They both hesitate for a fraction, and move at the same time, clashing sweetly in the semidarkness, kissing with a frantic haste that seems almost comical. Tony swings Pepper around, moving her lithe frame easily, spinning them both in the general direction of the bed. She clings to him, mouthing her way down his furred chin and along his throat, making Tony moan happily as the two of them tumble onto the vastness of the California King in a clash of torsos, elbows and legs.

"Okay, glad to see I'm . . . ooohyeah, . . . not the *only* one wantingthis. . ." Tony huffs breathlessly. Pepper is making a determined assault all along his neck, turning most of his concentration to mush even as other parts of his body are firming up fast.

"Yep," Pepper shoots back, not wasting time with small talk. Her hands move to undo his shirt buttons, but Tony catches them by the wrists, lightly, and he rolls over with her, pinning her under him with a happy growl.

"You'll get your turn, trust me. Right now, though, I'm calling dibs."

"On *what?*" Pepper snorts softly, looking up at him in the semi-darkness and wrapping one long leg around his hip. This move makes her skirt slide up; this, Tony likes.

"On everything from your toes to the crown of your head," Tony breathes, and he pushes himself up from her, scooting off the end of the bed and onto his knees. Pepper props herself up on her elbows, a quick flash of pleasurable anticipation surging from her chest to between her legs because she suspects what Tony's about to do, oh yes.

She's fantasized about it, and blushes at the thought, because it's not the sort of thing you tell anyone . . . and it's hard to think, because Tony is pulling her sensible shoes off and playing lightly with her stocking feet now, running his warm hands up her shins and along her knees.

"Legs for miles," comes his little hum, "legs for miles, woman."

"My pantyhose . ." Pepper blurts, but Tony slides his hands up the side of her hips under her skirt and his fingers hook into the waistband. He tugs, peeling her out of both her hose and panties in seconds, dropping both off the side of the bed without a second glance.

Pepper bites her lip, not wanting to think about how much he must have practiced that move in the past, but Tony gives a happy moan and takes one foot, kissing the arch. His mouth and mustache make Pepper yelp, a sound she repeats when he licks the inside of her ankle.

"In the interest of equal time . ." Tony takes the other leg and kisses that arch and ankle as well; Pepper is trying to push her skirt down without much success since Tony has her feet and is kissing his way up the inside of her calf to that oooohsoticklish place on the inside of her knee----

"Damn it!" Pepper moans, squirming seriously now, feeling heat roll down her stomach, coiling there in fresh tension. She looks up at Tony kneeling at the end of the bed, and he catches her gaze before dipping his head and licking inside of one knee.

She yodels again, embarrassed but unable to stop, the sweet helpless notes rising up in response to the contact of wet warm tongue and thin flesh. Tony kisses the spot then shifts to repeat it on the other side, working his shoulders between those knees of hers. His hands slip under her bare bottom and tug, pulling all of Pepper closer to the edge of the bed.

Pepper chuffs a little. "Hey!" She's definitely not used to being manhandled, and she's slightly alarmed at how much of a turn-on it is. Tony's fairly strong.

"Wow." This comes out in a reverent lust-filled wheeze as Tony catches his first glimpse of the beauty that is Pepper's sexuality. She fights once more for modesty, trying to push the skirt down again, but Tony is having none of it, never shifting his gaze as he bends down, hands sliding up her thighs. "You. Are. Gorgeous."

"Oh," Pepper murmurs, not really sure what to say. It's not the sort of thing a person really *can* answer, and right now she's so dizzy and out of breath and not capable of thinking . . .

Tony drops his face and the press of his nose into her silky curls startles her; Pepper yips and starts to sit up, but the hot gust of his breath makes her shiver uncontrollably. In quick reflex she tries to close her knees, but the hard bulk of Tony's shoulders blocks that.

Pepper feels vulnerable, and aroused nearly to the point of pain.

She's not alone. Tony is dizzy; not a surprise since most of the blood in his body is rushing south at the sight before him.

Pepper's legs.

Pepper's bare legs.

Pepper's bare legs, and thighs and daaammmn, that beautiful thatch of glossy red curls between her shapely hips.

The happy valley, he gloats, and because the scent of her sweet enticing musk is compelling him, Tony bends down and breathes in the perfume, flooding his senses with it, letting it burn into his memory because this is something he will never forget, not even in his doddering old age should he live to it.

He trembles, shaken by how much Pepper moves him; how much he *wants* her.

The first kiss is delicate, a tender loving caress, and Pepper gasps. The second one though, is far less chaste, and Tony slides his tongue along the plump cleft of her sex, tasting the tangy sugar of her. Pepper whimpers, but Tony cups her hipbones to hold her still, and he nuzzles again along the warm petals of her vulva, lost in the flavor, the scent, the ripe promise under his tongue.

Pepper squirms, her breathing raspy now. It's too much, and her hands slide to grip Tony's hair, tugging it because she can't . . . God . . . takeTHIS . . .

He's delicate and teasing, focused on drawing out the licks and kisses, taking time to nose his way along the tender crease inside of each hip and then trail his way back again to her plump wet cleft, mouthing it lightly, parting it with his tongue and savoring the long imagined and ohYES utterly delicious taste of Pepper Potts.

Tony is dazed, lost to all outside distractions as he spends quality time on his knees lovingly devouring the goodness that *is* Pepper's Pott, as it were. This pun will come into play hours, days later, and Pepper will blush every time Tony uses it, but for now it's merely the most loving label he can think of in what few fleeting coherent thoughts he has.

Finally taking pity on the squirming, writhing, softly cursing yet completely beautiful, edible woman under his tongue, Tony circles and suckles the pert, pink little button at the rise of her cleft, feeling Pepper clench her thighs against his shoulders as her entire body arches up against his wet mouth in quick hard spasms, her cries echoing in his ears.

He lifts his slick lips from her, panting a little now, thrilled to have made her come. Tony's lust is at a fever pitch; higher and harder than he's been in years; he looks over the limp, sweet landscape of Pepper's half-dressed body and gives a groan. "Jesus,*Want* you!"

"Un-hmm," comes the breathless response. Pepper lifts her head, eyes still unfocused, dazed smile across her face in the dim light. Tony feverishly digs in his right front pocket for the condom there, trying to open the package AND get his pants down all at the same time. If it wasn't so urgent, Pepper would laugh; as it is, she smirks and struggles to sit up on slightly wobbly arms.

It's hard to be coordinated when your entire body feels like melted honey.

Tony is growling now, struggling to encase himself in uncooperative latex, but Pepper smoothly reaches over and encircles his cock, helping to glide the condom in place in a manner both efficient and sexy. He clambers up on the end of the bed, desperate and as close to crazed as she's ever seen him, which is saying a lot, given the years Pepper has worked for him.

She holds out one arm, slipping it around Tony's neck and under the collar of his shirt dimly surprised at how hot his damp skin is, but as her glance drops, Pepper gives a startled whimper. He glances down, momentarily worried. "What?"

"It's . . . um, bigger than I thought it would be."

Distracted for a moment, Tony isn't sure whether he feels complimented or insulted, at least not until Pepper adds, "Be gentle with that thing—it's been a while."

That damned near undoes him, and along with his nearly unstoppable horniness, a rush of love surges through Tony, bringing up all the emotions he's tried to box off or shut away.

He fights for control, and when Pepper coaxes him down into the welcoming cradle of her hips he blinks, eyes stinging a bit. "Not going to last; you *know* that, right?" Tony mutters, pretty sure he'll blow his wad the minute he pushes into her.

"It's okay," Pepper murmurs, lying back and drawing him onto her as his hips rock and he slides into the slick squeeze of her body around his cock.

"Fuuuuuuck!" he groans, his body clenching in joyful chills, his nipples tightening, and the shiver of raw pleasure running down his spine like a long hot tongue lick. His body is primed; there *is* no turning back now, and he begins to thrust, mouth blindly nipping along the hot arch of Pepper's throat. She gives a little cry, and as she shifts her legs up and around him, Tony can't hold back anymore.

He drives into her, drowning in the heat, the absolutely fucking *perfection* of losing himself in the most beautiful, wonderful sexiest woman in his world. Tony comes, so hard it's on the edge of pain but even *that* is wonderful, because his climax goes on and on in pleasure-drenched pulses as Pepper cries and kisses the side of his face, clinging to him.

000ooo000ooo000

Tony doesn't remember rolling off Pepper or removing the condom, but when he wakes up roughly a million years later, he realizes both things have happened and he sighs deeply. Pepper is sprawled out, at least on one side. He himself is curled around her other side, trapping one of her thighs between his own.

He checks the time on the bedside clock: nearly twelve thirty. It's been nearly three hours since Ground Zero, and Tony grins in the dark, feeling elated and blissful. He snuggles closer, enjoying the scent of Pepper; the warmth of her long, slender body against his, and whispers in the softest of voices. "Love you, Virginia Potts. For the record, you are *amazingly* sexy, and gorgeous and wonderful. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she whispers back, rolling to face him, a slightly impish expression on her face.

Tony blinks a little and smiles at her, pulling Pepper closer. "Hello."

"Hey there," she murmurs back, nuzzling him. "You know, for all your faults, you're pretty damned cute."

"Just cute?" Tony pouts a bit, rubbing his nose with hers.

Pepper relents, smiling. "Really cute. And, very, *very* good."

"I guess you *can* believe all the rumors—" he murmurs, pulling her closer. "Except the one about injections of pureed ram gonads, and don't even ask me about how *that* one got started."

"Ew," she volunteers, wrinkling her pointed nose. "Well I can vouch you're a naturally gifted letch with no need of outside support for your erotic proclivities."

"Exactly," Tony solemnly agrees, and starts to lick her neck, searching for the magic spot again. He finds it when Pepper sucks in a quick, helpless breath and arches her hip against him. "Ohhh, bingo!"

"I'm ticklish," Pepper reluctantly admits, as if this is some deep, dark, shameful secret.

Tony arches an eyebrow at her with perfect sardonic amusement. "No! I find that to be utterly and completely unbelievable."

Her revenge comes in the form of a quick slither out of his arms; startled, Tony shifts. "Hey!"

Hands move along his stomach and when Pepper's grip lightly encircles him, Tony bites his lip. The quick, eager rise of his cock as her fingers toy with him is both slightly embarrassing and pleasurable.

"Take your shirt off, Tony," she tells him.

He freezes.

Pepper peels away the rest of her clothing and tosses it off the bed, then turns back to Tony, hands moving to catch him again, playfully. He tries to protest. "I get cold easily."

"Pffft," comes the cheerful, skeptical response. "Given the BTUs rising off you at the moment, I seriously doubt that."

He tries again. "I'm . . . shy."

The dead silence that greets this is the prelude to Pepper giggling, her hot breath against his thigh, and damn it, that does *not* help things at ALL.

"You. Mr. Threesomes. Mr. Naked-Dancing-In-Front-Of-The-All-Glass-Living-Room-Windows. Yes, I'd forgotten *all* about that crippling shyness of yours."

Tony works his jaw, caught between a cock and a hard place, and Pepper, taking pity on him, softly shifts again to turn and face him, stretching herself out on top of his supine body. She is a warm if somewhat rangy blanket of comfort, and Tony moans a little because Pepper feels so gooooood resting on him like this.

Out of need as much as habit, he grabs her ass. Pepper rests her forearms lightly on either side of the arc, looking down at him and her expression is slightly frustrated but loving.

A look, Tony realizes, he's seen a lot and never really recognized for what it *was* before.

"What *is* it? I have seen you in SO much less than this, and we both know it, Anthony Edward Stark. In case it's slipped your mind, *I've* been the one to put you to bed countless times, so I'm already familiar with the um, top half of you. I actually *like* the top half of you."

He pauses, and it's right then, in that hesitation between the twist of his mouth and Pepper's own intuition that she suddenly understands.

She GETS it.

"The arc—" they both say, at the same time. Tony sighs, and Pepper moves, flicking open the buttons of the shirt, baring the subject of the moment. It glows softly, the ten little trapezoids of light looking for all the world like a high tech Trivial Pursuit wheel.

"It's . . ." Tony tries to say something, and whatever it is dies on his lips as he looks up at her. Despite the shirt and the former bravado, in this soft blue haze, he's naked to her now, a small wounded doubt in his dark eyes.

"It's always going to be there," Tony blurts in a bleak tone. "Permanently. Usually I wouldn't give a rat's ass, but—"

"Tony," Pepper moves a finger to his lips, trying to silence him; he gets distracted kissing it. She senses this is the moment that truly will make or break them; at least in terms of intimacy.

Pepper bends down, and deliberately kisses the arc, lips reverently pressing to it before she turns her face up once more, and the blue under-lighting gives her expression an extra sweetness. "It's what keeps you alive, and for that alone, I'm . . . more grateful than I can ever say, Tony. It's *you.*"

Tony can't move for a moment; can't breathe, overwhelmed. Whatever else happens for the rest of his life, *this* moment will be with him forever; he knows that. Pepper, hair tousled, bathed in the blue of the arc, looking at him with those loving eyes---

His hands move fast, shifting from her ass to her waist and he crushes her to him. Tony kisses Pepper, *desperate* to show her how much her words mean to him, and she kisses him back just as hard.

Finally she pulls up, laughing a little, brushing a loose strand of hair back. "Now, before I was interrupted by your, um, crippling shyness there—" And Pepper slithers off Tony, moving to the lower half of his torso.

Her hands touch him once again, and Pepper smiles to herself. Years ago when she was first promoted, a jealous co-worker predicted that her job would include blow-jobs for Mr. Stark. That hadn't happened in a professional capacity, but here, in the warm cocoon of a lover's weekend, well . . .

Pepper settles herself along one of Tony's hips, and takes time to get to know one of the more prominent aspects of her newly significant other. Tony is nicely proportioned, she thinks. Nicely hefty, nicely muscled; certainly a handful and then some. As Pepper bends to lick his cock, she decides that nature has endowed Tony with a bit more here as compensation for his other . . . shortcomings.

"Oohhhh---" he groans, and Pepper feels him throb under her stroking tongue.

"Shhhhh," she warns him absently. "I want this to be good."

"Um, to be honest, there is no way that *anything* about this particular scenario could be bad," Tony mutters, his hand stroking along her hip, his tone very distracted. "Seriously—"

It's time to shut him up, Pepper decides with a smirk, and she sets to work, moving slowly and sweetly, taking him into her mouth and letting her tongue lightly tickle around the hot muscle and veins of his warm prick. It's easy to fall into a deliberate rhythm, going slow, sucking with just enough pull and variation to keep things . . . interesting as she caresses his furry balls.

"Holy mother of GOD!" Tony blurts, and his hand on her hip grips it. Pepper feels his flat stomach tense, and the warm satisfaction of power and pleasure make her glad. She's always been quick to pick things up, and although it's been years since she's sucked anyone off, the fact that Tony is so vocally appreciative urges her on.

Pepper quickens the pace a little, alternating deep strokes with slow ones, and in minutes, the answering swell of him in her mouth is a clear and happy indication Tony is definitely enjoying it.

"GahhhhPepper, Good, yeah, goodbutI'm . . . shit, gonna*come*honey---" he grunts in helpless warning, hips beginning to buck. It's almost funny to feel Tony fighting his own urges. Pepper tips the scales by humming, and that added bit of sensation is more than enough to make Tony growl and thrust up again and again between her slick lips, his grip on her hip tight enough to bruise.

His flavor is bitter and hot, but Pepper downs it quickly, aware that this act alone is probably going to stun Tony, and as usual, she's right. After a few last lazy licks to clean the rest of him, Pepper sighs and rolls, turning herself to come and lie alongside him in the rumpled sheets.

"You . . . swallowed."

"Mmm hmmm."

There is a moment more of silence, and then Tony gives a gusty sigh as he rolls over to kiss her mouth, and then drop lighter ones on her nose and eyelids before pulling her closer to his side. Pepper rests a hand on his sternum, just under the arc.

Tony's voice is thick with satisfaction and sleepiness. "Oh Potts, I am *so* yours, and you can hug me and squeeze me and stroke my fur backwards . . ."

Pepper's laugh, soft and sweet, echoes in the bedroom as they both drift off.

(Author's Note: Thanks for reading. For those of you who've stuck with me this far, Eden In A Box2 will be coming soon! And thanks for the reviews. While I'm glad to be on Favorite Stories lists and Story Alert lists, the Reviews are what keep me writing, so thanks!)