Free Banging the Superhero by Rebecca Royce Page B

then I'll give you my personal history from there? Hell, maybe you could write it down for me. Ever think of being a biographer?"
    "Ah, goddamn it, Alice." Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to him. "We have to get back to New York City and interrogate your uncle before he has time to disappear."
    Disappear? That wasn't likely. She paid him way too much money for doing very little for her. "Ace, do you think it's possible you're getting a little too upset about this?"
    "Do you think it's possible you aren't upset enough, considering you are the one The Mask is attempting to kill?"
    She needed to do a better job of making her point. "Look, I have no doubt Grayson is capable of doing really bad things. Why would he hire you if he'd also hired The Mask?"
    "I'm not sure. That's something we have to find out."
    Without warning, he took off into the sky with her in his arms. They'd been flying about five minutes when he finally spoke again. "You might be right. It's entirely possible my reaction may become increasingly aggressive. You don't need to fear me; I would never harm you, but please do tell me if I get out of hand."
    "Is this that problem you have? The reason you initially had to live with Draco."
    "Yes. Why am I not surprised you remember that?"
    "We just had the conversation yesterday. I don't have dementia."
    He laughed and because she couldn't help herself she touched her hand to his mouth. He kissed her hand so she quickly pulled it back. Her fingers tingled.
    "I guess I was hoping you blocked it out."
    "Nope." She grinned. "Sorry."
    "I have a lot of pent up aggression. My body makes too much adrenaline and I've found ways to get it out."
    The wind flapped at her hair and she grinned, snuggling closer to Ace. This was a good excuse to be pressed up against him and not have to worry about it. If she ever went to therapy, she'd have to look into the reasons why she wanted to be held so badly.
    No, she silently corrected, she didn't just want to be held. She wanted Ace to do the holding. Ace—a paid Superhero with his strong muscles and his ridiculously long hair. Who would have figured?
    "What are the things you usually do?"
    "Exercise usually works, but lately, it's taking more and more of that, and sometimes it doesn't help at all."
    That was bad news. She bit down on her lip. "What else helps?"
    "Music. Very, very loud techno music in dance clubs."
    She pulled back to look at his face. "You're kidding?"
    "No. I'm not."

    That didn't sound very relaxing. "How does that work? Doesn't it get you more pumped up?"
    He shook his head. "No, there is something about the intensity of the music. The beat, the boom—boom—boom. It really works for me."
    "So those are your two options? Exercise your brains out or hang out in a dance club?"
    "There's also sex."
    She rolled her eyes. He was, after all, male. She shouldn't be surprised. "Is that how you justify having so much of it?"
    "How do you know how much sex I have? I haven't had sex since we met."
    "That woman, the one who watched Lael over the monitor, she's pretty pissed at you. Did you sleep with her?"
    His face fell. Gone was the easy banter, replaced by Ace's serious expression, the one where his eyes went cold. She wished she hadn't asked the question.
    "I don't discuss who I sleep with. All I will say is that where Michelle is concerned, it was certainly not my finest decision."
    "Because she's your employee?"
    He nodded. "Because she works for me."
    She put her head on his chest again, listened his heartbeat. She hated the thought of Ace sleeping with a lot of random women. No, he was the kind of guy who should come home every night to the same one. His woman should know what his trigger points were; she should have spent so much time with him she knew what to say, what would make him upset, what could make him laugh.
    If she was truly honest, she didn't want him sleeping with anyone but her. Her eyes almost bulged out of her head at the thought. Here she was, at