CHAPTER1
Joan stared at the closet door and took a deep breath. This decision could make or break everything else that followed. Could set the tone for the entire day.
She opened it, revealing neatly arranged pairs of sneakers in nearly every color. Now that she was ex-Supervillain Spark, she was dipping her toes into brighter kicks. Not that she wanted to attract attention. That still felt too vulnerable. Almost risky given the fact that it’d only been six months since Vector City had been rid of Villains. Some by choice, some by force.
Hmm. The hot-pink ones with dark-blue stripes kind of went with her red-plaid flannel and black skinny jeans. And Sadie was wearing a pink sweater, so she’d think the semi-coordination was cute.
Or was that matchy-matchy in a bad way? The long aprons they wore for Hot and Cold had vertical pale pink and blue stripes. Too many shades of the same colors.
“Joanie,” Sadie called from the kitchen. “Just pick a pair. We have to get going.”
Joan glanced over her shoulder with a smile. She loved hearing Sadie’s cheerful voice in their apartment. The home they’d created together. The spare bedroom where Joan used to keep her Villain gear and spoils of her illicit profession was now…
Well, it was kind of a mess now. When Sadie moved in, she’d cozied up the space with her colorful furniture. Which had remained neat and tidy for about three weeks before she’d started piling things everywhere. Books, paint swatches and draft menus for the food truck, off-season clothes, extra throw pillows and blankets on the purple couch…
The only clean surface was the whitewashed desk, since Joan used it more often (and thus organized it). But it was worth it to live with the woman who’d shown her love she’d never thought was possible.
She opted for a pair of reliable black-and-white shoes that would provide comfort and quieter style. Then she pulled her chin-length hair back as far as it would go. A few of the shorter dark layers in the front slipped through her fingers. This was why she didn’t usually do layers. At least her undercut was freshly shaved. Ah, well. It’d be another hat day inside the food truck.
Late morning sunlight streamed through the tall sliding glass doors in the living room. One beam glinted off the metal shelving unit that showcased Joan’s expensive art pieces and little trinkets Sadie had crafted over the years. They didn’t exactly coordinate but spoke volumes about the merging of their lives. Like Joan’s napkin doodles Sadie had gotten framed of concepts for Hot and Cold, and hearts with their initials in them.
Sadie bustled around the open kitchen in her thin pink V-neck sweater and royal-blue pants. Her damp red hair was piled up in a messy bun. A flicker of heat whispered through Joan’s lower abdomen. That exposed neck, the milky skin above the twin swells of the most perfect set of breasts known to humanity…
“I should’ve gone with the pink-and-blue shoes,” Joan said.
“There’s no time to change,” Sadie said before shoving the rest of her toast in her mouth.
“I can do it really quick.”
“No.” Sadie covered her mouth as she chewed. “We need to stop at the store. Mark will whine if we’re late.”
“Mark whines about everything.”
Joan sidled up behind her to nuzzle her neck. Then loop her arms around Sadie to press their bodies together. She kissed the spot she knew made her girlfriend’s toes curl. “You look cute today,” she murmured.
“Ma’am,” Sadie giggled. “What did I just say about not having time?”
“What’s the point of running a business if I can’t set my own schedule?” She splayed her fingers where Sadie’s secret tattoo of flowers hid beneath her pants. Her internal fire responded with an excited burst of liquid warmth.
Sadie leaned into the embrace. “We already had morning shower sex. Was our quickie not enough?”
“Sweetheart, you should know by now my least favorite word in the English language isquickie.”
Sadie laughed softly, then squeezed Joan’s arms. “Okay, horndog.” She hesitated for a moment. “You never answered me earlier. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m terrific.”
“That nightmare was your second one this month.”
“It’s really okay.”
“I hate that you get those dreams,” Sadie said.
Joan kissed her cheek. “I hate that it woke you up.”
The nightmares that had been plaguing her since turning on Trick, Hide and Volt had stopped for a while. Now they were back with a vengeance. She really didn’t want to worry Sadie with how disturbing they were.
Sadie eased away to grab her ceramic coffee mug and down its remaining contents. Joan’s fire kept bubbling, needing to go somewhere. She willed it toward her heart, though a lot of it stayed south. Extra fire lingered everywhere in her body lately.
