Chapter 9

3 days later

The Winter Soldier ran his fingers carefully up and down the female's arm. Her skin felt soft and warm.

"That's good," she said, offering him an encouraging smile. "You found the perfect balance."

He didn't reply, he needed to concentrate on keeping his touch gentle enough. She was delicate and he didn't want to hurt her. The whole thing felt strange to him, he had never had to control his strength like this before. Trying not to hurt someone was completely new to him.

He really wasn't sure why he had agreed on this in the first place. Because her request wasn't unreasonable. And these "exorcises" weren't completely unpleasant. He hesitated for a moment before moving to her exposed neck. She didn't flinch, but he felt her muscles tensing.

"Go ahead," she assured.

He moved his fingers slowly, trying his best to keep his touch light. The whole situation felt strange, he couldn't remember ever touching someone like this. He could have snapped her neck with one simple movement. That was what he had been trained to do, not this. Yet she allowed him to touch her neck.

"That's very good, Steve," she said.

Steve. He had no idea why he had chosen that name; he had never met any Steve. At least he couldn't remember. Not that it mattered. Obviously, this whole name thing was important to her, so why not. She was very determined, he had to give her that. A strange female. Yet he couldn't deny that he had been looking forward to their meeting.

"Okay," she said after a moment. "Good. Now me."

He didn't say anything, he simply held still. She bit her bottom lip and carefully touched his arm. Her touch was light, like she would have feared hurting him. That was an amusing thought. A fragile little thing like her couldn't have hurt him no matter how hard she would have tried. He was just about to say that out loud when she suddenly ran her fingers over his lips. That startled him.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I should have asked first."

"It's fine," he murmured, somewhat embarrassed by his own reaction.

"Okay. Do you want to try kissing again?"

"Fine," he murmured.

He really wanted to do it again. She bit her bottom lip again, observing him thoughtfully. He could practically see her mind considering the situation and making plans. She would no doubt be an excellent strategist.

"Okay… May I lead?" she asked.

Her determined tone amused him. Of course, he had gotten used to taking orders, but certainly not from someone like her. Yet he had no reason to decline. In fact, he was curious to see where this was heading.

"Fine."

She nodded.

"Thank you. I need you to hold still and keep your arms down."

"Hmm," he murmured. "Fine."

She stood up and moved in front of him. He suspected that being able to look down on him was making her feel safer and in control.

"Okay…" she murmured. "Hold still."

He was stunned as she moved onto his lap, straddling his thighs. He was just about to raise his arm, wanting to touch her, until he remembered her request or more like an order. Somehow, he managed to comply and settle for just observing her. Judging by her quickened breathing and the constant blinking, she was nervous.

Slowly she raised her hand and touched his hair. He held perfectly still, watching her as she slipped a hand into his hair, tangling her fingers with it. Feeling her fingers softly touching his scalp didn't feel bad at all. Neither of them said a word, he simply sat there, waiting more or less patiently. She touched his face with both hands, caressing his forehead and cheeks with her fingertips.

Having her so close to him, touching him, was pleasant and uncomfortable at the same time. He felt the need to grab her by the shoulders and push her into the mattress. Of course, he wouldn't do that, but he wasn't sure if he liked the feeling her closeness caused him. Finally, she leaned in to hold her face near his before her hand cupped his cheek.

Her lips touched his, carefully testing and tasting. She shaped his lips with hers, tilting her head this way and that, as though searching for the best angle. It felt very pleasant, much better than the last time. He had to struggle in order to keep his arms down, but he couldn't stop himself from opening his mouth against hers. He felt her stiffening at first, but she didn't pull back, not even when he slipped his tongue softly into her mouth.

She hesitated before timidly reaching out, touching his tongue with hers. He couldn't remember ever experiencing anything like it. That couldn't be true. Surely, he had kissed women before. Not that it mattered right now, the only lips he wanted to taste were hers. Thankfully she didn't stop him as he deepened their kiss even more. He didn't think that he had ever tasted anything sweeter.

Slowly he raised his normal arm and wrapped it around her. She didn't protest or try to stop him. This felt very nice. Unfortunately, they both needed to breathe, so he pulled away. She was panting as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He remained silent, waiting for her to speak first. It took a moment before she raised her head.

"That went better," she stated. "What do you think?"

"It was fine," he murmured.

More than fine, but he wasn't going to say that out loud. She touched his shoulder and looked at him hesitantly.

"Do you mind if I… Or am I too heavy?"

"No," he murmured.

"Thank you," she said and leaned her head on his shoulder again.

"I don't mean to cause you discomfort," she continued. "I just… I think this is a good way for us to… feel more natural with each other. What do you think?"

"It's fine."

"Okay. Good."

His arm was still around her; he hadn't moved it. Her breathing was calm now and he could feel her body relaxing against him. That wasn't right at all. People weren't supposed to be relaxed around him.

"Steve?" she hummed after a long silence.

"Hmm?"

"There's still that…thing. I can do it this time."

He tensed as he realized what she was talking about. Bruises. Dr. Nolan expected him to hurt her. Why? Because he was a soldier. A killer. Feared and brutal. Surely, he enjoyed hurting this small female. He didn't. He wouldn't.

"It's okay," she assured. "You don't have to worry about it."

"You said that Dr. Nolan is your father," he stated after a moment of silence. "Why doesn't he protect you?"

As far as he knew, fathers were supposed to protect their children. At least most fathers.

"Because he's not a good man," she murmured. "He doesn't care about me."

The soldier didn't know what to think. Dr. Nolan was trying to make the world a better place. He was helping people. Wasn't he? But he wasn't helping her, his own daughter. He wasn't protecting her. That wasn't right. No. It wasn't his place to question orders. He was a soldier and soldiers followed orders.

"It's okay, Steve," she repeated after a moment of silence. "You don't have to worry about me."

Worry? Of course he didn't worry about her. This was his mission. He was only following orders. Except that he wasn't. He was once again breaking his orders. Because of her. Because she had asked him to. And yet here he was, holding her. Questioning Dr. Nolan's intentions. That wasn't good at all.