Page 36 of Egotistical Jerk
Her brow furrowed and the need to smooth it out pushed me forward, my long strides easily swallowing the distance between us. I brought my thumb to the lines marring her forehead, brushing over them until they evened out. Touching my fingertips to her cheek, I traced her jawline to her chin. Tucking two fingers beneath it, I gently tilted her head back.
"I'm not okay because I desperately want to kiss you right now, but I know if I do, I'll never be able to stop. And tonight isn't about that."
Mia worked down a swallow. "It's not?"
I shook my head. "No." My eyes dropped to her pink-stained mouth for a long second before drifting up to meet hers again. "I want to get to know you, Mia. And I want to show you that I'm not the egotistical jerk you believe me to be."
Being the nosy little shit he was, Teddy chosethatmoment to curl around Mia's leg and rub against her skin. She didn't hesitate. The instant she spotted him, she bent down and scooped him into her arms, hugging the little bastard to her chest.
I'd never been more jealous of my cat.
"Oh my goodness," she cooed. "And who are you?" Her voice had gone all dreamy, her fingers working into Teddy's thick coat.
Obviously enjoying the attention, my cat's eyes closed while his purr was as loud as a steam engine. I could only chuckle.
"That big furball is Teddy."
Mia nuzzled her nose into him. "He's gorgeous."
"All right, that's enough." I snatched the cat from her and set him on the floor. "You've stolen enough attention now."
The soft laugh coming from Mia drew my attention back to her. "Aw, are you jealous?"
"Yes! Very."
Her mouth stretched into a smile so wide, it showed her teeth. It was freaking beautiful. Eyes sparkling, Mia chewed on her lip as she dropped her shoulder and leaned forward. "I can always stroke you until you purr too." Batting her thick, long lashes; her lips twitched with the laugh she held back.
It was meant to be a joke, I knew this. Pity my high-strung body didn't. In a second flat, all sorts of illicit thoughts were running through my mind.
"Mia." What was supposed to come out as a warning, sounded more like a growl.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." She winked. "Tonight isn't aboutthat."
Narrowing my eyes, I asked, "You making fun of me?"
"Just a little."
This woman. This unbelievably sexy woman was like no one I'd ever met. Spinning around, she moved through my living room, carefully eyeing the pictures and art on the walls. As difficult as it was, I kept my distance, choosing to admire her from afar for now.
She stopped in front of a row of photographs. Pointing at one, she glanced over her shoulder and remarked, "You don't look very happy."
Shoving my hands inside my pockets, I moved to stand behind her. Leaning over her shoulder, I inspected the picture she was referring to.
"Oh, I wasn't."
Mia spun around so fast; her chest almost smacked into mine. "But it was your graduation. Why on earth would you be," she looked at the photo again. "Angry?"
Before I could answer, another knock sounded. Her questioning gaze immediately shot to mine.
With my hands still nestled inside my pockets, I shrugged. "That would be dinner."
Sure, I could have cooked a meal for her, but I wanted to be as real with her as I could. And to me, the perfect night consisted of good pizza, a decent beer, and great company.
"I'll be right back."
It all seemed like a smart idea at the time, but as I accepted the pizzas and headed back to the living room, it didn't feel right. Because from where I was standing, ordering a few pizzas suddenly seemed to imply she wasn't worth the effort.
Every single doubt swirling around my mind, vanished the instant I found her on my couch. She'd kicked off her shiny strappy sandals and tucked her feet beneath her. Two cold beers dangled from her fingers.
