Page 34 of Infamous Heart

“I know the type. They deserve exactly what’s coming to them.”

“But you jumped in and saved the day? You did the right thing.”

I was about to confess that I only ran into danger so that he’d save me. Perhaps saving Vincent had been a byproduct of my recklessness, but at least Sebastian had gotten a taste of being a hero.

“If she offed him, I don’t think anybody would have missed the jerk. I wanted nothing to do with that, but,” he rested a hand on my cheek, “I wasn’t going to let anything to happen to you.”

I bit my bottom lip, chewing it as I debated confessing.

“It’s brave that you tried to save him. At least one of us has the heart of a hero.”

Nope, I’d take the secret to my deathbed. I grabbed the words, shoved them in a box, locked it, and buried it in a deep grave. If he knew my heroics were thinly veiled emotional manipulation, I’m not sure we’d survive the fallout.

Between Dan leaving me, ripping out my heart as he left, and the Beacon squashing my contributions, it was hard to believe I was good enough. Despite the assurances by friends, there was a black cloud wrapped around my heart that I couldn’t shake. But here I was, lying in bed with the sexiest man, and despite our lifestyle differences, he chased afterme. I couldn’t put my finger on why that unnerved me.

During the trainings, our roles had been reversed. I was the veteran in the superhero world, I knew everything there was to being a superhero. Sebastian had the potential to be legendary, somebody capable of walking among the Centurions as their equal. As a sidekick, hell, as a mentor, I wasn’t just good enough. I was one of the best. But despite my guidance, Sebastian wasn’t transforming into the hero I believed he could be.

Ironic that a man capable of literally vanquishing the darkness managed to add to it. Sebastian scooted across the bed, closing the gap until he planted a kiss on my lips.

There was a shimmer of light in his eyes, and, for a moment, it pierced my self-doubt, shoving them away. Whatever was developing between us, it had the ability to heal these wounds. I needed more time to reflect.

For right now, I wanted to enjoy a naked man. I returned the kiss, savoring the taste of his skin. “I could spend the night doing this, but I have a project due for Damien.”

He pushed off, sitting upright. “Right, suppose I should get dressed.”

“Don’t go talking crazy.” As he stood, he flexed his muscles, and I nearly lunged. Those broad shoulders and the grooves of his collarbone leading to his chest… “Right, get dressed or I’ll never get work done.”

He laughed, striking a pose before grabbing his lounge pants. “What are we going to do about food? I could cook. How do you feel about Vietnamese food?”

“Of course, you cook Vietnamese,” I conceded.

He paused, thinking he was being sly as his eyes scanned up and down my body. “Whatever makes your life easier, I need to get cracking.”

As he put on a shirt, the blood moved from my groin to my brain, and I could think clearly again. It was time to earn myself a position at Revelations. This was the opportunity to prove to myself that I was good enough.

I just had to not fuck it up.

14

“Griffin.”Bernard rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward. His eyes narrowed as he threatened to penetrate my skull with laser vision. No, Bernard didn’t have that superpower, at least not that I knew of. His powers were more about brute strength. Oh, and he had a knack for smelling a secret.

“Griffin, did you get laid again?”

Xander and Alejandro shifted their seats, adding their eyes to the stare down. Normally, I’d have flipped them off or rolled my eyes. Crap, the moment I questioned my actions, they leaned forward until Alejandro touched my wrist.

“He got laid.” Alejandro’s ability to detect sex bordered on being a superpower.

“No, it’s not that,” Bernard’s lips stretched until his smile bordered on sinister. “It’s the same guy. Griffin, are you dating?”

I prayed Dr. Quake would split the floor under the coffee shop and it’d swallow me whole. Try as I might to resist their combined efforts, my cheeks betrayed me. I hated when they turned their attention on my love life. Historically, it was to commiserate with a kind, “Maybe next time” or “You’re too good for him.” After a while, it got patronizing. But this time, the story didn’t end with my heart broken.

“That Sebastian guy?” At least Xander wanted mundane details.

“I don’t care about who, how big? Cut? Uncut? Oh, please tell he was uncut. Bottom? Juicy — “

“Whoa, down boy,” Bernard patted Alejandro on the shoulder. “We don’tneedto know if he’s a shooter or not.”

There was no point in lying, even if it was lying by omission. The rules of brunch demanded honesty. I straightened in my chair, taking a sip of coffee while I eyed each of them. Yes, I wanted them sitting on the edge of their chairs before I dished the details. It was only fitting to make them suffer a little. For once, I held the cards, and they were some seriously handsome cards.

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