As they walked down the hallway, the storm outside raged on, the thunder a distant roar that neither of them truly heard. The thunder of Charlotte's heartbeat and a cool metal hand in hers were the only things tethering her to this Earth. Bucky led Charlotte into a surprisingly spacious bedroom, dark besides the irregular flashes of lightning illuminating the room.

Bucky turned to Charlotte, his eyes searching hers for any sign of hesitation. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, his voice low and gentle.

Charlotte took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. "Couldn't you tell?" She smirked, nodding towards his hand, traces of her that he hadn't licked off still coating his fingers.

His lips curved into a wicked grin she'd never seen before. "Fair point," he said, his voice verging on a growl. His restraint sounded as thin as hers. The difference was he actually knew where to go from here. His expression softened as he cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over her skin, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. "We'll go as slow as you need. You set the pace."

Charlotte leaned into his touch, pressing her lips to the palm of his hand. "Thank you," she whispered. Looking away from his eyes, she added, "I'm sorry I don't know what I'm doing."

"No pressure to perform, Char. We're just...exploring."

She leaned up to press a soft kiss to his stubbled jawline, gratitude at his patience and gentleness bubbling over in her chest. "Exploring, huh? Shame, I think all navigation systems are out."

His grin deepend as he pulled her closer, hands on her lower back. "I'll be your navigation system," he promised, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. "I think I know my way around just fine."

One hand left her lower back and came to rest under her chin, tilting it up. Charlotte's lips parted with her sharp intake of breath and the chill that ran up her spine, and he took advantage. His kiss was deep, wet, slow. His tongue brushed hers, his lips surprisingly soft as they moved in tandem with her own. Their kiss deepened, and Bucky's hand tensed on her lower back, pulling her closer. He was so…strong. She'd sparred with him before, she knew very well how hard he could hit. Now, being pressed flush against him, feeling how deliberate every movement was, how big of a man he was…she felt lightheaded in a way she'd previously only known from bottles of champagne on an empty stomach.

As their kiss grew more passionate, Bucky turned them around so her legs hit the back of the bed. He pulled back for a moment, looking into her eyes, his fingertips featherlight on the bare skin of her arms. "Just tell me if you want to stop, okay?"

Charlotte gave him a playful smirk, trying to mask her nervousness. "What if I want to fast forward?"

His eyes darkened as he laughed softly, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. "Then just let me know." His hands trailed to the front of her shoulders and he gently pushed her to a sitting position on the bed. Kneeling before her, his fingers traced down her arms to her fingertips. He laced his fingers in hers, flipping her palms open and placing a gentle kiss in each one. Blue eyes locked onto hers, looking up at her as his hands trailed back up her arms. They traced her collarbone, down her chest, gently grazing her nipples in a way that made her eyes flutter shut. When she opened them, she saw that wicked grin back on his face as his hands slid down the side of her waist. She'd never felt a touch so gentle, so careful.

This man, this deadly, angry, lethal man…with the most soft, sensational touch she'd ever felt. A dazed grin played across her lips, the irony not lost on her.

The light touches continued, Bucky taking his time to explore and savor each moment. Charlotte's breath hitched as his hands slid along the outside of her thighs, gripping her knees as he gently pulled them open. His eyes never left hers as he placed gentle kisses on the inside of her thighs, slowly moving closer…closer…

One hand reached around to support her lower back as the other gently pushed her back onto the bed. When she was flat on her back, he tugged her hips straight to the edge of the bed, moving her like she weighed nothing. She sat up on her elbows, seeing dark hair and blue eyes lowering in between her legs. She didn't have to see his mouth to know he was grinning as he hooked the sides of her black swimsuit bottoms and slid them off of her body. Discarding them on the floor, he kissed his way back up her inner thighs, pausing so close that she could feel his breath on her in a way that made her want to buck her hips straight into his face. As if sensing her impatience, one finger rose up, tracing a leisurely line right through her soaked center.

"Mmm, this is perfect, Char. So good, baby."

She could hear the smirk in his voice as she moaned, eyes closing and back arching. His finger went up and down, so painfully slowly that she moved her hips against his hand, trying to force something, anything to quell this ache in between her legs. His finger traced slow circles around her entrance, his breath on her inner thighs making goosebumps erupt across her skin. She needed more, more, more…

She arched her back, her hands tangling in his hair. "Bucky…" Her voice was a pathetic moan, but she couldn't bring herself to feel anything but need.

"Mhmm?" He didn't have to speak for her to hear how smug he was at reducing her to a writhing mess with one finger. "What was that?"

"Please," She breathed, pushing her hips against his hand. He was too quick, remaining connected to her by only a fingertip, still tracing tantalizing circles against her.

"You have to use your words, baby."

"More, please…"

"Okay," He planted a kiss at the peak of her inner thigh, but not where she needed him. "Since you asked nicely."

One cold finger slipped into her molten core as his tongue flattened against her just above it. She saw stars as her head fell back to the bed with a moan. His finger pulled in and out, with his thumb and tongue moving in tandem on the most sensitive part of her body. She writhed beneath him, wanting him to never stop but unable to handle the overwhelming sensation all at once. Pressure in her grew as a second finger joined the first moving in and out of her. His free hand flattened across her stomach, holding her down on the bed.

A wave of euphoria began to crest on the horizon. It ebbed closer and closer, her thighs shaking as they squeezed against his broad arms. In a smooth movement, Bucky ducked underneath them so her quivering legs rested on his shoulders. He continued to work a steady rhythm on her, his tongue, his thumb, his fingers all making her feel like she had ascended out of her body. When her back arched and she felt like she was about to burst, he slipped a third finger in.

She cried out, tangling her hands in his hair. His fingers dug into her stomach, feeling the muscles contract. Bucky moaned against her, the gentle vibration from the noise completely shattering her. The wave that had been building came crashing down over her whole body, making her tremble as wave after wave of pleasure flooded through her. He continued to flick his tongue over her, slowly removing his fingers as she continued to clench around him. She was so sensitive that every flick of his tongue made her convulse beneath him, eliciting a small chuckle as he traced her up and down.

Charlotte closed her eyes, head heavy on the bed as she waited to catch her breath. Lifting her head, she saw the most beautiful, damning sight of her life.

Bucky Barnes, kneeling at the edge of her bed. Her legs on his shoulders. His smirk like nothing she'd ever seen before. His eyes locked onto hers as he slowly, slowly, slipped one finger inside her and pulled it back out. When it was free, he lifted it to his mouth and sucked.

He never looked away from her.

Despite the relief she'd just found, she needed more. She needed him again. She needed this arrogance, this gentleness, this overwhelmingly beautiful face above her again. Charlotte, still trembling, raised herself to a seated position, looking down at Bucky kneeling before her. She reached out, taking hold of his metal hand and raising it to her own mouth.

One by one, she sucked the three fingers she owed the best feeling of her life to. She took a note from his book and never looked away from him. The shift in power seemed to go over well. Very well. Bucky's eyes were dark as he watched her suck his fingers. Without removing them from her mouth, he stood, her head tilting up to follow. She sat there, completely naked on the bed, his fingers in her mouth, looking up at him with big, dazed, sex-drunk eyes. She looked at him like she was lost in the desert and he was her water. He never wanted her to be thirsty again.

Slowly tugging his fingers free, he stood to his full height, towering over where she sat on the bed. Some deep, animalistic instinct driving her, Charlotte reached out and slipped her thumbs into the waistband of his boxers, watching him for permission. The look in his eyes told her enough. She tugged them down, biting her lip as she took in the full sight of him, of how badly he wanted her. He stepped out of his boxers, leaning down over her. She crawled backwards on the bed, far enough back that he could climb on top of her. He perched on his hands and knees, looking down at her.

"Are you okay?" His voice was low, eyes breaking the stupor of desire and truly searching hers.

Her heart fluttered at his concern, but her body begged them to be done with the pleasantries.

"Don't ask stupid questions." She reached down, hand stroking him, making his eyes roll back.

"You aren't acting like a rookie." He groaned and closed his eyes.

"I'm a fast learner."

A low growl escaped his lips as his eyes opened and met hers. "What do you want?"

"I think that much is obvious," She breathed, continuing to stroke him.

"Say it." His words were labored.

"I want you."

"Charlotte, are you s––"

"Bucky, I want you, now." Charlotte's hand cupped his jaw, eyes pleading with him.

Wordlessly, his hips dropped between hers, one hand bracing himself above her and one lining himself up. Just the tip made her suck in her breath, but when he pushed himself inside of her, Charlotte cried out. Inch by inch, slowly and deliberately, he filled her. Judging by the way he bit his lip, it was taking every bit of his self control to go at her pace, but he did. He kept himself alarmingly still, allowing her to adjust to him.

"Breath, Char." He stroked her hair off of her forehead, a thin coating of sweat remaining from being wracked with pleasure moments before. She took a slow, quivering breath. Then another. Then another. Every breath helped her unclench her muscles, to relax around him. After a minute of her breathing, her eyes opened and she looked up at him. The smallest nod, a gentle lip bite, the most trusting eyes.

Lifting one hand at a time, Bucky gently took each of her wrists and pinned them over her head. With his arms outstretched, his stomach muscles were visible in all their glory, illuminated by the flashes of lightning that lit up the room. He leaned down and kissed her, slowly, gently. No tongue, no greed, just sweet reassurance. The distraction was just what she needed to relax that last little bit. When he felt her release her tension, he moved.

Charlotte moaned into the kiss, feeling him occupy every bit of her. His lips soft on hers, his legs tangled in hers, his hips against her own, him filling her body. He moved slowly, painstakingly slowly. She kept waiting for his pace to increase, but it didn't. They just moved in sync, sharing one breath, for time she lost track of entirely.

When she felt that greed, that burning desire begin to build back inside her, Charlotte shifted. She untangled her legs from his and wrapped them around his hips, locking her ankles behind him. Pulling herself closer, she ground her hips against his as she found the friction she was looking for.

"Fuck," She breathed, closing her eyes. Bucky adjusted his strokes to accommodate her, both of their hips moving together. That wave began to build on the horizon again, and she writhed beneath him, arms still pinned in his hands. She thrust herself against him over and over, chasing her release. Finally, finally, it had built to a near overwhelming peak. She whimpered as she fought herself, the feeling almost too good, too overwhelming for her to continue.

"Come on, baby, you're almost there," His voice was somehow gentle even through his breathless growl. He shifted to hold both of her wrists in one hand and cupped the back of her head with the other, supporting her.

Another few seconds of grinding her hips and she'd done it. She topped over the edge, continuing to grind her hips on his as she felt the waves of pleasure engulf her. This was infinitely better than the first, feeling so full, so taut around him as she clenched involuntarily. She sighed, her breath ragged as Bucky laid her head down on the bed, stroking her hair again.

"Good girl, you did so good."

In her daze, her mind came back to him, his pleasure. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting his. She leaned up, closing the gap between their faces and kissed him, her tongue trailing along his lips. Surprising him, she took his lower lip between her teeth and bit down every so gently.

"I want to feel you." She whispered into their kiss.

"As you wish," He moaned, releasing his grip on her wrists and dropping to his elbows on either side of her head. She was fully caged in, feeling him all around her, feeling utterly powerless and out of control. His strokes became rougher, harder, less regular. Each one knocked her breath from her, though she still had a hunch he was holding back. Seconds later, it was his eyes that were rolling back in his head.

"Fuck," He echoed her as his eyes shut. She felt his release all through her, the convulsing inside of her, the constructing of his stomach muscles on hers, the shaking in his shoulders, the ragged breath on her ear, sending goosebumps down her spine.

They laid there for God only knows how long. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours. Just skin on skin, sweat mingling, and breathing finally returning to normal. It was thunder that finally brough them back to their bodies from whatever otherworldly plain they'd ascended to.

Rolling off of her onto his side, Bucky brushed a strand of hair from Charlotte's face, his eyes filled with that same gentleness and concern. "You okay?" he asked softly.

Charlotte nodded, a lazy smile on her lips. "More than."

Bucky kissed her forehead, holding her close. "Good. Because this is just the beginning."