"Stop," I said under my breath to him.
Then, with a different sounding laugh, he squeezed me against him again and kissed the side of my head. "No worries. I'll be your boyfriend for as long as you want me to be." He glanced at Becky. "I hope I won't meet you in a dark alley, little girl."
Her eyes rounded. "Really?"
"I've got moves too, little red." Logan shook his head and laughed under his breath before he tapped my arm once and left.
Lydia swooned, swaying on her feet. "I need dry panties."
"Lydia!"
Becky frowned at her.
Adam cringed behind them, but gave me a wry look. "Are you going to tell them?"
I shrugged.
"Tell us what?"
"Yeah, what?" They looked back and forth.
"Hey, dude!" Mark Decraw pushed his way through the crowd and slapped a hand on Adam's shoulder. "I've been waiting for you for an hour, man."
Adam grimaced. "Yeah, it took longer than I thought it would. Sorry about the wait."
"No worries. I scored some free drinks at the pool downstairs." Then his gaze swung wide and he took the rest of us in. His eyes widened a fraction when he saw me. "Hey, Sam. I heard upstairs got intense."
My eyes cooled. "Yeah…"
"You think everything's going to work out? You know, with you and M—"
"I don't want to talk about it." I folded my arms over my chest and waited. My heart started to pound. What right did he have to talk about my family struggles? He wasn't family. He didn't know a thing about it.
"Oh. Okay." He looked towards Adam and shifted to the back of his heels.
Adam looked around the room.
So did Lydia while Becky's eyes were glued to me as she mouthed, 'What upstairs?'
Then someone laughed as they passed by. "Awkward!"
Lydia and Becky made eye contact and bent over giggling. Adam frowned more and he started to scratch his head.
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Did I join in? Did I pretend I didn't know what Mark was talking about? Did I pretend I was friends with Adam again? I had no idea, but I did know that I was separate from the group now. My relationship with the Kades had shifted me higher than my friends, but if they were like this with the assumption that I was sleeping with Logan, what'd they be like when they learned it was Mason?
I closed my eyes as I felt the urge to find the treadmill in the hotel's gym. It was already closed, but I was sure the Kade name had some pull.
"Oh hey," Mark tried to sound normal. He failed. "There's Pete and the crew. I'll see you guys later. Sam…"
I jerked my head in a stiff nod, but I couldn't keep the scowl from my face. Who did he think he was now because he was privy to information about my family?
Becky and Lydia's heads squashed together, but Adam tugged me backwards, away from them. He spoke in my ear, "Calm down. Mark didn't mean anything by it."
I hissed out, "He doesn't know me. He doesn't know anything and now he's talking to me about my life? Who the hell does he think he is?"
He gave me a pained smile. "He's my friend and he wants to get to know you."
"What?" I stared up at him. "Why?"
"Because he wants to break the news that he thinks his mom and Coach are going to get hitched, but he doesn't know how to."
"What?!" Everything in me sunk at that moment.
"Yeah." Adam raised a hand down the backside of his head and rubbed at his neck. "He thinks you should know, but I guess it's supposed to be a spontaneous thing. He's going to be family, Sam. And he's stepping out from Miranda's wrath."
I closed my eyes. I couldn't do anything else. And I stood there.
Adam reached for my shoulders to pull me close. I shrugged him off. And I could hear the bitterness in his voice. "Look, Stewart doesn't want any of us to be friends with you, much less talk to you. I told her to go to hell and so did Mark. He's doing this for his mom and for Coach and, in some weird way, for you too. He feels bad about your situation."
I spoke through gritted teeth, "I don't care about being in the Elite."
"I know. We all know that and I think that pisses Miranda off the most, but it doesn't change the fact. You've got another year at the Academy, much less the rest of this year. Look, the girls won't go against Miranda. They might not all agree with her, but they won't go against her. If you—"
A hand wrapped my waist and pulled me backwards. I closed my eyes because I didn't need to look. Heat and lust washed over me when Mason urged me to turn around with a hand on my hip. I met his gaze once and when I saw the smoldering depths there, I knew the game was up. I was swept against his chest and burrowed there as he started to rub my back while the other one cradled my head to him. He spoke over me, "You're starting to piss me off, Quinn."
Adam's hostility was evident. "I'm friends with her friends. What do you expect of me, Kade?"
Mason's arm tightened on my back. He swept down and started to massage the side of my hip, grinding me against him in the same motion. My heart pounded and the need started to throb again. I gasped against his chest and started to move with him.
"Isn't that…convenient." Acid dripped from Mason's voice.
"What's going on?"
Some of the tension left Mason at the sound of his brother's voice.
"Mase, why you holding my girlfriend?" He sounded bright, cheery. Then he turned serious. "Ah, got it. Truth time, huh? Quinn, why are you always around Sam? You must have a boner every time you talk to her, or think about her, smell her… Do you use your mom's lotion? The pretty smelling stuff when you jerk it?"
"Um…" Becky was hushed immediately. "No, I won't shut up. What's going on? Sam?"
My eyes snapped open, but I knew I couldn't turn around. It was all over my face. I'd been in his arms for a minute and I wanted to drag him to a bedroom. My face was heated and I could imagine what the rest of me looked like. They'd call me a whore after this and it would stick. I knew it.
When I started to turn, Mason kept me in place. His voice was rough as he clipped out, "Stay away from her Quinn. If you keep trying to get in her pants, we're going to have a problem."
Then, with a different sounding laugh, he squeezed me against him again and kissed the side of my head. "No worries. I'll be your boyfriend for as long as you want me to be." He glanced at Becky. "I hope I won't meet you in a dark alley, little girl."
Her eyes rounded. "Really?"
"I've got moves too, little red." Logan shook his head and laughed under his breath before he tapped my arm once and left.
Lydia swooned, swaying on her feet. "I need dry panties."
"Lydia!"
Becky frowned at her.
Adam cringed behind them, but gave me a wry look. "Are you going to tell them?"
I shrugged.
"Tell us what?"
"Yeah, what?" They looked back and forth.
"Hey, dude!" Mark Decraw pushed his way through the crowd and slapped a hand on Adam's shoulder. "I've been waiting for you for an hour, man."
Adam grimaced. "Yeah, it took longer than I thought it would. Sorry about the wait."
"No worries. I scored some free drinks at the pool downstairs." Then his gaze swung wide and he took the rest of us in. His eyes widened a fraction when he saw me. "Hey, Sam. I heard upstairs got intense."
My eyes cooled. "Yeah…"
"You think everything's going to work out? You know, with you and M—"
"I don't want to talk about it." I folded my arms over my chest and waited. My heart started to pound. What right did he have to talk about my family struggles? He wasn't family. He didn't know a thing about it.
"Oh. Okay." He looked towards Adam and shifted to the back of his heels.
Adam looked around the room.
So did Lydia while Becky's eyes were glued to me as she mouthed, 'What upstairs?'
Then someone laughed as they passed by. "Awkward!"
Lydia and Becky made eye contact and bent over giggling. Adam frowned more and he started to scratch his head.
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Did I join in? Did I pretend I didn't know what Mark was talking about? Did I pretend I was friends with Adam again? I had no idea, but I did know that I was separate from the group now. My relationship with the Kades had shifted me higher than my friends, but if they were like this with the assumption that I was sleeping with Logan, what'd they be like when they learned it was Mason?
I closed my eyes as I felt the urge to find the treadmill in the hotel's gym. It was already closed, but I was sure the Kade name had some pull.
"Oh hey," Mark tried to sound normal. He failed. "There's Pete and the crew. I'll see you guys later. Sam…"
I jerked my head in a stiff nod, but I couldn't keep the scowl from my face. Who did he think he was now because he was privy to information about my family?
Becky and Lydia's heads squashed together, but Adam tugged me backwards, away from them. He spoke in my ear, "Calm down. Mark didn't mean anything by it."
I hissed out, "He doesn't know me. He doesn't know anything and now he's talking to me about my life? Who the hell does he think he is?"
He gave me a pained smile. "He's my friend and he wants to get to know you."
"What?" I stared up at him. "Why?"
"Because he wants to break the news that he thinks his mom and Coach are going to get hitched, but he doesn't know how to."
"What?!" Everything in me sunk at that moment.
"Yeah." Adam raised a hand down the backside of his head and rubbed at his neck. "He thinks you should know, but I guess it's supposed to be a spontaneous thing. He's going to be family, Sam. And he's stepping out from Miranda's wrath."
I closed my eyes. I couldn't do anything else. And I stood there.
Adam reached for my shoulders to pull me close. I shrugged him off. And I could hear the bitterness in his voice. "Look, Stewart doesn't want any of us to be friends with you, much less talk to you. I told her to go to hell and so did Mark. He's doing this for his mom and for Coach and, in some weird way, for you too. He feels bad about your situation."
I spoke through gritted teeth, "I don't care about being in the Elite."
"I know. We all know that and I think that pisses Miranda off the most, but it doesn't change the fact. You've got another year at the Academy, much less the rest of this year. Look, the girls won't go against Miranda. They might not all agree with her, but they won't go against her. If you—"
A hand wrapped my waist and pulled me backwards. I closed my eyes because I didn't need to look. Heat and lust washed over me when Mason urged me to turn around with a hand on my hip. I met his gaze once and when I saw the smoldering depths there, I knew the game was up. I was swept against his chest and burrowed there as he started to rub my back while the other one cradled my head to him. He spoke over me, "You're starting to piss me off, Quinn."
Adam's hostility was evident. "I'm friends with her friends. What do you expect of me, Kade?"
Mason's arm tightened on my back. He swept down and started to massage the side of my hip, grinding me against him in the same motion. My heart pounded and the need started to throb again. I gasped against his chest and started to move with him.
"Isn't that…convenient." Acid dripped from Mason's voice.
"What's going on?"
Some of the tension left Mason at the sound of his brother's voice.
"Mase, why you holding my girlfriend?" He sounded bright, cheery. Then he turned serious. "Ah, got it. Truth time, huh? Quinn, why are you always around Sam? You must have a boner every time you talk to her, or think about her, smell her… Do you use your mom's lotion? The pretty smelling stuff when you jerk it?"
"Um…" Becky was hushed immediately. "No, I won't shut up. What's going on? Sam?"
My eyes snapped open, but I knew I couldn't turn around. It was all over my face. I'd been in his arms for a minute and I wanted to drag him to a bedroom. My face was heated and I could imagine what the rest of me looked like. They'd call me a whore after this and it would stick. I knew it.
When I started to turn, Mason kept me in place. His voice was rough as he clipped out, "Stay away from her Quinn. If you keep trying to get in her pants, we're going to have a problem."
