After (The After Series)

does this always happen with him? I shut my mind off from my thoughts and put
my arms around his neck to steady myself.

---

“What are you doing to me, Tess,” he says softly, and rubs his thumb over my
bottom lip.
“I don’t know . . .” I answer truthfully into his thumb, which still traces over
my mouth.
“These lips . . . the things you could do with them,” he says slowly,
seductively. I feel that burn deep in my stomach that makes me putty in his arms.
“Do you want me to stop?” He looks into my eyes; his pupils are so dilated that
there is only a slight ring around the now dark green of his eyes.
Before my mind can catch up, I shake my head and press my body against his
under the water.
“We can’t just be friends, you know that, don’t you?” His lips touch my chin,
making me tremble. He continues a line of kisses along my jawline and I nod. I
know he is right. I have no idea what this is that we are, but I know I will never
be able to only be friends with Hardin. As his lips touch the spot just below my
ear, I moan, prompting Hardin to do it again, this time sucking the skin.
“Oh, Hardin,” I moan and squeeze him with my legs. I bring my hands down
his back and graze my nails against his skin. I might explode just from him
kissing my neck alone.
“I want to make you moan my name, Tessa, over and over again. Please let
me?” His voice is full of desperation.
And I know deep inside there’s no way I can say no.
“Say it, Tessa.” He takes my earlobe between his teeth. I nod again, harder. “I
need you to say it, baby, out loud so I know you really want me to.” His hand
travels down and under his T-shirt that I am wearing.
“I want to . . .” I rush the words, and he smiles against my neck, his mouth
continuing its gentle assault. He doesn’t say anything and instead grabs my
thighs, lifting me higher onto his torso as he begins to walk out of the water.
When he reaches the bank, he lets me go and climbs out. I whine, certainly
inflaming his ego even more—but right now I don’t care. All I know is that I
want him, I need him. He reaches out for my hands and pulls me up onto the
bank with him.
Unsure what to do, I just stand on the grass, feeling Hardin’s heavy, soaked
shirt on my shoulders and thinking he’s too far away.
From where he stands, he dips down a little to meet my eyes. “Do you want it
to be here? Or my room?”
I shrug nervously. I don’t want to go to his room, because it’s too far—the
drive will give me too much time to overthink what I am about to do.
“Here,” I say and look around. There is no one in sight and I pray that no one
will come here.

---

“Eager?” He smiles and I try to roll my eyes, but it probably looks like a
desperate flutter. The heat in my body is slowly burning out the longer Hardin’s
touch is not on me.
“Come here,” he says in a low voice and the heat returns.
My feet pad quietly across the soft grass until I’m only inches from Hardin.
His hands immediately reach for the hem of the T-shirt and he peels it upward
off my body. The way he looks at me alone drives me crazy; my hormones are
out of control. My pulse speeds up as he looks my body up and down one more
time before taking my hand.
He spreads his shirt on the grass like a blanket of sorts. “Lie down,” he says,
guiding me to the ground with him. He lays me on the wet fabric and props
himself up on his elbow, lying on his side, facing me on my back. No one has
ever seen me this exposed before, and Hardin has seen so many girls, girls much
better looking than me. My hands move up to cover my body, but Hardin sits up
and grabs both of my wrists and pushes them down to my sides.
“Don’t ever cover up, not for me,” he says and looks into my eyes.
“It’s just . . .” I begin to explain, but he cuts me off.
“No, you will not cover up, you have nothing to be ashamed of, Tess.” Does