisses to her lips. "Just two words. Two words and this is over."

She knew what he wanted, and she desperately wanted what would come next, so why couldn't she just spit it out?!

Then he took her by surprise by pleading with her rather than issuing more commands. "Please, baby," he said, cradling her face and looking her in the eye. "All I want to do is make you come. Say it so I can."

And suddenly, despite the haze of her mind and the painful need pulsing within her, she understood what all of this really was. On the surface, it was a man dominating his new wife and keeping her at his mercy, only letting her have what she needed once she fulfilled his specific terms. But what it really was, beneath all of that, was a man who was a slave to his woman and would do absolutely anything to make her happy and satisfy her. He might have been the one in charge and issuing commands and making conditions, but she held all the true control in her tied-up hands.

This sudden realization gave her the last little push of confidence she needed to do what had to be done.

He was kissing her, still grinding against her and waiting impatiently for her to get the words out. When he pulled away, opening his eyes, she looked up at him with a new bravery in her own eyes and opened her mouth before she lost her nerve.

Her tone quiet but firm, she finally gave in and told him what he needed to hear. "Fuck me, please, Bucky."

Instantly, his eyes darkened in both surprise and incredible lust. He didn't move for a minute, too much in awe of her in that moment. "Say it again."

She did, grinning a little bit as she said the words again, finding them less strange feeling on her tongue the more that she said them. She still blushed as if she'd never cursed before in her life, but he loved that and she knew it.

Then he groaned, loudly, and kissed her hard as he finally pushed forward and kept his promise to her. The torture was over, and they both moaned with the exquisite relief of finally being joined like this.

There was nothing slow or even sweet about it. The time for that had passed, and now it was a mad, fast, desperate clash of bodies and skin and lips as he roughly took her every bit as fiercely as he had told her he would. He cursed, she moaned, and the bedpost that she was tied to rattled and smacked against the wall with each new thrust of his hips.

Neither wanting to drag it out or keep each other waiting, Bucky issued one last order when he could feel them both racing to their ends. Grasping her hair in his right hand and holding himself up with his other, he kissed her and then said in a gruff, heavy voice, "Scream for me when you come, Summer. Scream my name, moya sladkaya..."

He repeated himself against her ear a few times, fully in Russian as his own breaths grew shallow and trembling along with his entire body, and she was lost. She followed his last command beautifully, barely hearing herself as the world stopped spinning for a moment and nothing existed but some of the very best and most life-changing pleasure she'd ever felt.

It was worth every bit of the torture and frustration it had taken to get there, and more.

Summer wasn't all there in the moments that followed. She was conscious but barely present, adrift in some strange sort of reality that felt like something like a dream or an illusion. Bucky untied her hands without her noticing, and she only came back to herself once she was being cradled sweetly and safely in his arms while the feeling slowly returned to her numb and tingly arms.

His voice, which had first sounded far away, was the most comforting thing in the world as he kissed her temple and murmured into her ear, "That was incredible. You were perfect, sweetheart, so perfect."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him from where her head laid on his chest, but the second she tried to speak, he shook his head and shushed her with a gentle finger on her lips. "Don't talk, Summer. Just rest. Let me take care of you."

Blinking sleepily, she decided that sounded good to her and kept her mouth shut as she laid her head back on his chest. His fingers ran soothingly through her hair, down her back and up again, and she was almost asleep when she felt him shift and grab something off the bedside table.

She opened her eyes when he took one of her wrists and started rubbing lotion on them, and she was surprised by both how prepared he'd been for this and also by how red her wrists were. She couldn't remember yanking that hard against the tie, but then again, she hadn't exactly been thinking about it at the time. Her wrists felt a little better after he took care of them, and then after he put the bottle back on the table, he slid them both under the sheets and cradled her in his arms once again, holding her like she'd break if he let go.

Before sleep came, she looked up at him one more time in the soft light of the room and smiled. She felt better able to speak now, so she asked, "Did it live up to your imagination?"

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "No. It shattered my imagination."

She smiled with pride in herself, though really, all she'd done was just lay there and whine. But he must not have seen it that way at all. "Yeah. Me too."

"Thank you," he said quietly. "Thank you for trusting me enough to do that for me."

She nodded, smiling and blinking her eyelids to try to keep them open. "Thank you for taking care of me."

He nodded back, and just as she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep, she was pretty sure that she heard him tell her that he would always take care of her.

---

Day three

They tried to get out of bed and actually do things on the second day of their honeymoon, but it just didn't work. In fact, they never managed to even get dressed during that second day and most of the third. Summer wasn't complaining about this, but even she began to grow a bit restless by the time the evening of the third day had rolled around.

As fun as it was christening every inch of poor Tony's vacation home that they could - and oh, they did - Summer found herself itching to get out of the house as she laid on top of Bucky on the living room couch. The sun was down and they were cozy under a thin blanket, legs entwined and heartbeats still slowing down after Summer had ridden him into oblivion. It happened after she had come out with the intent of finding a movie to watch, and then he had followed her and easily coaxed her into falling on the couch with him and skipping the movie.

And now, as he dozed slightly and she stared at the big, blank TV mounted on the wall opposite them, she began considering the options for what they could do now. She doubted he could focus long enough on a movie to finish one, and it was too dark to do anything outside. Of course, if they drove into the nearest city, they might find something to do there.

A light bulb went off in her head, and she sprang off of his chest fast enough to jostle him and rather harshly wake him up. "Hey!" she squeaked. "Can we find somewhere to go dancing at?"

He blinked a few times. "What?"

"Dancing," she repeated overly slowly. "Can we go dancing?"

"Oh," he said, eyes immediately gluing themselves to her breasts now that she was no longer laying flat on him and they were lightly resting on his chest. "Is there anywhere to dance around here?"

"Well, I'm sure we can find somewhere, and my eyes are up here," she pointed out playfully. He looked up at her and grinned.

She wasn't surprised when his hands went to her breasts next, idly groping and lightly squeezing both as his eyes dropped back down to them. "Before we go, could we one more time just..."

She rolled her eyes and smacked his hands away, but he just put them right back where they'd been. "No, because I need a break. I know you're this insatiable super soldier creature who can go and go and go, but seriously, just today, we've done it in the shower, on the table, on the stairs, in the bed, and now on this couch, and my lady parts need to take a nap. They're tired. Let them rest for like... a couple hours." He opened his mouth to reply, and she quickly added, "And my jaw needs a break too. And frankly my hand also hurts. The stairs was a really weird angle and my arm still feels weird from how I was holding myself up."

He smiled and laughed softly, and she laughed with him. "Okay, fine," he relented, though he was still palming at her quite insistently. "If you insist."

"You know," she grinned, "before the wedding, I had this irrational fear that our wedding night and honeymoon would be boring because we've already been doing... stuff... for a long time. Obviously I was wrong."

"Obviously," he grinned back, leaning up to capture a nipple in his mouth.

She sighed, closing her eyes and sliding her fingers in his hair but not pulling him away. "Although... can you imagine if we had waited for our wedding night? Like whoa..."

He hummed in reply, probably only half-listening as his tongue swirled around and teased her, and her mind drifted back to their first night together. There really was nothing like the very first night, and that didn't mean that all the subsequent nights hadn't been freaking amazing. It was just different, discovering for the first time what the other likes and what makes them tick, getting to finally have them after waiting and waiting.

Then, for the second time in the last ten minutes, a light bulb lit over her head, and she gave his hair a yank and audibly popped him off of her breast. He looked up at her like he didn't exactly appreciate being so abruptly interrupted, but she merely smiled widely and said, "Hey! I just had an idea!"

"What?"

"Well... what if we did have another first time? I mean, not really, obviously, but if we... pretended?"

He tilted his head curiously. "What did you have in mind?"

Once she told him her bright idea, he grinned and agreed without a second thought.

It was going to be a very fun night.

---

Later that night, Summer sat at a bar in a little jazz club that Google had found her on her phone an hour's drive from the house, drinking a White Russian - because why not - and trying to maintain her calmness despite how extremely excited she was.

Her hair was down in loose waves behind her back, the front few pieces pinned back and out of her face, and she was wearing the most innocent looking dress that she'd brought with her. It was a sleeveless, knee-length wrap dress that tied at her side, floral print and soft colors, with a neckline that was just free of showing off any significant cleavage. High heels finished the look off, and she looked around her every minute or so, wondering when the night's little game would get started.

When someone sat on the stool next to her, she looked over expecting to find a very familiar face. Instead, she found some random blonde guy grinning at her, and she stared at him as if he was an idiot and purposefully crashing a party that hadn't begun yet.

"Hi," he nodded. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"No," she blurted, cringing immediately because she sounded extremely rude and the guy's face instantly fell. "Um... I mean... I'm sorry. No thank you. I'm... waiting for someone."

"Oh." The guy paused and nodded. "Well... are you sure they're showing up, because you've been sitting here for fifteen minutes..."

Trying not to be too creeped out over the fact that he knew how long she'd been there, she shrugged and replied, "Yeah, I'm sure. And you might want to leave because it's my husband I'm waiting for and we're on our honeymoon and he might beat the living crap out of you if he catches you staring at my boobs like that."

Caught in the act, the guy's eyes snapped up to hers, and she smiled overly pleasantly before lifting up her glass in a mock toast. "And I probably make more money in a week than you make in two months, so I can buy my own drinks."

Nodding in pure defeat, the guy got up and trudged off, leaving Summer to smile to herself and take a victory sip of her drink. She had never actually shut down any unwanted suitors that effectively before, and it was after a few more sips spent rejoicing in her ever-evolving status as a real grown-up that someone else came to take the seat that had just been vacated.

She looked his way out of the corner of her eye, not turning her head, and when she caught just a glimpse of his profile, she had to bite her lip to keep from smiling and giggling like an idiot. It was Bucky, sitting there like a stranger and pretending to be unaware of her presence.

They hadn't even gotten started yet and this was already ridiculously fun.

He ordered his own drink without so much as a glance her way, and she casually drank more herself, checking him out as subtly as she could. He was in dark fitted jeans, a white t-shirt and his black leather jacket that he had been torturing her with for approximately two and a half years. His hair was fixed and perfectly imperfect as opposed to the chaos it had been in for the last three days, and he caught her staring only after his drink had been set down in front of him.

He glanced her way, then did a double take just before she looked away, suddenly blushing as if he really was a stranger who had just caught her ogling him. But she could feel his gaze remaining firmly upon her, and when she chanced another look at him, he was wearing that familiar grin of his and bringing his glass of whiskey to his lips, looking her up and down.

Swallowing a healthy sip of the drink, he set it back down and said casually, "Hi."

"Hi," she replied, voice small even though she hadn't even meant for it to be. She was perhaps embracing her role a little too well.

"I'd offer to buy you a drink, but since you've already got one... guess I'll just ask your name instead."

Her name. Was she supposed to use a fake one? They hadn't discussed it, so she just assumed the answer was no and replied, "Summer."

"Summer," he repeated, leaning towards her a bit more, pretending as if it was the first time he'd ever said her name before. "That's pretty. Is that a real name or one you're just making up to get rid of me?"

She giggled and shook her head. "Definitely not." When he merely grinned in reply, taking another drink, she tried to remember how to properly flirt with a stranger and asked, "What about you?"

He set his drink down again and replied by reaching into the top of his shirt and pulling out the chain that hung around his neck. Holding out his dog tags for her to see, it served as both an answer and an excuse to get her to lean closer to read the tiny engraved words.

"James," she said with a small smile. She hadn't called him that since their very first kiss, when he had told her to call him Bucky from then on. "So you're a soldier."

He shrugged to the affirmative. "How about you? What do you do?"

Remembering the kind of girl she was pretending to be and the general persona she'd cooked up in her head, she replied, "Well, I'm not really sure yet. Still figuring all that out."

He nodded understandingly. "You from around here?"

This was so incredibly different to how they'd actually come together that it was almost hysterical. "Yeah, but this is my first night being... out... like this."

"And you're alone?" he raised an eyebrow.

She sighed. "Yeah."

He took another drink, looking her over again before remarking, "Kinda hard to believe that you don't do this all the time."

"Oh? Why is that?"

He shrugged a little, eyes going to her heels as he replied, "Beautiful girl like you shouldn't be hidden away from the world."

She smiled and shrugged innocently. "My family is very protective. They don't even know I'm out tonight. I had to sneak to get out here, which I know is weird for someone in their 20s, but..."

"I understand," he replied, only just then tearing his eyes away from her shoes to look her in the eyes again. "Maybe they've got a good reason." When she looked at him curiously, he gestured to the club and explained, "I've seen every single guy here looking at you like you're fresh meat. They're just waiting for me to get lost so they can come hassle you next. There's even a girl checking you out."

She paused. "There is?"

"Blonde, sitting with her friends at a table right over there," he said, shrugging towards said table.

Summer immediately turned and looked for herself, and she indeed saw a rather pretty blonde woman looking her way. When the woman noticed, she smiled and gave Summer a look. Summer smiled back and then turned back around with a stupid grin on her face, because that didn't happen often.

Bucky eyed her expression and offered, "I can leave if you'd rather talk to her..."

"Oh, that's okay," Summer immediately replied. "She's hot but she's not exactly my type."

"What's that?" Bucky asked, signaling the bartender for another drink.

Summer smiled in a way that she hoped was as innocent as she was aiming for. "Oh, I don't really know... I mean, I don't have much experience, so..."

"Then how do you know she's not your type?" he asked teasingly. "Don't know until you try."

Of course he would say something like that, just to throw her off balance. The look in his eye suggested that maybe, possibly, he found such a prospect of her trying to be rather intriguing, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Are you speaking from experience?" she asked, making sure to keep her tone light and innocent.

He grinned and looked down, shaking his head. "Nah. I know what I like."

She smiled a little, then also glanced down before saying, "You know, it's funny. The last guy that sat next to me couldn't keep his eyes off of my chest, and here you can't stop looking at my shoes."

He licked his lips, turning his head her way again and grinning as he proved her right by glancing down at the heels again. Then his eyes flashed up to hers and he explained, "That's because I keep imagining what you'd look like in nothing but those shoes."

She couldn't believe it. She didn't have to fake her blush as she internally screamed over him repeating a line that he'd told her in a different language on their real first date. He was good at this. Too good at this.

Smiling shyly and looking away, she covered her face with one hand and said, "Oh my God. You're very... um... direct."

"Sorry about that," he said, tone sincere. "I just try to be honest. And you are beautiful."

Reluctantly, she dropped her hand and looked at him a bit warily. "I just... I'm not that kind of girl, you know? I don't sleep around or sleep with guys I just met."

He nodded. "I didn't take you for one who did."

"I'm sure you're used to girls who throw themselves at you and everything, but -"

"Why?" he asked curiously.

She faltered for a moment before waving her hand at his general visage. "I mean, look at you."

He looked down at himself gamely, then smirked up at her. She sighed and then turned back to her drink with a small smile, only being bad at this halfway on purpose. Flirting was much easier under their usual circumstances, but she was still enjoying this a lot.

"Do you dance, Summer?" he asked, making her look up again and instantly shake her head.

"Oh no," she laughed quietly. "God, no. I'm not a dancer at all."

"With legs like those?" he asked in disbelief. "Didn't they teach you in church that it's a sin to lie?"

She smiled and replied, "No, because I'm Jewish."

"Pretty sure the same rules still apply to you," he grinned.

"Maybe," she conceded. "But still. I don't dance."

"I could teach you," he replied. "If you want me to."

She regarded him for a long moment, both of them knowing what her answer would be. Still, she had to pretend to think about it. Then she bit her lip and said with exaggerated innocence, "Well... only if you promise to go easy on me."

He grinned in a way that gave away his true intentions, and oh man, she was loving this.

"You have my word," he assured her, smoothly sliding off the stool and reaching out to take her hand. She hesitated only a second before she placed her hand in his, and then he helped her to her feet and stared at her for just a few seconds too long before he began leading her towards the dance floor. They passed Summer's female admirer on the way, and by the time they reached the other dancing couples, she felt a bit giddy inside.

He led her to an empty space and then turned to face her, drawing her closer but not too close. "Just follow my lead."

She nodded, biting her lip again and glancing at the band playing on the stage to their right. They were playing a slow song, and as Bucky began to slowly dance her about their little corner of the club, she found that it was quite hard to pretend to be a bad dancer when she had grown actually quite skilled at it. As a result, she only spent a few moments trying to feign inexperience before deciding to just dance like she normally would.

It was a routine so familiar and sweet that she almost forgot that they were pretending to be other people. He held her close as they swayed, one hand holding hers and the other resting on the small of her back. Her free hand was on his shoulder, at least until he spun her and she went twirling out towards the crowd. She moved with such grace and obvious experience that when he pulled her back, placing her back to his chest and holding her incredibly closely, he remarked with his lips dangerously close to her ear, "You sure don't seem very bad at this."

"... Beginner's luck?" she smiled, tilting her head back to look at him. Her eyes drifted down to his lips in an instant, and then he was turning her again, keeping the dance going as his knowing little grin only grew.

She might have been a skilled dancer now, but so was Bucky and he knew exactly what to do to turn their dance into an exercise in teasing and restraint. She couldn't count how many times she felt his lips brush her ear or neck, and he held her and danced so impossibly closely with her that if they truly had been strangers, she would have been both terrified and incredibly turned on by his body swaying with hers. Even without being strangers, she was still damn close to breathless by the time the song and their steps came to an and.

They didn't stop with just one song. They danced until they had each had their fill, Bucky growing more and more daring with each song, and by the time the last few strains of final songs played out from the stage, they were pressed chest to chest and her arms were wound around his neck, and his lips were trailing small but hot kisses down her neck. She wasn't sure if anyone was looking and she didn't care, because this was their honeymoon and they weren't the only couple there being affectionate with one another.

When Bucky raised his head and ceased the kisses when the song came to an end, his eyes met Summer's and she realized that their game was still far from over. Her stomach jolted a little at the thought, and she quickly tried to think of what she would do under the circumstances they had previously established, if this gorgeous stranger had just come along and given her the dance of her life while also kissing seductively along her neck and molding her body against his.

Her hands slid to the back of his neck, both of them staring at the other, and they would have kissed had Bucky not asked her quietly, "Can I give you a ride home?"

She nodded quickly, perhaps a little too quickly for one as innocent as she was supposed to be, but he didn't know that she had a few plot twists in mind.

He took her hand again, this time to lead her back to the bar, pay their bills, then leave the little club. He didn't let go of her hand until they had stepped out into the cool night air and walked to where their fancy rental car was parked. Like a gentleman of his era, he opened her door for her and helped her get in first, and then he walked quickly to the driver's side and slid in as she crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. Her demure body language didn't go unnoticed.

He turned the key and flipped on the ignition. "Where do you live?"

Time for a plot twist, she thought. "I'd rather go back to your place."

He paused between shifting gears, looking at her in surprise and what she easily recognized as an instant glimmer of arousal. She merely smiled in her falsely shy way and added, "If you'll have me."

His eyes dropped down over her body again, all the way to her shoes and back as a grin touched his lips. "My pleasure, kitten."

Kitten. First it had been his usual pet names for her in Russian, and now it was kitten. She loved it.

He smoothly and quickly got the car on the road and on the way home, and Summer carefully planned out her next actions in her head before moving a muscle. She wasn't stupid and she didn't want to make him crash the car, but she did want to play with him in a way that she knew he'd never expect from her, let alone this supposedly shy and inexperienced version of her. So she waited until they reached an empty, mostly straight part of the highway, and after glancing in the mirrors to make sure they were alone on the road, she set her sights on him.

He was focused fully on getting them home, so when her hand suddenly slid gently on to his denim-clad thigh, it took him by complete surprise. His head turned from the road to look down at her hand and then at her, and she smiled as she trailed her hand down his inner thigh, towards his knee.

It was a very small car, and their seats were close enough that she didn't have to even unbuckle her seatbelt to lean over and get close to him. As her hand dragged back up his thigh, he gave her a look and said, "Inexperienced and innocent, huh?"

"Maybe," she teased him, looking down and carefully avoiding touching between his legs just yet. "Maybe not."

Next, she bit his ear lobe and slid her hand under his shirt, splaying her fingers over his abdomen and slowly moving them upwards. She kissed his neck and nipped at the spots he liked the most as he touched his chest, groping unashamedly and gently raking her nails down his skin on the way back down.

As she did all of his, his left hand clutched the wheel tighter and his right hand went to her head, not pulling her closer or pushing her away. "Summer, you're... I'm gonna drive us off the road if you keep this up."

"Keep what up?" she asked innocently, her hand slipping out from under his shirt and very lightly brushing over him through his jeans. She felt him tense up immediately, and she could feel that he was already ready and eager for her, even though he was fighting it. She checked the road herself one more time and then resumed kissing and marking his neck, keeping her hand where it was and letting it move and work him up into a frenzy.

His hand left her head to join his left on the wheel, apparently needing the extra steadiness. He set the cruise control and took his foot off the gas, and she took that as a green light to truly go for it. Her hand sped up, and he kept his eyes resolutely on the road and the car impressively steady while simultaneously giving in and leaning his head back against the seat, his breaths growing shorter and little moans leaving his lips the closer she got him.

Relishing this, she watched carefully for his tells and, once he was nearly gasping and teetering on the brink, she quickly switched her hands and used her free one to grab the wheel from him as he fell apart cursing and gasping her name. After all, he might have actually killed them both had she not taken over and steered them through his end.

He panted and blinked still-bewildered eyes open as he came down, and Summer was extremely pleased with herself and also incredibly needy now herself. She waited for him to straighten up and tell her that he was fine to take the wheel, and once he did, she slid back into her seat wearing a filthy grin that he didn't miss. He stared at her with a mixture of awe and lingering shock, and he seemed actually speechless for a moment or two.

She reached her hand to him again, but this time she took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers. He looked from the road to her and she smiled sweetly at him, and he shook his head and laughed quietly. "Fuck."

Her grin widened, and for a few moments, all was well and all was silent. They held hands and Bucky enjoyed the slight haze in his head following the unexpected release, but Summer could only hold out so long before she was squirming a little in her seat. She could wait until they got home, but patience had never been her strong suit, and she had liked her little impromptu car idea a little too much for her own good.

Bucky noticed her squirming. "You okay?"

She shook her head and sighed. "No." She didn't have to explain why, because he knew as soon as he glanced over and saw her body language.

To her surprise, his hand left hers and went to her leg. She turned her head and looked at him, heart speeding up when his eyes briefly met hers and his hand pushed up the hem of her dress, then disappeared underneath it. She parted her legs more fully to give him easier access, and as his fingertips edged up her inner thigh, she held on to his arm and held her breath waiting.

At his first touch, she moaned softly with relief and he chuckled darkly at her lack of underwear.

"I'm starting to think you don't have an innocent bone in your body, kitten."

She smiled and let out a breathy mix of a laugh and a groan, keeping her eyes open to watch him multitask. He made driving a car down dark winding roads with one hand and driving a woman crazy with the other look utterly easy.

"Maybe you just bring it out in me, James," she breathed, gasping when he quickened his movements in response. He didn't stop or slow down until she was digging her nails into his arm, throwing her head back against the seat and riding his hand until she half-collapsed in a heap of satisfaction.

Blinking suddenly mildly blurry eyes and breathing heavily, Summer was a bit sad to feel his hand leave her and resurface from under the cover of her dress. She watched as he casually brought his hand to his mouth and licked his fingers clean before placing them back on the wheel. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt for what they had already done to this poor rental car, but she got over it the minute he looked over and grinned at her slightly disheveled appearance.

Less than ten minutes later, they were home. The game didn't end there. Rather, it truly began the minute they walked through the door, clawing one another's clothes off and leaving them in a trail that led to the master bedroom upstairs.

Now that they had warmed up, Summer could only guess as to what kind of trouble they'd get into next.

---

Bucky grinned and laughed softly when his back hit the wall the minute he and Summer stumbled into their room. Nearly the same height as him in her heels, she pressed his head to the wall and kissed him furiously, working on undoing his belt as he yanked impatiently at her dress. He'd been trying to get it off since the moment they got inside the house, but it clung stubbornly to her body and she was making zero effort to take it off herself, too occupied with getting him naked to even think about herself. That left him with one option, and it was likely to make her mad, but oh well.

She had slid his jeans down when he grasped the back of her dress and ripped it swiftly and loudly in half. She squeaked in surprise, and as the pieces hit the floor and revealed her fully nude form, Bucky's eyes soaked it all in before flickering up to her own slightly outraged eyes.

"Do you always pick up girls and ruin their expensive dresses once you get them home?" she asked, as annoyed as she was aroused by the action.

Kicking off his pants, he retorted, "Only when they act all sweet and innocent and turn out to be anything but."

She responded by kissing him again, even more furiously than before as his hands ran wild over her body. He had to admit, she'd had a stellar idea tonight, and he loved the little surprises that she'd had up her sleeve. He had been expecting her to play innocent the whole night, and then she went and shattered that expectation in the car. He loved it. And they were still in character.

Both of them naked before they even hit the bed, it was a blur of hands and lips and frenzied groping as he let Summer lead him towards the bed. He expected her to throw him down on it and climb on top of him, but instead she walked him to the very edge of the bed and sat him down on it. He pulled her down on his lap immediately and they kissed like mad, her hips grinding down on his and making him groan before she broke away and held him back by his shoulders as she caught her breath.

He watched her eyes flicker to something behind them, towards the head of the bed, and then there was a glimmer of something slightly devious in her eyes. He was about to turn around and look for himself, but she grabbed him and kissed him again before he could. After, she pulled away and instructed him, "I have an idea. Stay here and don't move. No peeking."

Before he could even ask, she was off his lap and he was wondering what in the world she was up to. He got his answer when he felt the bed depress behind him and her breasts press against his back, just before her hands reached up to cover his eyes.

She kissed his neck once, then said sweetly against his ear, "You don't seem the type to get much of a thrill out of being tied up, but... I wondered if maybe... you might want to try this?"

This, he instantly understood by the way her hands were over his eyes, was being blindfolded. And though they were pretending to be other people, she was still thoughtful and careful enough to ask him his permission first before she tried anything new.

He grinned faintly and licked his lips, nodding slightly. Unlike being restrained, which he could never see himself enjoying after what he'd been through in the past, this was something that he could handle. In fact, he was instantly intrigued by the prospect.

She let her hands fall away, and he turned his head to look back at her as she took his black and red tie in her hands, having retrieved it from where they had left it on the bedpost their first night here. She leaned forward and kissed him, gathering up the fabric in her hands, and then when she broke away, she smiled, "Face forward."

He gave her a look but obeyed, turning his head and then watching as she brought the tie in front of him. He closed his eyes and she very carefully placed the tie over them, tying it around his head and asking to make sure that she hadn't made it too tight. He told her it was fine, surrounded by pure darkness now and immediately feeling his pulse start to quicken.

It was different than merely having his eyes closed. It was far more sensual, even in those first few moments before anything had actually happened. His other senses sharpened in an instant, and when she kissed his cheek and then left the bed, he strained to listen to her footsteps and figure out where she was going.

He got his answer when he felt a hand under his chin, lifting his head as soft lips pressed sweetly to his. He reached out to her, but she quickly slipped beyond his reach and chirped, "Be right back."

Then she was gone.

What the hell.

---

She hadn't been planning on this, but it had seemed like a brilliant idea at the time. Now she just had to figure out what the hell to do with her husband now that she had him sitting blindfolded and naked in bed, waiting impatiently for her to come back.

First she ran downstairs and grabbed a few things from the kitchen, and then she ran back up the stairs and tried not to crash into anything too loudly along the way. Her suitcase was conveniently in their bathroom, which was where she'd left it after getting ready for tonight, and that was her next stop. She rummaged through her things, not sure of what she was really looking for, but she wanted something soft or tickling that she could drag across Bucky's skin. Not surprisingly, she didn't really find anything, but upon unzipping one of the little compartments on the outside of the suitcase, she found a mysterious little bag inside that she had definitely not put in there herself.

She pulled out the little bag, which was a black drawstring pouch that was so discreet it almost for sure meant that strange, unspeakable things inside. This was confirmed by a little tag attached to it, which she turned and read with increasingly wide eyes.

Enjoy your honeymoon. - Nat :)

One of the world's most deadly assassins had shoved this bag into her suitcase and wrote a smiley face on her note. A smiley face. If that wasn't terrifying, Summer didn't know what was. With suddenly shaky hands, she pulled the bag open and peeked inside. Then she immediately blushed and dropped the bag back into the suitcase, muttering, "Oh my God, Nat, why... why..."

Although... upon second thought...

She picked the bag back up, one eye cracked open, and emptied the contents. Her eyes widened all over again, because it was like a sampler pack from one of those sketchy but classy-looking adult stores she'd never actually stepped foot in her entire life. She had watched The Ugly Truth before, so she knew what the little black pair of underwear with an accompanying tiny remote control was, but one or two of the other items had no clue about and didn't want to know. They were probably supposed to go places she wasn't okay with, and she was going to absolutely kill Natasha for being this comprehensive in her "sampler honeymoon package".

But, there was one thing that she thought might suit her needs for this particular night. It still made her want to run and hide and act like she'd never even found the bag, but something about the words "warming" and "tingling" and "passion fruit flavor" was intriguing. In a humiliating sort of way.

Deciding to just hurry up and get on with it before he fell asleep waiting for her, she put on a brave face, grabbed her supplies, and headed quietly back into the bedroom, hoping for the best.

---

"Took your sweet time, kitten," Bucky remarked with a small grin the moment he heard Summer's quiet little footsteps coming through the doorway. "I almost got started without you."

"That would have been rude," she answered playfully, and he could hear her setting things down not too far away. He wondered what in the world she was planning on doing with him, but he didn't ask because he quite liked the idea of being surprised. She'd done a well enough job catching him off guard so far tonight, after all, and he hadn't had a single complaint yet.

Only a few minutes passed before he heard her come closer, her hands going to his shoulders as she sat down on his lap again. His hands went to her hips, and she kissed him teasingly softly before gently tracing his lips with just her fingertips.

"You're very pretty for a soldier," she noted, sliding her fingertip along the curve of his lower lip. "But masculine at the same time. I bet you get all the girls."

"I'm more of a... one-girl kind of guy," he replied, taking advantage of how close she was and running his hands slowly over her body. He couldn't see it, but his mind provided a very accurate picture from memory of every inch of skin that he touched.

"Hmm... then that one girl is a lucky one," she replied playfully, taking his right hand and dragging it up to her breast, which he cupped and squeezed without need of further instruction. "Hope she won't be mad."

He shook his head, suppressing a groan when she moaned softly at his touch and moved her hips against his. "I have a feeling she won't be."

Then she kissed him again, longer and much more deeply this time, and he wished he could see her but at the same time, he couldn't deny how different and, if he had to choose a word, erotic it was to feel all of her pressing against him but not be able to see a single thing.

He had forgotten entirely about what she might have brought back with her from downstairs when she broke their kiss, panting softly before asking innocently, "Are you hungry?"

He paused and grinned, wondering if that was a trick question. Did she mean food or did she mean...

"Maybe," he eventually replied, very much wanting to find out the answer to his question. He felt her lean away for a moment, then come back and gently place something slightly cold against his lips.

"Open," she instructed sweetly, and he did, trusting her fully. He licked at what she placed between his lips first, and when he tasted dark chocolate, he grinned slightly and took a bite. She'd gotten out the little box of chocolate covered strawberries that had been the fridge since the day they got there. It might have been a bit cliche, but he didn't care. Cliches became cliches for a reason.

Had he had the use of his eyes, he would have stared up at her through his lashes as she fed him the strawberry, but since he couldn't do that, he ate it extra slowly and made sure to let his lips brush her fingertips and linger on them. Then she pulled it away, and after he swallowed, she kissed him and she tasted just like the fruit, having finished it for him. He groaned into the kiss, pulling her closer rolling his hips up at her just a little bit. She broke the kiss then and murmured, "Not yet."

"Gonna feed me champagne next?" he asked playfully, and this time, she got up and left his lap entirely.

"Not exactly," she replied, and he followed her movements with his ears.

A moment later, he felt her crawl on to the bed behind him. There was a bit of rustling, and then she tugged him by the ends of the tie wrapped over his eyes to lean him back against her front. His hands braced himself on the bed, and both of her hands slipped under his arms and slid to his chest. She nibbled on his ear as her hands roamed, starting high and languidly making their way down below his stomach, then spreading to rub down his thighs and ignore what stood between them. He expected nothing less.

His sense of touch being heightened, he was hyperaware of when one of her hands left and disappeared behind him. He had all of two seconds to wonder what it was doing before she bit him, where his neck met his right shoulder, sharply enough to make him gasp in surprise. It didn't hurt, but she'd never really bitten him before, and that made it all the more unexpected.

"I'm sorry," she said in that falsely innocent tone. "Did that hurt? Here, this might help..."

He gasped again, this time also flinching due to the sudden freezing cold sensation where she had bit him. His mind went blank and it took him a moment to grasp that she was running an ice cube over his skin, though she only did it for a moment. Then it was gone, and she was pressing her lips to the now-icy cold mark, kissing softly and then flicking her tongue out to soothe it.

Then she kissed an inch higher, bit him again, and repeated the entire process not once but several times. Halfway through, the hand not dragging ice down his neck and shoulders sneakily made its way to his lap and occupied itself there, and the overload of warring sensations had him cursing and making sounds a lesser man would have been embarrassed by.

She drew her hand away, however, once he got a bit too close for her liking. The ice she'd been using was melted now, dripping from his shoulder to his chest, and she swung herself around to lick it off of him, her hands bracing herself on his knees as she stood between his legs. He groaned loudly, grasping at her blindly and wordlessly pleading for more, but as usual, she was on her own timetable.

She kissed teasingly slowly down his chest, giving him hope that she would keep going, but she pulled away and vanished before her mouth could touch him where he wanted it most. But she was only gone for a moment, and when she came back, she sat in his lap one more time and kissed him softly.

He kissed her back hungrily, moaning and not caring how desperate he sounded. She let him have his way with her mouth for a few moments, but then she drew away and held him back with one hand to her chest when he tried to follow her with a low whine.

"Hey, relax," she told him softly, just as he felt two of her fingertips press against his lips. "Open."

He parted his lips in an instant, sucking her fingers into his mouth and not pausing to wonder why she wanted this from him. He didn't think twice about it, at least not until he realized that her fingers tasted like some kind of fruit and that he tongue was... hot and... tingling. That was when he paused, and she drew her fingertips away. Before he could ask why his tongue felt like that, she kissed him, and it was one of the strangest and also one of the best kisses they'd ever shared.

She seemed to love it, moaning as her tongue slid with his and shared the odd sensation, and the kiss felt like it went on forever. When they finally parted, both of them panting and wound so tightly they could burst, Summer muttered, "That was cool."

"The fuck was on your fingers?" he asked, genuinely clueless, and she giggled before playfully smacking his mouth as if to scold him.

"Such a potty mouth," she said, feigning disapproval as she placed her hands on his thighs and slid off of his lap to get to her feet. His hands held on to her hips, and she kissed him again before starting a long, slow trail downwards.

"But what was it?" he asked, one hand going to her hair as she licked and kissed along the muscles of his abdomen, likely down on her knees now if he had to guess.

"Something I thought you might like," she replied simply. Then she leaned back and slipped through his fingers one more time, and he growled in frustration and impatience.

But he only had to wait for a moment. He nearly jumped in surprise when he felt lips on his inner thigh, and then they were gone. He reached out blindly to try to determine where she was, straining to hear clues, but he stopped trying and simply moaned when not one but two slick hands grasped him firmly. Within seconds, he felt the same sort of tingling that he'd felt in his mouth, and that coupled with the relief of her finally giving him the attention he craved nearly made him dizzy. But it only got better from there.

A rush of cool air that came unexpectedly made the warmth increase exponentially, and only later would he figure out that it was from her blowing on him. When he was halfway there, her mouth replaced her hands and his right hand shot to her hair, grasping it almost too tightly as his moans reached new heights.

He was already so close and had been for so long that it felt like it hit him in an instant with all the force of an oncoming train. Almost ripping her hair from her head and all but roaring out his end, the world ceased to exist and all that remained was the warmth of her mouth and the stars behind his eyes.

In the hazy, heavy moments after, he half-collapsed back on his elbows and Summer followed him, easing him down to lay on his back as he panted and slowly came down from his high. He barely noticed when she reached behind under his head and quietly unknotted the tie, pulling it off of his head and away from his eyes.

Everything was too bright when he first opened his eyes, and it took him a moment of blinking and slowly adjusting before he could fully see again. Summer laid next to him, fingers running sweetly through his hair and watching him catch his breath, and when he turned his head to look her way, she smiled and blushed instantly. She wasn't putting on a show anymore, either. This was truly her again, not the girl she'd been playing all night.

He smiled back, then reached out and touched her free hand with his left. "That was..."

"Fun," she finished for him with a wide grin. "I'm gonna have to thank Natasha for sticking that creepy bag in my suitcase."

He paused and furrowed his brows slightly. "What bag?"

"Never mind," she shrugged. "Just... suffice it to say that I didn't pack passion fruit flavored warming personal... stuff."

"So that's what that was," he marveled, reality dawning on him. "Wow."

She nodded. "The wonders of modern inventions, right? I wouldn't have thought to try it since we don't ever actually... need that kind of thing, but..."

He chuckled breathlessly and stroked her hand with his metal thumb. "You were incredible, Summer. I don't mean only just now. All night you were just..." He shook his head, unable to think of words to sufficiently describe just how amazing she was.

She shrugged, her blush deepening. "I, uh... well, thanks."

There was his Summer, perpetually unsure of how to accept a compliment. But he knew there was one way that he could express his gratitude and appreciation that required no words and would make her blush even more than she was now. And now he had an extra "prop" to make it a little more interesting.

"Can you give me the bottle?" he asked, and she nodded and leaned off of the bed to grab it from where she'd left it on the floor. Then she returned to her place at his side and handed it over, and he chuckled at the bright pink little bottle and all of the adjectives on the label. He turned it over in his hand a few times, then flipped it open and looked her way. "Come sit on my face."

He could see the way she gulped and immediately froze, though this wasn't even the first time he'd asked this of her. Then she giggled nervously and babbled, "I, uh, I mean I can wait if you'd rather -"

"Summer," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument, "get over here and sit on my fucking face."

She audibly squeaked, getting up and doing as he said, murmuring vaguely about his potty mouth and how she was going to actually have a heart attack and actually die before the week was over.

It had been a long night, but it still wasn't over yet. Once it finally did come to an end, they slept for nearly eleven hours straight in such exhaustion that they didn't even move once, until the next day rolled around.

---

Day six

With the end of the honeymoon swiftly approaching, Summer awoke on the sixth day with an uncharacteristic and surprising idea. It was so surprising, in fact, that when she mentioned it to Bucky over breakfast, he legitimately choked on his coffee.

"You want to do what?!" he all but sputtered, staring at her like she had just sprouted a second head out of her ear.

She grinned at his reaction. "I just think that we should... you know... make the most of our last two days here. And we can't really do that if we're just... constantly banging."

"... Says who?!"

"Says me," she replied teasingly.

"So you want to go the whole day... with no sex," Bucky said slowly, as if it took him a moment to fully comprehend such a baffling concept. "At all."

"Right," she nodded.

His eyes narrowed, squinting in ever-growing confusion. "... Why?!"

She sighed in mild exasperation and smiled. "Because. We're here in this gorgeous little town, and I want to spend today outdoors. Hiking and all that. We've got to at least have one day spent doing... you know. Things. Thing things. Not just things."

Bucky leaned back in his seat then, raising his eyebrows and then furrowing them like a headache was suddenly coming on. He soaked all of this in for a moment, then to her surprise, shrugged and nodded. "Fine."

She grinned. "Really?"

He nodded again. "Sure."

She tilted her head in sudden suspicion. "You agreed to this a little too easily."

He shrugged, his previous shock all but worn off. "Because I know you'll cave."

Her eyebrows shot up her forehead. "Oh, will I?"

He nodded nonchalantly, taking a smooth drink of his coffee. "Yep."

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "You'll totally be begging me way before I cave."

He threw a grin her way and asked, "Want to make a bet?"

"I don't need to bet. I already know I'll win. It would be unfair."

He chuckled, his grin turning challenging as he gave her a look and said, "We'll see about that."

"Yes we will," she smiled, standing up from the table and flitting away towards the stairs. "We'll leave in an hour!"

Bucky sighed and downed the rest of his coffee. He'd make her cave, one way or another. He was sure of it.

The new game began immediately.

---

Summer's first tactic was to walk out of the shower and casually drop her towel at Bucky's feet before getting dressed in front of him so slowly that it began to frustrate even her. Just the way that he watched her as she did this made her question the wisdom of her little idea, but she stuck to her guns and reminded herself that she'd had more than enough sex in the last six days to make it through one perfectly okay without it.

Except then, as she got ready quietly in the bathroom, she could see in the corner of the mirror Bucky, mostly naked, dropping to the floor of their bedroom for an impromptu "warm up" of enough push-ups to make her head spin. She might have been okay if he hadn't switched halfway through to pushing up on just one arm, his right one, which was even more impressive considering how much weight his left arm added to his body. Then adding the noises he was surely making on purpose, she stabbed herself in the eye with her mascara wand more than once.

Despite all of this, they managed to leave the house without succumbing to one another's efforts. After that, it was a day full of teasing and enough activities to keep them mostly on track, as they really had needed the day out. But nothing ever went entirely according to plan, and that day was no exception.

It was warm and sunny outside, but the trail Summer found for them to hike along was mostly shaded and very pretty. It wound into the hills surrounding the areas and overlooked the lake beneath, and Summer got entirely too much of a thrill out of seeing various types of birds and small animals pop out along the way. She even encountered a chipmunk that allowed her to feed it some nuts by hand, which resulted in high-pitched squeals and hurried screeches for Bucky to take pictures before the little animal dashed off.

Then, about halfway through the trail they reached the most challenging part of it, which was an uphill walk through the rest of the hill. It was nothing for Bucky, of course, and she would have been fine as well, but she got the sudden idea to bet him that he couldn't carry her and run the rest of the way in under five minutes. Never one to back down from a challenge, he got her to climb on his back and took off running, and all she could do was cling to him for dear life and scare a small flock of birds with her loud squeals.

He reached the end of the trail in less than four minutes. Grinning in victory and also panting with a thin layer of sweat on his brow, he helped her hop on to her feet and then grabbed her arm to steady her when she swayed a bit. She laughed and let him guide her to a nearby tree, which she leaned against as she tried to catch her breath.

"Whoa," she smiled, "remind me not to doubt you on anything. Ever."

"Not a problem," he grinned, still breathing hard. He stood in front of her, leaning his hand on the tree near her head, and she found herself grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer before she could think twice.

A sucker for him whenever he was sweaty and showing off his strength, not to mention a sucker for him in general, she kissed him and moaned the very minute their lips touched. His free hand went to her hair and pulled her closer, the kiss turning deep and open-mouthed in an instant, and he grinned when her hands slipped into the back pockets of his shorts and tugged his lower half firmly against hers.

"I knew you'd cave," he grinned when he came up for air, and she shot him a glare before pulling him back down for another kiss. He pushed her harder against the tree, and for a few moments, she let him believe that she was going to let this turn into some kind of something.

She hit the brakes only once she was satisfied with how hard he felt against her, breaking their kiss and then slipping out of from between him and the tree before he had so much as blinked. She straightened out her clothes, smoothed down her ponytail, then smiled brightly at him as he stared at her in heated confusion.

"Let's go this way and see if it leads down to the lake!" she chirped, grabbing her water bottle and taking a swig before heading back a different way than they had come.

"Are you serious?" he asked, still at the tree, expression dumbfounded.

She glanced down at his shorts and then nodded. "Yup! Hopefully that's not too painful for you."

She then headed off, humming a song that had been stuck in her head all day and smiling to herself. If nothing else, she knew that he was going to get her back for this, and she would definitely pay.

After he rejoined her on the trail, jaw a bit tight and generally a little quieter, they hiked through the trees and eventually found a pathway that led down to the lake. With the gorgeous background the area provided, Summer then dragged her phone out and forced Bucky to smile with her as she took pictures of them standing in front of the lake. As good of a sport as he was, she couldn't help but tease him as she placed the phone back in her pocket, "Feeling better yet?"

He merely half-glared at her and then turned his gaze to the water. "Mostly. Wouldn't mind cooling off, though."

She glanced at the clear, definitely inviting water and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I should have brought my bathing suit."

She didn't expect him to turn her way, raise an eyebrow and say with a familiar glint in his eye, "Why would you need one of those?"

Summer opened her mouth to answer his obvious question, only to let it hang open dumbly when he took off his shirt and dropped it on the ground. To answer her unspoken question of if he was actually serious, he took off his shoes next, then dropped his shorts and left them on top of his shirt before heading towards the water.

He didn't look back at her until just before he reached the water's edge, but when he did, he looked over his shoulder and grinned at her before causally taking off his underwear, throwing it behind him, and all but diving in.

She only closed her mouth when a bug tried to fly in it.

Still in shock by the time he surfaced for air, pushing his now-soaked hair back on his head, Summer watched him smile at her and call out, "I'd enjoy this more if you got in with me."

Fretting idly, she looked around and then called back, "Yeah, but..."

"Oh, come on," he urged her, swimming closer to the edge that she stood on. "Nobody's around here. It's just you and me. And a bunch of squirrels."

She smiled, but she still wasn't convinced. Besides, the chances of her emerging from that water without losing their little bet when they'd both be naked was incredibly low.

But Bucky had a way of convincing her when it came to just about anything. "Please?" he asked with just enough of a pout to make her give in. "For me?"

She rolled her eyes, knowing she was done for the minute the words left his mouth. "Fine."

He grinned in satisfaction, and she again swept the area with her eyes to double check that they were indeed alone before even kicking off her shoes. Once she was satisfied in their seclusion, she blew out a deep breath and took off her shirt. As she pulled it over her head, he gave a low whistle, and she decided that she was going to kill him for this.

Once she was down to her bra and underwear, she hesitated and then asked, "Can't I just get in like this?"

"You could," he replied, leisurely floating and watching her like a hawk. "But then I'd just rip it all off the minute you got in here anyway."

Not doubting him in the least, she sighed and got the rest of the stripping over with quickly. She would have done it with much more flair if they hadn't been out in the middle of a lake where any hiker could walk by and get an eyeful, but as it was, she hurried and got everything off, then hurried even faster to the water.

Feeling immensely better once she was in the lake and covered by the water, the first thing she did upon getting close enough was splash Bucky in the face. "That's for playing dirty."

He laughed her off and wiped at his eyes. "Playing dirty? And what do you call what you did to me in front of the tree?"

She shrugged innocently, leaning backwards to float on her back and move away from him. "Light teasing?"

"Light teasing?" He asked in disbelief. Then his eyes narrowed and he grinned, "I'll show you light teasing."

Then he disappeared under the water, and she screeched and tried to swim away. He caught her though, and a small war ensued.

Summer was sure she'd never felt so lighthearted and silly in all her life. It was like a scene out of a movie that she never thought happened in real life, where two people played and fought in the water, splashing and pushing and dragging and laughing until their lungs hurt. For Summer, it was even more amazing simply because even after all this time, she still wasn't used to him laughing so freely. It was a sound she'd never take for granted or grow sick of, even when it was the last thing she heard before he dunked her head underwater.

The best part of it all was how, at the end of the rather long mock battle, they ended up in each other's arms laughing in between hasty little kisses that didn't hesitate to become longer and deeper. He kept them afloat as she clung to him, breathless and happy and completely not thinking about their "bet" one bit.

They were kissing and still giggling a little when he moved them to shallower water, his disguised left arm wrapping around her waist and lifting her up a bit higher on him. She broke away for a breath and looked down at him, smiling stupidly and running her fingers through his short wet hair, and his mirroring smile at her made her heart melt. Just like his laugh, she would never take for granted seeing him happy and carefree like this. This level of carefree wasn't something she got to see very often, and she would treasure it while she had it.

She leaned down and kissed him again, moaning breathlessly when he pulled her tighter against him, pressing her chest hard against the very top of his own, and it no longer mattered to her that that they were technically in public and that technically anybody could happen by at any minute. It had never mattered to Bucky, who was as eager as she was and was soon nipping at her neck as his hand slipped between them and discreetly went to work slowly teasing her into a frenzy.

Just when he had managed to make her entirely forget about where they were and move shamelessly in sync with his hand, not quite there but getting ever closer, he stopped. Stopped, abruptly and out of nowhere, and when her eyes popped open to stare down at him in confusion, he merely grinned and said, "I hope that's not too painful for you."

He then disentangled from her arms and swam away, grinning all the while and throughly enjoying paying back tenfold what she had dealt.

She took back what she said earlier. Now she was going to kill him.

---

After being endlessly amused at how Summer pretended to be mad at him the whole way home, Bucky realized that she was actually adorable when she was pissed off. He didn't regret a thing, and when they were back home and she started clanking around the kitchen with her still-wet hair dangling to her waist, trying to ignore him, he couldn't resist the urge to be annoying as hell.

"Why so tense?" He asked playfully, sneaking up on her as she tossed a frying pan on the stovetop. His hands massaged her shoulders after she jumped in surprise, and then she sighed in irritation before trying to brush him off.

"Still not talking to you," she insisted, doing her very best to ignore him and drizzling olive oil in the pan as he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck from behind.

"You're cute when you're mad," he grinned, kissing her neck once before she whipped around and glared at him, brandishing a wooden spoon. He raised an eyebrow at it and asked, "What are you gonna do with that? Spank me with it?"

She was all ready to retort until she realized what he'd said, at which point her annoyed expression gave way to a giggle and a smile that she just couldn't keep off of her face. "Shut up! I'm trying to be mad at you, you jerk!"

"You started it," he pointed out innocently, playing with the damp ends of her hair with one hand while the other rested on her waist. "And you can end it."

"So can you," she pointed out. Then her eyes dropped down and flashed back up. "And I can get you, um... up... just as fast as you can make me...uh..."

As she searched for a word that wouldn't make her cringe, he took the initiative and leaned in close and let his warm breath wash over her ear as he guessed, "... Make you completely fucking soaking wet?"

She groaned and pushed him away, pointing the spoon back at his face. "Yes. That. Now stop."

"Just me saying that almost does it for you, doesn't it?" he asked, unfazed by the spoon or the fake little scowl on her face.

"Same as how me taking off my bra or... licking a popsicle would do the same to you," she replied, pushing him again. "Now go away so I can cook, or else you can starve."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Yes ma'am."

She narrowed her eyes at him as he walked away, keeping her eye on him, but he decided to give her a break for now. They were both hungry, but after dinner... he'd get back to trying to get her to crack.

And oh, she would crack. He just knew it.

---

Setting down her second - third? - glass of wine, Summer dissolved into giggles over something that really wasn't that funny but seemed absolutely hysterical at the moment. The sauce that she'd made for dinner had required a cup of wine for an ingredient, and after having found the wine cellar and having a cow over it, she'd picked out a bottle of Merlot that ended up being one of the best she'd ever had. As a result, she was tipsy and well on her way to drunk, and she blamed the man sitting across from her.

"No, no, no more!" She insisted when he went to refill her glass for the fourth time, waving her arms for emphasis. "Why are you getting me drunk? I'll totally bang you sober, you don't have to do this."

He chuckled and topped off her glass anyway, and despite her protests, she immediately started guzzling it. It was really good. "I know, but I love you tipsy."

She rolled her eyes and set her glass down, pushing her empty plate to the side next to Bucky's. "I wish I could see you tipsy. Stupid serum."

He nodded. "Stupid serum. Though it does have its benefits."

She blinked a few times, her fingers and even her toes tingly from the wine. "You mean like the built-in Viagra? Actually, I'm pretty sure even Viagra can't do all of that. What even is your limit before you literally can't anymore?"

He shrugged, sipping his own wine. "Maybe we'll find out one day."

She widened her eyes comically. "That will be the day I'll need surgery to have my spine re-attached."

He laughed quietly, and she laughed with him, though considerably harder even though, once again, she was pretty sure it wasn't that funny. But that was fine. She felt great and she was having a lot of fun with her buzz.

She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes after Bucky had gotten up to take their dishes to the sink. All this time later, and he still did the dishes after she cooked. Hazily, she noted that his mother raised him well, and then she giggled to herself for no apparent reason. Then she opened her eyes, looked at her half-full wine glass and decided that she had most definitely had enough alcohol for the night.

She grabbed the glass and stood up, waiting a moment for the room to stop spinning, and then she marched towards the sink. Along the way, she tripped over her own feet and splashed herself with half the wine left in the glass, and with a wail of defeat, she set the glass down on the nearest counter and pulled her shirt off.

Luckily, it was one of her fairly cheaper, plainer shirts, which was why she'd worn it hiking in the first place, but now it was ruined. After she took it off and had it in her hands, she muttered about stains and bleach and "may as well just throw it out" as Bucky watched from the sink in great amusement.

He turned off the water and dropped the sponge into the sink, then walked the short distance to his wife before plucking the shirt out of her hands and setting it aside. "I think you're right. You've had enough."

She rolled her eyes, then sighed as she looked at him and paused. He was still in his own plain hiking clothes, and she wondered how he could make such simple articles of clothing look so good. His hair was a mess from drying haphazardly but it looked just right somehow, and before she knew it she was closing the distance between them and, to his further amusement, sliding her hand under his shirt.

"Why are you so perfect?" she asked in an almost whiny tone, mindlessly groping his chest and laying her head on his shoulder. "It makes not having sex with you really hard..."

He smiled, closing his eyes when she started kissing on his neck. "Then you should give in and have sex with me."

She shook her head, ceasing her kisses to look up at him and reply, "No. I'm winning this."

"Are you?" he asked, and she nodded heavily in reply.

"Yup. In fact..." She pulled her hand out of his shirt and reached both of her hands behind her back, undoing her bra and then letting it fall to the floor after pulling it off of herself. "You're gonna give in really soon."

She then pulled him down and kissed him furiously, tasting like the red wine, and he groaned when she took his right hand and placed it on one of her now-bare breasts. He gave it a gentle squeeze and she moaned, pulling her lips away and saying breathily, "Come on. I'm dying here."

"Then give in," he grinned, leaning down and kissing her until she twisted away and shook her head.

"No, dammit," she whined again, though she let him push her against the counter behind them. He ducked his head down, and she closed her eyes at his mouth worked her breast with expert skill. "I can so do this."

He peeked up at her, breaking away long enough to reply, "Or you could give in... let me make it worth your while."

Her fingers in his hair, she reluctantly pulled his head away and shook her head again. "Nope. I'm not cracking."

"Well, fuck," Bucky said, eyes dragging up from her breasts to her eyes. "You keep this up, Summer, and I'm gonna have to give myself a hand."

"Only if you let me watch," she replied without thinking, and as soon as she spoke it, something in the air changed between them. For a moment, they stared at each other as if to determine if the other was serious, and when it became clear that they each were, Summer swallowed dryly and watched a filthy grin spread across his face.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Her face was absolutely aflame, and his finger brushed her burning cheek as he went on, "All you had to do was ask, sweetheart. You want a show, I'll give you one."

Her mouth fell open but nothing came out, and his thumb teased her lower lip before he took a step back, then another, and one more after that. He was halfway to the staircase when she suddenly realized what was happening and that she was supposed to follow him.

She scrambled to go after him, but first she stopped at the table and gulped down some more wine straight from the bottle. If this night was headed where she thought it might be, she wasn't drunk enough quite yet.

After nearly falling up the stairs twice, Summer finally made it to their bedroom and burst inside, holding an arm over her chest to keep from certain things bouncing to the point of nearly smacking into her face. Her wide eyes fell on Bucky standing only a few yards away from her, discarding his shirt to the floor, and when he saw that she had come after all, he walked to her and kissed her until she was breathless.

Pressed chest to chest, she was barely aware of how he quietly rid them both of the rest of their clothes until she felt something pressing insistently against her hip. She broke away then, glancing down and realizing they were both naked, and then he was kissing her again and leading her to the bed.

He pushed her down to the middle of the bed with a faint growl, crawling on top of her and resuming the kiss with a new fury. His hands were everywhere and so were hers, and she almost forgot about what they were doing until he broke away panting and looking into her eyes.

He looked very serious all of a sudden. "Can I admit something to you?"

Confused even without being drunk, she nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"I never planned on telling you this, but... I think maybe I should."

She blinked rapidly, nodding again. "Okay."

He then shifted to his side, lying next to her, and she shifted to do the same, so that they faced one another. His right hand sliding up her side, over her hip and down to her upper thigh, he began quietly, "I couldn't always... do this. Back when I was still first remembering. When I lived with you, then Steve."

"You mean..."

He nodded. "I didn't think about it. I didn't think about anything like that until we kissed the first time."

She desperately hoped she'd remember this conversation in the morning. Now playing with her hair draped over her shoulder, he went on, "I started to feel things again after that. But slowly. Really slowly. And it wasn't until I left you that I started to have a... problem."

"A problem?" she asked, hanging on his every word.

He nodded, the corners of his lips turning up as if he was amused with himself. His eyes watched his fingers twirl her strands of hair as he explained, "Most nights I had nightmares. I couldn't sleep more than a couple hours. But some nights I'd dream of something different and I'd wake up and..."

Her eyes didn't leave his as his hand trailed down to her breast, and he continued to watch himself touch her as he spoke again. "I dreamed of you one night. It was vivid. We were in a bed... your bed, I think... and I was taking off your clothes. I woke up in the middle of it and I was..." He paused, swallowing at the memory, and Summer was enthralled at this story. "I was so hard it hurt. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't. I needed..."

She nodded, unthinkingly muttering, "Yeah."

His eyes flickered up to hers, hand sliding along her stomach now. "So I thought of you. And it was hard to let go. It was really hard. But I thought of how it felt when you kissed me and when you let me touch you, and I..."

Summer gulped, unsure if she was supposed to be as turned on by this as she was. The struggle that he was describing was horrible and something that he never should have had to go through, that nobody should have ever had to endure, but the mere thought that she had unknowingly had a hand in helping him jump that hurdle...

His hand slid lower, between her thighs and making her gasp and arch with the sudden and unexpected contact. His mouth was a mere breath from hers as he said just above a rough whisper, "I let go. And it felt so fucking good, Summer, I needed it so bad..."

She whimpered at his words, grateful for when he kissed her and gave her a break she spent trying to process it all. She'd had no idea, none at all, and she hadn't even known that his attraction to her had run that deeply back then. The handful of kisses and innocent touches they'd shared must have left quite the impression on him back then.

She would have asked if this had become a regular occurrence for him back then, but his now-slick hand leaving her and their kiss ending distracted her. She opened her eyes and looked into his before they closed, and she knew that look suddenly on his face. The rough exhale that left his lips was the confirmation, and she looked down and felt her entire body tense and fire erupt in her veins at what she saw.

He had mentioned offhandedly to her only about a week ago that he preferred to take his time with these matters, even just with himself. He hadn't been kidding. He started incredibly slowly, almost teasing himself, and Summer felt zero shame in staring and committing each languid movement to memory. After all, he'd called this a show, and who was she to question that?

She tore her eyes away only when she felt his metal hand grasp the back of her hair and lead her back down for a kiss. She could tell by the way that his body rocked slightly that he had quickened his movements as she kissed him, and when he moaned into her mouth, she broke away and stared down at him in awe. She should have asked him for this ages ago because this was amazing.

She did little things here and there to help him along, kissing his lips, his neck, his chest, running her hands along his body and watching with an ever-hotter burning fire within her. He noticed this, and after one particularly heated kiss, she drew away and he whispered, "Touch yourself."

She couldn't help but freeze the minute the words left his mouth. It was one thing to watch him, but... oh God she couldn't do this.

He saw the uncertainty and mild panic in her eyes. "Please," he whispered again, kissing her again. "Please, baby. Show me."

She wanted to whine and hide her face, maybe scuttle under the bed and die of embarrassment, but all she had to do was look in his eyes and see the searing heat there to regain some of her bravery. The only thing that could ever outweigh her cowardice with something like this was her love for this man and her willingness to do anything he ever asked of her.

She glanced down and realized he had slowed down again. He was waiting for her. Oh hell.

Swallowing her fear and nerves as best she could, she kissed him and tried to remember the last time she'd actually done this. It had been forever, not on purpose but due to a lack of necessity. But she still remembered the routine perfectly, even through the haze of being half-drunk and incredibly blown away by this night.

Taking advantage of the kiss and Bucky's closed eyes, Summer took her hand off of his chest and slowly, almost reluctantly, placed it on her own breast. She almost instantly put it back and declared that she couldn't do this after all, but Bucky broke the kiss and opened his eyes, freezing her to the spot. His gaze flew to her hand, and before she could overthink it, she gave her own breast a soft squeeze and flicked her thumb over little peak. She watched his eyes grow even darker, and just from the sight of that one touch, he started moving his own hand quicker again.

His reactions were the only thing that kept her going. In the end, she was incredibly grateful that she did.

Eventually, watching him touch himself and feeling the teasing things her own hand was doing became too much to bear. She gave in fully, sliding her hand all the way down and accidentally letting out a moan that she meant to keep inside. His gaze grew even more intense and so did his own touch, and then he kissed her with a passion that made her head spin even more than it already was.

He cursed in between kisses, both of them stealing looks at the other and driving each other closer to the edge without touching except to kiss or tug a free handful of hair. Summer found it much easier to let go once she simply did it, and when they ended up sharing the same rhythm and still managing to be in sync even with this, it was a sweet surprise in the midst of mind-boggling, possibly life-altering heat.

She was caught off guard when he suddenly growled and pushed her on her back, then got on top of her with his left arm bracing himself next to her head. For a split second she expected him to take her and end this much different than it had began, but instead, his hand kept moving a now near-frantic pace, and so did hers. He kissed her hard, she moaned into his mouth, and they moved together and apart at the same time. She knew he was close when his fist beside her head clenched the sheets tightly, and watching him thrust into his own hand and shake and groan with the pleasure of it was more than enough to send her spiraling first.

She was as loud as she always was for him, covered in a full-body blush and trembling beneath him as she came apart, and her cry of his name along with her free hand scratching her long nails down his back was all he needed to lose himself right with her. He gasped first, then groaned unevenly and dropped his face into her neck, riding it out and then half-collapsing on top of her when it was all over.

Summer held him close, stroking her hand through his hair and coming back down to earth herself, halfway unable to believe that she had actually just done that. She had surprised herself a lot over the last year and especially the last week, but this... wow. She never would have suspected that she was even capable.

Eventually, after a long, hazy time had passed by, Bucky raised his head and kissed her softly before giving her a sweet smile. She smiled back, still stroking his hair and still blushing even though it was over now.

"I love you so much," he said, still wearing that dreamy smile. Her smile grew twice its size at his unexpected words.

"I love you more," she teased, grinning.

He shook his head, and just before he kissed her again, he murmured, "Impossible."

Eventually, they disentangled long enough to take a now-very needed shower and get ready for bed, and through it all, Summer stayed in her hazy, awestruck state. She had thought before that they couldn't possibly become more intimate than they already were, but she had been wrong.

Her honeymoon week had changed her life, and it wasn't even over yet, and her life, it seemed, was only just beginning.