After

Chapter 35.

My eyes adjust to the darkness but the only light is a small streak of moonlight coming through the bay window.

"Hardin?" I whisper. I hear him curse as he trips over something and I try not to laugh.

"I'm right here" he says and clicks on a lamp on the desk. I look around the room and it looks like a hotel room. It is large and has a four poster bed with dark linens centered against the far wall, it looks like a king size with at least twenty pillows on top. The desk an oversized cherry wood desk, the computer sitting on it has a bigger screen than the television in my dorm room. The bay window has a built in bench along the wall and curtain less, the other windows in the room are masked with thick navy curtains do not allow the moon to shine through.

"This is my.. room" he says and rubs the back of his neck with his hand. He looks almost embarrassed.

"You have a room here?" I ask of course he does. It is his father's house and Landon obviously lives here. Landon had mentioned that Hardin never comes here so maybe that is why it looks so museum like, untouched and impersonal.

"Yea.. I haven't ever actually slept in it.. until tonight" He sits on the chest placed at the end of the bed and unties his boots. He pulls his socks off and tucks them into the shoes. My heart swells at the idea that I am part of a first for Hardin.

"Oh. Why is that?" I am taking advantage of his drunken honesty.

'Because I don't want to. I hate it here" he answers quietly and unbuttons his black pants and pulls them down his legs.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting undressed?" he states the obvious.

"I mean why?" I hope he doesn't think I am going to have sex with him. Even though part of me is dying to feel his hands on me again.

"Well I am not sleeping in skinny jeans and boots" he half laughs. His hand sweeps the hair off of his forehead making it stand straight up. Everything he does sends that feeling through my body. 

"Oh" He pulls his shirt over his head and I can't look away. His tattooed stomach is flawless. He tosses the t-shirt at me and I don't catch it, letting it fall to the ground. I raise my eyebrow at him and he smiles.

"You can sleep in that, I assume you won't want to sleep in your panties. But of course, I am perfectly fine with it if you do" he winks and I giggle. Why am I giggling? I can't sleep in his t-shirt, I will feel too naked. I bend down and pick the black fabric up and hold it out.

"I am fine sleeping in this" I tell him and he eyes my outfit. He hasn't made a single rude comment about my long skirt or loose blue blouse.

"Fine. Suit yourself, if you want to be uncomfortable go ahead" he smiles an takes the shirt from me and sits it on the dresser. I wonder if there are clothes in it. He moves towards the bed in only his boxers and begins to toss the pillows off the bed and onto the floor. I walk over and open the chest, just as I had thought it is empty.

"The pillows go in here" I tell him and he laughs and tosses another onto the floor. I groan and pick the pillows up and put them into the chest. He laughs at me and pulls back the comforter before he plops down. He crosses his arms behind his head, then he crosses his feet and gives me a smile. The words tattooed on his ribs are stretched from his arms being raised behind his head. His long lean body looks exquisite laying across the bed.

"You're not going to whine about sleeping in the bed with me are you?" He asks and I roll my eyes. I actually wasn't going to. I know it's wrong but I want to sleep in the bed with Hardin more than I think I have ever wanted anything.