Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. I do however, own my 'gang'.

A/N: Unfortunately my Blueboarderchick is busy, so you can thank Dirtychicken, the dirtiest chicken around, for editing this chapter for me.

Thank you to my reviewers.

WARNING: Please be advised, sexual content in this chapter.

Chapter 53

We'd been back in Hanover a day when Angela called, wanting to get the scoop on my night in Taylor's room. Ryan had driven to the airport to pick up Zach, Liz went to the grocery and Taylor was out running errands. I was catching up on the laundry and some chores I'd been neglecting. I had just finished putting a load into the washer when my cell phone rang.

"Well?"

"Well what?" I threw myself on the bed, making myself comfortable.

"How was the sex?" Angela queried with a hint of impatience.

"We didn't exactly have sex. I mean I… had an orgasm but we didn't have sex." I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, feeling my face heat in embarrassment at Angela's straightforwardness.

"Wait a minute, you had an orgasm but you didn't sleep together? I'm confused, was there or was there not penis involved?"

"When you put it that way… there wasn't. But it was so good, Angela. I mean… wow," I sighed happily, rolling over to gaze at the ceiling.

"Well, let me be the first one to welcome you. You're now a card carrying member of the FOC, the Female Orgasm Club," Angela announced with all the grandeur of a mayor at a ribbon cutting ceremony.

"Angela, the Female Orgasm Club? Seriously?" Laughter bubbled up in my throat. The things Angela and her quirky mind would come up with…

"Don't laugh. Did you know that ten percent of women have never had an orgasm? It's true, I looked it up," Angela relayed matter-of-factly.

Why on earth would Angela even look up orgasm statistics?

"So, what does this mean for you guys? Are you like in love and together or what?"

Love? Mild panic flared up in my stomach and I found myself floundering to answer her questions. "Well, I… um. We're not exactly defining things just yet. We're just going with the flow, you know? Keeping things simple."

"Just going with the flow? I don't know, Bella. Taylor doesn't really strike me as that kind of guy." Angela sounded unconvinced.

"What kind?" I inquired, feeling another one of Angela's wacky theories coming on.

"Okay, the way I see it, there are two types of men. The first are the kind of guys that prefer variety in their meat, and they'll go out every day in search it. Now the second kind, they still go out hunting for meat, but once they find the kind they like, they club it over the head and drag it back to their cave so they can eat it every day. Do you hear what I'm saying?"

"Oh, I'm hearing that you watch way too many nature shows."

"I'm saying that Taylor is the second kind. He wants to eat your meat every day, Bella!"

A short silence fell between us before I asked, "What is wrong with you?"

"I don't know. I think it's the Florida sun. It's doing strange shit to my brain."

I decided to get us off the subject of a meat eating Taylor, and thankfully, Angela let me.

"Hey, have you gone out with anyone since you and Mark broke up?" Angela had been such a good friend to me lately, and I didn't even know what was happening in her love life. Some friend I am.

"I haven't really been dating anyone but…"Angela trailed off and I caught the smile in her voice.

"But what?" I pressed.

"Ok, so there's this guy. We met through a mutual friend a year ago and grew really close. He's like the best guy friend a girl could ask for."

"What's his name?"

"His name is Trent and he works at a café. He's absolutely gorgeous and funny. Not to mention, a really great kisser," Angela confided dreamily.

"You kissed?"

"Yeah. I can't wait for you to meet him. Maybe you can come to Florida for a visit. What are you guys doing for spring break?"

I bit my lip in contemplation. "I don't know. We haven't made any plans yet. But I'll run it past the gang and get back to you, all right?"

Spending spring break in Florida would definitely get Renee off my back about visiting more. Plus, I'd be able to find out what she thought of Taylor. Not that I was planning on introducing him as my boyfriend or anything…

"Sure. By the way, I sent you an email."

"Yeah? What's in it?"

"Oh, just some pictures of the stuff I was telling you about. You'll see." I heard the slyness in her tone. "Anyway, I gotta go. I'm meeting Trent for lunch. Bye, Bella."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later." I hung up and reached for my laptop, curious about what was in Angela's email.

I logged into my email account and waited for the message to load. I took one look at the pictures, gasped and slammed my laptop lid close. Angela was a straight-up freak.

Moments later, I was using a sponge to scrub down the bathroom wall with a home-made liquid soap and lemon mixture I'd concocted just for that purpose. The store bought cleaners usually irritated my skin and were much too toxic for me to use. My hair had been gathered into a sloppy ponytail and I was wearing a ratty old T-shirt and shorts.

My mind was so concentrated on the task at hand that I didn't hear anyone come in until the sensation of being watched prickled along my spine. I whirled around, my gaze flying across the room to find Taylor watching me intently.

My heart rate increased, at the slow, wicked smile that slowly spread across his face. His sinful expression made my stomach clench and I forced my mouth to work. "Hey."

"Hey." His eyes glinted with a hidden agenda.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's time for your second lesson."

"You mean like right now?" Taylor nodded. "But I look like…" With my hands, I gestured at my holey T-shirt and soggy shorts that should have failed to inspire any sort of sexual attraction whatsoever. If anything, my outfit screamed vagrant louder than it screamed vixen. Besides, the gang would be home any minute now…

Taylor remained unfazed as he stared me down. "Turn around."

"And what if I don't, Taylor? What are you going to do, spank me?" I asked tartly then paused. The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I wanted to cut out my tongue.

Oh, God! Why would I even taunt him with something like that?

An embarrassed flush mounted my cheeks at the sudden flare of sexual interest in his eyes. Taylor tilted his head marginally, his expression turning thoughtful, as if I'd just presented him with an alternative he hadn't considered before. "A spanking? You know, I just might do that if you don't turn around right now."

A jolt of electric thrill raced through my body and I quickly spun around, facing the wall.

Why did his threat excite me so much?

Thoughts of spankings evoked forbidden fantasies and stirred me more than I was comfortable with. The air in the bathroom thinned, forcing me to struggle for breath as I waited for what was next.

"Put your hands on the wall and keep them there."

My hands shook as I lifted and then placed them on the tiled bathroom wall. Soap suds dripped from the sponge that I still held, ran down the length of my arm and onto my T-shirt. The heavy sound of Taylor's unhurried footsteps echoed in the stillness as he approached. I shuddered, feeling Taylor's hot gaze on my back… or was it my ass?

"Let's see how good you are at doing what you're told?" The footsteps paused as Taylor stepped over the edge of the tub and into the shower with me. He crowded in behind me expertly blocking off any escape routes should I desire one. The warmth of his body coated my back, and his chest brushed against my shoulders.

"Now, spread your legs." Taylor murmured in my ear, his Spanish inflection grew heavier with each word spoken.

"I-I…" I hesitated and my stomach flip-flopped, unsure of what he was going to do.

"If you don't spread your legs, I'll spread them for you," Taylor growled with a warning that vibrated through my body.

Tentatively, I inched my legs open, mindful of the wet bathroom floor until Taylor grew impatient with my snail-like pace. Startled, I jumped when he wedged one firm thigh between my legs, using force to widen them. In my spread-eagled position, I felt exposed and was at the mercy of Taylor's whim. Vulnerable, a feeling that left me unnerved.

Two large hands reached around to cup and knead my breasts in agonizing slowness, compelling me to arch into his grasp. It was absolute torture when he dragged his thumbs across the taunt peaks of my nipple, sending an electric jolt of pleasure rushing through my entire body.

"I'm going to make you scream my name."At his confident words, my body was reduced to a quivering mass of need, more so when Taylor's hand delved into my underwear.

"If you think you can, you're welcomed to try," I opened my big mouth and challenged. The defiance in my tone surprised me. Where on earth did that come from?

"In case you've forgotten, I've done it before." As if to remind me, Taylor swirled his fingers around the slick entrance of my body, creating gusts of heat wherever they touched. God, it was like my entire body was on fire.

"That could've been just a fluke. You know, just a onetime thing?" My voice held a deep, sultry quality that I barely recognized.

In the midst of it all, my brain was pleading with me to shut up, but I couldn't stop myself. It was almost like my mouth was falling down a flight of stairs. I felt torn. A part of me liked having Taylor take the choice out of my hands, leaving me free to go with the flow. Yet, the other part of me rebelled against Taylor's newly revealed, dominating nature and enjoyed pushing his buttons. I wasn't about to roll over and make it easy for him.

"One of these days, I'm gonna put something in that sassy mouth of yours. But for now, I'll just have to settle for this." Before I could summon another smart reply, Taylor pushed one finger deep inside of me. It was a snug fit and it took a few moments before Taylor felt I was relaxed enough to slip his finger in all the way. Automatically, my body stiffened against the burning fullness his finger created.

I bit into my cheek, but that did nothing to hold my moan of pleasure at bay. All thoughts were lost when Taylor began to move his finger in slow, insistent strokes.

"How many lovers have you had?" Taylor queried quietly with a hardened edge to his words.

Oh hell no! My temper flared up at his probing question. I was not about to answer something so personal. Especially since Taylor and I never talked about sexual experiences with our exes. "I don't think I want to answer that."

"How many men have you let fuck you?" Taylor demanded roughly, his voice low and dangerous.

A fresh heat crawled up my neck as the temperature in the room went up a few notches. This was my first time hearing Taylor curse… well in English anyway. I had no clue how to handle this new side of Taylor, sexually-explicit and raw. He slipped a hand under my T-shirt and started to slowly inch it upward. By the time his fingers closed around my nipple, I was melted putty in his talented hands.

When I still hadn't answered his question, Taylor decided to change tactics. He slid his probing finger out halfway, pressing his fingertip against my inner wall. Slowly, Taylor began to move his finger in small circles, concentrating on an area I could only describe as pure magic.

Oh God…

I gasped softly, feeling lightheaded from the strength of my arousal. My entire body throbbed around the invasion of his relentless finger. I was being driven half mad by his teasing.

Just as I was nearing the edge of oblivion, Taylor stopped all movement and questioned me once more. "How many?"

Oh, so that's his game? Using pleasure as a form of interrogation? Well, he could forget it. I bit into my bottom lip, refusing to answer.

I held out for a heroic ten seconds before caving like soufflé.

"One," I gasped with a tortured groan. Bastard.

"That's good. You still have an air of… innocence around you. Innocence…" His teeth scraped against my rapidly pounding pulse. "… just begging to be… corrupted." My skin had grown sensitized to his every touch. So much so, that I became hyper-aware of the coolness of my wet T-shirt clinging to my breasts, and the warmth of his breath on my neck.

"I wonder if you taste as good as you feel." His lips brushed against my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

Sweat dampened my forehead. My arms ached and shook with the strain of keeping them on the wall. Just when it seemed like there was no room between us, Taylor proved me wrong, moving in even closer. Slowly, torturously he began to grind the ridge of his hard-on against my ass. Talk about being caught in between a rock, and quite literally, a really hard place.

"Do you feel that, gatito?" Taylor swept his hot tongue along the curve of my neck.

When my words failed me, I nodded in response. How the hell could I not feel him? It was impossible to ignore the thick hard-on that was currently pressed up against my ass.

To add to my heightened sensations, Taylor began to squeeze and pinch my engorged nipple, mixing pleasure with pain. The dueling sensations were a new experience for me. Pain and pleasure melted together until I couldn't tell one from the other. Never did I think that aching torment and titillation could go hand in hand.

Heat flowed along my nerve-endings, my abdominal muscles began tighten as my body started to prepare itself for the approaching multitude of sensations.

I was so close. Just a few more strokes and tugs and…

Taylor's hands halted in their movement and I almost screamed in frustration. My body was strung so tightly that the slightest breeze to take me over the edge. But Taylor refused to move.

Why is he stopping?

"What did I say this lesson was about?"

Why is he asking me questions at a time like this? I huffed and began to dig around in the heated fog of my mind. At that moment, I would've answered any question to get him to ease the aching throb between my legs.

Let's see how good you are at doing what you're told…

Put your hands on the wall and keep them there…

It all suddenly clicked and I murmured, "Obedience."

"So?" The fingers clutching my breast flexed under my hand that covered it. I wasn't even aware when I'd moved it.

After I returned it to its place on the wall, Taylor crooned, "Good girl." His words of approval thrilled me for some strange reason.

I was rewarded for my obedience when Taylor began to stroke at me, inside and out, with his fingers. Scorching wildfire raced throughout my body, curling my toes and making me mewl with delight.

"That's it. Don't think or worry about control. All you have to do is feel," Taylor encouraged, increasing the pace of his assault.

Taylor was true to his promise. It wasn't long before pure ecstasy tore his name from my lips in a harsh cry. My body began to convulse and tighten around his finger. My trembling legs would've given out, if Taylor hadn't been holding me up.

"And that was just the beginning." Taylor slipped his hands from beneath my clothes.

Once I was able to stand on my own and regained my ability to speak again, I asked, "There's more?" My words came out as a breathless moan. If Taylor was this incredible with his hands, then I could only imagine how mind-blowing the sex would be.

"We're just getting started. Turn around."

On unsteady legs, I turned to meet his gaze.

Taylor's darkened eyes were wild and his expression, slightly feral as though it had taken all of his self-control not to strip me naked and bend me over the edge of the tub.

I opened my mouth to receive the ravenous thrust of his tongue. Surrendering to the mastery of his kiss, I threw my arms around his neck and brought myself against the hard wall of his chest. In barely concealed desperation, Taylor dragged my hand away from his neck, lowering it onto the rigid swell of his crotch. He groaned into my mouth when I grasped his arousal, compelling him to buck into my hand.

"Hey, Izzy. You home?" Zach's voice startled us out of our kissing and Taylor muttered a soft curse.

Sounds of harsh breathing filled the tense air as we reluctantly peeled ourselves off each other. Desperately, I scrambled, trying to rearrange my clothing before Zach found us. Running my still shaking hands through my hair, I made an effort to tame the unruly strands that had escaped my ponytail. In the corner of my eye, I noticed Taylor's lack of movement, but I didn't have time to pause and ponder on the inner workings of the man's mind. I was too busy trying to appear as if Taylor and I weren't about to mount each other a few seconds ago.

When Zach appeared in the doorway, his eyes landed on us and he stopped dead in his tracks. I held my breath as he stared at us, his eyebrows drawing together in stunned confusion.

There was a brief pause before a large grin illuminated Zach's face. "What's ah… what's going on, guys?"

As if he had to ask. My cheeks were flushed, hair mussed and lips swollen. Not to mention the fact that I was still aroused as hell.

"Nothing," I answered much too quickly then added, "Taylor was just ah… helping me scrub the shower." I cursed inwardly, thinking that my excuse sounded flimsy, even to my own ears.

Zach's eyes darted to Taylor's motionless form and stayed there. His eyebrows flew up into his hairline and I turned to see what Zach was staring at. My eyes widened in mortification before I grimaced at the picture Taylor made.

Taylor's grey T-shirt was wet and plastered to his pectoral muscles. And to make matters worse, Taylor was still staring at me like he was a starving man and I was a happy meal. Luckily, his erection (hidden by his tee) couldn't be seen unless one was looking for it. And boy was I looking. I was looking so damn hard that I'd almost forgotten that Zach was still in the room, observing our interaction closely. You could practically smell the horniness in the air.

"I can see how much he's been helping you," Zach remarked, his mouth slanting into a wry smile and his eyes drifted down my body.

Confused, I glanced down at myself to find that the evidence was even more incriminating. My white tee was identically soaked from the soap water and my pink, erect nipples were on full display for all to see.

I let out a humiliated squeak, quickly throwing my arms over my chest to cover breasts from view.

Of course, Zach found humor in my abashed reaction. "Oh relax. Leah has way hotter tits."

Once more, I gasped, but this time with outrage. I grabbed my detachable sprayer head, pointed it toward Zach and soaked him where he stood. He tried to run only to skid on the slippery ground and go flying into my bedroom. There was a soft thud as he landed in an undignified heap on the carpet. "Damn it, Izzy! Real mature!"

Not laughing now, are you Zach? I heard his plaintive mutterings as he got up and left, presumably to go change out of his wet clothes.

Ryan's boisterous laugh alerted me that we had additional company in the apartment and I bit back a sigh. It appeared that Taylor picked a bad time for a lesson.

As he strode toward the door, Taylor held me hostage with his gaze as he brought a hand toward his mouth. A furious wave of heat dashed up my cheeks when he licked his finger clean. The erotic moment was broken when he exited the bathroom, leaving me drowning in heat.

Fighting back a groan of frustration, I yanked the shower curtain closed. I turned the water on and stood under spray, letting it soak me, clothes and all. I was in dire need of a cold shower.

After my impromptu shower, I was in the process of towel drying my hair when Zach returned, wearing dry clothes.

"Looks like somebody had a shower. Was it a cold one?" Zach teased.

"Zach, I-" I began only to have Zach cut me off.

"Relax, Izzy. I won't say anything about whatever it was I walked in on. I am not that guy," Zach reassured as he sat on my bed. I heaved a sigh of relief until his smile turned dirty. "But just so I know… What did I walk in on?"

"Like I said, Taylor was just helping me scrub the shower." That was the most Zach would get out of me.

Zach rolled his eyes and backed off. "Fine. But you might wanna let Liz know that you're gonna be scrubbing showers with her brother." He concluded with a naughty wriggle of his eyebrows.

Taylor and I weren't exactly sneaking around. When we were with our friends, we were the same people we'd always been. But then again we'd always been kind of touchy feely with each other. So short of making out in front of everyone, there was no need to act any differently.

I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes and asked the question that had been on the tip of my tongue. "So, how was your visit?"

"I had a real good time." Zach smiled his cat the got the cream grin, but his smile slipped a fraction. "But your dad is one scary mother, Izzy."

"Scary? My dad's a little intimidating maybe, but not scary." I teased, remembering all the times he gave poor Edward the third degree.

"He practically threatened to make me disappear if I wasn't on the up and up." Zach made quotation marks with his fingers.

"Okay, that sounds a little like Charlie." I thought it was cute the way Charlie was trying to look out for Leah and wondered how she felt about it.

I was jolted out of my musings when Zach suddenly asked, "So, what's up with that Sam guy?"

My eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Sam? What do you mean?"

"It's just that, for a guy that supposed to be happily married to Leah's cousin, he seems really preoccupied with Leah." Zach's expression grew darker with each passing word.

Oh crap. "What happened?"

"Nothing really happened. You know I'm an instinct kinda guy, right?" He continued after I nodded. "Leah wasn't happy to see him when he just showed up at her house, and then at the party, it sort of felt like I walked in on a lover's quarrel or something. Is there something going on between them?" Zach seemed genuinely concerned.

"No, absolutely not. There's nothing going on." At least, not anymore.

"Then what? They used to be an item?"

My gaze darted away hesitantly, and I weakly continued with towel drying my hair. I didn't want to be the one to spill Leah's secrets, but when my towel was rudely yanked out of my hands, I had no choice but to make eye contact with Zach.

Zach's easygoing smile was sorely missed as he scrutinized my face, looking for answers. A heavy frown marred his features a second before realization dawned and anger flashed in his eyes. "I'm right. Aren't I, Izzy? They used to be an item until what? Did he ditch her for her cousin?"

All I could do was gawk at Zach in utter amazement. Un-frickin-believable! Was he some kind of mind reading wizard? Zach's uncanny ability to put two and two together was just flat out freaky.

Even though I was surprised, I probably shouldn't have been. Out of all of my friends, Zach was the most observant.

"You should really talk to Leah about this, Zach. I can't say anything." It felt wrong to talk about Leah's business behind her back. He wouldn't get confirmation, not from me.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that," Zach murmured distractedly, his hand tightening on the damp towel in his lap.

Attempting to minimize the mess I was making, I gathered my dripping hair over one shoulder and tossed Zach a meaningful look. "Can I have my towel back please?"

Zach started a bit at the sound of my voice and handed me back the towel, watching as I resumed the act of drying my moist locks. "Oh, by the way, I met Jacob Black."

My hand only froze for a second and I forced my tone to remain even. "Really? Did you talk to him?"

"Yeah right." Zach's derisive snort drew my gaze momentarily and I rolled my eyes.

Of course Zach would never willing talk to Jacob. In his eyes, Jacob was jerk who hurt his friend. If only I could have explained the number of times Jacob Black saved me from insanity and from myself. I didn't blame him for finally turning his back on me. It was no less than I deserved for all the times I'd disappointed him in the past. I tried to take comfort in the fact that Carmen was taking good care of him now, only to be surprised by the small twinge of pain that thought caused me.

With renewed determination, I tucked those feelings away in my Jacob box. Thoughts of the past would do me no good now, especially since I couldn't do a thing to change it.

"Leah introduced me to all her friends and I gotta say, Izzy… all of the guys were huge. It was weird."

I wasn't sure if he was asking whether or not there was anything supernatural going on with the pack, but I wasn't taking any chances. No way! Zach was not going to do his weird face reading thing on me again.

I made a show of drying my hair while secretly using it to shield my telltale flush. "Yeah, I always used to ask what they were feeding those guys," I joked lamely and to make it sound convincing, I even added a small laugh.

A quick peek through my hair confirmed that Zach didn't appear to be suspicious, merely curious. I thanked my lucky stars that unlike vampires, there weren't any descriptions in their legends on what a werewolf was suppose to look like. No one ever heard hey, look out for giant, muscle-bound, and overheated Native Americans because they might be werewolves.

"You know… your dad asked me about Taylor." Zach's mouth curved into a sneaky smile.

I was immediately on alert. "Why would he ask about…? What did you say?"

"He just wanted to know what kind of guy Taylor is because he was all over you in some picture."

"Taylor was not all over me." Crap! I knew I shouldn't have sent him that picture of us at the lake house.

"He was kissing you on the head."

"That was a small peck."

Zach cocked an eyebrow in disbelief, but I was determined to stick by my statement. Compared to what Taylor just did to me in the bathroom earlier, that kiss on the forehead was a small peck.

"Well, whatever. I just told him that Taylor is a nice guy. You know, all that shit a dad wants to hear."

"I guess that's not so bad." I relaxed a fraction only to immediately tense back up when Zach announced.

"Oh and he's probably gonna run a background check Taylor."

What the hell? "Zach!"

"What did you expect, Izzy? Your dad's the chief of police. Just be grateful that he hasn't asked to meet Taylor… yet."

Something told me that Charlie might just do that someday in the near future. That realization unnerved me because although Taylor was a genuinely great guy, he might not be able measure up in my father's Jacob loving eyes. I wondered if anyone ever would.

"Anyway, I got laundry that needs washing." Zach stood and sauntered to my bedroom door, but before reaching it, he stopped and turned around with a hopeful look on his face. "Unless, you wanna do my laundry for me?"

"I don't think so. Wash your own drawers," I laughed and threw a pillow which he caught before tossing it back. It was enough that I kept him fed. I drew the line at touching his dirty underwear.

Zach's smile faded and he regarded me with a seriousness that made me uneasy.

"What's wrong, Zach?"

"I just… About Taylor…"

"Oh my God, Zach. Would you just let it go?" Jeez, what a perv.

"Look I couldn't call myself a friend if I didn't say this. Just be careful. All right?"

"What do you mean? Be careful of what?"

"With Taylor… Be careful around Taylor. He's… You know what? Never mind."

As Zach turned to leave, I launched myself off the bed and grabbed hold of his arm. "Taylor's what?" When he seemed unwilling to elaborate, I pressed, "Come on, Zach. You can't just warn me about Taylor and expect me not to ask any questions. What are you talking about?"

When Zach refused to meet my gaze, I began to realize why he was so hesitant. Zach knew Taylor's secret! "You know about Taylor."

His head snapped up. "He told you?"

"No. I just have my suspicions. Nothing solid to go on. He promised to tell me when he's ready, but I see he had no problem tell you." I couldn't believe it. Everyone knew but me!

"Don't get upset, Izzy. He didn't have a choice. When you live with someone, things like that are kinda hard to miss." Zach shook his head with a smile.

"I'm glad you find this funny. How could he trust you over me?" I was used to being the one in on the secret, not the one on the outside looking in.

Zach immediately took offense to my reaction. "Hey, in case you've forgotten. I'm a trustworthy guy, Izzy."

"Oh and I'm not trustworthy?"

"Would you quit acting like a girl and listen to what I'm telling you. The guy didn't have a choice. He kind of owed me the truth after everything that happened."

"All right, spill it." Folding my arms across my chest, I put on the sternest expression on my face.

"I'm sorry, Izzy. I can't tell you Taylor's secret. It would be a betrayal."

"Fine. Could you at least tell me how you found out?" At least give me that much.

Zach shrugged. "Like I said, Izzy. When you live with someone, you can't help but notice when things seem a little… off. It was only small stuff, though. Nothing big happened until two months ago."

Zach had my undivided attention and I nodded enthusiastically for him to continue. "You know Taylor's really into the whole meditation and yoga thing, right?"

"I've seen him meditate but I didn't know he does yoga too." I frowned.

"Taylor's not just into it. He needs that stuff, Izzy. It's like it keeps him calm and in control. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself." Zach shook his head and tried to get back on track. "So a few months ago, I came home really late from the library and the apartment was in darkness. I just thought that Taylor was already asleep or something. So I dumped my shit on the floor and decided to go catch some sleep myself. When I got to my room, I noticed that Taylor's door was open. Normally, I wouldn't look into another guy's bedroom but…" Zach paused.

"But what? What did you see?" I pushed impatiently.

"Taylor wasn't asleep as I assumed. He was just standing there in the dark. He had his back to me, so I couldn't see his face. But something just seemed… unnatural about how still he was. I don't know why I did it, but I called out to him, asking if he was okay. He turned around so fast and…" Zach's haunted expression was reminiscent of day he found out about the Cullens.

"And what?" I pressed, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"It was Taylor only it wasn't. I don't know. It was too dark to get a good look at his face. But I caught a glimpse of his hands, Izzy. He didn't have hands anymore, he had claws. Claws with long nails that looked sharp as hell." Zach drew in a ragged breath. "I was like Dude, what is up with your hands? And do you know what he did? What finally got my ass moving? He growled at me, Izzy. Fucking growled. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before. It started out as a growl but ended like a hiss." Zach was visibly shaken as he ran a slightly trembling hand through his hair.

"I'd barely made it into my room and closed the door before Taylor slammed into it. He kept making growl like, hissing noises and scratching at the door, so I dragged my bureau over and used it as a barricade. And you know how heavy that shit is. I guess the prospect of being gutted is enough motivation to turn me into Superman, huh?" Zach offered me a tight smile.

"What happened afterward?" I asked, feeling the cold tendrils of fear in my stomach.

"After a while the scratching and hissing stopped. I think it lost interest or something." It unnerved me, hearing Zach refer to Taylor as an it.

"Did you hear anymore noises that night?"

Zach shook his head. "Nothing like the growling from before. Just the sound of stuff getting thrown around."

"Why didn't you use your cell to call for help?" The moment the question left my lips, I paused. Who the hell could he call?

"Because I left it in my bag by the front door. I didn't get a minute of sleep that night. I hadn't been so freaked out since I found out about your undead friends." Zach shuddered at the memory.

"So what happened in the morning?"

"Ryan and Liz knocked on my door, asking if I was okay, but I wasn't taking any chances. How did I know they weren't all pod people? It took them at least two hours to get me to open up the door."

I frowned in recollection. "I remember that morning. Liz and Ryan were so jumpy and Taylor didn't show up for breakfast at all. When I asked about you, they told me that you had a twenty-four hour bug."

"After they convinced me to come out of my room, Taylor sat me down and told me the truth, I needed a little time to wrap my mind around it." Zach smiled wanly to himself.

"How… I don't understand how you're still sharing an apartment with him. If it was as creepy as you making me believe, why haven't you moved?"

A question niggled at my brain. If it had been me, would I be able to keep living with Taylor?

"Well, for one thing, I have extra locks on my door and sleep with a bat now." When his attempt at humor failed to have its soothing effect on me, Zach became serious. He grasped me by the shoulders and forced me to look at him. "Plus, I know that Taylor could have easily gotten into my room if he really wanted to."

"Are you trying to say that he stopped himself?"

"I don't think so. He doesn't really remember what happened. When it takes over, Taylor goes to sleep."

"Then why did it stop?" I was on the verge of panic. I needed to know that Taylor was still conscious of his actions when he turned into… it.

Zach was just as frustrated as I was. "I don't know, Izzy. Maybe on some level it knew who I was."

"Do you know what made him turn into that… thing?" Oh God, now I was doing it too. Calling Taylor a thing.

"His dad called, they argued and he lost his temper. That's what happens when he loses his temper." Zach shrugged lazily.

"Do you think he'll try to hurt me? Is that why you're warning me?" Please say no.

"No. I just don't want you to be completely blindsided if he ever loses his temper around you. And if you're important to Taylor like Ryan is important to Liz, he won't hurt you."

I frowned at that. What did that mean?

Zach shook his head when I started to ask this, making it clear that he would elaborate no further on the topic. The wheels were already starting to turn in my head as I began to recall the argument between Taylor and Walter and the mention of an intended. It was pretty clear that Walter had been Catalina's intended.

Edward's words replayed in my mind. Taylor's decided what you mean to him. The way he sees you has changed. His sister's the same way. Once they've made up their mind, it can never be changed.

So that must have meant that Ryan was Liz's intended. But what's an intended? That was the million dollar question.

"You know, Izzy, until I met you, my life was completely normal. I didn't know about vampires or any of that other weird shit. I gotta admit it's kind of exciting, being in the whole supernatural, secret stuff. But I'm just glad that I get to have something normal and human with Lee. I really don't think I could deal with anymore of that stuff." He offered me a tired smile before leaving me alone in my room.

For the first time, I began to have doubts about Zach's ability to handle Leah's secret. Not everyone handled the person I'm dating has supernatural shit going on news as well as I did. Maybe a werewolf would be too much for him.

And then there was Taylor. If what Zach said was true, did I even want to get wrapped up in another supernatural relationship with some guy?

Some guy? I snorted silently. Taylor Reed wasn't just some guy. He was… important to me. And then to find out that he grew claws and god only knew what else, whenever he got pissed. What the hell was I supposed to do with that?

Mind in turmoil, I began to pace in the room in agitation. Great! Just when I thought I had some idea what I was getting into, Taylor just up and grows claws, and now all my knowledge goes up in flames.

Jeez maybe I should give up on men and become a lesbian, I thought only to let out a humorless snort.

Yeah right. With my luck, my girlfriend would turn out to be a witch.

I forced myself to stop worrying when I began to experience yet another one of my killer headaches. I was getting way ahead of myself. I had no idea of knowing whether or not Taylor considered me intended potential anyway. And there would be lots of time to ease Zach into Leah's secret. There was nothing I could have done about Taylor's and Leah's issues, so I would have to wait and see how everything played out.

A couple of days later, I went to the doctor's office to get a check-up and have my stitches removed. And boy what a relief it was, except for the itching. I was happy to be stitch and walking cane free, having received a clean bill of health from my doctor. He recommended something to help reduce the appearance of my scars, but I knew that nothing would be able to make them disappear completely. Taylor was so lucky that the scar on his head would be entirely hidden by his hair. He laughed quietly when I groused this to him, and gently kissed my scars, referring to them as my war wounds. I didn't complain so much after that.

With our winter semester fast approaching, I'd completely forgotten that Liz still hadn't given me my Christmas present yet. Of course, Liz just had to scare the bejesus out of me when she finally decided to give it to me.

I had just sat down on my toilet to pee when Liz burst through my bathroom door. "Surprise!"

"What the hell, Liz!" I screamed and tried to pull my pants up from around my ankles.

"What? I'm here to give you your Christmas present."

"Liz, I'm on the toilet." I gave up on my pants and yanked my T-shirt over my lap.

"So? You're just peeing right?" My mouth fell open at her nonchalance. Liz saw nothing wrong about her being in the toilet with me.

"Well, yes." I admitted reluctantly. "But that's beside the point. I can't talk to you while I'm on the toilet."

Liz rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine. Well, go ahead and finish, then we'll talk." Folding her arms, Liz tapped her feet impatiently as she waited for me to finish.

"Liz, get out!" Why the hell wouldn't she leave?

"What? I'm not talking to you, so hurry it up."

"I can't go with you looking at me." An embarrassed blush crept up my cheeks. It might have been childish, but I just couldn't squeeze a drop with Liz watching. With her green eyes, it felt like Taylor was watching me pee and frankly… I would rather die.

"Oh, for crying out loud." Liz threw her hands up in frustration and left the room in a huff.

Jeez, sometimes Liz took the sister thing too far.

Once I was finished in the bathroom, I went into my room where Liz sat waiting for me. Her recent annoyance appeared to have been forgotten as she beamed at me, bursting with excitement.

Wearily, I sat next to Liz on the bed and waited for her big announcement. "I signed us up for belly dancing classes."

"What?" Out of all the things I expected, that was last.

"Now, before you say no, just listen to all the reason why you should do it." Liz stood and began to count off the benefits with her fingers. "Its great exercise, builds muscle tone, is a wonderful stress reliever and I hear they say that it also improves your sensuality and stuff," Liz concluded with a naughty wink.

"Okay." I agreed but Liz didn't seem to hear me.

"Oh come on, Izzy. It would be something we could do togeth-"

I decided to stop her before she went off on a tirade. "Liz, I said okay."

"Really? I don't have to wrestle you or anything?" Liz appeared doubtful.

"Really. It sounds like fun." I smiled softly and silently wondered what Taylor would say when he heard about our lessons. As it happened, learning to belly dance would turn out to be a pivotal development in my life.

Liz seemed impressed that I'd caved so easily and hell, I was feeling pretty good about it myself. I'd made progress. Belly dancing was something new, exciting and a little scary and yet, I wasn't running for the door. Instead, I was looking forward to it.

My smile abruptly faded when Liz said, "When we're finished with belly dancing, I'm gonna sign us up for the pole dancing class."

A/N: Damn, this chapter was a bitch to write. I'm trying to keep the sexy scenes tasteful, but damn if Bella and Taylor aren't taking to me some... interesting areas. It's a thin line folks. Don't know how I'm going to keep things tasteful in the next chapter though... Damn.

Wow, your responses in the last chapter were overwhelming. I guess you guys know how you want your story. Bitch, don't you change my story. I heard you guys loud and clear.

Also, don't forget to check and make sure you've enable your PM's so I can send you your teasers. Some of you had yours turned off.

Back to the story: Angela, that girl gets weirder and weirder every time we hear about her.

Taylor's second lesson. Who wants to trade places with Bella?

Will Zach be able to handle Leah's secret?

What did you guys think about Zach's story? I know it creeped me the hell out. Let me hear your thoughts.

Liz just doesn't know how to respect boundaries. Bella, the poor girl can't pee in peace.

What do you think about Liz's belly dancing present?

I'm so excited for the next chapter... humor, embarrassment, sexiness and terror.

Review and receive your teasers people!