He still didn't blink and he sounded bored. "How'd you know that guy?"

"He's the coach at my school." I pulled on a tight tank and then shimmied out of my pants. The light hadn't been turned on so the room was dark except for a small amount of light that shone through my windows from behind a clump of clouds.

"That was your dad."

I hesitated and held my breath. He looked like a statue, a god made of stone with the light's shadow on him. His eyes were intense as he seemed to stare through me, into me.

"Yeah," I spoke in a small voice.

He nodded. "I got it."

As he moved past, his hand brushed my leg and lingered on the curve of my thigh.

I closed my eyes as a stab of desire flared in me. This wasn't supposed to be. I hadn't expected this.

Then he moved past and out the door. My hands and legs were a bit shaky when I crawled under the sheets.

It was past midnight, but I lay in bed. My mind was reeling from the look on David's face. There was a haunted feel to him, then when he saw the firecrackers in my hand a look of disappointment came next. For a second, I'd been ashamed but then I remembered the lie he had been a part of and everything hardened, it all became clear again.

He deserved it. He deserved more.

'That was your dad…I got it.'

Mason's voice floated in there too. My chest tightened each time I heard it. His face was unreadable, he was always unreadable, but something softened when he spoke those words. Heat flared all over my body and I threw back the sheets. I gasped as the cool air hit my skin, but another need pulsated between my legs. I clamped them together and hoped it would pass. It was an annoyance and not something I needed right now.

The sound of my phone woke me the next morning. When I answered, Becky greeted me with a chirpy voice, "Morning! Whatchadointoday?"

"Huh?"

"Come over. My family's grilling this afternoon and Adam's family is coming too. It'll be fun."

I grimaced against how sunshiney her voice sounded. My head pounded. "Yeah, maybe."

"Oh, come on, Sam. What else are you going to do today? Homework? You can do it here."

"Why do I feel like there's no other option here?"

"Because there's not. Be here in an hour or I'm coming to get you."

I grinned at that threat. "It'll be more than an hour. I'm going to go for a run first."

"Okay. Just come. We start grilling after church."

The clock said it was nine. "When is that?"

"After noon."

"You told me to come in an hour, but you're going to church?"

"My mom goes to church. The rest of us stay home."

"Oh. Okay."

"Just come. Okay, Sammm?"

"Yeah, okay. Be there in a couple of hours."

"See ya!" There she went away, chirping, as she ended the call.

It didn't take me long to get ready for my run and when I headed downstairs, the guys were in the kitchen. Coffee had been made and each had their own mugs. Mason lounged against a counter while Nate had hopped up on the counter. As I came closer, Logan was skirting around the kitchen. He seemed to be bouncing around with too much energy, but he stopped when he saw me first.

"Should we take bets? An hour? Two?"

Mason eyes narrowed over his coffee cup. "I say an hour."

Nate grunted and dropped to the floor. He busied himself inside the fridge.

Logan draped an arm over his brother's shoulders and grinned at me.

My back straightened. His smile seemed more of a leer and I heard the mocking tone in his voice.

"She did see her dad last night so I'm guessing two hours, maybe more? Sound right, wannabe sister?"

My mouth tightened and I grabbed a water bottle from the pantry. "Don't be stupid."

When I moved to the door, Logan was in front of me in a flash. He laughed at me. "Did I hit a nerve? Your claws are showing."

I shoved him out of the way. "What do you think?"

He opened his mouth for a retort, but I slammed the door shut behind me. I hadn't taken two steps away before I heard his high-pitched laughter on the other side. Mason barked something and it stopped.

I sighed, but tried to clear my mind. That was what running was for. My head needed to be clear. I needed to quiet the storm in me and after an hour, it was successfully subsided. Sweat dropped from me as I made my way back into the house and I hadn't made it to the stairs before I heard my mother's voice.

"Really, Samantha. Can you dry off a bit before coming inside after your runs?"

I gritted my teeth and wanted to go right back for another run.

She came from one of the side rooms dressed in a yellow dress and a white sunhat. Her make-up was done flawlessly with bright red lipstick. Pink lipstick had been her favorite until a month ago.

She stopped in front of me and her hands perched on her hips. "David called me last night. We came back earlier because of it. What were you thinking, honey?"

I knew my eyes were either heated or they looked dead. It was one or the other because both emotions twisted inside of me. "You're a calculated woman. Figure it out."

"Sam—" She started to follow when I went up the stairs, but James' voice pulled her back.

"Analise?" he called from the hallway.

She sighed with a dark frown, but went to him.

I hurried upstairs and got ready for Becky's. Thirty minutes later and I was back out the door. It was a welcoming feeling with the mansion in my rearview mirror and when I went inside of Becky's house, the two places contrasted sharply. One was homey and welcoming and the other had a stranger's coldness.

An older woman, probably in her mid-forties, welcomed me at the door. Her dark brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail and freckles covered her face. It made her look tanned and healthy as her eyes sparkled in warmth. "You must be Samantha. Rebecca has told me so much about you."

"Yeah…"

She gestured inside. "Come in, come in. I'm Laura, her mother."

"Sam!" Becky hollered from somewhere inside. "Tell her to come out here, mom."

Laura patted me on the back. "Make yourself at home. Pretend this is your home from now on. Everyone's in the backyard. I was grabbing some fruit platters on my way back."