Oh my Samantha... My poor girl...
MASONSam looked up at me, lips parted, breathing shallow. And in that second, I knew she wasn’t going to run. She wasn’t going to hide from this.She tilted her chin up, baring her throat like prey, like she wanted to be caught. Hunted. Owned.She gave herself to me without a word. No resistance. No hesitation.Mine.I leaned down and brushed my lips over her jaw. Soft. Gentle. Dangerous.She trembled. Just once. But I felt it deep.That shiver? That was her body realizing what her mouth hadn’t said out loud.She was giving in.And I was taking everything.My mouth drifted lower—her neck, her collarbone, slow kisses laced with heat, my tongue tracing her skin like it held secrets meant only for me.I worshipped her with my mouth. Let her feel how much I wanted her. How much I needed to own her.Her breath hitched. Her back arched just enough to offer more.Good girl.I didn’t say it. Didn’t need to.She felt it in the way my mouth sucked at the pulse in her neck, how I stayed there,
MASONI woke up to Sam wrapped around me like a blanket she never wanted to let go of.One leg tossed over mine. Her arm across my chest. Face buried in the space between my shoulder and neck. Her hair was everywhere, wild and soft and completely her.After all that happened yesterday, we both went to bed hungry for each other. I let out a quiet chuckle, low and rough from sleep, careful not to wake her.God.She was really wrapped around me.Like I was hers.Like she knew I was the only place she could breathe.I shifted a little, just enough to wiggle my arm from under her grip so I could feel my fingers again. But I didn’t move more than that. I didn’t want to.I didn’t care that my back was stiff or that the throw pillow had left a dent in my spine.Her warmth was my comfort. A reason to stay still. To breathe a little slower. To remember that despite everything, she was here.She always did this.Held tight in her sleep like she was afraid I might slip through the cracks if she
SAMANTHAMy heart was pounding so loud, I couldn’t hear myself think.I knew it was a bad idea, but I let Liam kiss me anyway. “Sam,” he said softly, his voice cracking. “I need closure. I love you. I know you’ll always choose Mason… but just one last kiss.”I opened my mouth, my voice barely holding.“We can’t. Our friendship—”“Shh…” he whispered.And then his lips were on mine.Just for a second. Maybe two. Three, tops.But it was enough.My eyes snapped open.And that’s when I saw him.Mason.He was standing in the shadow across the hall. Silent. Still. His chest was rising and falling, but his face was unreadable.Blank.But not empty.There was pain under it. That slow-burn kind. The kind you feel more than you see.My blood froze.Shit! He saw that.He didn’t blink. Didn’t speak.He just stood there, like the floor had dropped out from under him and he hadn’t decided whether to fall or fight it.I pulled away from Liam so fast I nearly stumbled.“Mason…” My voice cracked.But
MASONI hadn’t moved in thirty minutes.The locker room was freezing, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t feel anything, really.Same spot. Same posture. Elbows on my knees, head down. Staring at the same cracked tile on the floor like it had answers.My stick bag sat next to me, untouched. Everything else—jersey, gloves, pads—was already off. Except the weight. That was still on me.“I’m the child’s father.”Caleb’s voice kept echoing, like it had taken up an apartment in my skull. Louder than my own thoughts.Louder than the hum of the empty room. Louder than the guilt that had been living in my chest for months.What the fuck happens now?Is this real?All this pain… for nothing?I finally blinked. My contacts were dry. My eyes burned. It snapped me out of the trance just long enough to make my limbs move.I reached down for my bag. It felt like lifting bricks.The door creaked open behind me.“Yo, Mason,” someone said, my teammate, maybe Luke or Jordan. I couldn’t even tell. “You good,
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MASONThe door clicked shut behind me, and for the first time in years, I felt like the world didn’t want me anymore.I stumbled into the hallway blindly.My steps were fast. Aimless. I didn’t even know where I was going. I just needed to be away from that locked door and the sound of her voice telling me to leave.I was halfway to the car before I heard footsteps pounding behind me.“Mason!”Macey.Of course.I kept walking, pretending I didn’t hear her. But she caught up and grabbed my arm just as I reached for the car door.Her nails dug into my jacket sleeve. “Really?” she snapped. “You left your pregnant girlfriend for that thing?”I froze.It was the way she said “that thing.” Like Samantha was disposable. Like she hadn’t been her friend for the longest time.I turned slowly, leveled my gaze at her. “I love Samantha,” I said, voice even.Macey’s eyes widened. “You love her?”I nodded once.“And I won’t let anyone take her from me.”Her mouth fell open. “She’s not yours to claim