Fallen Crest University
Page 27
Bull’s-eye.
Sebastian’s mouth lifted in a quick grin before it vanished just as quickly as it’d appeared. That was what he had been doing after all. He wanted one of them to swing at him.
I frowned. That couldn’t be the whole reason. Mason and Logan were right. That was too simple. That wasn’t sophisticated at all, not what they were expecting from Park Sebastian.
An uneasy sensation took root in me.
Something was off.
Something wasn’t connecting.
“Okay.” Summer cleared her throat. “Whatever. It’s not going to happen.” She said to Sebastian, “They aren’t taking the bait. They’re not going to fight you here.” She twisted to Mason and Logan. “And I think he got your message. You’re not underestimating him. Check. Got it.” Her head skirted between all of us, falling to me at the last second. Her eyebrow arched high. “Can we all move along now? Let’s proceed until the next confrontation because, apparently, it’s bound to happen. I, for one, am already late for my first class, and being late is one of my pet peeves. No model can be late for a shoot. That’s been pounded into me by now.” She winced at her choice of words. “I could’ve used a better word there.”
They stood there for a moment after her speech ended. No one laughed at Summer’s slip. Logan kept staring at Sebastian, and so did Mason. They were waiting for his next move. Knowing they’d stay there until he was forced to either attack or retreat, I slipped around Mason’s arm and moved in front of him.
Still, no one moved.
I shook my head, catching Summer’s eye. She realized what I was doing and lined up in front of Logan. I placed my hands on Mason’s chest, feeling his pulse beating hard there, and ignored the little tingle of lust forming in me. I began lightly pushing him back, herding him through the crowd and toward my building.
Summer tugged on Logan, pulling him with us.
Logan held firm, still staring at Sebastian, until the moment was gone.
The tension suddenly lifted.
Mason and Logan went with us, and soon, the crowd closed off so we couldn’t see Sebastian anymore. That was when Logan cracked a grin, wrapped his arm around Summer’s waist, and lifted her in the air. She squealed, more from surprise than enjoyment, but a second later, a laugh came from her, and Logan threw her over his shoulder.
He grinned at her. “You got me. Where do you want me?”
She shook her head, still laughing, as she looked at him, hanging upside down. “You’re crazy.”
He winked at her. “And you’ve only known me for two days, too.” He gestured to us. “I’m taking this one to her class. I’m going to make a big scene so she can slip in, unnoticed, and I will make my apologies to her professor, leave, and find out where my class is. See you two lovers later.”
He headed off, circling around where our standoff just happened. As soon as they were gone, Mason’s hand slid down, and his fingers entwined with mine. He pulled me inside my building and into a private classroom. Once the door was shut, he sighed. “I’m sorry that happened just now.”
I shook my head. His other hand rested on my hip, and I lifted our hands to his chest, feeling his heart still racing.
“I don’t really know what happened, but I guess it was inevitable that we’d run into him. Might as well have been the first day, right?”
I expected his pulse to slow down, but it didn’t. It sped up, and I snuck a look under my eyelids. Mason wasn’t looking at me. He was peering over my head with a scowl on his face, and the shiver returned to me again.
He’d been quiet during the exchange. I’d known he was angry, but I’d thought he relaxed a little bit. I was wrong.
I said, “Logan was stalling for you.”
He still didn’t look down at me. “What do you mean?”
“You were going to do something, weren’t you?” As I said it, I knew I was right. It clicked into place.
Logan had known, too, and he took over the talking, giving his brother time to calm down.
“You were going to hit him.” Or something worse.
Mason’s jaw clenched. His hand tightened on my hip. His fingers dug into my skin. “Seeing him so close to you…I almost lost it. I would’ve if Logan hadn’t been there.”
Alarm rose up in me, mixing with that cold shiver. That couldn’t happen,ever.
“Mason…” I spread our fingers over his heart.
I wanted to will him to calm down. He needed to be the old Mason—the cool and controlled mastermind. The fact that Sebastian got to him so easily by just being around me had me on edge.
Mason pulled our hands down, and he cupped the back of my head. Bringing me closer, he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I love you, and don’t worry. I’ll get it together. Go to class. I think half of your classmates were outside anyway. You can slip in with them.” He dropped a kiss to my lips. “I’ll see you tonight.”
He slipped out the door before I’d registered his words.
I was left standing there, actually scared for the first time in a long time.
MASON
Logan was at home, waiting for me. I asked as soon as I shut the door, “Nate?”
“Class. We’re good to go. Sam, too?”
I nodded as I took the chair across from him. “She’s worried, but she’s not as worried as she should be.”
Logan flashed a grin. “I like her roommate.”
That was code for, I’m going to bone her roommate. I shrugged. I’d cared about Heather, only thinking it might hurt Sam. The roommate was probably worse because of her living proximity with Sam, but there were even worse things to be concerned about.
“He was waiting for her.”
The grin dropped as Logan nodded. “I know.”
The motherfucking asshole had been waiting for her. I shook my head. “That’s going to be a problem.”
“Yeah, but I don’t know what else to do. You got that guy following her, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you okay that with campus?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Logan lifted a shoulder. “Just that it’s kinda creepy, seeing a security guy lurking around campus. He could get reported, and then what?”
“No. He blends in with the students. He won’t get reported.”
Sebastian’s mouth lifted in a quick grin before it vanished just as quickly as it’d appeared. That was what he had been doing after all. He wanted one of them to swing at him.
I frowned. That couldn’t be the whole reason. Mason and Logan were right. That was too simple. That wasn’t sophisticated at all, not what they were expecting from Park Sebastian.
An uneasy sensation took root in me.
Something was off.
Something wasn’t connecting.
“Okay.” Summer cleared her throat. “Whatever. It’s not going to happen.” She said to Sebastian, “They aren’t taking the bait. They’re not going to fight you here.” She twisted to Mason and Logan. “And I think he got your message. You’re not underestimating him. Check. Got it.” Her head skirted between all of us, falling to me at the last second. Her eyebrow arched high. “Can we all move along now? Let’s proceed until the next confrontation because, apparently, it’s bound to happen. I, for one, am already late for my first class, and being late is one of my pet peeves. No model can be late for a shoot. That’s been pounded into me by now.” She winced at her choice of words. “I could’ve used a better word there.”
They stood there for a moment after her speech ended. No one laughed at Summer’s slip. Logan kept staring at Sebastian, and so did Mason. They were waiting for his next move. Knowing they’d stay there until he was forced to either attack or retreat, I slipped around Mason’s arm and moved in front of him.
Still, no one moved.
I shook my head, catching Summer’s eye. She realized what I was doing and lined up in front of Logan. I placed my hands on Mason’s chest, feeling his pulse beating hard there, and ignored the little tingle of lust forming in me. I began lightly pushing him back, herding him through the crowd and toward my building.
Summer tugged on Logan, pulling him with us.
Logan held firm, still staring at Sebastian, until the moment was gone.
The tension suddenly lifted.
Mason and Logan went with us, and soon, the crowd closed off so we couldn’t see Sebastian anymore. That was when Logan cracked a grin, wrapped his arm around Summer’s waist, and lifted her in the air. She squealed, more from surprise than enjoyment, but a second later, a laugh came from her, and Logan threw her over his shoulder.
He grinned at her. “You got me. Where do you want me?”
She shook her head, still laughing, as she looked at him, hanging upside down. “You’re crazy.”
He winked at her. “And you’ve only known me for two days, too.” He gestured to us. “I’m taking this one to her class. I’m going to make a big scene so she can slip in, unnoticed, and I will make my apologies to her professor, leave, and find out where my class is. See you two lovers later.”
He headed off, circling around where our standoff just happened. As soon as they were gone, Mason’s hand slid down, and his fingers entwined with mine. He pulled me inside my building and into a private classroom. Once the door was shut, he sighed. “I’m sorry that happened just now.”
I shook my head. His other hand rested on my hip, and I lifted our hands to his chest, feeling his heart still racing.
“I don’t really know what happened, but I guess it was inevitable that we’d run into him. Might as well have been the first day, right?”
I expected his pulse to slow down, but it didn’t. It sped up, and I snuck a look under my eyelids. Mason wasn’t looking at me. He was peering over my head with a scowl on his face, and the shiver returned to me again.
He’d been quiet during the exchange. I’d known he was angry, but I’d thought he relaxed a little bit. I was wrong.
I said, “Logan was stalling for you.”
He still didn’t look down at me. “What do you mean?”
“You were going to do something, weren’t you?” As I said it, I knew I was right. It clicked into place.
Logan had known, too, and he took over the talking, giving his brother time to calm down.
“You were going to hit him.” Or something worse.
Mason’s jaw clenched. His hand tightened on my hip. His fingers dug into my skin. “Seeing him so close to you…I almost lost it. I would’ve if Logan hadn’t been there.”
Alarm rose up in me, mixing with that cold shiver. That couldn’t happen,ever.
“Mason…” I spread our fingers over his heart.
I wanted to will him to calm down. He needed to be the old Mason—the cool and controlled mastermind. The fact that Sebastian got to him so easily by just being around me had me on edge.
Mason pulled our hands down, and he cupped the back of my head. Bringing me closer, he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I love you, and don’t worry. I’ll get it together. Go to class. I think half of your classmates were outside anyway. You can slip in with them.” He dropped a kiss to my lips. “I’ll see you tonight.”
He slipped out the door before I’d registered his words.
I was left standing there, actually scared for the first time in a long time.
MASON
Logan was at home, waiting for me. I asked as soon as I shut the door, “Nate?”
“Class. We’re good to go. Sam, too?”
I nodded as I took the chair across from him. “She’s worried, but she’s not as worried as she should be.”
Logan flashed a grin. “I like her roommate.”
That was code for, I’m going to bone her roommate. I shrugged. I’d cared about Heather, only thinking it might hurt Sam. The roommate was probably worse because of her living proximity with Sam, but there were even worse things to be concerned about.
“He was waiting for her.”
The grin dropped as Logan nodded. “I know.”
The motherfucking asshole had been waiting for her. I shook my head. “That’s going to be a problem.”
“Yeah, but I don’t know what else to do. You got that guy following her, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you okay that with campus?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Logan lifted a shoulder. “Just that it’s kinda creepy, seeing a security guy lurking around campus. He could get reported, and then what?”
“No. He blends in with the students. He won’t get reported.”
