Egotistical Jerk: A Hero Club Novel

by A. K. MacBride

  Pushing my fingers into his hair, I tugged his head back. The look on his face as he peered up at me through hooded lids had to be the sexiest thing I'd ever seen.

  "Stop teasing."

  He grinned again; lips stretched wide, teeth flashing. Bringing his hand up, he lazily traced along the edge of my bra.

  "I'm not teasing." His gaze flicked to where his finger was sliding along my skin. "I'm tasting." Those dark eyes met mine again. "I'm savoring."

  Without warning, he yanked my dress over my shoulders and leaned in close. "I want to take my time with you, Mia." One finger dipped beneath my bra touching the skin between my breasts. "Take it off."

  I didn't have to be asked twice. Reaching behind me, I undid the clasp and slid the lacy material down my arms before tossing it aside. Sebastian hissed out a breath and smoothed his hands up my back. With his fingers pushing into my skin, he pulled me forward and buried his face in my chest.

  Then he very unceremoniously spun me around and yanked me onto his lap. Spreading his legs wide, he took mine along for the ride. One hand slid over my chest while the other slipped down my stomach, trapped between my skin and underwear.

  Sebastian's mouth touched my shoulder while his hand strummed my body like a fine-tuned instrument. He'd turned me into a needy, writhing bundle of bones and I couldn't find it in myself to care one bit.

  Not when it felt so damn good.

  His lips moved from my shoulder along my neck, kissing and nipping as he went. But when he sucked on the lobe of my ear before gently biting down on it, my entire world exploded.

  I barely had time to catch my breath when Sebastian moved again. This time I went from sitting on his lap to lying flat on my back with him hovering over me within the space of a second. Bracing his forearms beside my head, he bent down and took my mouth in a long, lazy kiss.

  His tongue swept into my mouth, hot and wet, coiling around mine in an almost sensuous touch. Firm yet gentle lips moved over mine, while his large body remained perfectly still.

  It was all-consuming, breath-stealing, and still not enough. Arching my back, I pressed my chest against his. I knew the very moment the touch registered; Sebastian growled into my mouth before pulling my lip between his teeth.

  My loud moan of protest filled the air when he drew back to sit on his heels. I swallowed it back down and pushed onto my elbows when he reached over his head to grip the material of his t-shirt before yanking it off. Nibbling on the corner of my mouth, I openly gawked at his naked upper body.

  He was all hard ridges and lean muscle with a smattering of dark hair. I wanted to trace every line with my finger before following with my tongue. I brought my leg up and tapped my foot against his denim-covered thigh. Smiling sweetly at him, I repeated his words from earlier, "Take it off."

  His answering grin was all sorts of sinful. Our eyes stayed locked on each other when he slipped off the bed and stood at the edge. I sat up straighter when his fingers moved to the button of his jeans. And when it snapped open with a soft pop, I broke eye contact so I could watch him slowly drag the zipper down.

  "If you keep looking at me like that, I won't be responsible for my actions." He said in a gruff voice as he stepped out of his pants and briefs and kicked them to the side.

  I set off on a slow perusal of every manly inch of his naked body, my nibble turning into a full-on bite. Because damn this man was beautiful. And I told him exactly that when my gaze met his again.

  He stared at me for a long, intense second. Whatever he was thinking known only to him, the look in his eyes undecipherable. I was about to ask if something was wrong when he moved, crawling toward me with determination.

  Once he was in front of me, he reached out and curled his long fingers around the waistband of my underwear before plucking them down. A second later, he was between my parted legs, pushing me down onto my back.

  I went happily. I couldn't wait to feel the weight of him on top of me, feel us moving together. I didn't just want it, I needed it. But unfortunately, Sebastian wasn't as impatient as I was.

  His dark head dipped and just when I thought his mouth was about to touch mine, he pulled away and pressed a kiss to my jaw. The feel of his palm steadily smoothing up along my bare thigh had electricity zipping through my veins and my skin tingling with anticipation. Again, he brought his lips just within reaching distance before he stole them away and touched them to my neck.

  "Sebastian," I whined.

  He kissed a hot path down my neck, along my collarbone before resting his chin in the center of my chest.

  "Yes?" A touch of mirth shown through the heat burning in his eyes. I didn't even know how it was possible, but he managed to look both boyish and sinfully sexy at once.

  "Don't make me beg."

  One eyebrow climbed toward his hairline. "But you do it so prettily."

  "Seba—"

  He surged up and crashed his mouth to mine, stealing the words right off my tongue. Kissing me hard, he shoved one hand into my hair while the other shot to my hip. We were so close; our bodies perfectly aligned, skin touching skin.

  His mouth moved over mine in a needy and punishing way and I kissed him right back, taking everything he was giving and returning it with the same urgency. Our tongues coiled, lapped, and tasted while the tension slowly building inside my body demanded to be released.

  Fueled by nothing but need, I speared my fingers into Sebastian's hair and rolled my hips against his. A sound so virile, so male, rumbled through his chest and settled somewhere between my thighs.

  I pushed my hips up again and this time his pushed down at the same time, the movement drawing a small moan from the back of my throat. I was about to do it once more when Sebastian drew back abruptly.

  "Shit! Gimme a sec."

  "Wha… where—"

  Before I could finish, he reached over me and yanked open the bedside drawer. While he rummaged through it, I realized what we had almost done. Never in my life had I been so consumed that I forgot something as important as protection.

  Luckily before I could analyze what it meant, Sebastian was back. His hand touched the back of my knee before skimming up my thigh. Then he rolled his hips and any coherent thought I might've had melted away.

  I was lost to anything and everything except the man on top of me. The way his lips captured mine. The way his hands caressed my skin. The deep sounds that vibrated through his chest. The torturously slow movements of his hips.

  It was just him and me and it was wonderful.

  Even more so when my back arched with the intensity of the pleasure-filled explosion that ripped through my body. Desperately trying to catch my breath, Sebastian doubled his efforts before dropping his forehead to my shoulder, his breathless sigh blowing over my clammy skin.

  He slowly shifted. Pushing onto his elbow, he positioned himself next to me, and brushed his fingers over my cheek before he tucked a few strands of my hair behind my ear. The way he was looking at me made me feel… I didn't know how to describe it. I only knew I didn't want to stop feeling this way.

  He bent down and pressed the softest kiss to the corner of my mouth before slipping off the bed with a promise to be right back. And a few seconds later, he was. Holding out his hand, he helped me into a seated position, and then he did something that no man had ever done.

  With a warm washcloth in his hand, he cleaned me up. He was so focused, his touch so tender. It might've sounded like the stupidest thing, but that right there felt even more intimate than what we'd done moments ago.

  My heart made a funny little dip right before it lodged itself inside my throat. I had to swallow, not once, not twice, but three times before I could speak.

  "Thank you."

  Meeting my gaze, Sebastian smiled. It wasn't one of those cocky or sexy grins of his either. It was one of contentment and happiness.

  "Get into bed. I'll be right back." He sauntered back to the adjoining bathroom while I did as I was told.

  When
he slipped under the covers next to me, he gently turned me on my side and with his chest pressed against my back, he held me close. I felt him snuggle into my hair before his sleepy voice reached my ears. "Close your eyes and go to sleep, Mia."

  I let out a slow, steady breath and did exactly that.

  Chapter 18

  SEBASTIAN

  Heart pounding, I jerked awake only to find Teddy sitting on my chest. With his tail lazily flicking left and right, he didn't look happy at all. And when I took in the semi-dark room, neither was I.

  I didn't want to start the day. Didn't want to slip out of bed when Mia was still there. I'd much rather have pulled her in my arms and just held her for a few moments longer. And that thought alone should've scared the shit out of me. But it simply had me craving more.

  For all the talking we had done, I had no clue where to go from there. I knew what I wanted. Had known the instant I'd opened my door, probably even before that. Everything about her intrigued me and I wanted more. So much more. But I wasn't sure if she felt the same.

  Teddy let out a low, annoyed meow, effectively stopping my thoughts in their tracks. Narrowing my eyes, I glared at him. "You couldn't have given me a few more minutes?"

  Preow.

  "Yeah, yeah I know. You want food."

  At the sound of the f-word, Teddy leaped from my chest and trotted out of the room. With a sigh, I longingly looked at Mia's sleeping form before sliding from the bed and grabbing a pair of boxer briefs from my closet.

  As I walked to the kitchen, the night's events started replaying in my head. The feel of her skin against my palm. The way her body moved with mine. The unbelievably sexy sounds she made in the throes of passion. All of it came rushing back, and I knew once with this woman would never be enough.

  Hell, I didn't think there was a number high enough.

  And it wasn't just about the sex, although that had been fan-freakin-tastic, it was… everything. I could honestly say that this was the first time a woman had this kind of effect on me. And as unnerving as it was, I couldn't bring myself to care too much.

  Not when being with Mia felt so damn good.

  As I went through the motions of feeding the annoyed, hungry cat and setting up the coffee machine, my thoughts never strayed from the woman sleeping in my bed. Or more specifically, getting back to her.

  Which is exactly what I did the instant I was able to. Ambling into the room, I paused halfway to the bed. Mia had turned on her front. Both of her arms were pushed under her pillow with her tangled mass of hair hiding most of her face. Her creamy back was on display too, courtesy of the sheet only covering her ass.

  I had to take a moment to get my hormones in check because as much as I would have loved to climb on top of Mia and have her in that position, there simply wasn't time. It was a working day for us both. But shit, if it wouldn't have been a fantastic way to wake her up.

  Shelving the idea for a later time, I padded toward the bed and dropped to my haunches at her side. As I brushed the hair from her face, I was once again struck by her beauty. Gone was the makeup that covered her skin, in its place tiny freckles splattered across her cheeks and nose. After last night, I knew that she had them on her shoulders and chest too.

  My touch was feather-light as I dragged my forefinger along her nose and down to trace her lips.

  "Hey, beautiful girl. Time to wake up."

  A tiny groan of protest sounded from her throat before she started to stir, slowly parting her lids a second later. Eyes locked onto mine, her mouth stretched into a dreamy smile.

  "Hi."

  I smiled right back. "Hi."

  She blinked, her thick lashes slowly moving up and down. "Is it morning already?"

  "Afraid so." I covered her cheek with my palm, loving the way she closed her eyes and pressed into my touch. "I wanted to wake you up with breakfast, but I didn't know what, if anything, you have in the mornings."

  Mia looked at me again, reminding me how easy it was to get lost in her eyes. "I'm not big on breakfast. I usually just have a bagel or toast."

  "Toast I can do."

  Her answering smile was absolutely brilliant. Pressing both my hands on the bed, I leaned forward and dropped a soft kiss to her lips before pushing to my feet and taking a step back. What I wanted to do was dip my tongue into her mouth and kiss her long and hard until she was completely breathless.

  But we'd already established there wasn't time for that.

  I was about to turn and leave when Mia rolled over. Arms reaching above her head and back arching, she stretched out on my bed like a cat. The sheet was still caught around her waist so everything above was exposed.

  My heart thumped unevenly inside my chest while my boxer briefs suddenly felt about two sizes too small.

  "Baby," I groaned. "You're freaking killing me here."

  As if she hadn't heard me, Mia kept her stretch for a few seconds longer before shifting into a seated position. Tucking her folded arms under her glorious breasts, she made no attempt to cover herself up.

  "Sorry," she said, but the look in her eyes told me otherwise.

  I had to dig my heels in to keep myself from prowling over and devouring her like a starved beast. Licking my lips, I managed to croak out, "There's no time."

  When Mia simply kept staring at me with teeth biting into her bottom lip, I closed my eyes and swore. Loudly and repeatedly.

  For the sake of my sanity, I stomped to my closet and grabbed the first t-shirt I laid eyes on before tossing it over my shoulder.

  "I'll be in the kitchen." Then I hightailed the hell out of there, Mia's giggle short on my heels.

  Back in the kitchen, I stood in front of the sink with my fingers tightly curled around the edge. Sucking in a few deep breaths, I desperately tried to regain my self-control. Not easy when the only thing I kept seeing was a naked Mia stretched out on my bed.

  One… two…

  I barely had time to count to three when I heard her soft footfalls somewhere behind me. After another quick drag of air, I whipped around and found Mia leaning against the center island. My shirt, obviously too big for her, hung loosely over her shoulder and hit about mid-thigh. Now, I'd never been one of those guys who thought women walking around in men's clothes was remotely attractive.

  Until right then.

  Because Mia standing there, untamed hair tumbling over her shoulders and no makeup on her face, wearing nothing but my Brown University tee, had to be the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. The blood rapidly rushing south a testament to that.

  To hell with self-control and being on time for work. I'd much rather have spent the rest of the morning finding different ways to make her moan. The only thing stopping me from doing just that was the almost worried look on her beautiful face.

  For a fleeting moment, I had this sinking feeling that she regretted everything that'd happened between us, but I pushed the thought away before it had time to fully form. We had a connection. One that went deeper than physical intimacy.

  "Wanna clue me in on the conversation you're having with yourself over there?" Leaning my back against the hard surface behind me, I casually folded my arms in front of me.

  Mia's gaze flicked to mine, a whole heap of uncertainty and hesitancy floating around in those depths. Scrunching up her nose, she made a face. "That obvious, huh?"

  "A little." And only because I was so focused on her.

  She tucked her hair behind her ear, but those curls were too determined to stay untamed; bouncing back as soon as they could. Mia sighed. I smiled. Unable to resist, I went to her. Tucking two fingers under her chin, I guided her gaze back to mine.

  "Mia, talk to me?"

  Nibbling on her lip, she regarded me for a way too long moment. "What happens now?"

  My hand moved to cup her cheek, the pad of my thumb gently brushing over her skin.

  "The way I see it, that's up to you."

  Confusion had her brows dipping low, so I explained, "I like you, Mia. And this co
nnection between us, I want to explore it." Pausing for a beat, I gave my words time to sink in. "But you decide where we go from here."

  In the silence that followed, my heart managed to come to a complete halt before setting off at an alarming pace. My breath remained trapped inside my lungs while my stomach pushed into my throat.

  All because I needed her to be as affected by me as I was by her. Because this, whatever it was, couldn't be over before it even had time to begin. Because with her, I felt. And it was so good to feel.

  "I'm not a casual girl, Sebastian," she finally said. "I want what you want, but—" averting her gaze, she swallowed hard. Something told me she needed a bit of breathing space. Dropping my hand, I took a small step back and patiently waited.

  Mia's hands covered her face before she smoothed them up and over her hair. "Being a doctor isn't just a job for me, it's who I am. Who I always wanted to be." Eyes flicking to mine, she gave herself a one-armed hug. "People like to talk, and I don't want to be the new lunchtime topic. I don't want them thinking that I'm sleeping my way to the top or whatever else they'll speculate over."

  Nodding, I asked, "And that's all you're worried about?"

  Her answer was immediate, "Yes."

  Two easy strides closed the distance between us. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her close.

  "I don't like hiding." Pushing at my chest, Mia tried to wiggle out of my embrace. I tightened my hold and lowered my head until our noses almost touched. "But I understand what you're saying and I respect that." Brushing her nose with mine, I promised, "We'll keep it between us for now."

  And then I did the one thing I'd been aching to do since I opened my eyes. Pressing my mouth to hers, I kissed her long and slow. I licked at the seam of her lips before slipping my tongue inside and touching it to hers.

  I shoved my fingers into her hair, gripping the tresses inside my fist and using it to angle her head just right. In an instant, the kiss got hotter, wetter. Our tongues frantically tasting and teasing.