For the next few days I shut any thoughts of Slater down. I concentrated on supporting Taylor as much as I could. I could see the fear that lingered in her eyes. It would take time for her to deal with the aftereffects of her kidnapping and attack. Her wounds on the outside began to heal but I was more worried about the emotional ones that no one could see.

The doctor had told her to take time off and take it easy but she made no attempt to go back to school. I was really worried about her; she seemed broken and unable to find a way back to normality.

Things between her and Sin hadn't gone quite the way I had expected. The look on his face when he had left her hospital room had left no doubt that things hadn't worked out. It was hard not to feel sorry for him when I had seen the devastation in his eyes.

Despite my own issues with Slater, I still hoped somehow they would work things out. I wanted her to be happy and I was convinced the only person who could do that was Sin. My opinion of him had changed drastically. It was hard to believe when they had first met I had warned her he would break her heart.

I knocked on Taylor's door. There was silence. I debated whether to leave her alone but I decided she couldn't just spend all day in her room alone. There was a chance she was sleeping but I opened her door anyway.

Her room was dark, the thick curtains keeping the afternoon sun out. She lay on her side with the blankets up to her chin. Her eyes were open.

"Hi," I said softly, taking the tone a mom would speak to a young child, because she looked so vulnerable. It hurt to look at her and remember what she'd been through before and now.

She didn't answer. I bent down to her level and her eyes met mine.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly. I reached out and brushed some stray hair out of her face.

She nodded, but she wasn't. If she was, she wouldn't be hiding in her room.

"Why don't you take a shower and get dressed and we can go out for something to eat?" I told her, wanting to help her face her fears.

She frowned and pressed her lips together.

"We can take Matthew with us," I added. It wasn't like we really had a choice. After what had happened, and even though they had Eric in custody, Connor and Matthew weren't taking any chances with her safety.

"I can't," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not ready."

I smiled encouragingly. "That's okay."

I hated seeing her like this. It made me angry that the actions of one person had reduced her to this. She had fought hard to get through the horror of her childhood, only for everything she'd gained to be taken by the kidnapping.

"You ready to come out of your room?" I asked, hoping I could at least get her up and about in the apartment. Connor and Matthew were worried about her. The truth was we all were. Sin was calling Connor regularly to get updates on her because she refused to take his calls or answer his messages.

"Maybe later," she sidestepped.

"Okay," I said, not wanting to push her too much. "Move over."

She gave me a questioning look but followed my instruction. I took my shoes off and lay down beside her in the bed.

"I miss you. And if you don't want to come out of your room I'm going to stay with you for a little while."

Her hand reached for mine and squeezed. My fingers wrapped around hers and I held her hand in mine.

It was hard to be around her and not think about the things in my childhood that had happened to me and the effect it had on my life. I swallowed hard, trying to fight the usual feelings that accompanied the memories.

"Every time I close my eyes I can see his face," she whispered hoarsely. I squeezed her hand tighter.

"It will get better," I told her. My childhood still affected me to this day but I had to give her hope that things would get better. She had survived the horror of her childhood, maybe she was stronger than I was.

"Have you spoken to Sin?" I asked, trying to change the subject to something a little lighter.

"No," she said with a heavy sigh. "He keeps calling and sending me messages."

She shifted onto her back and stared up to the ceiling like I was.

"He really cares about you."

"I know." She paused for a moment. I still didn't know why they weren't together. He cared for her and she cared for him. "How's things with you and Slater?"

"We are nothing." I hoped she was going to drop the subject.

"I thought he would regret his decision."

He hadn't. I could still feel that sinking feeling in my stomach when he had rejected me. I knew why; it was me. I had issues he couldn't or didn't want to deal with.

I didn't want to think back to the moment when my childhood memories had resurfaced to ruin anything I had hoped would unfold between us. Usually I could block it out but this time something he had said had set it off and there had been nothing I could have done to stop it.

He kissed me and I felt my stomach flip when his tongue slid against mine. My nails dug into his broad shoulders as he continued to kiss me like I was water and he was dying of thirst.

When his mouth broke from mine, I was left gasping. He looked at me with his smoldering eyes and I pulled him down to me for another kiss before his lips began their exploration of my semi-naked body.

The sight of his inked skin next to mine was such a turn-on. His tongue trailed a path down my neck. I shivered with anticipation as my hands raked through his hair.

The warmth of his breath and the touch of his tongue against my sensitive skin made me lift to his touch as he moved to my bra.

He hesitated when his hands reached for the clasp, his eyes asking me for permission to remove the clothing. I sat up and undid the clasp as he slipped the straps off my shoulders. So slowly and so erotic. He dropped a kiss to my shoulder as the clothing dropped away.

I had been naked before with guys, but this was different. The way his eyes trailed over me set me alight.

"Touch me," I said.

His hand held my breast as his mouth found mine again. He lay me back down. A moment later I felt the warmth of his mouth on my breast. The ache between my legs grew. I needed him.

"Please," I said softly, needing him to touch me.

But he didn't hurry. His mouth moved down my abdomen. My hands fisted the sheets as his lips reached the top of my panties.

"Are you sure?" he breathed. I lifted my head slightly and our eyes met.

"Yes."

If he didn't, I felt like I was going to combust. He eased my panties off and I lifted my hips to help him remove them.

"What do you need?" he asked softly, his fingers on the inside of my thighs.

"I need you..." I couldn't finish it.

"Tell me," he said, his voice more insistent. "Baby."

I tensed, trying to stop the fear that washed over me, but nothing I did could stop it. No warning, just an immediate physical effect.

"Jordan?" Slater said when he felt the change in me.

I gritted my teeth, trying to fight my way through the memories that refused to let me go. Then Slater shifted and I lay still.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning as he brushed my cheek.

"Don't," I said, pulling away from him. I moved to the far side of the bed and pulled my knees up to my chin, trying to push back the familiar feelings of disgust that made my stomach turn.

"Please don't touch me."

I closed my eyes briefly as I relieved the memory. It was hard to remember it and not feel the rejection that had followed.

We lay there for a while before I left her. When I exited her room, Matthew looked up from the sofa.

"How's she?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure."

I didn't know if she was getting any better. I dropped down into the space beside him on the sofa.

"She will get through this," he said. I hoped so.