Pepper would never be just one of "those girls" to him. She was so much more, and he really didn't let her know enough that she was. If that was all he'd ever wanted from her, he could have seduced her in time to fall into that same trap plenty of other women had fallen for.
But Pepper had set herself apart from them all. That was why she was his assistant, his best friend, his everything.
Almost everything.
She could always tell his motives, though in reality, Tony really did want to kiss her, not to shut her up or get her to do whatever, and that small contact of their lips reminded him of the night the danced, and how he'd let that Everhart bitch distract him from Pepper with those pictures. He still hadn't forgiven himself for that or made it up to Pepper yet, but he'd rectify that one day.
He paused in his movement to claim her lips, licking his own as she dodged his kiss. He could feel the gentle brush of her nails against his skin through the shirt as she wrapped her fingers in the fabric. God, how that must feel if she scratched them down other parts....
"Please don't hate me, Pepper," he responded softly. "You're all I've got, and I need you."