After

Chapter 74.

"Do you want to get your car and take it to your dads?" I ask Hardin as we drive back from my room. 

I changed my clothes and took a quick shower, even though I am going to get dirty planting with Karen. Hardin waited patiently, fiddling through my underwear drawer to keep himself busy. He told me to pack enough clothes to spend another night with him, which made me smile. I would spend every night with him if I could.

"No, I'm okay. As long as you stop swerving all over the road." He tells me.

"Excuse me? I am an excellent driver." I defend.

He snorts but keeps his mouth shut. "So what made you decide to get a car anyway?"

"Well, I got the internship and I didn't want to keep taking the bus or depending on other people to take me places." I explain.

"Oh.. did you go alone?" He asks and looks out the window.

"Yea.. why?"

"I'm just wondering." He lies. He is trying to ask if Zed went with me.

"I was alone, that was a bad day for me." I say and he flinches.

"How many times did you and Zed hang out?" He asks. Why is he bringing this up now?

"Twice, we went to dinner and a movie, then the bonfire. It wasn't anything for you to worry about."

"He only kissed you once?" Ugh.

"Yes, only once. Well besides the time that.. you saw. Now can we move on from this? You don't see me asking about Molly do you?" I snap.

"Okay..okay. Let's not fight. This is the longest we have ever gotten along so let's not ruin it." he says and reaches for my hand. His thumb rubs small circles on my skin, defusing my annoyance.

"Okay." I say, still slightly annoyed. The image of Molly on his lap makes my vision blur.

"Aww come on, Tess. Don't pout." He laughs and pokes my side. I can't help  but laugh with him.

"Don't distract me, I am driving." I tease.

"This is probably the only time you'll ever tell me not to touch you."

"Not likely, don't be so full of yourself." Our laughs blend together and it's a lovely sound. He brings his hand to my thigh and rubs his long fingers up and down.

"You sure?" His raspy voice whispers and my skin tingles. My body responds to him so quickly, my pulse drumming heavily.

I gulp and nod, causing him to chuckle and pull his hand away. "I know that's not true.. but I'd rather not have you driving off the road, so I will finger you later." he smirks and I swat at him.

"Hardin!" I blush.

"Sorry babe." he smiles and looks out the window. I love when he calls me babe, no one has called me that before. Noah and I had always thought that the ridiculous pet names people called each other were too juvenile for us, but when Hardin calls me those names, my blood sings in my veins.

When we get back to Hardin's fathers house, Ken and Karen are in the back yard waiting for us. Ken looks out of his element in jeans and a WSU t-shirt. I've never seen him dressy so causally, he looks even more like Hardin when he is dressed this way. They greet us with a smile and Hardin tries to return it but looks uncomfortable as he shifts on his heels and buries his hands in his pockets.

"I'm ready when you are." Ken says to Hardin. He looks just as uncomfortable as Hardin, but he seems nervous where as Hardin seems apprehensive.

Hardin looks at me and I give him an encouraging nod, it seems our dynamic has changed dramatically. I am surprised that I have suddenly become someone he looks at for reassurance, but it makes me happy in a way I hadn't expected.  

"We will be in the greenhouse, just bring the soil in there." Karen says and gives Ken a small kiss on the cheek. Hardin looks away from them and for a second I think he may give me a kiss too but he doesn't. I follow Karen to the greenhouse and when we walk inside I gasp. Its huge, bigger than it looks from outside and she wasn't joking when she said it need a lot of work. It is practically empty.

"It is quite the project, but I think we can do it." She smiles.

"I think so too." I tell her. Hardin and Ken come in both carrying two bags of soil each. They are both silent as they drop them where Karen directs before walking back out. Twenty bags of soil and hundreds of seeds, flowers, and shrubs later we have a pretty good start. I haven't seen Hardin in a few hours and the sun is down. I hope  him and Ken are both still alive.

"I think we have done enough for today." Karen says and wipes her face. We are both covered in dirt.

"Yea, I better check on Hardin." I tell her and she laughs.

"It means a lot to us, Ken especially that Hardin has been coming around more, we have you to thank for that. I take it that you two worked out your differences?"

"Sort of.. I guess we did. We are still very different." I laugh. If only she knew.

"Well, different is sometimes what we need, it is good to be challenged." She gives me a knowing smile.

"Well he is definitely challenging." We both laugh and she pulls me in for a hug.

"You sweet girl, you have done more for us than you know." She says. I feel my eyes tearing up and I nod.

"I hope you don't mind that I've been staying overnight, Hardin has asked me to stay again." I tell her and try not to make eye contact.

"No, of course not. You both are adults and I trust you're being safe."

Oh god. I know my cheeks are a deeper shade of red than the bulbs we just planted.

"We ..uh.. we don't." I stammer. Why am I talking about this with Hardin's soon to be stepmother? I am mortified.

"Oh." She says, equally embarrassed. "Let's go inside." She says and I nod, following her.

When we walk inside the house, we both take our shoes off at the door. Hardin is sitting on the edge of the couch and Ken is in the chair. Hardin's eyes immeditaly find mine and relief flushes through them.

"I'll make some late dinner while you get cleaned up." Karen says. Hardin stands up and walks over to me. He seems glad to be out of the room with his father.

"We will be back down soon." I say and follow Hardin up the stairs.

"How was it?" I ask as we enter his room. Instead of answering me he wraps his fingers around my ponytail and brings his lips to mine. We stagger back against the door and he presses his body against mine.

"I missed you." He breathes. My insides liquefy.

"You did?' I squeak and he chuckles.

"Yes, I did. I just spent the last few hours in awkward silence and a few even more awkward comments here and there with my father. I need a distraction." He runs his tongue along my bottom lip and my breath catches in my throat. This is different, Welcome, and very hot, but different.

His hands travel down my stomach and stop at the button on my jeans.

"Hardin, I need a shower. I am covered in dirt." I laugh. His tongue runs along my neck.

"I like you this way, nice and dirty." he smirks. I gently push him back and grab my bag before heading to the bathroom.

My breathing is unsteady and I try to close the bathroom door only to have it stop midway. When I look down I see Hardin's boot stopping the door.

"Can I join you?" He smiles and pushes his way into the bathroom before I can answer.

(I was really busy all day, so this is the only update for today, and yes I know it's a cliffhanger, but if I didn't have cliffhangers then the story would be one endless chapter :)

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