Epilogue 1
“…and the incident in the subway?”
I let out a growl as I squeezed the cushion in my lap. Three months of saving people, three months of mastering my abilities, despite that, a B-rate villain had got the drop on me. When Dune got away, turning to sand and fleeing through an access panel, I had lost my temper.
“He’s not even a good villain. I can’t believe I let him get away.”
The man sitting opposite of me, across a dark-colored coffee table, pulled the glasses from his face. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, a sign that I was about to receive a lecture I had already heard. Sliding his glasses into his pocket, he relaxed, taking a deep breath while he studied me.
“Xander.” Therapist to the heroes. The man knew all of our identities. One person housed enough information to shake the entire superhero community. Thankfully, he might be the only secret more closely guarded than our own identities.
“What am I about to say?” He rested his hands in his lap, leaning back in the leather chair.
Ugh, he was about to do it again. Doctor Solaris wanted me to do the work myself.
I think he might be the only person more aggravating than Shrieker.
Tim was by far the most talkative man on the planet, and training him required the patience of a saint.
“I can’t expect to win every battle. That I need to stop putting the pressure on myself to be perfect. Some victories aren’t instant.”
“So you do listen to me.”
“Once in a while.”
“Now stop being stubborn and apply it.”
If the pillow was a person, I’d have choked the life out of them. The man was right. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he had a superpower of his own. What I couldn’t decide, was it easing heroes’ psychological burdens or aggravating them into submission. The verdict was out for the moment.
“Fine.” Yes, I was being a giant man-child. But for three months, he had taken the time to understand me. He wanted to help, and I couldn’t deny his ability to cut through my crap and get to the source of my problems. I wouldn’t tell him that, but it was true.
“Same time next week?”
“About that…” I set the pillow aside, patting it as if I was asking for forgiveness. “I’m supposed to be at the bridge dedication. Can we move it back a day?”
He reached for his day planner, flipping through the pages. With a snap shut, he nodded. “Thursday it is. Now, go put in the work.”
I would have gladly engaged in a verbal duel and explained all the work I had been putting in.
If he knew how the number of times I took a deep breath while saving the city, or reminded myself to let go of anger when Alejandro stole my last piece of bacon, he’d have been impressed.
Instead, I eyed the door leading out of his office.
He glanced over his shoulder and returned with a smile.
“Again?” Dr. Solaris asked.
“Every single time.”
With a slight nod, he ended the session. I set the pillow aside and reached the door. With a hiss, the hydraulic locks pulled into the door. If this was how he protected our privacy, it made me wonder if there were other defensive mechanisms hidden behind his diploma or the box of tissues.
“All good?”
Aiden looked up from an issue of Revelations. I stopped, rolling my eyes as he held it up, pointing at the cover. Of course, I knew the journalist behind spotlighting Vanguard’s newest hero. The image of me holding a pose bordered on gaudy, but it had landed him cover billing.
“I hope the reporter captured just how sexy I am.”
He snorted. “Or how single you’re about to be.”
Aiden had insisted I see a therapist. At first I protested, but after seeing me at my best and worst, he was certain which version of me he wanted to date. But that hadn’t been the catalyst, even if it was a well-intentioned shove. It was him asking, “Is this who you want to be?”
Like each time before, he wrapped his arms around my neck. Not once had he asked about the sessions or what I talked about with the doctor. No, Aiden knew better. Instead, he took a moment to acknowledge my efforts and check in with me.
With a kiss on the cheek, he held me close. “Everything okay?”
“It’s getting there.” Emotional honesty, not my strongest trait. But with Aiden, he had seen me at my worst, and yet he still sat in a gray waiting room to ensure I wasn’t alone. “I’m doing better.”
“I’m proud of you.” He whispered the words as he rested his chin on my shoulder.
“Me too.” Dr. Solaris made it part of our weekly ritual for me to take time and acknowledge my successes.
Our first session had all been about brute strength or imprisoning a bad guy.
Now, they were about accepting the parts of myself I didn’t particularly like or taking a moment to reflect on my rush to judgment.
They also included being vulnerable. I could stop a mind-control machine from enslaving the people of Vanguard, but indulging in matters of the heart, that remained a source of discomfort.
“Do you want to grab sushi?”
“Can we get it to go?”
“If you don’t want—”
But I was getting better.
“Sushi sounds perfect.” I kissed him on the cheek. “On the couch, so I can curl up in your lap after and watch T.V.”
“My couch or yours?”
There were two gray towels on the rack in the bathroom. I had spent enough nights at Aiden that he had promoted me to having my own towel. I couldn’t help but blush. He understood the difficulty of expressing my emotions with words.
The water evaporated from my skin as the fire rolled from head to toe. I didn’t need the towel, but the fact he had learned my love language, that was a feat unto itself.
I froze at the thought.
“Love,” I whispered. The word had hung on the tip of my tongue more than once as he caressed my chest until I fell asleep. For all we had been through, I hoped he understood that word fueled every action.
“Xander,” Aiden called from the living room.
Was he in danger? I flung the door open with enough force it pulled from the hinges. I expected to see a villain standing on the fire escape. But all that greeted me was Aiden reclining on the couch in nothing but a jockstrap.
“Uh…” I eyed the door. “I’ll fix that.”
“Just like the window?” I glanced at the taped cracks on the glass. Okay, I really needed to practice more with my everyday strength. At this rate, somebody was going to catch on by the property damage I left in my wake.
“You can work it off.” The devilish smirk spread across his face before he glanced at the bulge barely hidden by the sparse bit of fabric. Suddenly, the broken door didn’t seem so important.
I stepped between him and the coffee table.
One of the suit’s arms pushed the table out of the way, giving me space to kneel between his legs.
I appreciated that an alien suit complimented my libido.
Even more amazing, Aiden hardly raised an eyebrow when I used my powers for a little extra oomph in the bedroom.
“You are beautiful.” The words were breathy and didn’t come close to describing the awe before me.
I kneeled, running my hand down his chest, tracing the hair as it spread across his stomach.
Aiden struggled to comprehend that a guy with a belly and thick legs could be admired.
For three months, a day didn’t pass where I neglected to remind him.
With each kiss across his stomach, I counted my blessings. It ended with wrapping my hands under his ass and resting my head on the softest part of his torso. As he ran his hand across my scalp, I couldn’t imagine a better definition of heaven.
His grip tightened around my neck as he guided me lower. Oh. Scratch that. The tent in his jock might be a better definition. The slight twitch from his cock might prove that he was excited, but the urging as he pushed me down was a first for him taking charge.
With each kiss down his cloth-covered groin, he let a soft moan slip from his lips. He wasn’t shy in the bedroom once the clothes came off, but he had never taken charge before. It might be new, but the split second it took me to reach rock-hard status proved that it was a welcome change of pace.
There were no commands as he pulled the fabric aside. He didn’t need to say a word. I hadn’t said the word, not aloud. But I pushed that statement outward like I did the fire. I could put words into action and show him how much I loved him. Before I could dwell on the thought, I swallowed his cock.
Aiden’s hips bucked, burying himself until his belly pressed against my forehead.
I was thankful he didn’t wield a massive dick as I struggled to breathe.
I could have relented at any moment, but I didn’t want to pull away until he let me.
Just when I approached my limit, Aiden let go, his body relaxing as he panted.
“Damn,” he gasped.
I sucked in air and returned to swallowing his cock, running my tongue along the underside with each downward motion.
If I thought he’d sit back and let me have my fun, I was sorely mistaken.
As he held my head, thrusting in and out of my mouth, he had me nearly gagging before pulling out.
In three months, he had been taking notes and learning the language of my body.
I squeezed my cock, excited every time he moaned. I had to pace myself. Apparently, an in-control Aiden pushed all the right buttons.
He growled through clenched teeth. Holding my head in place, I could feel his cock thicken. I gladly buried him toward the back of my throat, swallowing as he came. What he lacked in length, he made up in girth, and even that paled compared to when he finished.
“Damn,” he grunted.
I let his cock slip from my mouth before resting my head on his leg. While I stroked myself, I continued licking at his head. I was content making myself come, especially if it meant making Aiden continue with the grunts and moans.