I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled back enough to gaze into his eyes. He was scared. I’d felt it during the summer. Each night, as he’d hold me, he’d grow more and more tense, the closer we got to this weekend.

I had no intention of being one of his weaknesses. “Mason, you don’t have to worry about me. No matter what, we’ll fight it. No one will hurt me. No one will hurt Logan.”

His hand rested on the back of my neck. He was searching my face. He wanted to believe me, but he couldn’t. Mason knew better. We’d been through too much bullshit to believe that everything would be okay, but I couldn’t be his Achilles’ heel.

No, it wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t going to be used to hurt him.

I shifted closer to him. “I mean it, Mason. I’m here. I’m at your side. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Sam—” he started.

I saw the struggle in him and shook my head. “No. Stop. I mean it. I get to have your back this time. And I will. No one is after me—no scorned lover, no obsessed stalker, not even a hateful bitch like Cass. No one like that will get close to me. Been there, done that. I know how to handle them.”

I pulled him close, peering deeply into his eyes. He was torn, so I smiled and softly pressed my lips to his once again. I murmured against them, “Trust me this time. I know what we’re getting into at school, and I’m here to help you. That’s it. That’s all.”

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t have to. That’s what pisses me off. I shouldn’t have to worry about Sebastian going after you, but…he’s capable of anything.”

“Stop.”

Mason always kicked ass. He’d stand in the line and dare people to go against him. He wasn’t like this, unsure of the future. This wasn’t a Mason I was used to, and that tugged at my heart even more.

“I will make friends, if that will ease your mind. I will surround myself with new college comrades, and when I come over to your house, I’ll make sure to be careful. You or Logan can come pick me up all the time. How about that?”

He only said, “He can’t hurt you. I don’t know what I’ll do if he does.”

“He won’t.” I leaned close, pressing a kiss to him once more. I whispered, “I promise.”

“Yo!”

As a shout came from the front door, and we drew back. A second later, Logan and Mark rushed in. Their cheeks were red. Beads of sweat were on their foreheads, and both had stupid grins on their faces.

Logan said again, “Yo.” He stopped, his eyes narrowed, and he cocked his head to the side. “Did you two just beat it here?”

Mason’s hand fell from my waist, and he rolled his eyes. “Logan, we’re not like rabbits, humping all the time.”

“Why not?” Logan grabbed the orange juice from the refrigerator and brought it over to the table.

As he set it down, Mark grabbed two glasses, and both sat down.

Logan added, “I would. You know, if I could…like we could’ve been—”

“Shut the fuck up.” Mason glared.

Logan winked at me as he kept grinning, pouring the juice into his glass. “Come on, brother. I thought we were all fine with what was discussed. You know, the idea of Sam and me, that there could’ve been—”

Mason growled. “I punched you back then. I will do it again.”

“What?” Logan gestured to his face. “Not this. It’s gotta stay pretty. Mama Malinda will have your ass in a sling otherwise.” He paused, his eyes alive and sparkling as they skirted between Mason and me. His lip curved even higher. “What do you think, Sam? What would they have called us? You and Mason are Samson. We could’ve been…Samog? No. That doesn’t sound right. Sagan? Lotha? Those don’t sound right either. What about just SamLo? Nah, still not right.”

Mark poured himself a glass, and he was now watching Logan. His eyes kept glancing from one side of the table to our side. His hand tightened around the glass, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

Mason reached for his pen and leaned closer to his brother across the table. “Shut up.” He moved with lightning speed, bringing down his hand and slamming the pen into the table. As he sat back, the pen stayed upright, wedged between two of Logan’s fingers.

Everyone’s eyes got big.

Mason moved so quickly. We realized the precision of his aim after it was already done.

Logan was the first to react. A laugh came from him. It got louder and stronger. He was shaking his head at the same time. “I love messing with you.”

“You’re going to regret it.”

The laughter died. Logan grew still. “What do you mean?”

“When you get a woman who you love…” Mason glanced sideways to me. “When she means the world to you and you’re ready to do anything to keep her safe, I’m going to enjoy doing the same shit you’ve been doing all summer.”

“Well,” Logan’s eyebrows bunched together, and the corners of his mouth curved down, “that won’t be very nice of you.”

“Karma’s a bitch.” It was softly spoken, but it was a taunt, and everyone knew it.

Logan looked at me. A question was there. He wanted to ask me something, but I shook my head. I was annoyed too.

Yes, there could’ve been a Logan and Sam, but it hadn’t happened. Logan could’ve been a boyfriend, but Mason was my soul mate. The tension of that question, if Logan had feelings for me or not, had been plaguing us for a while. It was dealt with last year, right before the fraternity burned down. That truth came out, that there could’ve been an us with Logan and me. Mason took it easier than I’d realized.

And what Mason said was true. Logan had been making jokes about us a lot more lately. I couldn’t help to think it had more to do with the fact that Kris and he were finally done. They’d broken up, gotten back together, and repeated that chain of events throughout the entire year. Their final, final breakup was four months earlier. Weeks before our graduation, Logan dumped Kris at a party, and he’d gone back to his man-whoring ways that night. There were rumors he’d gotten blow jobs from two different girls that night, at the same party, and he’d gone home with someone else.

Girls were friendlier to me now than they’d been when Logan was serious with Kris. I wasn’t dumb. I’d learned to recognize the I-want-to-use-you-because-you’re-close-to-Logan-Kade looks from a distance. I was able to evade their hooks. When I couldn’t, my best friend, Heather Jax, had no problem removing the hooks for me.