“So you’re making up for lost time now?” he asked.
“I am. I’m working on book two, which is due out next year.”
He asked what it was about, and she relaxed and joked that it was a secret, and they continued on like that, Mason taking over the interview and Gemma gratefully letting him.
CHAPTER THREE
MASON
Mason wasnotlying in wait to ambush Gemma. Sure, it felt a bit like that. Sure, he was just outside the building exit, tucked behind a pillar, waiting to hear the click of her heels—
“I can see you there, Mason.”
He peeked out at her.
She shook her head. “If you’re trying to hide, you need a bigger pillar.”
“I was just getting some air.”
Damn, she looked good. He hadn’t known what to expect, whether he’d even still recognize her, but that was silly. No matter how much she’d changed, he’d have known her in an instant. And he had.
In the studio, he’d taken one look and seen the Gemma who’d rolled her eyes at him in the kindergarten cloakroom, the Gemma who’d told him she was not writing his school newspaper article, the Gemma he’d kissed behind the school just before graduation.
Oh, she was older now. They both were, but she wore it a hell of a lot better. Eyes like summer grass. Hair like autumn wheat. Teeth that could snap you nearly in two and a tongue sharp enough to finish the job.
Okay, so the last part wasn’t quite so poetic, but he remembered how it felt when she’d give him a look that said she saw right through him and wasn’t putting up with his bullshit.
He used to remember how that felt, and think it’d been hot. Maybe a little bit “schoolboy and teacher.” Except now, seeing her again, it reminded him that he’d liked her attitude long before he’d been old enough to even think like that.
He’d liked that she’d called him on his bullshit because it meant he didn’t need it around her. She looked at him and said,I see you. And what she saw wasn’t a kid on his way to stardom. It was just a boy with a girl. A girl he wanted to be with. A girl who’d sometimes seemed like she wanted to be with him too—be withhim, not “the Mace.”
He shook that off. He was getting sentimental. Too much going on in his life, upsetting the smooth flow he fought so hard to keep. Seeing Gemma again was good. Great even. Seeing her again when she clearly didn’t harbor any ill will? Fucking amazing. But that was all. No need to analyze it and get all maudlin, like he’d lost something all those years ago. They’d connected, briefly. It hadn’t worked out. They’d moved on, him to his career and…
His career. What more did he need? An incredible career, good friends, women when he wanted them. Life was a little rocky right now, but in general, it was all anyone could want. Right?
He pulled away from those thoughts and focused on the woman in front of him. He’d moved on to the NHL, and Gemma moved on to being an author. What had she been doing with her life? He suddenly felt desperate to know.
“I’m sorry about all that,” she said. “Ashley clearly thought it was hilarious. You shouldn’t have gotten dragged into it.”
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity, and being the inspiration for a romance hero is definitely not bad publicity. I really am flattered. I can’t wait to read the book.”
She hesitated. “You don’t need to do that.”
“No, seriously, I want to.” And he did. He’d just need to wait for it to come out in audio, which is how he read, never having really gotten comfortable with words on a page.
A look flitted over her face. Something almost like panic. “Really, Mason. Don’t read it, okay?”
He smiled. Gemma Stanton, nervous about people reading her stuff? That was new. Or was she just nervous about him reading a book where she was the heroine and he was the hero?
“We should catch up,” he said. “Let’s go grab a coffee.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m under deadline.”
“All the more reason why you need coffee. Or brunch? There’s a little place just around the corner.”
“I really can’t.”
“It’s literally on the corner. We can see it from here.” He smiled wider. “My treat.”
