Fallen Crest Alternative Version
Page 51
“You’re cheating on Jessica?”
“I was dancing.”
“You were going to do more! Or did you already do more?”
Guilt flashed over him and he collapsed back on the bed. “Please don’t say anything to Jessica. Please, Sam. Please. I can’t handle her attitude right now.”
I rolled my eyes. I was about to say something when the door opened again. Mason and Logan both came inside.
“Oh my god!” Jeff groaned again as he saw them. “Really. I could do without the triad.”
Mason’s eyes narrowed as he swept over me and lingered on Jeff. “What are you doing?”
A disgusted sound ripped from the bottom of my throat. “I have no idea. This idiot cheated on me and he’s cheating on that girl now.”
Jeff sat back up, but he watched them warily. “Oh, come on, Sam. Don’t tell me you’re not a little happy by this. She’s getting what she deserves, right?” He snorted.
I stopped whatever I’d been about to say. He was right. I was happy, but I wasn’t. I glowered at him. “Stop cheating on girls.” It took two steps and I swatted him on the back of his head.
“Ouch!” He rubbed at the spot and glowered back.
Logan started laughing while Mason’s shoulder relaxed. He slid his hands in his jean pockets and leaned against the door, but then someone knocked and he opened it. Becky stumbled in, her eyes wide as she took in the scene. Mason and Logan both stood close to the door, but then her eyes fell on the bed and they went flat. She glanced at me and sighed. “What’d he do now?”
“Hey.”
Rex had followed behind her. He stopped and stared at Jeff with a frown.
She turned back. “He’s my cousin.”
He shrugged and went to lean beside Logan. All three of them were now lined up on the other side of the room.
Becky shook her head. “What’d he do? Let me guess. He hit on you, didn’t he?” Before I could answer, she swatted the back of his head too.
“Hey!”
She ignored him. “What do you want me to do? I can sic my aunt on him. She’s already disgusted that her son is a manwhore.”
“I am not.”
I shrugged. “It wasn’t me. He was grinding on another girl. I’m pretty sure they’d just left a bedroom.”
She turned with her hands on her hips. She struck an intimidating poise. “You cheated on Jessica? Wait, you’re still with Jessica, right?”
“Yeah,” he grumbled. He hung his head.
“I can’t believe you cheated on her. You usually cheat with her.”
“I know. I know we do, but I don’t know.” He sighed as his shoulders lifted up and down. His head hung further. “Are you guys going to tell?”
Becky’s eyes got wide again. “Tell Jessica? Are you kidding me?”
“I will.” I spun on my heel and was through the door before anyone tried to stop me. I hadn’t gone far before a hand wrapped around my wrist and I was pulled into another empty room. This time the door was closed and locked before I could get back through.
“What?” I glared at Mason.
“Don’t do this.”
“Do what?” My heart was racing. My chest heaved up and down.
He moved away from me and a back lamp was switched on. He sat on the bed and looked up at me in the same pose as Jeff. Then he tugged me between his legs and leaned back. He rested his hands on the bed but watched me.
“What?” I shifted underneath his gaze.
“You know what. Don’t get involved with this.”
“Why not?” I crossed my arms. “He cheated on me with her. I was the victim. She should learn what it feels like.”
He continued to watch me. Those eyes never blinked, they never gave anything away. “Because you’re going to feel dirty if you do that. She’s going to find out anyway. Why do you have to get involved?”
“Are you kidding me? This is something you’d do in a heartbeat.”
He never blinked. “Yeah, but you’re not me. You’ll feel bad later. You’ll regret saying anything.”
I groaned and tipped my head back. “Are you serious now?”
His chuckle slid down my spine and then his hands found my hips and he urged me to straddle him. As I did and sunk lower, he leaned back up. A hand slid under my shirt, up my back, and his fingers took hold of my neck. He tilted it so I looked back down at him. Then he grinned as he leaned up to nip at my lips.
My arms wound around him and I sighed as he explored my mouth.
I melted into him and he pulled me down with him, but someone knocked on the door. We tensed and he lifted his head. “What?”
Logan yelled through the door, “Broudou’s here.”
Every muscle in Mason went solid. He felt like cement now, clenching and unclenching his jaw before he managed another response. His voice was gruff now. “Get the guys. I’m coming.”
“What’s going on?”
He pushed me off with a gentle hand and stood. “Don’t follow me, Sam.”
“What?” I scrambled to my feet as he crossed for the door. “Why?”
“I mean it.” He stopped in the doorway and held my gaze.
It took my breath away. I’d never seen such intensity in him before. It verged on desperation and he tipped my chin up with a finger underneath. He whispered as he bent close, “Please, stay in here. We’ll send these guys away and I’ll come back. I promise.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips and pulled the door shut behind him.
“Who’s Broudou?”
But he was already gone. I hurried to open it again and skidded to a halt. Two large guys stood against the hallway. Their gazes met mine and I knew I had inherited two bodyguards.
“Are you kidding me?”
One of them shook his head. “Sorry. Mason doesn’t want you out there. It’s for your safety.”
An angry breath left me in a rush and my hands formed into fists. Then I heard from the hallway, “What are you guys doing?”
The response was muffled. “Mason’s girl is in there.”
The first person snorted in disgust. “Are you serious? It’s not the eighteenth century. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” And then the door was ripped open.
I blinked at the sight of Kate in front of me. A slight sneer was on her face, but she gestured with her head down the hallway. My gaze slid over her and saw the rest of their friends. They had formed a barrier between the two bodyguards and me. Then Jasmine purred as she ran her hand up the guy’s leg. “Come on, Strauss. Let her go. She’s smart. She’s not going to be stupid and do anything stupid. He wouldn’t be with her if she did.” She tugged him forward. “Let’s use that room for something else.”
“I was dancing.”
“You were going to do more! Or did you already do more?”
Guilt flashed over him and he collapsed back on the bed. “Please don’t say anything to Jessica. Please, Sam. Please. I can’t handle her attitude right now.”
I rolled my eyes. I was about to say something when the door opened again. Mason and Logan both came inside.
“Oh my god!” Jeff groaned again as he saw them. “Really. I could do without the triad.”
Mason’s eyes narrowed as he swept over me and lingered on Jeff. “What are you doing?”
A disgusted sound ripped from the bottom of my throat. “I have no idea. This idiot cheated on me and he’s cheating on that girl now.”
Jeff sat back up, but he watched them warily. “Oh, come on, Sam. Don’t tell me you’re not a little happy by this. She’s getting what she deserves, right?” He snorted.
I stopped whatever I’d been about to say. He was right. I was happy, but I wasn’t. I glowered at him. “Stop cheating on girls.” It took two steps and I swatted him on the back of his head.
“Ouch!” He rubbed at the spot and glowered back.
Logan started laughing while Mason’s shoulder relaxed. He slid his hands in his jean pockets and leaned against the door, but then someone knocked and he opened it. Becky stumbled in, her eyes wide as she took in the scene. Mason and Logan both stood close to the door, but then her eyes fell on the bed and they went flat. She glanced at me and sighed. “What’d he do now?”
“Hey.”
Rex had followed behind her. He stopped and stared at Jeff with a frown.
She turned back. “He’s my cousin.”
He shrugged and went to lean beside Logan. All three of them were now lined up on the other side of the room.
Becky shook her head. “What’d he do? Let me guess. He hit on you, didn’t he?” Before I could answer, she swatted the back of his head too.
“Hey!”
She ignored him. “What do you want me to do? I can sic my aunt on him. She’s already disgusted that her son is a manwhore.”
“I am not.”
I shrugged. “It wasn’t me. He was grinding on another girl. I’m pretty sure they’d just left a bedroom.”
She turned with her hands on her hips. She struck an intimidating poise. “You cheated on Jessica? Wait, you’re still with Jessica, right?”
“Yeah,” he grumbled. He hung his head.
“I can’t believe you cheated on her. You usually cheat with her.”
“I know. I know we do, but I don’t know.” He sighed as his shoulders lifted up and down. His head hung further. “Are you guys going to tell?”
Becky’s eyes got wide again. “Tell Jessica? Are you kidding me?”
“I will.” I spun on my heel and was through the door before anyone tried to stop me. I hadn’t gone far before a hand wrapped around my wrist and I was pulled into another empty room. This time the door was closed and locked before I could get back through.
“What?” I glared at Mason.
“Don’t do this.”
“Do what?” My heart was racing. My chest heaved up and down.
He moved away from me and a back lamp was switched on. He sat on the bed and looked up at me in the same pose as Jeff. Then he tugged me between his legs and leaned back. He rested his hands on the bed but watched me.
“What?” I shifted underneath his gaze.
“You know what. Don’t get involved with this.”
“Why not?” I crossed my arms. “He cheated on me with her. I was the victim. She should learn what it feels like.”
He continued to watch me. Those eyes never blinked, they never gave anything away. “Because you’re going to feel dirty if you do that. She’s going to find out anyway. Why do you have to get involved?”
“Are you kidding me? This is something you’d do in a heartbeat.”
He never blinked. “Yeah, but you’re not me. You’ll feel bad later. You’ll regret saying anything.”
I groaned and tipped my head back. “Are you serious now?”
His chuckle slid down my spine and then his hands found my hips and he urged me to straddle him. As I did and sunk lower, he leaned back up. A hand slid under my shirt, up my back, and his fingers took hold of my neck. He tilted it so I looked back down at him. Then he grinned as he leaned up to nip at my lips.
My arms wound around him and I sighed as he explored my mouth.
I melted into him and he pulled me down with him, but someone knocked on the door. We tensed and he lifted his head. “What?”
Logan yelled through the door, “Broudou’s here.”
Every muscle in Mason went solid. He felt like cement now, clenching and unclenching his jaw before he managed another response. His voice was gruff now. “Get the guys. I’m coming.”
“What’s going on?”
He pushed me off with a gentle hand and stood. “Don’t follow me, Sam.”
“What?” I scrambled to my feet as he crossed for the door. “Why?”
“I mean it.” He stopped in the doorway and held my gaze.
It took my breath away. I’d never seen such intensity in him before. It verged on desperation and he tipped my chin up with a finger underneath. He whispered as he bent close, “Please, stay in here. We’ll send these guys away and I’ll come back. I promise.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips and pulled the door shut behind him.
“Who’s Broudou?”
But he was already gone. I hurried to open it again and skidded to a halt. Two large guys stood against the hallway. Their gazes met mine and I knew I had inherited two bodyguards.
“Are you kidding me?”
One of them shook his head. “Sorry. Mason doesn’t want you out there. It’s for your safety.”
An angry breath left me in a rush and my hands formed into fists. Then I heard from the hallway, “What are you guys doing?”
The response was muffled. “Mason’s girl is in there.”
The first person snorted in disgust. “Are you serious? It’s not the eighteenth century. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” And then the door was ripped open.
I blinked at the sight of Kate in front of me. A slight sneer was on her face, but she gestured with her head down the hallway. My gaze slid over her and saw the rest of their friends. They had formed a barrier between the two bodyguards and me. Then Jasmine purred as she ran her hand up the guy’s leg. “Come on, Strauss. Let her go. She’s smart. She’s not going to be stupid and do anything stupid. He wouldn’t be with her if she did.” She tugged him forward. “Let’s use that room for something else.”
