Taylor

The next morning my mouth dropped open when I bumped into Matthew in the kitchen. Gone was the formal suit and in its place were faded jeans and some heavy metal band brand on a black shirt. The transformation in Matthew was astounding. He looked like a laid-back surfer guy and all that was missing was the surfboard. His long hair and deep tan added to the look.

"So what do you think?" he asked with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"You undercover?" I asked as a grin spread across my face. He was just so easy to be around and most of the time he was funny. He was so different from Sin.

Sin. I still felt that pain in my chest and got short of breath when I thought of him. It felt like someone had sucker-punched me and I hated the physical effect he had on me. It had been four days since the last time I'd seen him.

"Yes," he replied indignantly. "So, do you think I'll blend in?"

"Yes," I said, still smiling.

"Good," he said. "The last thing I want to do is stand out."

He would still stick out because he was going to turn heads wherever he went. I was going to have to put up with a lot of jealous looks.

"Come on, surfer dude," I told him as I picked up my bag and walked to the front door.

I'd always imagined that having a bodyguard entailed a bulky guy who looked something like the secret service following closely behind me. I'd never imagined a hot, laid-back guy who looked like he couldn't tackle a tree. I was apprehensive by the time we made it to college. It had been just a ten-minute walk from the flat. Connor had made sure the apartment was close to college.

I was feeling fearful and apprehensive at the same time. My eyes scanned the features of every male student who walked past me. I couldn't help studying them briefly, trying to figure out if I recognized anything.

A hand briefly touched my lower back.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Matthew whispered to me. I glanced at him and he gave me a reassuring smile. There was no hiding the fear that I felt and he'd seen it.

"Thanks," I whispered as I tried to calm myself down. I'd fought so hard against a bodyguard, but in that moment I was so thankful that I had Matthew walking beside me. I took a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other with a determination not to allow the attack to scare me from doing what I wanted.

Matthew stuck to me like glue. Wherever I went, he went. He intrigued Caleb when I introduced them after class. Caleb seemed to buy the story that Matthew was a friend of the family.

"You still hanging out with Sin?" Caleb asked me out of the blue. I stopped and turned to him as I felt Matthew's gaze on me. I was annoyed that he thought that Sin wasn't someone I should be hanging out with.

"You are my friend, but it's none of your business," I informed him firmly. It might have sounded a bit harsh, but I was tired of everyone giving their opinion on Sin whether I wanted it or not. It wasn't like everyone I knew got to vote on whether I got to hang out with him or not. It was only my vote that counted.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," Caleb apologized as he reached out and touched my arm. I felt Matthew tense slightly beside me. It was like he was ready to pounce if needed.

"It's fine," I said, brushing it off.

"I'd better go, otherwise I'm going to be late for my next class. I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he turned and walked down the opposite side of the hallway.

"You know, he is right," said Matthew as he watched the retreating figure of Caleb. Why did everyone think they could tell me what to do? I bit my tongue when I turned to face the next jury member.

"Look, I've read the file on Sin and let's put it this way, on paper, he isn't someone you want to get involved with," he told me.

He was right, I'd never read all the stuff that my brother had managed to collect on Sin, but I'd seen a side to him that had convinced me that there was more to him than some bad stuff he might have done. The brown folder had been moved to the apartment with the rest of my things. I still hadn't opened it. I'd stuffed it into the table beside my bed. It hadn't even crossed my mind to open the folder.

"It isn't any of your business, either," I stated to him as firmly as I had with Caleb. He crossed his arms over his chest and studied me for a moment.

"Unfortunately, who you hang out with is my business. Remember, I'm here to protect you," he explained. It made sense even though I didn't like it. I bit my lip to stop myself from snapping back at him. There was no point in trying to fight it.

"Fine," I relented. "Let's go."

I turned and began to walk down the hallway. My classes were finished for the day so we were going back to the flat.

"Speak of the devil," I heard Matthew whisper behind me.

The moment my eyes landed on him, I felt a flutter of awareness inside of me. Sin was standing on the other side of the hall. I felt relieved that he didn't have his tongue shoved down some girl's throat.

Our eyes met and I felt an awareness run through me. I was feeling so many things at the same time. I felt nervous, scared, hurt and plenty more. It was hard to pretend I was fine on the outside when I wasn't on the inside. I stopped walking as I watched Sin walk determinedly to me. The nervous knot that had started in my stomach grew. His eyes looked past me to Matthew and his step faltered slightly.

His lips pressed into a line and he closed the distance between us quickly. Matthew stood beside me and I really wished at that moment that he wasn't there. I wanted to be alone with Sin. Sin shot one more intense look at Matthew before he shifted his gaze onto me.

"Who is he?" he asked directly. I couldn't help hoping that he was a little jealous.

"Matthew, Sin, Sin, Matthew," I introduced even though Matthew was well aware of who Sin was. I could have told him that Matthew was my bodyguard, but for that little hope that he might be jealous I left that detail out.

They didn't shake hands; instead, they seemed to size each other up for a moment. Guys were so weird.

"I want to talk to you," said Sin when he pulled his gaze from Matthew.

It was good to see him, but seeing him had made the feeling of hurt more intense. I'd been waiting four days for him to talk to me and he hadn't bothered to contact me. I remembered the hurt I'd felt at his indifferent brush-off four days earlier and decided not to make it easy for him.

"I'm not sure I want to talk to you," I told him. His eyes searched mine and he reached to take my hand in his. Matthew watched the interaction carefully.

"Please." He undid me with that one word.

"Fine," I replied, looking at him expectantly.

"Where are you staying?" he asked as he flickered a glance in Matthew's direction.

"In an apartment nearby," I answered, wondering why he was asking.

"Could I come by tonight to talk?" he asked.

For a few moments I mulled over his request. There was no way I was going to say no, but I thought I'd let him sweat it out a little. His eyes held mine. He looked a little nervous as he waited for me to answer him. Confident and arrogant, Sin was hot, but there was something about the vulnerable side to him that pulled at my heartstrings.

"Fine," I answered and he gave a slight nod as he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

I gave him the address.

"I'll be there at seven," he told me. I gave him a nod and watched as he shot Matthew a glare before he walked off.

"That one is trouble," said Matthew.

He was right, but I didn't care.