Karma Girl

by Jennifer Estep

  The faintest hint of a spring breeze brushed my face, and I felt some of the tension ease out of my body. I spread my towels out next to the shallow end of the pool and did a few stretches to loosen up my tight muscles. Then, I climbed up the twenty-foot diving board, bounced once, and plunged into the deep, blue water.

  The wetness closed over me, blocking out everything else. Johnny’s stubbornness, his vendetta, my fruitless attempts to stop him, these new feelings I was developing for him. I swam and swam, going from one end of the pool and back again in a thoughtless rhythm.

  I popped up for air and found myself staring at a pair of bare feet. Slightly hairy, very male feet. My eyes snapped up.

  Johnny towered above me, clad only in his pajama bottoms. “Hey there.”

  “Hey,” I said, not quite sure what he was doing here. I swam over and sprawled across the steps that led down into the water.

  Johnny followed me. He sat down on the edge a few feet away and dangled his legs in the warm water. I tried not to notice how the fabric clung to his toned calves. Or how see-through it became when wet.

  “I wanted to talk to you about earlier today,” Johnny said. “I acted like a complete ass. I’m sorry.”

  “There’s no need to apologize.”

  “Yes, there is. You were trying to help me, and I shut you down.” He drew in a deep breath. “It’s just, I don’t know, I can’t think straight where Siren and Intelligal are concerned. It just hurts too much. All I can focus on is my father and what they did to him. But I took my pain, my frustration, out on you today. I’m sorry for that.”

  “Forget about it. I understand. Really, I do.”

  Johnny nodded. “That’s what makes it so hard sometimes.”

  He stared out at the shimmering water, then back at me. “Care for some company?”

  “I’d love some. Doing laps gets pretty boring after a while,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

  I swam back out into the middle of the pool, so Johnny would have room to ease himself down into the water. To my surprise, he followed my progress alongside the edge of the pool, grinning.

  “Cannonball!” Johnny shouted, throwing himself into the water.

  An enormous wave washed over me. Water stung my face, and I laughed. Johnny came up for air, and we treaded water. We swam back and forth in the pool for a while.

  After about half an hour, we raced back to the shallow end and got out. We flopped onto the thick beach towels and stared at the fake stars high above. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn I was lying on a deserted beach somewhere instead of underneath one of the finest homes in Bigtime.

  “It all looks so real,” Johnny said. “Like you could almost reach up and pluck the stars out of the sky.”

  “Sam, Henry, and the chief do a good job with the holograms.”

  We lay there, still and silent and staring at the stars. I thought about asking Johnny one more time to forget his vendetta, to leave Siren and Intelligal to us. But I didn’t want to ruin the moment, so I kept quiet—for a change.

  My stomach, though, had other ideas. It let out a long, gurgling roar that would have put a movie monster to shame.

  Johnny turned over on his side and looked at me. A grin spread across his face. “Let me guess. No lunch or dinner, right?”

  My stomach rumbled like thunder. “Oh no, I ate enough lunch and dinner for thirteen people. But unfortunately, my metabolism never, ever stops. Not even when I’m asleep.”

  “Well, we better get you fed before you waste away to nothing. We can’t have you fighting crime on an empty stomach, now can we?”

  I laughed, and Johnny pulled me to my feet. I grabbed my towels, and we headed for the underground kitchen.

  I plopped down on one of the metal swivel stools while Johnny yanked open the door on one of the refrigerators. He stared inside, then glanced over his shoulder at me.

  “I know.” I cringed just a bit. “It’s probably a little empty in there.”

  “I’m sure I can find something for us to snack on.”

  Johnny turned back to the refrigerator, and I used the opportunity to study him. His pants were still slightly damp, accentuating every muscle in his perfect body. Exoskeleton or not, the man looked like a marble statue come to life. One that was perfectly proportioned in all the right places. My eyes dipped lower. Everywhere.

  “So, what do you want?” Johnny asked, rummaging around in the frosty depths. “I think there’s still enough roast beef left for a couple of sandwiches.”

  I was hungry, but not for food for a change. I hungered for Johnny. And I was going to do something about it. Right now.

  “Here, let me see what I can find.”

  I strolled over to the refrigerator and scanned the contents. Johnny was right. There wasn’t much left, except a couple of boxes of baking soda and a few condiments. Even I couldn’t eat ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise straight out of the bottle, no matter how famished I was. My eyes roamed over the metal racks. But it wasn’t a complete loss. I plucked out a skinny can.

  “Whipped cream?” Johnny asked. “You’re going to eat chocolate whipped cream and nothing else?”

  I grinned. “Absolutely.”

  I shook the can. Then, I leaned over and squirted a little on the corner of Johnny’s mouth. I flicked my tongue over the chocolate frost and licked it off, lightning-quick. I repeated the process on the other corner of his mouth. Then, on the side of his neck. Then, in the hollow of his throat. Whipped cream had never tasted so good.

  “Fiona...” Johnny said in a husky tone.

  “What’s the matter? Don’t you like whipped cream?” I asked in a coy voice.

  Johnny put his hands on my hips and rested his forehead on mine. His light touch made me burn that much more. “Are you sure you want to do this with everything that’s happened? With everything that’s between us? Because Siren and Intelligal are still out there, and I’m still—”

  I put a bit of whipped cream on my finger and pressed it to his lips. “Enough about them. We’re here now, and that’s all that matters. Besides, I’m still hungry.” I licked the chocolate confection away. “Aren’t you?”

  Johnny stared at me. Then, a slow, wicked grin spread across his face. “Baby, I’m always hungry.”

  He took the can from me and squirted some of the cream into his mouth. I reached up and pulled his lips down to mine. The frothy chocolate melted as our tongues stroked back and forth. Even as the whipped cream disappeared, the liquid heat inside me grew and grew until it was a bonfire raging out of control, burning me alive. And there was only one thing that would douse the flames, only one thing that would cool my desire. Johnny. Now.

  Right now.

  I sank to my knees and pulled Johnny down with me. He lowered me the rest of the way to the floor. The tile was cool and slick beneath us, but I didn’t feel it. All I could feel, see, taste, hear, smell was Johnny.

  Our kisses grew longer, harder, deeper, until we were both frantic and dizzy with need. We clawed at each other’s clothes, ripping aside the thin barriers. My bikini was shredded away. So were his pajama pants.

  Johnny squeezed my breasts. I raked my nails down his back. He kissed my neck. I nibbled on his ear. Our legs tangled together, and fire throbbed and pulsed through my body, rocking me to my molten core. With one thought, we moved into each other. The white-hot feel of Johnny sinking into me made me cry out with pleasure.

  It was quick and hard and good. We climaxed and lay there panting on the tile.

  Johnny drew me into his arms and nuzzled my neck. I closed my eyes and stroked his damp hair, careful not to singe it with my sparking fingertips. A soft, warm glow wrapped around my body.

  “Don’t you go to sleep on me just yet,” Johnny said.

  I looked at him through slitted eyes. “Why not? Good sex always makes me sleepy. I think I held up my end of the bargain just now.”

  Johnny reached over my head and grabbed the stray can of chocolate whippe
d cream. “Because, baby, we still have half a can of whipped cream left.”

  Johnny shook the metal can. He leaned over and spread the cream on my nipples, my stomach, then farther down to more interesting places. The creamy frost felt like dew drops on my flushed skin.

  “Johnny, what are you up to?”

  He grinned and lowered his mouth to me.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I woke up a couple hours later in Johnny’s arms. We were still in the kitchen, stretched out in front of the refrigerator. A couple of beach towels covered our bodies. I stretched my arms above my head. Every part of me felt warm and languid and relaxed. A sigh of contentment escaped my lips. I felt so satisfied, so peaceful, so loved.

  A hand stroked my cheek. I turned, and Johnny was there. He rose up on one elbow and stared into my eyes.

  “Hey there.”

  “Hey there yourself.” I pressed my lips to his for a quick kiss. “That was pretty incredible.”

  “Yes, it was. Although I’d use a better adjective than merely incredible. Lots of things are incredible. Give me something stronger.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “Fantastic?”

  Johnny shook his head. “Something stronger.”

  “Unbelievable?”

  “Nope.”

  “Tip-top?”

  Johnny shuddered.

  “Super-duper?”

  Johnny snapped his fingers. “Super-duper! That’s it! Fiona Fine, we have just made super-duper love together. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “And then some.”

  We kissed again, and Johnny flopped onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling, and his smile faded away. I knew he was thinking of his father. And how he would never experience such pleasure again.

  “Tell me about your father,” I asked, snuggling into the crook of his arm to distract him. “I told you about Travis. Tell me about your father, James.”

  “Are you sure you want to hear about him now?” Johnny asked. “That’s sort of an odd conversation for pillow talk.”

  I gestured at the tile floor beneath us. “Well, we’re not on pillows, we’re on the kitchen floor. And I’d like to know more about your father, more about Johnny Angel.”

  “All right.”

  Johnny told me everything about his father. How he’d been heartbroken when his wife Lucia had died. How he’d struggled to raise Johnny and Bella alone. How he’d given them everything he had. His love, his time, his business. Johnny’s love for his father radiated from him, along with some emotion I couldn’t quite identify.

  “When was the last time you spoke to him?”

  Johnny’s eyes darkened. “The night before he died. I was still in Greece then, and he called me to talk about a business deal I was working on. Then, we started talking about the other family business—Johnny Angel. He wanted me to come home to Bigtime and take over as Angel. He said he was getting too old, that he’d almost let a mugger get away from him a couple of weeks ago. I refused. I told him that life wasn’t for me. The fighting, the patrolling, the gang wars. It wasn’t what I wanted.”

  “And then he died,” I prodded in a gentle tone.

  Johnny sucked in a deep breath. “And then he died. Two days later, Bella called me, frantic. She hadn’t heard from Dad. I flew home at once. We went out to where he’d last been seen. We found some of the pieces of his motorcycle. They were charred and burned almost beyond recognition. And we found his watch. The glass case was busted, but it was still in one piece. That watch was my grandfather’s, the original Johnny Angel. My dad never went anywhere without it. We knew then that he was dead.”

  My heart ached for Johnny. I touched his face with my fingertips, and Johnny pressed a kiss to my hand.

  “I turned over our Greek operations to one of the other business managers and moved back home. I vowed to find the people responsible and make them pay.”

  “Siren and Intelligal.”

  Johnny nodded. “A contact in one of the local biker gangs overheard the two of them talking about how they’d killed Angel. They were bragging about it at Quicke’s one night. When I found out it was them, I swore a blood oath to my grandfather and Bella to kill them and avenge my father. And I will honor my vow.”

  I opened my mouth to protest. To tell him once again that the Fearless Five would bring the ubervillains to justice. Johnny wasn’t having any of it, though. His fingers slid down my breasts, past my stomach. They penetrated me, exploring. I closed my eyes. Heat waves of pleasure sizzled through my body. I was so hot you could have fried bacon on my forehead.

  “That’s...not...fair,” I rasped, digging my hands into his smooth, broad shoulders. “I...can’t think...straight...much less...argue...when you...do that.”

  Johnny grinned. “Baby, nothing’s fair in love and war. Isn’t that how the old saying goes?”

  He didn’t have to reach for me. I threw myself into his waiting arms.

  *

  We made love four more times. On the floor. On the countertop. Against the refrigerator. Sitting on top of a stool. The last one was particularly interesting. I’d never look at a chair the same way again.

  When we were done, Johnny went back to the sick bay, and I slipped back into my suite. We both would have been much more comfortable in my bed, but I didn’t want the others to know everything we’d done just yet. I wasn’t worried about their disapproval. Despite Johnny’s desperate need for revenge, the others knew he was a good person deep down inside. Besides, I’d never needed other people’s approval anyway.

  No, I didn’t want the others to know everything just yet because if they knew, then I’d have to admit to myself that Johnny and I were having more than a casual fling. That we were officially a couple. An item. Together. And that I was slowly but surely starting to forget about Travis.

  I sat down on my bed. With a start, I realized that I hadn’t thought about Travis in hours now. Days, really. Oh, he crossed my mind every now and then, but he didn’t fill my thoughts anymore. My heart no longer ached like a rotten tooth, pulsing and throbbing with each strained beat. My eyes flickered to the beaming picture on my nightstand. Travis’s blond hair and brown eyes looked strange to me, almost as if I were seeing him for the first time. The pain of his loss wasn’t the only thing fading from my mind. My memories were getting fuzzed over as well. And that’s what really scared me. I didn’t want to forget him. Didn’t want to forget anything about him.

  But I was.

  My fingers traced over his wide smile. The diamond on my finger sparkled like a small sun on my hand. “Well, I suppose you know about me and Johnny by now. You’d like him, I think. He’s a lot like you. Fun, energetic, full of life,” I whispered. “He’ll never take your place, but I like him. And he likes me. He makes me laugh, just the way that you used to. I’ve missed that. Laughing.”

  Talking to a picture of a dead man was rather silly, of course. He wasn’t going to talk back to me or suddenly appear beside my bed as a shimmering ghost. Whispering to Travis was something Carmen would do while listening to those pesky voices in her head. But it made me feel a little better, even if Travis didn’t respond. Even though he never would again.

  I snapped out the lights and went to sleep.

  *

  The next morning, I stood in the sick bay with Johnny and the chief, who was giving him one more exam before discharging him. Johnny grinned at me while Chief Newman checked his temperature, pulse, and blood pressure. The last of his cuts and bruises had healed up, and Johnny looked no worse for wear, despite the fact I’d gone to town on him with a lead pipe. I didn’t feel quite so guilty about it as I had before. I figured last night had made up for it a little bit. Pleasure. Pain. There was a thin line between the two.

  The chief tapped his knees with a metal hammer, making a hollow, ringing sound. Johnny slipped his hand in mine, while the chief continued his ministrations. I liked the solid feel of Johnny’s skin next to mine. All of his bare, naked, smooth, supple skin next to mine. His ha
rd, muscled body on top of me. Under me. Beside me. In me—

  “Fiona? Are you listening?” Chief Newman rumbled.

  I snapped back to reality. “Of course. What did you say?”

  “I said that Johnny’s fine, except he seems a little tired this morning. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” The chief turned his blue eyes to mine.

  I flashed back to our time together in the kitchen. I could still taste the chocolate whipped cream on my lips. “Of course not.”

  “I did tell him to avoid strenuous activities,” the chief continued. “But I don’t think he heeded my warning.”

  Strenuous wouldn’t be the word I would use to describe last night. Perhaps vigorous or long-lasting or the previously agreed upon super-duper.

  My father kept staring at me. His eyes glowed, like a match burning. Johnny looked back and forth between the two of us, still grinning.

  “Johnny doesn’t seem to be one to heed warnings,” I said.

  “That sounds like someone else I know,” the chief replied.

  I tossed my hair over my shoulder, but I couldn’t help the blush that crept up my cheeks. I’d just been busted for having a little nookie-time fun by my own father. Way to go, Fiona.

  The chief finished up his examination, pronouncing Johnny fit to take on the world once more. Johnny put on some more of Travis’s old clothes, and we headed back to the city in my convertible. It was a beautiful May day, with plenty of sunshine and a steady breeze. I put the top down, tilted my face up, and drank in the vibrant rays. Johnny leaned his head against the back of his seat and did the same.

  We didn’t speak on the way back to Bigtime. I didn’t know what to say to Johnny, other than to ask him once again to abandon his vendetta against Siren and Intelligal. I wasn’t sure how he would react to that.

  We pulled into the long, curving driveway of the Bulluci manor about ten that morning. I stopped the car outside the front door and killed the engine.