The Art of Hero Worship (24 page)

“I’ve never received flowers before,” I
admit softly. My voice breaks twice in this short sentence.

“Another first for us.” He steps through the
doorway, places the flowers on a shelf, and takes me in his arms.
“Oh, yeah…. this is where you belong.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking… about
you.” I reach up and drape my arms around his rugged shoulders.

“I promise I’ll never foolishly risk my
safety again, Jase. My life with you means way too much to me.”

“I’m going to hold you to that promise.”

“What I did the other night had a lot to do
with my little sister,” Liam confesses, but I already know this.
“I’ve been thinking about Lucy this week, and what my family
allowed the loss of her to do to our lives. Being with you has
definitely short-circuited my pain—you make me feel more at peace
than I ever have before. Sometimes I tell you that you saved me as
much as I saved you, and it’s true, but I’ve still decided that I’m
going to go to the College Counseling Center. I’ve lived with a lot
of guilt about Lucy’s death, and so much pain because of how my
parents treat me—I don’t need to live this way. And I don’t want to
make you live this way.”

“I think counseling is a good idea. It’s
helped me a lot.” Now I’m going to say what really needs to be
said. “I’m sorry I shut you out this week. I really needed some
space to think.”

“I knew you’d let me back in, but what you
did, staying away, gave me the time to realize that I live like I
owe it to Lucy to save the world. I need to deal with Lucy’s death,
once and for all.”

“We both had issues to sort out this past
week, and I think we did. But… are you trying to tell me that I did
you a
big favor
by refusing to see you? Because I could go
home for a few more days.” I blink up into his eyes a couple of
times in an attempt to look perfectly innocent.

Liam laughs. “I wouldn’t go that far…. cuz
it hurt not to be able to hold you last week, but you’re right—I
needed space to come to terms with everything I’ve lost, and what
I’ve gained.” He releases me from his arms, keeping hold of my
hands. “But I also know there’s no way two people can love each
other the way we do and not ultimately end up together. Does that
make sense?” Liam lets go of my hands before I answer, and
approaches my bed. “I’d like you to lie down flat on your bed,
Jase. On your back. Am I gonna get what I want?”

Still overwhelmed by the fact we’re here
together, it starts to hit me that Liam is already moving us in the
direction of reconnecting in bed.

“What are you waiting for, Jason? Get on the
bed.” I can tell he’s fighting an urge to smile because he wants to
shift our reunion into a higher gear.

I scramble to the bed.

“Lie flat.”

I do.

“You know I love you.” He sits on the edge
of the bed, looking down into my eyes. “And I want your body, but
not because it’s perfect and sexy and the best body at Batcheldor
College, which it is, but because it belongs to you. And
you
belong to me.”

That’s all he has to say to get me hard and
ready for whatever he has in mind. I like it that he decides what
we do in bed. And he likes it that he decides, too. I can tell by
his leer.

“You have
way
too many clothes on,
Jase.” And then his hands are on me. They’re rough and needy,
stripping me down more than undressing me.

“You left my socks on,” I say when he looks
down at me as if he’s well pleased with my naked body.

“Maybe I want your socks on.”

“Or maybe not… you’re addicted to my feet.”
Even though serious intensity is sexy, I love it when we laugh
together during sex, which we’re doing right now.

“Maybe so.” Liam reaches down and pulls my
socks off, one by one. “I should start by tickling you—it’d serve
you right.” But instead he lifts one foot with his hand and takes
my toes into his mouth.

I’m getting more turned on by the second,
but I still tease him. “You have a lot of faith in me.”

He stops sucking and looks at me
quizzically. “How so?”

“You trust that I washed my feet this
morning.” And with those words, Liam strips off his clothes with
the same vigor that he removed mine, and is on top of me, looking
down into my eyes. I’ve never seen so much love in my life as I see
in his dark gaze.

Today, when he makes love to me, it’s not
with demands that I stay still. I know what he likes—when I keep my
hands by my side, when I arch my back when I come, when I tell him
I’m his after he comes—and he knows I’ll do these things for him.
Just as I know that he’ll take his time and be careful to prepare
me, and hold me until I’m finished with my climax.

He lifts my chin and gazes into my eyes. “I
want you to look at me… in the eyes… from beginning to end of this.
Do you understand?”

I nod.

“I’d like to hear your answer.”

“Yes. I’ll look at you.”

“I may have to look away when I’m getting
you ready, but you’re not to take your eyes from my face.”

“Okay, Liam.”

I fix my eyes on his as he grips my dick and
starts to jerk. I slip quickly into heaven, and have to concentrate
on looking at him. When he places his dick against mine, licks his
big palm and rubs them like they’re one, all I want to do is
squeeze my eyes shut. “Don’t look away.” It’s a struggle to stay
focused, but it’s worth it when I see the expression in his eyes.
Passion, ownership, tenderness and, of course, the backbone of our
relationship, love, are all visible there. He releases us.

“I’m going to get some things we need from
the drawer by the bed. Don’t look away.” I study his handsome face
as he reaches for the condoms and lube. He looks young today, very
boyish, as he is lost in his passion. And then his eyes are back on
mine. He kneels between my legs and lifts my ass onto his thighs,
and watches my face very closely as he penetrates me with his
fingers. I can feel his dick against my thigh. Its presence is like
a constant reminder of what I need to prepare myself to accept.

“Can I close my eyes?” I ask when he touches
a certain spot inside me that makes me feel like exploding.

“You know the answer to that question.” His
eyes search mine as his fingers invade me and I see more desire in
his eyes than ever before. He shakes his head slowly and says, “I
need to put a condom on, Jason. Now watch my eyes as I do
this.”

I nod and my gaze clings to his eyes as he
open the small package and unrolls the condom on his sturdy
erection.

He then separates me enough to enter and
once again, the battle between his dick and my ass begins. As he
pushes inside, I dare to blink a split second too long for Liam’s
liking, and he demands, “Eyes on me.” And our gazes are again
connected.

I see such vulnerability in his expression
as he drives into me suddenly and deeply, which I don’t expect at
all. It’s a paradox—a blend of tenderness and aggression—that’s
unique to Liam. So badly, I want to raise my hand to touch his
cheek, and I tell him. “I want to touch your face.”

He replies, “Touch me with your eyes.”

And I do. I let the love in my heart pour
out through my eyes and I can tell by his gentle smile that he
feels it. Without glancing away, he takes my dick in his hand and
squeezes it firmly to let me know that he’s going to start to
pleasure me, and his hand begins to move.

“We were never really apart.” This is what
he says just before his thrusts become more powerful and his wrist
moves with the same commanding rhythm. His dark eyes challenge me
to deny this, but I can’t.

I know he’s right; trading a week of eating
meals together and lounging on my dorm room bed together for
texting one another our innermost thoughts could never begin to
damage what exists between us.

We have come so far…
this is the
message in his eyes as he moves into me relentlessly, time and
again. “I’ve protected you and saved you, Jase. And you’ve done the
same for me.”

“This is true, Liam.” He likes it when I
answer him aloud. “You’re my hero, and I’m always gonna worship
you.”

He likes my response, and thanks to the
blush I can see through his beard, I know it. “I wanna try and come
at the same time. When you see what’s in my eyes, you’ll understand
why I won’t let you look away.”

He knows my body, as I know his, so it’s no
surprise to either of us when our mutual orgasm begins. It’s
intense and so sweet, but I’m not even slightly tempted to close my
eyes. Instead, I bite down on my lip when I’d normally tell him
that I belong to him, and see what is meant for only my eyes.

My hero….
These words surge through
my mind when I see the way he looks at me. And it’s
unforgettable.

From the expression in his eyes, I think I
might be his hero, too.

CDP: As always, Cooldudes Publishing is
fascinated by Mia Kerick’s ability to write compelling stories.
And, as always we took the time to ask Ms. Kerick about The Art of
Hero Worship.

This is a HUGE step for you to have taken,
Mia. Adult fiction is so different to Young Adult fiction, the
question on everyone’s mind right now is, why the change in
direction?

MK: Actually, I have written several works
of Adult fiction in the past, but since I became sidetracked by my
passion for writing for the Young Adult contemporary fiction
audience, I have focused on writing romance with major attention to
social issues that teens deal with everyday, such as bullying, body
image, substance abuse, gender identity, sexual identity, physical
and sexual abuse, and spiritual questioning. In Mia Kerick Adult,
however, I will focus mainly on how the romance helps the
characters to develop and the plot to unfold. There will be a
crisis that a perhaps unlikely adult couple must face head on, and
the developing relationship between the two adult characters will
be critical to the resolution of this crisis. In these adult
romance-based stories, I will explore in more detail the physical
aspect of the couple’s relationship, where in my YA there isn’t a
great deal of sexual intimacy to explore, and what is included, is
not described in extreme detail. The physical aspect of love
between adults is largely celebrated in Mia Kerick Adult, as well
as some other concepts that may be considered too mature for
YA.

CDP: Liam is truly a remarkable character,
he’s introspective, daring, and brave. Of course, the answers to
why he is drawn as such come later in the book. He’s the kind of
character we all wish we could be. You make your characters larger
than life without ever going over the top. How do you do this?

MK: When I craft a story, I usually first
come up with a crisis, which will set the characters in motion, and
then I determine who, exactly, I will send reeling. Sometimes I
have an image of a man in my mind that I find intriguing, and I
mentally audition him for one of the lead roles. If I find he is a
good fit, I next need to find a character that will best compliment
and contrast him. This character needs to be capable of bringing
him to his highest and lowest extremes, so we can see how he will
survive.

Interestingly, you said that Liam is the
type of character we’d all like to be, however, I see myself as
“wanting to be” the character with whom Liam falls in love, so that
Liam can be mine. I relate to the character most often who is the
narrator, if there is only one, and the more emotionally accessible
narrator if the novel has alternating viewpoints. So, in creating
the hero, or “my hero,” Liam, I know he will be the strong,
dominant quiet type, who does not typically go over the top because
to me, that is not how this hero would behave. Often, though, two
characters save each other, and in that way they serve as each
other’s heroes.