By the time we got Frost locked away and left the lab, Lulu had reached the Fearless Five, and the superheroes had arrived at the factory ruins. Well, really, it was just four of them, since Chief Newman was here as himself, along with several cops.
I explained to the chief and Fiera how Frost had kidnapped Swifte, how I’d tracked them down, and how I’d managed to defeat the ubervillain.
“Well done, Piper,” the chief rumbled. “Very well done. Don’t worry about Frost anymore. My men and I will take care of him.”
He gestured to some of his officers, and they walked down the ramp into the lab to retrieve the ubervillain.
“You beat Frost with a bullhorn?” Fiera said, looking at me with new respect. “That’s impressive.”
I shrugged. “I know someone with supersenses. It wasn’t too hard to figure out.”
Fiera sniffed, threw her blond hair over her shoulder, and strode over to talk to Hermit, Karma Girl, and Striker, who were standing with Wynter, Lulu, and Rascal.
“Supersenses?” Kyle whispered, having put his mask back on and resumed his Swifte persona. “Who has supersenses?”
“Abby,” I whispered back.
“Ah,” he said, his face clearing. “So that’s why she’s so cranky all the time.”
I laughed. “I wouldn’t say that, but she definitely doesn’t like loud noises. And neither did Frost.”
The two of us watched while the cops marched Frost out of the lab and over to a waiting police van. The cops had put solidium cuffs on the ubervillain’s wrists and ankles to keep him from escaping, and he could only manage a slow, steady shuffle. Frost alternated between glaring at me, Swifte, and Wynter, his blue eyes bright with anger.
I shivered and turned away from him. I’d made a dangerous enemy today, but the police would lock Frost away in some supermax ubervillain prison where he would never see the light of day again. That was my hope, anyway. Even if I knew that Fiona was right. Ubervillains never seemed to stay dead—or imprisoned—for very long.
Once Frost was secured in the back of the police van, Chief Newman came over to question Kyle, er, Swifte.
I drifted away, standing off by myself. Eventually, Fiera came over to me, with Karma Girl trailing along behind her. Fiera stood by my side in silence for several seconds.
“So,” she drawled out the word. “You called my phone earlier, trying to get me to come help Swifte.”
“So?”
She cleared her throat. “So…you called Fiona’s phone.”
With everything that had been going on, I’d forgotten all about that. “Yeah. I did, didn’t I?”
Fiera, Fiona, stared at me. “How long have you known?”
I shrugged. “For a while now.”
“How did you find out?” she asked.
“I heard you talking on your phone to your father one day. The way you were chatting about heroes and villains…it was sort of obvious that you were one.”
Fiera slapped her hands on her hips, red-hot sparks shooting out of her fingertips. “You eavesdropped on me!”
“I did no such thing,” I shot right back. “I was sitting in my office working, just like always. Even with the door shut, I could still hear you. If you don’t want people to find out about your supersecret identity, then you shouldn’t talk so loud on your phone. Or so often. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard you discussing Fearless Five business with Chief Newman or Sam Sloane. And you definitely shouldn’t eat so much food where other people can see you all the time.”
Fiera sniffed, crossed her arms over her chest, and tossed her blond hair back over her shoulder. Karma Girl chuckled.
“Come on, Fiera,” Karma Girl said. “That last one is kind of a dead giveaway.”
Fiera glared at her teammate. “Well, if Piper knows who I am, then she knows who we all are, including you, Carmen Cole.”
Karma Girl shrugged. “It was only a matter of time before someone figured out who I really was.” She grinned. “You might even say that it was karmic retribution for me exposing the identities of all those other heroes and villains.”
Fiera groaned at her cheesy joke, then turned her gaze back to me. “Well, if you know I’m a superhero and why I eat so much all the time, then why do you keep putting all those eating disorder pamphlets on my desk?”
“Because all the sales clerks and workers wonder how you can eat so much and stay so thin,” I replied. “One of them made a remark about you secretly being a superhero. Since I didn’t want you to blow your own secret identity, I told everyone that you had an eating disorder and made sure that all the workers knew about those pamphlets I put on your desk. I know it was a terrible thing to do, but I was just trying to help.”
Fiera’s face softened. “You’re a good friend, Piper.”
I grinned. “Yeah. I know.”
I bumped her shoulder with my own. Fiera laughed and bumped me back, almost sending me spinning down to the ground with her incredible strength.
Fiera and Karma Girl went over to wrap up things with Hermit, Striker, Chief Newman, and the rest of the cops.
Swifte, Wynter, and Lulu walked over to me, with the computer hacker leading Rascal on his leash. I dropped to my knees and rubbed Rascal’s ears, just the way he liked. Which, of course, caused the puppy to flop down onto his back for a tummy rub, which Swifte took care of.
Lulu handed over Rascal’s leash to me. “Well, Piper, I’ll say this for you and Abby. You girls certainly know how to party.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I guess we do. We should get lunch sometime. You, me, Abby.” I looked at Wynter. “And you too.”
She cracked her knuckles. “Only if there are more ubervillains to pummel.”
“I don’t know about that, but I’m sure I could buy you a round of Wynter cosmopolitans at Quicke’s.”
Wynter winked at me. “It’s a date.”
I laughed again, then hugged her and Lulu, knowing that I’d made two new friends.
* * *
The cops and the Fearless Five were still processing the scene, especially everything in Frost’s underground lab, but there was nothing else for us to do here. So Lulu fired up her van, and Wynter, Swifte, Rascal, and I piled inside for the ride back into the city.
Thirty minutes later, Lulu pulled up outside of my building, and Swifte, Rascal, and I got out of her van.
“You kids have fun with your crazy makeup sex,” Lulu called out through the window before she and Wynter zoomed away.
I grinned and waved back at them.
Swifte, Rascal, and I went up to my apartment. The puppy bounded inside, sniffing everything the way he always did, but I suddenly felt awkward and unsure. Heartfelt confessions of love were all well and good when our lives were in danger, but now that we were safe, I wasn’t quite sure how to start over. And Kyle didn’t seem any more certain than I did, judging by the way he kept running the toe of his white sneaker across the floor instead of looking at me.
“I need to make some calls,” he said, finally breaking the silence. “Check in with Ray, and see how he’s handling everything at the restaurant.”
“Of course.”
He went back into my bedroom to use the phone there. I puttered around for several minutes, making sure that Rascal had plenty of food and water for the night. But finally, there was nothing else to do but stare at my closed bedroom door and listen to the murmur of Kyle’s voice.
Come on, Piper! Snap out of it! This was Kyle. The guy I’d dated for a year. The guy that I’d just battled an ubervillain for. The love of my life. There was no reason to be uncertain or unsure. Not anymore. Never again. We’d already wasted too much time being apart, and I wasn’t about to lose another second with him.
So I lifted my chin, squared my shoulders, and marched over to my bedroom door, quickly opening, then closing it behind me.
Kyle was waiting for me.
He had already finished his call and stood at the foot of my bed. Once again, we faced e
ach other, the silence stretching out between us. But the longer I stared at Kyle, the more emotions flashed in his eyes. Need. Desire. Care. Concern. Love.
So much love. And I knew that the feeling was reflected in my own gaze.
I stepped forward and wet my lips, ready to tell him how much I loved him—
WHOOSH!
One second, I was standing in front of Kyle. The next, we were on the bed, lying side by side, kissing furiously. All our earlier awkwardness and hesitation melted in an instant, and all I could think about was kissing him deeper and pulling him closer.
So I did.
I traced my hands over Kyle’s shoulders, then trailed my fingers down his chest, searching for a zipper or string or something that would let me get past his spandex suit and touch all of his warm, delicious skin.
“How does this stupid thing even open?” I grumbled.
“You’re in the Slaves for Superhero Sex club, and you don’t know how to get into a superhero suit?” he teased. “Your fellow club members would be so disappointed in you, Piper.”
I glared at him.
He laughed. “Here. Let me.”
WHOOSH!
A second later, Kyle was lying next to me, naked.
WHOOSH!
The second after that, he’d gotten rid of my clothes as well.
“Much better.” I grinned. “You know, I think this is the best use of your speed power I’ve seen so far.”
Kyle grinned back at me. “Oh, baby. You haven’t seen anything yet.”
I drew him down on top of me, kissing him even harder than before, even as my hands roamed over his body, caressing his lean muscles. I breathed in, drinking in his unique scent. I’d always thought Kyle smelled crisp and clean, like a literal breath of fresh air, and now I knew why.
Being with him was so familiar and yet so different at the same time. Because now I knew about every part of him, alter ego and all.
We already knew what the other liked. Where to kiss. Where to lick. Where to caress. And we both set out to bring as much pleasure to the other as possible.
Kyle nibbled on my neck while I ran my fingers through his hair. His hands cupped my breasts, squeezing gently, while I stroked my fingers over him. Then it was his turn to stroke me while I kissed his chest.
Finally, Kyle covered himself with a condom, and I opened my arms, drawing him down on top of me. I took birth control pills, but we still used extra protection. I groaned as Kyle slid into me, filling me the way he had so many times in the past. And just like before when we were together, he moved inside me, then withdrew one inch at a time before surging forward again in a long, slow, deliberate stroke.
I pulled him even closer, eager to fall into the rhythm that we both knew so well, but Kyle gently held me still.
“Now, Piper, you know I like to take my time with these sorts of things,” he teased, nipping the sensitive skin of my neck with his teeth again.
“Really? You sure you want to keep playing your waiting game?” I shifted my hips forward, taking him even deeper inside me. “Because I can think of a much more interesting game to play.”
He groaned in response, and our lips crashed together in a hot, hard kiss. Kyle began to move inside me in earnest, and I met him kiss for kiss, stroke for stroke, thrust for thrust until we both found our release.
Together.
Again. Finally. At last.
* * *
Afterward, we lay cuddled under the fleece sheets together. My head was pillowed on Kyle’s shoulder, and I was tracing random patterns on his chest.
“I’ve missed this,” he said in a soft voice. “I’ve missed you so much, Piper. I’ve been such an idiot.”
“I think we both have.”
He gave me a lopsided grin. “You mean wasting these last few months by looking longingly at each other, instead of actually being together?”
“Among other things.” I scooted up so that my face was next to his on the pillows. “I want you to know that I went to the factory tonight to rescue you, Kyle Quicke, the man I love. Not Swifte, not a superhero. You—just you.”
“Yeah, I think that’s finally sinking in through my thick skull. Sorry it took me so long.” He paused. “Usually I’m much…swifter than that.”
I groaned. “And now you’re making bad superhero puns about your own power and persona.”
His grin widened. “Well, you do know my secret identity. If I can’t make bad jokes about it with you, then who can I make them with?”
I looped my arms around his neck. “I love your bad jokes, just like I love the rest of you Kyle ‘Swifte’ Quicke. And I always will.”
“And that’s something that I’ll never, ever get tired of hearing,” he whispered before lowering his lips to mine again.
Epilogue
One month later
“And now, I am pleased to announce the winner of the award for the most outstanding project volunteer…Piper Perez!”
A voice boomed through the sound system, and a spotlight fell on me. I smiled into the glare, not minding at all that it seared my eyes almost as badly as Frost’s stolen power had all those weeks ago. I lifted my hand and waved, and the crowd erupted into cheers.
After a few seconds, the spotlight dimmed enough for me to see what I was doing. Kyle was sitting next to me, clapping almost as fast as he could run. Abby and Wesley were sitting with us, and they were all cheering for me.
Kyle leaned over and kissed my cheek, before pulling my chair out and helping me to my feet. I walked up onto the stage that had been erected in front of the bar to receive my award from the library director. She shook my hand, and we grinned into another spotlight, posing for photos. Then I left the stage and went back to my seat.
Earlier tonight had been the grand opening of A Bigtime Past, a chance for the public to wander through the library exhibit and see all the photos, memorabilia, and more that the volunteers, including me, had collected for the history project. The opening had been a smashing success, with scores of folks crowding into the library, along with reporters and city officials. Now, we were all at Quicke’s for a reception, enjoying drinks and desserts as the library officials recognized various folks for their help with and contributions to the project. I’d been thrilled when they’d told me that I was getting an award, and it had been the perfect end to a perfect evening.
I left the stage, stopping to shake hands and accept congrats from folks. All of my friends were here tonight, including Lulu, Sabrina, Fiona, and Chief Newman, although everyone was dressed as their real selves instead of as their superhero alter egos.
Kelly Caleb was also here, doing a live stand-up news spot for SNN. She’d already interviewed me, and I couldn’t wait to watch the news later on tonight. I’d also given Carmen Cole plenty of quotes for the story she was writing about the library project for The Exposé newspaper.
I finally made it back to my table and put down my award, which was shaped like a pink crystal heart. Then I looked up at the Bustling Blue lunch box that was sitting on a shelf on the brick wall. I’d restored the box, and Kyle had put it in a place of honor in the restaurant. Sadness flickered through me that Blue wasn’t here to see it or the library project, but I knew that he would have gotten a kick out of all this, especially knowing that he was now enshrined at Quicke’s with the rest of Bigtime’s heroes and villains.
“I’m so proud of you!” Abby said, coming over to hug me.
“Me too,” Wesley chimed in.
“Thanks, guys.” I frowned and looked around. “But where did Kyle go—”
“Right here.”
I blinked, and suddenly, Kyle was standing by my side, handing out glasses of champagne to our friends.
Abby raised her glass high. “To Piper!” she said in a loud, proud voice.
“To Piper!” Kyle and Wesley chimed in.
We all clinked our glasses together and sipped our champagne, and I could feel exactly how wide and goofy my smile was. This was one of th
e best nights of my life, and I didn’t know what could possibly make it any better.
Abby set her glass down on the table, pulled her phone out of a pocket on her black fisherman’s vest, and checked the time.
“And now, someone has to go pose for more photos,” Abby said, snatching my glass out of my hand and putting it down onto the table next to hers. “Let’s go, Piper. We have a strict schedule to keep.”
Abby had planned this party the way she did so many others, which was one of the reasons why everything was so fabulous. Except for her nagging me about being where I was supposed to be at the right time. But everything else was so perfect that I didn’t mind.
I laughed and held my hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. Point me to the cameras.”
Abby marched me over to where the library director was posing for photos, along with the other volunteers who’d been involved with the project. I thought she would stand there and oversee the photo shoot, but she hurried back over to Kyle and started talking to him. I wondered what they were up to, but the cameras flashed, and I was too busy smiling to worry about anything else.
I posed for several more photos, then spent the next two hours mixing and mingling with all the other guests, including many folks who were members of the Slaves for Superhero Sex club and had dressed up as their favorite heroes and villains to help celebrate the library project.
For once, I felt like I had Kyle’s superspeed because the evening seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. One minute, I was getting my award. The next, all the guests were drifting toward the doors, and the party was winding down.
I plopped down in my chair and let out a tired breath. I loved parties, but they were still a little overwhelming. I didn’t know how Abby could plan and attend so many of them without being totally exhausted all the time.
Abby was one of the few folks who was still here, overseeing the restaurant workers as they cleaned up. But even that was going quickly, and Abby shooed Ray, the last of the waiters, into the back of the restaurant, stopped by the double doors, and looked over at me.
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