Oh my~ Relentlessly wiggles eyebrows
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I post sneak peeks to my stories and other things on Instagram! starryeyeddreamseeker
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In an attempt to prevent Bucky from reading the engraving, Steve handed Bucky's present to him.
Prompted by the move, Bucky handed Steve and Lorelei their presents.
"You two were easy, ya both like the same thing." Bucky casually remarked as he tore open his present, revealing a novel that read 'The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett'.
Bucky was pleased, as it was a pocketbook size, of which he could read on the battlefront.
Lorelei felt a pang of guilt at not purchasing the books in a smaller size, but it was too late for regrets, the present had already been given.
"Whaddya mean by that?" Steve questioned, pausing mid tear, confusion furrowing his brows.
" You'll see." Bucky grinned.
Lorelei was busy tearing the paper off, smiling wide at the sketchbook and graphite pencils bundled within.
"Wait, you draw? Why wasn't I told of this?" Steve questioned.
"It never came up." Lorelei shrugged, fingering the thick paper. It was high quality.
"This is expensive!" Lorelei whined. "I would've been fine with cheaper stuff."
"What am I gonna buy anyway?"
"Buy your beau stuff!"
"Like I have a beau now." Bucky quipped.
"You could have one back home." Lorelei pointed out.
Steve, having unwrapped his gift, leaned back against the sofa, taking in the teasing banter between the two.
Bucky turned to Steve, "she's really good."
"Hey! Didn't I say something about your mother telling you not to snoop through other people's things?" Lorelei cried in indignation.
"I remember tellin' you something about you being a natural with flowers after." Bucky quipped.
"That didn't get you a discount now, did it?" Lorelei retorted, feeling triumphant.
Steve chuckled, deep and low, sending thrills through Lorelei's stomach and Lorelei's heart racing.
Steve's gaze lifted, lips pulled up in a wicked, attractive smirk.
Why did he have to be so…
So attractive?
Lorelei rolled her eyes, trying to ignore Steve's burning gaze. He knew what he was doing to her, he could hear her heart, feel her through their Link.
She settled against the coffee table, thighs propping up her sketchbook as she tried and failed to lower her heart rate.
Lorelei smiled, slender fingers grasping the charcoal pencil as she began sketching.
The room grew quiet, filled with tension, making Bucky uncomfortable as the third wheel.
"I'm gonna go put my book away." He said, leaving the two alone.
"So, how long have you been drawing?" Steve asked.
Lorelei shrugged, "I began drawing as a kid trying to get my parents approval, then dropped it in Jr. High, then picked it up in college on and off to relieve stress. I drew a lot on Mars, too. I did a lot of topography work. It definitely kept me sane when I came here." Lorelei said, looking up from the rough sketch she was making. "What about you?"
"Since I was a kid, too. Since I got sick a lot, I had a lot of free time. My Ma got me some papers and a pencil one day, and I got pretty good at it." Steve said, smiling sadly.
Lorelei felt a pang in her heart as she looked at the sadness in Steve's face.
"What if we draw each other?" Lorelei asked abruptly.
"Sorry?" Steve asked, surprised.
"Draw me, Rogers," Lorelei challenged, gaze intense.
Steve swallowed, his own gaze darkening, but he leapt at the chance to draw Lorelei.
"Stay right there." Steve said, the order sending a thrill down Lorelei's spine.
The tension was thick, and even though she had the urge to move, she kept her gaze on Steve.
He concentrated on sketching, gaze serious, (seriously attractive) taking his time.
After what felt like an hour or so, Steve gestured for her to come over.
She stood, leaning over to check out the sketch.
It was her alright. And it was seriously good.
She could see the intense gaze in her eyes, one that could draw in anyone looking, her sketchbook slid to the side in favor of looking at the viewer.
"It's amazing, Steve." Lorelei complimented.
Steve grinned, that same grin that always managed to make Lorelei's heart race and her stomach flutter. His teeth peeked out from behind his lips, perfectly white and straight, just like the rest of him. Perfect.
He was like this cute, perfect golden retriever.
A golden boy.
Lorelei smiled at the thought, a soft chuckle leaving her lips.
Lorelei jolted at the sensation of Steve's rough, calloused hand wrapping around her wrist, his large hand tugging her down across Steve, noses nearly brushing as he steadied her with his other hand on her waist.
"Mind telling me what you were laughing about, Lori?" Steve asked, his gaze teasing.
Lorelei was distracted from the stinging pain in her knees (cause yes, even if she had super healing, and with Steve trying to soften the blow, that shit still hurt, ok?) by the hand pressed against Steve's chest for balance.
She flushed, feeling the strong thudding of his heartbeat under his muscles through her palm. The warmth of his body seemed to spread through hers, scrambling her thoughts, making it hard to concentrate on anything except for the close proximity of his face to hers.
Steve's grin grew mischievous, his sharp blue eyes locking onto hers, making her forget how to breathe.
The playful, teasing tone of his voice sent shivers down her spine, but was nothing in comparison to the pressure on the small of her back.
Suddenly, she didn't mind if he ravished her right there. Her breath picked up the pace, gaze locked on Steve's.
"I—" Lorelei started, only to curse inwardly as her voice came out breathless.
"That didn't sound like an answer." Steve said, smirk widening.
Lorelei swallowed. Hard. She tried to think of anything that wasn't just starting at his lips.
"It's nothing." Lorelei tried to dismiss while pulling back, but Steve held her firm in a gentle, unyielding grasp.
"See, I don't believe that." he said, voice lowering an octave, sending zings down Lorelei's nerves. "You laughed. That means you thought of something, and I wanna know what."
Lorelei's face burned hotter. Absolutely not.
There was no way in hell she would admit to comparing Captain America to a golden retriever. He would hold it against her forever. She needed a distraction-
But then Steve tilted his head, grin softening, eyes maddeningly molten, and damnit, why did he have to look at her like that? Totally unfair!
The space felt non-existent, their breaths intermingling between them and trapping her in place.
"C'mon, Lori," Steve said, lowering his voice, smooth and soft, like satin fabric rubbing against her skin, "you can tell me."
Nope. Not happening.
Her gaze left his lips again with another curse at her traitorous mind to meet Steve's gaze instead which was somehow worse. His gaze told her escape wasn't an option.
Damnit, abort, abort, abort!
The space between them was supercharged, an invisible gravity pulling them forward.
Lorelei's pulse thundered in her ears, erasing any rational thought.
Her body betrayed her, leaning ever so slightly toward him, the sensation of his hand burning through layers of clothes bringing her back to the moment, while also making her float.
Steve's gaze darkened, fingers flexing in a slow, deliberate manner that sent goosebumps skittering in its wake, and Lorelei couldn't help the soft noise that escaped her lips.
"Lorelei." Steve murmured, her name wrapped in velvet.
Steve's fingers instinctively curled slightly against her waist at the noise Lorelei made, making her feel branded, seared in a way that had nothing to do with heat and everything to do with him.
Lorelei was losing this battle—quickly.
She needed to say something, break the tension, throw out some sarcastic comment, anything—
Then Steve moved.
It was barely anything, a slight tilt of the head, a brief brush of noses, yet it shattered whatever control Lorelei had.
Her lips parted, a breathless inhale passing through her lips.
The pull between them was unbearable.
She barely registered moving, barely registered the way her body leaned in until there was nothing left between them until their lips met.
The world tilted, sketchbook and pencils scattered about them.
Steve inhaled against her mouth, his heartbeat, strong and steady under her palm stuttered, (she wouldn't get tired of that anytime soon) then he was kissing her back, slow and deep, savoring every second.
Steve kissed like he did everything else—with an intensity that left no room for hesitation.
His lips moved against hers, slow at first, teasing, testing, before deepening into an all consuming heat. Lorelei melted, fingers splayed against the hard planes of his chest, feeling the quick rise and fall of his breathing.
A slow, burning ache settled deep in her stomach as Steve's hand at her waist slid ever so slightly higher, his thumb brushing against her ribcage, trailing sparks along her skin.
A noise escaped her, and that was all it took for Steve to lose his restraint. He shifted, rolling them so she was beneath him, his arms bracing on either side of her so as to not crush her under his weight.
Her fingers fumbled, realizing where they were- that Bucky was in the other room- but she didn't want this to stop. She found her sling-ring and cast the mirror dimension spell, creating a camouflaging barrier with a flick of her wrist.
Steve let out a low, approving sound, the vibration of it reverberating through her. He was close, his body heat surrounding her, along with the scent of leather which overwhelmed her, heightened by her enhanced senses.
Lorelei's hands moved on their own to curl around the back of his neck, pulling her to him. He let out a low sound, her mind grew fuzzy, thoughts reduced to Steve, Steve, Steve and how this moment felt, how undone she felt just by the press of his lips.
All too soon Steve pulled away, just enough to break the kiss. Their breaths intermingled, heavy and uneven.
Lorelei was still reeling, still coming off cloud nine when she felt him speak, his words rumbling in his chest.
"So." Steve murmured, his lips spread into a lazy grin, voice thick with amusement, and gaze dark. "Are you ever gonna tell me what you were laughing about?"
Lorelei groaned, pressing her face against his shoulder as a furious blush spread across her face.
"I knew it was something." Steve chuckled, sounding annoyingly smug.
Lorelei closed her eyes, wishing she could be anywhere but there. She let out a muffled groan.
"Come on, doll. You've got me real curious now." Steve coaxed, which got a full body reaction from Lorelei.
"You're a menace, Rogers." Lorelei muttered, head tilted back against the floor in exasperation.
"So I've been told." Steve said, gazing down at the bareness of her neck, nearly tempted to kiss her neck.
Her gaze flicked to Steve.
"You do realize Bucky is in the other room, right?"
"Aren't we in your mirror dimension, though?" Steve retorted, gaze amused.
Lorelei grinned, taking them out of the mirror dimension.
Steve sighed, closing his eyes, "alright. You win this round. But I'll get it out of you sooner or later."
"Wouldn't you like to know, Rogers," Lorelei smirked before phasing out from under Steve and turning to pick up her things. Her heart pounded, and she knew he could hear it.
She refused to see his reaction, she didn't dare, but she did hear his chuckle, low and dangerous, chasing after her like an unfinished promise.
She was so in trouble.