Page 26 of Infamous Heart

“I’m not sure you understand how a lunch date works. Usually there’s food, maybe a cocktail. Hell, you could have convinced me for an afternoon roll in the sack, but empty warehouses? Isn’t this where supervillains hide?”

He wasn’t wrong about… wait, had he thought I texted him for a nooner? I made sure to put a mental pin in that conversation for tomorrow. We had dined at a fancy restaurant far out of my league. It was time he got to see the world through my eyes.

“You know I’m a comic book fan.”

“I did notice the stack on the nightstand.”

“And that I love superheroes.”

“I remember the artwork.”

I took him by the hand, dragging him past the broken door of a warehouse. I couldn’t tell if it had been a car factory, or perhaps they created machine parts, but it was empty and large enough for afternoon shenanigans.

“Yeah, so…” I spun about, arms flung open wide. “You didn’t want to talk about it last night. I didn’t bring you here to talk. I wanted to see you in action. It’s not like I know many superheroes.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “How do you know I’m not the villain in this story?”

The man had a point, and if his suit wasn’t wrinkled from spending the night on my floor, I might say he looked the part. The only missing element was the perfectly manicured mustache. If he hadn’t risked exposing himself to save me from Wraith, perhaps I’d have been worried. But when he jeopardized his secret for me, he had cemented his status as a superhero.

“What villain plays with Legos? You’re new to this. I can understand why you’d fear having powers. So, I’m here to be the faithful sidekick.”

“I’m not scared. I just have no ambition to be one of those goons wearing capes flying around the city. I can think of better things to do with my time.”

“You talk about a rough upbringing in Southlands, imagine the difference you could make there.”

The mention of his childhood home garnered a less than thrilled expression. I made a mental note to be tread carefully when discussing the rough side of Vanguard.

“If you learned how to — “

He kicked a brick on the ground, launching it into the air. It sailed the length of the warehouse, smashing through a grungy window. Sebastian gestured in the comet’s direction. “I have a handle on the powers.”

“Humor me.” I patted him on the chest before leaning over a cement slab almost waist height. “Then maybe I’ll let you rail me again.”

“Did you just bribe me with sex?”

“Is it working?”

He unfastened his jacket, tossing it on the slab. With a fast slap on the ass, he started rolling his sleeves. He loosened the tie and flexed his arms, showing off the muscles under his shirt. Even without the suit, his biceps bulged enough that I could imagine him filling out a leather suit and fighting crime.

“So, what exactly is your power?”

“You’re the comic book fan. You should be telling me.”

“So far, I’ve seen you glow, shoot a towel off me, and create some pretty amazing mood lighting. Since sexy isn’t a power, I’ll have to go with light, right?”

He nodded. Closing his eyes, he shook his shoulders, working it down into his hands. I held my breath, waiting for something to happen. He let out a sigh, adding a shoulder roll, and cracking his neck.

“I can’t do it with you watching me.”

“Well, you’re going to need to get over that,” I said. The frustration humanized him. For all the cockiness and confidence, it was endearing to see him struggle with something. Sebastian’s lack of perfection made him even sexier.

“You seemed to do just fine yesterday.”

“I wasn’t exactly focused on showing off yesterday. I had a lot of other things to be nervous about.”

“Nervous, you say?”

His skin flared, projecting light, as if a silent bomb went off. For the briefest of seconds, there was no warehouse, just an infinite white. It vanished quickly as it began, leaving orbs dancing in my vision. It seemed the moment he stopped thinking about his abilities, they were readily available. Mental note made.

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