acknowledges. “No need to go from zero to a hundred. Honestly…what you’ve been doing this last week with Mason slowly integrating you into the content he posts is enough to help satisfy some of the curiosity of those who use the CasanovasGirl hashtag.”
I sag back against the pillows propping me up, the beeping easing with my long breath out. Shit! If Jordan only knew how close to throwing up I came when I told Mase to post that selfie of us in my I like the game but I LOVE the player shirt. Still…Liam pushed me to my breaking point with his taunts about who I would root for at the game. I’d had enough and did the only thing I could think of to shut him—and anyone else who dared prattle on with the bullshit about me being a Penn State spy—up.
My temple and cheekbone simultaneously ache at the thought of the person who bestowed these injuries on me. I wish I knew what he could have possibly been thinking. If he was hoping Mase getting into a fight would make him look bad, like he was a hotheaded player who couldn’t control himself, that plan was certainly flawed. Being the one trying to start the fight himself would have made Liam look just as bad.
Liam’s taunts about my past tainting Mason’s reputation and paying off Chrissy/Tina to spew her vile bullshit were much more significant and could legitimately cause Mason to be seen as a less desirable draft pick. Hell…if that bitch does go through with what she threatened, there is potential there for it to make Mase completely undraftable in the eyes of the teams.
Now that the game is over and I don’t have to worry about my current boyfriend committing homicide against my ex-boyfriend, I need to tell him. Actually, I should tell Jordan too to see if there’s any way we could put a stop to that bitch’s scheme before it gets the chance to come to light.
“We can circle back to all that later.” Jordan’s sure voice snaps me from my musings. “I want to talk about the possible next steps and potential new stories that could develop as things unfold.”
That prickly, bugs crawling under my skin feeling travels up my arms. I hate this, hate how my private life doesn’t get to stay…private. But as I lift my gaze to the man sitting beside me, bags under his eyes, sleep-rumpled hair now hidden beneath his ball cap, hand holding mine, I realize losing some of the anonymity I clung to as a means of survival is a price I’m willing to pay if I get to have Mason Nova in my life.
I love him.
Yeah you do, my inner cheerleader singsongs smugly in my ear. She’s had a lady boner for Mase from the beginning.
Me? I fought him. Fought letting his type back into my life. Fought the big scary feelings I felt for him as hard as I could, but the man was too damn stubborn to listen.
Now it’s the thought of losing him that scares the shit out of me.
He said I’m the only thing that matters to him. He made it sound like I mean more to him than football. Here’s hoping that’s still true after I finally come clean. It’s time. He needs to know all the details of my past if we’re going to have a future.
“Here’s what we know…” As if knowing I need an anchor, Mase gives my hand a gentle squeeze when Jordan starts again. “An arrest warrant has been issued for Liam, and officers will be executing it this morning.”
“That quickly?” Bette asks, linking her hand with E’s.
“Yes. With Penn State due to check out of their hotel, it makes this exponentially easier if they can get him before he crosses back over state lines,” Jordan explains.
“How big of a story do you think his arrest will be?” I voice one of my bigger fears.
“Unless there’s a leak, it shouldn’t even be a passing comment. These bigger schools don’t like unfavorable stories out there if they can help it.”
“It’s true,” E agrees with a nod, the tightness of his jaw giving away his frustration with this situation. “Unless approached directly, Penn won’t issue a formal statement. The closest they’ll come to saying anything is if they suspend him from whatever small bowl game the Nittany Lions get selected to play.”
“Do you really think they would suspend him?” My voice comes out a lot smaller than