Page 153 of Game Plan

I melted a little against him. Seriously, Mason Pierce owned my heart, and I had no intention of asking him to ever give it back. “Mm-hmm. Very, very ‘bad-boy’ kinda hot.”

“Mexican?”

I shrugged. “Whatever. It can even be food from the cafeteria downstairs.”

“Ugh, I’m not that desperate. I’ll get you the real stuff. Anything for you, love.” He kissed me again. “I’ll be right back. Don’t miss me too much.”

“See you soon.”

He left, and I’d only been out for like ten minutes when the doctor finally walked in.

“Hey, Melinda. How are you feeling?”

I yawned and slapped a hand over my mouth. “Sorry. I feel like my abdomen is one giant bruise, but all things considered, I feel fine.”

He studied the chart in his hand. “The X-ray results came back. Nothing is broken. The ultrasound showed nothing to be worried about and no internal bleeding. I would like to book you for an MRI and a consult just to make sure we missed nothing. You received quite a hit. The bruise will look spectacular, but it’s all normal.”

“A consult? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just a precaution. I’m sure it’s nothing. You shouldn’t worry. You’ll get a call on Monday to schedule an appointment.”

“Am I discharged?”

“Yes. A nurse will be with you in a minute. For the pain, take over-the-counter pain medication if needed. Take a few days off from swimming. I’ll write you a note just in case your coach asks for it. No work either. Take the weekend off.”

“O-okay. Thanks. Anything else?”

“A lot of rest. It’s the best medicine.”

When Mason came back, the scent of tacos following him, I was dressed and sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, ready to go.

“You’re free to leave?” He placed the bag next to me and removed his beanie, raking his fingers through his hair.

“Yes, all good.”

“I think I’ll ask them to keep you overnight. It would make me feel better.”

He pivoted to exit the room, but I moved to my feet and cupped his cheeks with my hands to prevent him from going. “Mase, it’s okay. I’m okay. We’re okay. There’s no internal bleeding, and nothing is broken. I’ll just have a nasty bruise.”

He pressed his forehead against mine. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

“I’m glad I did. No way would I have let him beat you up. He was mad at me. You were just an innocent bystander. He could have killed you if your brother and Devin hadn’t arrived when they did.”

“Wanna tell me why you never told me that Nichols has been harassing you?” His hands were balled, and his back was ramrod straight. “We said no more lies, Mel. I consider withholding vital information that could have put my girlfriend in danger to be lying. Just so we’re clear about the definition of the word lie.”

I covered his hand with mine, and some of the tension drained out of him, like I had a superpower that could steal his anxiety away. Flipping his hand over, he laced our fingers.

“I thought he was the kind to bark but not bite. I never told anyone—except Cassie and Donovan, but only because they witnessed him having a tantrum the other night—about what I saw at the library. I don’t care about the name of his mother or his sexual orientation. Why would I have screamed it for everyone to hear? One of my best friends is gay, for God’s sake.”

He let go of my hand and draped an arm around my shoulders. “You still should have told me.”

“No. You would have tried to fix it, and I didn’t want you to risk your spot on the team for him. He isn’t worth it. What will happen to him now?”

“I called Craig when I went to grab food. If we file an official complaint, he’ll get charged with assault. Right now, he’s at the precinct. It turns out his uncle is friends with the governor. If we don’t press charges, he’ll probably just get a warning. Even if we do press charges, he might get nothing.”

“So, he was telling the truth about having friends in high places. I can’t believe he won’t be prosecuted. He assaulted us and fucked up your face.”

“He’s suspended from the team until further notice. At least, there’s that. Craig called our dad, and he should get in touch with us tomorrow. He’ll get to the bottom of this. Don’t worry. Come on, let’s get you home and fed. We’ll decide what to do another day.”