Logan Kade (Fallen Crest #5.5)

Last night was the best sex I’d ever had, and we continued to have great sex the next night, and the night after. The week after. The week after that, too. In fact, we had great sex for an entire fucking month, and I was in a glorious mood. The only thing not glorious had been my time spent away from the family. I’d been selfish, keeping Taylor to myself. We did the parties, but we spent a lot of those nights in either my bedroom or hers, and standing in front of the refrigerator, I couldn’t stop thinking about the upcoming weekend. Mason’s game was away and we were going to road trip to it, and by ‘we’, I meant the family. I owed them that time, but there’d been no mention of Taylor coming along. I knew that hadn’t happened by accident.

I wanted her to come. Shit. I think I was starting to need her to come, but then Sam snuffed that idea out.

“You’re going to hurt her,” she said, coming to stand behind me.

I was reaching for the juice, but I stopped and straightened up. She was in the kitchen doorway. Her eyes were troubled, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

I shook my head, letting the fridge door shut. “Don’t, Sam.”

“I didn’t like Kris in the beginning, and I know you really cared for her…” She trailed off, frowning, and looking at the floor.

I cared, but I hadn’t loved Kris. That was where Sam was going. I knew she’d started to care about Kris at the end. Was that what this was about? Sam didn’t want to start liking another girl and hurt for her when things ended with me? I propped a shoulder against the wall by the fridge and folded my arms over my chest as well. “Where are you coming from with this?”

She shook her head, but didn’t look up. “I don’t know,” she murmured. She uncrossed her arms, and her hands clasped together at her waist. “I like Taylor.”

“So do I.”

Sam looked up. I saw the surprise. This would’ve been the perfect time for a smart-ass remark, but this was serious. I narrowed my eyes. “I didn’t get the feeling you really liked her the first night.”

“That’s not true. I just—” She bit her lip and looked away.

“Sam.” I waited till her eyes met mine, and then waited another beat. I didn’t want her to look away. “You’ve never warned me off of a girl before.”

“You’re going to hurt her,” she repeated.

I frowned. Sam looked away again, and I got the sense she wasn’t talking about Taylor at all. “Okay. Well… Noted.” I kept frowning at her, but she was lost in her thoughts. “I disagree, and I’m still going to hang out with her.”

She let out a breath. “Don’t invite her this weekend, okay?”

I shook my head. “What the hell? You’re not like this.”

“I know. I just—it’s too soon. If you don’t want to fuck things up, like you say, go slow. You’re just sleeping together, right?” Her eyes met mine again, finally.

My head jerked back. I hadn’t been prepared for the haunted expression on her face. What was going on with her? I gentled my voice. “You okay, Sam?”

She nodded. “Yeah.” Her voice was equally soft. “I just...don’t want to see her hurt. That’s all.”

Bullshit. I wanted to say that, to interrogate her, but I held back. She wasn’t talking about Taylor. “You’re not talking about Taylor at all, are you?”

There it was. I put it out there. We’d been through too much shit not to be honest. I waited, and got my answer when she hung her head. I was right. I murmured softly, “She’s not going to hurt me, Sam.”

“That’s what you say now.” She shook her head, grimacing. “You’re the glue of us. Did you know that?”

I smirked. “When am I not the glue?”

“No. I mean it.” The haunted look was back. She didn’t even hide it now. “Things have changed even since I joined the group, but the glue’s not Mason. Not anymore. It’s you. Mason doesn’t seem to care. I think he likes Taylor, but I know Nate and I are worried. And we…just…we don’t want you hurt. That’s all.”

“I’m good, Strattan.” I winked for good measure. “I’m always good. You know that.”

Her shoulders lifted up in a slow and deep breath. “Yeah, well.” She bit down on her lip before looking away again. “You’re like me, Logan.”

“What do you mean?”

“You grew up being hurt, just like me.”

I felt her words in my gut, and I didn’t like it. I frowned. “Well—” A flippant remark was on my tongue, but she shook her head, saying over me, “Don’t. Okay? Mason got to see his parents happy at some point. I know you didn’t. Neither did I, and if I did, I can’t remember it anymore. I know that kind of hurt goes deep, tunnels inside of you like a cancer. You mask it, just like I did.”