Fallen Crest Alternative Version
Page 67
“Why aren’t you telling me?”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I didn’t know why, but I knew I couldn’t say a word. There was no way that Mason could know what Miranda knew. If he did, another shiver went down my spine. I didn’t know what he would do. As I looked up, I swallowed some of the pain away. It was there, brimming on my surface. Longing, love, sadness, concern. I felt it all for him and he’d been through too much already. So I lied and my voice was hoarse from the emotion. “It was nothing. Really.”
He sighed.
“She called me a slut. She hates that you and I are still together when Logan dumped her. She’s just jealous.”
The words slipped out. The lie was too smooth, and I fought against the urge to hang my head in shame.
He didn’t answer, not for a long time. “I know you better than you know yourself.” He turned for the door. “And I know that was the biggest bullshit you’ve ever told me.”
The door slammed behind him.
I jumped from the force of it, and then vomit spewed up from my throat. I kept my mouth closed and ran for the bathroom. As soon as I got to the toilet, it went everywhere. I couldn’t believe it. I was puking my guts out. Flashes of light started to circle around me as I grew weak from the vomiting. My hand trembled cleaning a side of the toilet lid so I could rest my head. As I did, I turned to the side, and more puke came up. It didn’t stop for a while.
I didn’t know what it was from. I only had a glass of rum and Coke. Mason’s infuriated eyes flashed in my head, and more vomit came up. My stomach rolled over on itself. It growled a deep rumbling sound, and I prayed there was nothing more to come out.
“Sam?”
I groaned and ground my forehead into the toilet seat. Why now? Why him? But I choked out, “Here.”
Logan came to the doorway and stood there with a frown. He crossed his arms. “You’re sick? You didn’t drink anything.”
I managed one finger in the air.
“You didn’t finish that drink.”
I wiggled it at him. “Why are you quizzing me right now?”
He chuckled and ran hot water on some washcloths. After one was warm enough, he bent near me and pressed it to my forehead.
Oh, this was so not good. I tried to shake my head and push him away.
“Shut up. You stink and you’re a mess right now. What’s with Mason? He came downstairs and looked ready to rip someone’s head off.” The side of his mouth curved up. “I wanted to see the other guy.”
“So you came up here?”
“Yeah, well, not many can get Mason that pissed so quickly.”
“I’m talented.”
“Or he loves you.” His tone was casual, joking even, as he lifted my head from the seat. With two sure movements, he washed the rest of my face and then nodded to himself. He leaned back on his haunches. “You look better.”
Then he gave my shoulder a swift pat and stood up. “Brush your teeth. Your breath reeks.”
I shoved him away, grinning at the same time. “Shut up.”
“You shut up.”
When he stood, I asked, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to go kick some ass.” He flashed me a smile. “Don’t you know that’s what I do?”
Shit. He couldn’t. Miranda needed to be quieted and Mason had to do that. Logan would find too much. “Stay.”
He grin softened, but he sighed. “I can’t, Sam. That bitch went after you because of me. I’ll handle her. Don’t worry.”
“But—” I reached out for him, but he left. When I heard the bedroom door close behind him, I wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. Everything was coming out now.
“Sam?”
“Mason!” I didn’t care if he was angry or that I lied to him. Logan was going to find out. It was time to come clean about everything.
He came to the bathroom and stopped in the door. His eyes narrowed, and he grimaced before he came further in and knelt beside me. “Shit. You’re sick?”
His hand tucked some of my hair back and lingered there, his thumb rubbing over my cheek. He murmured, softly, “What’s really going on?” He was tense. The anger lingered, but it was dampened for now.
I was going to make it worse again. “You came back.”
“Your friends are gone. I kicked them all out.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to think about that. “What about Logan?”
“What about him?”
“Where’d he go? He said he was going to kick some ass.”
He shrugged, stroking his hand down my back, and then lifted me to his lap. “I know you lied before. Will you tell me what’s really going on?”
I took a breath. It was going to get messy. Then I spilled, “She knows.” I felt him hold his breath underneath me. He tensed, but I said more, “She knows everything, Mason. She knows Logan didn’t date her to protect me from her. She figured it out that he was set up by you. That you did it because Logan has feelings for me and you didn’t want another girl to get in between you guys. She knows.” My heart was pounding, and pain sliced through me. It was out now between us.
Everything would change. Mason. Logan. Me.
“You know?”
My heart broke. He said it so softly. I nodded.
“When?”
It was my turn to shrug now.
“Sam.”
I let out my breath. “A while.” Probably from the beginning, but I didn’t tell him that part. “I don’t really know when I knew. I just did.”
He cursed under his breath. His hand fell from my back. I was sitting on his lap, but he was no longer holding me there. He cursed again, his voice rising. “She figured it all out?”
I nodded.
“He went after her.”
I nodded again. My whole world was crumbling down. “She’ll tell him. He’ll put two and two together.”
“SHIT!”
I flinched but closed my eyes. I wanted to burrow back in his chest. I couldn’t. That would’ve been pointless.
“I have to tell Nate. Maybe he can head Logan off. I can figure something out.”
“What good would that do?”
“I don’t know,” he bit out. His eyes raked me over, frustrated and helpless at the same time. “I have to try something. I set him up. That’s what she’s going to twist it as. He’ll know that I manipulated him and Nate did too. We do this to others to protect ourselves, but not to each other and now,” he fell silent. His jaw hardened. “Shit. Now he knows.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I didn’t know why, but I knew I couldn’t say a word. There was no way that Mason could know what Miranda knew. If he did, another shiver went down my spine. I didn’t know what he would do. As I looked up, I swallowed some of the pain away. It was there, brimming on my surface. Longing, love, sadness, concern. I felt it all for him and he’d been through too much already. So I lied and my voice was hoarse from the emotion. “It was nothing. Really.”
He sighed.
“She called me a slut. She hates that you and I are still together when Logan dumped her. She’s just jealous.”
The words slipped out. The lie was too smooth, and I fought against the urge to hang my head in shame.
He didn’t answer, not for a long time. “I know you better than you know yourself.” He turned for the door. “And I know that was the biggest bullshit you’ve ever told me.”
The door slammed behind him.
I jumped from the force of it, and then vomit spewed up from my throat. I kept my mouth closed and ran for the bathroom. As soon as I got to the toilet, it went everywhere. I couldn’t believe it. I was puking my guts out. Flashes of light started to circle around me as I grew weak from the vomiting. My hand trembled cleaning a side of the toilet lid so I could rest my head. As I did, I turned to the side, and more puke came up. It didn’t stop for a while.
I didn’t know what it was from. I only had a glass of rum and Coke. Mason’s infuriated eyes flashed in my head, and more vomit came up. My stomach rolled over on itself. It growled a deep rumbling sound, and I prayed there was nothing more to come out.
“Sam?”
I groaned and ground my forehead into the toilet seat. Why now? Why him? But I choked out, “Here.”
Logan came to the doorway and stood there with a frown. He crossed his arms. “You’re sick? You didn’t drink anything.”
I managed one finger in the air.
“You didn’t finish that drink.”
I wiggled it at him. “Why are you quizzing me right now?”
He chuckled and ran hot water on some washcloths. After one was warm enough, he bent near me and pressed it to my forehead.
Oh, this was so not good. I tried to shake my head and push him away.
“Shut up. You stink and you’re a mess right now. What’s with Mason? He came downstairs and looked ready to rip someone’s head off.” The side of his mouth curved up. “I wanted to see the other guy.”
“So you came up here?”
“Yeah, well, not many can get Mason that pissed so quickly.”
“I’m talented.”
“Or he loves you.” His tone was casual, joking even, as he lifted my head from the seat. With two sure movements, he washed the rest of my face and then nodded to himself. He leaned back on his haunches. “You look better.”
Then he gave my shoulder a swift pat and stood up. “Brush your teeth. Your breath reeks.”
I shoved him away, grinning at the same time. “Shut up.”
“You shut up.”
When he stood, I asked, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to go kick some ass.” He flashed me a smile. “Don’t you know that’s what I do?”
Shit. He couldn’t. Miranda needed to be quieted and Mason had to do that. Logan would find too much. “Stay.”
He grin softened, but he sighed. “I can’t, Sam. That bitch went after you because of me. I’ll handle her. Don’t worry.”
“But—” I reached out for him, but he left. When I heard the bedroom door close behind him, I wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. Everything was coming out now.
“Sam?”
“Mason!” I didn’t care if he was angry or that I lied to him. Logan was going to find out. It was time to come clean about everything.
He came to the bathroom and stopped in the door. His eyes narrowed, and he grimaced before he came further in and knelt beside me. “Shit. You’re sick?”
His hand tucked some of my hair back and lingered there, his thumb rubbing over my cheek. He murmured, softly, “What’s really going on?” He was tense. The anger lingered, but it was dampened for now.
I was going to make it worse again. “You came back.”
“Your friends are gone. I kicked them all out.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to think about that. “What about Logan?”
“What about him?”
“Where’d he go? He said he was going to kick some ass.”
He shrugged, stroking his hand down my back, and then lifted me to his lap. “I know you lied before. Will you tell me what’s really going on?”
I took a breath. It was going to get messy. Then I spilled, “She knows.” I felt him hold his breath underneath me. He tensed, but I said more, “She knows everything, Mason. She knows Logan didn’t date her to protect me from her. She figured it out that he was set up by you. That you did it because Logan has feelings for me and you didn’t want another girl to get in between you guys. She knows.” My heart was pounding, and pain sliced through me. It was out now between us.
Everything would change. Mason. Logan. Me.
“You know?”
My heart broke. He said it so softly. I nodded.
“When?”
It was my turn to shrug now.
“Sam.”
I let out my breath. “A while.” Probably from the beginning, but I didn’t tell him that part. “I don’t really know when I knew. I just did.”
He cursed under his breath. His hand fell from my back. I was sitting on his lap, but he was no longer holding me there. He cursed again, his voice rising. “She figured it all out?”
I nodded.
“He went after her.”
I nodded again. My whole world was crumbling down. “She’ll tell him. He’ll put two and two together.”
“SHIT!”
I flinched but closed my eyes. I wanted to burrow back in his chest. I couldn’t. That would’ve been pointless.
“I have to tell Nate. Maybe he can head Logan off. I can figure something out.”
“What good would that do?”
“I don’t know,” he bit out. His eyes raked me over, frustrated and helpless at the same time. “I have to try something. I set him up. That’s what she’s going to twist it as. He’ll know that I manipulated him and Nate did too. We do this to others to protect ourselves, but not to each other and now,” he fell silent. His jaw hardened. “Shit. Now he knows.”
