Taylor

"If I hadn't killed him, I definitely would've made him wish he'd never touched you," he told me.

"And you would have been up for assault. With your previous criminal record they wouldn't have been lenient," I reminded him.

He gave me a look that said he would have still made Eric regret what he did.

"It's finished," I said, but the truth was it wasn't. I was hoping that Eric would just confess so I would be able avoid a trial and the press that came with it.

"But I'm so thankful that you are here with me now," he whispered as he pulled me closer, and I put my hands against his hard chest.

"Me too."

There had been so many times through that ordeal when I hadn't believed I would ever survive it. What happened just reinforced the idea of living my life to the fullest and relishing every moment I had. And now that I had someone as special as Sin to share it with, it would make every moment sweeter.

His hands settled on my hips and I waited with anticipation as he leaned closer. He kissed me. His lips covered mine and I felt the gentle sweep of his tongue on my bottom lip. As I opened my mouth, my tongue touched his and he slipped his tongue inside. I gripped around his neck tighter, needing him closer.

By the time we broke apart, we were both breathless.

"Do you want to meet me at my apartment and we can spend the day together?" I asked, knowing exactly how I wanted to spend the day with him.

"Yes," he replied with a smile that made my stomach flip. It was on his mind too. Sin walked me to the car where Matthew was patiently waiting.

"Hey," Matthew greeted us. As much as I tried, I couldn't wipe the stupid wide smile off my face. I was so happy and it was hard not to show it.

"I see you guys have sorted things out," he observed as he smiled at us. Sin gave him a brief nod and said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Sin opened the car door for me and I got inside.

"I'll see you soon," he said as he pressed a brief kiss to my cheek and watched as Matthew reversed the car.

It still felt so unbelievable that everything had gone so well and that we were dating. I was floating on cloud nine and when Sin arrived half an hour later, I couldn't have been any happier.

Once we were inside my bedroom, he closed the door and leaned against it. The way he smiled and held my gaze let me know exactly what was on his mind and I had to admit I could think of little else but being close to him.

"I think you have way too many clothes on," he said as he stepped forward, and I smiled.

"Really?" I asked. "What if I'm cold?"

"Then I'll keep you warm," he promised as he reached out with one hand that settled on my hip and pulled me closer.

I didn't care that Matthew was in the next room. All that mattered was the two of us.

I let him pull me closer and I put my hands against his chest as I looked up to him and smiled. He gave me a teasing smile as he kissed me and I felt a fluttering in my stomach. He cradled my face in his hands and he feathered a kiss to my lips. I fisted his shirt in my hands.

"I've missed you," he whispered as he stared into my eyes.

"I missed you too," I whispered back. "I can't help feeling that if I'd just let you explain, we would've been able to sort things out sooner."

I felt guilty that I hadn't given him a chance to explain when I was in the hospital. I could have saved us both from being miserable for the last couple of weeks.

"Let's not think about that," he whispered, dropping a kiss to my cheek. "All that matters is that we have sorted everything out now and we're together."

He feathered another kiss to my cheek and I closed my eyes, loving the feel of his soft lips against my skin, which tingled beneath his brief touch.

My mouth opened slightly as his lips covered mine and I groaned as his tongue caressed mine. I gripped his shirt tighter in my hands, wanting more of him. As his kiss grew harder, I wrapped my arms around his neck. He lifted me by the waist and instinctively I wrapped my legs around him, grinding my hips against him.

He broke away and I unwrapped my legs. Standing on my wobbly knees, I watched as Sin reached for the hem of my shirt and lifted it up. I helped him remove the piece of clothing and then I reached for his shirt.

He removed it quickly, throwing it down on the floor. His intense eyes held mine and I felt my skin tingle under his gaze. I wanted him so much. My fingers went to his jeans and I began to undo them. They dropped to the floor.

Sin's hands went to my jeans and he unzipped them. Slowly with the slight trail of his fingers against my skin he pulled them down my legs. I held on to his shoulders to keep my balance. Standing in front of him in my underwear and bra, he glided his hands up my leg to my waist before pulling me against him. I smiled as his lips descended onto mine.

I felt his hands unclasp my bra and pull the straps gently from my arms. The feel of his hard chest was so good that I opened my hands and felt the hard edges of his toned body beneath my fingertips.

I would never get tired of the feel of his body against mine. He backed me up to the bed and he laid me down gently. I bit down on my lip as he reached with both hands to my panties and began to slowly pull them off of me. The anticipation was killing me.

He pulled me gently down to the edge of the bed as I lay down, waiting in anticipation at the sensitive touch of his tongue against my core. I gasped as I felt the insistent lick of his tongue pushing me into a frenzy of need. I threaded my fingers through his hair, unsure of how to handle the intense build up. He pushed a finger into me and I felt myself explode as a rush of intense relief crashed over me. I closed my eyes and my body trembled with my release.

He reached for the pocket of his discarded jeans and ripped open a condom packet. Once the protection was on, he knelt in front of me. I reached for him and he covered my body with his. I felt him nudge my entrance. My breath hitched as he pushed into me. I held on to him as he began to slowly move in and out of me.

He kissed me and I groaned against his lips, loving the feel of him against me. His strokes increased. I lifted my hips to meet his. I felt the build up again and I began to gasp as his movements became more insistent.

"You feel so good," he whispered, sounding like he was nearing his climax. His thrusts were harder and faster as I began to feel the crash of my own orgasm.

A few more thrusts and Sin closed his eyes as he reached his orgasm. Holding his weight with his elbows, he pressed a kiss to my forehead before he rolled off me and got up to dispense with the condom. Moments later he returned and got back into bed with me.

Afterward, we lay on my bed. I looked at him and my heart swelled, about to burst from my feelings for him. He was still breathing hard. Sweat beaded his forehead.

"I love you," I said, needing to say it again and needing him to hear it.

He let out a sigh and turned to face me. Even though we'd talked everything through and any problems between us had been sorted out, I couldn't help feeling nervous at the look on his face.

"I want to be able to say those words to you and mean them," he began to explain. I watched him struggle to find the right words to explain further. "Most people know what love means because they've experienced it, but I haven't."

I felt so sad that his childhood had been that bad. I wanted to reach out and put my arms around him and shield him from the horrible memories of his childhood.

"That doesn't mean, though, that you aren't the most important person in my life. I will do everything I can to make you happy and keep you safe," he whispered to me. His beautiful, expressive eyes held mine as he reached out and touched my cheek. His voice filled with emotion. He couldn't put a label on what he felt for me, but I knew he felt the same as I did. He didn't have to put it into words because I could tell from his actions how much he cared for me.

"I'm sorry I can't say it to you," he said and I could see the look of sadness in his eyes that he had when he spoke about his childhood.

I appreciated his honestly.

"You don't have to say the words," I reassured him softly as I leaned over and kissed him gently. "It doesn't change what we have together."