Surviving Slater - Loving Bad Series (Sample of Published Book)

Chapter 4 - Part 2

"You know him long?" Now he was starting to sound like a parent drilling their child.

"We went on a date before Taylor got kidnapped," I answered. "With everything that was going on, we kind of put things on hold."

He nodded slightly, pressing his lips together.

"What?" I asked again. I knew him well enough to see something was bugging him. The kettle finished boiling but he stood still, watching me.

"We've never been close..." he began to say.

That was an understatement. I had been the one to warn Taylor about Sin. I had been convinced he would use her like he had so many before her.

"And I don't want to tell you what to do..." He seemed to struggle with the next part.

"Just spit it out already, Sin," I said, getting agitated.

"The thing is," he said, "you get guys who are upfront about what they want."

I frowned slightly, trying to follow what he was trying to tell me.

"Like I was. I didn't mislead any girl. I told them from the start there would be no relationship. They knew what they were getting into."

"I don't know what this has to do with me or Steven."

"Then you get the guys who aren't upfront about it—the ones who will tell a girl anything to get them into bed."

My frown deepened.

"Steven has a reputation."

It felt unreal that I was getting warned by the guy who had slept his way through most of the girls in my college. He really had come a long way from when Taylor had first met him.

"I'm a big girl and I appreciate the advice but I can take care of myself," I responded, tucking some hair behind my ear.

His tongue flickered against his lip ring and he gave me a nod.

"Now, are you going to make me coffee or am I going to have to do it myself?" I asked in a teasing tone, trying to lighten the heavy mood.

"I got it," he said before he turned to the task of making us coffee.

I bit my lip as I contemplated his warning. It wasn't news. I knew Steven had a reputation as being a player.

It wasn't like I was looking for someone to put a ring on my finger and give me a happily-ever-after. I didn't think I could even have a functional relationship with someone. There was a chance I was so messed up that I would never find happiness with a partner. I would probably flit from one guy to another, chasing something that was impossible to achieve, never trusting someone enough to allow myself to love them.

But what about Slater? Slater had got beneath my skin in a short space of time. But I put what I felt for him down to lust and the only reason it remained was because we'd never slept together. I'd convinced myself once we had sex it would go away.

At the moment I just needed someone to soothe the hurt Slater had caused by his rejection. I couldn't say I was fond of the feeling. I was probably no better than Steven, since I was using one guy to get over another one.

"Just the way you like it," Sin said as he handed me a steaming cup.

"Thanks," I said, taking it from him carefully.

Matthew walked in, wearing a shirt and shorts. His hair was disheveled.

"Where's mine?" he asked Sin with a sleepy frown.

"You're not pretty enough for me to make you coffee," Sin shot back without even making eye contact. He stirred the coffee.

I smiled. It was always fun to watch the two of them go at it.

Matthew sulked and looked in my direction for support.

"Nope," I said, holding my hand out to him. "I'm not getting involved. I'm Switzerland."

"I'll remember this the next time you need a favor," Matthew said, trying to blackmail me, but I was already out of the kitchen.

I found Taylor seated on the sofa.

"Morning," I said.

"Hey," she said before she suppressed a yawn.

I sat down beside her.

"You didn't sleep, did you?" I asked, studying the dark rings under her eyes.

"I'm trying," she said. "It's going to take time."

"I know," I replied, setting my cup down on the coffee table.

I reached over to give her a hug. I hated that there was an aftereffect from the attack that she was still struggling with.

Just as I pulled away, Sin appeared with their coffee. He frowned as he took in our interaction.

"You okay?" he asked Taylor. She nodded and reached for her mug.

"Yes." She smiled up at him, and his frown eased. It was so easy to see what they shared. It was in the way they looked at each other, like no one else existed.