by Lola Dodge
Black and silver lightning sparked along my arms, and a tear grew in the fabric of space in front of the two men. A life in Hell was exactly what they deserved.
“Jenny…” Drake’s smile faded. “Don’t do this.”
The building shook as the portal widened, and demonic screams carried the scent of sulfur in their wake. Strong arms wrapped my shoulders. Tank. “Don’t, Jenny.”
I pushed him away. He careened into the desk, slipping on the ice that spread across the floor. I frowned. I hadn’t meant to use that much strength.
The portal screamed louder, drawing my attention. Phantom arms reached through, and the two men trembled. Spectral flames reflected in their eyes. I felt powerful.
Invincible.
Tank grabbed me again, this time, adding his power to the hold. The portal guttered for a second, but I slipped his mental hold. He couldn’t contain me anymore.
I lifted a hand to shoo him away for good, but he grabbed my wrist and snuck under my guard for a kiss. Warmth shot through me, with a heady blast of emotional feedback. Tank’s screaming worry. The depth of his concern, and an all-encompassing love that brought sunshine to the shadows in my mind.
I gasped.
The powers slipped my hold. As the hell portal flickered away, the shadow bonds dropped Drake and Sam, and the other leaking abilities receded. The building stopped shaking.
“Shh.” Tank stroked my hair as he cradled me. “No harm done.”
My face was damp. I wiped the tears, both bitter and glad that he’d stopped me. “I want to kill him.”
“Me too,” Tank said. “But that’s not what heroes do.”
“I’m not—” I began.
“You are.” He squeezed me tighter. I didn’t really agree, considering I’d just tried to send two men to Hell, but Tank’s words filled me with pride. His opinion meant that much, and he’d put himself on the line to save me from my darkest self.
Drake groaned and started to climb to his feet. Burn marks twisted his skin where the shadows had touched, and he leaned against the wall to stay stable.
“Let me take care of this.” I tried to stand, but it didn’t go well. Stars flashed behind my eyes, and my feet felt disconnected to my body. Tank kept me upright.
I let go of him and tumbled into Drake. “I’ll never forgive you.”
“A kiss for good luck?” Drake smirked.
Suppressing the urge to vomit, I met his lips and bit down hard. He flinched, and his power roared into me as he crumpled.
I only went a little easier on Sam. He hadn’t ruined my life, but he was still Drake’s minion.
The second rush of power should’ve given me more energy, but I’d already channeled too much for one day. Tank caught me when I fell.
I had a feeling he’d be doing a lot of that in the future, and the idea thrilled me as Tank swept me up. I could get used to it.
Jenny slept. It was deep, dreamless and untroubled. I wanted to join her, but there was still work to do. I kissed her forehead. We’d have time.
I held her tight as I carried her down to the lobby. Cops crowded, cuffing supers and criminals while Ruin and the guys directed. They split away and their relieved thoughts washed over me as they closed in.
“You barely made it to the fight,” Ruin said. It was iffy for a minute there.
I nodded to his thought. “Had to take care of some things first.” Jenny stirred, making a contented cat noise that drew the guys’ eyes.
Lucky bastard. Cyclone’s gaze lodged in Jenny’s bustier. I’d love to—
I cut the thoughts and went around the circle, fixing them each with a glare. Jenny was mine.
“I’m getting married.” Panther lifted his hands, retracting his claws.
“We’d never touch her,” Thunder said. “Steel maybe would…”
Steel. That idiot was the reason we’d gotten into this mess. I flipped Jenny’s cape over her body, shielding her from view. She tucked her chin against my chest.
All things considered, it had turned out all right. We’d busted a criminal mastermind, and I’d found the only woman who could hack a relationship with a mind reader. Hell, I was the one who’d need to keep up with her. “You guys came in the jet?”
“Need a lift?” Thunder asked.
“Nah.” I wanted to be alone with Jenny without my buddies’ thoughts crowding in on us. “You guys stay and take care of the city. I’ll hire a pilot and take her home.”
“How long you gonna be gone?” Ruin asked. She’s got it bad for you.
I glanced down at Jenny. “A while.”
I knew we’d flown back to Vegas when Tank eased me into my bed. He tried to leave, but I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stay while I slept off my injuries and a few days of mental abuse.
When I finally came to, I smelled breakfast.
Tank strode into the bedroom with a tray, piled high with eggs, sausage and frothy, fresh-squeezed orange juice.
“Marry me.” I reached for him and the food.
He set the tray on the nightstand with a laugh and kissed my fingertips. “Feeling better?”
“Fine now.” The heat of his lips lingered on my hand and woke the rest of my body. I still ached, but I was ready to try Tank on for size. I glanced up through my lashes, leaving my mental pictures wide open.
“Not yet.” He pulled away with a wistful sigh and set the tray on my lap. “Eat. We have to pick Steel up from the station, and you’re still weak.”
“Buzzkill.” I grumbled, but picked up a piece of sausage. My stomach was hollow, and I did still feel a little woozy. “He got off?”
“She dropped the charges. It was a stunt all along.”
“Good.” I took a sip of Tank’s brewed-to-perfection coffee. Tank wouldn’t keep Steel around if the guy weren’t a solid hero. Maybe he was just a pathological flirt. I’d only met him that once, and it was hard to judge a man’s full character by his bachelor party etiquette.
After a full buffet and a long shower, I was three quarters human and ready to deal with the station. We went down the elevator hand in hand, and as we stepped onto the casino floor, Tank moved his arm to my shoulder. I hadn’t felt so complete in a long, long time. Maybe ever.
I waved to Seth as we crossed his territory. He gave us a curt nod, and Tank had a sly smile on his face. I hoped they hadn’t been arm wrestling while I was out.
We crossed the lobby, and as soon as the doors slid open, cameras flashed and microphones appeared under our noses. Cops, I was ready to deal with. The paparazzi, not so much. I glanced at Tank. He sighed at my thought and shrugged.
The reporters gasped as we both flashed invisible. Being super wasn’t all bad.
We snuck into the limo that was waiting for us and almost gave the driver a heart attack when we rapped on the divider. As he pulled away from the curb, he lifted the privacy barrier back into place.
Good thing. At this time a day, it would be a quick ride to the station, but I meant to put every one of those minutes to use.
Draping myself over Tank, I nibbled his earlobe. “Still going with ‘not yet’?”
“Jenny…” Tank groaned and wrapped me in gentle arms, shifting so I sat against his chest. He kissed and licked the length of my neck until I panted, but he showed no signs of pushing farther.
It was a start, but I wanted so much more.
“Read my mind.” I ground my ass against him. He was hard and as ready as I was.
“I’m reading it.” His voice had the edge of a delicious growl, and his hand tightened in my hair.
“And?”
“And if I ignore the obvious, you’re still hurting. If we did half of what I wanted, you would not be walking out of this limo.”
I shivered. Was that supposed to make me back off? “Sounds like a fair trade. Why stop at half?”
“Jenny.” He bit the flesh of my neck, just below my ear. “You took too much damage in the fight. If I touch you, I’ll be adding to the bruises.”
Which was now.
“You do,” he whispered, and the heat in his voice clenched the pit of my stomach. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to touch you.”
He slipped me off his lap and moved across the limo where he sat back and folded his arms. I considered jumping him, but a cocky smile parted his lips. “Not with my hands, at least.”
A caress breathed down my spine. I gasped. It was like Tank was pressed against me instead of feet away, and his touch penetrated my clothes. Might as well have been naked.
Tank’s mental hands smoothed over my hips and down my thighs. When he reached my toes, the hands disappeared. Phantom lips brushed the back of my knee. Then both knees.
My toes curled. A dark chuckle echoed from Tank, and the lips multiplied. Sets of mouths worked both sides of my collarbone, nibbling and sucking. Licks traced my earlobes, my navel, the curves of my hipbones.
“You’re…kidding.” Breathless, I bucked against the seat. If this was his mind, what could my man do with his body?
As much as I was enjoying the appetizer, I wanted the main course. And now.
“You like?” He ran a mental finger under the lace of my panties, not even slowing the rest of his touches.
“Mmm. Want…you.” I showed him exactly what I wanted. The panties gone—who cared where—and my skirt around my thighs as I rode every hard inch of him.
“Fuck. Jenny.” Tank groaned and rearranged himself in his seat.
“That’s the…” His fingers dragged lower, sparking a rush of heat that left me breathless. “Point.”
“Let me play the mind games.” The image that Tank bounced back was as hot as mine, and his came with sensory effects. He lay pressed between my thighs, those cut shoulders bobbing as his tongue went to work.
“Ah…” I wanted to grab hold of him, but settled for the arm rests as my body writhed.
So good.
But I wanted the real thing. He growled—maybe he agreed—and his mental touch dialed up another notch.
Tongue. Phantom fingers. And Tank’s kisses all over my body.
I shattered, arcing back into the seat. He was there with me as I soared, his touch deep inside my mind.
When I finally came down, I sprawled limp and totally spent in the best possible way. We were parked in front of the station. Apparently I hadn’t been paying attention.
I managed a scowl. “You’d better get over here and kiss me.”
Tank fell on me, smothering me without touching, bracing his arms and knees against the seat. “Anything.” He spoke against my lips, his breath hot.
With gentle hands he tucked my hair behind my ears and met my gaze. For moments he just stared, eyes wide and uncomplicated and beautiful. I stared straight back.
The kiss was soft when it finally came, lingering over my lower lip. Tank never broke eye contact.
I still wanted him, but Tank’s tenderness was exactly what I needed to wash the last of Drake from my system. I wrapped my arms around him.
I never wanted to let go.
“And next time, if you need to call my name, use Jason.”
“Jason.” I’d have to get used to it, but his trust made me all kinds of tingly. “Did you just give me your secret identity?”
“Don’t need it with you.”
“Really? I plan to get you much better acquainted with Temptress.” I pulled him tighter and punctuated with a lick along his earlobe.
He groaned and found my mouth again.
A rap against the window finally broke our concentration. Then a few more and people were pressing their cameras and faces against the window.
“More paparazzi?” So much for privacy. I could always transport us to our own dimension…
Tank tsked against my lips.
“Teleport to a private beach?” That couldn’t hurt, right?
“Maybe later.” He gave me a last peck and a smile before helping me up and out of the limo. As we ducked through the crowd, he folded around me like my bodyguard, shielding us both from the worst of the flashes.
They shouted questions, mostly about our suspected romance, but there was no need to answer.
Wasn’t it obvious?
Past the gauntlet, Chief Burgess waited inside the door. “Finally. Jenny, you okay?”
“Pretty good.” I’d keep feeling that way as long as I held Tank’s hand.
“Good. Now get that showboat out of my station.”
Steel leapt to his feet as we approached the holding tank. “Boss!” A wide grin split his face. “That chick was—” His words cut when he noticed me at Tank’s side. “You. You can bust me out anytime, sugar.”
My jaw dropped. I put him in jail, and he still wanted a piece?
“You sure you can’t keep him?” I asked the chief.
“Not a second longer than I have to. He’s clean as a whistle, but we put him back in the cell after we found him in the supply closet getting friendly with one of the female officers.”
Steel gripped the bars. “I can’t help it if I’m God’s gift to—”
“Steel.” Tanks firm voice finally shut him up.
“Right, boss.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll be good. Get me out?”
The chief unlocked the door, and Steel sprang out to fist-bump Tank. His gaze immediately slid to my cleavage. “Want to continue where we left off? I bet we can find some handcuffs around here.”
“She’s mine.” Tank gripped Steel’s shoulder so hard his knuckles cracked.
“Ow. Boss, no super-strength here! Can I get my powers back before you rip me a new one?”
Tank let go and scowled. “Do it.”
“Hope you enjoy this,” I said as I drew near. “It’s not happening again.”
“Damn straight,” Tank said.
I summoned Steel’s strength and gave him a quick peck. He tried to slip me tongue, but Tank yanked him back by his collar, and I wiped my lips on the back of my hand. It was easy as it should be, and it felt more and more like Tank’s powers had set us up.
I owed them a thank you.
Tank grabbed me and steered me down the hallway.
“What about me, boss?” Steel called behind us.
“Limo’s full,” Tank said as he tugged me away. “Get a flight back to New York.”
I laughed as he tucked me into the backseat. “Touchy, huh?”
Tank’s eyes were pits of fire. “I’m tired of watching you kiss other guys.”
“I won’t make a habit of it anymore.” I straddled his lap and slipped my arms around his shoulders. I loved his jealousy and his protectiveness. He knew just where to stop so that I didn’t feel smothered. He was mine, and I wanted to make sure he never forgot it. “Want to continue where we left off?”
“Absolutely.” He found my mouth, and his touch lit fires inside me. He tasted solid as home-cooked Sunday dinners, and I wanted him in my life for a very, very long time.
“What do we do now?” I pulled away. I had to ask.
Tank stroked my neck with the pad of his thumb. “There’s a lot of trouble in Vegas. I’m thinking the Ten need to franchise.”
“Yes!” I threw my arms around him, and we tumbled onto the seat, sharing a long, luxurious kiss that melted the last of the ice inside me. For a while, we lay glued together. As I listened to Tank’s heartbeat, I couldn’t control the urge to smile.
I might be a hero, but Tank could save me anytime he wanted.
About the Author
Lola Dodge was forged in the suburbs, tested in the retail wastelands and reborn as a romance writer after several strong cocktails. Armed with her M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction, she travels the world in search of story fodder and men with accents.
www.loladodge.com
Twitter @Lola_Dodge
No super deed goes unpunished…<
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Breaking Bad
© 2012 Jodi Redford
A Midnight Justice Story
It’s been twenty-five years since the last Light Guardian was wiped out. Or so it’s believed. Ruby Winston is about to blow the lid off that theory, even though it’ll bring every Shadow Czar minion down on her ass.
She’s always known she was different from the rest of the evil-dictators-in-training Winstons. Uncovering the secret half of her gene pool proves it. Now she’s out to bring down her late father’s mind-control soda empire—and break the Shadow Czars’ hold on Earth.
Problem is, becoming a superhero overnight isn’t as easy as it looks.
Teague Younger has his own secrets to keep: his heritage, and his fierce determination to exact revenge on his friend and mentor’s murderer. So far he’s kept his cover—until he’s forced to use his Light Guardian powers to save Ruby from a sticky situation.
Thrust together and on the run, Teague and Ruby form a wary alliance as they desperately fight their circuit-blowing attraction. With an army of Shadow Queen minions hot on their tails, they might have a hard time surviving the night, much less ignoring their hearts.
Warning: This book contains mind-controlling beverages, evil dictators and minions, excessive use of spandex, and enough electrifying sex to melt an ice train.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Breaking Bad:
Teague stalked toward a cluster of scrub pines in the distance. He halted a good thirty yards back from the trees and waved his arm. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“But…we’re too far away.”
“You might not even get this close to the queen before she fries your ass.”
Her stomach clenched. Determined to prove to them both that she wasn’t entirely inept, Ruby lifted her shaking hands and directed a bolt toward the shrubs. The charge hit at least ten yards short, fizzling ineffectually into the parched dirt.
“Try it again.”
She repeated the maneuver, this time landing the strike even farther from the target. Embarrassment and defeat caved her chest.