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“A little, but not for long. When you get a fright like that, you’re always a little scared, and your heart beats a little faster,” Wrench said with Harlyn listening intently as he used his hand to thump out a beat on his chest. “But I’m not scared anymore.”
Harlyn leaned in a little closer to him. “Why not?”
“Because I watch a lot of cartoons,” Wrench answered with a smirk.
Harlyn giggled. “You’re silly.”
He grinned. “Stay with me here, kid. You ever seen Batman lose? You ever seen one of those scary bad guys get the better of Superman?” Harlyn listened intently to his words, while I couldn’t help but smile. “Nope, ‘cause they’re the good guys, and the good guys always win. And do you know who the good guys are here?”
She lit up then, a wide smile filling her cheeks. “Daddy is a good guy!”
“Exactly!”
“And you, and Uncle Blizzard,” she continued. “But you guys don’t have superpowers.”
Wrench gasped dramatically. “Are you sure about that?”
I couldn’t help but smile and laugh as Wrench, and Harlyn proceeded to discuss the entire club and who had what superpowers. She was soon out of my arms and made herself at home in his lap as they argued about whether Blizzard’s superpower had something to do with X-ray vision, given that no matter where she hid the ice cream, he always seemed to find it and eat it all.
“Mommy, what do you think Wrench’s superpower is?” Harlyn asked happily as they both turned their attention back to me.
When Wrench’s eyes caught mine and a smirk pulled at his lips, I couldn’t stop the blush that formed over my cheeks. I was grateful at that moment for the dim lighting within the room, hopeful that he couldn’t see just how much I was affected by one look.
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s smart, and that’s why he has to keep his hat on all the time, to keep his big brain inside his head. Or maybe that’s his ego,” I muttered the last sentence quietly, but by the grin that swept over his face, I knew he’d heard me loud and clear.
“Do you have a big brain?” Harlyn asked, her eyes narrowing as she leaned forward as though inspecting the size of his head.
Wrench’s eyes didn’t leave mine as he answered, “Yeah! But every part of my body is pretty damn big, so it doesn’t look weird or out of proportion.” The cheeky grin plastered across his face said everything, and I couldn’t stop the burst of laughter that came from my gut.
“I think you guys need superhero outfits,” Harlyn said excitedly as she jumped down off Wrench’s lap. “I’m gonna go get my coloring pens and my drawing book.”
And with that, my baby girl wasn’t scared anymore. She ran from the room with a skip in her step and smiling from cheek to cheek. Harlyn was a smart kid. I knew that there was no way she actually thought these men had real powers or fought crime in their spare time, but somehow, just talking about how each of them were special, and imagining how they would protect her, had given her a sense of comfort. The fear may not have completely gone, but the knowledge that her family was the good guys, had given her what she needed to believe in them and know that they would keep her safe.
“Thank you,” I told Wrench in absolute sincerity.
He shrugged. “She just needed reassurance, something I’m sure Op would have done soon enough. He’s just a little preoccupied right now.”
I stood up, nodding my head. “I wish he would just see how his actions are hurting both him and Chelsea. Why does he keep fighting against his emotions? If they’re real, he needs to follow them, and not let all this crazy bullshit get in the way.”
Wrench pushed to his feet and rounded the edge of the bed, so he was standing in front of me again, the aura around him suddenly making it hard for me to breath. “Sometimes, it’s not that easy.”
“I know, but sometimes, it really just is.”
I wasn’t sure how the world turned around in that instant. The air in the room, the beat of my heart, the look in his eyes… that was the second where everything changed. A rough hand cradled my face, cupping my jaw gently, as though I was porcelain. By the time I’d gathered my wits enough to react, Wrench’s lips were pressed against mine feverously, a stark contrast to the way his hand touched my face.
It was like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to be gentle or show his true colors and give me the man I knew he was. I melted against him. His body suddenly engulfing me as I stepped forward, my body moving of its own accord like there was some heavy magnet pulling us together.
I found I didn’t mind the soft mixed with the hard, the way his mouth devoured mine, battling me, daring me to fight back. While his hands traced patterns over my body, his fingertips trailed over my neck, my arms, my waist, as though he couldn’t decide in which place he wanted them to settle. The burn that started within me began in my gut. I didn’t ignite in flames, it wasn’t instant and engulfing, but rather slow and torturous. It was an exploration of desire, the need to find out something new about the other.
My hands settled on his chest, my fingernails scratching against the leather on his club cut as we fought breathlessly, our tongues swirling and tangling together. I felt lightheaded and dizzy, but when I swayed he caught me, and for a brief moment I really felt like this man would never let me fall.
Fast footsteps hurried down the hallway, alerting us to company and forcing our bodies apart. Harlyn appeared in the doorway, holding her coloring supplies up in victory before rushing inside and dumping them on the bed.
I turned away, struggling to breathe, my heart thumping erratically against my chest. My cheeks burned, no doubt flushed in a deep crimson red.
“What was that?” I whispered, hoping that Harlyn was too distracted to hear as she flicked through her book, searching for a fresh page for the both of them to share.
I peeked out of the corner of my eye, catching Wrench still watching me, his eyes blazing with something that told me he wasn’t done yet, that this wasn’t over.
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe sometimes it really is just that easy,” he answered cryptically.
“Wrench, draw with me.”
With a wink, he turned away, the slight adjustment he made to the front of his pants as he did, not going unnoticed by my eyes.
Jesus! What the hell just happened?
