“You’re right. I’m out. Fuck some shit up out there, man.”
“I will.”
Mason walked back to the locker room, trying not to grind his teeth at the absurdity of the situation. There was no way Jax could sit Mason for the entire season, not only would the team rebel, but the owner would have something to say to Jax Ryan, especially when Mason was such good friends with the owner and his family, thanks to when Mason taught his son how to catch a football. Mason would solve this cluster fuck and, hopefully, make Jax look like a complete fool in the end.
***
“Why isn’t he playing?” Piper panicked as she watched the Stallions game at the bar. “I don’t get it; that was clearly pass interference. Do you think he got hurt?”
“I don’t know, Pipe, but if you don’t calm down for one second, we won’t be able to hear the announcers.”
“Turn it up,” Piper said to Hannah, as she paced the bar that was crowded with begging customers, but she didn’t care at the moment. All she cared about was why Mason was not playing. She wished she could go up to the rookie corner back for the Thunder and kick him in the dick for obviously grabbing Mason’s arms so he couldn’t catch the ball. Then she was going to twist the balls off of the ref who missed the blatant move.
Hannah turned the TV up and everyone in the bar quieted so they could hear why their favorite wide receiver for the Stallions was no longer on the field.
“Well Bob, I just got news from the locker room that Mason “Dash” Dashel is not hurt, but he has been taken out of the game.”
“What a move from the new offensive coach, Jax Ryan. I sure hope he knows what he’s doing because Dash has never looked better than he does this year. I had a chance to watch some of their training camp practices and the man is a machine.”
“I agree. Ryker Lewis can only do so much by himself. If Jax Ryan isn’t careful, he could hurt his other wide receiver, leaving Jax with no one but second and third string.”
“We will have to tune into the after show to see what happened with Dash, but from what we saw on the field, he was not happy and neither was Coach Flarity, so Jax has a lot of explaining to do.”
Piper blew out a frustrated breath and took some much-needed orders from customers.
“This is crap!” One of the patrons said. “Jax Ryan is an idiot. We are going to lose the game if Dash is sitting on the sidelines. Ryker is good, but he can’t do everything.”
Piper tried to ignore the shouting fans, but it was hard not to listen when she agreed with them. What the hell was Jax thinking? She just hoped to God it had nothing to do with her because, if that was the case, she didn’t know what she would do. She didn’t want to put Mason in a position where he wouldn’t play because of her inability to choose one man.
The room felt like it was closing in on her from all the shouting fans; she needed to take a second for herself. She turned to Hannah and asked her to handle the bar for a second while she gathered her wits in the back. Piper excused herself and went to the back room to breathe for a second. She sat on an empty crate and rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She shouldn’t overreact right now. She had no clue why Mason was out of the game and it might be something that was completely irrelevant to her current predicament.
Piper shook her head as she felt a tear fall down her face. How did she get here? How did she end up in the middle of two men? Why did she let this happen? Never in her life had she acted like such a…tart. When she had a boyfriend, she was solely with him and no one else. She didn’t even think about another person, so why was she unable to stop thinking about two men at the same time? Why was she telling Jax she loved him, but then giving her heart to Mason? It didn’t make sense. She was disgusted with herself.
Piper worked through the rest of the game on auto-pilot, trying to ignore the booing fans in the bar when the Stallions couldn’t pull together a win without Mason. She didn’t want to acknowledge the game because, deep down inside, she knew the reason Mason wasn’t playing was because of her. She couldn’t get rid of that sinking feeling that she had screwed everything up for him.
“Shhh…” a man at the bar shouted to everyone. “They’re about to interview Jax. He has a lot of explaining to do.”
Piper stilled in place and turned to the television; she needed to hear what Jax had to say. She needed to know if she was responsible for today’s loss, or if it was something else that happened on the field.
The bar fell to an eerie silence as one of the regulars turned up the TV. Jax filled the screen, wearing his white Stallions baseball cap and white polo with the Stallions logo right over his heart. He looked good; he looked really good. Piper hated herself for not being able to control her emotions.
Jax spoke up. “It was a tough loss today, but it’s only pre-season so I am glad we can work our kinks out now, rather than later. I have no doubt in my mind that the offense will only go up from here.”
A reporter who was off-camera spoke up with the question that everyone was waiting on pins and needles to hear the answer to. “Why did you take Dash out? Did he hurt himself in a play on the field?”
Jax shifted uncomfortably in his chair and took a swig of water before he answered the question. Piper grew nervous while waiting for his response. Beads of sweat started to form at her brow while she pleaded to Jax silently. She didn’t want Jax taking his anger out on Mason.
“Mason Dashel showed a lack of good judgment last night and came to the field unprepared. After he missed the ball on the first play, I knew his poor decision was only going to affect the team further on today, so instead of putting the team in a tough spot, I decided to ask Mason to leave the field and disrobe in the locker room. It was a tough choice, but I felt it needed to be done in order to show him I mean business this year.”
Piper sank into a seat at the bar. What was Jax talking about? Mason was perfectly fine this morning, more than fine. He was happy, not hung over one bit and then that was when it hit her. Jax wasn’t talking about Mason being at the bar, he was talking about Mason hitting on Piper, that was his poor decision and now Jax was making Mason pay for it. Her stomach fell to the ground as she felt her head start to go heavy with concern. She did this to Mason, this was all her fault.
The interview continued, but Piper was barely able to pay attention with the rapid thoughts running through her mind.
“Jax, have you watched the replay of the pass that was intercepted? It was clearly pass interference; there was nothing Dash could do about it.”
“I have not watched it yet and I can imagine there was some pass interference, but if Mason was on top of his game, he would have outrun that rookie and there would be no discussion.”
“If that’s the case,” one of the reporters said, “Then what was the poor decision Mason made last night that would take him out of the game?”
“That is between me and my player. I would like to move on. If you have any other questions about the game, I’d be happy to answer them.”
That solidified it. Jax was mad at Mason because of Piper. Shit, what was she going to do now? If she broke up with Jax for Mason, then Jax would have no problem making Mason’s life a living hell. So where did that leave her when it came to having a relationship with Mason?
Her heart felt like it was hollowed out because she knew at that moment, any chance she had with Mason was non-existent at least for as long as he was playing for the Stallions and that didn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
Chapter 18
“Tell me what the fuck happened out there,” Jake said, while sipping on one of the beer bottles Piper had silently brought over to their booth. She was surprisingly quiet when Mason walked in with Ryker and Jake and he didn’t like the silence very much at all. He knew she must have seen the game because she worked at a damn sports bar, but he didn’t understand why she was so standoff-ish with him. It was like he took one step forward with her and wound up taking two giant steps back.
/> “Jax is a dickhead, that’s what fucking happened.” Mason downed the rest of his beer just so Piper would come over again.
“I get that, but why? Not that I’m too upset that we blistered your asses today,” Jake said with a wry grin.
“Please, that was our second string defense the second half of the game when you scored. Notice how you weren’t moving an inch the first half.”
“At least I played.”
“Fuck off, that dick Jax took me out. What the hell was I supposed to do about it?”
“Maybe stick up for yourself,” Ryker said, while rubbing the top of his legs. “Jesus, I’m sore because your pansy ass was sitting in an ice bath while I ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. Does he realize he could have blown my legs, all because of some kind of vendetta he has against you?”
“Is that it?” Jake asked. “He has a vendetta against you?”
“I think so,” Mason responded. “I think he knows about me and Piper and he’s dicking around with me on the field.”
“Did you get a chance to talk to Flarity?” Ryker asked.
“Fuck yeah. I wasn’t leaving the stadium until I talked to him. I know that Jax is the offensive coordinator, but I don’t need our head coach and the fucking Stallions organization thinking I’m some kind of train wreck. I told him everything that went down from the moment I met Piper to the moment I saw her on the field with Jax. I wanted to be completely honest with Coach because I didn’t want anything to come back and bite me in the ass.”
“What did Flarity say?” Jake asked.
“Just that, if what I said is true, Jax is in the wrong and that he will be having a conversation with him. Flarity had no clue why Jax took me out until after the game and Flarity said decisions like that needed to be brought to him. I told Flarity that I had witnesses that could vouch for me last night. So needless to say, Jax is most likely getting his ass handed to him right now,” Mason said with a grin.
“Thank fuck,” Ryker said. “That guy is a total prick. I don’t know what Piper sees in him.” Ryker swallowed the rest of his beer. “Speaking of Piper, where is she with our refills and where do you two stand?”
“I don’t know. She hasn’t been very chatty tonight. It makes me fucking nervous. I swear, I get close to her and I finally think , hey this is going to work for me, but then something stupid happens like today and she shuts me out completely. A guy can only take so much.”
“Is she worth it?” Jake asked solemnly.
Mason took a second to think about Jake’s question. Was Piper worth the agony and the rollercoaster ride that she made Mason ride frequently? Was she worth all the heartache and second guessing? He looked over to where she was at the bar, serving a beer on tap to a customer at the bar. Her hair was swept up into a ponytail this evening, exposing her long creamy neck and her shirt was unbuttoned to a risky level where she was showing too much skin for Mason’s liking. He wanted to be the only man who saw what Piper had to offer.
“She is. I’m going to get us some more beers.” Jake and Ryker grinned at him, but he ignored them and went up to the bar, where Piper was pouring another glass of beer for a patron.
He studied her movements as he waited for her to direct her attention his way. She was so beautiful, it hurt sometimes to look at her. He wished that when he first met her he hadn’t fucked around with her. He should have laid it all on the line then, instead of denying the feelings she made him have. If only he’d done that, then he wouldn’t be in the predicament he was in right now. If he only set aside his stupid pride and asshole ways, then Piper would be his for sure, sharing his bed and his life.
She handed the glass to the customer and then glanced up to make eye contact with Mason. Surprisingly, a smile lit up her face that made Mason’s heart skip a beat.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hey Mace. Do you guys need refills?”
“Yeah, do you mind?”
“Not at all. Sorry I’ve been busy tonight.” She pulled out three beer bottles from the cooler and started popping the caps off. “Sorry…about the game.”
Confused, Mason asked, “What are you sorry about? It’s not your fault some asshole rookie decided to find me attractive and run his hands all up and down my body while I tried to catch a pass.”
Piper chuckled and then shot him a look. “You know what I mean.”
Mason leaned over the bar and rested his head in his hand. “No, I don’t, so please enlighten me.” He was trying to keep the mood light between them because the last thing he wanted was another fight with Piper. He thought he’d just found a good place with her and didn’t want to ruin the bond they formed this morning.
“Jax…taking you out.”
Mason waved his hand in front of his face, brushing off the asshole move Jax made earlier as if it was nothing, even though Jax could have possibly put a huge dent in Mason’s career if he hadn’t run media control with his head coach.
“Don’t worry about that. Just some miscommunication.”
“But Mace…”
“Stop.” He put his finger over her mouth to shush her. “I don’t want you worrying about the game or any other game, for that matter. That’s my job and I will worry about it. I want you to think about good things, like where you want me to take you on a date.”
She smiled at him, creating a warm atmosphere between them again. If all she did was smile at him for the rest of his life with those luscious lips, then he would be a happy man.
“How am I supposed to compete with the threesome you’re on tonight?” They both looked over at Jake and Ryker who were staring intently at them. Ryker waved daintily with his fingers, while Jake blew kisses in their direction. “It’s hard to compete with such…pretty ladies.”
Mason laughed. “They are gorgeous, aren’t they? Not sure if they will put out, though. I’m feeling it, but I’m not sure if they are. Any suggestions?”
Piper leaned over and unbuttoned a couple of buttons on his shirt. “Showing skin always helps and don’t forget to touch them…seductively.”
“Yeah? Show me.”
Piper leaned over some more and stroked Mason’s arm with her fingertips. “When you’re talking to them, like we are right now, just move your fingers up and down their arm like this, they’ll be putty in your hands in no time.”
Ryker came over to the bar and grabbed his beer. “Dude, I know you want to fuck her and all tonight, but we’re dying of thirst over there.”
“Feisty one, she is,” Piper said jokingly.
Mason pressed his hand on Ryker’s face and stroked his cheek with his thumb. “But she’s worth it.”
Ryker backed away quickly. “Dude! What the fuck? Don’t touch me with your creepy clammy hands. Especially when you know I have the hots for you. You don’t want me to jump your bones right here.”
“If you want to meet me in the back…”
Piper cut in. “Alright this is getting weird.” She handed Mason the other beer, pecked him on the cheek and gave him a wink. “Get out of here, you two. I have customers to serve.”
Mason tried to act like the kiss to his cheek was an act of normalcy between them, but he couldn’t help but feel the imprint of her lips on his cheek, like she lit him on fire. The mixed signals she was sending him were undeniably frustrating as hell, but when it came down to it, he was happy there were good signals coming his way because that meant he still had a chance. He still held her heart like she said earlier and he promised himself he was going to take care of her heart to the best of his abilities.
***
Jax rested his forehead on his steering wheel, contemplating whether he should go up to Piper’s apartment or not. He fucked up today; he fucked up big time and almost lost his job because of it. He should never have let his emotions out on the field. He knew better than that. But the minute he saw Mason’s cocky ass step on the field, he wanted to punish him and he was looking for any reason to do so. What a fucking idiotic move.
Jax couldn’t stand the fact that there might be something going on between his girl and his arrogant starting wide receiver. He saw how Piper looked at Mason at the bar and the way her eyes lit up when he made eye contact with her. He didn’t miss the little exchanges between them and he sure as hell wasn’t stupid enough not to know why Piper didn’t go home with him last night. He was losing her and he was losing her fast.
It pained him to see the one woman he had fallen in love with, since he lost his wife, slowly exit his life, without even having a clue on how to win her back. How could he go up against Mason Dashel? What did he have that could compete with Mason…nothing. Fuck.
Jax shook his head, took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. Even though he knew going up against Mason Dashel to win Piper’s heart was a fool’s idea, he still couldn’t think of not going after her, especially after all that she had done for him, helping through the fog that clouded his life for so long.
He got out of his car and went up to Piper’s apartment, sending a silent prayer to whoever wanted to listen that Piper still wanted to be with him. He knocked on her door and held his breath while he waited for her to open the door. It seemed like forever, but once she opened up, he sighed at the sight of her.
“Hey darlin’.”
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Can I come in?”
“Of course.” She stopped him in the door frame and brought him into her warm embrace before he entered. He rested his head on her little shoulder and squeezed her tightly. When he was with her, wrapped in her arms, he knew everything was going to be okay. She made all his problems vanish.
She brought him into her place and they both sat down on her couch. Her place was very minimal; she didn’t have much, but what she had was comforting, warm. He could see himself living with her, marrying her, spending the rest of his life with this woman. He never thought he could think of a forever with someone other than his first wife, but Piper changed all that. She was a breath of fresh air and he wanted to bottle her up and keep her all for himself.