His Secret Superheroine

By Patricia Eimer

All kindergarten teacher Peyton Pearson wants is a nice, quiet life. Unfortunately, quiet isn't something she's had a lot of after tainted medicine turns her into a superhero. She's single, and saving the city from criminals—which is increasingly dangerous as the anti-superhero movement in St. Louis gains traction. Then there's her hot next door neighbor who makes her think super-dirty thoughts, and has no idea who she really is.

Police officer Dylan Wilson is trying to make the world safe by working to unmask all superheroes. When his sexy neighbor, Peyton, is evicted, Dylan offers her his spare room, unknowingly opening his home—and his heart—to the city's most reluctant superhero.

Can love survive when the masks come off?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Aug 25, 2014
• ISBN: 9781622665969

Book preview

For Ben—who looked at me one morning in bed and said

You know what would be a cool romance novel? Superheroes.

You now have it in print my love:

You were right.

Chapter One

Cool isn’t it? the cart boy roaming the lanes of the Schnucks parking lot asked as Peyton was dumping the groceries she really couldn’t afford into the trunk of her rusted out Toyota.

Huh? She glanced over at the pimple-faced teen closing her trunk.

The sign. He nodded toward the billboard that overlooked the grocery store’s parking lot.

Super Sports with St. Louis’s Own Superhero. Her ex leered out at her from the billboard, dressed in full, American flag blue Captain Fantastic costume, hands on his hips with a red cape billowing out behind him, a cheesy grin on his enormous face. The sunlight caught the billboard and one of his teeth actually began to sparkle.

God, she fought the urge to groan. Really? She’d always known he was a narcissist, but a freaking billboard?

She looked closer and saw that they’d painted the tooth with glitter paint. Which might be one way to disguise the fact that he had chipmunk teeth.

It’s… She swallowed, still staring at the smarmy grin and trying with all her might to resist the urge to fly up there and commit some superhero-related property damage.

Great right? The kid sounded awed as he leaned on the back of her car, his carts standing forgotten in the middle of the row. I mean, I always thought the guy was a douchebag when I saw his used car dealership commercials on television, but after he came out and defeated Malignant last year when he tried to kill the president? Crazy. I still can’t believe the government kept mutant superheroes a secret for all these years.

Yep. Peyton raised an eyebrow as she stared at the sign. Crazy is the word for it.

If the military had its way then supers would still be hiding. It wasn’t like the government would admit that all the super-secret projects they’d been working on had led them to make a few mistakes.

Your idiot of a superhero husband switched your birth control out for super pills? Oh well, that sucks, but the military would sure like to watch you throw another tank for a hundred yards. Please and thank you.

Did the government care that she’d been violated? No way. What they were interested in was whether or not her super strength would work well in an urban combat setting.

Peyton got into her car and took off. Before long, she pulled onto her street and let out a sigh of relief. Almost home.

Then the Tuesday from Hell would be over.

All she wanted to do now was call and order a pizza, crack open a beer, and then take a very long, very hot bubble bath. Three more days until spring break. Just three more days and then she’d have a whole week—no kindergartners. It would be nothing but peace, quiet, daytime television, and a whole lot of junk food.

When she passed the Piscatores’ house on the corner, she waved and both of them smiled and waved back before turning back to their garden.

Would they wave if they knew what I was? Would Mrs. Piscatores still bring me tomatoes from her garden in the summer?

Mrs. Piscatores jolted upright and glared at her husband. A quick second glance showed that his hand was on her large, pumpkin-shaped butt. Peyton shook her head. Eighty-year-old retirees were getting more loving than she was.

Not that she could blame anyone else for that. After all, she was the one who filed for divorce from Captain Fantastic. She’d had a good reason for it, sure, but at the end of the day, the reason she was sleeping alone was because she’d chosen to.

Not that the marriage would have lasted much longer anyway. Once Blake outed himself, they’d have gone down in flames. They had lived through a lot together, but they wouldn’t have been strong enough to make it through that.

She didn’t have the courage to face the public with her chin held high and declare that she had superpowers.

Peyton pulled into her driveway and threw the car in park before letting her head drop back against the seat. How the heck had she ended up here? Living like this?

How did someone as boring as me end up a freaking superhero?

Peyton lifted her head and then reached over to grab her ratty black gym bag out of the passenger seat. Pizza, beer, bubble bath, bed. That was her mantra for tonight.

Grading could wait. Good Job! smiley faces and stickers could be applied to coloring pages tomorrow during her grading period. Something white fluttered on her door as she peeled herself out of the car and she hoped, deep down in her heart of hearts, that it was new pizza coupons. Or maybe the flyer for the new Chinese place they were building. She could murder for some mu shu pork right about now.

Mmmm. Mu shu pork.

Miss Pearson! A high, girlish shriek tore through the air. Peyton turned to look across the street at the little girl frantically waving at her as she stood on the front porch of house watching her dad cut the lawn, an oversized picture book in her lap.

Hi, Liza. Peyton waved back at her. In the tiny strip of yard along the side of their house, Liza’s dad was mowing the grass in nothing but a pair of very well worn jeans.

Officer Dylan Wilson, otherwise known as the reason she’d agreed to rent this house instead of looking for something cheaper. The bane of her existence—in and out of uniform.

Peyton tried to keep from drooling. Hot damn. How she’d love to see him out of uniform and not wearing anything.

He turned the mower toward her, and her knees weakened as he bent forward to give it a push. Must not whimper at her former student’s father’s butt. She let out a sound that was a mixture between a sigh and a moan when she caught sight of the tattoo inked on his chest.

God, what she wouldn’t do to get close enough to see what that elaborate red heart had written across it.

Right, okay, enough checking out the hot cop across the street. It was pizza, beer, bath, bed. Alone. Completely and utterly alone while he was across the street. In bed. Just him and the tattoo she fantasized about licking.

He would be alone. She’d be alone. He was hot. She could—

Stop it, Peyton warned her inept inner seductress. Hands off the hottie. She’d given up on men. Remember? They weren’t to be trusted. Not anymore. Especially not guys who wanted to see you locked up in a lab where people in white coats could jab at you with sharp, pokey things.

"Hey!" Dylan stopped mowing long enough to raise his hand in a friendly wave.

His jeans shifted lower on his hips when he straightened, and Peyton had to will her eyes not to linger. She focused on his face instead, but that wasn’t any better. The dimple in his left cheek made her heart cha-cha as every single one of her pores spontaneously began to sweat. Sweet and merciful Superman, the man was too hot for his own good.

Hey. She tried to keep her voice even. Nothing to see here. Really. Just ignore me and the way I can’t keep my eyes off your tattoo and, oh yeah, could we possibly arrange a time for me to lick your abs?

Looking forward to spring break? Dylan asked.

Yep. What about you? Any big plans?

I’m going to Grandma and Grandpa’s, Liza squealed and then bounced on her toes. They’re going to take me camping in the trailer and we’ll roast marshmallows and Grandpa’s going to take me fishing, but he’s promised I don’t actually have to touch worms. Or make them die. We’re going to use bologna instead.

Good for you. Peyton nodded, trying desperately not to think about the fact that her gorgeous neighbor was going to be alone for an entire week. Maybe it would be neighborly of her to stop by? Just to see how he was doing.

I don’t like worms, Liza said solemnly.

I don’t either. But I’ve got to get inside and feed Superclaws and I bet your Daddy wants to finish the grass.

She gave Liza one last wave and started up her own driveway, not allowing herself to turn around and give Dylan’s ass one last peek. The paper on her door fluttered again and Peyton stared at it. Now that she was closer, she could tell that it wasn’t a Chinese delivery flyer.

She opened the screen door and pulled the paper free. Notice of Eviction was stamped across it in bold, black letters.

Evicted? How? Mr. Chatterjee couldn’t evict her. She made sure she always paid her rent on time. Heck, she paid her rent early, and it wasn’t like there were any noise complaints. Not with her lack of a social life.

Peyton scanned the paper. Failure to Disclose Mitigating Information? What sort of mitigating information had she not disclosed? What the heck was mitigating information anyway?

Peyton fumbled in her purse for her cell phone and looked up his number. She pressed the phone to her ear and waited as it rang. Once, twice, three times. Hello? A meek, quiet voice whispered.

Mr. Chatterjee? Peyton asked, stunned to hear her normally vigorous, people person of a landlord sounding so timid. This is Peyton Pearson.

I’m sorry you’ve got the—

Mr. Chatterjee, she snapped, trying to sound intimidating. I just got handed an eviction notice. It says that I have thirty days to remove my personal belongings or I’ll be evicted by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department.

Well, yes but you see, some gentlemen from the Safer America Party contacted me, he said, his voice wheedling. And they brought it to my attention that you were once married to Blake Hughes. You know, Captain Fantastic?

And? Peyton snapped, exasperated, as she fought the urge to try to reach through the phone and throttle the man on the other end. Now I’m not. I told you I was going through a divorce when I came to look at the house. You said you understood how that went. Three ex-wives remember? You even offered to give me the name of your third ex-wife’s divorce attorney. The one that cleaned out your savings account and got her major alimony.

I know I did, but the problem is, even though you’re divorced from Captain Fantastic, your superhero sympathies are well known. They had copies of petitions you’ve signed, pictures of you at pro-super rallies. The Safer America Party? They aren’t okay with things like that Peyton.

No, they aren’t. She sighed, all of her rage deflating like a kid’s party balloon after three days in a hot car. She did know just how Safer America felt about superheroes and just how rough they could play when they wanted to get their own way.

Well, you’ve gotten yourself squarely in their sights. The men who came today were very clear about why I shouldn’t rent to a superhero sympathizer. I’m sorry. You’re a nice enough girl, but I can’t rent to you while you continue to consort with those people. If I don’t evict you, they’ll boycott my stores and I can’t afford that. They’ll put me out of business. I’ve got alimony and child support to pay. I can’t lose everything because you’ve got ideals.

Fine. Peyton swallowed. I understand.

She did too. That was the problem. The Safer America Party had grown too powerful for anyone to just blow off them and their anti-super agenda. They held the ears—and the purse strings—connected to too many judges and politicians. Not to mention being the biggest donor to the Fraternal Order of Police. They had too many powerful friends. Including her hot neighbor next door.

You still owe me the last month’s rent and the security deposit though, Peyton insisted. She might sympathize with him, but she wasn’t going to get cheated. I’ll come over to your store and you can cut me a check for what you owe me. Fifteen hundred dollars for my last month’s rent and then the two thousand I paid you for a security deposit.

I can’t cut you a check for thirty-five hundred dollars, Mr. Chatterjee protested. I don’t have that kind of money just sitting around.

Yes, you can. That’s my money and I’m entitled to it.

I don’t have it, the men from the Safer America Party. His voice broke. They fined me for renting to a superhero sympathizer.

"They what? They fined you? You mean they robbed you? Did you call the police?"

No, he snapped. No police. I can’t risk the police.

Mr. Chatterjee—

I’m very sorry, Peyton. You’re a very nice girl and I hate that this is happening to you. That you’ve made choices that—

"This isn’t just happening to me!" Peyton screamed and when she looked up, she saw Dylan was standing in his yard, not moving, watching her.

You have no reason to—

Don’t you dare tell me there’s no need to yell! You’re evicting me because you’re afraid to stand up to a bunch of bullies, and now you’re telling me you aren’t going to give me the money you owe me. As far as I can see, I’ve got a whole supersized load of reasons to yell.

She hit the disconnect button and glared at the phone in her hand. She couldn’t really blame him. Unless she was willing to go down to the Safer America Party headquarters unmasked and start throwing her powers around, she wasn’t going to get anywhere. And, even if she did pick up a few desks and toss them, all that would get her was her face plastered on the evening news with Fantastigirl Unmasked underneath her mug shot.

Now what the hell was she going to do?

She had no money, no love life, and now she was about to lose her home? She thumbed through her contacts again, looking for the phone number of the lawyer she’d used during her divorce. Maybe he could call and sound threatening enough to make Mr. Chatterjee rethink her eviction? Or at least get her security deposit back.

She hated to make the poor man’s life any harder, but she needed that money. With no other savings, her forwarding address was going to be the backseat of her car.

Hello this is the office of Stuart, Standsfeld, and Klein, LLC, the phone announced as it went to voicemail, our offices are currently closed…

A loud, thumping bass reverberated down the street a second before a car turned around the corner and Peyton’s heart sank. Dylan’s ex-wife was here to pick up Liza for her visitation. Late as usual. Well, usual for when she managed to show up.

And that meant listening to them scream at each other in the front yard. She

Reviews for His Secret Superheroine

[stacyatufi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Peyton's just trying to live a normal and quiet life. Unfortunately normal and quiet was shoved out the window when her ex-husband switched out her birth control pills with a medication that made her into a superhero just like him. Now divorced all she wants to do is teach her students, and pine after the handsome police officer across the street while staying under the radar. When she is evicted, her sexy neighbor Dylan offers up his spare room, only problem is he doesn't like superheros and has no idea she's really Fantastigirl in hiding.As you can imagine the romance between Peyton and Dylan is anything but smooth. The secret is out pretty early on in the book which is good but a lot of hurt comes out of it on both sides. There were many tissue needing moment so be prepared. I really enjoyed the relationship between Peyton and Dylan's Daughter. She is pretty much the mother figure to this little girl since her mother is a drunk B and it was great to see the feelings develop between the two. I enjoyed all the secondary characters and the storyline. HIS SECRET SUPERHEROINE was a great start to the St. Louis Superheroes series. I am definitely going to look for book two. If you haven't already read it, Patricia's Speak of the Devil Series was very enjoyable as well and since it has already ended you won't have to wait for a new release!* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[capnrandm · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.allthingsuf.comA fun, zany romance, HIS SECRET SUPERHEROINE gives the familiar “big secret” romance trope a superhero twist. With an underlying message about tolerance and risk, the surface of this story zips along with funny dialog and don’t-need-super-sight-to-see-it-coming conflicts.Peyton’s initial “big secret”, her alter ego as Fantastigirl, doesn’t detract too much from the initial storyline. Or at least, having it out in the open that she’s a superhero “sympathizer” while Dylan belongs to a right wing organization that wants supers registered gives page time to their essential conflict. Unfortunately, there were a few too many additional conflicts included that began to muddy the waters halfway through. His and hers matching ex spouses, blackmail, Superhero and Supervillian councils, professional ethics… all of these elements tangled together like clumsy constructs rather than well developed parts of the world or plot, and often raised distracting questions that were not answered. As a romance, Peyton and Dylan have great initial chemistry, but no payoff. As a superhero story, the world building is thin and hard to believe in. As a thriller, the action doesn’t do much better than the romance. While I enjoyed the characters and their dialog, there was no framework to support them.Ultimately, however, my biggest disappointment was the relationship between Peyton and Dylan. Peyton has to become a victim before Dylan has a change in heart, and while she doesn’t take him back easily, her sass re asserted itself a little for my tastes. A quick, funny read, HIS SECRET SUPERHEROINE is charming, but not without flaws.Sexual Content: Kissing.