Fallen Crest Forever (Fallen Crest High #7)

“What videos?”


I tossed the camera over, and Nate caught it. He began looking through the videos and swore under his breath.

After a minute he handed it back over. “If you release those videos, you have to crop out the girls. Their identities have to be protected.”

I nodded. They would be. “I will. I gotta show this to Sam too.”

They both nodded.

A moment of silence passed as the three of us looked at each other. This was it. Nate would take the girl—or so Adam thought. I would take his reputation. The money would be worked out later. But there was one thing left.

Logan looked around the room. “So, just to be perfectly sure about this, we’re not torching the house. Right? Because we could. I’d be up for that.”

I laughed. “We can’t.”

I wanted to. The old Mason would’ve, and he was still inside of me, but I had changed. I was becoming better. Slightly.

I held up the camera. “This is enough.”

“You’re sure?”

I gave my brother a look. I heard the hopeful tone in his voice. I shook my head. “Apparently I have that STD called maturity too.”

Logan cursed. “That’s the worst of them. Such a shame.” He smiled, though.

Nate laughed. “Let’s get going in case Quinn tripped some alarm. You never know with him.”

Adam was still unconscious, and we left him where he was. We were in the vehicle and leaving the driveway when Nate hit the brakes.

“Wha—” I looked up to see why he’d stopped.

Sam and Taylor stared back at us.





SAMANTHA


Logan leaped from Nate’s car and hurried over to ours.

He flung my door open. “Let’s switch. I’ll go back with Taylor.”

I was slow to release my seatbelt. “What did you guys do?” I asked as I stood.

“Nothing really.” He cast a worried glance over my shoulder, to the road. “But we gotta go in case any alarms were tripped. It’s not good if we’re seen here.”

He took my seat, and I jumped in next to Mason, who moved over behind Nate. Taylor reversed her car, and we pulled out after them.

I waited a few minutes before asking, “Do I want to know what happened?”

Nate’s eyes flicked up and met Mason’s in the rearview mirror. Mason’s jaw clenched, but he handed over a camera from on the floor by his seat. “You can see for yourself.”

The first video disgusted me.

The second had my stomach churning, but the third actually made me retch. I grabbed for the door handle, but Mason was there. He caught my hands and pulled me back to his chest.

“Hey, hey,” he soothed. “It’s okay.”

The vomit was still coming. I shook my head. I couldn’t say anything to alert him.

He stuck a bag in front of me, and I let loose.

I saw enough to know there were more girls on the camera, but it was the video of Becky that sent me over the edge.

As I threw up more, Mason ran a comforting hand down my back. He’d picked up the camera and was clicking through the ones I’d looked at when I heard him say, “Oh, man.”

“What?” Nate asked.

I looked up, feeling all sorts of disgusting.

Mason looked at me first, his eyes clouded. “I didn’t know. I didn’t see that one.”

I closed my eyes and leaned back against him. His hand curved around me as he spoke over my shoulder. “I didn’t look through all of the videos. There was one . . .” I felt him turn to me, though I still didn’t look. “It was Becky.”

“Oh.” Nate quieted. “Shit.”

“I’m sorry, Sam,” Mason added.

I shook my head, but my stomach was better. It was empty now, and I tied the ends of the bag together. “We should drop this off somewhere.”

Nate nodded, and he pulled into a gas station not long after that. I went inside to clean up a little, buying some toothpaste and a toothbrush. Taylor came in as I was finishing in the bathroom.

She ran a hand through her hair, looking harried. “Are you okay?”

I didn’t want to tell her about Becky.

I didn’t even want to tell her about the videos.

She knew Becky and Adam from the summer, though not like I did. Maybe it was ridiculous, but I wanted to protect her a little bit.

I just nodded, rasping out, “I got carsick.”

“You get carsick a lot?”

“No. Hopefully it was just a one-time deal.” I tried to smile, but I knew it didn’t meet my eyes, and Taylor didn’t look convinced.

She bit her lip and followed me back outside. Logan was jumping around Nate, while Mason lounged against Nate’s vehicle. All turned toward us as we crossed the gas station to them.

Logan stopped jumping, a shadow coming to his face. “You okay, Sam?” He glanced to Mason, the unspoken question there of what happened.

Mason nodded.

Logan’s whole demeanor shifted to pity. “Ah. I’m sorry, Sam.”

I pressed a hand to my stomach. “Me too. Getting carsick sucks.” I held his gaze, wondering if he’d get my unspoken message.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Carsickness sucks ass.”

Mason smiled. “Let’s get back. I think I went right from being sober to being hung over. I need to sleep a little.”

It was nearing six in the morning when we staggered inside. No one spoke as we ventured to our own rooms, but the sleep would be short-lived. Tomorrow/this morning was our first day of classes. Worst timing ever.

Once we were in our bedroom, I gazed up, my hands resting against Mason’s chest. “I’m tired.”

“I know.” His hand cupped the side of my face, and he leaned down. “Are you mad at me?”

I knew what he was asking. My hand covered his. “I was mad that you left. I was mad when I realized where you were going, but I’m not mad at you in a way too. I’m furious with Adam. I’m livid at what he did to Becky, and I didn’t ask what you guys did to him, because I don’t know if I’m going to be mad about that or not. And I know none of that makes sense.” My hand slid around his shoulders and my other arm wrapped around his neck. I pulled his mouth down to mine. “But I also don’t want to talk about Adam right now because I really, really just want you.”

He groaned softly before his lips descended to mine, and all the same flutters started. I sighed into him, letting my body dissolve. It was a gentle nip at first, then another, then he stopped and opened his mouth, commanding the same from me. I just held on and did as he wanted. My body heated up, and pleasure swept through me.

“Sam.” He breathed my name, bending down to pick me up.

I moved with him, lifting my legs to wrap around his waist.

I felt him hold me, all of me, and his shoulder muscles contracted. He didn’t lay me on the bed right away. He kept holding me, kissing me, and I knew this wasn’t going to be anything quick. Even his kisses—he slowly dragged his lips over mine, like he was stealing a touch from me and relishing it.