SECRET IDENTITY (17 page)

She tossed her purse onto the small settee sitting nearby
and quickly found the drawer where she recalled the votive candles and matches
were kept. Fumbling in the dark, she tried to strike a light, but her hands
were still trembling from the cold. A pair of warm, gloved hands relieved her
of the task. After another moment or two of searching, The Defender also found
a lantern. He gave it a shake.

“There’s enough fuel inside. Hold on.”

Brenda warmed her hands over the small candle flame as she
watched The Defender expertly trim the wick and get the lantern going. Its soft
golden glow quickly filled the room.

“Looks like you’ve done that sort of thing a time or two,”
she whispered with a smile.

He glanced up at her in surprise, then smiled. “A time or
two. Now, let’s see what we have.”

Setting the lantern on the only table, he started going
through the short row of upper and lower cabinets. Brenda glanced around as
memories flooded back to her of summers spent here. She walked over to the
windows that were boarded up and debated whether to open one, but the breeze
coming off the waters was too cold.

“God, it’s been so long since I’ve been here. I used to come
up every summer with the Palmers when I was growing up. We’d spend at least a
week, sometimes two.”

“Good memories?” The Defender asked. He strode over to the
narrow hallway and peered into it.

“There’s a bathroom down that way, and the bedroom. Mister
and Mrs. Palmer would sleep in there, and the boys and I would sleep on cots
and pallets on the floor in here.”

The Defender turned and gave her a smile.

“It feels like the place hasn’t seen a human being in quite
some time. You should be safe here.” He strode over to the single sink in the
corner that served as the kitchen. Turning on the faucet got no results.

“I think there’s a cistern or something on the side of the
house where rainwater collects.” She gave a weak laugh. “I’m sorry I’m not too
knowledgeable about how everything’s supposed to work.”

The Defender checked the small two-burner stove. “I need to
check the propane tank.”

“It’s outside, too. There’s a small storage bin on the other
side of the deck where it’s kept. Here, I’ll show you.”

She started to get up and head for the door when The
Defender stopped her. In the lantern light his face was stern. His dark eyes
seemed to see all the way through her, and she felt another shiver rattle her
bones.

“No. Stay here. I’ll find it. I don’t want you outside where
someone could see you.”

“It’s pitch-dark outside,” she protested. Other than the
moon and the stars, there was no light to give her away.

“Uh-huh.” The Defender nodded. “But have you ever heard of
night vision goggles and infrared scopes?”

Oh, shit. Yeah. Technology.
Brenda bit her lower lip.
It would be better to leave the protecting to the experts. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He smiled. “I’m just doing my job.”

Brenda watched him leave and heard his footsteps on the
plank deck that surrounded the cabin. A yawn suddenly caught her unaware, and
she realized how exhausted she was, plus the fact that it had been ages since
she’d eaten anything. But she didn’t feel hungry. Not at the moment. The danger
wasn’t over yet, and although she felt a lot more secure in this remote place
than she did in a jail cell, tension remained knotted in her stomach, leaving
little room for food.

Another look around the room convinced her she didn’t want
to sleep on a cot tonight. Taking the candle into the back bedroom, she discovered
a holder on the tiny bureau near the double bed. A thin layer of dust and sand
covered the surface, leading her to suspect there was a similar layer on the
bare mattress. A hearty swat to the bed proved her correct.

“Well, since I can’t take the thing outside to beat it,
there’s only one other option,” she murmured. Grabbing the handles on the
mattress side, she gave it hard tug. The heavy bedding grudgingly budged an
inch.

“Here. Let me.”

Slightly startled by his silent reappearance, Brenda let go
of the mattress and watched as The Defender deftly lifted it off of the box
springs.

“Flip it or turn it?” he asked her.

“Uhh, flip it.”

It was like watching the man toss pizza dough. The sight
reminded her of the first time she’d seen him, waving the two reinforced steel
doors in the wake of the explosion in order to extinguish the resulting fire.
The mattress hit the frame with a cloud of dust.

“There. Like that?”

She coughed, smiling as she waved a hand in front of her
face. “Yes. Thanks.”

He stood staring at her, waiting for her to make the next
move. The silence grew louder as the distance between them became smaller. Two
of his long strides would put them face-to-face, and Brenda felt her own breath
quicken as she realized they were alone together. Isolated. In the middle of
the night.

She would never get another chance like this.

There was the sound of hard swallowing, and The Defender
broke the quiet. “The propane tank is half-full. You should be able to fire up
the stove now. The cistern is also full, but the water’s brackish. Don’t drink
it until you boil it first, but it should be safe enough to bathe with.”

“Thanks,” she repeated

“Will you be needing me for anything else?”

Will you be needing me?

I need you!
The words she’d blundered over at their
first encounter came back to her with renewed embarrassment. Did she need him
for anything?

Yes, I need you! I need to find out if you’re worth all
the hot, sticky wet dreams I’ve had about you,
she almost told him.
I
need you to kiss me. I need you to hold me in your arms as if I’m the most
important thing in the world to you, and not just another job.

She was unaware he had moved closer until he placed a hand
on her upper arm. Brenda let go of the breath she didn’t know she’d been
holding, and stared up at him. “W-will you be staying the night?”

Hearing what she’d said, she felt a hot sheen settle around
her. On the good side, she no longer felt the cold. But the request was
definitely double-edged, and curse her for not feeling ashamed about it.

Will you be staying here with me? There’s a double bed in
here. We can both sleep in it, unless there’s something you’d rather do than
sleep.

The Defender smiled slightly. “I’ll be outside, keeping an
eye on things. If you need me, just call for me.”

His fingers flexed slightly, as if they were reluctant to
release their grip. He started to pull away, and Brenda automatically reacted
by grabbing his hand. He paused, looking at her and waiting. She opened her
mouth to say something, but her mind was blank. Her whole body was blank.
Empty. Expectant. Anticipating what he would say. What he would do.

“How…how can I thank you for all you’re doing?” she
whispered. She had no idea where the words came from, but she’d say anything at
this point, no matter how stupid she sounded, as long as it delayed the
inevitable. If he left now, this moment would never come again. She would bet
her life on it.

She felt her muscles singing beneath her skin as the tension
between them grew thicker. She had to know. She had to find out if what she
felt was the beginning of the real thing, or if it was nothing more than
unadulterated lust.

She opened her mouth again to say something else, but she
never had the chance. The Defender turned back toward her, bowed his head, and
covered her lips with his.

She clutched his hand and his jacket, lost in the movement
of his mouth on hers. On the feel of his warm, firm lips caressing hers. There
was no sound between them excerpt for the soft, guttural noises coming from her
throat. The world had slowed to a gentle stop to allow them time to have this
night.

He lifted his mouth and tilted his face to take her lips
from the opposite direction. One arm eased around her waist, pulling her
tightly against his body where hard, unmistakable evidence proved he was turned
on. Just as turned on as…as…

…
as I am. Right?

No.

Brenda opened her eyes, surprised by her body’s response. Or
rather, the lack of it.

The Defender continued to kiss her in a most ardent way,
treating her mouth with a combination of skill and tenderness that impressed
her.

The dream. Maybe the last dream she’d had about him had
changed all that. Maybe her dream had dampened any desire she’d had about The
Defender, because the flames she thought she’d feel with him were more smoke
than heat. Nothing he could do to her would match the burning she had felt when
Lorne had kissed her.

Gasping, she suddenly broke away from The Defender’s embrace
to stare at him in dismay. He gave her a shocked look in return.

“What? Did I hurt you?”

“No, no!” she quickly reassured him.

“Then why did you push me away?” His voice trailed off, as
if he already suspected the truth.

“I’m sorry.” She pressed her hand to the front of his black
leather jacket in case he tried to kiss her again. “I’m sorry, Defender, but I
can’t.”

“You can’t?” He didn’t sound angry. It was more like he was
confused. “Are you not feeling well?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s not that. I’m fine, but I… You
see…” She hated to stammer, but she couldn’t help it.

“Is there someone else?”

His tone of voice eased her guilt of having to turn him
down. It was almost as though he had suspected it all along.

“Yes.”

“May I ask who this new superhero is who’s managed to
capture your heart?”

At that moment, Brenda knew who her future was meant to be
shared with.

And always had been.

“I don’t know if you’ve met him, but you met his brother
Luke earlier,” she admitted with a smile. “His name is Lorne Palmer. And, yes,
he’s totally captured my heart.”

Chapter 22

Exchange

Luke!

His cry for joy was like a mental trumpet sounding the call.
If big brother was asleep, his thunderous yell would definitely wake him up.

Yeah, yeah, I hear you, Lo! And I’m thrilled as all
get-out for you! But the celebration’s going to have to wait until we can find
out who is behind this mess,
Luke responded without the least bit of
sleepiness in his tone.

She loves me, Luke. She loves
me.
Lorne! Not The Defender!

He was doing backflips in the air, something he’d never
tried before, but—what the hell—there was no better time than the present to
try. Besides, he was high enough in the darkness of the night not to catch
anyone’s attention. If he collided with anything this far off the ground, it
would be an errant seagull.

I’m really, really happy for you, bro, but it’s time to
come back down to Earth. Lee will be there in about twenty-five minutes.

Lorne paused, realized he was upside-down, and quickly
righted himself
. Already? Hey, did he get—

Yes, we got everything you asked for.

If Lorne didn’t know any better, he’d swear his older
brother was laughing at him. And jealous.

Time for step three,
Luke commented.

Gotcha. Only, do me a favor?

What’s that?

If you sense I’ve hit the ball out of the park, would you
shut our connection down? No. Scratch that. I
order
you to close this
link between us. I want my time with Brenda alone, got that?

This time there was no mistaking Luke’s laughter.

Lorne landed on the deck, aware of the fact that the light
from inside the cabin could be seen in the cracks around the door and windowframe.
Frowning, he knocked on the weathered wood. “It’s me,” he said.

The door opened an inch, and Brenda peered around at him.
Her face and hair was wet, and Lorne smelled floral-scented soap.

“Sorry to interrupt your bath. There’s a car heading this
way. I’m going to check it out.” Seeing her eyes widen with fear, he added, “There’s
no need to panic. If there’s any danger, I’ll be right back to get you.”

She nodded. “I’ll hurry and get dressed,” she said, closing
the door.

“I’ll hurry and get dressed.”
Those few words sent a
streak of heat pulsing into his groin as his overactive imagination tried to
imagine what her body looked like wet and covered in soap suds.

Settle down, Lo. One step at a time. One base at a time.

Smiling, Lorne left the cabin and flew over the dunes to the
cutoff a quarter of a mile away to wait for his brother. It wasn’t long before
he spotted the vehicle zooming down the road. Getting to his feet, he waved to
let Lee know he was there. The car pulled off onto the trail leading to the
cabin and stopped.

“You made good time,” Lorne said, holding out his mask and
jacket.

“Thanks. But if it wasn’t for Luke, I would have gotten lost
at least four or five times. I’ve never driven up here on my own before.”
Taking the jacket, Lee slipped it on and zipped it up, giving his shoulders a
good shake. “Geesh, Lo. Why do you wear something so restrictive?”

“What do you expect me to wear? Tights and a cape? Hey, I
got some great news to share,” Lorne continued as he ditched his black leather
pants and pulled on the jeans Lee had brought him.

“Oh, yeah? I could use some good news about now. What is it?”

“The Defender put some moves on Brenda tonight, and she
stopped him cold.”

Lee paused, a look of astonishment on his face. “No, shit.
For real?”

“Yep. She apologized, but explained to him that her heart
belonged to one Lorne Palmer.” Lorne couldn’t stop grinning as he told his
story.