Super Bad (a Superlovin' novella) Read Free Page A

know I’ll miss you, Julian.”
    Deceit tainted the
flavor of the words. It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth
either. He provided the word for her, “But.”
    Her full lips pursed,
irritation flashing briefly in her eyes. No one liked being forced to complete
honesty. “ But this is an amazing opportunity for me. Chief Political
Correspondent. I can’t pass that up just to stay here and cover the superhero
beat for the rest of my life.”
    “I thought you liked
the superhero beat.”
    “I did, and I liked
you. Like you. I wasn’t lying about that.”
    “You like me. Gee,
thanks.”
    She shot him a sideways
glance, still shoving her bag full. “I guess I… love you.”
    Neither of them had
said those words before. In their tendency to play their emotions close to the
vest, they were perfectly matched, but her lack of enthusiasm still stung like
a bitch. “You guess.”
    Kim’s expression
softened and her hands slowed. “I do.”
    She wasn’t lying, but
he almost wished she was. Acid burned in his esophagus. “But you love your
ambition more.”
    The softness vanished
into aggravation, her hands moving quickly again. “It’s not about loving it. It’s
who I am. Look, Julian, you’re amazing and I owe you my life a dozen times
over, but I want more from my life than being the girl who gets tied to the
train tracks once a week. You can only play the damsel in distress for so long
before it starts getting old.”
    Being a hero gets old
too .
But it wasn’t something he could walk away from. “I’m sorry you became a target
for supervillains by being with me, but I though you liked the exposure.”
    “I do. I can’t deny
you’ve been amazing for my career, but I want to be more than just some
superhero’s girlfriend. No offense.” She snapped the now empty drawer shut and
zipped her bag with a decisive, disturbingly final motion. Just like that, the
chapter of her life that included him was closed.
    Julian avoided looking
at the next drawer down. The one holding the extra key he’d had made for her
last week. He’d thought it was about time they made it official and moved in
together. Damn. How could someone who couldn’t avoid the truth be so wrong
about where his own relationship was heading?
    Though, if he was one hundred
percent honest with himself, he’d had a feeling this was exactly where they
were heading. Apart. That was part of why he’d gotten her the key. As an
instinctive, last-ditch effort to save their relationship.
    Always the hero. Always
saving the day. Even when the day apparently didn’t want to be saved.
    Two fucking years down
the drain.
    Two years . Admittedly,
most of their interactions during their first few months of “dating” had been
instigated by local villains, but they’d slowly grown to feel more for each
other than just rescue-induced adrenaline and gratitude. The relationship had
just sort of happened, as if they’d been thrown together so many times that
hooking up had almost been an act of inertia—easier than the alternative of
finding someone else.
    But he had come to care
for her. He wasn’t ready to just let that go. “The capital isn’t far. We can
still see each other on weekends. Or, you know, I’m sure they need supers down
there—”
    “Julian.” Kim smiled
and for the first time he saw pity there. His stomach recoiled. “I really like
you and I’m sincerely grateful for everything you’ve done for me over the last
couple years. You’re kind and dependable and God knows you’re absolutely
gorgeous. A girl really can’t ask for a better guy to rescue her…”
    Again that acidic tang
of not-the-whole-truth. “But.”
    “But I want more.”
    More. He could give her
more. He’d been playing it safe, but a successful superhero knew when to take
the big leaps. The words stuck, but he pushed them out, wondering if they were
true, unable to hear his own lies. “Kim, I love you.”
    “I know.” Her brows
wrinkled and