Locked, Loaded, Loved ✔️ COMPLETE | UNDER EDITS

Chapter 2.4--Natasha

The game escalated pretty quickly after we returned to the living room. Although, having to wear Steve's shirt as part of a dare was one thing, whereas doing body shots crossed the line. In the presence of the team, I hoped we could easily fool everyone—especially if Tony wanted to continue enforcing the "no inter-team dating" rule.

At that point, I decided I'd had enough, so I announced my retaliation from the game and returned to my room. I laid down on my bed and sighed. I really just needed to be alone for a while to regain my composure.

Knock, knock.

I sighed again. Apparently, no one else wanted me to have my alone time. I walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hi," Steve said, leaning against the door frame.

"Hi." My gaze drew over his face.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

I nodded and let him pass by me before I closed the door.

"You're still wearing my shirt," Steve told me. "I just, um, wanted to get it back."

"Right, sorry." I tugged at the hem of Steve's button-up even though it was obviously too big for me.

Steve crossed the room and sat down next to me. I tucked a hand around his neck and parted my lips to kiss him.

"Nat, how much have you had to drink tonight?" Steve asked. He pulled away slightly, but I could tell he wanted to kiss me.

I shook my head. "I had a glass of wine and that's it. I promise."

"And you're sure you want this?"

I nodded. "Uh huh. Just kiss me already." I pulled on his t-shirt so he was on top of me. His face inched closer to mine and filled the gap, his lips grazing mine softly at first and then more intensely. I lifted his t-shirt over his head and he opened my shirt, running his fingers slowly down my stomach. I tensed slightly from his touch—not because I didn't like it, but because it tickled, and I had never wanted him more than I did in that moment. His head bent to kiss my neck and his lips worked down to the V of my bra.

But the moment was too good to be true.

"Nat, wait." Steve stopped kissing me and sat up. "We should slow down."

"I'm sorry. I just got a little carried away." I said, breathing heavily. I pulled the shirt around my chest.

"It's ok. Look, I want this with you. I want everything with you. But it's all so new. And you said yourself that you wanted to take things slower. And I want to respect that."

That was before you did a body shot off of me...

I nodded. "I understand. I want us both to be comfortable with this."

"Thanks." Steve retrieved his t-shirt from the floor and pulled it on, to my dismay. "I'll see you in the morning."

I walked him to the door. "Don't forget this." I took off his button-up and handed it to him.

"Thanks. It looked really good on you, just wanna point that out."

I laughed. "You're sweet." I let him linger at the doorway for a minute to pull on a camisole over my bra.

"I guess I could kiss you goodnight," Steve said.

"You could." I smiled and leaned in. "But where's the fun in that?"

Steve laughed. "Good one. See you tomorrow."

"Night, Steve." I closed the door behind him and slid to the floor. God, I wish we hadn't stopped. But what would've happened if we hadn't?

Another knock on my door snapped me out of my fantasy. I stood up and fluffed my hair. "Back already?" I asked, opening it. "Oh, it's you."

"Hello to you too, Nat. Can I come in?" Pepper looked around with raised eyebrows.

I nodded. "Sure."

"Did I just see Steve leaving?" she asked.

I bit my lip and sat on the edge of my bed. "Guilty. Yeah, he came by for his shirt since I'd forgotten to give it back to him after the game."

"Convenient. Looks like it went well." She gestured to the rumpled sheets.

"We kinda got carried away for a moment. Anyway, what's up? I wasn't expecting to see you."

Pepper took a seat beside me on the bed. "I wanted to make sure you were ok. I had no idea Tony was going to sabotage you and Steve like that."

"Honestly, I'm not surprised he did. But I appreciate the sentiment."

"I can talk to him if you want, Nat. He's my husband, so he'll listen to me. Well, at least he'll listen about this."

"I really appreciate that you want to help, Pep, but I think it is best for me and Steve to talk to him. After all, he's only doing this because he has suspicions that Steve and I are fooling around together."

"But you and Steve are fooling around together," Pepper pointed out.

I waved my hand. "Not the point. The point is, if you tell Tony to back off, he'll become even more suspicious and probably wonder why I told you and not him."

"Well, if it were me, I wouldn't want Tony knowing I was dating Steve either."

"We're not technically dating," I clarified, trying to keep our story straight. "We're just...fooling around like you said." Even as I said it, I didn't want it to be true. I really liked Steve—that never happened. He wasn't someone I felt I had to get close to for a cover—he was real. My feelings for him were real.

"Can I ask you something?" She clasped her hands together and sat next to me on my bed.

"Sure."

"Why are you hiding your relationship with Steve from Tony and the others?"

I blew out a puff of air. "You know why, Pep. The rules...I'm the reason we have the whole 'no inter-team dating' rule. After my past with Bucky..." I sighed, realizing I was going to have to reveal way more of my past than I ever had before. "I just have had bad luck when it comes to relationships with others on my team."

"Well, what about Clint?"

"Clint is different because he's just my friend. That can be dangerous too, but I trust Clint with my life. Not that I don't trust Steve with my life—because I do—I just see Clint differently than I see Steve. Does that make sense?"

She nodded. "Absolutely. You don't want your feelings for him to get in the way of the mission. I understand."

"Exactly. I would be devastated if I lost him because I let my feelings cloud my judgement."

"Have you set ground rules?"

"We haven't even established our relationship as a relationship. We're both still testing the waters, and all that's included is a lot of kissing."

Pepper smirked. "Well, it's a good thing kissing is good for the soul."

I laughed. "Good thing."

Pepper stood up and headed for the door. "Listen, I won't tell Tony anything about you and Steve, Nat. It's your relationship, your news to tell."

"Thanks. See you tomorrow."