Page 79 of Not All Himbos Wear Capes
What the heck is wrong with me?
Desperately hoping my growing erection wasn’t too obvious through my supersuit, I stepped off the cliff. Softly landing, I immediately clasped my hands in front of my crotch to hide the evidence of my full-blown villain fetish.
“Fuck, you’re big,” he murmured, but it wasn’t fear lacing his tone. If I didn’t know any better, it sounded like…lust.
I cocked my head. I’d never been this close to Antihero before, but it was as if I needed to get closer still. My skin wastinglingunder my Lycra, and all I could think about was stripping off both our supersuits so we could roll around on the beach together.
There is something seriously wrong with me.
Antihero’s gaze was roaming over me as well, his chest heaving as he took me in. Then he angrily shook his head and refocused on my face.
His eyes are so pretty…
“Listen up, Masculine,” he growled, jabbing a finger into my chest. “I know all about you. I know how youhurtpeople—how you punish others for Solomon Biggs.”
Oh, no.
He knows.
Of course, I would seem like a villaintovillains. The only thing that differentiated us was that I had the official backing of Biggs Enterprises, sanctioning my disgusting actions with a government seal.
Thehatredpouring off this supposed villain made me want to drop to my knees and beg for forgiveness. I also wanted to drop to my knees for other reasons, but all that awkward realization did was add to my overwhelming shame and confusion.
“Oh, you have nothing to say for yourself?” Antihero scoffed derisively. “I bet this is a novel experience—having someone actually stand up to you. You’re a fuckingbullywho targets those who are weaker than you, simply because you can.”
Everything he’s saying about me is true.
I’m a monster.
Antihero continued, rage radiating off of him so intensely it felt like my own firepower. “But you’ve gone too far because you hurt someone I care about. Someone Ilove.This may come as a shock to you, but villains also have emotions. We’re alsopeople.You know what… we’re gonna do it this way…”
Then he reached up and pulled the mask off his head.
And my entire world shattered a second time.
I stumbled backward, but that only made him advance, still snarling. “What? You don’t want toseeme? You don’t want to acknowledge there’s an actual man behind this mask?” He glared at me while pointing to his face with a circling motion—a face I knew better than my own.
Xander.
I could have killed Xander.
The emotions flooding my system were so intense that I thought I might actually die. Shock, terror, and self-loathing mixed with overwhelming relief and a desire so strong, I had to clench my fists at my side to stop myself from reaching out to touch him.
“There’s an employee at Biggs Enterprises named Butch Hawthorne,” he coldly spoke, pure venom glittering in his amber eyes. “If you ever lay a finger on him again, I will do everything in my power to destroy you.”
Oh, my god…
A fresh wave of shame washed over me. Xander had just stood up to Captain Masculine—risked his precious life—to protectme.
I don’t deserve him.
There was no way this could work between us. Despite being a villain, Xander was a far better man than I ever would be. Whether I pulled my mask off now, or later tonight, or ten years down the road, it wouldn’t change who I was or what I’d done. Xander would never be able to look past the murderer I was, and he had every right not to.
He deserves better.
My heart preemptively splintered into a million shards of pain at what I had to do, but it was for the best. Bracing myself, I swallowed hard and met Xander’s gaze, memorizing every inch of his face—accepting I would never be this close to him again.
“You’re too late,” I kept my voice steady, knowing my mask was distorting it enough to remain unrecognizable, like the faceless villainI was. “Butch Hawthorne is already dead.”
