Loving Bad

by Regan Ure

  Back at the dorms, I entered the stairwell as usual with the fear sitting in the pit of my stomach. At the first sound of the additional echoing of footsteps below me, my heart began to pound in my ears as I rushed quicker up the stairs.

  The faster I rushed up the stairs, the faster the mysterious footsteps echoed behind me. It wasn't a part of my imagination—there was someone in the stairwell and they were chasing me up the stairs.

  I panicked as I climbed the last step and rushed to the door that would lead me to safety. I opened the door and stepped through just as I heard footsteps behind me. Scared, I ran down the hallway to the door to my room. I didn't look back to see if the person had followed me into the hallway.

  I opened the door and entered the room quickly. I closed the door and locked it. Scared and breathless, I leaned against the door. For what felt like forever I listened for the footsteps but there was nothing and after a little while I pushed off the door and switched the lights on.

  Jordan's bed was still made, which meant she had slept out. I wondered if that had something to do with Slater. Jordan was a lot more experienced than I was and I hoped that she knew what she was doing. Slater was very much like Sin. They had issues and they weren't the type of guys who made good boyfriend material. I knew what I was getting into with Sin and I hoped she did too.

  It was only as I reached for my pajamas that I saw my purple underwear that had been missing neatly spread out on my bed. The bra was placed above the panties. As I took another step closer, I put my hands over my mouth to smother a scream.

  Written on the panties and bra in some sort of red marker was the word 'whore.'

  Horror and fear shivered down my spine. Someone had been in the room. Then the realization hit me. That person had to have been in my room twice, once to steal the underwear and the second time to put it on my bed.

  The fact that someone had been in my personal space twice made me step back and I felt like I was going to throw up. I stepped back until I felt Jordan's bed against the back of my legs. I sank down on the bed, unable to allow what was happening to sink in.

  Why would someone do this? I studied the word 'whore.' Why would they write something like that on my underwear? It made no sense. I rubbed my forehead as I tried to figure out why someone would do this to me. Did they somehow know about Sin and me? Is that why they had written 'whore'? Was it possible it was a jealous previous liaison of Sin's who was jealous?

  I crept onto Jordan's bed too scared to switch the light off to try and get some sleep. Most people in the same situation would have called the campus police but I wanted to keep a low profile. I feared they would recognize my name. For hours I sat with my back against the wall, looking at the offending piece of clothing that lay on my bed.

  I tried to figure out what I was going to do about it. If I let my brother know, he'd be on the first plane here and he'd try and make me go back home or he'd hire a bodyguard to watch over me. I couldn't let that happen. I wanted to have my own life where I made my own decisions.

  If this person had been prepared to break into my room more than once and steal my underwear, would they be prepared to do more? Would they try and hurt me? Maybe I was blowing this out of proportion. Perhaps this was somebody's idea of a joke, as sick as it was. I decided then and there that I wasn't going to allow this to dictate my life. I took a deep breath and released it as I stood up and walked over to the underwear.

  I made my decision as I crunched up the underwear in my hand and threw it in the trashcan. I wasn't going to let someone scare me. I was stronger than this. I wasn't going to tell anyone, but I was going to be more careful. No more returning back to the dorms at night or early morning. I had to make sure I always had someone around. With my mind made up, I began to feel better.

  "So where have you been all night?" I asked Jordan when she returned a couple of hours later.

  "I was with Slater," she replied sheepishly. I knew there was something up with the two of them.

  "And did you get lucky?" I teased her, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively. She shook her head at me as she walked over to her bed and lay down.

  "No, we just talked."

  "You mean to tell me that you spent all night with him and nothing happened? You just talked?" I asked, shocked that things hadn't gone further between the two of them.

  "Yes, we just talked," she confirmed and tried to stifle a yawn. Well, that was unexpected. I couldn't stop myself from yawning. I hadn't been able to get any sleep. Despite my logic, I couldn't shake the nervous fear that had settled in my stomach.

  "And why are you so tired?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

  "Because I was having mind-blowing sex with Sin," I admitted with a smug smile. I had already decided I wasn't going to tell anyone about finding the underwear on my bed.

  "More than once," I added as my smile widened. When I remembered our night together, my stomach fluttered with excitement. She looked at me with confusion.

  "But you went home because you weren't feeling well," she argued, trying to figure out how I'd ended up with Sin.

  "Yeah, I did. It's a long story. All you need to know is that Caleb and I are just friends and Sin and I are...something."

  I couldn't say we were friends with benefits because we weren't friends, so the only way to term it was 'acquaintances with benefits.'

  "Really?" she asked, sitting up. I definitely had her attention.

  "Yes," I confirmed. "We agreed that while we have this arrangement in place, we won’t fool around with anyone else. And when we've both had enough, we walk away and no one gets hurt."

  "You really think it's going to work?" she asked. I could see she wasn't convinced that it was a good idea.

  "Yes, I do," I replied. I was living my life and I was enjoying every moment of it.

  The next couple of days passed quickly. Between classes and studying, I was very busy. It also wasn't helping that I wasn't sleeping well. Despite trying to ignore what happened with the underwear, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was something more than a jealous ex of Sin.

  Caleb and I had transitioned back to being friends quickly. Maybe it was because we hadn't really dated for that long. He was funny and easy to be around. I didn't see him much outside of class, but around college I saw him quite often.

  One afternoon after class we were walking down the hallway. We stopped for a moment and he told me something that made me laugh and I touched his arm. As I lifted my eyes, they clashed with Sin. Just the sight of him was enough to take my breath away.

  Even dressed in a faded pair of jeans and a plain white shirt, he looked smoking hot. He was leaning against the wall. His gaze was dark and brooding as he watched Caleb and me. I gave him a tentative smile, but he didn't smile back. I hadn't seen him since our night together and I wasn't sure how to act around him. I wondered if I should go up to him and greet him, but his lack of response to my smile made me stop myself.

  Maybe talking to each other outside of when we met up to have sex was not included in our arrangement. Noticing my distraction, Caleb's eyes followed mine to Sin. Sin was openly staring at me and Caleb looked back to me.

  "I know you have history with him, but I think you should stay away from him," Caleb warned and I felt myself bristle at what he said. I tried to calm my irritation down.

  I wondered how Caleb would react if he knew exactly how close I'd been with Sin. I had to stop the secret smile from touching my lips. Caleb didn't need to know anything about my personal life. So I kept quiet. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I didn't have to explain my actions to anyone. I did what I wanted, what made me happy. That was all that mattered. I wasn't going to allow everyone else's opinions sway my own decisions.

  Irrespective of the tattoos and piercing and the 'don't give a fuck' attitude, I believed there was more to him. The fact that he'd watched over me the night someone spiked my drink showed me that there was more to him than the bad-boy that everyone else saw.

&n
bsp; I glanced in the direction of Sin to see him push off the wall and walk toward us. This was going to be interesting.

  "Hi," Sin greeted me first and gave me that sexy smile of his. Suddenly I felt tongue-tied and shy. It was ridiculous.

  "Hi," I managed to reply huskily. Caleb touched my arm and it reminded me that we weren't alone. They gave each other a brief nod of the head while they sized each other up.

  "I need to talk to you," said Sin, breaking the awkward silence that had settled between the three of us.

  "Sure," I said to him. I turned to Caleb.

  "I'll see you tomorrow," I said. Caleb gave me a smile and then turned to glare at Sin. Sin held his gaze and glared back. These two didn't like each other at all and they made no pretense about it.

  "I'll see you tomorrow," Caleb echoed to me before he turned and left.

  I turned to give Sin my attention, expecting him to say something to me, but he just took my hand in his and began to walk down the hallway in the opposite direction of Caleb.

  Once we turned the corner he opened the door to the janitor’s closet and pulled me inside. He closed the door behind us. The room was dimly lit. I was about to ask Sin what he wanted to talk about when he pushed me against the wall and covered my mouth with his.

  It took me by surprise. I threaded my fingers through his hair as his hands rested on my waist. He kissed me hard and I groaned. As I opened my lips slightly, he slipped his tongue inside and caressed mine.

  The fact that we were in a closet and could be discovered at any moment didn't register with me. There were no thoughts. All that mattered was the feel of his lips against mine.

  He lifted me by the waist and my legs wrapped around his hips. His lips trailed from my mouth to my jaw. Then his tongue flickered to the sensitive spot below my ear and I held on to him as I gasped. The ache between my legs intensified. I needed him now.

  With his body he kept mine against the wall as his hand slipped between my legs. I was so wet now that my panties were soaked. He ran his finger lightly over the material as I pushed against him, needing more. He moved the material of my panties aside and pushed a finger into me. I gripped his shoulders as I moved against his hand. He slid another finger into me and pumped harder. He kissed me hard as I moved more desperately against his hand. The ache between my legs became unbearable.

  "Please," I whispered huskily.

  He stopped for a moment and eased his fingers out of me. Slowly, he eased me down onto my legs. I was scared he was going to walk away, but instead he got a foil pack out of the back pocket of his jeans and tore it open. Quickly he unbuttoned his jeans, letting them drop to the floor as he pushed his boxers down and rolled on the protection.

  Then he kissed me and lifted me by the butt. My legs wrapped around his waist again and he leaned me against the wall as I felt him push against me. I gasped as he slid into me in one smooth stroke and he groaned against my lips. I held onto his shoulders as he began to fuck me against the wall. It was hot and hard. His expression was unreadable as he watched me hold on desperately to him as I felt the build up to my orgasm.

  I gripped his shoulders and bit down on my lip to stifle a scream as I came. He slammed harder into my body as he began to reach his own release. A few more frantic thrusts and I felt his body tremble against mine.

  We were both breathing hard as he eased me down to stand. My legs felt wobbly as I leaned against the wall for a moment. His arms were stretched out on either side of me as he rested his forehead against mine. His lips touched mine again, but this time the kiss was gentle. Then he pulled away and dispensed with the condom. As he pulled up his boxers and jeans, I smoothed down my skirt and tried to tidy my hair.

  It was the first time that it registered we'd just been at it in a public place. He didn't look at me again as he buttoned up his jeans. I was unsure of what to say to him so I kept quiet. Then without saying a word to me, he opened the closet door and walked out.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Taylor

  I touched my slightly swollen lips as I stood alone in the janitor's closest. Sin hadn't said one word to me the entire time. I knew we had an arrangement in place, but I couldn't help feeling taken aback by his behavior. Was this really how this type of arrangement was supposed to work?

  The sex had been awesome, but I'd felt the lack of connection between the two of us. It was a good thing my classes were finished for the day because after that I was still feeling a little dazed.

  On my way back to my dorm room, I saw my brother leaning against a car with his arms crossed over his chest. Normally he dressed in a suit and tie, but this time he was dressed casually in jeans and button-up blue shirt. His hair was the same color as mine but his eyes were green. My mom had been the one with the blond hair and blue eyes. The green eyes he'd inherited from our dad.

  What the hell is he doing here?

  I was annoyed. I loved my brother, but sometimes his protectiveness over me was stifling. There was no way I believed he was here on business. He was here to check on me and I resented it. I walked closer. He saw me and smiled. He pushed off the car and walked to meet me as I came to a stop in front of the doors to the dorm.

  "Hi," he greeted as he pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back.

  "What are you doing here?" was the first question I asked as he released me from the hug.

  "A brother can't just drop in to visit his sister?" he asked.

  "Visit, yes; check up on, no," I told him, eyeing him suspiciously.

  "Isn't it the same thing?" he asked in a teasing tone.

  "No, it isn't," I informed him. He glanced down at his super-expensive watch.

  "Are you hungry?" he asked.

  "Yes," I answered.

  "Come on, let's go get something to eat," he suggested. I didn't want to go off campus to eat so I suggested a small coffee shop close to where we were.

  "Sounds good," he said as we walked side by side. There were several moments of silence.

  "Why don't you see if your roommate is available to join us?" he suggested. I turned to glare at him. I knew exactly what he was up to and I wasn't having it.

  "That's what this is about?"

  I was fuming.

  "You wanted to check my roommate out," I said. I was really angry now. He didn't answer.

  "I love you, but I won't tolerate you meddling in my life," I told him.

  "Is it so bad that I want to protect you and keep you safe?" he argued back. He was using that parental tone with me and I hated it. He wasn't my parent; he was my brother.

  Our parents had died when I was nine and Connor had been eighteen. Overnight he'd been thrust into the role of my guardian and it had been a lot of responsibility for a young adult. My parents had left us some money, but Connor had wanted me to have the best. It had been the driving force behind his success. But it didn't mean he could dictate my life when he felt like it. I understood why he acted the way he did, but he needed to let go of me so I could make my own decisions and live my own life.

  "You've probably already done a background check on her. What more would you need to know?" I informed him, crossing my arms over my chest defensively.

  He didn't reply so I knew I was right. He pressed his lips together as he held my gaze.

  "She is nice and I like her. That’s all that counts," I told him. I wasn't trying to be difficult, but my brother was a force to be reckoned with and if he put his mind to something he usually got his way. But this wasn't something I was prepared to give up.

  Connor would have a fit if he knew about all the weird stuff that was happening lately. Then I thought about Sin. If my brother knew what I was doing with the bad-boy, he'd have a stroke. I couldn't stop the secret smile that tipped my mouth at what we'd just done in the janitor’s closet.

  "I just don't want anything to happen to you," he told me in a soft voice. It tugged at my heart. I reached out, taking his hand into mine and I gave it a gentle squeeze.

  It wasn't like our pa
rents had just died and all we had to deal with was the grief of their loss. It had been so much more. He'd nearly lost me before and I knew that drove him to be so protective of me.

  "Come, let's go and get something to eat," I said as I pulled him gently by the hand.

  As I turned to walk to the coffee shop I'd suggested to my brother, I saw Sin standing across the road. The moment my eyes met his, I felt the butterflies flutter in my stomach.

  His gaze dropped from my eyes to my hand holding my brother's. I didn't realize what was going through his mind until he shook his head, turned and walked away. Had he got the wrong idea?

  "Who was that?" my brother asked, pulling me out of my own little bubble I'd been in. There was no way I wanted my brother to know about Sin.

  "No one," I lied easily.

  I wanted to go after Sin and explain that he'd gotten the wrong idea, but I couldn't do that with my brother watching so instead I continued walking to the coffee shop with my brother walking beside me, preoccupied. We got some coffees and sandwiches at the coffee shop. I tried to keep the conversation light and talked mainly about my classes. I didn't mention anything about what I did after classes.

  "I've got a couple of things I need to do," my brother said as I walked him back to his car. "I'll be back later to say goodbye."

  He was getting a flight out again that night.

  "Sure," I said as I leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

  He gave me a brief hug before he got into his car and drove off. I sighed with relief. Being under his scrutinizing gaze had been mentally exhausting.

  Sin.

  I reached for my phone and searched for his number. He'd put his number into my phone simply under the name Sin. I took a deep, nervous breath as I called him. It rang and finally went to voicemail. I hung up. I tried to keep myself busy so I wouldn't just sit there on the bed with my phone in my hand, wishing Sin would call me.