Page 55 of Loving Taylor

I glanced back in time to see the thunderous look her brother directed at her. Even if our arrangement wasn't done I knew it wouldn't survive his disapproval.

"Get your stuff," he ordered her without stepping into the house. I glared at him, not liking the way he was talking to her. He sounded like a father instead of a brother.

He crossed his arms and waited for Taylor to follow his instruction. She sighed and walked over to her bag by the door. My eyes followed her. Briefly she looked at me but I looked away. I didn't want her to see the turbulent emotions inside of me.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her tremble slightly before she took a deep breath.

"Don't let Jordan go back to the dorm. Tell her I will call her a little later," she said and I nodded, still holding the door open.

"Thanks for everything." She hesitated in the doorway. I don't know what she was waiting for but she wasn't going to get it.

"See you around." This time I looked her in the eyes, ensuring she knew the full impact of my words. We were over. I didn't allow her look of hurt to shake me or change my mind. It was over.

Our temporary acquaintances with benefits was finished.

As soon as she exited my house I shut the door. I closed my eyes briefly, finally allowing my true emotions to come to the surface. Now that I didn't have anyone watching, I could let myself feel.

Damn it.It hurt and I chastised myself for allowing myself to walk the path that had brought me here. It was my own fault, there was no one else to blame. Taylor was human and flawed. It was her inability to trust me that had hurt. This experience only reinforced why I had put my rules in place to protect myself.

Allowing myself to get closer to her would only spell more pain in the end for me. I let go of the handle and stepped back, trying to figure out the exact moment I had lost control.

I wasn't sure it had been the first night I had looked after her. It was probably the night I had taken her virginity. From that point onward I had continued to break my rules. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was ensuring it never happened again.

A couple of hours later Slater found me in the garage beating the punching bag as if it weren’t an object but Taylor's brother. His disapproving look stuck with me. I hated being made to feel inferior and in one look he had been able to do that to me.

"Where's Taylor?" he asked, scanning the room.

"She left." My answer was short. I stopped and looked at him, dropping my hands to my sides.

"You let her go back to the dorm?" he asked, incredulous.

I shook my head. "No."

I was a lot of things but I would never knowingly allow her to do anything to put herself in danger.

"Then where did she go?" he asked with a frown.

He and Taylor had grown closer over the past few weeks. I could tell he had a soft spot for her.

"Her brother came and picked her up." I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the bottom of my shirt.

He continued to frown as he studied me.

"What's going on?" he asked, knowing something was bugging me and it had nothing to do with the attack on Taylor.

I let out a heavy sigh before I dropped my shirt. "She won't be coming around here anymore."

I couldn't exactly say we were over because that would imply we’d been more than we were.

Slater watched me thoughtfully. "She will be back."

It wasn't what I wanted to hear. For my own sake it had to be over.

"I don't want her back." I made my stand on the subject of Taylor clear.

He gave me a slight inclination of his head as if conceding my decision. He didn't push any further.

The door widened and Jordan appeared beside him looking a little worse for wear. She was dressed in the outfit she’d worn yesterday.