Bad Boy Hero: A Romantic Suspense

by Adair Rymer

  “I am that nagging fear in the back of your soul,” I said in a loud booming voice, as I cut down the man who was speaking. Phones and lighters dropped as men hefted their assault rifles instead. They began firing wildly at the sound of my voice. Muzzle flashes rapidly lit the room in a staccato strobe.

  “I am your moment of hesitation. That extra shot of whiskey to numb the pain. The black terror that startles you from sleep.” I spoke only when in the middle of groups of men. Some bullets hit me, but not enough to do any real damage. Mostly it was other mobsters who were caught in their own crossfire.

  There was a delightful irony in them gunning down their own, trying to get at me.

  “Fucking shoot him already!” I heard O'Neil's voice hiding in all the chaos. He was the only man here with a lick of sense. That was probably how he became the boss.

  The mob was starting to understand that they were the ones who were trapped. Feds on the outside and me on the inside. They scurried around like rats. Despite all their posturing and their big guns, they were just scared little men.

  “I am your inevitable,” I said, noting their dwindling numbers. I hadn't killed nearly as many as they had with their indiscriminate gunfire. “I am consequence given violent, bloody form.”

  “We are!” The last man screamed. “He doesn't fucking die!”

  “Death isn't here for me tonight,” I said, killing him.

  A helicopter's spotlight shone down through the hole I'd made when this all started. It illuminated me, standing alone, all my weapons exhausted, atop a sea of bodies.

  O'Neil stood up from behind a metal cabinet, aiming down the sights of a semi-automatic shotgun. Shotguns were very bad for me, they tended to take out bigger chunks than bullets. I doubted that even I would survive if my brain was blown out of my head.

  “I might not get out of this,” O'Neil said, as the light whirled above us. That probably meant the task force outside had finished with the mafia enforcers. “But I've eight rounds that say you won't either.”

  The light from the helicopter was so blindingly bright that I couldn't see anything around me. I pulled my knife back into my hand. I was fast, but I still couldn't dodge a bullet at close range. I'd have to throw my knife at where I heard his heartbeat the loudest and hope for the best. Not an ideal plan.

  I couldn't just wound him. Anything less than fatal for him, might be fatal for me.

  “Probably won't even take all eight. I'll even save one for your girlfriend. Let's see you regenerate with a skull full of buckshot, Shadow bo—.”

  A shot rang out.

  I ducked, knowing I’d never be fast enough. I hit the ground with the knife in my hand. I never even had the time to throw it. I focused so I could quickly heal before he fired again. The damnedest thing was that there was nothing to heal.

  I wasn't shot.

  I looked up and saw O'Neil was the one bleeding. His pulse dropped rapidly, one of his arteries was shredded. He was just a dead man who hadn't fallen down yet. I followed his angry, dying stare to Natasha and the smoking pistol she had in her steady hands.

  Chapter 11

  Natasha

  “You alright?” Logan said, opening the door to his small apartment and letting me in.

  “Yeah,” I said, trying to convince us both. “I've just never ridden a person that long before...” I caught myself. Was this saying the wrong words thing, going to be a thing? I hoped not. “Like that. Being carried.”

  Fucking hell.

  I was still reeling from being betrayed by my captain, watching the man I loved get killed—sort of—, nearly getting executed, witnessing mass murder and then shooting someone. And to top it all off I got the piggy back ride of my life.

  It'd been an incredibly emotional day.

  “I know what you meant,” Logan smiled, kindly, closing the door behind us. The contrast between this Logan and the one I saw at the fish-packing plant was miles apart. He was so worried about letting his inner monster out, but in the end that's what saved us.

  “Are you hungry?” He asked, making his way to the kitchen.

  “Are you joking?” I had enough trouble keeping what little I'd eaten down. Food was the last thing on my mind.

  “Absolutely not.” Logan didn't share my hang ups, he tore open three separate MREs and started devouring them. Each was a full meal on its own. They stood for Meals Ready to Eat, it was something soldiers had to put up with while they were deployed and there was no other food options available. I'd never tried one, but they were universally hated for tasting horrible. They couldn't have been that bad because Logan had cases of the stuff.

  “That's better. That'll hold me over for a while.” He breathed a sigh of relief, after finishing all three in a flash of his superhuman speed. It was like watching a person on fast forward. “Those bullets literally took a lot out of me. Days like today, I need to eat a ton to replenish.”

  Days like today... The thought that I'd ever have to go through something so intense again, terrified me.

  “Where's your bed?” I needed to distance my mind from all of the horror.

  “I don't really need one anymore.” Logan trashed the bags, wiped his face and walked over to me. “One of the handy side effects to the serum. Why, are you tired?”

  “Extremely,” I chuckled unintentionally. “But I have enough catholic guilt stored up to keep me awake for the rest of my life.”

  I glanced around his tiny one bedroom apartment. Speaking of contrasts, it was as spotless as mine was not. Granted, that's also because there was nearly nothing in it. There were a few cases of MRE's, a table full of assorted weapons and a trunk that probably held his spare costumes and tech.

  “If you don't need to sleep, then why do you have an apartment?” I asked.

  “I can't be out all the time, otherwise I'd draw too much attention.”

  “What do you do here all day? Polish your weapons?” I would lose my mind. I've always hated being idle.

  “There's only so much polishing one man can do,” he flicked his eyes slowly over my body. I still didn't believe he had x-ray vision, but that didn't stop my flesh from heating up and turning pink.

  A shiver rippled through me. My adrenaline was still peaked from everything that happened. It was still hard to fully grasp that this was Logan, my Logan. I'd always dreamed of this moment, him and me completely alone together. It had always been impossible, but as Logan moved in closer I realized it didn't have to be, not anymore.

  He came back for me.

  He leaned in to kiss me, but as much as it pained me, I had to stop him. “I won't let you break the law, Logan. It's either me or the Shadow. There is no us, if you continue to—”

  Just because there was corruption in my department, didn't mean my ideals had changed. I still believed in the law and due process. As excited as I was to have him back, I was only willing to excuse what Logan had done because he saved my life in the process. As a cop, I understood sometimes people had to die, but it had to be a last resort.

  Logan swept me up in a great big hug and kissed me. “The Shadow was a tool that no longer has a use. I'm not broken anymore. I have you, that's all I need.”

  Hearing him say that settled my stomach and put my heart at ease. After everything we'd been through, I couldn't stand the thought of losing him again. We earned this second chance.

  The slightest notes of the mild southern accent he had as a boy resurfaced when he said that. With the Shadow being retired, I hoped he would get his accent back too. For as much shit as I'd given him growing up, I always thought it was so cute. Now that his voice had deepened, it was downright sexy as hell!

  Technically the Shadow wasn't retired, he was dead. That would be the official statement at least.

  Before we escaped, I had just enough presence of mind to put Logan's mask on the dead Victor “Trip V” Mendez, the second in command of the Dragons. It was widely known that he didn't like being under the Irish's thumb. With any luck, the task for
ce would think he had been the Shadow all along.

  I doubted anyone was alive to say otherwise.

  “You're not going to hulk out on me again are you?” I bit my lip.

  Logan held me easily in one arm, while he snatched a sheet from a nearby closet and laid it over his carpeted living room floor. He laid me on top of it. It smelled like gun oil, but that was fine. If anything, that made sense for us. We weren't dainty, nervous teens anymore. We were broken, hardened people who only had each other.

  “I've seen what you're capable of, Nat.” Logan smiled as the dawn sunlight lit the room. Dimples I hadn't noticed before were little dark pools of shadow in an otherwise brilliantly shining, handsome face. His heart-stopping mahogany eyes turned up in feigned vulnerability. “I wouldn't want to cross you.”

  I laughed. I shouldn't have found his gallows humor funny, but I did. That's just the kind of people we were now.

  Logan tossed his jacket aside and peeled off his shirt, which was more holes than fabric.

  The sight of him half naked filled me with excitement, it invaded every part of me. The light drew hard lines across the patchwork of scars he carried. Now they were just reminders of a past life.

  His hard body twisted, highlighted and flexing as he balled up the ripped, useless shirt, and tossed it across the room. He definitely wasn't the same boy I knew. He was a hard, gorgeous man now. He slapped a hand down on either side of my shoulders and lowered himself down to kiss me on the forehead. His long hair tickled the sides of my face.

  “Now you, Nat. Let me see you.” He lightly bit my ear, sending molten lava down my spine.

  “You already have,” I said, rolling my blood spattered shirt up my stomach. “Don't tell me you've already forgotten.”

  “Last time was just a tease. I want to see you with my own eyes.”

  Suddenly my heart pounded, the weight of the day was becoming blissfully distant. Logan slid a hand under my ass and squeezed, as he worked his stubble-lined chin down my neck. It prickled, but I didn't mind a little pain, especially when his tongue soothed it all away.

  “I used to fantasize about you back when we were seventeen.” He helped strip my shirt off the rest of the way, then dragged his hand back down to cup my breast over my bra. It was becoming liquid under him. I squirmed under the pressure of his pinching, my nipples were hard enough to cut right through the thick fabric.

  “You could've had any girl at school.” All the prettier girls at school fawned over him. I never told him, but it made me crazy jealous. Logan hardly noticed them. I just chalked that up to him being aloof.

  “I know,” he said, between kisses down my neck. “But none of them were you.”

  Ah! My smile was so big that I thought it might wrap around my head. Logan was cotton candy, dipped in sex and lit on fire. Was he trying to make me melt into the floor? It had been hard enough to resist him before, but now it was impossible!

  “Let me know if I'm being too rough,” Logan said, pulling my bra up instead of tearing it off. How much of him last time was the man and how much was the monster?

  His cock snaked down his thigh, pushing into my own, through our clothes. One way or another I was going to meet one monster soon. My body ached for what I was robbed of last time. This time I wanted him to split me in half. I wanted to feel him push into me and never stop.

  “Ok,” I said, as his teeth grazed my nipple, sending chills through my lungs. I spiked in air. The word escaped me like a trace of a whisper, but with his hearing I knew he heard me. I could probably just think the word really loudly and he'd hear it.

  Within the span of a heartbeat, his enhanced speed had my bra off and flung across the room. Logan immediately slowed afterward, he was fighting to maintain control. Logan was strong enough to literally rip me to shreds with barely a second thought. Would he always be able to keep his strength in check? Even when he was coming, and I was screaming his name?

  I should've been terrified, and part of me was, but knowing how close I was to the edge with him was darkly thrilling.

  No one could ever be more masculine or dangerous than a superhero. And I was about to be fucked by one. How could I not be out of my mind with anticipation?

  Logan's abs flexed as he rolled to one side to get a better angle. During that motion, his godly physique showcased the insanely cut V in his lower stomach. It started at his hips and went straight down into heaven. He was a mass of twisted, angry muscle with near zero body fat. Whatever happened to Logan made him into more of a sculpture than a man.

  “Seven years...” Logan abruptly pulled himself off me, leaving me topless in the morning light. He shifted again, slipping a finger into my waistband. All my lower garments slipped off in one fluid movement.

  He paused a moment to look at me. I knew he had eagle-like eyesight. I could only imagine what his eyes saw. It was different this time. Before, with the Shadow, it was all adrenaline fueled lust. It didn't matter that they were the same person, now I knew I was with Logan.

  He was the one I'd loved my whole life. It felt like we were experiencing each other like this for the first time. The intimate nature of it all...made me feel a little insecure.

  Could he see all the nicks and flaws I saw every day when I stepped out of the shower? All the scars and imperfections. My tiny breasts and lack of curves. I might have been hardened over the years, but I still felt incredibly fragile at times. I recoiled under his gaze and started crossing my legs and sliding my arms over myself.

  He was a god, now. Was I really enough for him? Was I ever?

  “Don't.” He grabbed my wrist, stopping me, then caressed my face. His thick eyelashes trapped me in his intense stare. “I can see you. Really see you. You're more than I'd ever hoped for. Every piece of you is exactly as it should be. I could never have asked for anything more.”

  “You need to stop flattering me and get back over here.” My bulletproof facade was breaking apart in his loving gaze. The softness and water in my eyes betrayed me. He made me feel too good about myself. It was something I wasn't used to. I grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss instead.

  I popped the button on his pants and worked down his zipper. My heart was so full and pounding, I almost didn't notice the steady thrumming. I could feel it through my hands when I touched his inner thigh. “Your pulse. You actually have one!”

  I tensed up immediately, remembering what happened the last time he got excited.

  “Don't worry,” he said cooly. “Still me. Guess we're both doing something right, huh?”

  Oh, thank God.

  It was yet another reminder that the real Logan was back, not something that wore his image. I let myself go and allowed my senses to get absorbed in him. I reached into his coarse pants and felt the heat of his desire roll over me. Starting at the base I slid my hand down the length of his massive cock, barely registering the slight moan that escaped my lips.

  I squeezed, but his cock was too thick to get my fingers all the way around it. Would I be too small for him? How the hell was this going to work?

  “You have a very emotive face, you know that?” He smiled the damn smile that always made me tremble a little.

  “Can't help it. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve when anyone brandishes a weapon at me.”

  He slid two fingers over my clit and right into my pussy. The abrupt jolt made me grunt louder than any lady should. Then they curled and lightning crackled within me, enough that my knees buckled.

  “Oh, enough banter. Fuck me, already.” I couldn't stand it anymore, I needed him to touch me. To feel all of him inside me. Seven years was way too long...

  “Do you have any—” I was pretty sure he knew I was going to ask about the condoms, but I couldn't get the words out fast enough.

  “Shit,” he gritted his teeth. There was a blur and whoosh of air, then Logan was gone completely.

  “Seriously?” I snorted out a laugh, resting my head back down on the floor. This was going to take some getting
used to. “Of course you don't.”

  Why would he? He couldn't exactly use them as silencers for his guns, and up until now his mission didn't really allow for sex.

  Exactly three minutes and forty seven seconds passed until I saw a familiar flash of half-naked flesh. “I am so sorry.”

  “I guess I should be flattered.” I'd been rubbing slow circles into my clit when he arrived.

  “You still warm?” he asked, kicking his boots off and laying back down.

  “Why don't you come check?” I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. “Hurry up and get that thing on would you?”

  “I put it on on the way over.”

  I couldn't help but smile deeper, then enjoyed the show of him sliding his pants down. His long, thick erection seemed to jump out of his pants. I felt a new pang of excitement tinged with fear.

  “Is that condom going to be enough?”

  “I checked, but they were all out of Krptonite laced ones.” He dove back into my neck, but I could still feel him smiling. “Relax. Last time I polished my gun I didn't blow a hole through the wall, if that's what you're asking?”

  “So that is what you do all day!”

  He shook his head at my silliness, then worked a hand down my thigh. That wonderful tingle I always felt when he touched me returned instantly. He rubbed the fat head of his cock back and forth over my soaked lips, getting them even wetter.

  There was some hesitance in his eyes, he really didn't want to hurt me. I wrapped my hand around his shaft and pulled him into my slick opening. This was my decision too.

  “Jesus...” My words turned into moans as he pushed deeper slowly, then pulled out slightly, then back in a little more. My brain had splatted against a wall. Thinking was impossible. I was spread to the limit, making room for him. My inner walls stretched and pulsed against his throbbing cock.

  Logan let out a low guttural growl and repeated the little-out,-then-further-in motion until he was completely inside of me. I was so full, I had trouble breathing. I had been with guys before, but none of them were half the man Logan was. Or half as thick and long!