He chuckled. The sound of it teased against my collarbone. "Everyone probably does."
I groaned and pushed him away. Then I did scramble out of his bed. "I hope not."
"What are you doing?" He patted the empty spot next to him. "Come back to bed."
I grimaced, though I wanted. I wanted badly, but I shook my head and threw my top over my head. "For my sake, I can't."
"Your sake?" He sat up again and frowned as he ran a hand through his hair. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm your stepsister. I'm sleeping with you. Do you realize what kind of a reputation I'm going to get?"
He crossed his arms over his chest and I averted my eyes when his chest muscles protruded out. Heavens, that boy…
"I didn't even think about that."
"Yeah, well, think about it." I gave him a short wave. "I have to go."
When I shut the door, his laughter followed behind and as I soon realized I had no idea where I was, he had reason to laugh at me. Three doors later, four hallways, and another two sets of stairs I pushed my way through a last door to find myself beside an indoor pool. Who had an indoor pool? My goodness. And then I looked up and the incredulity of the situation died down.
Logan sat on the other side with some of his friends and Mark Decraw.
My inner claws came out.
"Hey! How did you get there?" Logan waved me over.
Everyone else looked up. Most of the guys were friendly. Most of the girls' weren't, but it didn't matter. As I drew closer, I ignored the knowing smirk on Logan's face and studied Mark's reserved one instead.
"Where have you been all day?"
"Huh?" I looked down.
Logan rolled his eyes. "You've been missing in action since this morning. Most people took naps, but they didn't sleep the whole day away."
I shrugged. I couldn't peel my eyes off of Mark, whose eyes were directed anywhere but at me. "I don't even know where I slept. I never found my room."
He whistled. "Are you serious? I was sure I saw Mason showing you."
My hand clamped down on his shoulder and he winced, howling under his breath. "Remove the claws, Sam. Seriously."
I forced a laugh from me. "Ha ha…ha, Logan."
He rolled his eyes again. "Your friends are on the bottom patio outside. I know that's where you'll be the rest of the night."
I gave him a thankful grin and started forward, only to stop and look back. "How do I get there?"
Mark stood and pointed through a doorway. "You go through there, up the left stairs and the door will take you to the kitchen. The patios are out from there."
I narrowed my eyes at him. Why was he being helpful? Did he not know of his mother's intentions? I knew I should've thanked him, but I clipped out, "How's your mom?"
He frowned. "She's fine…Why?" His eyes seemed wary.
I shrugged. "No reason."
Logan's gaze had been skirting between us with a frown on his face. A look of frustration passed over him. "Where's Mason, Sam?"
I jumped. "Why would I know?"
"You saw him last?"
I looked away and cursed when my face went in flames. "I have no idea. I've been asleep the whole afternoon."
"Uh huh. Right."
When I glanced back, I was grateful to see that only Logan studied me. He gave me a tight smile and I knew that he knew. Guilt and anger coursed through me, but I frowned back at him. Then I stuck my tongue out at him before I pushed through a set of doors that led where Mark had told me to go.
When I pushed into the kitchen, so many people poured everywhere. No one looked at me and I got an extra bounce in my step from that. No one cared. That was good, very good. And I meandered through to the patios. From the top, I looked down and my eyes went wide again. When Logan said my friends were on the bottom patio, he'd declined to tell me there were six different patios. There were walkways that connected them and each patio was set beneath the other one.
When I got to the bottom, that patio was settled between a tennis court and a sand volleyball court.
Who were Nate's parents and what did they do for a living?
"Sam!" Becky saw me first and pumped her hand in the air. The fierceness of her movements sent most of her drink over the glass' edge that she held in her other hand. Amelia White scrambled up next to her and brushed frantically at her lap.
As I approached, she had snapped something at Becky, who didn't seem to care as her grin was etched from ear to ear. She pulled over an empty seat next to her and shoved it out to me. "Here. Sit here."
I sat.
Amelia scoffed and rolled her eyes as she moved a seat away on the other side of Becky. Her two other friends, Miranda and Cassandra both gave me polite smiles before they sipped their drinks. Adam was surrounded by Peter and a second guy that I didn't know. He looked like the Academy Elite, preppy and stuck-up.
"Where did you go?" Becky gushed. "I didn't know you ran. Adam said you went running. How far did you?"
I shrugged. "Far enough."
"That's so cool. You should go out for cross country. I bet you'd be awesome at it."
Adam gave me a biting smile. "Did you rest up this afternoon?"
I wanted to glare at him, but I held back and took a breath instead. "I did. You?"
Cassandra laughed shrilly and placed a hand over his. She gave me a forced smile. "Oh, you wouldn't believe how long he napped."
I frowned. "I wouldn't?"
"No." She heartedly shook her head. "Not at all, not one bit." Then she wiggled two fingers at me. "You're so secretive, Samantha. We had no idea you liked to run."
My eyebrow shot up. "Well, how could you? We've been such great friends since…" I waited a beat and gave my own forced laugh. "Oh, that's right. We're not friends."
Her smile clamped up and she glared instead. "You don't have to be mean."
I smiled back. "Why not? It's so much fun."
Becky gasped and patted her chest in an exaggerated fashion. "Could this be? Has Cassandra Uppity met her match?"
She turned her glare on her and an added coldness sparked in her depths. "Watch it, Sallaway. You're two steps from being ousted at school."
I groaned and pushed him away. Then I did scramble out of his bed. "I hope not."
"What are you doing?" He patted the empty spot next to him. "Come back to bed."
I grimaced, though I wanted. I wanted badly, but I shook my head and threw my top over my head. "For my sake, I can't."
"Your sake?" He sat up again and frowned as he ran a hand through his hair. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm your stepsister. I'm sleeping with you. Do you realize what kind of a reputation I'm going to get?"
He crossed his arms over his chest and I averted my eyes when his chest muscles protruded out. Heavens, that boy…
"I didn't even think about that."
"Yeah, well, think about it." I gave him a short wave. "I have to go."
When I shut the door, his laughter followed behind and as I soon realized I had no idea where I was, he had reason to laugh at me. Three doors later, four hallways, and another two sets of stairs I pushed my way through a last door to find myself beside an indoor pool. Who had an indoor pool? My goodness. And then I looked up and the incredulity of the situation died down.
Logan sat on the other side with some of his friends and Mark Decraw.
My inner claws came out.
"Hey! How did you get there?" Logan waved me over.
Everyone else looked up. Most of the guys were friendly. Most of the girls' weren't, but it didn't matter. As I drew closer, I ignored the knowing smirk on Logan's face and studied Mark's reserved one instead.
"Where have you been all day?"
"Huh?" I looked down.
Logan rolled his eyes. "You've been missing in action since this morning. Most people took naps, but they didn't sleep the whole day away."
I shrugged. I couldn't peel my eyes off of Mark, whose eyes were directed anywhere but at me. "I don't even know where I slept. I never found my room."
He whistled. "Are you serious? I was sure I saw Mason showing you."
My hand clamped down on his shoulder and he winced, howling under his breath. "Remove the claws, Sam. Seriously."
I forced a laugh from me. "Ha ha…ha, Logan."
He rolled his eyes again. "Your friends are on the bottom patio outside. I know that's where you'll be the rest of the night."
I gave him a thankful grin and started forward, only to stop and look back. "How do I get there?"
Mark stood and pointed through a doorway. "You go through there, up the left stairs and the door will take you to the kitchen. The patios are out from there."
I narrowed my eyes at him. Why was he being helpful? Did he not know of his mother's intentions? I knew I should've thanked him, but I clipped out, "How's your mom?"
He frowned. "She's fine…Why?" His eyes seemed wary.
I shrugged. "No reason."
Logan's gaze had been skirting between us with a frown on his face. A look of frustration passed over him. "Where's Mason, Sam?"
I jumped. "Why would I know?"
"You saw him last?"
I looked away and cursed when my face went in flames. "I have no idea. I've been asleep the whole afternoon."
"Uh huh. Right."
When I glanced back, I was grateful to see that only Logan studied me. He gave me a tight smile and I knew that he knew. Guilt and anger coursed through me, but I frowned back at him. Then I stuck my tongue out at him before I pushed through a set of doors that led where Mark had told me to go.
When I pushed into the kitchen, so many people poured everywhere. No one looked at me and I got an extra bounce in my step from that. No one cared. That was good, very good. And I meandered through to the patios. From the top, I looked down and my eyes went wide again. When Logan said my friends were on the bottom patio, he'd declined to tell me there were six different patios. There were walkways that connected them and each patio was set beneath the other one.
When I got to the bottom, that patio was settled between a tennis court and a sand volleyball court.
Who were Nate's parents and what did they do for a living?
"Sam!" Becky saw me first and pumped her hand in the air. The fierceness of her movements sent most of her drink over the glass' edge that she held in her other hand. Amelia White scrambled up next to her and brushed frantically at her lap.
As I approached, she had snapped something at Becky, who didn't seem to care as her grin was etched from ear to ear. She pulled over an empty seat next to her and shoved it out to me. "Here. Sit here."
I sat.
Amelia scoffed and rolled her eyes as she moved a seat away on the other side of Becky. Her two other friends, Miranda and Cassandra both gave me polite smiles before they sipped their drinks. Adam was surrounded by Peter and a second guy that I didn't know. He looked like the Academy Elite, preppy and stuck-up.
"Where did you go?" Becky gushed. "I didn't know you ran. Adam said you went running. How far did you?"
I shrugged. "Far enough."
"That's so cool. You should go out for cross country. I bet you'd be awesome at it."
Adam gave me a biting smile. "Did you rest up this afternoon?"
I wanted to glare at him, but I held back and took a breath instead. "I did. You?"
Cassandra laughed shrilly and placed a hand over his. She gave me a forced smile. "Oh, you wouldn't believe how long he napped."
I frowned. "I wouldn't?"
"No." She heartedly shook her head. "Not at all, not one bit." Then she wiggled two fingers at me. "You're so secretive, Samantha. We had no idea you liked to run."
My eyebrow shot up. "Well, how could you? We've been such great friends since…" I waited a beat and gave my own forced laugh. "Oh, that's right. We're not friends."
Her smile clamped up and she glared instead. "You don't have to be mean."
I smiled back. "Why not? It's so much fun."
Becky gasped and patted her chest in an exaggerated fashion. "Could this be? Has Cassandra Uppity met her match?"
She turned her glare on her and an added coldness sparked in her depths. "Watch it, Sallaway. You're two steps from being ousted at school."
