Egotistical Jerk: A Hero Club Novel

by A. K. MacBride

  "You'll laugh if I tell you."

  Sebastian moved and wiggled; pushing his hands under my arms, he hiked me higher up his body so we were face to face.

  He looked so serious when he almost pleaded, "Tell me?"

  Those dark, dark eyes of his steadily roamed over my face before capturing mine again. When he looked at me like that—like I mattered to him—I wanted to melt. I licked my lips; the action slow, then softly admitted, "I was just thinking how being here with you makes me feel."

  Voice thick, he asked, "How?"

  "Happy. You make me feel happy, Sebastian."

  I wish I knew why I felt so vulnerable when I uttered those words. It wasn't like I was making some big love declaration or anything like that. Maybe it was because I was putting a very big piece of my heart in his hands. I was giving him power over my emotions.

  "Mia," he breathed against my mouth.

  One word. One shaky word that told me he felt the same way. The lightness that descended on me, along with the dramatic way in which my chest expanded, wasn't lost on me one bit. Because I couldn't allow myself to fully dissect what it meant, I kissed him instead.

  One of those lazy unhurried kisses that allowed us to explore and taste. His tongue teased mine while his long fingers slid into my hair and his fist closed around my tresses. Dragging his other hand down my body, Sebastian gave my butt a hard squeeze.

  There was never a doubt that everything about this man was a turn on. But when he kissed and held me like that, I wasn't just turned on, I was on freaking fire. Wiggling on top of his hard body, I moaned into his mouth. It was loud and needy, and I didn't care in the slightest.

  Sebastian shifted his long body, I tried to pull my knees up to his sides. Somewhere along the way, something went wrong because one moment we were making out on the couch and the next I had landed flat on my back on the floor with his big frame on top of me.

  "Shit! Are you okay?"

  I let out a giggle. "Yeah, I'm fine."

  "No," Sebastian shook his dark head. "You're so much more than fine; you're beautiful."

  "You're cheesy."

  "You think that's cheesy?" His fingertips brushed over my cheekbone, those chocolate eyes following the movement. "I'll show you cheesy." He pushed onto his forearms, his features turning serious. "Are you French because Eiffel for you?"

  A sound that wasn't even remotely ladylike bubbled over my lips while his face remained unmoving.

  Eyes trained on me, he went on, "On a scale from one to ten, you're a nine... and I'm the one you need."

  More strangled snort noises came from my throat. "Oh gosh."

  Those sinful lips of his curved into a lopsided grin. "Is that a mirror in your pocket? Cause I can see myself in your pants."

  I was laughing so much; tears streamed down the sides of my face. "No," I cried. "That's so bad."

  His face inched closer, eyes boring into mine. "What has 36 teeth and holds back the Incredible Hulk?" I could only shake my head. He looked dead serious when he answered, "My zipper."

  "Oh my goodness." I was pretty sure I was about three seconds away from peeing my pants. "I can't even—" my entire body shook. "Just stop," I managed to croak out.

  "Make me." Repeating his words from the first day in the cafeteria, he flashed his teeth in a wide grin. I could still remember everything about that day as if it'd happened yesterday and not weeks ago. Could still feel the butterflies flap around in my stomach and the wild thundering inside my chest.

  I had to wonder if my heart already knew what this man would come to mean to me and had simply been waiting for my brain to catch up.

  Any thoughts I might have had beyond that were tossed aside when Sebastian's mouth crashed to mine. Unlike the previous one, there was nothing lazy or unhurried about this kiss. It was rough and filled with deliciously sinful promises.

  In a matter of seconds, we turned into a blur of flying clothes and tangled limbs. My back arched off the floor when he laced our fingers together and stretched my arms above my head. Then with one sharp snap of his hips, he knocked the breath right out of my lungs.

  "This, right here," he gritted through clenched teeth. "Is everything."

  I wanted to tell him that yes, this was everything and more when he started to move against me. Slowly. Deliberately. Effectively robbing me of the ability to form a coherent sentence. Nothing but whines and moans where words were supposed to be.

  His mouth dropped to my ear, hot breath blowing over my skin.

  "Moan for me, Mia."

  And I did, boy, did I ever. His hips rocked faster, harder. Pushing and pushing me until the pleasure ripping through my body became too much.

  There was hardly any time to catch my breath when Sebastian's movements became even more urgent. The pleasure-filled grunts rumbling from his chest had tiny bumps dotting my skin. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, hold him to me, but his grip on my hands was unyielding.

  And then, without warning, my name fell from his lips in a harsh hiss before he dropped his forehead to my shoulder and finally released me.

  My fingers immediately pushed into his damp hair earning me a deep "Mhm" against my skin.

  Unmoving and without the burden of words, we laid there for I didn't even know how long. Perfectly content in each other's arms. The ease with which we'd shifted into this new dimension of our relationship should have scared me. It should have freaked me the hell out. But there was no place for fear in my heart, not when it was filled with so much happiness.

  ***

  "I can't believe you!"

  I accepted my coffee from Bebe and after giving her a quick thanks, I gingerly turned around to face the angry voice. Chewing on my cheek, I tried to hide my smile at the sight of Ginny glaring at me; arms perched on her hips, foot tapping against the floor.

  "Hi." I gave her a brisk wave with my free hand. Obviously, not the right thing to do since the color staining her cheeks rivaled that of a tomato.

  "Uh, are you okay, Gin?"

  She pulled her lips into a thin line; her nostrils flaring with the audible breath she was taking.

  "No, I'm not okay," she screeched. "You are dating your damn attending and I—your friend—am the last to know."

  "Shh," I hissed. Lunging forward, I took a hold of her elbow and led her away from the throng of people lining up. "Will you keep your voice down? Geesh."

  "So it is true?" Her voice found a new octave while her eyes widened to their max.

  Leaning closer to her, I whisper-shouted, "Yes, it is. Can we please go sit somewhere where there are fewer people? I don't want the entire hospital knowing my business."

  "They already do," she deadpanned.

  When I just stared at her with my eyebrows raised, she rolled her eyes so dramatically, she could give a teenager a run for their money.

  "Okay, fine!" She even looked like one with her shoulders slumped and feet dragging as we made our way to the most isolated table—the same one Sebastian and I had sat at a few days prior.

  "I want to know everything," she demanded the moment my butt landed on the seat.

  "I thought you already did."

  This time I couldn't hide my smile, and judging by the way her lips were twitching, neither could she.

  "There's not much to tell," I said honestly. "He yelled at me. I yelled at him. We kissed. And now here we are." Shrugging, I raised my palms toward the ceiling.

  "Wow, you're such a great storyteller."

  Each word dripped sarcasm. Pursing her lips and blinking slowly, her expectant stare met mine.

  I took a long swallow of caffeine and winked at her over the rim of my cup. "I know, right? I think I missed my calling."

  "Biatch."

  "You know you love me." Grinning, I gave her my best interpretation of Elizabeth's puppy dog eyes.

  "Ugh," she sighed. "I do." Leaning back in her chair, Ginny crossed her arms in front of her. "So… you and Dr. Stormy, huh?" She cocked her head to the side, seemin
gly lost in thought. I was about to snap my fingers to gain her attention when she blurted out, "Is he as bossy in bed as he is here?"

  "Ginny," I groaned.

  "Yeah, yeah, I know. Boundaries and all that jazz," she said, sighing heavily. "You should have told me, though. Not the bedroom stuff. But you two being together. We're friends after all."

  That made me feel a little bad. In my defense, I wasn't used to having friends. It'd always just been easier to focus on my studies. I scrunched my nose.

  "I'm sorry. Everything happened so fast. I'm still getting used to this new normal. And in all honesty, I wanted to keep it quiet because I'm afraid of what people will say. I've been here a little over a month and already I'm sleeping with my boss."

  Ginny shook her head, but I saw the understanding in her eyes. "Screw what people think, Mia. The only person you should be concerned with is yourself. You and Sebastian aren't doing anything wrong. Besides, people will always find something to talk about."

  "Yeah. I know. It's just—" before I could finish my sentence, my phone buzzed against my leg. I leaned to the side, shifting all my weight to my right, and fished out the device. My heart made a little dip when I saw Newlife's number flashing on the screen.

  It'd been a few days since Dr. Shaw's first call, and I was hoping I'd have more time to decide. Giving Ginny an apologetic look, I held up my phone.

  "I have to take this. Be right back."

  Pushing to my feet, I put a little distance between Ginny and myself before swiping the green button and pressing the device against my ear.

  "Dr. Phillips speaking."

  My heart raced a mile a minute.

  "This is Dr. Shaw. Tell me, do you have an answer for me?"

  I took a deep, steadying breath. "I do."

  "And?"

  Closing my eyes, I spoke the words that could change my life, "I'd be honored to come for an interview."

  Chapter 22

  SEBASTIAN

  Fifteen.

  The number of mornings I'd woken up with Mia next to me. Sometimes we were in my bed, other times in hers. The location didn't matter, not when it felt so good, so right, waking up with her in my arms.

  Not literally, though. I quickly learned that Mia did not like to be held while she was asleep. With her arms tucked beneath her pillow, she preferred to sprawl out on her front, which was exactly how I found her when I woke up.

  I also realized that even though Mia was gorgeous at any time of the day, it was her morning beauty that fascinated me the most. It might have had something to do with the rioting mess of curls going every which way. Or perhaps it was how her thick, dark lashes fanned her freckled cheeks. Her parted pink plump lips might've had something to do with it, too.

  Unable to resist any longer, I brushed my fingers over her cheekbone. Mia let out a little sound of contentment that registered somewhere in my heart.

  I was in so much trouble where this woman was concerned.

  I knew the right thing would have been to come clean and step away. Give her the space she needed to figure out what she wanted. But I was scared shitless that when she did that, I would come second to a job.

  I wasn't ready to give her up.

  Pushing my thoughts aside, I moved closer to her and slung my arm over her back, only to have my hand swatted away… by Teddy. Yeah, I wasn't the only one smitten with this woman. The second time Mia had spent the night, the little rascal had snuggled up to her while we were sleeping and had continued to do so whenever we slept at my place.

  Lifting onto my elbow, I glared at him. "Back off you little shit, she's my girlfriend."

  Clearly, the crazy cat didn't like that. Glowering at me, he flicked his tail from side to side.

  "Are you fighting with Teddy again?" Mia asked, her voice still thick and groggy with sleep.

  I stared daggers at my cat for a few seconds longer before turning my gaze to Mia. Eyes shining bright, there was no hiding the amusement on her face.

  "He's being a brat," I mock-whined.

  Her lips twitched for a moment before stretching into a wide smile. "You're sure he's the brat?"

  "Yes."

  My girl wiggled onto her side and tucked her bent arm under her head. Peering up at me, she brushed the fingertips of her free hand through the bristly hair on my chest.

  "Maybe you're just jealous."

  "That would be a yes again. He gets to snuggle you during the night, I don't."

  "Aww, poor baby. Give me a second and I'll kiss you all better."

  Slipping out of the bed, she rushed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Since the only person Teddy cared about wasn't in bed anymore, he hopped off, too. But not before giving me the stink eye, yet again.

  Laughing, I fell back against the pillows. It was crazy how much things had changed. A month ago I'd been perfectly happy waking up alone and getting to the hospital as soon as I could. Now, I wasn't in such a hurry to leave the house anymore. I still loved my job, I simply realized that it wasn't the only thing that made me happy.

  No, my little redhead was responsible for everything good in my life. As if just thinking about her conjured her up, I heard Mia pad across the room. One look at her face and I knew the kissing would have to wait until later.

  She didn't even have to say a single word; I knew exactly what was bothering her. Moving to the edge of the bed, I waited until she sat down next to me before I took her hand in mine.

  "Baby, you've gotta stop overthinking. You're going to do great."

  Eyes roaming over my face, she wrinkled her nose. "How did you even know I was thinking about the interview?"

  I couldn't answer without putting my heart on the line. Because telling her I was so tuned in to every little thing about her as if we had been together for years and not just fifteen days would have sounded… weird and scary.

  Running my nose alongside hers, I whispered, "I just do."

  She studied me for a long, long time before softly saying, "I know I'm a good doctor, but I'm nowhere close to being head of any department, let alone diagnostics."

  "Mia," I said carefully. "Stop doubting yourself."

  She shook her head, my words not even registering. "And what if I do get this job? I don't want to leave Mrs. DuBois, Sebastian. I want to be there the day we finally get to tell her we've figured out what's going on with her."

  Inside my chest, my heart squeezed. How the hell was I going to tell my girl that I didn't think we would ever see that day. The last three tests I ran had left me with absolutely no hope and a lot of dread.

  Pulling her into my embrace, I whispered against her hair, "Why don't you focus on the interview first and when that's done, we'll cross any bridge that needs crossing, okay?"

  There were other words on the tip of my tongue as well, words that I had no business speaking. To stop them from spilling out, I pressed my fingers beneath her chin and guided her mouth to mine. There was no soft press of my lips against hers, it was fierce and needy. Just like everything I felt for this woman.

  ***

  Shifting in my seat, I tried to get comfortable before guiding the mouse pointer toward the answer button and clicking on it. A second later, Christian's face filled my screen. One look at his bloodshot eyes and the dark smudges marring the skin beneath them along with his hollow cheeks had my veins flooding with concern.

  "Hey man," I greeted my little brother.

  "Hey." Even his voice sounded depleted. Considering he was in the middle of Africa dealing with who-knew-what, I shouldn't have been surprised. I still hated seeing him like that.

  "Sorry I haven't checked in earlier, things have been…" shaking his head, he sighed heavily. "It's been rough, man."

  There wasn't a person I respected more than Christian. I had zero doubts that he kept most of the horrible things he witnessed and endured to himself, not wanting to worry us. But I could read. I knew what was happening. Not only in Nigeria but in most of these economically poor countries. It wasn't pret
ty and it definitely couldn't have been easy.

  "I'm sorry," I told my brother honestly. Then I asked, "Maybe it's time to come home?"

  His gaze shifted to something to his right. From the bits I could make out, it seemed as if he was sitting in a tent or something similar. Those eyes that used to be filled with happiness and determination but now seemed almost dead, shifted back to me.

  "I've been thinking about that. A lot. But I'm needed here."

  I leaned forward in my seat. "Christian, you know better than I do that we have to take care of ourselves before we can take care of others. It's okay to put yourself first."

  My brother dragged his hand over the back of his neck. "You're right. I know you are. It's just, every time I think about leaving, this weird feeling twists my gut. Almost like I'm abandoning them."

  Never had I wanted to reach through a screen to squeeze my brother's shoulder as much as I wanted to do it at that moment. I was supposed to take care of him; he was my little brother.

  "You won't be abandoning anyone. Think of it as recharging. Once you've found that piece of you you've clearly lost, you can always go back."

  Christian blinked, the action so slow I wondered if our connection was lagging. His throat worked down a few swallows as he nodded his head, either at me or at some internal discussion he was having.

  "I guess." The words fell from his lips raspy and unsure. Shifting in his seat, he cleared his throat, and I knew he was about to steer the conversation away from him. My suspicion was confirmed when he asked, "So how have you been? Meet anyone?"

  He asked me that every time we spoke. The answer had always been the same until right then. "Uh, yeah, I have actually."

  My brother straightened; his dark head dipping dangerously close to the little camera making his forehead seem abnormally large on my end.

  "No shit!" He squealed. I kid you not. My twenty-eight-year-old brother squealed. It was interesting and definitely better than the melancholy that had laced his voice earlier.