Winter's Soul (Part 2) 18+ Canon

Chapter 4

Liv woke up with the biggest headache she had ever experienced. As soon as she opened her eyes, the room she was in rotated. She brought up her hand and winced when she touched a sore spot on the back of her head. Slowly, she sat up, taking in her surroundings.

She was in a bedroom, laying on a bed. No pictures that give away who lived in it. She registered the faint sound of the shower from somewhere outside the room. At the end of the bed, she found her coat and purse. Carefully, she put her legs over the edge of the bed, testing if her feet would carry her. When she was sure she wouldn't fall, she grabbed her things and the shoes on the floor and exited the room.

Outside, she found a closed door to her left, where the shower noises were coming from, and to her right, a living room, including a kitchen. Liv snuck past the living room and kitchen to the door. Her hand was already on the handle when she paused. Slowly turning, her eyes landed on the far wall of the room. Several newspaper articles, photos, and file excerpts were hung on the wall; some of them were connected by a bright blue thread.

Liv put down her belongings next to the kitchen counter and walked closer to the wall, recognizing Sam Wilson in several pictures. When she looked around the living room, she saw a sleeping bag on the ground next to an armchair. This was definitely James's apartment.

She turned her gaze back to the wall, following some of the threads and trying to understand the connection James had made. To her right, she noticed a yellow sticky note. The initials glared in bright red at her: A.I.M.

Another thread led to John Walker. She only knew him from all the media circus a while ago. Then he was stripped of his title and responsibilities as Captain America before Sam had taken over.

James left the bathroom, but froze when he saw the open door to his bedroom and the empty bed. His heartbeat sped up in his chest at the thought of losing Liv again. They needed to talk. He had too many questions.

"Interesting collection you have here," he heard Liv say from the living room. "You really think he is innocent, don't you?"

When James kept quiet, she took a look over her shoulder. Her breath got caught in her throat when James came out with a towel low around his hips but otherwise naked.

He took two steps forward, entering the living room, but kept his distance, letting her take him in. And that was exactly what she did. She had never seen him without a shirt, never seen the angry red scars that covered part of his shoulder and chest. Scars that looked awfully much like claw marks. It looked as if he had tried to rip off his arm.

She wanted to walk up to him and kiss him so badly that it physically hurt her. She had missed him so much. Instead, Liv averted her gaze and forced herself to shove her feelings away.

"Come here," James said in a low, commanding voice. He had seen the desire in her eyes, and everything inside of him screamed for him to walk up to her and take what belonged to him.

"No," she said, determined. She couldn't go down that path.

Liv started walking towards the door, but before that she had to pass James. The mere thought of coming near him made her knees weak. She needed to leave. She had to put as much distance between them as possible. It was a bad idea to be alone with him. As soon as she had passed him and weighed herself in safety, James wrapped his hand around her arm and pulled her to him.

"Don't leave," he rasped, looking down at her.

"I have to...", she barely managed to say, lost in the blue of his eyes. Smelling his freshly showered scent that clouded her mind.

"I can't let you go," he whispered, his gaze falling to her lips as he leaned in.

"Try harder," Liv breathed out, feeling his warm breath brushing her cheek.

"I'm not sure I'll ever be able to," he whispered. "Not again."

The urgency in his voice and the fluttering feeling in her stomach made it impossible for her to form a coherent thought. Her heart pounded against her chest at his confession.

She licked her lips, and that was all the invitation he needed. Without a warning, he spun them around and pushed her against the wall behind her. The air was knocked out of her lungs, but she didn't get the time to recover because James was already there, pressing against her. His hands moved to her neck, pushing her jaw upwards towards his face with his thumbs.

His blue eyes kept her captive. The resistance inside of Liv faltered with every moment that she was near him. Feeling him under her touch, smelling his scent, she was about to lose her mind. Suddenly, she wasn't so sure about why she was defying her feelings. Was it so bad to give in? Just this once?

Unable to hold back any longer, he crashed his lips onto hers, and letting all his desperation and longing sink into the kiss. Gliding his right hand into the hair at the back of her head, he pulled, making her gasp and his tongue invaded her mouth.

Anticipation flooded her body as the kiss drove her crazy. Feeling him harden against her belly didn't help either. She wanted him. She needed him, and there was no denial to that. And James knew.