I closed my eyes.Do your worse, Alejandro. I’m ready for you.
“I want you to imagine Aiden the last time you said goodbye.”
“What are?—”
“Do it!”
The long, exasperated sigh made it clear what I thought of his exercise. But I played along. Aiden had slipped into a t-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting boxers. They had never been my favorite, but seeing the curve of his ass in them, I’d have to reconsider my bias. While his lower half was memorable, it was the way his eyes darted back and forth as he debated how our encounter was going to end.
I answered his insecurity with tenderness. One hand caressed his cheek while the other pulled at his waist. With only inches between us, I wanted to fill him…with confidence. It wasn’t until he leaned forward, his forehead resting against mine, that I realized my own insecurities might have found their way to the surface. I already plotted a reason to return and stand with my knuckles hovering over his door.
The last words I said before kissing him goodbye were, “Next time, I’ll bring my bathing suit.”
“Xander.” Alejandro poked me in the forehead. “Earth to Xander.”
“Sorry.” Nope, not even a little sorry.
“It’s unsettling to see a smile on your face.”
“I smile.” Okay, the last time I remembered smiling this much was when Bernard accidentally poured salt in his coffee. I didn’t dare laugh out loud at his plight, but I couldn’t hide the grin.
“Nobody is getting hurt and you’re smiling.” I needed to find new friends. “I don’t know what Aiden did to you. But every time you say his name…”
If ever I regretted opening my mouth, it’d be with the next three words. “I like him.”
Alejandro patted me on the cheek. “Now that you’ve admitted what the rest of us already knew, we can get on with our lives.”
“Jerk.”
“It’s a curse always being right.”
I liked Aiden. If anybody else made the same statement, we’d all have nodded and returned to the previous conversation. Hell, Alejandro fell in love at least twice a week. But me? There were booty calls I enjoyed having a casual relationship with, but I didn’t treat them like my little spoon.
“You’re doing it again.”
I growled. It was one thing to have an epiphany about wanting to see Aiden again, even if he was clothed. It was another to have somebody policing the expressions on my face. I’d have to practice in the mirror so I could dodge Alejandro.
“Before I go…” He let the words trail off, his attempt at being coy. It was only a matter of time before he transformed from the caring friend back into his usual sex fiend self.
“I’m not telling you about the sex.”
“That good?”
I couldn’t hide the grin if I tried. “Yeah.” Even as my body recalled the feeling of Aiden under me, my cheeks warmed. “It was very good.”
“Is it going to be good again?”
Sly, Alejandro, very sly.
14
Lei swungthe wheel before slamming the brakes. The ambulance swung about. She dodged the convertible, but we lost the driver's side mirror to a dump truck. I clutched the “oh, shit” handle tight, praying that my stomach caught up. Before I could take a steadying breath, the engine roared to life as she slammed the gas again.
“Hostiles on-site. Leos have arrived.”
The dispatcher had named the three villains that stormed the power plant. Tank. Crete. Bulldozer. I considered all three bruisers—stronger than smart. Any of them could demolish a building without effort, but together, local law enforcement didn’t stand a chance. The time where they’d wait for heroes to come and save the day had long since passed. Lei and I wouldn’t be there to treatpeople with powers. We’d be working to keep regular folks from dying.
Two police cars turned onto the street ahead of us. They weren’t doing nearly as well as Lei as they jumped the curb, trying to avoid hitting an oncoming car. While the police attempted to stop the unstoppable, I wondered if the vigilantes were going to arrive and pick up the slack. Even Hellcat’s expert fighting wouldn’t protect her against these brutes. If they landed a single blow, she’d be dead before hitting the ground.
