Winter (Hero Society Book 5)

by Jessica Florence

  I set the bags down and walked over to her, standing close so she could feel my body heat, but not touching. Didn’t want her to get upset over the unexpected contact.

  The man was about five-eleven, not muscular at all, but not fat. He had brown hair, that was cut short and combed back with gel, and brown eyes. He looked like someone who worked at a desk. Accountant, something like that.

  “Hi, honey,” she said softly, and that endearment spoke volumes for her. She wanted this man to know she was taken.

  “I’m sorry, how rude of me. I’m Arthur. Gwendolyn’s fiancé.” The lie flew from my lips, but there was a large part of me that liked that lie. Very much.

  I held out a hand for him, and he shook it in shock.

  His eyes darted down to her left hand, and I followed his gaze. Crap. Didn’t think that through.

  But Gwendolyn did. She’d used her power with some small amount of metal she must have had on her to create a simple band around her finger. I liked that a lot. My girl was smart.

  “She deserves all the diamonds in the world but wanted something simple. Who could resist giving her what she wants?” I grinned and then felt a small hand slide itself into mine.

  “This is Bradly. He used to work in my department at Griffin Enterprises. We dated for two months, then it ended, and he left to go work for Terratrex Corp. Our competitor.”

  The coldness in her voice made me feel like snow had fallen around us. This was probably the woman he dated, the human robot of Seahill, not the one I was pursuing.

  “Right. Well, word is spreading about your robots at the hospital. Very sneaky of you to get them to the public right after Terratrex announced their plans. But I came to congratulate you. I knew that was a passion project for you. I wanted to offer you dinner sometime to celebrate, but I see you’re busy.” He looked annoyed that I was there and standing so close.

  “Yep. Thanks for stopping by. But we do have plans.” Her face was stoic, and I was willing to do anything to make that mask of ice come off.

  “Congratulations again, Gwendolyn. I’ll, uh, see you at the big robotics convention next month.” Bradly didn’t look defeated as he left, just confused. As soon as Gwendolyn closed the door, her hand was out of mine and she started pacing the room, agitated.

  “Need to talk about it?”

  “I just don’t do well with surprises, and that was not a nice one.” I could tell that immediately, but I didn’t know what to do to help her. So, I asked.

  “You could distract me. Help me focus on something else. I’d been planning on doing one thing all day, excited really, then he came by, and it messed me up. Now I feel scattered.” Her hands went to her hair, and I was worried she was about to have another meltdown and pass out.

  “Help me cook. I could use a sous chef if you’re up for the job.”

  Distraction. That was my job now, helping her focus on something else.

  I told her what to do, and then she got to work. She was quiet and seemed a bit tense, so I started talking about Teddy. She loved robots, and he was one of her projects.

  “Teddy has been having fun in my warehouse. I even make little messes for him on purpose. He gets frustrated, but I think there’s a part of him that likes it.”

  Her shoulders, which were so tight they were trying to touch her ears, lowered a bit. It was working.

  “His favorite thing to clean up is wax. I was working on a canvas with wax, and he was having a fit trying to scrape it off the concrete and rug. Soy wax is pretty hard to get off things.”

  Since then I have been lighting a candle and dripping a little here and there. It was like a scavenger hunt for him.

  I told her as much, and finally she seemed to truly relax again. We worked together to make fajitas and then settled at her table.

  “What were you up to today? What’s the response to the robots been like?”

  It was easy to take the lead in the conversation, something I felt she appreciated a lot. She chewed on her food and spoke after taking a large gulp of water.

  “Everyone seems to like them. Then I came home, had lunch with my friend Lynn, and devised a scheme to seduce you.”

  And the water I was drinking went down the wrong tube.

  Choking and coughing up my soul, I asked her to repeat what she said through my hoarse voice. She did, and the words didn’t change.

  “But Bradly kind of ruined that. Sorry, no seduction tonight.” She lifted her glass of wine and took a sip.

  I didn’t even know what to think right now. Taking it slow was my idea, but she was not going to let that happen. There would be no way in hell I would deny this goddess if she truly turned her attention on me and tried to connect with me. Nope, no way in hell. Maybe that made me a bastard, but I didn’t care.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked as soon as I regained control of my lungs again.

  “I’m thinking you look stunning, and I want you to try again with your plans of seduction.”

  Her head tilted to the side, confused by my confession.

  “But he ruined my mood and messed up the plan. I was supposed to answer the door. Touch you a bit, talk and connect. Then we would eat, settle in for a movie, and I would try for more. Like kissing and go from there.” She ran through the mental checklist in her head.

  “Well, let’s look at this plan. You’ve grabbed my hand. We’ve talked and connected so far. There’s still a lot of checkpoints left that don’t need to be ruined by one drip on the paper, if you will. I’m done eating. Wanna watch that movie you picked?”

  I wanted her happy, and if all she wanted to do tonight was watch a movie, then that’s what we would do. But if she wanted more, I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let some prick ruin her night.

  She chewed over my words, digesting them and dissecting every angle.

  “That’s true. Really, all he did was throw off step one. Everything else has been okay.”

  My heart started picking up speed—mostly because it was rushing blood down to my dick.

  Images of Gwendolyn under my touch, her lips on mine, our bodies connecting. Yep, I was like one of those drooling dogs at a feast. She didn’t even need to seduce me; I’d knock all this shit off the table and devour her like a buffet.

  As soon as we were done eating, we checked off step number five of the seducing Arthur plan: settle on the couch and watch a movie.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Gwendolyn

  My brain was still buzzing about Bradly coming here, his words, Arthur saying we were engaged, holding hands, and even my stunt with a ring.

  I didn’t like surprises, and he messed up everything. But Arthur broke through the crazy in my head and made me realize that Bradly only messed up one step—the rest was still okay. I didn’t feel as beautiful and as confident as before. But I wanted to push past my own head, not letting the Asperger’s rewiring in my head mess up what I wanted. I felt it deep within, this connection with Arthur. It was like a signal between robots. Pops and Cora communicated without words, without my programming. They’d done it all on their own.

  That was like us. I didn’t know how to communicate with him like everyone else, but my heart was speaking another language, trusting him and telling me that this was what it wanted. Him. The movie had been on for twenty minutes, and all I’d done was sit next to him.

  Making that first move? That I was going to need some help with; nerves and self-confidence issues were beginning to weigh on me. What if I didn’t touch right? What if he didn’t like my body? What if my boobs were too small? What if I was too rigid? Bradly tried to get me to open up to him, but I was so tense. It was why things ended with him. I didn’t like the way he made me feel when he was close, and he thought I was a cold woman. I liked being near Arthur—everything about him felt different.

  “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.” His smooth voice warmed me as his hand slowly inched next to mine, his pointer finger reaching over to caress the back of my hand. />
  The touch was simple, but that rhythm in my heart picked up, trying to communicate with his about this desire for closeness that I craved.

  One by one my fingers turned toward his, touching his hand. My eyes were completely focused on my skin against his. My body burned, and my hand moved up past his wrist and over the muscles of his forearms. He was all corded and firm, like a machine underneath soft, tanned skin. My eyes flicked up to his—was he enjoying this? His eyes were watching every move I made; his gaze was scorching me everywhere it landed.

  “What are you thinking?” Communication. Lynn said if I thought of anything I needed, to voice it. Right now, I needed to know his thoughts.

  “I’m fighting back the urge to take control and devour you.”

  An ache throbbed between my legs at hearing those words. I wanted that, but I was nervous.

  I liked control; it was safe and made me feel comfortable. I did what I could handle and then stopped what I couldn’t. But I needed something from him—more. I wanted him to devour me but not take control. Not until I felt like I knew what to expect.

  “Kiss me.”

  He heard my whisper, and his other hand lifted to gently cradle my face.

  “Just to be clear—in case it wasn’t obvious—I’m yours, and I’m wild as the sea for you.”

  His lips gently collided against mine like a wave over the sand.

  All I could see was him. There were no insecurities, there was no what-ifs; there was simply us.

  I moved closer to him, not wanting to be far from his heat, my other hand joining the one already on his body. I’d been wrong when I’d said he had a body like a beach volleyball player. It was more like a sculpture—one of those Greek gods in a museum. He was the perfect male.

  His kiss was slow and deep. I liked it, but that yearning for more only increased with every stroke of his tongue against mine.

  “I need more.”

  Whatever the next step was, I would take it. I was aching all over from wanting to be closer and not giving in. I didn’t know if I could handle whatever he was holding back, but I wanted to see for myself.

  “I’ll tell you if I can’t handle it, but please, Arthur—don’t hold back from me,” I begged.

  Deep down I knew I was still in control. One word from me, and he would stop. That was probably what made me feel comfortable with what was to come.

  Arthur unleashed was not something I could have ever imagined.

  His kiss was deeper, his hands moving from my face into my hair. Gripping it slightly then tilting my head to the side, his lips caressed my cheek, his tongue tasting the flesh of my neck. My senses were going wild, and I moaned at the feeling. This body didn’t even feel like my own anymore; Arthur was driving it.

  I didn’t know which sensation to pay attention to more: His hands in my hair? His mouth on my neck and my collarbone? His breath spreading goose bumps over me? The smell of him was like the sea and citrus. My eyes closed, and all I could do was release my hands from his body and grip his head, holding onto him for my life. There was so much, and I was lost in a whirlpool of awareness. I sensed everything from him, but I wasn’t overwhelmed.

  “I’m lost in you,” I moaned, and his movements felt stronger, like he wanted to savor this moment but yet take everything in a second.

  “Has anyone ever touched your sweet heat, Gwendolyn?” His head pulled back enough to kiss me before making eye contact.

  “Just Bradly, and he said I was too rigid.”

  I felt anything but rigid right now.

  “He’s getting a snowball or a punch to the face next time I see him. May I?” He shook his head, his hand coursing down my tummy to my skinny jeans. I nodded, needing him to make me feel better. He would cure my ache. I trusted him. Together we maneuvered my jeans down so he could touch me freely.

  The first caress of his thumb against my clit made me wanna thrash and scream; it was like being hit with electricity. But then he was on the move, laying me down on my back, his body curled beside me, his fingers playing with me masterfully.

  The weight of him against me and his kiss on my lips settled my mind, relaxing me to the point of bliss.

  “You’re so fucking sexy,” he murmured against my mouth. Oh yes. I felt sexy right now. My whole body began to tense, and I knew I was close to coming.

  “Look at me when you come, sweet muse,” he pleaded, and my eyelids flew wide open to gaze at his.

  Bradly was wrong—I wasn’t cold. I just needed someone whose heart spoke my language. Someone like Arthur.

  Euphoria overtook my body, and I cried out from the force behind it.

  “I’m lost in you too.” His eyes were beaming at me, and for once I could understand that facial expression and the emotions behind it.

  Arthur loved me.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Arthur

  Gwendolyn was my everything. I’d never forget the way she felt beneath my fingers, the way she tasted against my tongue, writhing against me as she came.

  But more than any of that, I would never forget her trust in me, her belief that I would handle her with care and give her something she’d never experienced before.

  I’d barely removed my fingers from her when she was turning to me, her hand moving to my jeans.

  I tried to tell her it was unnecessary to reciprocate, but she was eager and told me as much.

  She was inexperienced in the area of the male form, but when she had her mind on something, all I could do was touch her silky, snow-colored hair and hold on. It wasn’t long before her hands and tongue had me cursing out her name as she swallowed down my essence greedily.

  After she was done, and I lay there praising her like the goddess she was, we reassembled our clothes and snuggled close to finish the movie.

  I would have stayed longer but was called to do hero work.

  She walked me to the door, and I leaned in to give her a slow kiss on her sleepy face.

  “Get some rest. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” she replied softly, and that was good enough for me.

  My thoughts kept playing over the night as I drove to the water treatment plant that had a large pipe rupture. The men couldn’t get in to fix the pipe because the room was flooded and the shut-off was jammed. It was odd, but I guess it could happen. My powers were an easy fix in a situation that could affect many people, since this was the city’s main plant.

  I changed into my hero gear before showing up to the scene and held back the water long enough for the men to get in and fix the pipe.

  It was close to dawn when I finally made it to my bed, exhausted in all the ways possible. Of course, sleep wasn’t going to take up much of my agenda today. Phillip had called in a group meeting at HQ.

  “She was worth it,” I grumbled to myself as I rolled back out of bed after only getting two hours of rest. I sold my soul to the Hero Society for Gwendolyn.

  Gwendolyn’s car was parked in the lot when I pulled up, and my walk gained a little bit of extra pep in it.

  The room was quite crowded as I entered. Everyone I’d met in days past was hanging out, chatting with each other. I was apparently the last to show up. Without thought, I said hello then found Gwendolyn sitting in a chair next to Rose and Draco, who were cuddle up in their own round chair. The room looked like a large living room: big TV, sectional, chairs, coffee table, and all sorts of gaming equipment.

  “Hi.” I held out my hand for Gwendolyn’s, and she took it. She wasn’t expecting to move, but I pulled her up, plopped myself in the chair and brought her down onto my lap. She looked nervous but didn’t move off of me.

  “This okay?” I asked, just to confirm, and she nodded yes.

  “Great, another couple,” the rocker kid on the opposite side of the room groaned, and I wanted to laugh at his theatrics.

  “Well, if Lilith would stop crashing all your dates, you’d be one of us, A.J.,” sad Echo, the raven-haired Native American woman who could chang
e into animals. The man next to her—Asher was his name, if I remembered correctly—grinned at his woman and wrapped his arms around her. There was a lot of love in this room.

  “The first girl that doesn’t run away from me can have him.” Lilith was grinning then stuck out her tongue at Echo. The women in this room were something else. I was curious what Gwendolyn thought of them.

  “Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Phillip stood and lifted a remote toward the TV. We were looking at some sort of map of Seahill, but the bay was red- and orange-colored.

  “What’s going on?” Rose asked, while looking through the paperwork in the folder.

  Phillip looked like he always did, a blond-haired pretty boy—the puppet master of the world.

  “The colors on the map show the levels of toxicity in the bay. There are high levels of a dangerous algae. There were also traces of the toxins at the water plant last night that had rusted the doors of the emergency shut-off room. Arthur did containment work, but evidence shows whatever is happening with our water is not good. There is a chance it could spread, and once it gets out of the bay and into the Pacific there will be no containment. People are getting sick—even the air around the water is causing respiratory issues. Take care of everything else in the city, but this needs to become a priority. We have to fix this before it destroys our planet.” He looked around, and the whole room was quiet.

  The information on the screen and in the folder, wasn’t good.

  “Any idea where the toxins are coming from?” Echo went into cop mode, asking questions for everyone to hear.

  “No. The results from testing showed high levels of nitrogen, phosphates, and potassium—common in fertilizers, which would explain the bloom in algae. The rivers are partially frozen, so they haven’t been able to tell from their samples if the toxins are coming from inland, although from the map you can see it’s especially red by the mouth of the Hatcher River. Could be something to investigate. I have my people at Griffin Enterprises looking into the chemical aspects, but this requires more. Arthur and Gwendolyn, I’m putting you guys on this. Echo, Asher, use your gifts to sniff out what you can from nature.”