SINS (Completed)

YOU MADE THE BED, NOW YOU 'LIE' IN IT

I shake my head and try to find the voice that has betrayed my system. I lick my parched lips before speaking.

"I thought you were at the party."

I play it safe, unsure of what to say and what not to, after everything. He smirks lazily and his eyes blink tiredly and when he opens them back again, I see a flood of emotions run through them.

"Well hello to you too, Miss. Fuck everything up for every fucking one."

He takes a step and plops his face right down to my neck, nuzzling my skin and breathing in my hair. I gasp and every cell of my body jerks up due to the sudden physicality and the sound of his unflinching swearing.

His fragrance hits me, despite the alcohol.

I close my eyes momentarily, relishing his presence, his touch, his closeness. And somehow this time it means so much more to me now that I know that one of the sins on his list has been crossed off. At least the worst of them.

He exhales lightly, as if in relief and I struggle to hold myself together and standing.

"You can't, do this." I say out, through a croaked voice and he moves instantly, walking in.

"Didn't know you got the right to make bad decisions patented to yourself."

I tense up at his words and closing the door, silently turn to look at him. He's drunk. His voice gave that away, if not the bottle right in front of me and in his hand.

And a drunk Hardin has a record of creating historic episodes and there's not one of them that don't end badly.

"You shouldn't have-"

"God you look beautiful."

I stop dead as his rasp voice cuts me off. He looks at me, from my feet up to my bare thighs and then upwards all the way to my face.

I blush heavily, suddenly feeling conscious of my legs showing off too much skin. I shouldn't have worn shorts today.

"And you still smell like vanilla. And that hoodie of yours, no wait-"

He stumbles clumsily and I reach out to hold him by his biceps. His eyes dance with amusement and he lets out a chuckle.

"-that hoodie of yours. That, smells like me!"

He smiles with a boyish grin , his eyes full of humour and mischief. And I feel my weights lifting up a bit.

"Which is strange, because a person never knows what he smells like. Because you never smell yourself!"

He places his hands on my waist lightly, to balance himself and his face scrunches up in an innocent wonder, as if trying to hack a world class strategy.

I smile.

"You're drunk. What is going on-"

"Don't. Don't get me started on the list of things I didn't do and do now. Because that's a long list and you're behind a-"

He drawls out his words in a slurry childlike voice and frowns lightly, as if calculating.

"-100% of them."

"Hardin what are you-"

"Say that again." Once again, he cuts me in and the gravity behind his voice makes me look into his eyes. They are brimming with intensity. Passion. Need.

"What?" I whisper out, slowly.

"My name. Say it."

His voice is hushed, husky and it tugs at my insides, threatening to release the pain I had felt in my head over and over.