“Well…oh.” She blinked a few times. “You must invite Logan then.”

“Pretty sure he’s going to be busy all day too.” Mason gave her a polite smile. “I’ll extend the invitation, though.”

“Then another time? I’d love for both of you to come. I’ve heard how you are so close to Samantha and I truly adore her. She’s—”

“The daughter of the guy you want to hitch.”

I stiffened. “Mason.”

Malinda waved it away. She blinked again, rapidly, but shook her head. “No, no, honey. It’s alright. It is. I—he’s right, you know. I do love your father, quite a bit, but I’ve grown to love you as well. I would never want you to feel that I’m using you.”

“I never thought that.” And I realized in shock that I really hadn’t.

“But I know people will assume that’s my intentions with you and I want you to know it is not. I love David. He is a great man, and I would be very lucky to have him in my life, but you’re a wonderful girl. Samantha, I’d be very lucky if you remained as a friend to my son. He’d agree with me and I think you might feel the same.”

Blast Mark and his stupid charm at times. Apparently it was extended to his mother as well and I found myself fighting back tears. “I think I’d love some breakfast after all.”

“No, you don’t.” Mason took hold of my arm.

I turned to him. “I don’t?”

He gave me a small smile. “I have plans.”

“You do?”

He nodded. “Yep, for you and me.”

I narrowed my gaze. “Will I be happy with these plans?”

He shrugged but blasted me with a rakish grin. “We’ll see.”

My stomach did somersaults and Malinda’s smile stretched from ear to ear as she watched us. Then I glanced up and caught Adam’s eye. They were stone cold and the excitement in me died. I swallowed over a knot and sighed.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Mason’s plan consisted of food and coffee. After we showered and dressed, he drove us to a diner. I recognized our waitress from my school. Her hands trembled as she took our orders, but Mason never paid her attention. I knew he noticed. He noticed everything, but as she left, I heard her small sigh from disappointment.

“Sam.”

His eyes looked up and held mine. I felt caught in his gaze. I couldn’t look away. Something deep started to pull from his intensity.

I’d forgotten what it felt like when he saw through me. It was exhilarating and addicting, but it was also terrifying. I swallowed over a knot in my throat. “What?”

His eyes shuttered. A dark look flashed in them. Then he lounged back in the booth and scooted down. I felt his legs stretch against mine under the table and opened mine so he fit between them. Then I couldn’t stop a husky laugh when he reached under the table and lifted my legs. He sat them over his thighs. My feet rested on his side of the booth as I enveloped him.

“Why were you with Quinn this morning?”

I flushed. So that’s what this was about. I shrugged. “I went on a run and ended up by his house. He was in his car taking some girl home. He offered me a ride back and I took it.” My stomach twisted. “I shouldn’t have done that?”

He sighed in disgust and rolled his eyes. “Don’t pin that on me. The guy’s a douche and he wants to get in your pants. You know that, but you’re constantly talking to him. What am I supposed to think? I’ve been quiet for a while, but it’s starting to piss me off.”

My lips shut tight and I scooted lower in my seat. His hands slid over my legs and lifted underneath my knees so my legs were pulled tighter against him. He gave me a wolfish grin as his hands continued to run up and down my legs. Then he leaned forward and I felt the tips of his fingers brush the insides of my thighs.

I bit back a groan.

And then the waitress came back. Her smile was bright and perky, but when Mason jerked back against his seat, it slipped a notch. She had my coffee and water for him. As she set it down, her eyes skirted between us. “Anything else?”

Mason shook his head. “Just the food.”

“Okay! Enjoy!” She pivoted and bounced away. Her skirt swayed as she went.

When I looked back, his eyes were hard on me. “What?”

“I’m pissed at you, but I still can’t keep my hands off you.” The wolfish grin doubled. “I’m done for.”

I frowned and my stomach fluttered some more. Then I cleared my throat. “I don’t know what to say about Adam. He knows that I’ll never date him and he’s trying to be more real with me and with Becky. What do you want me to do? He and Becky are my only friends at school.”

“Transfer.” He jerked forward. His hands cupped above my knees. His thumbs smoothed over my skin.

I picked up my coffee and blew on it. “Come on.”

“What?”

I glared over the rim of my mug. “You know I can’t do that.”

His mouth flattened, but he leaned back again. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I hate that guy and I hate that he’s your friend.”

“But I’m an Elite now.” I grinned at him.

He rolled his eyes again. “And that’s the punch line of this whole joke. Don’t think that’s not Adam’s doing, by the way. You know it was.”

I shrugged and sipped my coffee. “I don’t really care. Honestly.”

He grunted, and we didn’t speak. Our food was brought over and after a while, it didn’t seem like there was much else to say. I knew Mason didn’t like that I was in the Elite or that Adam was my friend again. I also knew that he considered Adam and Becky both scum for abandoning me the last three months. But what he didn’t know was that I had stopped caring about things. I went through the motions because what else was there? Some things mattered, though, like the feel of him beside me. Or how my body was heated while we sat across from each other in our booth.

When he was done eating and he leaned forward again, his hands slid up my legs again. My fingers dropped the fork and the pancake ceased to exist. The hunger in me was so primal, I gave him a darkened look and he nodded. The same desire leapt in his gaze and we rose from the booth as one. He dropped thirty dollars on the table and took my hand.

Nothing else was spoken until he turned onto our street. “Where to?”