Despite the tears that had welled up in her eyes, Peggy Carter was overjoyed. Privately thanking God, Howard had given her the room as soon as she saw Steve in that hospital bed —still recuperating from his stint in the arctic circle— but amazingly, blessedly alive.
Crossing the room in three large strides, Peggy perched herself on the edge of the bed. Her eyes never leaving Steve’s face.
“Steve…” That’s all she could get out before the waterworks started and she was crying tears of joy and kissing him as if she’d been starved near to death from not being kissed.
Steve immediately sat up in the bed when Peggy entered the room. He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but Howard had filled him in, how they had found his body in the ice. Everyone expected him to be dead. But, by some miracle, he was still alive. Howard had explained it in detail, but most of it had gone over his head.
He was about to apologize for missing their date, but her lips crashed against his before he could get another word about. This one wasn’t like the last, that one had been soft, gentle, tender. But now, she kissed him with a hungry fire, one that only he could quench. So, he grips the back of her head, fingers curling in her hair as he kisses her back with just as much fervor.