Smug Bastard: A Hero Club Novel

by Stacey Marie Brown

  She didn’t respond, too distracted by the throbbing in her ass, which I was grateful for. Maybe she didn’t even hear me. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was flirting or interested. Because I wasn’t.

  I couldn’t deny if I didn’t know her, if she were some girl I met on the road—fuck—I wouldn’t have stopped last night. I would have tossed the washrag away, spread her legs, and made her cry out in a whole other way.

  Fuck. Stop! An invisible hand slapped my head, shoving me off the inappropriate path I was heading down. Irritation wrinkled up my features, forcing out the flush of heat moving down my legs. I heard her descending from the back of the van, Goat trotting down next to her, padding over to me for a rub on his head.

  Hearing a stir in the bushes, he took off running after a rabbit darting across the desert. The sun hinted on the horizon—violets, lavenders, and deep purples coating the landscape, the sun glowing like a lightbulb from the east. Barely a chill in the air, I could sense the heat of the day coming fast.

  Busying myself with making the instant coffee, acting like NASA level attention was needed, I ignored her figure moving in next to mine, reaching for the cup I filled with hot water, melting the flakes into caffeine heaven.

  “Coffee.” She sighed happily, bringing it to her lips to test, not putting anything in it. “What?” She peered up at me. I hadn’t even realized I’d been staring at her. Her skin was clear, shockingly pale for living in San Diego, with a few freckles over nose. Her features were very dark, like a lake of rich chocolate you could drown yourself in. “What?”

  “Nothing.” I snapped my head back to the stove, pouring my water into the mug. “You just seemed the kind who would like milk or sugar.”

  “Wow, that’s stereotyping.” She took another sip. “I like my coffee like my soul. Dark and bitter with no filter or bullshit.”

  A laugh fell from my mouth. That actually perfectly described the Kinsley I remembered. Compared to her siblings, Kinsley had been blunt, skeptical, and could see through the crap. Especially mine.

  While Kasey took whatever spewed from my mouth as gospel, her head nodding in agreement, Kinsley always huffed and snorted from the other side of the room, her eyes rolling at my nonsense.

  I tapped my mug against hers. “I like mine strong, to the point, and bottomless.” Subconsciously, my eyes drifted to her legs, which were only covered in tiny sleep shorts now.

  Her gaze met mine briefly, then we both looked away.

  Fuck… was I flirting? I hadn’t meant it to be about her. Get it together, asshole. You can’t touch her. You shouldn’t even think of her as anything more than your buddy’s little sister.

  “So,” I cleared my throat, “what was on your plans today?”

  “I had planned on going to the Grand Canyon today, then driving through Monument Valley.”

  “We can still do that, but I have another stop I think you’ll like.” I downed half my cup. “If you’re open to it.”

  Her lids tapered. “I’m not that uptight.”

  My eyebrows lifted.

  “What is it?”

  “You will see.”

  “You’re not going to tell me?”

  “No.”

  “You hijack my vacation and then start calling the shots?”

  “Take a leap.” I moved past her, needing to change my shirt, running no longer an option as the sun rose higher in the sky. “You might actually have some fun.”

  “You don’t know me enough to peg me as some boring stick-in-the-mud. I have fun.”

  “What was the last spontaneous, fun thing you did?”

  A scowl furrowed her brows. “I’ve been in school for the last four years.”

  “So?” My cell buzzed again with a familiar number. Frowning, I shoved it back in my jeans. “And my point is proven.”

  “I don’t have to prove anything to you.” She slammed her empty cup on the stove. “You are the one who interrupted my plans.”

  “Fair enough.” Yanking a fresh shirt from my bag, I held up my hands. “How about we make a deal. We each get to choose one activity each day the other has to do?”

  “Has to do, huh?” An evil grin hinted on her lips. For someone just waking up, her hair knotted slightly, pasty and sweaty from pain, with no makeup, she was sexy as hell…

  Stop.

  “You up for it, Nettles?”

  “Don’t.” She folded her arms.

  “What?” I tugged off my dirty shirt, watching her gaze move over my torso, a puff of air expanding her lungs, her head darting to the side. “I think the nickname is gonna stick.”

  She cringed at my corny joke, her head shaking. Her attention fluttered back to me, though she never let herself fully land.

  I knew my body was fit. There was a time I had a lot of time to work out. But between construction, gym, and soccer that my buddy, Chance, got me into on the weekends, my physique was pretty good, down to the deep V-line women went apeshit over. Tattoos covered my arm and chest, the design building over the years as I added more. Some covering scars external and internal.

  “So… what do you say?”

  She nudged her flip-flop into the dirt, her long hair falling forward, slightly above her elbow.

  “Sure.” She finally nodded. “Why not. But it needs to be fair or within reason.”

  “Within reason?” I scoffed, pulling on my clean shirt, then tugging on my ball cap. “You’re taking away the point of the whole thing.”

  “I mean, my choice can’t be the pick of a restaurant, and for yours you make me dance in a strip club or something.”

  “Oooh, sweetheart, you shouldn’t have given me that idea.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It was an example.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “Absolutely not. Never going to happen.”

  “Guess we’ll see, won’t we?” I strolled up to her, holding out my hand. “Deal is a deal.”

  She curled her hands away from my reach.

  “I promise I’ll start off slow. No strip clubs… today.”

  “Or tomorrow… or the next day… or…”

  “Deal.” She hadn’t said anything about the day after that. Now she put it in my head, and against the logical part screaming at me, all I wanted was to see her up on stage, letting loose. This girl needed to be pushed out of her comfort bubble. Live a little. Her world seemed so tight and confined. “Come on, shake on it.”

  “I’m making the biggest mistake of my life.” She exhaled but held out her palm.

  “Yeah, but you’re gonna love it.” I winked at her, taking her hand in mine. Strong, warm, her grasp was anything but dainty and limp, sparking a pulse down my arm.

  “We’ll see. But remember this is a two-way street.” She winked back, shaking my hand.

  “Bring it, Nettles.”

  “I will.”

  “Deal.” I smirked, my hand not letting go.

  She pulled her hand away, whistling for Goat. “I’m gonna go get dressed for the stripper pole.”

  “Don’t trust me?”

  “Not for one moment.” She brushed past me, her skin grazing my arm, shooting a need to act down my limbs. Instead, I rolled my hands into balls.

  Smart girl.

  Chapter 7

  Kinsley

  Maybe it was the handful of painkillers I took, but I stood transfixed, staring at Smith’s adventure of the day. It wasn’t anything like I thought. I figured he’d have me doing something crazy or insane, but instead he took me to a place that was none of those things.

  “This place…” I uttered, my gaze going across the bizarre encampment.

  “It’s crazy, huh?” His insane arm muscles bumped into me when he folded his arms. He stared out, taking it in. The heat was already beating down, so Goat was left in the air-conditioned van, happily napping on the bed. “I prefer off-the-beaten-path places. Most people don’t even know about this.”

  “Yeah. How did you find it?” I had never
heard of this place, but it was so cool.

  “A friend.” His body stiffened enough to suggest the friend might have been a girl, probably the same one who had taken him to the camping spot. “She was doing a modeling shoot out here. Invited me along.”

  Model. Of course. I was sure all his exes were Victoria’s Secret models or famous actresses. With his looks, I was surprised no one had put him in movies yet.

  “This is Salvation Mountain, and there’s also East Jesus up the road if you want to see that one too. Hippie creativity and love at its finest.” He motioned for me to move forward. “Come on, insanity awaits. Be careful not to fall down a rabbit hole.”

  The place was a twisted version of Mad Max, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz with a Jesus theme. A yellow path led you through the adobe painted art, but there were no set trails or direction, so you found your own way around. The place was one big hodgepodge art piece of wild colors, odd buildings, and cars painted and decorated. The small hill was filled with painted flowers, scripture, hearts, and words of love and kindness that flowed over a cruel and unforgiving landscape.

  Nothing made sense, and it was so completely random it pushed against my need for structure and sense. I loved it. Pulling out my phone, I couldn’t help getting caught up in the contrasting colors of the dry, hot desert to this vibrant confused mess called art.

  Smith strode in front of me, checking out the semi-covered path. Clay, hay bales, trees, painted adobe, and obscure objects created these little coves and rooms, igniting the childlike imagination stuffed away in the back of my brain. Something I thought was long gone but sprang up with giggly awe at the pure creative energy here. It was inspiring. I didn’t even know for what, but I felt light and excited.

  “Hey,” I called to Smith.

  He curved just enough to look over his shoulder at me, a ray of light hitting the blue in his eyes perfectly, and even under his cap I could tell he had an eyebrow raised. His body, dark hair and scruff looked so rugged and sexy. The hat seemed to highlight his cheekbones and mouth.

  Snap. My finger hit the button, but the click was like a punch to my chest, ripping the air from my lungs and sending all the blood down between my thighs as the lens caught his image. A hitched breath caught in my throat as I dropped my eyes, feeling my heart pound, my brain emptying except for the basic instinct to shove him up against the wall and screw his brains out. Kins! I scolded myself, fully turning away from him, looking like I was considering something when I was just trying to not act on the impulse. My lungs struggled for air, for rational thought.

  He’s hot. Sure. But personality matters. You. Do. Not. Like. Him. And even if I did, he was still off limits. Besides being my brother’s friend, he was my sister’s ex. Someone she wanted to make hers again. Those were lines you didn’t cross.

  Not that he even would. He seemed to see me only as a little girl. A sister.

  The heat finally took its toll, and we had seen all we needed, taking cool pictures. I really tried to limit them and be more in the moment; something about this place tapped at my inspiration, the need to create… something.

  “Ready for some lunch?” He took off his hat, rubbing the sweat off his forehead with his forearm, then plunked it back down.

  “Yes, I’m starved.”

  “Should we also get you a donut?”

  “A donut? Why a donut?”

  He moved in front of me right as we reached the van, a bad-boy grin twitching the side of his mouth. “Not for your mouth.” He leaned in closer, his smell rich and deep, earthy… and so intoxicating I felt my throat flutter. Even sweaty and dirty, he smelled and looked far too good. “For your ass, Nettles.” He leaned back. “You were having trouble sitting on the way here.”

  He ended up driving while I laid in the back on my stomach with Goat, fruitlessly trying to put more cream on my butt.

  “Funny.” I glared at him. “I don’t have hemorrhoids.”

  “You think I’m kidding?” He pulled the keys from his pocket. “And here you were calling me Grandpa. Just wait till we are buying you Bengay and donut pillows.”

  I plucked the keys from his hand, bumping by him. I opened the door to Goat bouncing around, his tail wagging at seeing us.

  “Hey, G-man.” Smith rubbed Goat’s ears brusquely, causing Goat to bound around more, like it was playtime. Goat had only acted this way with Sadie and me, and in honesty, more me than Sadie, but never with men. Ever.

  I watched the two tussle in the small space, Goat’s tongue rolling out as they played.

  “What?” Smith peered up at me, holding out a treat for Goat. “You look perplexed.”

  “I just thought…” I rubbed my head, then motioned to Goat. “That dogs were supposed to be a good judge of character. Go figure, my dog is malfunctioning.”

  Smith snorted, his attention on the dog. “Did you hear that, buddy? She says you’re fucked up and defective,” he cooed, scrubbing his head.

  “I did not say that.” I ripped the bag of treats from Smith.

  “Yes, she did, huh?” He snuggled into Goat’s face.

  “Bite him, boy.”

  Instead Goat licked him, making Smith howl with laughter.

  “Traitor.” I opened the small fridge, getting a water out, pouring more painkillers into my palm. In my long list of bad things that could happen to me, I never had “being needled in the ass by cactus” anywhere on that. Staring over at Smith, I had a feeling I was going to have a whole new list of things I never imagined happening to me.

  And I didn’t know if it scared or excited me.

  “Wow.” I put my hands on my hips, taking in a deep breath, utterly awed by the gloriousness of nature. The sunset struck the deep chasms and ridges, the reds, browns, and oranges of the mineral rock reflected the reds, oranges, yellows, purples, and blues as the sun started to slip below the horizon.

  “Told you I’d get you here for sunset.” Smith’s deep voice tingled at my skin as he moved in next to me. Goat’s fur touched my calf, his body leaning into mine. “Unbelievable, huh?”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. The Grand Canyon was everything I hoped for, the glamour shots I had seen totally doing it justice. Man-made things could be stunning and amazing, but when you stood before nature’s beauty, you realized the power of nature. Earthquakes, rain, rivers, and wind—all creating one of the most scenic views in the world.

  “I figured you’d think this was too mainstream,” I teased, pulling out my camera to take a few shots.

  “Some things deserve the fame. The Mona Lisa? Not one bit. The Leaning Tower of Pisa… I’ll pass. The Four Corners? Boring. But the Grand Canyon?” He motioned out. “This deserves the reputation.”

  It really did.

  “You had the Four Corners on your list, didn’t you?”

  “No.” I stared straight out.

  “You so did.” He chuckled, his smile tugging my attention to him. Once again the colors of the sunset glinted off his skin, lining his jaw.

  Why did we keep finding ourselves in these romantic spots?

  An older couple appearing to be in their sixties strolled near where we stood, enjoying the view. I offered to take a photo of them.

  “Oh, thank you.” She smiled, still looking youthful and beautiful, her gray hair cut stylishly. “We never get a good photo of the two of us.” She handed me a real camera. She leaned into her husband, both looking so happy and relaxed.

  “Thank you.” She took the camera back. “Need a few to remember, but it’s more about the moment. To not forget to live right now.”

  I smiled, feeling Smith’s smugness crash into me.

  “Shut up,” I muttered, moving back next to him.

  He chuckled. “Didn’t say anything.” He nudged me.

  “Didn’t have to.” I bumped him back. Goat moved in between us, thinking we were playing.

  “Let me get a picture of you three.” The woman strolled over, reaching for my phone. “You two are so beautiful and so in l
ove… what an adorable little family you make.” She nodded at us and Goat.

  “Oh no—”

  “No, it’s not like that.”

  Both of us instantly reacted, but the woman didn’t seem to hear us as she walked back to get a shot of us with the canyon in background.

  “Now come on… kiss. This is one of those picture-perfect moments you will be glad you captured.”

  “But…”

  “We’re not…”

  She held up my cell, making sounds to get Goat’s attention. “One. Two. Three… Kiss!”

  Her personality was like my sister’s, kicking in my trained response like Pavlov to just do what she said.

  I wasn’t totally out of my mind, so instead of kissing him, I wrapped my arm around his waist, pulling us together, his heated skin and body ticking my heart like a time bomb.

  “Smile!” She took a picture. “One more. Come on, let me see the love,” she practically ordered. “The sun is setting. You couldn’t get more romantic than this.”

  “Fuck it,” I heard Smith mutter, his hands roughly grabbing my arms and twisting me to him. I didn’t even have a chance to react or think as his hands slid up my jaw, cupping my face, his mouth capturing mine.

  My mind blanked.

  I went stupid.

  The only sensation I understood was Smith’s mouth on mine, his soft and strong lips seizing my bottom one in in his, slightly tugging it, lighting fire down my body.

  “Perfect,” the woman exclaimed.

  And he was gone. The kiss over before it even began. He moved away, his attention going to Goat. Hitting his leg, he called Goat to him, running with him down the path.

  She smiled, bringing the phone back to me.

  Because I couldn’t move.

  Couldn’t breathe.

  Couldn’t think.

  “You guys are so cute together. Have a lovely rest of your vacation.” The woman placed my cell back in my palm before heading back to her husband.

  What the fuck happened? How could a kiss be so chaste, so fast, and be so fucking sexual, turning every nerve in my body to sizzling? How did full sex with Ethan not leave me as breathless as this?