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He looked up and laughed. “I remember, but I don’t think I’d do much for blue tights and a red cape.”

“Mmm.” She looped her arms around his waist. “But those little red shorts…”

“Better than camos?”

She stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his chin.

“Different, anyway.”

“The guys in my unit would agree to that.” He brushed his lips over hers. “I hate to disappoint you, honey, but I am far from being anybody’s idea of Superman.”

“That’s your opinion. Besides, I didn’t think of you as Superman only because you’re strong and brave.”

“And good-looking,” he said, laughing. “Don’t leave that out.”

“Umm. And occasionally pigheaded.”

“ Me?” he said. The word oozed righteous indignation, but it was tempered by the gleam in his eyes.

“You, my Caped Crusader.”

“You’re getting your superheroes mixed. Supe’s the guy with the handy-dandy phone booth. Batman’s the Caped Crusader.” He kiss

ed her again, a little longer, a little deeper. “And I am not pigheaded.”

“Okay. Not pigheaded. Just the strong, silent, I-do-not-need-or-want-anyone’s-help type.”

Tanner sighed. “Okay. The thing is, I just wanted to get you to safety. And then keep you safe. Maybe I got a little, you know, overfocused…”

Alessandra leaned back in his arms.

“You can overfocus on me all you like,” she said softly.

The look in her eyes. The curve of her mouth. All at once, his dick reminded him of what his brain seemed to have forgotten.

She was naked in his arms.

“You’re asking for trouble, lady.”

She started to tell him he was right when, with the worse possible timing, her stomach gave a loud growl.

He laughed.

“Your belly’s asking for trouble, too,” he said. “It’s threatening rebellion unless we get some food into it.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “And I just happen to have something interesting going in the kitchen.”

The mention of something interesting in the kitchen was enough to make her belly give another snarl. Tanner laughed again and she scowled and punched him lightly in those six-pack abs.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me, Lieutenant.” Her scowl morphed into a supersweet smile. “What do you have in the kitchen?”

He kissed her mouth. Her throat. Then he cupped her bottom and lifted her into him.

“Sustenance,” he said in a low voice. “Because you’re going to have to keep up your strength.”

Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe.

He dipped his head. Kissed her, hard. Then, even though it took everything in him to do it, he turned her towards the closet that stretched the length of the wall.

“Find something that fits and get into it before I forget about ever letting you out of that bed, Bellini. You understand?”