Miracle's Touch

by J. A. Cipriano

  His fears melted as his yearning increased and before his foolish, glorious brain could butt in again, I stretched up, tilting my head as I guided his down, and kissed him deeply, right there in the center of his shattered ballroom.

  It wasn't quite like the fairy tales said it would be like, with a mutant dinosaur at midnight instead of my carriage turning into a pumpkin, but it was close enough for me.

  12

  It didn’t end there. Neither one of us wanted that, even if we hadn’t gasped out yeses within moments of our first kiss. Any fears, inadequacies, or concerns for the future were gone, and only desire remained. I was tearing at the clasps of his cape with one hand even before we made it out of the ballroom, my legs already wrapped around his waist as Paragon cradled me in his arms. One of his powerful arms looped around my waist, hand firmly planted on my butt, while the other ran through my fiery red hair, searching for the edge of my mask.

  In our tangle of passion, it shouldn’t have been a shock that, as Robert stumbled back towards the steps out the back of the ballroom, he crashed into the wall beside it. Caught up in the moment, neither of our superhuman bodies cared as he casually cratered into the plaster and drywall, dust settling over us as I finally tore his cape free and he managed to peel back my cowl. Wiping the white stuff off of his bald head, I laughed throatily, feeling his growing erection through the tight costume, my own panties dampening at his arousal.

  “I think we might do more damage to the house than Magnetaur did,” I teased as he pulled us out of the crater.

  “So be it,” he murmured between kisses up the side of my neck. I didn’t even try to bite back a moan of pleasure. “I’d break every wall in this house for this moment. It’s been so … long.”

  From what I could tell, long could describe many things, but I kept at least part of my mind above the obvious. I was struck by how long it probably had been for Robert since he had made love, and that brought a renewed surge of sympathy and desire for him. What can I say? I’ve always desired men I could help, men that needed something I could give.

  “Are we going too fast?” I managed to get out as our tangle of bodies started to float up under Robert’s power. Our ascent was slow, but that question did catch his direct attention at least for a moment. “I know you’re fiercely alone, and I can’t imagine how long it really has been for you, but …”

  He answered my words with a kiss, softer, less filled with raw hunger. As I returned it, I let my legs loosen around him, holding on tighter with my arms. That electric warmth, the thrum of whatever my powers came from, grew with every lingering moment while still yearning for more. What seemed like an eternal moment later, hovering now near the grand height of the ballroom, our lips finally parted.

  “Christine, the fact that you are still thinking of me even now when you know you could have whatever you wanted …” Robert let out a slow, hot breath as he gazed into my emerald eyes. “That speaks more than anything of why this is the right thing to do. Maybe this is naivete on my part, maybe I’m so lonely I’m willing to believe what I shouldn’t, but this once, I want to look at the present and not the future.”

  A small smile played across his lips. “And the present, that is you, here in my arms.”

  Even if I couldn’t see right into Robert’s heart, privy to every emotion there, I knew he was laying his soul bare. Fortunately, he wasn’t being naïve or stupid. I knew that I was the right person, at the right time, the woman that wouldn’t take advantage and had something just as precious to give to him. It was something I felt deep down, even if I wasn’t sure exactly what it was.

  I matched that smile, cupping my hands behind his neck. “I’m glad you trust me. I won’t let you down. Now … we shouldn’t wait and let the present pass us by.”

  Paragon nodded slowly, sliding a knee between my legs to part my thighs as I slid a hand down his perfectly sculpted chest, fingers searching for the zipper or catch that had to be there. “I agree.”

  We ascended higher as he pulled me in tighter. Right before we crashed through the ceiling and added tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of property damage to our tally, Robert raised one hand, the other arm still firmly around my waist, a blue glow cascading outward. The roof warped and shaped under his power, parting before us like the Red Sea.

  Most people would have gawked at the light show, or stood in awe of the power on display as we passed through everything in our path, but I was focused purely on the man in my arms, with his arm around me. I managed to find the catch and zipper on the front of his uniform, neatly hidden in a seam, and had it half undone when we finally slowed to a stop, the holes Paragon opened closing seamlessly behind us.

  That made me glance up for a moment, taking in the part of the mansion we wound up in. While the rest of the mansion certainly reflected the man that was Robert Washington, it also felt that it was partly for show, as if that old money extravagance was expected of him. This room though felt like it was one-hundred percent him, the true sanctuary in the middle of the fortress.

  It was surprisingly spartan, with stark white walls that had a sheen to them that made me think they weren’t of any normal material. Plush blue carpet covered every inch of the floor, while the center of the room was dominated by a large, custom-made bed, perfectly made up, the frame made of some wavy-grained metal, probably Infinisteel, another S.O.S. special. It was supposedly indestructible, but a little voice in my head made me wonder if we could manage to break it if we tried.

  Around the edges of the room was very down-to-Earth furniture. A comfortable looking reading chair by a varnished oak bookcase. A glass-topped desk with the same built-in computer as my office desk. A wardrobe that looked passed down from generation to generation and still serving the Washington family well. Save for the bed, it could have passed for the personal space of any normal man, not what one might imagine from the mightiest hero on the planet.

  I looked back up at him, the two of us still floating in the air, drifting closer to the bed. “Thank you for showing me this,” I breathed out softly.

  Robert arched an eyebrow. “You’re welcome but … it’s just a room.”

  “No, it’s your heart.” I pulled myself up in his hold to give him another kiss. “Now, let’s see if I can get the rest of this off you so we can properly test that bed.”

  Before I could start tugging at the skin-tight material of his bodysuit, he put a finger to my lips to stop me. “I believe I can take care of that much more expediently.” His eyes flared blue, and as he did on the rooftop when treating me, both of our costumes simply peeled away, breaking apart into their composite molecules and reforming, neatly folded in two piles, on the nearby desk.

  My eyes went wide for a moment before excitement shot through my veins. “Why, Mr. Washington, who knew that your powers could be so handy in the bedroom?”

  He chuckled as we drifted apart in mid-air, hands clasping, and I wasn’t even sure anymore if he was supporting us both or whether I was aloft under the surging power in me. Either way, I was thankful for the view. While Paragon’s body-hugging costume left little to the imagination, this was one of the few times that reality overshadowed my imaginings. He was a near-perfect specimen of manhood. Broad shoulders flowed into a muscular chest and symmetrical six-pack abs, forming a narrowing triangle down to a narrow waist culminating into his still-hard length. As with every other aspect of Robert’s body, it was large but not excessive, thick without being massive, and certainly ready for action.

  As my eyes roamed up and down his body, Paragon’s eyes were doing the same to me, his desire peaking in rhythm with mine. “You are … so beautiful,” he whispered, and I swore I could hear the heat off every syllable.

  From there, words were unnecessary. I pulled myself into his aerial embrace, certain I wouldn’t fall no matter what we did, giving my hands free range to roam and explore every chiseled curve of his form. Robert gently cupped one of my breasts with a hand, playfully tweaking the nipple as
they immediately hardened under his touch, while his other hand helped guide my hips towards his member. My breath hitched as the heat in my core rose, and the power in me soared, the tip of his length teased at my silky folds.

  There was a fleeting pulse of concern that mixed with Paragon’s desire and now closer to him than before, it was like I could read his mind. A flash of an image, his last kernel of doubt that something could happen to me in bed similar to what I did to Jackson, but I cut that off with a steamy kiss and whispered words.

  “I’m tougher than you know, Robert,” I gasped out as I invited him inside me.

  Inch by inch, he filled me up deliciously, electricity at our closeness running up from my center to every inch of my body. What had started as a gentle floating turned into wild, dancing spins through the air as I kissed his mouth, his neck, his ear, between moans of growing intensity. His hands explored every inch of my body with every thrust, our shared ecstasy so encompassing, neither of us noticed the light spilling off of us or the air rippling with the vibration of every moment.

  I can’t say for certain if it was literally world-shaking sex, but we did shake the entire mansion.

  The bookshelf tipped over as our wild abandon took us to one wall, his forceful push taking me to the wall, cratering the reinforced wall as easily as the ballroom’s plaster. All that it elicited from either of us was a teenager’s giggle before continuing our fervent lovemaking as we both worked towards completing, each of his powerful thrusts coming close to hitting the perfect spot.

  With a loud cry, on the edge of orgasm, I pushed us out of the wall, arms wrapped around his chest as he firmly held to my ass, guiding each of his movements as he squeezed. Ripping free from the crater, we spiraled madly, our path guided by our passion, before finally crashing down into the feather-soft bed and silky sheets, Robert beneath me as the Infinisteel groaned from the force of our landing.

  I thrust down as he pushed up with his hips, my body rocking back as my legs straddled his hips. As a hand reached fervently for one of my breasts, Robert reached his climax, his heat filling me, as I let out a cry of pleasure, head rocking back to the ceiling. The release, the force of our movements in it, was punctuated by a screech of metal and cracking of stone as something gave way below us, the bed skewing at an odd angle, but nothing was going to stop us from completing this moment.

  As if Robert could sense I wasn’t quite there in the same way I knew he was, he grunted as my body rocked back down towards his, the hand on my breast moving around to my back as he twisted me over onto my back. Buried in the softness of the bed, he clasped both of my hands, palm-to-palm, and pushed me down into the bed, looking down at me with hungry passion as he sped up his rhythm, taking me to the edge of ecstasy and beyond. The glorious feel of my orgasm was all-encompassing, only enhanced by my newfound power and strength.

  Something inside me expanded outward and the tingly warmth that accompanied my powers soared into an electric starburst inside, even as it seemed to me in that sweaty, passionate moment to flow through Robert was well.

  Then the bed’s legs gave up the ghost. The supposedly indestructible Infinisteel gave way under our passion, and the frame collapsed in a violent screech to the floor.

  Panting, he looked down at me and I up at him, and we both laughed before we started to kiss again.

  13

  I woke up to warm shafts of daylight playing across my face, feeling more amazing than I had ever felt in my life. Blinking slowly, I stretched out on Robert’s bed, taking every little second to let the joy, ecstasy, and, well, fulfillment of the previous night settle through my body. As the moments and memories percolated through me, a few things became obvious.

  First, I definitely did not remember there being a window in the bedroom, because we would have broken it during our wild lovemaking. Second, the bed was intact again. Both of those were easily explained, though, mutable things by the whim of Paragon’s power. Less explainable was the fact that I was alone in the bed and in the room.

  For the briefest of moments, a pang of worry shot through me. Did something happen? Another villain attack, some emergency, or even the ever-classic ploy of slipping out before the girl wakes up and you have to explain things, those thoughts raced through my brain. All those wild ideas were cut off by the electric tingle in my spine as I realized I knew precisely where Robert was.

  It wasn’t some reporter’s deduction or clever observation. No, the empathic sense awakened inside me could sense him, not just what he was feeling, but exactly where he was in the house, like some unerring radar. Robert was mostly happy, satisfied, though distracted by something, down the hall from where I was. Relieved, I sat up slowly and stretched, yawning as I got my bearings.

  Along with the new window and repaired bed, the rest of the place seemed to be fixed as well. The bookshelf was righted and restocked, the walls smoothly refinished, and everything in its place. On top of Robert’s computer desk, my Ms. Miracle costume was still neatly folded, but Paragon’s was gone. In its place was a black cardboard box with a folded slip of paper on top of it.

  Speaking of fixed, my broken knuckles felt completely whole. In fact, I didn’t have the least ache or pain from the fight with Magnetaur, not even a strain from that haymaker I threw to his stupid snout. Even the lingering throb of the bullet wound in my shoulder was gone. There wasn’t even a scar. For a moment, I wondered if maybe Robert had fixed it somehow, but I knew that was beyond even his vast powers. Staring at my hand, I flexed my fingers a few times and found myself smiling as I felt the tingling power inside me humming twice as strong as it was the day before.

  I could sense a growing kernel of anticipation in Paragon’s heart, even half-way across the manor, so I decided to finally rouse myself from the bed. In the back of my head, a little voice told me I promised Jackson a story for the morning edition, but he and the Sentinel could wait. Assuaging that nagging voice with a promise that the story he would get would make up for the wait, I hopped out of bed, far sprightlier than I should have after the intense activity of last night.

  I padded over to the desk, stifling a yawn, and picked up the note labeled ‘Christine’ in a tight, precise script. I flipped open the note with my fingers, reading through it as I fiddled open the box with my free hand.

  I guessed that you wouldn’t want to walk around the mansion in full costume this morning, so I took the liberty of checking your sizes through Powerstyles and producing some casual clothes for you. If you need it, the master bathroom is through the door to your right, and if you need any other assistance, Benedict is at your service. I’ll be waiting for you in the upstairs breakfast nook.

  Love,

  Robert

  Some women would have been worried by the use of love so quickly, but not me. I had the unique advantage of seeing into his heart, knowing how true that statement was. The bathroom was a great idea, I mused as I opened the box. While I felt fantastic and full of energy, last night had been hot, sweaty, and more than a little dirty.

  I smiled as I looked inside. Carefully arranged and folded inside were a beautiful green silk blouse, comfortable-looking denim jeans, cute black leather pumps, and an oddly plain set of underwear, cotton panties and a sports bra. I found myself wondering if Robert had ever been dragged through a lingerie shop before. Hell, had he ever had a girlfriend or paramour on record? Not that I could remember, and I had researched the man more than once.

  I was also delighted to find that the vital things I had in my little clutch purse, like my IDs, my wallet, my phone, all that had been saved when Paragon had pulled his fairy godfather bit with my gown. Of course, now I had two costumes and no dress, and my bank account wept. Shaking my head, I realized how little that mattered. At that moment, what mattered was the promise I had made to Robert to help him and protect him, and the room-shaking sex sure didn’t hurt.

  Look, I might be idealistic, maybe even naively so, but I wasn’t a nun or a saint.

  Scooping up th
e box with a big smile, I showed myself into the connected master bath and got ready for the day. While Robert’s bedroom may have been plain and utilitarian, he hadn’t skimped as far as this bit of creature comfort. Black-and-white porcelain tiles lined the floors and walls of the main bathroom with the sink and massive shower crafted from polished marble. The plumbing was all polished, stainless steel, with every bell, whistle, and option available. Someone had even gone to the trouble to lay out a neat pile of towels and toiletries for my use

  I made the most of the place, taking my time to luxuriate and pamper myself a little. After a good hour or so, I was finally ready. Clean, dressed, and ready to face the day. The entire time, the precise sense of where Robert was, how he was feeling, never faded. Even if he hadn’t told me where he was, I would have been able to go straight to him.

  It was a deeply intimate connection, one that was strange and uplifting all at the same time. As I took one last look in the mirror, at the perfect face that stared back at me that almost looked like a stranger, the last five days sunk in. Some people might have snapped or at least questioned what the hell they were doing, thinking they could step right up into the pantheon of legends and sleep with the world’s most eligible bachelor. Me, I smiled.

  This felt right. This felt good.

  Following my connection to Paragon, I stepped out of his bedroom and into one of the well-appointed halls of the manor. There were muffled sounds of construction equipment that went along with the mixture of emotions I felt at the fringes of my senses, men hard at work. I guess Robert either couldn’t fix everything or didn’t have the time. Probably the latter and no doubt the money needed to fix the ballroom would boost the local economy a peg.