Page 34 of Steel

My mind was clearly working overtime as I envisioned Superman all of a sudden.

“Now, you’re going to give me a complex if you keep addressing me like that.” His voice was much deeper than before, the resonance all male.

Just like the rest of him.

The tinge of anger from before had disappeared, replaced with a lush, husky tone that matched his bedhead perfectly. Maybe I could repair this relationship after all. “What do you need?”

“Well, how about your name in exchange.”

“In exchange for what? Your name? I don’t know if that’s necessary.” I wasn’t off to a great start, my typical cynical self taking over as always.

“You know how to hurt a guy’s feelings.” His left hand was now flexed open and placed over his heart. I snuck a glance to ensure he wasn’t married. While I might not know his name, I’d tried to find him on social media. Since not once had he been tagged, I had a feeling he wasn’t on Facebook or Instagram. Just a hunch.

How was that even possible? Hell, my son had a Facebook page. Monitored, of course.

“You’ll live. Are you here to accuse my son of some other horrible deed?” I quirked my eyebrows, enjoying sparring with him more than I should.

“I won’t if you won’t accuse me of being cruel to an animal, which I would never do.”

“How do I know for certain?”

“Scout’s honor.” He held up three fingers, pouting as if I was going to deny him.

“Youwere a Boy Scout. Really?”

“Nope. But my brother was.” When I wasn’t buying it, he leaned on the door jamb, his actions suggesting casual ownership. “Seriously. I’ve never seen the pup before. I was gone for a fewdays on business. Somehow in that timeframe, he managed to show up and get tangled in the lines. I don’t even know how the rope got there.”

“Uh-huh, and don’t ‘Scout’s honor’ me again.” Exhaling, I shifted my mind space to the calendar and the conundrum I’d gotten myself into. Perhaps a bridge over troubled water. “Alright. Fair enough. You’re my neighbor. I guess I should make nice.”

“Yep, I’m your handy dandy neighbor and making nice sounds like fun.” He was taller than I remembered, standing several inches over me and I was a tall woman. His shoulders also barely fit in the doorway, which created a few butterflies in my stomach.

Don’t get your hopes up, buddy. I eat men for breakfast.

He was doing exactly the same thing I was doing to him, scanning me as someone did with an object they were thinking about purchasing.

Or consuming.

Whole.

Now that we’d decided on a truce, the awkwardness between us was as electric as the single touch had been before. I wasn’t entirely certain what to say to him or if I should invite him in. I’d never felt so awkward. “Um. What did you need?” Fantastic. My voice even cracked, an indication of weakness.

Which in turn allowed his grin to widen. He shoved his hand into his pocket. “I’m going to guess this is something special Damon needs to see.” As soon as he pulled out the magical little red car, there was a squeal from behind me.

Except with the puppy, I hadn’t heard my son sound so happy in a very long time. His feet pounded on the hardwood floor as he rushed into the living room, the puppy bounding on his heels.

A moment of chaos ensued, and I was smart enough to take a step away from the door, watching as the stranger bent over, holding the car in his palm as if protecting a precious jewel. The man’s eyes were as dazzling as my son’s, his smirk turning into a full smile when Damon gingerly accepted the car as if it were a gift.

“What do you say to him, Damon?”

The handsome stranger knelt to my son’s level as I’d done before, enjoying petting the pup as much as he was in returning my child’s favorite item.

Damon wasn’t himself, not even close. He was acting like a seven-year-old kid at Christmas. I was seriously thinking the aliens had arrived. “Thank you, mister.”

“Makes me feel old. How about this? You can call me Steel and you’re very welcome. Just so you’re aware, this is one valuable car.”

“Really?” Damon was interested. “Mom can’t afford much, but this meant a lot one Christmas.”

And my kid was sharing how poor we were. Heat tickled my face and I looked away before the not-so-mysterious stranger noticed.