After Mags threw a Hail-Mary Pass move that included showing Dhavin her latest yoga trick to which he responded with a polite nod, she issued an exasperated grunt and tossed her ponytail over her shoulder. “Well.” She flashed them both a tight smile. “I’ve finished in the back. Do you still need me, Fiona? I have a date tonight and I plan on blowing his mind.” The narrowed glare she shot at Dhavin was probably meant to make him jealous but ended up appearing more childish than sultry. “I could use the extra time to get ready.”
“You can go. Thanks for your hard work today.”
She nodded then turned with a huff and her nose lifted in the air.
“Damn,” Dhavin said. “I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings.”
She didn’t want to pry, really, but curiosity loosened her tongue. “What was with the cold shoulder?”
His eyes widened with horror. “You thought I was cold?”
“Well, for you anyway. You were very polite and usually you’re more flirty.”
“I wasn’t trying to be mean.” He ran his hand over his face with a deep sigh. “I’ve come to realize that my friendliness and desire to make others happy might be perceived as more than I intend. I’m trying to be more mindful of my words and actions.”
“Wow. That’s…wow.” Whoever heard of such a phenomenon? A man who made a conscious effort to change his behavior? She had absolutely no comeback for that. “What made you come to that conclusion?”
“A good friend pointed out what I was unable to see. I appreciated their honesty.” His slight smile held secrets she wanted to be brave enough to ask about. “Anyway, Cam asked me to check on you and see if you received his message.”
“Yes. I did.”
“He feels horrible for canceling.”
“I understand. I’m sure late-night missions occur frequently in his line of work.”
Dhavin nodded, but his eyes didn’t look convinced of her answer. “Are you certain you’re not upset?”
“Of course.” She bit her lip before admitting a truth she’d been struggling with all day. She needed to talk to someone and at the moment, Officer Dhavin was the only person she could confide in. “Actually, I’m sort of glad he was called away. I’ve been thinking we need some time apart.”
“Why? What has happened?”
She shrugged and shot a pointed look in the direction of the kitchen.
“Mags is gone. I heard the door slam a minute ago.”
“Oh. Wow, you’ve got good hearing.”
“Please, Fiona, tell me what’s wrong.”
She shrugged again and set her focus on wiping down the espresso machine. It was easier to spill her guts without looking him in the eye. “Nothing and everything. I keep thinking that what we have can’t continue. I mean, what are we doing? Are we a couple, are we having an affair? And what about next week or next month? I understand his need for secrecy, I really do, but how long can that last? I feel like I’m in limbo right now and it’s not a fun place to be. I think some distance may be what we need to put things into perspective.”
“I don’t understand.” He came closer and stopped on the other side of the counter. “Don’t you enjoy being with him?”
Enjoy? Such a pedestrian word compared to how she felt. “Yes.”
“Do you care for him?” The light in his eyes turned hopeful. “Maybe, even love him?”
So much so she was ready to cry, and therein lay her dilemma. How could she be in love with someone she didn’t really know? “I care for him a lot.”
“Then what is the issue? I know he cares for you too. Is it you want more? What? I’m sure if you tell him, you will find he wants the same thing you do.”
“Right.” Her harsh bark of laughter sounded bitter in her own ears. “For how long? He’s…he’s, well, you know, not normal. God, the things he’s must have seen and done. I make cookies for a living. Sure, he enjoys my company now, but he’ll get bored. And it’s not like we can mix things up and go out together because of the mask, and—” Her breath caught as the deepest hurt broke free. “He doesn’t trust me with his identity. What if he never does?”
“He will.” The fervor in Dhavin’s voice surprised her. “Just…give him time. Did you ever think that he may be struggling with the same things you are? That maybe he is unsure about asking you for more because he doesn’t want to rush things with you?”
That gave her pause. “I guess I’m still in disbelief that he finds me interesting at all.”
“Fiona, at times I want to shake you. Do you really have no idea how spectacular you are?”
How could she not when a handsome man looked at her as if he wanted to lay her on the counter and devour her whole.
“When the other party in question is a superhero, it’s hard to compete.”
“Believe me, Cam is lucky to have you.”
His compliments brought heat to her cheeks and she had to turn away from the admiration in his gaze. “The whole situation is surreal. Masked crusader. Dowdy human. For Pete’s sake, we were even trapped in a snowstorm. It’s like a bad Hollywood movie script. How can I trust that anything either of us feels is real when it’s all been one big…” She couldn’t finish the thought. It was too depressing.
“Cliché.”
“What?” Something in his tone brought her head around.
“What is the word? Cliché?” He looked into the distance then nodded. “Yes. That is it.”
Maybe it was the accent, but with that one word, she swore Cam was standing before her. She squinted to blur her vision and focused on the flecks in his brown eyes that sparkled like gold flakes and the line of his lips, noticing for the first time the slight dimple on the right side.
Just like Cam.
There had only been a handful of occasions when Fiona felt frozen in time. When her heart and lungs stopped functioning and nothing, not even the air seemed to move. The last occasion was when she first met the Chameleon and now that freaky sense of déjà vu cemented her into place.
All the times she’d been in Officer Kilsgaard’s presence, she’d been too shy to meet his gaze. Now, as she looked upon him fully for the first time, the oddest thought struck her so hard, if it would have been a two-by-four, it’d have broken bone.
“Fiona?” He braced his hands on the counter as if ready to vault over the top to her side. “Are you all right?”
Her breath came back in a burning rush. “What? I—what?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I—” No. The idea was ludicrous. A crazed laugh bubbled up her throat. To speak it out loud would prove her insane. “I, uh, for a moment I had this panicked thought that I had forgotten to turn off the stove this morning, but I had cereal, so of course I didn’t. Ever had one of those weird moments? Really, I’m fine.”
His frown deepened and the muscle in his jaw ticked. “Are you sure? I sense all is not well.”
She fought to control the widening of her eyes. Cam could sense her emotions too. If he and Dhavin were the same, then he knew she was lying.
Brushing aside his concern with a wave of her towel, she backed away. “I mean it. I’m okay. But I should probably check to make sure Mags turned the ovens off like she said. Better to be safe than sorry.” She turned to run into the kitchen, then whipped back around to point her finger and demand, “Don’t go anywhere.”
He placed his hands on his hips as if to argue but nodded in agreement.
Once in the cocoon of the kitchen, she leaned against the wall and braced her hands on her knees as she fought for breath.
What the hell was she thinking? It wasn’t possible. There was no way Cam and Officer Kilsgaard could be one and the same. What did they have in common? Besides a tall, muscular build, a sinfully sexy accent, and they both pulled the late shift at work on the same night?
Oh. My. God.
Don’t freak out, don’t freak out.
Deep breaths. Deep breaths. She had to keep her emotions under control and think this through
. Her head swam with the extra oxygen but her heart began to slow its thunderous beat.
Be rational and think. The Chameleon appeared in Cedar way before Dhavin arrived in town. And she’d seen them standing side by side with her own eyes. It simply was not possible, unless Cam had a twin. Or Dhavin.
Or…Dhavin had a cousin. An equally tall and well-built cousin.
Fiona drew up short as the events of the day before came back. She remembered the confused wave Cam gave her before he went and made goo-goo eyes at the sheriff. Sheriff Briggs had been the first person to have her life saved by the Chameleon. Now she was married to Dhavin’s cousin. Maybe there had been more than one person who had come to Earth and now they shared the title to throw off suspicion as to who was behind the mask.
Holy crap. It was sounding logical.
“Fiona.” She jumped when she heard Dhavin’s shout. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Mags left the mop bucket out and I almost tripped over it. I’ll be just a minute.”
She rubbed at her lips as her brain raced to make sense of her crazy thoughts. It wasn’t as if she could march out into the shop and ask him if he was the Chameleon. Would he even tell her the truth if she did?
Her hands moved from her face to behind her neck then down her sides until she passed over the swell of her buttocks. The bulge of her cell against her palms gave her an idea. She withdrew the phone and pressed the reply button to Cam’s last text.
“Hit the freaking H,” she ordered her trembling fingers through clenched teeth.
Hey. Just got message. Sorry for delay. No worries about 2nite. Looking forward to tomorrow. Be safe.
She pressed “send” then crept to the doorway to peek out to the shop. Dhavin was watching the entrance to the kitchen with his arms crossed and a serious frown line bisecting his forehead. Suddenly his eyes widened and he jerked. After a quick scan of the room, he retrieved his phone from his belt.
Fiona bit back a gasp and watched with her heart pounding behind her ribs as he read the display then released an adorable smile. After another glance toward the kitchen doorway, he typed a response. His thumbs flew across the keys with an inhuman speed then he tucked the phone back into his pocket. A second later, her phone beeped and she jumped a foot in the air, the phone slipping from her grip. The black rectangle bounced from one hand to the other like a hot potato, almost hitting the floor before she wrestled it back against her chest.
With one eye closed in trepidation, she looked at the display.
One new message.
She drew a deep breath in through her nose and pressed the button. Her stomach clenched tighter when she saw it was from Cam.
You are the best. Will most definitely see you tomorrow. Until then I will be thinking of your kisses and the tight clench of your body around mine. Be safe, konkattie. If you need me for any reason, any at all, contact me or Officer Kilsgaard. Do not hesitate. Be safe as well.
The promise in his words made her nipples bead as the implication hit her like a cast iron skillet dropped on her foot.
She had sex with Dhavin Kilsgaard!
All this time she’d been ridden hard by the town beefcake. How could she not have known?
Even if she was horribly wrong about his identity, the image was now there. When she’d think of Cam without the mask, it’d be Dhavin’s face in her mind’s eye, gazing down at her with fire in his eyes, of his weight pressing her into the mattress as he thrust his cock deep inside her.
Agh! She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes to scrub away the picture. Spots floated in her vision from the pressure and the lack of oxygen to her brain as she began to hyperventilate.
A gentle hand fell upon her shoulder, but she leapt forward with a shriek as if she’d been electrocuted.
“It’s me, Fiona.” Dhavin held up his hands. “Just me.”
Damn it. Who the hell replaced the normally steadfast woman with this weakling who started like she was trapped in a haunted house while high on mushrooms?
She pinched her lips together and mentally lassoed her frayed emotions. Keep it together, girl. “Sorry. You startled me.”
“And you are frightening me. Please, tell me what is the matter.” He reached for her hand. The calluses on his palm sent shivers up her arms. These were the same hands that had caressed her entire body and teased her to orgasm more times than she could count.
She wrenched her gaze away from his big hand and was immediately ensnared by the worry on his handsome face. The tender look made her heart melt even as she wanted to scream “liar” right into his face. How dare he act as if he cared about her when there had been nothing but lies between them?
Space. She needed space before she blew up like Mount St. Helens and made herself appear even more stupid then she felt.
“I am feeling uncertain at the moment,” she answered in a slow, modulated voice. She spoke enough of the truth to hopefully deflect his ability to sense her falsehood. “I’ve experienced a lot this week, and this evening has been interesting, to say the least.”
“You look pale. Damn, if only I didn’t have to work, I’d take you home immediately. Can I call your aunt for you? I don’t think you should be on your own.”
“No.” She pulled away from his touch. You don’t have the right to comfort me. “I’ll be fine. Nothing that some space and time alone won’t put to rights.” And a big bottle of wine. The smile bunching her cheeks felt as plastic as a pair of wax lips. “Don’t worry about me.”
Dhavin rubbed at his jaw. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“What?” She placed her hand over her heart and batted her lashes. “Why would I lie to you?” She pushed against his shoulder, turning him to face the front door and guided him out of the kitchen. “Now go. The people of Cedar are waiting for your protection. And if I unexplainably find myself in trouble, I’ll call Cam.”
Under her hands she felt him still, the muscles of his back tensing. She held her breath and waited. Would he come clean about his identity now?
Her fingers flexed to dig into his back when he stepped away and glanced at her over his shoulder. “If you need anything, call. No matter the hour. Promise me.”
Her vocal cords stopped working, refusing to speak any more lies, so she nodded.
His lips parted, but he stopped short and pinched them together. She watched him walk out the door and followed behind him, waiting at the window until she saw him round the corner before her knees gave out and she slid to the tile floor, creating the saddest window display in history.
The cool glass was refreshing on her hot cheek and distracted her from the nausea rising up her throat.
There was no question in her mind. The knowledge went beyond her gut. It was as definitive as DNA.
Dhavin tricked her. He knew how she felt about him, yet he used her attraction for the Chameleon to trick her, seduce her and make her fall in love with him.
Honey, you could have said no at any time.
“Shut up,” she groaned.
Who cared if her libido was right? She was the wounded party. Of course she always had the power to say no. There had been a million chances to demand more from him and make him take off the mask, or just walk away. But the fantasy had been too good to let go. For one moment she wanted to touch the sun, even with the risk of incineration. Now the sunburn went straight to the bone.
Oh, how he must have laughed with his cousins about the frumpy Earth-girl who dropped her panties with a flash of his smile. How many other women had he duped so easily, or was she the only one gullible enough to fall for the Captain America persona?
As the flames of embarrassment licked up her neck, she couldn’t decide which was worse, knowing the truth about her hero or facing the moment when she’d have to confront him with his dishonesty. Continuing the charade was not an option. Look how well she controlled her emotions not five minutes earlier.
God, what was she going to do when she saw him again?
“W
ait a minute.” She stared off into the distance as inspiration struck.
The question wasn’t what she was going to do, but what wasn’t she going to do.
From the pit of despair rose an idea so crazy, it lifted the hair on her arms. Hysterical laughter bounced around the empty shop like marbles being poured into a glass jar. Defeat turned into indignation that straightened her spine and brought her to her feet.
Her Scottish heritage taught her how to hold a grudge forever. The Italian side, an appreciation for revenge.
Dhavin thought he had her wet and panting in the palm of his hand, did he? The entire week he encouraged her to embrace her sexy, feminine side. Now was the perfect opportunity to show him how well she learned her lesson. He wanted a sex kitten? She was going to make his wet dream come true, and when she was done, he’d be left on the curb with the rest of the trash.
Chapter Nine
Fiona’s hands shook as she picked up a log to throw on the fire then dropped it back onto the pile. Up, down, up, down. Indecision had her playing yo-yo with the piece of wood. The interior of the little hunting cabin she borrowed was freezing, but a sheen of sweat gathered along her brow as her insides vibrated as if a swarm of bees took up residence and bustled with activity—their stingers poked her confidence and upset her stomach.
Screw it. She dropped the log and went into the bathroom to look over her appearance for the twentieth time in ten minutes.
To pull off this grand scheme she was going to have to get her shit together and calm the fuck down. Dhavin was scheduled to arrive any minute and everything had to be in place.
“Cam. Call him Cam,” she muttered at her reflection as she twisted the band holding her hair at the nape of her neck into place.
After what she spent on supplies, the last thing she wanted to do was blow the entire plan to hell because she called him by the wrong name. Who knew restraints could be so pricey? If all went as planned, every penny would be well spent.
Hero Unmasked: 3 (Heroes of Saturn) Page 12
