In early November, Tony had yet another of his countless business trips, this time destined for Paris. The meeting to discuss bureaucratic matters related to Stark Industries was scheduled for Monday, but since he was traveling on Friday, he saw a perfect opportunity to do something he had been trying to do for a long time: convince Pepper to accompany him. Since they had rekindled their relationship, the couple hadn't had much time just for themselves. There had been a few dates, it is true, but their minds were always on getting back home on time to relieve the twins' nanny. The weight of daily responsibilities and constant attention to their daughters made it difficult for them to devote themselves exclusively to each other. And it's not that the dark-haired man didn't love having the girls around, because he did. Erin and Iris were his world, and he cherished every moment spent with them. But he also missed having some alone time with his girlfriend, having her all to himself. Deep down, he knew she felt the same way. The demanding routine and the hustle and bustle of everyday life made moments alone together rare.

"I'm not sure if it's a good idea," Pepper said, hesitating as she looked at Tony.

"Of course it is, Pep. What could go wrong?" he countered with a confident smile.

"Babe, we're not on vacation. The girls need to go to school, and I have work. I can't just leave everything here," she explained, trying to be logical.

"And I'm not asking you to do that," Stark replied calmly, moving closer to her. "I've talked to Sasha, and she said she can come stay with the girls. Kate also mentioned that the art school is quiet these days, so she can handle everything on her own."

"Tony..." the redhead began, but she was interrupted.

"Just a weekend," he insisted gently, pulling her closer by the waist and looking into her eyes. "You know we need some time just for us."

"A weekend?" Pepper asked, starting to give in to his charm.

"A weekend," Tony confirmed with a nod. "Just the two of us, no surprises."

"And what if the girls miss us?" she asked, still with a hint of concern.

"I convinced them that if they let us go on this trip, when we come back we'll go to Disney again," he replied with a mischievous smile.

Potts laughed, shaking her head. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"Is that a yes?" the brunet asked, smiling as he delicately brushed back his girlfriend's hair, exposing her neck and starting to place soft, wet kisses there.

"Maybe..." she said with some difficulty, feeling more and more convinced.

"What can I do to convince you to come with me?" Tony insisted, pulling her even closer and nibbling gently on her ear. He was definitely not making it easy.

"You know…", Pepper finally murmured, his voice full of desire and vulnerability.

Stark paused for a moment, looking into her eyes. He held her face between his hands, gently caressing her cheeks. After a sigh of contemplation, Tony pulled her closer, kissing her softly on the lips. As she lost herself in her lover's arms, Pepper surrendered. She didn't need to think much. The two left Toronto the next morning around 10 a.m., arriving in Paris at 3 p.m., 8 p.m. local time. They went straight to the hotel, and the dark-haired man couldn't help but smile when the receptionist referred to them as Mr. and Mrs. Stark. The comment made Pepper blush, and he, of course, didn't let it pass unnoticed.

"Why did you turn red? Being Mrs. Stark sounds like a good idea, and we both know it."

"I don't know, Tony. Promising to spend the rest of my life with you sounds a bit..."

"Wonderful?" he questioned with a playful smile.

"Tiring," she retorted, laughing.

"Deep down, we both know you don't think that."

"Really?"

"Let's see..." Stark said, moving closer to her. "Marrying me would mean living together, waking up and going to sleep beside me every day. Having my incredible company for much longer. Sharing the routine like only we know how to do..." He spoke in a calm and seductively husky voice. "And, of course, much more sex." He finished his argument, pressing her against the cold metal wall.

"Sex has never been a problem for us," the redhead murmured, trying to maintain her composure.

"So just imagine how married sex would be," Tony whispered in her ear, while his hand roamed under the green dress she was wearing.

"They say after marriage the relationship cools off..." Pepper spoke with difficulty as she felt her boyfriend's left hand squeeze her thigh.

"That would definitely not happen with us," he asserted, pressing his body against hers. With his right hand, he began to caress the side of her body, while his left hand moved higher, almost reaching dangerous zones. "I mean, you can barely take the elevator with me."

" That's... not... true," she faltered when a light moan of anticipation escaped her lips as she felt his hand over her panties.

"Having trouble speaking the truth, Miss Potts?"

"You're not helping..."

"I'm just showing how strong my theory is," the dark-haired man bit her exposed throat and inserted two fingers into her center without any prior warning.

"Tony..." Potts moaned.

"God, Pep... you're so wet," Stark said as he increased the pace of his fingers and began to caress her clitoris with his thumb, teasing her.

" We're... in... an... elevator," she reminded him as she felt her throat burn. At that moment, she could barely think, just writhing in pleasure.

"We wouldn't be the first to do this here... but lucky for you, we've arrived." He withdrew his fingers from inside her, hearing her moan in protest at the exact moment the elevator reached the top floor, emitting a ding as the doors opened to the luxurious private hall.

Hand in hand, they left the small space and headed to the room. Both were completely aroused from their earlier play, and as soon as they entered the suite, they didn't waste any time. Tony pulled Pepper by the waist and kissed her voraciously. Holding her thighs, he lifted her and set her down on a small wooden piece of furniture at the entrance of the room. The redhead's hands roamed his back, her nails leaving light scratches on his tanned skin. Her breathing quickened as he squeezed her body and bit her neck. Stark unzipped the dress she was wearing and watched it slip off her shoulders, thankful for the lack of a bra. As he leaned in to play with one of her breasts with his mouth, she took the opportunity to remove his jacket and unbutton the shirt Tony was wearing. With the clothes on the floor, Potts leaned back to give him better access for his play and began to moan even louder, feeling her body respond to his every action.

"We should… take this… to the bed," she managed to say, her breath catching as Tony bit her right nipple.

He didn't respond, just lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. The brunet began walking with her in his arms and laid her down on the bed. He removed the pants he was wearing and, now only in his underwear, joined her. Stark used his hands to trace every curve of her body, while she kept hers on the back of his neck to deepen the kiss and keep him close. The redhead was completely surrendered and wanted more, just like he did, but Stark had other plans first. Using his knee, he began to push her left leg apart, and she automatically spread the other, imagining what would come next. Tony started distributing kisses along her jawline, neck, and chest. He moved down to her breasts and used his tongue to excite her even more. Taking advantage of her distraction, he slid one of his hands down to her center and inserted one finger, then a second, and a third. Pepper let out a small cry and heard him groan something about how wet she was.

Potts was completely undone. Her throat was dry, on fire, and as the man moved his kisses down, nibbling the insides of her thighs, she felt like she was on the edge of a precipice. Tony knew exactly how to make her even more anxious, and the slow, sensual torture was one of his favorite ways.

"Tony…"

"Yes?"

"Please…" she begged with difficulty.

"What do you want?"

"You know…"

"I think you'll have to be a little clearer, Ms. Potts." He continued to tease her.

"I need you inside me right now." If she had to beg, she would.

Tony smiled at her response, and though he wanted it just as much, he still wanted to have a little more fun. Without any warning, he began to suck on her center, making Pepper arch her back in pleasure. She always knew how skilled he could be with his fingers and tongue, but every time they had sex, he seemed to take her to a new level of ecstasy. It was always better than the last, if that were even possible. For long minutes, Stark focused on giving the redhead two orgasms. When he returned to kiss her, he knew she would seize the opportunity to take control of the situation, and as much as Tony loved seeing her in charge and participating in all her games, what he wanted most at that moment was to be inside her. Quickly, he removed his boxer briefs and positioned his penis at the opening of Pepper's vagina, but didn't move.

"Tony, this is torture," she swallowed hard.

"You think so?"

"Don't you?" The redhead pulled away slightly, using her hand to hold and stroke his member, watching him waver.

"Say it again," he whispered, his voice low and husky, filled with desire.

"I need you, Tony," Potts begged, her voice broken with anticipation and pleasure.

With a slow, deliberate motion, Stark fulfilled her request, filling her completely. The thrusts started gentle and slow but soon became strong and fast. It didn't take long for them to climax together, and although the experience had been intense, it wasn't enough to stop them from having another round that would leave marks on each other's bodies. Exhausted, they ordered room service and soon fell asleep.

The next day, they woke up a bit late and had to rearrange their plans for the places they wanted to visit. They spent the day exploring Paris, enjoying every moment as a loving couple. It was around 6 PM when they returned to the hotel. Pepper had just gotten out of the shower when she noticed all the missed calls from Kate on her phone. Worried, she thought about calling her friend, but before she could, the phone rang again.

"Hello, mysterious girl."

"Hey… Is everything okay? You scared me with all those calls. Did something happen to you? To Lilly? To Rick or the baby?"

"We're fine," Kate replied. "I'm the one asking if you're okay."

"I'm fine," said the redhead, a bit confused.

"Really? I was sure you'd be freaking out by now. I couldn't reach Tony, so I thought you might have already killed him."

"What are you talking about?"

Kate sighed on the other end of the line, realizing her friend really didn't know what was going on. "You haven't seen the news?"

"What news?"

"Tony…" she hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "The revelations."

"Revelations?" Potts was completely confused.

"Have you and Tony checked the internet?"

"No… we were busy."

"Right, you should check it," Kate insisted, her voice serious.

"Why? What are they talking about?" Pepper asked as she searched for her laptop, feeling a growing unease.

Tony noticed something was wrong with the call and moved closer to his girlfriend to try to understand what was going on. As soon as she opened the internet page, she saw that several gossip sites were reporting only one thing: their reunion. Photos of them together were everywhere, accompanied by speculations and invasive questions.

"Kate, I have to go," the redhead said, feeling her phone slip from her hand as she processed the flood of information.

From that moment on, there wasn't much to discuss or think about. They quickly packed their things, deciding it was time to go home. As soon as they left the hotel, they were immediately surrounded by a barrage of flashes and questions. Stark placed a hand around the woman's waist, pulling her closer as the security tried to clear a path to the car.

"How long have you been together?"

"Is it true that you're back together?"

"Why did you hide the relationship?"

"Why did you break up years ago?"

"Virginia, why did you leave the US with the twins?"

"Why did you decide to get back together now?"

"What do you have to say about the twins seen with you?"

"Have you kept this five-year relationship a secret?"

"Tony, did you know about the pregnancy?"

"Are the rumors true that they are your daughters?"

"Tony, why have you been away from the girls?"

"Virginia, why did you hide the pregnancy?"

"Do the twins know that you're Iron Man?"

"Are you engaged?"

"Are you planning to have another child?"

"Tony, how does this affect your situation with the Avengers?"

Each question seemed more invasive than the last, and the media pressure was suffocating. From the moment they left Paris until they landed in Toronto, the couple remained silent, processing the turmoil that had formed around their personal lives. When they arrived home, they knew they would need to face the repercussions and decide how to handle the new wave of attention on them and their daughters.