Playing with Fire by Tamara Morgan

him.
    Getting caught would have been bearable—worth it, even—if he’d gotten some kind of power out of it. Tests he’d conducted shortly after his release confirmed that the element was there in his blood, dormant and useless. Neil thought his abilities might kick in later, when he reached a certain age or got bitten by a spider, but Ian had lost hope a few years ago.
    Once again, he’d been unable to stand up to his own ideals of heroism.
    “Please, Fiona. Show me,” he said. This was his second—no, third—chance. He could make things right again.
    “Okay.”
    Fiona leaned over and started playing with the buckle of her sandal. Ian wasn’t a foot fetishist or anything, but when she slipped her foot out of the straps and cracked her toes with one quick movement, his mouth went dry. She took off the other shoe and tossed them both aside before finally looking up.
    “What are you doing?” he asked, barely able to keep his eyes inside his head. Was she going to remove the rest of her clothes? Was this how it was done? Were the fates of human superpowers this cruel and this kind?
    Something lit up Fiona’s eyes, and every drop of Ian’s blood flowed southward, tightening in his groin. The light might have been her powers charging up, but something told Ian it was much more primal than that.
    “I—I’m taking off my shoes,” she said slowly, as if testing each word against his reaction.
    “Oh.” He tried to mask his disappointment, but he doubted it was very effective.
    “Why? What did you think I was doing?” Understanding flashed across her face, teasing and mocking. “Ian Jones, did you think I was about to get naked for this?”
    He couldn’t help it. He gave her entire body a once-over before settling on her face. Naked superpowers did seem pretty awesome, he wasn’t going to lie. But she deserved better, especially from him.
    He frowned. “Of course not. That would be ridiculous.”
    She laughed, low and sultry, tinged at the edges with a raw sadness. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m used to it.”
    He stiffened. “Used to what?”
    “Men wanting to see me naked.” She sighed. “Stop looking at me that way. I don’t do that anymore, so you can relax. Your purity will stay intact.”
    Ian strode over to her, his whole body tense. “Don’t say things like that.” He gripped her hands, pressing them tightly before she pulled away, hiding them behind her back. “You’re a beautiful woman, Fiona, there’s no way to hide that fact. But there’s always been a lot more to you—even if you can’t see it.”
    “Like what, Ian?” A furrow knit her brow as she studied his hands. When she looked up, her eyes were clouded. “That I make a perfect science project? That you think I’m some sort of terrible person who robs banks and kills people?”
    He had no answer, and the second’s delay before he could form a response was all it took. Visibly flustered, she turned away, focusing all her attention on the horizon.
    “Now, what would you like me to ignite again?” Her voice was thick, but she was obviously striving for a more lighthearted tone. “That rock? I’m warning you—I won’t be able to do much more than scorch it. You do know rocks aren’t flammable, don’t you?”
    “I know.” Every nerve in every muscle strained not to pull her close, make another lame attempt at fixing things between them. It would have to wait.
    “Okay. Here goes. Watch the rock face.”
    Fire lit his vision. It began as a ball of flaming light, bursting from her with a speed that astonished him. It was trailed by a thin beam, not unlike the tail of a comet when seen by the naked eye. Like that elusive heavenly body, he imagined it was mostly gas and debris, and he’d have loved to take a closer look.
    But there wasn’t time. The ball of fire hit the rocks with a loud crackle, and a few sparks flew harmlessly to the ground. And with that, it was done.
    Done before he had a chance to examine the