I blush at his words. “Sure it was.” I laugh. I appreciate him trying to make me feel better about my lack of experience.

“No, really. The way you are so . . . pure, it does something to me. And fuck, when you looked up at me—”

“Okay! Okay!” I cut him off and wave my hand at him. I don’t want to relive every detail of my first time doing this. He chuckles and gently pushes me back against the mattress.

“Now let me make you feel as good as you did me,” he growls in my ear and sucks the skin on my neck. His fingers hook into my panties and tug them down. “Do you want my finger or my tongue?” he whispers seductively.

“Both,” I answer and he smiles.

“As you wish.” He dips his head down. I whimper and tug at his hair again. I do that a lot to him, but he seems to like it. My back arches off the bed, and within minutes I’m in a completely euphoric state, calling Hardin’s name as I come undone.

AFTER MY BREATHING SLOWS, I sit up and bring my fingers to trace the dark ink on his chest. He watches me carefully but doesn’t stop me. He stays quiet as he lies down next to me, letting me enjoy my sedated state.

“No one has ever touched me this way,” he says, and I swallow all the questions I want to ask him. Instead of interrogating him, I give him a small smile and a quick kiss on his chest.

“Stay with me tonight?” he asks and I shake my head.

“I can’t; tomorrow is Monday and we have classes.” I want to stay with him but not on a Sunday.

His look is soft. “Please.”

“I don’t have any clothes to wear tomorrow.”

“Wear those; please stay with me. Just one night. I promise you will make it to your classes on time.”

“I don’t know . . .”

“I will even make sure you get there fifteen minutes early and have enough time to stop by the coffeehouse and meet Landon,” he says and my lips part.

“How do you know I do that?”

“I watch you . . . I mean not all the time. But I notice you more than you think,” he tells me and my heart swells. I’m falling for him, hard and fast.

“I’ll stay,” I tell him but hold my hand up to continue. “On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“Come back to Literature,” I ask, and he raises his eyebrow.

“Done.”

I smile at his simple answer and he pulls me closer to his chest.

Chapter fifty-four

After lying in Hardin’s arms for a few minutes, I begin to think about my agreement to stay with Hardin tonight.

“What about my shower in the morning?” I remind him.

“You can take one here, down the hall.” His lips meet my jaw, trailing kisses up and down. His lips on my skin cause my judgment to cloud; he knows exactly what he is doing.

“In a frat house? Who knows who will come in.”

“One, the door locks, and two, I would accompany you, obviously,” he says between kisses.

I scowl at his tone but decide to ignore it. “Fine. But I’d like to take a shower now, before it gets too late.”

He nods and stands up and reaches for his jeans. I climb off the bed and do the same, leaving my panties off.

“No panties?” He smirks.

Ignoring him, I roll my eyes and say, “Do you have shampoo? I don’t even have a hairbrush.” I am starting to get anxious thinking of all the things that I don’t have with me. “And Q-tips? Dental floss?” I continue.

“Relax, we have Q-tips and floss. We probably even have an extra toothbrush, and I know there is a hairbrush or two in there. There are probably even extra panties in every size lying about somewhere, if you want some,” he informs me.

“Panties?” I ask before I realize he means they were left by other girls. “Never mind,” I say and he laughs. I hope Hardin doesn’t have some weird collection of underwear from girls he has slept with.

He leads me to the bathroom. I feel more comfortable in here than I imagined, only because I have been in this bathroom quite a few times.

Hardin turns on the water and pulls his shirt over his head.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Taking a shower?”

“Oh, I thought I was taking one first.”

“Take one with me,” he says casually.

“Um . . . no! I won’t.” I laugh. I can’t take a shower with him.

“Why not? I’ve already seen you, you have seen me. What’s the big deal?” he groans.

“I don’t know . . . I just don’t want to.” I know he has already seen me naked but this just seems so intimate. More intimate even than what we just did.

“Fine. You go first, then,” he says, but his voice has picked up a slight edge.

I smile sweetly and ignore his sour tone and undress. His eyes scan my body and then look away. My hand reaches behind the curtain to check the temperature of the water and I step in.

Hardin stays silent while I wet my hair. Too silent. “Hardin?” I call. Did he leave the bathroom?

“Yeah?”

“I thought maybe you left.”

He pulls back the curtain a little and pops his wavy head in. “Nope, still here.”

“Is something wrong?” I ask him, frowning sympathetically. He shakes his head in response but doesn’t say anything. Is he really pouting like a child because I won’t take a shower with him? I almost want to tell him to join me, but I want him to get the point that he can’t just get his way all the time. His head disappears from the shower and I hear him sit down on the toilet.