Fallen Crest Family (29 page)

Logan flashed him a grin. "Yeah, maybe."

"Maybe?" I scoffed.

"Okay. Probably." A group of girls walked into the center area from underneath us. "Definitely."

"Shots," Mason reminded him.

"Right. This way." Logan weaved through the crowd that had already formed. He slapped a hand on the counter. "Six shots, Strauss. Give it to me, Cowboy man!"

Six shot glasses were turned over and filled with something pink. Logan pushed two to each of us and lifted his first. "To Sam coming to our school and to Mason always fucking her!"

"Logan!"

Mason laughed as he tapped his shot with his brother's. Both swallowed theirs at the same time before looking at me. Oh, fine. I threw mine back. We heard the same toast again with the second round. I couldn't help but shake my head as the alcohol went down my throat. Still, it didn't taste too bad. I turned for Mason and tugged on his belt loop. "One more."

His arms came around me to rest on the counter. He nodded to his friend. "Strauss, another round."

"Really?"

"I'm off. See you two lovebirds later."

Before we could look, Logan had already disappeared into the crowd.

Mason swung a finger from me to him. "Make that just for us two."

Strauss flipped over three shot glasses. As the pink stuff went into them again, he lifted one for himself. "I wouldn't dare make that same toast, but here's to your girl joining the gang."

"Nice." Mason grinned before he took his shot.

Mine was held suspended. Join their group? The girls hated me.

"Sam?"

I shook my head. "Nothing." And down the alcohol went. It burned this time, for some reason. "Where's Nate?"

Strauss gestured towards the back patio. "He's out there with the guys. I think he's resting before Parker gets her claws on him tonight."

"Parker's been here every night?"

His friend lifted an easygoing shoulder. "I think so. According to her."

"What does Nate say?"

Strauss gave him a pointed look. "You know Nate won't say anything to us. He would to you, not the rest of us."

Mason frowned. "I haven't thought to ask. I thought he didn't want to make that exclusive?"

I frowned at the tension I felt from him. His hands moved to my hips in a strong grip. His fingers tightened into my skin, and he pulled me against him. As he pressed his hips into me, I didn't feel the usual bulge that Mason always had when we stood like this. Instead, I felt his anger.

Strauss frowned a bit but shrugged again. "I don't know. You don't want that exclusive?"

"It don't matter to me—not my relationship." But the bite that came from his tone said otherwise.

"Or is it a Parker thing? You don't want her having too much say with him?"

I became aware of Strauss's scrutiny as his gaze skirted back and forth from Mason to me. After the fourth stare, I straightened and rolled back my shoulders. I knew he was wondering if I had told them about the girls' vendetta against me, if that was his problem with Nate being so close with Parker. I shook my head. It was the tiniest of movements, but he caught it and his eyes widened even more. I couldn't tell if he was relieved or worried.

Mason's hands gripped me tighter and he pressed all of his body against mine. This time I felt the bulge and my eyes closed. The need for him started to rise in me, and the throbbing began again. As he brushed back and forth against me, I started not to care where we were.

Mason lowered his head to my neck. He breathed out, his nostrils flared, and I felt his possessiveness over me. His hand lifted one of my arms so it was entwined around his neck. My hand splayed out over the back of his neck as his other hand slid around to the front of me. Every inch of us molded together as his hand slid inside of my pants.

He never answered his friend's question, but it didn't matter. Before my eyelids dropped, heavy and laden with lust, I saw that Strauss had left. Then I was only aware of Mason lifting me and turning me around. I was placed on the counter and he was between my legs. His mouth was on mine, urgent and demanding.

"Don't you two breathe?"

We jerked apart, but Mason groaned and rolled his eyes as he saw who interrupted us. "What are you doing here, Tate?"

The tall leggy blonde looked fresh and healthy. She was dressed in similar jeans as mine, brown instead of black, and wore an off-the shoulder cream sweater that draped to give a glimpse of her lacy tan-colored bra. Her hair was swept to the side, and with a glow on her cheeks, she looked like she had stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. Grinning like a Cheshire, she lifted her shoulders and flashed her dimples at him. "I heard about the happy couple. I wanted to congratulate you two."

Mason rested his forehead against the side of me as he glared at her. "Leave." His hand twitched on my hip. I knew he was holding back.

"Or what?" She widened her eyes in a dramatic fashion. "Or you'll make me leave?" She rolled her eyes. "You're going to have to get used to me. I'm moving back, Kade."

His eyes narrowed, and he sucked in his breath—just a little, but enough so that I felt it. My hand rested against his chest. I felt his heartbeat pick up as his muscles clenched underneath my touch. "Like hell, you are."

"I am." The smiling façade fell away. She stared back at him long and hard. "Get used to me. I'm not going anywhere." Then her grin picked back up, a slow malicious glint appeared. "I heard that you've been ignoring your precious Marissa's phone calls. Tsk, tsk, Mason. How noble is that? Was she your
charitable donation at the time, an attempt to persuade yourself that you're not that bad of a guy?" Her eyes slid to mine. "But now that you've got the good girl you can screw, you don't care about the Saintly Marissa anymore? I saw her, you know. Her parents moved to my town, and she even cried to me one time at a coffee shop. You're heartless, Kade, but then again—I never forgot that about you." She gave him a withering look. "Now your little friend knows that side of you exists and she's all the more humiliated because of it."

Mason was a cement slab of stone. As he grilled her with his eyes, I touched the side of his face. Nothing. There was no reaction. It was as if he had forgotten I was there. It made me wonder if there was more to his loathing than just the Logan situation. Had something else happened between the two? Or maybe he had wanted her as she had him? But no. I sucked in my breath. That couldn't have been the case. Mason hated this girl because she hurt Logan. She had been the one person who had managed that feat.

It was enough for me. "You might want to leave before you're thrown out."

Her eyes snapped to mine. She seemed energized by the new target. "Oh really?"

"Really."

"I heard this isn't their house."

"No, but it is Nate's."

Her smile fell flat.

My own doubled. "You don't think he'll kick you out because Mason told him to?"

She straightened away from us and backed up a few steps. Her eyes went flat as she skimmed me up and down. "Look, I came here as a sign of respect."

Mason snorted in disbelief.

"I did." She glared at him. "I'm moving back. I don't want any trouble from you guys."

"Off on the wrong foot, don't you think?" I snapped at her.

She ignored me and transferred her gaze to Mason. Her tone softened. "I still love Logan—"

He released me in a flash and gripped her arm. "You never loved Logan."

Her eyes widened in fear, but she shot back, "Yes, I did. I made a horrible mistake. I was stupid and an egomaniac, but I loved him. I really did—"

His hand tightened around her arm. "Get out of here, Tate. Now. And stay away from my brother." He pushed her back. There would be an imprint from where his hand had been. It was already reddening on her skin.

She stumbled back a few more steps. Her eyes seemed in a daze as she took in the sight of Mason, but then she found her footing and straightened again. A wistful smile came over her. "Man, I forgot what you look like when you're threatened."

"I'm not threatened. I'm pissed." He stalked closer to her until he was in her face again. "I can make your life hell."

"Yeah." She nodded with a thoughtful look in her eye. "You can, but I can do the same to you." She glanced over his shoulder to me. "I think I'm the one of two people who could do that to you. You might not want to piss me off, Kade. I can take your brother away from you and you know it."

"Get. Out."

She looked ready to say something more, but at that moment, Nate entered the kitchen. He took everything in and wrapped an arm around her waist. Picking her up, he grunted when she started to struggle. "You're not welcome, Tate. Ever." Then he gave Mason a reassuring nod before disappearing with her. The crowd that had formed to watch was silent now.

Mason barked at them. "Get lost!"

They jumped back into action. The conversations doubled in volume.

Sighing as he came back to me, he raked a hand through his hair and growled. "I hate that bitch."

My hand touched the side of his jaw, but it was still rigid. Then I sighed. "Looks like the next semester won't be as much fun as you thought."

He grimaced and his jaw flexed against my hand. Then, because it had been bugging me, I had to ask, "Is she right?"

"About what?"

"Does Logan still love her?"

A wall slammed over him, and he turned away. That's when I knew it was true, and that's when I realized how threatening this girl really was to their relationship. Maybe it was karmic coincidence, but it was at that moment when I looked up and saw members of the Elite in the kitchen. They had stayed away from me since Logan dumped Miranda so long ago, but she was there. In Peter's arms, dressed all in white, laughing at something one of the others had said and looking radiant in her happiness. But she hadn't been, not after Logan screwed with her. She'd been humiliated.

Miranda had been a blip on Mason's radar from the one time she taunted him that Logan might've had feelings for me. If he had reacted like that to her, I had no idea how he would handle Tate. She was the real threat.

Chills went down my spine.

When Nate returned, he gave Mason a look. An understanding transmitted between them, just the two of them. My teeth gritted together. For some reason, I didn't like the closeness those two had, not anymore.

Later in the evening, I was on the back patio. Mason lounged next to me with an arm around my waist and his head next to my shoulder. He lay there as if he were a lion, resting for his next battle. Since Tate had left, he kept a hand on me at all times. It was a possessive touch, not the loving touch from the apartment, but I couldn't deny the reaction it was having with me. A primal thrill had been burning deep in me. It mixed with a sick excitement.

Everyone else seemed to react to this side of Mason too. They were more alert, a bit more silent than at other parties. Nate hadn't left Mason's side since Tate's arrival either and sat on the other side of him. One of his legs was kicked up to rest on the table in front of us while a few of their guy friends sat in the remaining seats across from us.

Logan emerged from wherever he'd been and joined us on the patio.

As if it had been practiced and scripted, Ethan, Strauss and another guy stood up and left. When a few girls started up the stairs, they blocked them at the bottom. Then all three of them got comfortable. They were the guard dogs.

Logan watched them too before he slunk into one of the empty chairs and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "What's going on?" His voice was guarded.

I sighed. He had closed off. This wasn't going to go well.

Mason leaned forward. Nate remained silent.

"Maybe I should go." I started to stand up.

Mason clamped a hand on my arm. He kept me in place while Logan rolled his eyes. "Stay, Sam. You're family."

So I stayed, but my chest swelled with a smidgen of fear. I couldn't deny it. As I watched Mason turn hawk-like eyes on his brother, I wondered why he seemed so upset. Logan hadn't done anything.

Then it started, "Your ex was here."

Logan's eyes flashed. The hands came out of his pockets and he straightened in his chair. "Are you kidding me?"

Mason jerked his head to the side. "She says she's moving back."

"Are you messing with me?" Logan's nostrils flared now. Anger started to swirl in his depths, it mixed with something else, something that sent chills down my back again. Danger.

He shook his head. "No. I wish." He gestured to his side. "Nate kicked her out."

"But she'll come back," Logan clipped out.

Nate swiveled his head over to look at him, but there was no reaction. Mason's best friend was like a Greek god statue, made of stone. He showed no emotion. He was there for Mason. Logan was right when he said that Nate was only there for Mason. He wasn't there for Logan and me. He struck me as another silent guard dog, but I sensed ruthlessness in him that I have never experienced before. It wasn't the first time that I'd been struck off-balance by him, but it was the first time that I was starting to fear him a little bit.