He retreated.

I won this battle.

Closing my eyes, I let out a breath of nervous air. My god. Now that he was gone, I was full-on trembling. I checked my pants. No mess there. Another thing to be thankful about.

“Uh…” Kitty stepped closer to me, watching him, before he weaved around the coffee shop crowd and disappeared from eyesight. “What just happened here?”

Nina asked, “Who was that?” Her tone said it all. She was quiet and cautious. She knew something bad happened.

I met her gaze and saw the knowing look there. I rasped out, “Someone not good. That was who.”

I didn’t tell them about that meeting. Kitty liked to talk about everything. Nina liked to analyze everything, but for once, they seemed to adhere to my unspoken request. Neither said a word.

I skipped my next class, and those two girls were done, so the three of us went back to the dorm. It was Friday night.

Right before I ducked inside my room, Kitty called my name from down the hallway. She was standing in her doorway, her head poking out.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“We promise not to be weird at the game tomorrow.”

That was right. I remembered. We were all going to the game together, and it was the team’s first football game at home. The whole campus was buzzing. We were playing Grant West University, another Division One league team a few hours away. We were slated to win. Our football team was ranked high this year, and I knew Mason was part of the reason. Drew was another reason. Both of them were considered for The Heisman this year, but Mason declined. Drew was the front-runner now, and together, the two were dynamic to watch. I’d gone with Logan and Nate to the other two away games, but the first home one was always on another level.

The fans were more hyped.

The team was more hyped.

And the pressure was even more.

“Okay.” I laughed. “Thanks for letting me know.”

She was talking about Logan and when he’d find us at the game.

“And tell your boyfriend good luck,” she said in a rush.

“I will. Thanks, Kitty.”

Nina poked her head around her roommate. “Tell him good luck from me, too.”

“I will.” I laughed again. “Thanks, guys.” I went inside my room.

Summer was gaping at me from her desk, holding a pen. As I shut the door, she let it drop dramatically along with her mouth. “Did my ears just play a trick on me?”

“What?”

“Kitty and Nina are acting normal?”

“Oh.” My chest was tight. I went to my desk, hoping she’d keep talking about Kitty and Nina. She couldn’t notice that I was still upset about Sebastian. “Yeah. They must’ve realized that Logan doesn’t come around anymore. Put two and two together maybe?”

Before she could reply, a soft knock sounded on our door.

I opened it and experienced a slight flash of panic.

Mason was standing there, his arms crossed, his eyes concerned. He looked so damn delicious that I didn’t know if I should confess about my run-in with Sebastian right there or drag Mason to bed after I kicked Summer out. He looked freshly showered, so that meant he’d come from the locker room. He was wearing a Cain University shirt, and the irony was not lost on me that Sebastian wore the same one today. But with Mason’s broad shoulders, cut form, and trim waist, he made my mouth salivate. I glanced at Summer, saw a drop of drool at the corner of her mouth, and knew I wasn’t the only one.

“Hey.” I cringed. That came out like a nervous squeak.

His eyes narrowed a little bit, and the corner of his mouth dipped down, but he shook his head, and an easy grin appeared next. “Hey back. What are you doing?” He saw the package in my hands. “From Malinda?”

“Oh.” I looked at it. My hands were clutching it to me like it was my life raft. “Yeah. I guess this is what normal moms do?”

Summer murmured behind me, “Da fuck?”

She didn’t know about Analise. I shared some things about my family with her, but I hadn’t explained all the craziness or the reason for all the craziness.

Mason noticed my tension, and he gestured to the room. “Can I come in?”

“Yes. Yes.” I shuffled to the side and closed the door behind him.

He paused and lifted his head. A low, “Roommate,” came from him. That was his greeting to Summer.

She did the same, grunting out, “Boyfriend.”

I rolled my eyes. “You guys can use each other’s names. I live with her, Mason.”

He lifted a shoulder, sitting down on my bed. “Roommate.”

A soft growl came from Summer, but she stood and let out a big sigh. “All right, you two lovebirds, I’m off to my last class for the week.” Grabbing her bag, purse, and keys, she halted right before leaving. She asked me, “Are you going to be around tonight?”

“Oh.” I glanced at Mason. He gave me a blank look back, so I replied, “I’m not sure. I’ll let you know.”

“Sounds good.” She waved before leaving. “Toodles, Sam…and her superhot boyfriend.”

Mason scowled, but it lacked any heat. “She shouldn’t talk to me like that.”

Putting the package on the desk, I went and curled up in his lap. “She’s a fan. She’s getting over it.”

“Still weird to me.” He studied me for a second, his hand went to my mouth.

I caught it and drew one of his fingers into my mouth. My tongue wrapped around it. I wanted to forget about my afternoon and how I was going to handle that situation. I wanted to get lost in his arms.

Seeing what I wanted, Mason tipped us both back, cradling me on his chest as he lay down. I was securely in his arms, and he rolled me over, so he was looming above me. His eyes darkened, holding my gaze before dropping to my lips where a small smile showed, and I let go of his finger. The ache for him already started inside me.

A knowing grin formed on his face, and without saying a word, he slipped from the bed to lock the door and flip the lights off. My heart started pounding. The need for him was rising between my legs, and I licked my lips, watching as he took his shirt off. He was all muscle. I could make out every single one of them as he came back to me. The flames were growing hotter and hotter. I wanted to slide my hands over every inch of him. I wanted to feel his weight on top of me. I wanted to feel him inside me.