After (The After Series)

Why can’t I stay away from him? I know he’s dangerous and toxic. I have
never been as mean to someone as I am to him. He deserves it, I know, but I
don’t really like being mean to anyone.
Hardin grabs my arm yet again and pulls me into a small alleyway between
two buildings, away from the crowd. “Tess, I . . . I don’t know what I am doing.
You kissed me first, remember?” he reminds me.
“Yeah . . . I was drunk, remember? And you kissed me first yesterday.”
“Yeah . . . You didn’t stop me.” He pauses. “It must be exhausting,” he says.
What? “What must be exhausting?”
“Acting like you don’t want me, when we both know you do,” he says, and
steps closer.
“What? I do not want you. I have a boyfriend.” The words tumble out too fast
and reveal their absurdity, making him smile.
“A boyfriend that you’re bored with. Admit it, Tess. Not to me, but to
yourself. You’re bored with him.” His voice lowers, and slows to a sensual pace.
“Has he ever made you feel the way I do?”
“W-What? Of course he has,” I lie.
“No . . . he hasn’t. I can tell that you’ve never been touched . . . really
touched.”
His words send a now-familiar burn through my body. “That’s none of your
business,” I say and back away, making him take three steps toward me.

---

“You have no idea how good I can make you feel,” he says, and I gasp. How
does he go from yelling at me to this? And why do I like it so much? I have no
words. Hardin’s tone and dirty words make me weak, vulnerable, and confused. I
have become a rabbit in a fox’s trap.
“Really, you don’t have to admit it. I can tell,” he says, his voice thick with
arrogance.
But all I can do is shake my head. His smile grows and I instinctively back
against the wall. He takes a step toward me, and I take a deep, hopeful breath.
Not again.
“Your pulse has quickened, hasn’t it? Your mouth is dry. You’re thinking
about me and have that feeling . . . down there. Don’t you, Theresa?”
Everything he is saying is true and the more he talks to me like this, the more I
want him. It’s strange to crave and hate someone at the same time. The attraction
I feel is purely physical, which is surprising considering how opposite he is from
Noah. I don’t remember ever being attracted to anyone except Noah.
I know that if I don’t say something now, he will win. I don’t want him to
have this power over me and win, too.
“You’re wrong,” I mutter.
But he smiles. And even that sends electricity through me.
“I’m never wrong,” he says. “Not about this.”
I step to the side before he fully traps me against the wall. “Why do you keep
saying I throw myself at you if you’re the one cornering me now?” I ask, my
anger pushing past my lust for this maddening tattooed boy.
“Because you made the first move on me. Don’t get me wrong, I was as
surprised as you were.”
“I was drunk and had a long night—as you already know. I was confused
because you were being nice to me; well, your version of being nice.” I scoot
past him and sit down on the curb so I can get out of his space. Talking to him is
so exhausting.
“I’m not that mean to you,” he says, looming over me, but it sounds more like
a question than a statement.
“Yeah, you are. You go out of your way to be mean to me. Not just me, but
everyone. But it still seems like you are extra hard on me.” I can’t believe I am
being this honest with him. I know it’s a matter of minutes before he turns on
me.
“That’s just not true. I’m no meaner to you than I am to the rest of the general
population.”
I shoot up. I knew I couldn’t have a normal discussion with him. “I don’t
know why I keep wasting my time!” I yell. I start walking back toward the main

---

pathway and lawn.
“Hey, I’m sorry. Just come back over here.”
I groan, but my feet react before my brain can catch up, and I end up standing
a few feet away from him.
He sits on the curb where I was previously sitting. “Sit,” he demands.
And I do.
“You’re sitting awfully far away,” he says, and I roll my eyes. “You don’t trust
me?”
“No, of course I don’t. Why would I?”
His face falls slightly as my words hit him, but he recovers quickly. Why