Egotistical Jerk: A Hero Club Novel

by A. K. MacBride

  "No, Mom," I said dryly. "We were talking about your wife's bottom."

  I gave my best impression of a British accent on the last word. When Simon looked at me with murder in his eyes, I barked out a laugh. "She didn't know how you two met."

  Simon nodded, he looked thoughtful as he filled the two wine glasses. "Hands down, the best day of my life."

  The heavy feeling inside my chest was back. Gnawing at me like an itch that wouldn't go away. What would my life have looked like if I had what Simon had? If I had someone to come home to, someone who understood the kind of pressure we faced daily?

  As much as I would've liked to stand there and analyze my thoughts, it wasn't the time. So I pushed them to the back of my mind and after taking the water bottles from Simon, I followed him back outside.

  As soon as we stepped foot on the deck, the twins came barreling toward us. "Mommy said we could go watch Frozen."

  "Again?" My friend asked dramatically. "Aren't you girls tired of Anna and Elsa yet?"

  "No!" they cried in unison before dashing past us into the house.

  "I swear Disney has taken over my house," Simon muttered. "Our daughters need new movies to watch," he said to Bridget as he placed one of the wine glasses in front of her.

  Dragging the glass closer, she gave him a sideways glance. "Don't pretend you don't like it; I've heard you sing along more than once."

  "Busted!" He laughed heartily.

  Bending down, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head before slipping into the chair opposite her. When my gaze turned to Mia, I'd expected her to be watching the exchange between Simon and Bridget. She wasn't. Her eyes had been on me, and damn if that didn't have a thrill licking its way down my spine.

  What excited me even more was even though she had been caught red-handed, she refused to look away. Bright red stained her cheeks but she kept her eyes trained on me as I slowly approached to place her water in front of her.

  She eyed the bottle before meeting my gaze again. "Thank you."

  My lips stretched into a grin. "You're very welcome."

  And because I couldn't help myself, I winked before moving around the table to collapse into the chair opposite her. Leaning back, I stretched out and got a kick out of her sucking in a quick breath when our legs brushed. Nibbling on her lip, Mia shook her head slightly and snatched the bottle off the table, unscrewed the cap and swallowed down half the water.

  "So, Mia," Simon's voice sounded. "How long have you been in Providence?"

  She set the bottle and the cap on the table. With a small smile, she focused on my friend. "All my life."

  I sat up straighter. How had I not run into her before? I must've said it out loud because her attention was on me when she spoke, "You're a lot older than I am and we don't exactly run in the same circles."

  A lot older…

  Yeah, like that wasn't a punch to the balls. I was impressed with myself when I managed to keep my voice steady. "Same circles?"

  "Your parents are world-renowned surgeons. The best in their fields. My dad was the school janitor." Her shoulders rose and fell as if that was all the explanation that was needed.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Bridget reaching for her. "Was? Your dad—"

  I saw the pain in her eyes before I heard a hint of it in her words. "He died a year and a half ago."

  She didn't elaborate, and no one asked her to. The conversation quickly moved to a happier subject, or at least as happy as it can get when you're talking about the weirdest cases to enter the ER.

  "In his butt?" Mia choked on her water. Brushing the back of her hand over her mouth, she leaned closer to Bridget. "As in inside?"

  Shaking her head, Bridget held up her hands. "I swear on my life, he had a little dolphin car freshener right up in there."

  "But why?"

  I kept my gaze on Mia while Bridget explained to her that the young man and his girlfriend wanted to spice up their lunch-time car hookup but couldn't find anything to stick up in there, so they just grabbed the poor dolphin dangling from the rearview mirror.

  Laughter spilled from her lips. It wasn't one of those delicate laughs, either. It was loud and a little off-key, but so damn beautiful. I wanted to hear more of it. I wanted to be the reason for that joyous sound.

  "The ER is a very interesting place," Simon said. "If things don't work out in diagnostics, I'd be more than happy to have you on the team."

  My narrowed gaze shot to my friend, who simply winked while pulling his shoulders to his ears. "You have no shame, Simon. Trying to poach my doctor right in front of me."

  "It's only poaching if I go," Mia announced. Watching me carefully, she added, "I don't want to be anywhere else, my heart has been in diagnostics for years."

  I heard the truth and conviction in her words. Felt it in my bones. We might've had very different childhoods, but Mia and I were cut from the same cloth. Every time I heard the passion in her voice when she spoke of medicine, it was like a puzzle piece clicking into place.

  Simon spoke again but nothing registered, I was too busy getting lost in Mia's eyes. Too busy wishing we were alone so we could explore this change between us. I wanted to ask her why I saw the same want in her eyes that I felt in my veins. Why she kept stealing glances at my mouth.

  Was she thinking the same thing I was?

  Was she experiencing the magnetic pull between us, too?

  "All right!" Simon's booming voice coupled with the smacking sound of his palm connecting with the table was enough to jolt me back. "If you two are done with your staring contest, I think we can fire up the grill. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

  I was starving, too.

  Reading my mind, Simon groaned exasperatedly, "For food."

  Bridget nudged Mia, whose cheeks were turning a bright shade of red again.

  "Come on, you can help me in the kitchen." Without waiting for Mia to answer, she took her hand and marched into the house.

  Simon's loud bellowing laughter filled my ears a second before I felt his hand hit my shoulder blade. "If I wasn't afraid of you lunging over the table and doing something I don't want my kids to witness, I wouldn't have interrupted your little stare down."

  It was my turn to groan. "That obvious?"

  Simon laughed again. "Oh yeah."

  The twins chose that moment to rush outside; arms full of dolls. "We're going to build a castle for our dollies," Elizabeth beamed as they skipped down the deck toward their sandpit.

  "It's weird," I admitted. "Sometimes I look at her and I swear whatever else is happening around me just seems to fade away." My gaze flicked back to Simon. He was watching me with an amused look on his face. "What?"

  He shook his head. "Nothing."

  "Simon," I warned.

  "Nope, this one you have to figure out for yourself, my friend."

  Figure what out? The question was on the tip of my tongue; before I could voice it, Bridget and Mia emerged from the house. After setting the bowls they were carrying on the table, they joined us and talk quickly shifted to the craziness that was marriage and children.

  Every few minutes one or both of the girls came running up the deck begging the adults to go see what they built. When the sandpit didn't hold their attention anymore, they took it upon themselves to entertain the adults with song and dance.

  As much as I adored Simon and Bridget's girls, my gaze never strayed far from Mia. Hearing and seeing her laugh had a permanent smile pasted on my lips. And so did catching her sneaking a few peeks at me when she thought I wasn't watching.

  By the time I pushed my dessert bowl to the side, I was more than ready for a few minutes alone with Mia. So when she started clearing the table, I immediately jumped up and helped her.

  "I haven't laughed so much in a long time," she admitted when we walked into the kitchen.

  "Yeah, Eleanor and Elizabeth are something else." We placed the dirty dishes on the counter and started sorting them. "But don't let them fool
you, they can trick almost anyone into doing something for them."

  "Oh, I can totally see that."

  Our eyes met and held. Her gaze dropping to my mouth for a beat before she pulled her lip between her teeth and met mine once more. She leaned forward, or maybe it was me. I didn't really care because I knew what was about to happen.

  "All right, all right!" I almost swore when Bridget's voice sounded so suddenly; cruelly snapping us out of the moment. "The girls are asleep so you two need to leave." She gave us a pointed stare that didn't need any interpretation at all.

  "But the dishes—"

  "Can wait until tomorrow," Bridget insisted, already ushering us toward the door. "Thank you for coming over today. It was fun."

  After giving both Mia and I a half-assed hug, she all but shoved us out the door.

  "Guess they needed some alone time," Mia joked as we headed toward our cars. Her gaze cut to mine. "Is it always like this?"

  "About ninety percent of the time," I admitted with a chuckle. Brows furrowed, she nodded tentatively.

  "Did you have a good time?" I asked.

  Her lips lifted, that dimple popping out again. "I did. Do you guys do this often?"

  "Mhm, as often as work and life allows us to."

  "It's nice."

  We reached her car far too soon; I wasn't ready to let her go. Turning, I leaned against the back door and folded my arms in front of me. "I gotta know, exactly how old do you think I am?"

  Amusement flashed in her eyes. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and tilted her head slightly. Then the most wonderful thing happened; she smiled at me. It was big, dimpled, and brilliant.

  "Did my comment get under your skin, Dr. Ryker?"

  I shook my head. "Sebastian."

  "What?"

  "I want you to call me Sebastian." And then before I could stop it, more words spilled from my mouth. "Your comment didn't get under my skin, Mia. You did."

  My eyes dropped to her mouth just in time to see the pink tip of her tongue dart out to slide along her bottom lip. It probably wasn't the best thing to say, but shit if it wasn't true. She'd gone and burrowed so deep beneath the surface, I knew getting her out wasn't going to be easy.

  Without saying a word, she stepped forward and pulled open the driver's side door. I'd never felt like a bigger idiot in my life. But still, I couldn't take my eyes off her. Head bent down, she focused on something for a long, intense moment before slowly lifting her eyes to mine.

  The deep breath she drew to her lungs seemed to trap the air inside mine.

  "The feeling is mutual… Sebastian."

  She didn't linger. Didn't wait for me to say anything in return. She simply slipped behind the wheel and after I stepped back, she pulled away.

  She shocked the shit out of me right then. So much so that I was only vaguely aware of walking back to my own car and driving home. I was still in a daze when I stepped through my front door. Without turning on a light, I collapsed onto my couch and let out a long breath.

  Teddy's meowing sounded a lot like complaining when he jumped onto the armrest. I brought my hand up and scratched under his chin until the annoyed noises he was making turned into soft purrs.

  "I'm so freaking screwed."

  There was no denying I was insanely attracted to Mia. She was the first woman in who knew how long to spark something inside me. I wanted to get to know her, find out what made her tick. Simply put, I wanted her.

  But her career had only just started. I might've been jumping the gun, but what would happen if we got involved and she was chosen to stay on my team—because out of the four of them she was the best. Would she think she only got the job because of us? Would our coworkers make the same assumption?

  One part of me wanted to say screw it, go for it and face the consequences later. The other part—the part that knew the kind of hard work that went into being a doctor—was yelling at me to step away and leave her the hell alone.

  Chapter 13

  MIA

  "The feeling is mutual? The feeling is freaking mutual? Ugh!" With a very unladylike grunt, I dropped my forehead to the steering wheel cradled between my arms. "What the hell?"

  I'd been sitting in my apartment block's parking lot for almost an hour, cursing myself for saying something so…stupid.

  There were a million other things I could've said, but my brain just had to go and pick those five words. Why? Maybe my wires were all crossed from watching him all day? He'd been so different. Friendly and approachable were words that didn't fit with the Dr. Ryker I knew. But then again, he hadn't been Dr. Ryker today.

  No, he was Sebastian.

  The man who had tea parties with little girls without complaining—and while doing so blew my ovaries into oblivion. Who lit up more than just the room with a simple smile. Who made me want and think things that had no business being in my mind.

  I let out a sigh and screwed my eyes shut. Behind my closed lids, I could still see the look in his gaze when he'd told me to use his first name. It was dark and intense and caused an explosion of sensations inside my body. Even now, I had trouble suppressing the shiver.

  I'd have to have been blind to miss the heat simmering in those chocolate irises. The fact that it was directed at me, shook me so much I hopped into my car and drove off. But not before uttering those dreadful words.

  Knowing full well that I couldn't sit in my car all night long, I tugged on the handle and trudged up to my apartment. Once inside the empty, silent space, I went through the motions of getting ready for bed. It didn't matter what I did, Sebastian refused to leave my thoughts.

  By the time I flicked off my light, I figured, or rather hoped, that the day's events would at the very least lead to us having a better work relationship.

  ***

  "Oh no, what happened?"

  Eyeing the IV in Mrs. DuBois's arm, I rushed into the room and grabbed her patient file. I flipped to the last page and scanned the entries. Apparently, Mrs. DuBois had started throwing up just after midnight the previous night. No matter what they did, she couldn't keep anything down. The IV was keeping her from dehydrating while giving her body some much-needed nutrients.

  Furious, I slammed the file shut.

  "They should've called me."

  With vehemence, I hooked the file back to the bed and started for the door. My steps faltered when Mrs. DuBois called my name. Her voice was low and raspy. I'd never heard her sound so weak before.

  Rooted to the spot, I looked at her over my shoulder. Even from where I was standing, I could see her hand shake as she patted the space beside her. My eyes traveled up her arm, lingering on the IV for a few seconds before settling on her face. Her very pale, skinny face. Gosh, it looked like she'd lost ten pounds overnight.

  I wanted to stomp out of the room to go find the nurse who'd been on duty that night and demand her to tell me why the hell she didn't call me when it was clear as day that my patient needed me.

  The only thing stopping me from doing that was the look on Mrs. DuBois's face. Perching my hands on my hips, I lowered my chin and took a few steadying breaths. Slowly, I turned and parked my butt on the spot she'd patted.

  "How are you feeling?" I hated asking when the answer was clear as day in front of me.

  "Better… now."

  Her words were soft and slow, and it damn near broke my heart. In all the time I'd been here, this woman had been upbeat and chirpy. Seeing her like this was awful. I knew she hated it too, so, even though I didn't feel remotely cheery, I tried to lighten the mood.

  "Aunt Vera is going to flip when I tell her the lemon bars made you sick."

  I could tell it took effort for her lips to stretch into the tiny smile she was gracing me with. "Don't you dare, missy. I want more."

  "I promise as soon as your body can handle it, I'll get you your fix," I said with a wink. A tiny bit of pressure eased off my chest when a hint of sparkle touched her eyes.

  "Good." She leaned closer, looking
mischievous. "Has Sebastian kissed you yet?"

  Clearly, I'd mastered the art of choking on air. I smacked my chest; trying my damndest to catch my breath. It didn't help.

  "Wha- why… I'm so confused right now."

  Beside me, Mrs. DuBois's face lit up—well, as much as it could under the circumstances.

  "Don't play dumb. The two of you might have everyone else fooled, but these," she pointed two shaky fingers at her eyes. "See everything. All that fighting is really just pent-up sexual frustration."

  Yeah, my ears were hot and my cheeks were definitely red. "No more soap operas for you, Mrs. DuBois. It's giving you a fertile imagination."

  She laughed then. It wasn't a full-blown guffaw but enough to bring a smile to my face. Resting her head against my arm, she patted my leg. "Change the channel, will you? I think Days is on."

  I looked at her without turning my head. "I just told you no more soaps."

  "You lied," she countered. "Just like you're lying to yourself about Sebastian."

  She didn't even bother looking at me, her gaze firmly trained on the TV hanging from the ceiling.

  I wasn't going to tell her that she was right. Instead, I changed the channel and said, "Just this once."

  Her beloved soap had been over for almost thirty minutes, but I couldn't bring myself to move. This overwhelming need to stay with her, to let her know she wasn't alone had rooted itself deep inside me. Logically, I knew I had to get up and do my job. There was a hospital full of sick patients in need of treatment.

  Mrs. DuBois just needed me more at that moment.

  Still leaning against me, her breathing evened out. She was finally asleep. I was in the process of slowly lowering her to her pillow when a large presence filled the room. I didn't even have to look. The butterflies living in my stomach woke up and started fluttering about.

  Once Mrs. DuBois was tucked in, I pivoted with a way-too-huge smile on my face.

  "Hi."

  One look into those stormy dark eyes, though, and my smile was gone.

  "I need to talk to you."