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  her again.”

  “I was going to fuck her. That was it. I was going to fuck her and drop her.” He met my gaze, but I saw his pain. The haunted look was back.

  I shook my head. He wouldn’t have had the strength. “You would’ve fallen back in love with her.” When my words hit him, he turned away and I realized the truth. He was still in love with her. I thought he was only still hurting, not loving. “Maybe you should go?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I nodded. “I know.”

  Then Logan left. He grabbed a case of beer on his way out and I knew he’d find a different girl to be with for the rest of the night. It was how he dealt.

  I turned to Tate. My full attention focused on her now. This was how I dealt. “Really? You thought that would work?”

  She lashed out at me. “Shut up.” Suddenly she was standing on her own. She wasn’t backing down. Nate didn’t have to hold her up anymore. Her eyes were clear. Her shoulders were back, and she raised her chin up. “I still love him—”

  “You never fucking loved him.”

  She stopped.

  “You wanted me.”

  She looked away and I saw that she still did. I laughed. That was rich. “Are you serious? You were hoping to fuck my brother when you still think about me?”

  She didn’t answer. When she remained turned away, I knew it was true.

  “You’re unbelievable.” I shook my head. I had more to say, but none of it would’ve made a difference. She was going to keep going after him and I wondered if she thought she could still keep trying for me. Then I glanced over and saw Kate. She’d been watching and listening the whole time. When my gaze met hers, she straightened from the wall. I saw the hunger in her eyes. She wanted me too. I asked her, “You want me?”

  There were no pretenses. Kate didn’t care who heard. She was like me in that way. She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Make her life hell and we can talk.”

  Kate nodded. “I will.”

  I looked at Tate, saw the wariness in her eyes, and shook my head. “You should’ve stayed away from my brother.”

  She knew what was coming her way, but she held my gaze for a moment.

  In that second, I realized I would never understand Tate. I had no idea why she wanted me, why she tried to be with Logan, why she endured Kate and had put herself in a position to endure her again. Then I stopped caring. I remembered Logan as he sat at my computer and had watched the tape of her. I remembered the broken look in his gaze.

  I said to her, “I want you gone. If they don’t push you to leave, I will. I don’t care what I have to do. I want you out of our lives.”

  I left. Kate took over and for once, I was thankful to her. Then I went to get drunk. Nate went with me. It was guys’ night now.

  14

  MASON MEETS ANALISE FOR THE FIRST TIME

  “Mason,” the girl moaned as I kissed down her throat. Sweeping a hand up her shirt, I grabbed her breast and felt her body buck under me. I grinned. One touch, one little caress, and this girl was ready to unzip her pants for me again. When my hand curved around her hip and slid underneath her jeans, her elbow jerked and slammed against the horn.

  “Shit!” she gasped and looked at me with wild eyes. Her hair was messed up. Her top lip was curved up in a lustful grin. “Hey.” She reached for me, to pull me back down.

  I shook my head and straightened away. We were in her car. We’d been at a party and she wanted to hook up so I left with her, but I hadn’t felt in the mood to go back to the party so I had her bring me home instead. I flashed her a grin. “I’m going to head in.” I paused, frowning. “I had fun, though.”

  Her eyes narrowed to slits. The daze she’d been in left immediately and she snapped, “Do you even know my name?”

  I laughed. “How cliché is that?” I didn’t remember her name, but I knew her reputation. She didn’t sleep around. That was important to me whether I explained that to them or not.

  She folded her arms over her chest. “I mean it. What’s my name?”

  I rolled my eyes, then tapped her work identification tag that she had hung from her rearview mirror. “You mean it’s not Pam?”

  She flushed. “Oh.” Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “That’s all I get? A wham bam thank you ma’am thing?”

  “What else did you want?”

  “How about some protection at school? Do you know what your girlfriend’s going to do to me?”

  I snorted. “That’s your problem and she’s not my girlfriend.”

  “She’s still sniffing around you.”

  Flashing her a cocky smirk, I got out of the car. “I can’t help being irresistible. Thanks for the ride. Both of them.” I heard a groan from her. “God, why he’s so hot—” Then the door was shut and I waved goodbye before heading inside. I had her drop me off in the back so I went inside through the basement. I hadn’t gone far when I heard my dad.

  I stopped on the stairs.

  It was years later, but it didn’t matter. My stomach still rolled over itself when I heard him bring his women here. It would always churn. This had been my mom’s home. Every time he brought one home, it was like he was spitting on their memory. She had given him the house in the divorce settlement, but fuck that, this was my home. Logan’s home too. But he never cared. As I headed up the stairs, more and more anger built and then I saw them at the door. She was saying goodnight, then laughed as my dad kissed her again. I heard a husky moan next and my jaw tightened. Thank god Logan was still at the party. He’d been getting lippier lately and I knew he would’ve wanted to launch into an attack. As I went up the stairs and through the dining room, past the kitchen, and stood at the end of their hallway, I stopped.

  Shit. They were right there. No lights were on and I wasn’t hiding. Her head went back with another moan, exposing her throat, and my dad placed kisses there. Her dress had been pulled down and he was cupping her breast with one hand. As he kissed his way down to her breast, his other pushed her against the wall and she groaned again.

  For fuck’s sake. I was going to go upstairs.

  “Analise.” James grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her up.

  Her legs wound around his and her hands went to his pants. As I watched, she started to undo them and I couldn’t hold it in any longer. A long laugh came out of me. I couldn't stop it. It was harsh and filled with disbelief. They froze and looked over at me.

  “Mason.”

  I kept laughing and pointed at them. “Look at you. You’re about to screw a different one right here in the front doorway. Shit. This couldn’t be any funnier.”

  “Mason.” His hair stood up from where she had been running her hands through it. As he dropped her, he moved towards me, shielding her so she could fix her dress.

  I gestured to his pants. “Your dick’s out. You might want to readjust, Pops.”

  He flinched as I called him that. I rarely called him any name except James to his face. Pops was meant to be condescending. I smirked, knowing that it hit the target.

  “Mason, this isn’t—”

  “What?” A genuine laugh came now. “What are you going to say? You can screw now, Dad, not that anything stopped you before.”

  He sucked in his breath, as if I had punched him, and turned away.

  The woman tried to smooth her hair back and plastered a fake smile on her face. “You are?”

  I rolled my eyes. I knew this bitch. She’d been sniffing around my dad for a while now. “Don’t play that game.”

  “Mason,” my dad hissed at me.

  I ignored him. “You’ve been calling him, sending him letters, showing up at his company for a goddamn year. You fucking knew he was married. Don’t act ignorant, not for me. If you want to do it for your sake, go ahead, but it’s a worthless cause. You can’t brainwash yourself into believing you’re not what you are.”

  My dad’s head hung down and his shoulders drooped. She was silent behind him. I was waiting. I knew the le
ngths she could lie. Hell, Logan wanted to sic a private detective on her because this one stuck around. All the others came and went, but this one was sticking like a parasite. Then she stepped around him. Her hair was in place. Her dress was smoothed down. Even her face had lost the dumb-fucked look they always got on their faces. She was cold and as my gaze collided with hers, I saw the crazy mixed with intelligence. That only confirmed my suspicion. She was ruthless and cunning.

  My dad was a goner, whether he realized it or not.

  She said now, “They’re divorced.”

  I grinned. “There you are. Show your true colors. Admit to everything. You don’t have to fool anyone in this room.”

  “Mason, stop it.” James stepped forward and took her arm. “Analise, can I have a minute with my son?”

  Her eyes flashed at me with hatred, but she murmured to him with a soft smile, “Of course. I’ll be outside.”

  Before she went out, her eyes narrowed one last time at me before the door shut behind her. I snorted. “She have a glass in that purse? You know she’s listening through the door.”

  “Enough,” he ground out.

  I laughed again. “You say that to me? Enough? Really? Am I supposed to walk past you and pretend I didn’t see my dad pressing his latest whore against the wall? Shit, James. We live here, Logan and me. This is our home too.”

  His head whipped back. “You will watch how you talk to me. I am still your father—”

  I turned away, shaking my head and laughing. “That’s priceless. It really is. You’re as much of a father as you were faithful to Mom. When you’re getting that bitch off, let that simmer in the back of your mind. Hope it brings you pleasure.”

  He cursed behind me. “You’ve got so much anger in you.”

  “No shit, Sherlock.” As I headed up the stairs, I gave him a mock-salute. “That’s what happens watching my dad bring home woman after woman and watching Mom cry about it every night. You ruined this family. You, Dad, and it was because of women like that.” I stopped. Rage and pain were in me, like always. Fuck. Would it ever leave? I was starting to think I’d never be normal. “I know Mom wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t cheat on you. She was here. She was in the house. That’s a lot more than you. You were off working or with those women. You weren’t around to be her husband, to be my father, and certainly not Logan’s father—” I stopped myself, my chest was tight. “This shit’s been going on forever.” Another laugh came from me, but this one was hollow. I flinched, hearing it myself and went to my room. It was pointless. He’d never care.

  I couldn’t hear the door close from my room, but I went to the window. His car left the driveway a moment later, but she turned around as he drove away. She must have known where my room was because she saw me. There was no reaction on her face, but I listened to my gut. This one was going to be a problem.

  15

  KATE AND THE COPS

  Kate was sprawled over me and she grinned, panting slightly. “So, that was amazing.”

  I grunted. This was my last time with Kate. She was done after this. I had wrestled with myself when she was hurting Marissa. I hadn’t done enough, but I was going to do something now. Lifting my leg up, I started to push her off of me. I wasn’t rough, but it wasn’t a gentle shove either. Kate complied and laid beside me on the bed. She grabbed for one of the blankets and wrapped it around her chest, tucking it under her arms. Running a hand through her hair, she gave me another lopsided grin. Then she sighed and turned on her side, facing me.

  I ignored her and reached for my phone. This was coming to an end.

  “Are you expecting a call?” Anger stirred in her tone. “Another girl?”

  I sighed. “Stop, Kate. It makes you look pathetic.”

  She laughed, it was harsh and biting. “Are you kidding me?”

  I sent a text to Logan. Where are you? Then I glanced at Kate. “We’re friends and we screw. That’s it.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “That’s already been established.” I pointed to the door. “I’ve told you enough times you’re not my girlfriend. Maybe it’s time you finally start accepting that.”

  A strangled scream ripped from her throat, but she squashed it right away and scrambled off the bed. When she was dressed, she stood there and glared. I waited, trying not to laugh. Her hands were balled into fists and she had crazy eyes. Then I couldn’t stop myself. I grinned at her and asked, “Planning my murder?” She would be in a few hours. I knew that much.

  “Yes.” Her eyes flashed with rage. “So far I have a shovel, rope, and a knife in mind.”

  I laughed. “That’s weak. Plan a better one.”

  She rolled with it and leaned back on her heels, crossing her arms over her chest. The rage dimmed, but it was still there. The craziness faded too. That’s what always worried me. Kate had it in her to go nuts. She was the toughest chick I knew. Some of the things she could come up with amazed me. I hadn’t met another girl who thought like she did.

  She said, “I would drug you because I can’t overpower you. Then I’d have my way with you one last time before rolling you in plastic and burying you alive.”

  I flashed her a grin. “As long as I went happy.”

  She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Why are you such an asshole and so freaking hot at the same time?”

  “Kate, I’m hot because I’m an asshole. You girls are stupid.”

  “No.” She shook her head, her eyes darkening from lust as she looked me up and down. A slow grin curved at the corner of her mouth again. “You’re hot anyway. You could have a dork personality and you’d still be hot. You being an asshole just makes you even hotter, that’s all.” She groaned, raking her hands through her hair before letting them fall back down. “You drive me crazy.”

  My phone buzzed at that moment. It was from Logan, With a girl. Eating.

  I frowned.

  Kate asked, “Who was that?”

  “Logan.” Sitting up, I typed back, Where?

  The Chinese buffet.

  ”What’s he saying?”

  I responded to him, Where are you going after that?

  Why?

  I want to know.

  ”Mason.” Kate snapped her fingers to get my attention. She waved at me. “Hello. Person here. Talking. It’s rude to ignore.”

  I ignored her and typed to Logan, Done with Kate. Up for being crazy tonight.

  Done? Giving her the boot?

  Yeah. She’s planning to kill me. I need to do something crazy tonight.

  Good. I’m in. Tell me where and I’m there.

  ”Asshole,” Kate barked at me. Then she lunged at me, reaching for my phone, but I’d been waiting for her to react. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I ducked to avoid her fist when she tried to hit me, and threw her on the other side of the bed. She gasped, but I heard the excitement and felt her body stiffen. She was going to lunge for me again so I laid down on her. When she was completely underneath me and couldn’t do a thing, she tried wiggling out. She couldn’t. Then a hoarse gasp came from her, but she was already softening. It’d take another moment before she’d be turned on. A small moan came next and I grinned, but pulled my phone back out. I typed to Logan, One more time and then I’ll drop Kate at home and pick you up. Be ready in an hour. Then I tossed my phone on the ground and looked down at her.

  She was already breathing heavy. The lust was unmistakable in her gaze. “Are you going to do something or not?”

  “Are you baiting me now?” I grinned at her.

  She groaned, biting down on her bottom lip. Then she pushed up against me. Her legs tried to slip out, and she began rubbing against me. She hadn’t fastened her pants and I reached in them. She was already wet. Her arms were still squished by me, but she pulled them up. As I lifted up, her arms and legs wound around me. She pulled me back down and then began doing all the work.

  I rolled us over so she was on top me. This was why I indulged in Kate. She was tough. She was a spitfire,
but she was always down