After 3

Chapter 292.

Songs for this chapter are:

The one that got away- The Civil Wars

Same old, Same old- The Civil Wars

Never say never- The Fray

Give me love- Ed Sheeran

Tessa's POV.

"Good morning, baby." Black ink in the shape of a swallow is the first thing I see when I open my eyes. Hardin's skin has a deeper tan than ever before and the muscles across his chest are much more prominent than they were when I last saw him.

He's always been incredibly good looking, but he looks better than ever now and it's the sweetest form of torture to be laying here, against his bare chest, with one of his arms wrapped around my back and the other lifting to brush the hair back from my face.

"Morning," I rest my chin on his chest, giving me the perfect angle to admire his face.

"Sleep well?" His fingers are gently gliding over my hair and his smile is still perfectly in place.

"Yes," I close my eyes for a moment to clear my brain that has suddenly turned to mush.

He doesn't speak, he only stares at me. I can feel his eyes burning into me and I know he's smiling even though I can't see him.

I open my eyes when I hear Landon's bedroom door open and when I move to sit up, Hardin wraps his arms tighter around me. "No you don't," he laughs. He pushes his back against the couch and lifts his body, bringing mine with it.

Landon enters the living room, shirtless, with Sophia trailing behind him. She's dressed in her work clothes from last night, the black uniform accompanied with a bright smile, suits her well.

"Hey," Landon's cheeks flush and Sophia reaches for his hand and smiles at me. I think I catch a wink from her, but I'm still a little cloudy from waking up with Hardin.

"I'll call you after my shift." She leans up and presses a soft kiss to Landon's cheek. The hair on his face is something I'm still getting used to but it looks very good on him.

Landon smiles down at Sophia and opens the front door for her. "Well, now we know why Landon didn't come out of his room last night." Hardin whispers into my ear, his breath hot against me. Oversensitive and wound up, I try again to remove my body from his.

"I need coffee," I argue. He nods and allows me to climb off of his lap.

I ignore the way Landon shakes his head while smiling, and I walk into the kitchen. The skillet from last night, full of uneaten vodka sauce is still on the stove and when I pull the oven open, I find the pan of chicken breasts still inside.

I don't remember turning the oven or stove off but then again, I wasn't thinking much last night. My brain didn't seem to want to think past Hardin and the way his lips felt against mine after months of deprivation.

"Good thing I turned the heat off, right?" Hardin enters the kitchen, sweats hung low on his hips. His new tattoos accent the plane of his torso, drawing my eyes to the bottom of his sculpted abdomen.

"Uhm, yeah." I clear my throat and try to come to a conclusion as to why I'm suddenly so hormonal.

"What time do you work today?" He leans against the counter opposite of me and watches as I begin to work on cleaning up the mess.

"Noon." I respond, pouring the uneaten sauce into the sink. "Only one shift, I should be home around five."

"I'm taking you to dinner." He smiles, crossing his arms in front of his chest. I tilt my head, raising a brow at him, and turn the switch on the garbage disposal. "You're thinking about shoving my hand into that right now, aren't you?" His laughter is soft and charming and makes me lightheaded.