“Yeah, and she didn’t like it.”
“That was the fight you had?”
“You didn’t tell him?” I asked Taylor.
She lifted a shoulder. “He doesn’t have to know everything.”
Logan twisted around to her. “Thanks for that.”
I felt Mason’s silent laughter behind me, a teasing caress. I felt his breath on my shoulder, and I was torn between paying attention to the conversation and pulling him into the bedroom and feeling his breath all over me instead.
His arms tightened, and he rested his chin on my shoulder. “Leave your girlfriend alone. That was between Sam and me, and she was respecting Sam’s privacy.”
Logan shot him a glare. “Sam’s my stepsister. There’s no privacy there.”
I grimaced. “Did you really just say that?”
He stopped, thought about it, and shook his head. “You all know what I mean.”
“I don’t.” Nate frowned at everyone. “I have no fucking clue what you guys are talking about, and I don’t like it.”
“Right there with you, man,” Matteo echoed.
“Yeah.” Nate looked at him, then back at us. “What happened? You guys had a fight or something? Where was I?”
“Sleeping, and it’s none of your business,” Mason said. “It’s none of yours either, Logan, but no, we’re not going to ask my dad for any information about Faith’s family.”
“Wait.” Nate held a hand up. “We weren’t actually going to Vegas, were we?”
“I thought you had to be smart to get your MBA.” Logan paused for a beat. “Oh wait. That’s after you get a bachelor’s. That’s right, you have to get the one degree first.”
“You’re such a dick.”
Everyone tensed. This had become something between Logan and Nate. I looked at Taylor and saw her frowning right along with me. I wondered if she knew the cause for this friction.
Then Nate just said it. “Don’t get pissed at me because I’m the one here, and you’re not. I’m not the one who chose to get a girlfr—”
“Shut up, Nate.” Logan growled.
He didn’t. “A girlfriend who continues to choose to sleep at her place, and not here. If you’re missing being around Mason and Sam, that’s on you. Not me. I’m getting real sick of you putting your shit on me. I’ve never done anything to you, Logan.”
“Shut up!”
Nate added, unperturbed, “Unlike you.”
Logan stood completely still, the unnatural and dangerous way. A shiver went down my spine, and I swallowed over a lump. Nate had just gone dirty in a way that wasn’t dirty at all.
“Are you serious?” Logan’s eyes were narrowed to slits, everything about him tensed. This was Logan right before a full attack. Whether it was words or fists, it was coming. And he was going to do some damage.
Mason suddenly lifted me to the side and stood up. “Stop. Both of you guys.”
“No.” Nate shook his head, still glaring at Logan. “I’m sick of it. Any time Logan starts feeling pissy about something, he takes it out on me.”
Mason moved to stand between them.
Nate leaned forward, looking at Logan around Mason. “Guess what? I’ve done nothing to you. I left when I was a kid because my parents moved away. They didn’t want me to be around Mason. When I came back, you’d replaced me. It wasn’t the other way around. You pushed me out, Logan. And I did nothing. I let it happen.” A cutting laugh came from him. “And that wasn’t even the biggest change. Sam was in our lives. I went from being number two to being number four, if that spot was even included in shit. How do you think that made me feel? And I put up with it,” he spat, his eyes blazing. “I thought we were good too.”
“STOP!” Mason shoved him, then turned to make sure Logan was still holding back. Satisfied that he was, Mason sighed. “This is all bullshit. We’re all family by this point.” He looked at Matteo. “You too, even though we don’t show it all the time.”
Matteo perked up. “Thanks. I appreciate that.” His tone was cheerful.
I laughed softly to myself. No one except Nate and Logan seemed too upset about their fight. Matteo must’ve gotten used to us by now. Fights flared up, but they always blew over. We all loved each other. That’s how we were. That, in itself, was comforting.
Then I looked over. “Where’s Taylor?” Her spot on the couch was empty.
Logan cursed.
She was gone.
CHAPTER 16
Logan took off to find her, then backtracked for Mason’s Escalade. Taylor had taken his.