Chapter 12
I wouldn’t kiss you, even under torture
The crowd erupted in applause as we won the game. Twenty-eight to eighteen.
School had resumed a month ago, and so far, we were having a perfect season.
I congratulated the boys, hugging them. Paige ran on the field, and my brother caught her.
Geez, these two. It was hard to imagine that two years ago, Paige was this shy girl, never standing out, and always ignoring the football team whenever we would walk by her.
“One hell of a game,” I told Sheldon, inching closer and bumping his fist.
“I swear, man, that last hit stole all the oxygen from me. For a second, I thought the guy’s elbow had punctured my lungs.”
“They put up more of a fight than I expected. Much better team than last year.” I wiped the sweat grazing my hairline with my sleeve. “We underestimated their defensive line.”
“Yeah. I’m glad we still kicked their asses and showed them who the real champs are.”
“Keep your cockiness for when we win State, man. Being humble is a great quality. You should try it.”
“I’m Sheldon Cocky Rice, man. Humble isn’t my middle name.” He laughed with his head tilted back, turning his attention to Rusty. “Hey, man. Wait for me.” He jogged away, leaving me all by myself.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Paige and Craig still busy whispering love promises to each other, lost in their own world, with her looking so small against his giant, uniformed self right now.
“Awesome. We could—” my brother said before I interrupted him, jumping between them and forcing them apart.
Paige landed on her feet and poked her tongue out at me.
“How is it going, lovers?” I said, making kissing sounds with my mouth and draping my arms around their shoulders, ignoring her grimace.
“Get lost, man,” Craig said, pushing me back with a hand on the side of my chest.
A loud laugh broke free. “Sorry. You’re my ride to the party tonight. And making out in the middle of the field on school property is super gross.” I made an exaggerated puking sound. “I thought you two knew better.”
“Wow, look who’s talking. Mr. Making Out At All The Wrong Places. Anyway, you should take a night off. Cool down. Learn to be by yourself from time to time.”
“Thanks for your concern, though.” I clapped his shoulder.
“Big brother, don’t worry about me. After tonight’s win, the girls expect me to be there.
They will all beg to kiss me and make it better.
” I pointed to the scratch covering my right arm from elbow to mid-forearm that I got after being tackled minutes into the game.
I hated every word leaving my mouth, yet I spoke them like I meant them, as if I thought I was being funny.
“That ego,” Paige said, chuckling. “Mase, you’re a lot, you know that, right?”
I puffed my chest out. “I’m Elk River High’s best quarterback in their history. I’m just playing the part, babe.” I winked and rubbed her cheek with a finger. “Girls love a confident man.”
My brother sighed. “Don’t babe my girlfriend, loser.”
“Don’t be jealous I’m the better-looking sibling, bro—we’ve already agreed on that—and the most successful one with the ladies. Anyway, I have my eye on a girl.”
“Just one?” Craig asked with a frown.
“Who is she?” Interest brightened Paige’s eyes. “Do we know her? Is she a student at Elk River High?”
“Paige, are you ready?” Melinda asked, dangling her car keys as she neared us, interrupting the interrogation.
I thanked her mentally for her sick sense of timing.
At the sight of her, dressed in a maxi denim skirt with a slit at the front and a white long-sleeved top, my heart froze in my chest. Melinda Shepard had no idea how beautiful she was, which made her even more alluring.
These days, our interactions were friendlier than they’d been in years, but I still felt unsettled around her.
“Hello, my favorite patient,” I greeted her, beckoning her with a finger.
“Come here.” She moved closer, and I pulled her into something almost resembling a hug.
She fit perfectly at my side. I filled my nostrils with the sweet scent of her orange blossom shampoo.
Letting go of her, I kept her close, an arm locked around her waist. “Let’s leave these two to their tongue play.
” With my chin, I motioned to my brother who was back with Paige in his arms, his tongue down her throat.
“Ugh, we don’t need to see their tonsils.
It’s disturbing.” I steered us in the opposite direction.
“Tell me something, Mel. Why aren’t you begging to kiss me after tonight’s win?
” I waggled my eyebrows, with a smirk pasted on my lips.
“I played amazingly, don’t you agree? Go ahead, shower me with praise.
I’m used to being idolized by the ladies. ”
She nudged my ribcage. “Oh Mase, you wish. I have to admit you did great tonight, though.”
“It’s okay if you’re not ready to kiss me yet. I won’t hold it against you this time around. As long as you can admit how wonderful I am, though. We’re almost family, you and I, and honesty is a value families share.”
“We’re almost family? Care to explain it to me?”
“Paige and you are joined at the hip, and she’s dating my brother…or should I say she’s almost married to my brother by the looks of it… So, you and I, extended family. See? Super simple.”
“It’s really not a stretch. You are almost right.” She chuckled, and I joined her.
“About that kiss?”
She rolled her eyes in the most dramatic fashion. “Huh, sorry, but no. I wouldn’t kiss you, even under torture.”
I laughed, trying to cover the sting of her words.
“I know you know I’m the one for you. I’m just waiting for you to be honest with yourself and catch up with that fact.
For five years, I’ve been biding my time, waiting for you to admit how you really feel about me.
Put the guy out of his misery already. It’s bound to happen anyway.
Why not make it official now and stop wasting precious time? ”
“Not happening. Anyway, I’m sure there’re dozens of girls waiting for you at that party. You won’t miss me.”
I pinched my jersey as if looking too good for school and winked.
“What can I say? Everyone wants a piece of The Mase.” Shut up, man.
Why did stupid words always leave my mouth every time she was around?
Like my filters were defective. Why did I portray myself as a player?
Dammit. What was wrong with me? Melinda would never see me as anything else if I didn’t get my act together.
The goal was to get out of the friend zone, and here I was, digging my own grave and burying my heart at the same time.
Since I’d just been promoted to said friend zone, I couldn’t jeopardize it too soon.
“Ugh, you’re a pig when you want to be.” She slapped my chest and pushed me aside in a teasing way. But it was the expression on her face that said she wasn’t amused. She was trying to hide her disgust with a half-smile, the sight breaking me.
“Can I be your pig, though?” Seriously, Mase, shut the fuck up.
“Oh geez. Let’s end this conversation right now before you say something else that scares me away.”
“Your loss, Mel. Guess you’ll never know how incredible a kisser I am.”
“Hard pass,” she scoffed, a hint of a smile grazing her lips, humor returning to her features. “I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding someone desperate enough so you can sink your victorious tongue down her throat.”
“If I follow your logic, then you admit I’m the best?”
“Did you hit your head tonight? It’s unhealthy to be this cocky.”
I cupped my heart with a hand. “See? I knew you couldn’t resist me. You and I, it’s true love, baby, don’t you see it?”
We stared at each other for a long minute. A glint shone in her eyes, and she blinked it away. How I wished I could translate her expressions and read her mind.
The air became charged between us, thick with awareness.
She swallowed, and I got entranced by the movement of her throat.
I zoned in on her eyes, which was much safer, but soon got lost in the turquoise pools of her irises.
My heart hammered in my chest. My hands became moist. Melinda parted her lips like she was about to say something but swept her bottom lip with her tongue instead.
I was burning up. How could she do this without knowing how wild it made me?
I stepped forward, my feet not asking for my permission as they moved of their own volition, erasing every bit of distance between us.
My fingers grazed hers. Little particles of electricity tickled their tips.
I became super aware of every one of her gestures and the pattern of her breathing.
Melinda stared at me, her eyes big and full of an emotion I couldn’t name, but that my body liked a lot.
The silence between us grew heavier.
Could she feel the pull like I did?
She parted her lips on an exhale, and her gaze descended on mine.
The pulse point in her throat throbbed.
This was it, the moment I’d been waiting forever for.
I leaned in and she blinked, killing the moment.
“Whatever, Mase. Go annoy someone else.” There was no fight or teasing in her tone. It sounded more like a resolve.
“You won’t get rid of me so easily.” My voice sounded huskier than usual. Almost breathless.
She cleared her throat. “Knowing you, I’ve never expected anything less.”
Right now, I couldn’t tell if our banter was disguised flirting or friendly teasing only. No matter what, something was brewing between us. I sensed it in every fiber of my being.
I pushed her chin up with a finger so I could look into her eyes. “Seriously, though. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.”
“You swear?”
“Yes. Don’t worry about me, okay?”
I pinched the sleeve of her sweater, the small gesture meant to keep her close to me.
“I…huh…listen, I gotta go. Coach will want to talk to the team...” Will you wait for me?
I picked up my helmet and fiddled with the strap.
“I’ll see you around…” Please say something.
I would rather spend my night hanging out with you than going to another stupid party I couldn’t care less about.
I raised a hand and waved at her. Don’t let me go.
Promise you’ll be here when I return. I hated myself for not being brave enough to reveal the feelings I’d been carefully tucking away for all these years.
“Bye, Mase.” Melinda’s voice had an edge to it. “You played well tonight. You should be proud of yourself.” She waved back at me before nearing Paige and my brother. I hated being dismissed by the only person I had ever wanted to be seen by.
Turning to leave, I called over my shoulder to Craig and the girls, “I’ll catch up with you later, guys.” I pointed to the athletic building with a hand over my head. “Come on, bro.”
“I’ll be right there,” he said before murmuring something to his girl and kissing her.
Hurrying toward the rest of my teammates heading for the locker room, my helmet hanging from my fingers, I kicked myself mentally for acting like a fool whenever Melinda was around.
No matter how many times I told myself to say and do the right things when it concerned her, I always ended up acting like a pretentious and overconfident jerk who I barely recognized.
I was trying to show her this other side of me, but sometimes, I failed because I got so nervous and forgot she wasn’t someone I needed to impress.
Jogging forward, I facepalmed myself. I needed to up my game. Find a way to make Melinda see me as the boy I was and not just the stupid little brother of her best friend’s boyfriend. The guy living next door—or the arrogant jackass I could be around everyone else…and now, around her too. Damn.
First order of things, get rid of my reputation as the guy who only slept around.
Melinda would never be just a one-night story, and if I wanted her to believe me, I had to clean up my act and stop screwing around for the sake of it. Mason Pierce Improved-Version would soon be underway.