Page 36 of Loving Bad

It wasn't like our parents 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.

My brother called at seven that evening to tell me he was outside my dorm. I was starting to feel despondent because I hadn't heard anything from Sin. In my mind I came up with different excuses as to why he hadn't called me back yet, but they had all seemed weak. I walked out of the building to see my brother standing beside his car. My eyes narrowed at the thick brown folder he held in his hand.

"Hi," I said cautiously as I looked at the offending folder in his hand.

"Hi," he said, sounding resigned. He stood up and handed me the folder. "This is for you."

"What is it?" I asked, but I already knew it was a background check.

"It's a background check on Sin Carter," he answered, watching me for a response. I felt my temper spark to life. I didn't even have to ask how my brother had gotten his name. There weren't too many guys on campus who looked like Sin and if he asked around, someone would have given him a name. I knew my brother hadn't believed me when I'd told him I didn't know Sin. Lying had been a waste of time.

"I don't want it," I insisted, shaking my head as I struggled to contain my anger and the blatant invasion into my life.

"You need to read this," he insisted. "He is a bad guy and he isn't someone you should be around."

I remained tight-lipped and silent.

"I know you're old enough to make your own decisions. But make sure you know all the facts before you do," he argued.

I couldn't wait to get rid of my meddling brother so after he handed me the folder and got into his car, I felt relieved. I was determined not to read it. I'd just taken it to get my brother off my back. Back in my room, Jordan arched a questioning eyebrow as I shoved the offending folder in the drawer of my small desk.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing."

It had been a constant battle to get my brother to stop interfering in my life and I wouldn't allow him to now. I couldn't stop him from doing a background check, but I didn't have to look at what he'd had found. The part that Sin played in my life was nobody's business but my own. I wasn't even sure he still wanted to play the part anymore after he'd seen me with my brother.

I think he might have gotten the wrong idea. One of the rules of our arrangement had been that we were exclusive. I picked up my phone and couldn't stop the disappointment I felt when I saw I'd received no calls or text messages from Sin. Sighing, I dropped my phone back on the bed and rubbed my hands over my face.

"You okay?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

I was determined not to allow my brother's surprise visit to cause havoc in my life. I loved my brother, but there were times I could happily wring his neck.