Ethan went to the refrigerator and grabbed another beer. As he leaned against a counter, crossed one faded jean-clad leg over the other, and folded his arms across his chest again, he smirked at me. "You need to learn how to kick some ass because you're going to need it. Those girls don't care two hoots if Mason and Logan don't like it. Those girls are vicious. They stick together like a pack of jacked-up wolves. You best get some bite to you."
Oh great. I didn't think running long distances was going to help me with that, but I couldn't be surprised. I had known this would come. This was a group that you had to fight your way in to prove you deserved your spot amongst them.
There was a reason why Mason and Logan were friends with them.
CHAPTER THREE
Mason wasn't in our room when I went back, so I went in search for him. As I was going past some stairs that led to the basement, or one of the basement areas, a whistle stopped me.
"Sam, what's going on?"
Logan came up with no shirt and his jeans unbuttoned. His hair was messily rumpled, as if he'd just woken up or just had sex. With him, I never knew. And then I got my answer.
My eyes went wide. Jessica was behind him. Her shirt was twisted to the side and she was zipping up her own jeans when she saw me. A thick bunch of her hair slipped over her face and covered her eyes, but she brushed it back before she stopped behind Logan.
A smug smirk came over her as she leaned against the wall. "Hiya, Sam. How's it going?"
I rounded on Logan. "Are you kidding me?"
Regret flashed over his face, but then he reached for my hand. "You okay? You seem upset."
"You screwed her?"
"You seemed upset before you saw us. What's going on?"
"Oh." I bit my lip. He didn't want to talk about Jessica, I got the message. I hated it. I hated the idea of him and her together. It was one of my worst nightmares. "If you date her, I'm gone."
His eyes widened a fraction, but that was the only reaction I got from him. A cocky glimmer came over him and he rolled his shoulders back. "Oh, come on, Sam. It's not like that. I promise."
"Jerk," Jessica hissed.
"But something else is going on. What is it?"
"Logan." I pressed my hands against my forehead. A headache was coming on. I already knew that I couldn't stop it. It'd be full blown within an hour and I'd be on the bathroom floor very soon. "I can't deal with this right now. Do you know where Mason is?"
A snort came from the sideline.
I whirled on her. "Do not make one more sound. This morning hasn't been the greatest, and I'd love to take it out on you. I really would."
Her haughty eyes met mine, but there was no retort. I was shocked. Jessica wasn't one to not have a hateful comment ready on the tip of her tongue. That was who she was, spiteful and mean. But then I realized she was keeping quiet because of Logan. I wanted to throw my hands in the air and pull my hair out. She was back to him. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what she had said to him or done to him to do whatever they did together, but I knew it was sneaky. Then I remembered something else.
"Aren't you dating Jeff?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, but it's not like we're based on good relationship morals. You should know that more than anyone." A smug look came over her.
I wanted that look gone, and I reacted before I thought about it. I raised my hand and slapped her.
She gasped. When her face snapped back to mine, the old Jessica was back in place. The hatred I always saw from her was there. She sucked in her breath. Her chest rose up and down in dramatic breaths, and I knew she was trying to keep herself under control.
I said, heated, "You were my best friend for years. I dated Jeff for three years. If you think I was more hurt because you screwed my boyfriend for two years, then you really are a shallow person. I lost a friend, you idiot. I lost both of my best friends at the same time."
A different look came to her then. Her hand fell from her cheek slowly.
"Hey. Okay." Logan stepped between us. His hand touched my elbow, and he urged me up the stairs. "What's going on? What happened this morning?"
I let him lead me down a hallway and away from her. When I glanced back, Jessica slipped further down the hallway. I hoped she was leaving. I couldn't handle her being there, not in my world. I wouldn't let her destroy my life again.
"Hey."
I snapped back to him. I was still shaking from the anger inside of me. "Did you sleep with her?"
He grimaced again and ran a hand through his hair. As he rubbed at his jaw, he let loose a deep breath. "Man, I wasn't thinking that through last night."
"So you did."
It stung, it stung a lot.
"Yeah," he whispered. "I am sorry, Sam. I didn't think about you. That seemed so long ago, and I was drunk. I was alone. I was on the couch downstairs, and she was there. She was whispering all these great promises to me. Her hands were all over me. I liked her touch last night. I liked it a lot. That girl is good in bed, but damn, I should've thought more clearly. I really am sorry."
"She took my friends away." It hurt to admit that, but it was the truth. Jeff hadn't been a stand-up guy, but I was certain that she had seduced him. And she had gotten Lydia to cover for them. She took them both away. When it had come out, she tried to turn more against me. Whatever I had done to her, it must've been horrible, but I had no idea. That was the worst part of it. I had no idea why someone who I had loved since we were kids hated me so much. Had we ever really been friends?
A strong arm wrapped around my shoulders, and I was pulled against Logan's hard chest. He dipped his head and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'm really sorry, Sam. But I promise last night was the one and only time. I won't have anything to do with her again. I'm sorry."
I nodded. It took some of the pain away, but until Jessica had sprung up in my life again, I had no idea how much I'd been hurt by her. The door was open now, and more pain came through. Then I blocked it. I repressed it all back down again, and tuned into what Logan was saying, "…pool house maybe."
"Huh?"
"If you're looking for Mason, he's probably in the pool house. It's where he and Nate hang out. They think no one knows about it, but we all do. It's their alone time together." He winked at me as he squeezed me close for one more hug. "You okay?"
Oh great. I didn't think running long distances was going to help me with that, but I couldn't be surprised. I had known this would come. This was a group that you had to fight your way in to prove you deserved your spot amongst them.
There was a reason why Mason and Logan were friends with them.
CHAPTER THREE
Mason wasn't in our room when I went back, so I went in search for him. As I was going past some stairs that led to the basement, or one of the basement areas, a whistle stopped me.
"Sam, what's going on?"
Logan came up with no shirt and his jeans unbuttoned. His hair was messily rumpled, as if he'd just woken up or just had sex. With him, I never knew. And then I got my answer.
My eyes went wide. Jessica was behind him. Her shirt was twisted to the side and she was zipping up her own jeans when she saw me. A thick bunch of her hair slipped over her face and covered her eyes, but she brushed it back before she stopped behind Logan.
A smug smirk came over her as she leaned against the wall. "Hiya, Sam. How's it going?"
I rounded on Logan. "Are you kidding me?"
Regret flashed over his face, but then he reached for my hand. "You okay? You seem upset."
"You screwed her?"
"You seemed upset before you saw us. What's going on?"
"Oh." I bit my lip. He didn't want to talk about Jessica, I got the message. I hated it. I hated the idea of him and her together. It was one of my worst nightmares. "If you date her, I'm gone."
His eyes widened a fraction, but that was the only reaction I got from him. A cocky glimmer came over him and he rolled his shoulders back. "Oh, come on, Sam. It's not like that. I promise."
"Jerk," Jessica hissed.
"But something else is going on. What is it?"
"Logan." I pressed my hands against my forehead. A headache was coming on. I already knew that I couldn't stop it. It'd be full blown within an hour and I'd be on the bathroom floor very soon. "I can't deal with this right now. Do you know where Mason is?"
A snort came from the sideline.
I whirled on her. "Do not make one more sound. This morning hasn't been the greatest, and I'd love to take it out on you. I really would."
Her haughty eyes met mine, but there was no retort. I was shocked. Jessica wasn't one to not have a hateful comment ready on the tip of her tongue. That was who she was, spiteful and mean. But then I realized she was keeping quiet because of Logan. I wanted to throw my hands in the air and pull my hair out. She was back to him. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what she had said to him or done to him to do whatever they did together, but I knew it was sneaky. Then I remembered something else.
"Aren't you dating Jeff?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, but it's not like we're based on good relationship morals. You should know that more than anyone." A smug look came over her.
I wanted that look gone, and I reacted before I thought about it. I raised my hand and slapped her.
She gasped. When her face snapped back to mine, the old Jessica was back in place. The hatred I always saw from her was there. She sucked in her breath. Her chest rose up and down in dramatic breaths, and I knew she was trying to keep herself under control.
I said, heated, "You were my best friend for years. I dated Jeff for three years. If you think I was more hurt because you screwed my boyfriend for two years, then you really are a shallow person. I lost a friend, you idiot. I lost both of my best friends at the same time."
A different look came to her then. Her hand fell from her cheek slowly.
"Hey. Okay." Logan stepped between us. His hand touched my elbow, and he urged me up the stairs. "What's going on? What happened this morning?"
I let him lead me down a hallway and away from her. When I glanced back, Jessica slipped further down the hallway. I hoped she was leaving. I couldn't handle her being there, not in my world. I wouldn't let her destroy my life again.
"Hey."
I snapped back to him. I was still shaking from the anger inside of me. "Did you sleep with her?"
He grimaced again and ran a hand through his hair. As he rubbed at his jaw, he let loose a deep breath. "Man, I wasn't thinking that through last night."
"So you did."
It stung, it stung a lot.
"Yeah," he whispered. "I am sorry, Sam. I didn't think about you. That seemed so long ago, and I was drunk. I was alone. I was on the couch downstairs, and she was there. She was whispering all these great promises to me. Her hands were all over me. I liked her touch last night. I liked it a lot. That girl is good in bed, but damn, I should've thought more clearly. I really am sorry."
"She took my friends away." It hurt to admit that, but it was the truth. Jeff hadn't been a stand-up guy, but I was certain that she had seduced him. And she had gotten Lydia to cover for them. She took them both away. When it had come out, she tried to turn more against me. Whatever I had done to her, it must've been horrible, but I had no idea. That was the worst part of it. I had no idea why someone who I had loved since we were kids hated me so much. Had we ever really been friends?
A strong arm wrapped around my shoulders, and I was pulled against Logan's hard chest. He dipped his head and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'm really sorry, Sam. But I promise last night was the one and only time. I won't have anything to do with her again. I'm sorry."
I nodded. It took some of the pain away, but until Jessica had sprung up in my life again, I had no idea how much I'd been hurt by her. The door was open now, and more pain came through. Then I blocked it. I repressed it all back down again, and tuned into what Logan was saying, "…pool house maybe."
"Huh?"
"If you're looking for Mason, he's probably in the pool house. It's where he and Nate hang out. They think no one knows about it, but we all do. It's their alone time together." He winked at me as he squeezed me close for one more hug. "You okay?"
