Man Out of Time - A Captain America / Avengers Fanfiction

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Steve brushed a long black hair out of Bernice's mouth, whipped there by the late November wind.

"Are you cold?"

"Not with you here." Bernice leaned back into his warmth. She sank into the shelter of his arms, pulling one arm across her neck to cover where she'd foolishly forgotten to wear a scarf. Or perhaps not so foolish. Ever since he'd seen Bernice with her hair upswept off of her creamy white neck at the party, accentuated by her raven black hair, he'd developed a fetish for kissing her there any excuse he got. The little minx knew it and enjoyed taunting him, tempting him to nibble on the delicious morsel at odd times, such as in front of his gym clients or while waiting in line at the movie theatre.

Steve pulled her closer and stared across New York harbor from the torch of the Statue of Liberty. Officially it was after hours and the Statue was closed, but Tony Stark, the Tin Man who'd suddenly grown a heart, had pulled a few strings to get the caretaker to give them access.

"I still don't understand why Mr. Stark would do this for us?" Bernice asked.

"Pure Machiavellian despotism," Steve said, enjoying the feel of cuddling with a woman who wanted to cuddle with in return. There had been lots of cuddling and kissing since the day he'd told her who he really was. But Bernice seemed to sense he wished to take things slow.

It was a heady sensation, allowing himself to fall in love. He savored each decadent moment as though it were ambrosia. And he was enjoying it. Unlike the unrequited crushes he'd developed as a scrawny asthmatic on girls who wouldn't give him the time of day or Peggy, who'd been oblivious to his affections until the very end, his relationship with Bernice, now that she knew the truth, was easy. Easy to be with. Easy to talk to. And quick to laugh when he got tongue-tied and stuck his boot in his mouth, which he still did with distressing regularity despite how natural it felt to be with her.

"He wants to make sure I owe him lots of favors so the next time he ticks me off, he can remind me how much I owe him."

Bernice burst out laughing.

"You two," Bernice said. "You're like two old prize fighters circling each other at a match of golf. When are you two going to realize you're not in a boxing ring?"

"Meh," Steve said, nuzzling down her tantalizingly bare neck, just begging him to warm it from the biting wind with his lips. "If you think I'm bad, you should see him and Thor go at one another."

Bernice giggled, causing her entire body to tremble against the length of his. Steve nuzzled her neck some more, causing her to shriek with laughter. It did things to him, the feel of her body moving against his. Things that made him think of making their relationship a permanent one. But he was wary. There had been an unusual lull in alien activity. How would Bernice hold up once he started getting called out again? Even as Stark encouraged him to loosen up and have a little fun, his old adversary warned him to make sure Bernice could hold up to the reality of life with a superhero. Most women could not. Steve had given Peggy his word he would shield her granddaughter. That meant not dragging Bernice into a relationship she couldn't emotionally handle once reality intruded back into his life.

"It's pretty up here," Bernice said, the light reflecting off of the golden torch of the Statue of Liberty giving her eyes a golden-brown cast. She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Maybe I am cold after all?"

"Would you like to go inside?" Steve asked.

Bernice cuffed him offside the head for his feigned cluelessness and tugged him down for a kiss, nipping his lower lip. Steve couldn't help but moan, the warm glow he'd been stoking, trying to keep things from getting too hot too fast, shooting flames throughout his body. Bernice had started dropping hints about it being far enough past the third date to no longer be a gentleman. Clint had finally taken pity on him and dragged him aside, explaining the modern notion of the 'third date.'