Winter's Soulmate | Winter Soldier ✔

Chapter Twenty Four

~Amelie's POV~

"A bar?"

"Yep."

"You work in one."

"Yes," I nodded again, "and you can come with me.

"Of course I'm coming with you," Winter muttered, a grumpy frown on his face, "I'm not letting you go by yourself."

It was my turn to frown a little, "you don't let me go to work. I go to work. You just get to choose if you want to come with me or not. I love you Winter, but I need more than just the Tower right now, I need to go back to work."

He was stood, unmoving. I hesitated at the shocked expression on his face, a strange glint in his eyes directed at me.

"Winter?" My voice fell to a whisper as he stayed still, towering above me.

"You love me."

I blinked.

I just said I loved him.

I had told him before, in Italian, or while he was fast asleep. Had I not told him like this?

"I do."

My stomach slowly twisted as I waited for him to speak. The silence stretched between us, painfully settling into the cracks of the room.

"If you're not there, it's okay if-"

He strode across the room, backing me against the wall. His hand clasped my shoulder, his breathing hot against my face.

His eyes were dark as he leant down, narrowed in on mine. I could feel his body against me, my heart thudding against his chest.

His lips were parted.

God, those lips.

"Amelie-" his voice was thick and husky, matching the look in his eyes.

"Yes." My voice was barely above a whisper, my stomach swirling with anticipation, trying to figure out if I wore the same look on my face.

He lowered his face, his grip on my shoulder softening and moving to cup my jaw. His thumb rested there, the rough skin sending shivers around my body.

"Can I-"

The alarm I had set on my phone blared through the room, interrupting us. Winter stumbled back, eyes wild and expression blending to panic.

My heart was pounding, my mind frazzled with the new proximity of Winter's body pressing against mine.

I scrambled to find my phone, turning off the shrill bells that were screeching from the speaker. "Sorry," I was embarrassed at how breathless I sounded, "that's for me to go to work. I'll be late if I leave any later."

"Oh." His chest was rising, his shirt tight against his body. He pulled at the hem, cheeks turning pink as he turned around to pull a jumper over his head.

I helped pull his arm through it, as he struggled without his metal arm.

His skin was cold, and caused my body to burn hot. I tried to think of something else as I turned away and pulled my own jumper on, before sliding my feet into my beat up trainers.

Winter held the door open for me, leaving a space so we wouldn't touch. A brief thought that maybe he didn't want to touch me now passed my mind, but when I glanced over my shoulder on the way to the lift, his eyes were following, burning into me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, and stepped into the lift as the doors slid open.

Steve was stood in the corner. I offered him a polite smile, which he reciprocated.