Instead of the old pain, there was nothing. I frowned, but started forward. A chill drifted over me and my blood was pumping. I needed to keep going before the cold settled in. With that last thought, I tucked my head down and pushed forward with a new burst of speed.

After my run, I showered, ate, and then fell asleep watching television in the basement. It was later in the night before the guys got home. A stampede of feet sounded above me, and the door slammed shut as I heard Logan yell, “SAM! WHERE ARE YOU?”

“Logan!”

“What?”

“You don’t have to scream your head off.”

“Whatever, Nate. You’re pissed because you need to work for some pu**y now. Can’t have Parker running over anymore.”

“Shut up.”

The door leading to the basement was thrown open and Logan’s voice grew clearer as he laughed. “Don’t blame me that girls are scared of you. You’re a shady, motherfucker.” He hurried down the stairs, but stopped before laughing. “Sam? You’re down here?”

I scowled at him before rolling back over and pulling my blanket over my head. “You’re so loud. Shut up.”

He chuckled before yelling upstairs, “SHE’S DOWN HERE, MASON.”

I held my breath. I already knew what was coming next, but as he dropped next to me, the couch jerked from his sudden weight, and I went airborne for a second. Oomph. Oh yes. I was fully awake now. I pulled the blanket back to glare at him. “Thank you for being quiet.”

He flashed me a grin, pulling the handle to the footrest next to him. “No problem.” It came up and he lounged back, getting comfortable. “What are you doing down here? You’re never down here.”

“Resting. What are you doing down here?”

Grabbing the remote from next to my feet, he switched the channel and pointed at the screen. “Game’s on.”

Of course. How stupid of me.

I groaned to myself, but sat up and curled my knees to my chest. The sounds of a basketball game came next. It was only the first day of school so I didn’t have any homework yet. No shift at Manny’s. I already ran. I knew Mason would be heading down soon. I wasn’t going anywhere. When Logan reached down and lifted a fast food bag to his lap, I asked, “You guys got food?”

He had pulled his burger out. It was half unwrapped and lifted to his mouth before he stopped and turned to me. “Did you want some?”

My stomach growled. The smell of greasy food hit me like a cement truck. Crap. The little sandwich I had after my run hadn’t tied me over.

Logan heard it and one corner of his mouth lifted. He held his burger to me. “You want a bite?”

I shook my head. “No. That’s yours. I’ll go and find something else.” Still. My stomach growled louder.

“Sam.” Logan was fighting back a smile. “You can have the entire thing. This was my second one.”

“No, then you’ll be hungry.”

“Nah.” The smile won out and he grinned from ear to ear. “I can steal Nate’s. He got three of them, and I know he hasn’t touched them. He said we should wait till we got home.” He snorted. “No f**king idea why.”

“Because I was going to ask Sam if she wanted one,” Nate spoke up, coming down the stairs. He frowned at Logan, before he sat down on the other couch. He had two bags with him and held one in the air. “There’s a chicken sandwich in here. Sam?”

My stomach spoke up with a resounding ‘yes.’ It groaned, growled, and shuddered all at the same time.

Logan chuckled, but turned to Nate. “Kiss ass.”

“Screw you. Mason got the sandwich for her.”

“Oh.” Logan frowned. “I thought you were going to take the credit.”

“What’s your problem?” Nate tossed the bag so it landed on the couch next to me. “You’ve been on my ass all day.”

“Because you’ve been an ass lately,” he shot back before giving me a wink. He said to Nate, “It’s not every day you get knocked down a peg and take it. I have to enjoy this while I can.”

Nate’s frown deepened to a glower as he rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s getting old.”

Logan shrugged. “Not my problem. You were the shady motherfucker in the first place.”

“Guys,” I murmured as I unwrapped the sandwich. My stomach wouldn’t stop groaning. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.

Nate glanced back at the stairs. “Your brother’s being an ass**le.”

There was no response, but I knew who it was. I knew who was coming and enjoyed waiting for him. I sunk my teeth into the sandwich. Good gracious, I was in heaven. A chicken sandwich had never tasted so delicious to me. My stomach was doing cartwheels, but then I was being lifted in the air again. I didn’t even react. I already knew where he was going. When he moved so he was underneath me, I kept eating as I got comfortable on his lap and rested my head on his chest. One of his hands remained on my leg, his fingers on my inner thigh as I took another bite.

“Did you not eat?”

I nodded, mumbling around the sandwich, “Not enough.”

He grinned and leaned back into the couch.

Logan chuckled, turning the volume louder.

“Nice, dickwad.”

He only got a shrug in response.

Mason held me on his lap and moved his fingers in a circling motion. It was soothing and sensual at the same time. Part of me was getting excited while the other part wanted to fall asleep. With the chicken sandwich in my stomach, and the warmth from Mason, the sleepy part won out. Then Mason’s phone went off. It buzzed from his pocket underneath me, and he shifted me to the side, his arm sliding under me to grab it. Pulling it out, he opened the screen. It was a text from his father: We would like to invite you over for dinner. When are you moving back?

“Uh, okay.” Logan was reading his phone at the same time. He put it down, his eyebrows bunching together as he said, “I know you talked us into moving back, but no way. I can’t do it, Sam.”

“What?” I sat forward. “You guys said you would.”

Logan shared a look with Mason. I twisted around. “You agree?”

Mason didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. I shook my head. “What? Did you guys come to this decision without me?”