Hardin Scott has been madly in love with Tessa Young since the moment he first laid eyes on her, but there's no way she could ever see him as anything more than a friend. After all, he's a bad boy with a promiscuous past and she's a sweet and innoce...
I'm just about to go to the bathroom and knock on the door to make sure Hardin's okay when he finally opens the door. My eyes almost pop out of my head when I take in the sight of him.
His hair is wet and a few drops of water fall onto his shoulder. My eyes follow them as they roll down his incredibly sexy chest, over his tattooed and toned stomach, until they are finally absorbed by the white towel hanging low on his hips. Hardin must realize I'm staring at him before I do.
"Shit! I'm sorry, Tess. I guess it's a habit to walk around here in just a towel."
"I'm not sorry," I mumble under my breath.
"What?" he asks as he shakes more water droplets from his hair. He is doing this on purpose, right?
"Uh, breakfast is ready," I say, hoping he doesn't notice I'm blushing from the view in front of me.
"You made breakfast? You didn't have to do that."
"You let me stay here, so it's the least I could do."
This is going to be the most awkward breakfast ever. We've both seen each other half naked already and it's not even 10.
"What did you make? It smells heavenly."
So do you, I want to say. He smells faintly of mint. I wonder if that's from something he uses in the shower, or if it's just a Hardin thing. "I made pancakes, hash browns and sausages."
"Wow, you're spoiling me." He smiles. "Just let me change and then we can eat," he says as he heads to his room.
"Don't take too long, or it will get cold," I warn.
While he is gone, I take a moment to try to understand what just happened. This is Hardin, my best friend, but just now I was acting like I'm a horny school girl and he is the most popular, handsome guy in school. Just thinking of him standing there, glistening from the water, sends electricity through me.
When did I start to have these feelings? I want to say after sleeping in Hardin's bed with him, but if I'm honest with myself, I think it started before then. I just never had a chance to explore my feelings for Hardin before Zed asked me out.
Hardin never asked me out, but Zed did, so I figured Hardin didn't share the same feelings for me that I did for him. But then Zed revealed Hardin's feelings for me. I'm just not sure if I can believe Zed. Hardin did seem to stare at me a little too long in the towel, though. Maybe there can be something between us.
"Okay, let's eat!" Hardin chirps, dragging me from my thoughts.
"Okay, I hope you like everything."
"Well, if it tastes as good as it smell... Mmm, this is delicious," he moans, slightly turning me on. What is wrong with me?
"I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for, so I made a little of everything."
"It's all so great." He smiles. I love that smile.
We make small talk over breakfast and when we're done, I start clearing the table.
As I begin to wash the dishes, Hardin comes over and tries to grab the wash cloth from me.
"You cooked, so I do the dishes," he whispers in my ear from behind me, sending shivers down my spine.
As he tries to wrestle the wash cloth from me, I turn to face him and our faces are only inches from one another. I can feel the passion between us. It's boiling over inside me. Can he feel it too?
"Tess?"
"Yes, Hardin?" I practically whine.
"The water is about to flow over."
"What?"
"In the sink." He points to the sink behind me.
"Oh!" I scream as I go to turn the tap off. Well, that was embarrassing.
"This is why I should do the dishes," he chuckles.
"I'll wash, you dry," I say as I pass him a towel.
Minutes later we're done and I go to put the dishes back in the cupboards.
"Hardin? Can you help me, please?"
"What's the problem?"
"I can't reach the top shelf," I huff.
"Here, let me," he chuckles. He comes up behind me, grabs the dish from me and stretches to put it on the top shelf. As he's reaching for the shelf, he's brushing up against me and I feel that electricity again.
"All done," he says as he's closing the cupboard door. I turn to meet his eyes and we're face to face again.
I feel that passion again, but this time I'm sure he does, too. His piercing green eyes are staring into mine and after a moment he starts to tilt his head and lean into me. I'm so nervous. I have butterflies. But I can also feel my heart beating faster at the thought of feeling his warm lips against mine.
I close my eyes and wait for the moment the passion between us hits maximum capacity and explodes.
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