I couldn’t stop watching her. What was she going to do? She knew we were talking about her, but then her jaw hardened. She jerked her head back up and there was that same loathing, but it had doubled. She stared right at me. Her shoulders squared as she faced me and then her chin lowered. Whether she realized it or not, her stance was challenging me.
I fought against smiling at her. She was hot. I knew Logan was going to think so too, but damn, I didn’t know if I could pass this one up.
Logan and Ethan came back. My brother said my name, but I didn’t hear him. He said something else to me, but I wasn’t paying him attention. All of it was directed on her.
“Who is she?” Strauss asked as she went inside to pay. “You know her, don’t you?”
I wasn’t sure what to say. He’d say something and I didn’t want the guys to dissect her like they normally did. I shrugged and said, “I’m going to pay.” As I did, she was coming back. The challenge was back in her gaze. I couldn’t help myself. Veering towards her, I purposefully walked right at her. At the last second, I moved away an inch so my jacket brushed against her. I wanted to brush against her. Shit. I wanted to do more than that to her already, but I glanced back, watching her the entire time as I passed by.
She never wavered. She held her ground and stared right back.
She had balls, whether they were real or not, the girl had balls. After I paid, I was itching to test her some more. I wanted to see what she’d say, but when I went back outside, I could hear her friends giggling behind me. I didn’t want to deal with them, but still… I paused by her car. She straightened, expecting me now. I started turning towards her without thinking, but the sound of screeching brakes pushed everything out of my head.
“What the hell?” It was the Broudous. Two cars had pulled into the lot and one of their buddies jumped out with a smoke bomb.
Everything else was forgotten. I rushed past her. I knew Logan and the guys were behind me, but I didn’t care. I grabbed the first guy to pound. After that, it was game on. Logan took the smoke bomb from the guy and handed it to me. I launched it. If they wanted to fight, they were going to pay for it. A second car emptied and we were all fighting.
“Mason!” Logan shouted from somewhere, but I lifted my fist for another hit. I kept ramming it at the guy and then moved onto another when he couldn’t fight back.
It was later, after the guys were tugging on me that I realized the cops were coming. As we headed for my car, I remembered her. Our eyes caught and held for a second, but then Logan pounded on the car again and we peeled out of there.
We never went to Molly’s that night so Ethan could get laid. We went somewhere else, but I couldn’t lie to myself. James had asked us to help move Analise and her kid in the next day. We both refused and we already had other plans, but I changed my mind. I found myself wanting to help them move in. I wanted to be around this one. I wanted to study her. She was different. I wanted to know how different.
“Mason.” Logan distracted me and I stopped thinking about it. He tossed me a beer. “Time to get lit, big brother.”
I flashed him a grin. “Sounds good to me.”
He never asked why the change of heart and I didn’t know if I wanted to tell him or not, but there was a shift in the air. My gut felt it and I knew something was going to happen. I could feel that change was going to happen.
I was looking forward to it.
To continue, Fallen Crest High is free on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and Sony.
Other books in the series:
Fallen Crest Family (second)
Fallen Crest Public (third)
Fallen Fourth Down coming soon.
For more information, go to Tijan’s Books on Facebook.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have so many. Whoa boy. I’m just going to dive in, first to my readers. I love, love, love you guys. You have no idea. Thank you for all of your support!! Next, to the ladies in the fan group. It’s a great group in there. You guys make me laugh and every time I need a break, I love going in there to find a new funny post or banner from a Tijanette! Third, to the Tijan Admin Crew. Cami, Eileen, Kerri, Stacey, Amanda B., Mari, Amanda W., Kim, and Heather. You guys help more than you may think. You guys keep the fan group running. You set the tone so it’s respectful, caring, and fun. Readers might come into that group for information about my books or hoping to talk about my books, but you guys have created friendships and a family-sense in there and I think a lot of them are active because of that. I think I can say on behalf of all the Tijanettes in there, THANK YOU!
I have to thank Lisa Jordan, my cover designer. She puts up with me and my frantic messaging. I give her an idea for a cover and she always makes it beautiful. She’s amazingly talented. Next, my editor. Ami, you’re just so patient and fabulous. You do a great job and you are so extremely dedicated. I am so happy that I’ve found you and our working relationship! I’m thankful.
There’s a special group of friends that I was lucky enough to be included with a few months ago. I have grown to love those ladies and I am so proud that I can call them my friends. I’m pretty sure they know who they are.
Now, I have to thank Jason and Bailey. Jason puts up with me when I disappear for hours needing to write. He never reads these acknowledgements, which I think is funny, but he loves to hear that his name was included. And Bailey, we got a puppy. He’s crazy, mischievous, and cute as hell. He’s now my companion, always playing in the office behind me or sleeping at my feet (if he’s not trying to get in my lap or eating the chair from out beneath me.) I love him.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me. Every book is a journey, from gathering ideas, bouncing them back and forth with my friends, to those secret readers who give me feedback, the ones who reassure me, and the entire writing/editing/formatting. This is the last section I always put in these books and it’s the section that usually brings me to tears as I think about everyone who has helped me along the way. Thank you.
SNEAK PEEK FROM FALLEN FOURTH DOWN
DO NOT READ IF YOU’VE NOT READ THE OTHERS IN THE SERIES
I started to laugh, but as we went further down the hallway, a door opened and the laugh died abruptly. Logan was coming out of his room.
Heather saw him at the same time and a savage curse left her.
Hearing her, he glanced up. His eyes narrowed, taking us in, and he headed towards us. Shoving his hands in his pockets, his gaze lingered the longest on me before he asked, “What are you guys doing?”
“We had a female chat,” Heather spoke up. “What were you doing?”
“Kris passed out. I put her to bed.”
I frowned. “Is your door locked?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I got the same key code that Mason did.” His eyebrows bunched forward and he continued to study me. I could feel his suspicion growing and forced myself to keep a mask on my face. Logan couldn’t press me. I might not spill what Tate said, what I knew now, but I wouldn’t be able to hold back that there was something wrong. He’d be relentless and it couldn’t come out. No matter what. Then he asked, in a soft voice, “You okay?”
Heather spoke first again, “She’s fine. She’s missing Mason, that’s all. Her boyfriend.”
He turned his frown to her. “I know who my brother is and why are you talking for her again?”
“Because I want to. Because I’m spoiling for a fight, Kade, and if you don’t want it to be you, you better stand aside.”
He didn’t move.
She barked, “Now.”
He still didn’t move. He only lowered his head and narrowed his eyes at her. Glancing at me again, I felt the weight of his gaze. It didn’t matter. He knew something was up and he knew it had nothing to do with the lies Heather had been throwing at him. Logan was like Mason. He could sense through bullshit. Turning so he was facing me directly, he asked, “What’s going on? No shit storm, tell me what’s up.”
I closed my eyes. I was caught,
but I shook my head. “I can’t.”
“Sam?”
“Logan.” This could not happen. There was no way. “Let this go.”
He heard the warning in my tone and seemed to reassess me. I never talked to him like this, but this was different terrain for both of us. Mason was always there. Mason was the go-between. Mason was the one we confided in and now he was gone. Concern and doubt clouded over him and he jerked his head in a nod. Stepping aside, he said in a hurt tone, “Okay. I will.”
A pang went through me. I ignored it and told myself this was for the best. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to leave, though. Or do you? Is,” he hesitated, still watching me intently, “that the reason you’re leaving, whatever is wrong?”