stitches that were required to hold the torn skin together.
“What do you think happened to my shirt earlier?” he asks, one of his dimples popping out with his smirk.
I don’t know if I should be thankful or not that my injuries were catastrophic enough to make me an unquestionable priority, but all I feel is an overwhelming amount of guilt.
This whole thing is my fault. I should have stayed away, if not because of the drama I could bring down on Mase myself then to keep Liam away. From the first time Liam tried to use me on his Instagram to incite beef with Mason, I knew he viewed me as my boyfriend’s weak spot. The way each of his jabs and barbs outside the locker room before the game and at the Alpha house were centered around me only further proved it.
What I can’t figure out is how Liam could think a fight between them wouldn’t also hurt his draft stock come April.
There’s also how he plans on using Chrissy/Tina…
“Hey.” Mase pinches my chin to lift my gaze back to his, those green eyes reading me down to my soul. “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out.
“For what?”
“For bringing”—I flail my hands in the air—“all…this on you.” Without giving him a chance to comment, I barrel on, the rest coming out like word vomit. “What if you did fight him? What if that happened and it got out and made you ineligible for the draft? Don’t say that can’t happen because we both know it could. What if I cost you everything you’ve worked for? How would you ever be able to forgive me if I was the reason you didn’t get to have your dream?”
I hiccup out a sob, the heart rate monitor beeping wildly with my increased stress.
An acutely unpleasant screech hurts my ears as Mase abruptly stands again. His movements are jerky, but when he cups my face between his large hands, it’s like I’m a piece of fragile glass. “You.” He stares directly into my eyes. “Are. Everything.” The breath gets stuck in my lungs. “All that other stuff is just gravy.”
Tears leak from my eyes, and the flow only grows stronger when he thumbs them away.
“Mase.” Emotion cracks my voice.
“I know, baby.” His lips graze mine for a far-too-brief kiss.
“Ugh. Gag me.” JT groans. “Are they always this…cutesy?”
“Pretty much,” CK answers.
“Be grateful you go to school so far away,” G adds.
The door to the room is pushed open, cutting off whatever shit-talking comment E starts to say, and I’ve never been happier to be poked and prodded by a nurse checking my vitals.
#Chapter10
I hang back with JT while the nurse does her examination. Fuck it’s painful to look at Kay with her beautiful face swollen and discolored by all the bruising. All my baser instincts are screaming at me, and I know they won’t be satisfied until Liam Parker meets a similar fate. If Kay wasn’t currently lying in a hospital bed, I’d be running out to find him and beat his ass until not even his mom would recognize him.
The soft snick of the door opening has everyone turning to see Dr. Nikols enter the room. She gives a cursory nod before swiftly moving to Kay’s bedside, following up with both her and the nurse.
Dr. Nikols pulls a penlight out of her lab coat’s pocket, and my teeth grind when I see Kay wince at the brightness. I know from experience how painful having a concussion can be, and I’m sure the rest of her isn’t faring much better given the hits it took.
I’ll never admit it to her, but her worrying over me and her attempt—no matter how misguided—to protect me only makes me love her more. However, it doesn’t take away from how annoyed I am that she would literally put herself in harm’s way to do it.
Me.
Six foot five.
Two hundred and fifty pounds.
Collegiate football player.
Protected by his girlfriend who isn’t even five feet tall.
Comical.
Ridiculous.
But completely mine.
“How are you feeling, Kayla?” Dr. Nikols asks.
“I’ve been better.” Kay’s expression twists as the doctor gently inspects her recently reset cheekbone.
“I bet.” A small smile tugs at Dr. Nikols’ lips. “Any nausea?”
“Only when I first woke up,” Kay answers. “As far as concussions go, this one’s not that bad.”
“You’ve had concussions in the past?”
Kay starts to nod only to cut it off with a pained breath sucked through her teeth. “I was a competitive cheerleader.”
Understanding dawns on the