Now, however, it was anything but soothing. I squirmed in his lap from the desire pulsating through me. The flames of lust had been lit before, but now they were a fire. I'd be a bonfire if he kept up his ministrations.

"You stay out of it," Logan retorted. "I'm getting sick of Parker's attitude. She prances around here and brings her friends over like they own the place."

"No, they don't." Irritation was evident on Nate's face. His eyes flared in anger. "Why don't you say what you're really pissed about? I doubt it's anything to do with Parker." He paused a beat. "Maybe you got a girl on your mind, one who actually was your girl. Is she what this is about? Your panties all twisted because Tate made an appearance tonight?"

Mason's lips left my shoulder and he looked up. His hand continued to rub my stomach. It shifted further down and slipped underneath my pants, but stayed there. I was burning up.

"Shut up about Tate."

Nate leaned forward. "Shut up about Parker then."

"I'm not f**king Tate."

"And I'm not f**king Parker." He paused again with a wicked grin. "Right now. I'm sitting here. Right now."

Logan rolled his eyes. "So funny, Nate. You're a riot."

"You think you're the only funny one here?"

I frowned; the burning from Mason's caresses had started to ebb. Nate and Logan were scowling at each other from across the table. The other guys were silent, their eyes darting back and forth as they listened to the argument. Everyone waited to see what Mason would do. He could speak up, end it, or he could let it keep going. For now, he had stilled underneath me. He was listening, but he wasn't tense yet. I knew he wasn't going to step in yet.

"You're saying that you can be funny with that stick up your ass?"

I sucked in my breath, so did the others.

Mason tensed beneath me now and I tensed with him.

Nate grilled him with a warning. "Back off, Logan, about this. I'm the only one containing the girls. They haven't done shit to Sam because I won't let Parker do a thing—"

Logan's eyes flared. "What?"

One of the guys moaned, "Fuckkk mee."

Nate clamped his mouth shut when he realized what he let slip.

Mason was like stone beneath me now. He turned to me, a mask over his face, before he looked back at his best friend. "You want to explain that comment?"

Nate closed his eyes, cursing himself, but when he opened them again, they were strained. "I'm sorry, Mase. I should've said something earlier—"

"—Yeah," Mason interrupted him. "You should've, but you better explain it now." His hand kept me on his lap with an iron hold. I couldn't even squirm. His other hand formed into a fist.

Nate's eyes were on that fist as he started, "The girls haven't been too welcoming to Sam."

"Since when?"

"Since," his eyes shot to mine. He flashed an apology in them. "Since you started dating and bringing her around. They don't like her at all."

"Why not?"

"Why not?" Nate laughed softly. "You're kidding, right? You know those four. No one gets in unless they put the girl through hell and misery. You think they're going to let Sam into the group without the same conditions? It don't matter if she's with you. Probably makes it worse, you know, since Kate's the ring leader."

"Kate was nothing to me." A dark scowl had formed on Mason. It grew with each word Nate added.

"She knows that now. You threw her aside." He hesitated, choosing his words with caution. "She's boiling because you dropped her. They're all boiling mad because you don't give them the time of day anymore."

Mason leaned back. He kept me on his lap. "They're not my friends. They're yours. They're the guys' friends, they aren't mine."

Logan cursed.

Ethan spoke up, "The girls don't look at it like that. They think they're friends with you."

Mason narrowed his eyes. "I could give a shit about them. I'm not friends with girls anyway, much less now when I'm with Sam. The only female friend I had was Marissa."

Nate spoke up, "Yeah and look at what happened to her. She had to leave school because of those girls."

"That was because of Tate."

"And who was she friends with? The four of them. You know what they're like with new girls. You didn't think about how'd they be with Samantha?"

"She's with me." Mason scowled at him.

Logan added, "And she's family. She's my family."

Nate shrugged. "That's why no one's spoke about this to you guys. They knew how you'd react."

Logan's eyes switched to mine. They were dark and angry. I stiffened as he asked me, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it's my problem, not yours."

Mason exploded now. He lifted me in the air so I was straddling him. Grabbing my chin, he peered into my eyes. "Are you kidding me?"

I gulped at the rage from him, but I tightened my resolve. "It's my problem, not yours. I'm the girl coming into their group. I'm the one who's going to have to deal with them in the locker rooms or the bathrooms. You can't protect me everywhere, Mason."

"They won't touch you. I won't allow it."

I stuck my chin out and folded my arms. "I can't earn their respect if you're the one that's demanding it. I have to demand it. I have to earn it from them." I waited a heartbeat. I was too scared to breathe. "You know I'm right."

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