Natasha was curled up on the sofa, thirteen chapters into a spy thriller novel when she heard the ding from the elevator. She looked up in surprise, she’d thought all the boys (and girl) were out for the evening.
“Tony!” she exclaimed in surprise, setting her book aside to greet him. His visits to the compound weren’t very often these days. “What brings you here?”
“My house is, uh…. occupied right now. Figured I’d stop by and get some work done in the lab.” He nodded to her. “What are you doing home alone on Valentine’s Day?”
She shrugged. “Clint is home at the farm with Laura and the kids, of course. Wanda and Vision said they’re going to an undisclosed location, Rhodey is out with that woman Stephanie again, Sam found a cute blonde….”
“I meant why aren’t you out? I figured there’d be tons of guys hoping the Black Widow would break their hearts on Valentine’s Day, no?”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have a date tonight either, apparently.”
“Not for lack of choices,” he said, gazing at her over the top rim of his glasses.
“Right,” she said with a grin.
“So what are you up to tonight, since you have the whole place to yourself?”
“I don’t know… I thought I’d just take a long bubble bath, maybe curl up with a good book and enjoy the peace and quiet for once,” she said.
He was quiet for a moment. “What if… I don’t work tonight?”
Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…. since neither one of us is doing anything…. why don’t we be each other’s Valentines?”
She smiled, raising an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”
“We could still stay in. You go upstairs, take that long bath and I’ll make you dinner.”
“You? Cook?” She said doubtfully.
“Just because I don’t, doesn’t mean I can’t,” he said defensively.
She touched her tongue to the roof of her mouth, pretending to think it over for a moment before answering. “Okay,” she said finally. “We can be each other’s Valentines. But we have to get dressed up,” she added.
He smiled a wide, charming smile, his eyes shining behind his glasses. “Deal.”
XXXXX
She took her time in the bathtub, letting the warm water soothe her aching muscles and lathering up the soap suds until the bubbles were nearly overflowing. She poured in some scented oils, letting the serene smells take over her senses as she washed away the day.
Once she could bring herself to dry off, she sifted through her collection of short party dresses hanging in her closet and selected a simple black one that she knew would compliment her well. She curled a few strands of her bright red hair with a curling iron and touched up her makeup, applying a deep red lipstick to her mouth before stepping into a pair of black heels and heading downstairs.
A pleasantly overwhelming array or aromas greeted her as she made her way to the kitchen, and she breathed in deeply, a smile already playing on her lips as she turned to find an elaborate dinner already set on the table.
Tony looked up from where he’d been lighting several long candlesticks with a lighter as he swayed to the sounds of Lionel Ritchie playing lightly in the background through the hidden speakers.
“Wow,” he said simply. He’d regained his composure quickly enough, but she’d seen his eyes widen slightly as they traveled up and down and she couldn’t help smiling in return.
“Wow yourself,” she said, appreciating his impeccable gray and black striped suit, tailored to make him look like a billion dollars.
He reached behind the counter, producing a stunning arrangement of red and yellow roses. “For you, my dear,” he said softly.
Her heart melted for a moment as she took them, closing her eyes and breathing in the sweet floral scent. No one had ever given her a bouquet as gorgeous as this. “They’re beautiful,” she said. “Where on earth did you find flowers like this so last minute on Valentine’s Day?”
He shrugged. “I’m Tony Stark.”
She grinned.
“There’s a little… uh, symbolism there,” he said, gesturing with his hand over the roses.
“Yeah,” she replied, her smile widening. “I got that.”
He smiled back, a soft, genuine smile just wide enough to show his dimples.
“So, what are we having?” She asked once she realized she’d been staring at him a little too long.
“Prime steak with scalloped potatoes, stuffed artichokes, and steamed broccoli,” he said proudly as he poured two glasses of champagne. “There’s vodka and whiskey for later, but I thought we’d start off with a toast,” He added.
He handed her a glass and raised his. “To the most beautiful Valentine I’ve ever had, and a pleasantly surprising evening.”
She clinked her glass against his, then looped her arm around his, linking elbows and taking a long sip from her own glass as she raised her eyes over the rim, locking her gaze on his as they drank.
He pulled out her chair and gestured for her to sit before taking his place across from her.
“Tony, this is amazing,” she said, swallowing a bite of the steak that practically melted in her mouth.
“Can it be our little secret, though?” He asked. “If the others find out about this, our caterers will be out of a job.”
She nodded her head with a laugh. “Mmmmmmmmm,” she said, tasting the potatoes. “Oh, yeah. This is definitely our secret. I want this all to myself.”
His face lit up again in another soft, genuine smile and she found herself wondering what else she could do to make that sincere, unguarded look appear again.
“You know, this is pretty romantic,” she said, stabbing her fork into a piece of broccoli.
He shrugged. “I have my moments.”
“You do this for all the girls?”
“Absolutely not,” he said.
She chewed over his answer for a moment while she chewed her steak, swallowing slowly and taking another long sip of champagne.
“Would you like to dance?” He asked.
“Are you serious?”
He stood, holding out his hand to her.
She took it, letting him pull her away from the table into the open space between the counter and the couch in the common room.
“If you get any more adorable, I might want you to be my Valentine next year too,” she said softly, placing her hand lightly on his shoulder.
He placed his hand just as lightly on her waist and drew her in, enticing her to step closer to him as they slowly started to dance. “Hmmmm…. that gives me a whole year to plan something better,” he said thoughtfully.
She leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes as they swayed slowly to the music.
“This is perfect,” she murmured.
“You’re the perfect Valentine,” he said softly.
“No, you’re the perfect Valentine,” she answered quietly, raising her head to look at him.
His eyes were soft as he gazed back at her, his arms encircling her waist as they continued to sway and it was so easy to tilt her head back and press her lips lightly against his.
He stood still for a moment, pressing his lips to hers too and then one of his hands slid up her arm and along her jaw to cup her face and her arms were tightening around his neck and then he was kissing her for real and she was eagerly kissing back.
She sighed softly, leaning into him as they kissed and he moved his arms back around her waist as he tightened his grip, nearly lifting her off her feet.
His tongue slid slowly over hers and she felt drunk on the taste of whiskey and champagne in his mouth, letting a soft moan escape from her throat as he kissed her more deeply.
She pushed her hands through his hair, her nails lightly scraping against his scalp and she felt his sharp intake of air, his lips never leaving hers.
“Too cliché to do this on Valentine’s Day?” He asked, once they had to break apart for air.
She shook her head, taking a few breaths before leaning towards him again, resting her forehead against his, their faces so close that their noses were touching and all she had to do was pucker her lips before they were pressed against his again.
She wasn’t sure how long they were kissing, but she knew it was a maddeningly long time before his hands finally started to wander and he was lightly squeezing her butt as his tongue devoured hers.
“Tony,” she breathed. She loosened his tie, letting her fingers slip between the buttons of his dress shirt.
He made a soft sound in return, lowering his mouth to her neck and she closed her eyes as she tilted her head all the way back, encouraging him to kiss along the length of it.
He took the hint, lightly nipping and sucking at her flesh as he continued to kiss lower, stopping before he reached her cleavage.
He moved his mouth back up her jaw and kissed the outer shell of her ear before placing his lips over hers again and she moaned again, the sound coming out a little harsher than she’d intended.
“What’s the matter, darling?” He whispered against her mouth.
She pulled away slightly to look at him. “If I was any other girl, we’d be upstairs, tangled in between the sheets by now, no?”
He shrugged. “Probably.”
“So why are we still down here?” She asked.
He moved his hands over her face, his fingers sliding along her cheekbones as he held her steady. “You’re not just any other girl,” he said simply.
“So you don’t want to…” she said slowly, fading into a question.
“Oh, I want to,” he replied. “Believe me, I want to.”
She grinned, running a hand lightly down his chest. “Yours or mine?” She asked, leaning forward and catching his bottom lip between hers.
“Mine,” he murmured, pulling her flush against him.
Her eyes widened. “Oh,” she breathed. “Okay.”
He pulled away long enough to take her hand and tug her towards the elevator.
Once the doors closed, he slung an arm around her shoulders, holding her tight and gently guiding her towards his quarters when they arrived on the sixth floor.
She kicked off her heels at the door, tugged his tie off over his head, slid his jacket off his shoulders, and managed to get his belt buckle undone by the time he was lifting up the skirt of her dress as he reclined into the mattress.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, handsome,” she said, giggling as he pulled the covers over them.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart,” he replied, clicking off the lamp and turning to face her.
She sighed contentedly as she wound up tangled between the sheets and his body.