There Goes My Life

Chapter 5

Pepper awoke with the sunrise and she reached for her blackberry and automatically cleared Mr. Stark's schedule. She knew he would be hungover and in pain and thought maybe he would want to spend the day getting Tiffany acclimated. Pepper got up and started the coffee machine. She opened the terrace door and went outside to feel the sun on her face. This was really happening. Tony had a daughter. According to him he didn't know anything about her. And he had his heartbroken and that explained so much. He didn't always treat sex like a basic need like oxygen and water. He was capable of love. And it made her smile. It warmed her inside. She thought of the kiss they shared and wondered if she should bring it up or not. She decided against it and decided to go back inside to respond to the growling in her stomach.

When she opened the door she saw Tiffany at the counter drinking her coffee.

"Do you want milk or sugar or in that?" Pepper asked.

"Nope. I like it black" she said.

Pepper smiled. That was the first similarity between her and her father.

"That's how your father drinks it" Pepper said pouring him a cup.

She also grabbed ibuprofen and water with electrolytes. This was beyond her job description. Tony was a grown man and he could wake himself and get his own coffee so the question she constantly asked herself was why? Why do I do this? And the kiss came back into her mind. It made her dizzy to think about. His intoxicating smell, how soft his hair felt in her hands, his gorgeous lips enveloping hers. And the feeling of sparks between them. She pushed it out of her mind. It was a work day and she needed to focus.

Pepper slipped into Tony's bedroom and the morning light was starting to pour in and spread across his bed. Pepper put the water and the bottle of electrolytes in the nightstand followed by his coffee and she gently shook him.

"Tony?" she cooed as she gently shook him.

She noticed how chiseled and firm his back looked and felt under her hands. This was something she never noticed before. Damm she thought as she bit her lip.

Tony opened his eyes and he heard Pepper's sweet voice. He rolled over slowly and he saw her standing there in his royal blue silk pajamas.

"You spent the night?" he asked while wincing from the splitting pain in his head.

It felt like a giant boulder was sitting on it. He reached for the ibuprofen and water quickly. Then he needed to drink his coffee.

"I did. I didn't want to leave Tiffany alone after what you did last night" Pepper exclaimed.

"Why didn't you sleep in here with me?" he said like it was no big deal with a giant grin on his face.

"Because you're my boss Tony and that would be inappropriate" Pepper stressed. God I wanted to crawl in there with you so bad, she thought.

"Only if I say it is. And you look great in my pajamas. But then again you'd look good in a potato sack" he said.

"Tony can you be serious for five minutes? I'm going to make breakfast for Tiffany and I'm being nice enough to see if you want anything. And then I need to go home and shower and get fresh clothes on so I can come back and take Tiffany to the store to get whatever it is she needs. And Dr. Young is coming over to look at you since you fell last night. And I was nice enough to clear your schedule for the day" Pepper said to him in an all work no play tone.

"Are you always like this this early in the morning?" he asked just to get a reaction out of her.

A smile was creeping up on his face until and then Pepper gave him a look and he changed his tune.