Warrior

CHAPTER TWELVE

BUCKY'S POV

My phone blasts AC/DC's Thunderstruck from my night stand. Whining slightly, I roll onto my back and grab my phone, squinting from the bright screen. Nat's name takes up most of the screen.
"Hey babe," I yawn a little, placing the phone to my ear and sitting up. "You okay?" All I hear is sobbing which jolts me wide awake. "Nat, where are you?"
"Home." Her voice cracks slightly, shattering my heart.
Before she can even ask, I'm tugging my boots on and zipping my jacket over my bare chest.
"Hey, I'll be there soon, okay?" I say gently, grabbing my keys and wallet from my bedside table. "Grab your helmet and jacket."
I stay on the phone with her until I'm down in the garage by my bike and Dion's car. After hanging up, I shove my phone and wallet into a jacket pocket, and swing my leg over my bike.
The drive to the Romanova estate takes almost an hour because it's all the way out in Long Island city. I may have been speeding to get there in under an hour. I pull up outside Natasha's little section and run to the front door without even turning the bike off first.
Nat throws open the door and let's me pull her into my chest. I hold her for a long time and let her sobs become sniffles.
"Let's go for a drive, yeah?" I smooth her hair and kiss her forehead.
Nat nods, her hands shaking slight as she pulls on her jacket and helmet. I do up her zip and the strap of the helmet for her when she starts to fumble with them. We straddle my bike and I pull away from the 'house' and start riding out to Montauk.
The drive is an hour and a half long but I don't mind the drive, and I don't think Nat does either.
Nat's arms around my waist feels amazing but I can tell she's not enjoying the ride much because I feel her helmet pressed hard into my back.
When we finally reach Montauk, I pull over and guide Nat down onto the sand in the moonlight. Despite the cold nip in the air, I shrug my jacket off and lay it on the sand to sit on. Just so everyone is aware, I'm wearing sweatpants and not just in my boxers or naked. It's too cold to sleep naked at night.
"Come here, babe," I sit down and open my arm for her, smiling gently when she comes and snuggles into my side. Both of us watching the waves hit the sand in the moonlight. "Would you like to talk about it?"
"I had a dream about you," Nat's voice is hoarse and barely above a whisper. Somehow, she cuddles further into my side. I look down at her, full of confusion because what ever she dreamed about to do with me, was not good. "I don't know where you were but you were scared. You were older, your hair was shoulder length."
"What else?" I don't want to press her but I want to know more.
"One of your arms," She sucks in a breath and squeezes my torso. "It was missing. That shoulder was dripping with blood. You looked like you were dead."
My heart either stopped working or is pumping so fast that I feel like I'm about to have a stroke or something. Nat moves to straddle my thighs, her hands going through my hair and tears streaking down her face. Her emerald green eyes are dull and sad.
"I won't let that happen to you." Nat promises, placing a hand over my heart.
"It won't. It was just a dream, it'll never come true." My words are to assure her but I don't believe them, it's freaking me out but I hold all that in and promptly kiss her soft lips. "You will never see that happen to me."
"I'll kick your ass and kill everyone who ever lays a hand on you." Nat sounds murderous, and possibly more terrifying than her dream.
"I can handle myself." I promise her, massaging her hips in the hopes that her murderous side dies down.
It hits me that I should tell her that Steve and I are doing an army training program when we graduate. We've been planning it long before we met Nat. I feel bad that I haven't told her yet. Another day. Right now is about her.
"Why'd you bring me out here?" Nat finally asks after turning and moving to sit between my legs.
"I like coming out here." I shrug, kissing her shoulder. "Before my parents got into what they did, we would come out here."
"It's beautiful." Nat's statement us very much correct.
"Not as beautiful as you." The words just fall from my lips but it's the truth. "You're more gorgeous than Aphrodite herself."
"I never knew someone could be so cheesy and so brave as to compare me to the goddess of beauty." Nat chuckles, her back vibrates against my chest.
"She could smite me for all I care but my statement about you would still be the same." I look up at the dark sky to see what happens but nothing does. "You are so beautiful," I kiss her shoulder between each word. Letting my cheesy side free. "And gorgeous," I press my lips into her neck. I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm just going with the flow. "And sexy as all hell."
"We're in a public place, James." Her words jar me out of my trance, causing me to feel embarrassed. "Let's have a date night, and we'll see what happens."
"I've never actually had sex before." I confess to Nat. "I'm an eighteen year old virgin."
"We'll take it slow after dinner." That's helps me relax a little. I've wanted my first time to be special, not drop the pants and get it over with. And I want it to be with someone I care about, like Nat.