“It’s hard to take you seriously when you’re laughing,” he said, causing her mock stern look to crumble into giggles before she attempted solemnity again.
“Close. Your. Eyes.”
Joe obeyed. His mother had raised him with good manners, but he wanted to sneak another peek. “Can I open them yet?”
She moved around in his arms, and he loosened them to give her more room to maneuver without falling again.
“Not yet.”
He heard the laughter in her voice and it swirled around in his chest, warming him from the inside out. “Now?” he asked.
“No.”
More movement. He could hear material sliding around, and the sound was doing things to his insides. “Now?” he asked, bringing his lusty thoughts in line before he embarrassed himself. “Now? Now?”
“O-kay.” She laughed and one arm slid around his neck again. “You must’ve been someone’s little brother.”
He opened his eyes and looked down. “Why do you say that?” Aw, she’d even fastened up her coat. It was one of those coats that buttoned to just over her breasts. Still a pleasant view, all creamy smooth skin.
She swatted his shoulder and gave one of those delicate female snorts, the kind that could’ve meant anything. “Because I have a little brother.”
Joe was sure she was enjoying the evening as much as he was. Then she smiled at him again, and he wanted to climb Mount Rushmore, or fly to the moon, or just toss her into the air and spin her around until she was breathless with laughter.
He wondered if she felt the pull of attraction—or whatever it was—as acutely as he did. He thought about the word for a moment and discarded it. He’d been attracted to women before, and it was nothing like this. No, this was a different kind of connection.
Protect her.
The feeling was so compelling, it was as if he were hearing voices. He couldn’t explain how or why. Looking at the girl in his arms, he didn’t care what the explanation was, he was happy to do his job.
His right hand caressed Pirate Girl’s cheek. She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. He let his cheek rest against her hair for a moment, enjoying the scent of her, the feel of her. And at the same time, wanting to break away.
Joe didn’t need complications right now—not blond, brunette, or red-headed. He wanted to work, and he didn’t want anyone or anything to make him feel guilty about that. He didn’t want to end up like his father, quitting because he had children.
Just one kiss, and then I’ll walk away.
Joe leaned down and captured her cheeks in his hands, tilting her face up. Her gasp of surprise brushed against his lips as he kissed her. More surprising than his lack of impulse control was her reaction. After a moment’s hesitation, Pirate Girl leaned into him, her hands on his chest, her lips moving with his.
Which only made it that much harder to stop.
Vaguely, Joe registered a dog barking a distant alarm. He ignored it and pulled Pirate Girl off the ground and up into his arms so he could kiss her more easily. Her hands wrapped around his neck, and she kissed him back with gusto.
Okay. Enough. Joe reminded himself of his duties and pulled back.
Pirate Girl blinked up at him, looking dazed. Then she smiled a dazzling smile.
Joe smiled back and gave her one last soft kiss before he lowered her to her feet. A burst of satisfaction spread through his chest.
She felt it, too.
IT WAS one thing to feel safe and protected. It was something else entirely for the world to light up in brilliant colors from a kiss! Tori’s perspective on the world changed. Like a crooked window made straight, now everything made sense.
That kiss… She wanted another one. The way he held her now, the way he was looking at her like he wanted to do it again, made her want more. She’d never instigated a kiss with a man in her life. But everything was changing tonight.
Rule #2—If you ignore Rule #1, phone a friend and get out.
Lexie had told her to call when she got safely home. Tori knew her sister would want her to call now, to get safely home.
But tonight she and Zorro were both costumed, disguised, hidden. Safe. This was the perfect time to act on Operation Freedom. For just one night, she could be herself with no repercussions. She could try out possibilities and see what she thought felt right.
Tori wobbled on one four-inch heel. She thought to take off her shoe, but she liked the idea that Zorro would catch her if she fell. Plus, her mouth was four inches closer to his. Taking a deep breath for courage, she leaned against him and slid her hands up to his neck, pulling him closer. If he resisted, she hoped the embarrassment would kill her on the spot. But his mouth came down on hers quickly and easily. Needing no more encouragement than that, Tori poured herself into the moment.
Zorro’s lips moved against hers, setting off grass fires throughout her body. His hands swept hot paths up and down her back, her rib cage.
Tori imitated him, moving her lips over his, running her hands over his muscular chest and back. When his mouth opened, hers followed. When his tongue touched hers, she heard a moan escape. Nothing she’d ever experienced in her life could equal this!
She let Zorro lead, but followed his moves like a prodigy. After a moment, Tori tried a few moves of her own. His arms wrapped around her in response, pulling her against his chest and off her feet again. She heard him moan, and the sound rippled over her nerves.
Everything she felt tumbled around her brain without connection—hard, soft, warm, hot, more…
Zorro stopped kissing her. He rested his temple against hers, a ragged sigh escaping into her ear. The sound went straight through her, hitting every nerve all the way to her toes. Could she be wrong? Had he not enjoyed that as much as she had? More than anything, Tori wanted another kiss.
“What are we doing?” Zorro asked, his deep voice rumbling through his chest and into hers. His arms tightened around her.
Tori’s senses heightened, waiting to see what he would do. She kept her eyes closed to enjoy this last bit of passion before it was over.
His forehead slid over hers, traced the path of his breath across her cheek, closer to her mouth, closer still, until—
The touch of his lips to hers was magic and fireworks and s’mores all rolled together. His mouth and tongue fought a give and take with hers.
Rule #3—If you ignore Rule #1 and #2, don’t let them see your true self.
Screw that.
She gave herself over to him, no more thinking and imitating. Tori just let go. Her fingers spread through the curls at the base of his neck, soft and silky. One hand caressed his neck, exploring upward to his cheek, smooth and soft and hard. Cupping both his cheeks, she lifted herself up as far as she could go, pulling his head down to put the last of herself into the kiss before she pulled away.
But she didn’t know that more begat more. The kiss kept pulling her higher. Out of control.
Zorro pulled away, breathing hard. Tori felt bereft for a moment until he tucked her head under his chin and held her tight.
She didn’t know what was happening. It wasn’t just the kissing—though that was awesome. No, there was something deeper going on here. She shivered and pressed closer. She didn’t want to leave him. She didn’t want him to leave her. She wanted—
“Have you always been trouble?” he teased.
Tori sobered a bit. He had no idea. “Since the day I was born.”
Rule #4—Pretend, pretend, pretend.
She couldn’t do this to him. The “no men” rule had been created to protect her and Lexie from the world. They’d created a haven for themselves and it had worked exactly as it was meant to—they were alone and safe.
But even if this man, a man whose name she didn’t know, even if he really could keep her safe… Well, she couldn’t protect him. There was something odd about her sister and her, something that scared people when they found out about it. She didn’t understand it, but she and Lexie were better off alone.
Tori hid her face and her disappointment in the folds of his cape. “Of course.”
“I’ll carry you. Where do you live?”
He lowered her to the ground and, with a flourish, pulled off his cape and settled it around her shoulders. Tori bit her lip to keep from crying. She loved grand, romantic gestures. This would be the last one before he said goodbye.
Zorro tied the strings of the cape around her throat and adjusted the material. Tori swallowed when his fingers brushed her skin. His eyes met hers and his fingers stilled. His thumbs trailed down her throat.
She held her breath.
How could she act wisely when she didn’t know which course of action was wise and which was foolish? The rules were for her protection, but Operation Freedom was about exploring what exactly God had in mind when he made her. She needed to know who she was outside of her family, outside of her psychiatrist’s office, who she was on the inside.
Lord, give me a sign!
“There’s something special about you,” Zorro said softly, almost as if he were talking to himself.
Tori felt herself deflate. “Different,” she said sadly. “Odd.”
Zorro shook his head dismissively. “No, special. I’m not sure why, but…”
Tori held her breath. Hope battled fear. Joy began to overtake caution.
“Maybe you’d take a chance on someone like me,” he said. “Maybe you’d let me see you again.”
Maybe? Did dogs bark and cats meow?
“Yes!” Joy bubbled up from her toes and escaped in a wild giggle. But Zorro didn’t seem to mind. He grinned back at her and pulled her close again, right where she wanted to be.
That safe, peaceful feeling overwhelmed her senses. The connection between them strengthened. She not only felt that no harm would come to her when this man was near, but she was sure she wouldn’t scare him off either.
She took a moment to think. No, she couldn’t remember ever feeling this way before. Surely, it was a sign from God. It was all she could do not to bounce on her toes and clap her hands.
It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. And not just because Zorro had lifted her off the ground again. He twirled her in a circle. Tori grinned and threw her arms around his neck.
Finally, someone I can be myself with. No more hiding.
# # #
A Note from Kitty
I hope you enjoyed reading “Superhero in Disguise.” This story always makes me smile! I originally wrote it as the beginning to book one in the Adventures of Lewis and Clarke series, Unexpected Superhero. But introducing the two main characters on the day they met made the book feel like a romance, and I wanted more action. So I pulled the scene.
When I had an opportunity to submit a romantic short story to the Romancing the Pages anthology, I sent in this story. It was accepted and a lot of people liked it, but I was never happy with the oh-so-romantic ending in that version, called “Hero in Disguise.”
By the time I had the right to publish it on my own, I’d finished Unexpected Superhero. One day, it suddenly hit me what I’d been trying to say with this story: we are all trying to find out who we are, who were we meant to be, and we’ll discover along the way that there are forces at work around us to help and hinder our quest.
Once I figured that out (consciously, my subconscious already knew!), the edits to the newly titled “Superhero in Disguise” were made in just a few days. Exciting times for a writer!
Would you like to read A Very Merry Superhero Wedding, the next part of Tori and Joe’s story, for free? It’s my gift to you when you join my reader group at http://eepurl.com/rHPyD.
If you like these prequels, check out book one in the series, Unexpected Superhero. I’ve added the first scene below for your reading pleasure. You can also try Little Miss Lovesick, a full-length chick-lit-style romantic comedy. My books are available as ebooks and in print at most online retailers.
Happy Reading!
About the Author
Kitty Bucholtz grew up forty miles east of Traverse City, Michigan—a town that is a smaller but surprisingly similar version of Double Bay, Michigan, the setting of this book. She went to college in Traverse City, met and married the love of her life, and waved goodbye to everything she knew when she and her husband John struck out for parts unknown.
Their adventures included going back to school, changing careers, and traveling Down Under. Kitty now writes wherever John is working on a film. They spent three years in Sydney, Australia, where Kitty earned her Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree from University of Technology, Sydney, while John made a penguin named Mumble dance.
Only God knows where they’ll wind up next—but they’re pretty sure it will be another cool chapter in their adventure!
Connect with Kitty by email, on Facebook at Kitty Bucholtz Author Page, on Twitter at @KittyBucholtz, and visit her web site at http://kittybucholtz.com.
A Peek at UNEXPECTED SUPERHERO
TORI Lewis was out of M&M’S. None in her purse, none in the glove box. Even the emergency packet in her briefcase had been consumed during her pre-wedding jitters. After the job interview she’d just endured for Half TV, a local cable TV station, she needed a chocolate fix. Now.
“I know I’m supposed to go to you for comfort,” she muttered to God as she pulled into a parking spot, “but if you wouldn’t mind, a package of M&M’S would jumpstart the process.”
The bell tinkled over her head as the door of Ed & Eddie’s Corner Market closed behind her. Tori stamped the snow off her boots as her eyes adjusted from the deepening twilight outside to the bright fluorescent lights of the store. It took her a moment to notice everyone in the store staring at her. Including the guy with the gun.
Tori froze. She always assumed her love of the colorful chocolate candy might one day destroy her figure, but she never expected her addiction to end in gunfire.
The gunman swung toward her. His bulky open coat couldn’t hide the fact that the skinny boy was no man. A Detroit Tigers baseball cap covered most of his brown hair, but not his panicky eyes. “What do you want?” His voice came out higher at the end and he cleared his throat. “Well?” he asked, forcing the word out at a lower pitch.
“Uhh…M&M’S,” Tori said. It sounded like a question. Her brain was having a hard time getting up to speed in this unexpected situation. God, help me.
Her eyes darted around the small store. An older woman cried and held a nearly hysterical younger woman, shushing her to no avail. One of the men held a baby ensconced in a little pink snowsuit. Another nodded quietly at her as if to convey caution.
Situation confirmed. She was hip-deep in doo-doo. Where was her big, strong new husband when she needed him?
The armed boy-man cocked his head toward the candy aisle. Tori didn’t know if he meant for her to move out of the way or if he was just being unusually helpful by pointing her in the right direction. Erring on the side of caution, she forced a fleeting smile and mumbled “thanks” as she walked past him and down the middle aisle to stand in front of the M&M’S. Now what?
The gunman turned back to Eddie, the cashier and half-owner of Ed & Eddie’s. “Hurry up before someone else comes in!”
“Easy, dude, easy,” Eddie said, moving his hands slowly toward the cash register. Eddie wasn’t very old either, early 20s or so, but he was sadly experienced in the holdup category. Tori couldn’t remember the details, but she’d heard bits and pieces of stories. Come to think of it, why did she shop at a store with a record anyway? She remembered Eddie had played sports in high school. Something like baseball or wrestling or karate could come in handy right now. Hopefully his sport hadn’t been cross-country running.
Tori glanced at the M&M’S next to her. More than ever she needed to stress eat. Could she open a package now and pay Eddie later? Maybe two packages. Her hands started to shake. She shoved them in her pockets.
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Today was only day ten of her new and fabulous married life. She hadn’t wanted to go out today anyway and now this. Only two days ago she and Joe had checked out of their Disney World hotel, blue skies and temperatures in the 70s, nothing on their minds but a long and blissful life together. Tori prayed now that she’d make it to day eleven of that life. They hadn’t been married long enough to do anything except have sex—which was awesome—but she’d hoped for more. After all, they figured they’d have the rest of their lives together. Neither of them thought the “death” part of “till death do us part” would happen until there was a lot more gray hair involved.
The sound of a crying baby registered. Tori glanced over at the well-dressed man in the expensive trench coat. He kept his back between the gunman and his child. A gesture Tori would normally find heartwarming. But today it was the action of a man who wasn’t going to get involved. Great. He wouldn’t be of any use. So this is where equal opportunity gets us. Tori considered offering to hold the baby so he could help the other men save the day. Her self-esteem would be fine with that. Maybe if she were comforting someone, she wouldn’t feel like crying herself.
Enough! Tori wiped at her eyes. She was not letting some stupid, scared boy dictate her life and death. She’d spent too much energy changing her life into just what she wanted to lose it now. She chewed on her lip. What could she do?
A movement from the corner of her eye. She saw one of the men—the one who’d nodded calmly at her—edging closer to the gunman. Yikes. Should she duck or help?
Superhero in Disguise (Adventures of Lewis and Clarke) Page 3