by Regan Ure
I placed my bag gently by the front door, trying not to wake Sin up. He needed the sleep. My heart was still fragile and I knew that after last night things between us were probably over. I was staving off the inevitable heartache that was to come. I went into the kitchen to get some water. As quietly as I could, I got a glass and filled it halfway with some water out of the tap. I took a couple of sips as I began to think about what I was going to tell my brother.
In my mind I was already formulating my argument to him. He would try and make me go home, but I wasn't going to allow him to dictate my life, even if he meant well.
At the sound of a noise behind me, I spun around and nearly dropped the glass of water.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the guy said. I think his name was Eric. He was one of Sin's roommates. I'd seen him around although I'd never actually spoken to him.
Unlike Sin and Slater, he didn't have any visible tattoos or piercings. He had short blond hair and green eyes. He wasn't bad-looking, but he didn't have the special something that both Sin and Slater possessed that pulled the girls in. From the little interaction I'd seen, I knew Sin wasn't as close to his other roommates as he was with Slater.
"It's okay," I replied, setting the glass down on the counter as I tried to calm my heart that was still beating too fast.
"You guys have a fight?" he asked as he walked over to the fridge and opened it.
The sight of Sin sleeping on the couch was a sure sign that everything wasn't going well between the two of us. But we weren't dating, and after last night I wasn't sure we were anything.
"Something like that," I answered with a slight shrug of my shoulders.
Eric got some orange juice out of the fridge and walked over to where I was standing. He reached past me and got a glass out of the cupboard beside me.
"I wouldn't stress about it too much," he told me as he put the orange juice back in the fridge. "Girls never last long with him."
I shrugged again as I took another sip of the water. There was no way I was going to talk about what was or wasn't happening between Sin and I with someone I barely knew.
"Although I've never seen him sleep on the couch before," he added.
I took another sip of water.
A slight noise made me look to the doorway of the kitchen to see Sin standing, watching us. Suddenly I felt nervous. His hair was rumpled and sexy. It was wrong that someone could look so hot first thing in the morning. He scratched his chest as he walked into the kitchen.
Eric grabbed his glass of juice and gave me a slight nod as he left the kitchen, leaving me alone with Sin. Sin watched him leave with an annoyed look on his face and then he turned to face me. I set the glass of water I held in my hands down on the counter.
"You sleep okay?" he asked as he stood a couple of feet away from me.
I nodded my head.
He stepped forward and took my one arm into his hands. His fingers brushed gently over the bruises left by my attacker. The touch tingled right through me. Then he dropped my arm and took a step back as if he needed space from me.
An awkward silence descended as I held his gaze. I didn't know what to say, I wasn't even sure if there was anything that I could say that would fix the rift between us. No, I was wrong—the only way to fix it would be to tell him about what happened and I just couldn't. My stomach twisted into knots. Any hope I'd had that last night wouldn't be as bad as I thought dissolved. My inability to open up had damaged what we had and there was no going back.
The doorbell rang.
Sin looked at me one last time before he turned and walked out of the kitchen. Being able to read minds would have come in really handy. I pushed off the counter and followed him out. Sin had just reached the front door, and I knew who it was without having to look.
"I think he’s here for you," Sin said. As he opened the door more, I saw my brother standing with a thunderous look on his face. I wasn't surprised. I knew my brother would be mad when he saw who I'd slept over with.
"Get your stuff," my brother ordered me without entering the house. My brother was angry.
Sin threw him a glare but my brother ignored it while he waited for me with his arms crossed over his chest. More often than not, Connor acted like a father and not a brother. I let out a sigh and walked over to collect my bag nearby the door. Once I picked it up, I looked at Sin. He couldn't even look me in the eye. I felt myself tremble for a moment before I took a deep breath and buried my heartache down deep to deal with later when I was alone.
"Don't let Jordan go back to the dorm. Tell her I will call her a little later," I told him.
He nodded his head as he still held the door handle.
"Thanks for everything," I said softly as I hesitated in the doorway for a moment. I wanted him to say something.
"See you around," he said as his eyes held mine. There was no emotion in them and it sounded like he couldn't wait to get rid of me. With that final sentence, he made it abundantly clear that we were over and I felt a pain in my chest.
It hurt like I knew it would. I will never know how I managed keep myself together as I turned and walked out of the house to my brother. The door closed behind me as my brother pulled me into a hug. I felt the sting of tears as my brother pulled back slightly to scan my face.
"I'm so glad you're okay," he said, sounding relieved as I struggled to fight my tears of heartache. My brother mistook my tears for something else entirely and pulled me into another hug.
"It's okay," he soothed as he hugged me tighter.
For the moment, I wasn't okay. I was experiencing my first heartbreak. When I'd started things with Sin, I knew there was a possibility it would end up the way it had. But the reality of the heartache was much worse than I'd ever anticipated. My brother pulled away from me and ushered me into a waiting car. I brushed my tears off my cheeks as I stared unseeing at the scenery that passed as we drove to the hotel where my brother was staying.
I was sitting in my brother's hotel suite while he was pacing up and down, trying to talk me into going back home with him. The suite was big, with a sofa facing a flat-screen TV. It had two adjoining rooms. It was hard to concentrate on my brother's lecturing voice when all I wanted to do was climb into a bed and pull the covers over my head to ignore the outside world while I tried to figure out how I was going to deal with my broken heart.
"It's not safe here," he stated. He'd already said that thirty times in the last hour.
"I'm not going to live in fear because someone is stalking me," I said, refusing to budge. This was my life to live and I wasn't going to let a stalker or my overprotective brother stop me from living it how I wanted. I wasn't stupid—I knew I had to be careful—but I wasn't going to allow the stalker to scare me.
"I told you to hire a bodyguard and I will stay in a rented apartment instead of the dorm," I tried, renegotiating with my brother. He stood with hands on his hips, glaring at me. It was at times like this that he felt more like my father than my brother.
"Fine," he said, throwing his hands up in the air with frustration. "I'll get a place big enough for you, Jordan and the bodyguard."
"And the bodyguard?" I questioned.
"The bodyguard will stay with the two of you in the apartment to keep you safe," he explained.
I saw that determined look in his face and I just nodded my head. I didn't have the energy for more fighting. I'd won the battle but not the war. I was going to stick out like a sore thumb with a bulky bodyguard following me around school, but it would keep my brother happy and it would keep me safe. He ran an agitated hand through his hair as I stood up and walked over to him.
"I'm not trying to be difficult," I told him as I reached for his hands. He was so stressed and I felt guilty that it was because of me.
"I just want to be able to live my life," I added. His expression softened slightly as he pulled me into a hug.
"I love you and I just don't want anything to happen to you," he reminded me. "When I thou
ght I'd lost you before, I..."
He pulled away and looked down at me.
"I never want to feel that again," he said hoarsely. It was hard to keep my own emotions in check at the visible emotion on his face.
"I'll be fine," I assured him and I swallowed hard. They were just words because there was no way to guarantee I’d be safe, even with a bodyguard. I could cross the road and get hit by a bus. I was determined to ensure that the life I had, no matter how long I had, was mine to live as I wanted.
"Did you read the folder I gave you on your friend?" was my brother's next question. I was hoping he wouldn't bring it up, but I'd been wrong. I pulled away from him and took a step back.
"Sin is none of your business," I stated with determination to keep my brother out of my private life. I crossed my arms and glared at my meddling brother.
He gave me a look of disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me," he said as he rubbed his hands over his face. I pressed my lips together. I was going to stand my ground. It didn't matter that whatever arrangement we'd had was gone and the likelihood was I wouldn't see much of him again. The thought made my chest hurt.
"It's my life and my choice."
We had a stare down for a few seconds before my brother stalked off. I sat down on the sofa and let out a sigh. I rested my head back against the sofa as I closed my eyes. All I could see was the indifferent look Sin gave me before he told me he would see me around. My chest hurt; it sucked. I just needed to hold it together until later when I was alone. Then I could cry and try to heal my bruised heart.
Connor and I were looking on the Internet at apartments to rent when my phone began to ring about an hour later. My brother had managed to calm down from our previous argument. I looked down and felt my heart sink when I saw it was Jordan. I had been hoping that it would be Sin.
"Hey," I answered as I put my phone to my ear. I stood up.
"Are you okay?" she asked, sounding concerned. She'd been told about last night.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured her as I held on tightly to the phone and walked over to the window of the hotel room. Connor remained at the table, looking at his laptop.
"Sin told me about the attack and all the other stuff," she told me. I could hear the bewilderment in her voice.
She paused.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked softly. I felt bad that I hadn't confided in her.
"I didn't think they were that serious until the attack," I replied as I peered out of the window. "Until the underwear, I thought it had been my imagination."
"You should have told me," she said, sounding a little upset.
"I'm sorry. You're right, I should have," I apologized.
"I heard that your brother came to pick you up," she informed me. Slater and Sin had brought her up to speed on everything she'd missed.
"Yes," I sighed. "He was worried and he got the first flight in this morning."
"Is he going to make you go home?" she asked. She knew how protective my brother was.
"He wants to, but I'm not going anywhere," I told her. "I've agreed to a bodyguard and a rented apartment instead of staying at the dorm. It will be big enough for the both of us."
"Both of us?" she questioned, unsure of what I was saying.
"They've tightened up security on campus, but I don't think staying in the dorm will be safe, at least not until they catch this guy," I reasoned.
"Okay," she agreed.
A few moments of silence settled between us.
"He is only doing it because he cares," she said unexpectedly.
I paused for a moment. I knew that, but it didn't make his protective ways any less annoying.
"I know." I turned and Connor walked up to me. He signaled that he wanted to say something.
"Hold on for a sec," I told her.
"Okay," she said. I held the phone away from my ear as I looked at my brother.
"Tell her I'll send a car around to pick her up. He'll take her to the dorm and go with her to get some of her stuff," he whispered. I nodded my head at him.
"My brother says he'll send a car to pick you up," I informed her.
"Okay. See you soon," she said as she ended the call. I told my brother she was also at Sin's house and he called his driver.
In the time it took for the car to leave and pick up Jordan, my brother had already organized a fully furnished apartment close to the college. He was on the phone in the process of organizing me another bodyguard when Jordan walked into the suite.
"Hey," she said as she dropped her duffel bag and pulled me into a hug.
"Hi," I replied as I hugged her back.
"I can't believe he has organized bodyguards already," she said as she glanced back at the door. She was talking about the two bodyguards who were already standing guard outside the hotel room.
"Yeah, he’s not taking any chances. He is still trying to get a younger bodyguard to be able to blend in better at college."
"Do you have any idea who it could have been?" she said as she pulled back and scanned my face.
"No." I had no idea who would want to attack me.
"Connor has organized us a place that is fully furnished for the rest of the year," I told her as we walked over to the sofa to sit down. Connor nodded his head briefly at Jordan to greet her as he spoke on his phone.
"That's cool," she said with a shrug.
"I'm going to have to get used to someone following me around all the time," I muttered to my friend. She reached for my hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.
"Maybe he will be hot," she said as she wiggled her eyebrows. For the first time since my fight with Sin, I smiled. Jordan had that way of easing stressful situations.
"I hope so."
But I knew that my heart was still hung up on a tattooed bad-boy who wasn't interested in seeing me again.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Taylor
Oh my!
Hot didn't even begin to describe my new bodyguard who'd just arrived at the new place we'd just moved into. It had been a couple of days since my brother had showed up at Sin's house to pick me up.
"Matthew Weiss, this is my sister, Taylor," my brother introduced. "And this is Jordan."
I was still trying to recover from the shock so I gave him a brief nod instead of trying to greet him with words that I couldn't seem to find. He wasn't what I'd expected. Jordan, who'd been sitting down on the sofa watching TV, stood up.
"Hi," she greeted.
Matthew gave her a brief nod and a smile. I swear I saw her swoon. I'd been expecting someone big and bulky, and, well...mean looking. The type of guy who could kill with one evil look or the type of guy you wouldn't want to meet alone in a dark alley. The only thing that this guy could do with one look was make panties disappear.
He didn't look like the lethal bodyguard my brother had assured me he was, but I knew that there was no way my brother would leave me without the best protection he could buy. He was tall and lean. His hair reached past his ears. It was a sandy brown color with streaks of blond. His eyes were a beautiful dark green. Long, dark eyelashes emphasized his striking eyes.
"Hi," he greeted us with a relaxed smile, which spread wider and showed off his dimples.
More bloody dimples.
He was dressed in black trousers and a plain button-up white shirt. The collar was undone and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He set his luggage down where he stood.
"Here is a folder that has all the information that you’ll need," Connor told him as he handed him a blue folder. My brother and his stupid folders. Matthew opened the folder briefly and his eyes scanned a couple of the pages before closing it again.
"If you need any more information, call me," my brother instructed.
"I will," he assured Connor. The easy smile was gone and he was all business. It was the first glimpse I got of Matthew the Bodyguard.
My brother turned to face me.
"I need to get back for a very importa
nt meeting," Connor said. He looked anxious even though he knew that he was leaving me in very capable hands.
"I'll be fine," I assured him as I embraced him and gave him a squeeze.
"I love you," he whispered to me softly as he kissed my cheek. He gave me one last squeeze before he released me.
"I love you too," I said softly.
"I'll call you when I get to the airport," he said, picking up his suitcase.
"Sure," I said as I walked him to the door. I loved my brother, but I was glad he was going. He'd been suffocating me the last couple of days while he'd sorted out the rental and bodyguard. The perks were that the apartment was nicer than staying at the dorm.
Connor gave me one last quick hug before he left.
"Which room is mine?" asked Matthew, looking at me expectedly.
I pointed at the only empty room left that was next to mine. The other room, which was occupied by Jordan, was on the opposite side. When it had come time for Jordan and me to choose rooms, my brother had insisted that the bodyguard sleep in the room next to mine. I'd asked why and he'd said he would feel better knowing the bodyguard was close to me. I shook my head at the memory. If you looked up the word overprotective in the dictionary, I swear there would be a picture of my brother under the description.
"I'm just going to unpack my stuff," he told us and then he disappeared into the bedroom with his luggage.
Jordan's eyes met mine.
"See, I told you he'd be hot," she whispered to me as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. There was no disputing it, he was. I shook my head at her as I smiled.
It didn't matter how hot he was, I wanted Sin. I hadn't heard from him since my brother had arrived. I rubbed my forehead as a slight headache began to develop. It wasn't like I'd expected him to call, but the fact that he hadn't even sent me a text message did hurt. It shouldn't surprise me because he'd made it very clear when I'd left that what we had was over.
"I'm going to lie down," I said, wanting some space so I could wallow in my hurt without having to pretend I was fine. Her eyes narrowed at me for a moment before she said, "Okay."