Page 13 of Origins

“It—yeah, it is. But it’s not, like, weird. We just—”

“Have sex because it’s convenient?”

I nodded, trying to come up with the right string of words to explain why this was fine.

“And… it’s not, like, romantic or anything… right?”

I thought I detected a bit of an edge in the otherwise soft tone of Callie's voice, but that may have just been my guilty conscience casting a negative light on the situation.

“No, nothing like that. No romance, no strings. If we go into my room right now and have sex, they won’t care,” I assured her, before realizing what I’d just said. “N-not that I expect sex!”

Expecting a girl to put out just because you brought her home was villain behavior. Fucking herwasthe goal, of course, but I’d live if she didn’t want to.

Her eyes widened before a smile curled at the edge of her lips.

“Villain behavior, huh?”

My stomach flipped.

“Please, get out of my head.” I tried to sound like I was joking, but the unease in my voice betrayed me.

Her smile softened slightly as she stepped closer, resting her hand on my arm. Her eyes searched mine—for what, I didn’t know, but I’d like to think she found it.

“It’s not that easy for me to just ‘get out of your head.’” The way she whispered drew me in closer, and I took a risk by putting my free hand on her lower back. She eagerly melted into me before continuing. “For what it’s worth, I’m not judging you. I have a similar arrangement with a few of the fledgling heroes at my parents’ center.”

Surely, her words were meant to be reassuring. But as I imagined Callie doing things likethiswith other heroes, ones who had their lives together, ones who could take her out to dinner without the risk of becoming homeless... a pang of jealousy shot through me. I knew it wasn’t rational for me to feel like that. Callie and I barely knew each other; we’d been talking for three days. But I couldn’t help it.

“Oh yeah?” I kept my tone light as I pulled her just a little closer. “Anyone special?”

Callie’s brow furrowed as she studied me. “Sulien, are you jealous?”

I tried to laugh her off, but the sound came out hollow.

“Jealous?” I snorted, trying to sound more confident than I sounded. “...Would it be wrong if I was?”

Under the weight of Callie’s boundless gaze, I felt exposed. Something in the depths of her sapphire eyes made me feel like she was mentally undressing me, rifling through every fear and insecurity I kept hidden from the world.

Finally, she shook her head no.

“The way you feel isn’t wrong at all. It just means you care.” Her voice was soft and steady. “And it means thatIhave a hero who protects me from all the scary things, like parking lots and rogue roommates with their penises out.”

I laughed as the tension in the air dissipated, but the newfound attraction between us lingered, and I drew her in closer still.

“I guess you do.” I smirked, hoping she couldn’t feel my cock pressing against my jeans. “But… are you sure you’re okay with this? With being here? With what’s about to happen?”

But, most of all, was she really okay withmebeingherhero?

My heartbeat thundered in my ears as she studied my face, growing even louder as she leaned in. She rose onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down just enough for our lips to meet. The ghost of a kiss grazed my lips, so soft that I almost wondered if my mind had fabricated it.

“If I weren’t okay with it, I wouldn’t be here.”

A subtle rosy bloom crept up her neck, and I tightened my grip on her waist, pulling her body flush with mine. The feeling of her soft curves sent a rush of heat through me, igniting a fire that I’d been trying to keep under control since the moment she stepped into my car. Our height difference, though very helpful when locating her in the lunchroom,reallywasn’t ideal right now. So, in amoment of rushed judgment, I plucked her up off the floor.

Her laugh floated through the air as her legs wrapped around my waist. She held onto me for dear life as I walked us to my bedroom. There was no way in hell I was risking one of the boys walking in on this.

I nudged my door open with my foot before gently tossing her onto the bed. Her blonde hair spilled onto my dark comforter like a halo, and I watched her chest heave as I began removing my shirt. After tossing the white fabric aside, I climbed into the bed, crawling toward Callie on my hands and knees until our bodies were just inches apart. She silently reached out, softly trailing the contours of my muscles. I wasn’t as strong or bulky as all the other guys in my class, but that didn’t seem to bother her.

The way she touched me sent tingles across my body, and I was suddenly unable to deny the magnetic attraction that had been forming between us.

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