Page 108 of Game Plan

George’s eyes widened in recognition. “Mr. Pierce. Are you responsible for this scene my entire pub just witnessed?”

Heat rushed through me. Would I get fired over this?

Mason stood tall beside me, never letting go of my hand. “I am, sir. And I’m really sorry for disturbing everyone’s peace. This had to be done. It couldn’t wait any longer. I couldn’t wait another second.”

“Mr. Pierce, I’m glad you got it out of your system. Now, since your presence here is affecting one of my most dedicated employees, I will ask you to leave. Do we have a deal?”

Ohmygod, this was beyond humiliating. Being caught making out by your boss, and your…whatever Mason and I were or weren’t…coming to your defense.

“Yes, sir. Just so we are clear, I intend to invite Mel on a date tomorrow night, and if she’s on the schedule, please make sure to find a replacement.”

George chuckled. “Mr. Pierce, you sure have some nerve, assuming I’d do as you ask and let you run my business.”

Mason winked at me. “All I’m asking, sir, is for one night with the girl who’s finally giving me a chance to prove myself. I’ve waited six years for her to kiss me. You wouldn’t get in the way of true love, would you?”

George’s eyes lit up, and I’d never seen my boss amused before. “No. Never. I had that once. Lola. She passed away four years ago. We were married for thirty-seven years.” He extended his hand for Mason to shake. “We have a deal, son. But no more PDA in my establishment during work hours. Are we clear?”

Mason grinned. “Absolutely.” He turned to me, claimed my lips in a quick kiss, and walked away. Before he exited the pub, he glanced at me over his shoulder. “Tomorrow night. You and me. It’s a date.”

He left without another word while my heart thrummed so fast I feared it would smash against the walls of my ribcage. Through the window, I saw him pumping his fist and jumping around. Happiness swelled inside me, and no matter what I did tonight, I would never be able to get rid of the smile splitting my face in two.

The murmur of the patrons made their way back to my ears, and I realized the entire place had witnessed our first kiss. The one that had been six years in the making.

“Oh wow, she kissed Mason Pierce.”

“Who is she? I wished he would defend me like this in front of my boss.”

“This is Mason Pierce? The Mason Pierce? What do I do to be the next in line?”

“Is she the girl he’s been asking out for weeks now?”

“Are they together? I heard Mason Pierce wasn’t the commitment type?”

Pushing their comments away, I returned behind the counter to take a minute to calm down. For the last two weeks, Mason had claimed I was his true love in front of people I either worked with or went to classes with. My romantic heart cartwheeled in my chest. I cupped my pounding organ with a hand, trying to relax. In vain. This was better than any fantasy I’d ever had about him. Better than any swooning scene from a movie. The connection Mason and I shared was too good to be true, and I could no longer deny it. How could kissing someone feel so right that it was like you’d rehearsed it multiple times in the past?

My brain frizzled with all the thoughts running through my head.

Mason Pierce had kissed me. His mouth had been on mine. Well, technically, I had kissed him. I had been brave enough to take the matter into my own hands and lock lips with him.

For once, I had acted without analyzing everything first, and it felt more freeing than anything I’d done before. I was bold for a change, listening to my heart instead of my fears, and it made me pretty proud of myself.

Donovan would tell me he’d warned me. I could already picture his victorious grin. Cassidy would tell me she had told me so and would be right to boast about it.

I traced my lips with a fingertip, trying to relive the moment. Mason’s mouth on mine. The caress of his tongue. His hand traveling all over my back. The way I’d melted in his embrace.

I had no idea what Mason and I were, but one thing I knew for sure was that I wasn’t done kissing him. If we only had one date together, one chance at this, I would spend the whole time with his lips on mine because nothing in my life had ever felt so right.

Yeah, I wished I had listened to him much, much sooner.

28

Tonight, I’m all yours

Mason parked in front of my dorm building, and I walked out before he even had time to kill the engine. Wearing an emerald-green halter dress under a fleece-lined jeans jacket with my hair piled at the top of my head in some sort of fancy yet casual updo, I felt beautiful as his eyes followed all my movements. He climbed out of his car and rubbed his palms over the legs of his sand-beige chinos, his mouth slightly open, and his eyes fixated on me. It was like he was seeing me for the very first time, and it sent a thrill through my body. Was he right all along? Had we always been destined to be together?

After a few seconds, he snapped out of his trance and closed in on me.

We stood a foot apart, and I could barely recall my own name as I lost myself in the vision of him, clean-shaven, his hair somewhat combed, and dressed in a slate-gray sweater that hugged all the muscles of his upper body under his letterman jacket. Unlike his usual talkative self, he just watched me without saying a word.