"The dock is a little shaky, but it's sturdy enough. I need to get someone out here to remodel it," Ken says as we follow him out to the dock in behind the cabin.

The backyard leads directly to the dock, the view is incredible.

"Great," Hardin remarks.

The waves crash along the rocks lining the shore and I step behind Hardin instinctively.

"What's wrong?" He quietly asks.

"Nothing, I'm just a little nervous."

He turns around to face me, sliding both of his hands into the back pockets of my jeans, "It's only water baby, it'll be okay," he smiles.

I can't tell if he's mocking me or being sincere but when his lips brush my cheek, my doubt disappears.  

"I forgot you don't like water," he pulls me closer.

"I like water, in swimming pools,"

"And streams?" His eyes glitter with humor.

"Only one stream," I smile at the memory.

I was nervous that day too. Hardin only got me to get into the water by bribing me. He had promised to answer one of my endless questions about him in exchange for me getting into the water with him. Those days seem so distant, so ancient really, but the common theme of secrecy still litters our present as well.

Hardin takes my hand in his as we follow his family down the dock to the incredibly intimidating specimen  parked at the end. I don't know much about boats but I think it may be an oversized pontoon boat . I know it's not a yacht but it's bigger than any fishing boat I've ever seen.

"It's so big," I whisper to Hardin.

"Shh, you shouldn't be talking about my dick right now," he teases, smiling.

I love this playful yet grumpy mood he's in, his smile is contagious.

"Watch the step," Ken calls back to us as he steps onto the ladder connecting the boat and the dock.

Hardin's hand moves to my back as he helps me up the ladder. I try to force myself to imagine that I'm just climbing up the small ladder at a playground, not onto an enormous boat. The reassurance that comes with Hardin's touch is the only thing keeping me from running back up the shaky dock, into the cabin, and hiding under the bed.

"It's no yacht but it suits us,"

The boat is nice, decked out in white and caramel leather. The seating area is large, big enough for all of us and more to sit comfortably.

"It's nice to see that your boat is nicer than mum's house," Hardin remarks and Ken's proud smile fades.

"Hardin," I whisper, tugging at his hand.

"Sorry," he huffs.

Ken sighs but accepts his son's apology before walking over to the other side of the boat.

"You okay?" Hardin leans into me.

"Yeah, just be nice please. I'm already nauseous,"

"I'll be nice, I already apologized."

He takes a seat on one of the couches and I join him. Landon takes the grocery bag from his arms and leans down to unpack cans of soda and bags of snacks.

I gaze across the span of the boat and out into the water. It's beautiful, the sun is dancing across the water.

"I love you," Hardin's voice softly says into my ear.

The boat's engine comes to life with a light hum and I scoot closer to Hardin.

"I love you," I respond, looking back out onto the water.

"If we get out far enough we may see a few dolphins or if we're lucky, a whale!" Ken says loudly.

"A whale would surely knock this boat over in a moments time," Hardin remarks and I gulp at the thought.

"Shit, sorry." He apologizes.

The further and further we get from the shore, the more calm I become. It's odd, I thought it would be the opposite but there's a certain serenity that comes with being so disconnected from the land.

"Do you see dolphins a lot out here?" I ask Karen as she sips on her drink.

"No, only once but we still try," she smiles.

"I can't believe the weather today, it feels like June," Landon remarks, pulling his t-shirt over his head.

"Are you working on your tan?" I ask him, taking in his pale torso.

"Yep, even though I won't need a tan in the city,"

"If the water wasn't ice cold, we could all go for a swim closer to shore," Karen says.

"Maybe in the summer," I remind her and she nods happily.

"At least we still have the Jacuzzi back at the cabin," Ken says.

"I thought it was broken?" Landon asks his mother.

"No, it's fixed now. It's on the deck in Hardin and Tessa's room," she says.

Hardin stays quiet, staring off in the distance.

"Look! There!" Ken points behind us.

Hardin and I both turn quickly and it takes me a moment to see what he's pointing to.  A pod of dolphins are skidding across the water. They aren't close to the boat but they are close enough to see the way they move in sync through the waves.

"It's our lucky day!" Karen laughs.

The wind blows my hair across my face blocking my view for a moment and Hardin's hand reaches up to tuck it back behind my ear. It's always the simple things he does, the small ways he finds to touch me without thought, that make my stomach flutter.

"That was so neat," I say to him.

"Yeah, it was actually," he sounds surprised.

After two hours of conversation on boating, the beautiful summers here, sports, and an awkward mention of Seattle that Hardin halted almost as soon as it began, Ken heads back to the shore.

"It wasn't so bad was it?" Hardin and both ask one another at the same time.

"Guess not," he laughs, helping me down the ladder to the dock.

The sun has marked his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, his hair is unruly and blown out from the wind. He's so lovely, it hurts.

"I'll make us all lunch, I'm sure everyone is hungry," Karen announces when we enter the cabin.

"What else is there to do here?" Hardin asks his father.

"Well there is a nice restaurant further in town, we were planning for all of us to have dinner there tomorrow, there's an old-fashioned movie theatre, a library.."

"So a bunch of lame shit then?" Hardin says, his words harsh but his tone playful.

"It's a nice place, you should give it a chance." Ken says. He doesn't seem offended by his son's words.

The five us stand around the kitchen while Karen puts together a platter of sandwiches and fruit. Hardin, who is being overly affectionate today, rests his hand on my thigh once more.

Maybe this place is good for him.

After lunch I help Karen clean the kitchen and make lemonade while Landon and Hardin discuss how terrible modern literature is. I can't help but laugh when Landon mentions Hardin Potter. This sends Hardin into a five minute long speech on why he has never and will never read the books, and Landon tries desperately to get him to change his mind.

"Karen and I are going to head down to our friend's cabin a few doors down if you all want to come," Ken offers.

Hardin looks over at me from across the room and I wait for him to answer.

"I'll pass," he finally says, still looking at me.

Landon looks back and forth between Hardin and I before he gives his response, "I'll come," he says and I swear I catch him smirk at Hardin before he turns back to Ken.

 "If you need anything just call my cell, we shouldn't be longer than an hour or two," Ken says.

As soon as the front door closes Hardin moves to join me on the couch.

"You didn't want to go?" I ask.

"Fuck no, why the hell would I want to go? I'd much rather stay here with you, alone." He brushes my hair back from my neck, sending a light shiver through me.

Hardin's POV.

"Did you want to go sit and listen to a room of boring ass people talk about boring ass shit?" I ask her, my lips barely grazing her jaw.

"No," her breathing has already changed.

"You're sure?" I tease and run my nose along her neck nudging her to tilt her head.

"I don't know, it may have been more fun than this," she says and I chuckle into her neck, kissing her where the bumps on her skin appear from my breath.

Not fucking likely.

"I don't think so, we do have a hot tub in our room, remember?"

"Yeah but it's no good to us because I don't have a swim-suit," I suck lightly at her neck and image what she would look like in a bathing suit.

Fuck.

"You don't need one,"

"Yes I do! I'm not getting in a hot tub with no clothes on,"

"Why not?"

It sounds like a pretty fun time to me.

"Because your family is here,"

"I don't know why you always use that as an excuse," my hand travels down to her lap and I press against the seam of her jeans, "sometimes I think you may like that,"

"Like what?" she asks, practically fucking panting.

"The possibility of being caught,"

"Why would anyone like that?"

"A lot of people do, the thrill of being caught, you know?" I apply more pressure between her legs and she tries to clamp them shut.

"No, that's.. I don't know but I don't like that," she lies.

I'm pretty damn sure she does.

"Mhmm.."

"I don't!" She defends, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide in embarrassment.

"Tess, it's okay that you do. It's pretty fucking hot really." I assure her.

"I don't."

Sure Tessa.

"Okay, you don't." I raise my hands in defeat. I knew there was no way in hell she'd admit it, but hey it was worth a try.

"Are you going to come up and get in the Jacuzzi with me?" I ask and remove my hand from her.

"I'll come up there but I'm not getting in,"

"Suit yourself," I smile and stand from the couch.

I know she'll end up in there with me, she will just need more persuading than most girls. Come to think of it, I've never actually been in a Jacuzzi with a female before, naked or not.

She stands with me and wraps her small hand around my wrist as we walk upstairs to the room that is considered ours for the next few days. The balcony connected to the room is what made my choose this room in the first place, the moment I saw that Jacuzzi sitting there I had to get her into it.

The bed isn't bad either, it's small but we don't need a big bed with the way we sleep any damn way.

"I really do love it here, it's so peaceful," she says and sits on the bed to take her shoes off while I open the double doors to the balcony.

"It's okay," If my father , his wife, and Landon weren't here it would sure as hell be better.

"I don't have anything to wear tomorrow to that restraint your father was talking about,"

"We won't go then," I shrug and lean down to turn the knob on the Jacuzzi.

"I want to go, I just didn't know we were going out somewhere."

"It's poor planning on their fault then, we'll just wear jeans."

I dare someone to say something to her about what she's wearing.

"I don't know,"

"Well if you don't want to wear jeans, we can find a store in this dump to get you something else," I offer and she smiles.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Tessa raises her eyebrow at me.

"I don't know..I just am,"

"Okay.. should I be worried?" she asks, stepping out onto the balcony with me.

"No,"

Yes.

"Will you at least sit out here with me while I enjoy the relaxation that is sitting in scolding hot water?" She laughs and nods, taking a seat on the wicker chair next to the machine.

I watch her innocent eyes as she stares at me while I pull my shirt over my head and take my pants off. I leave my boxers on, she can take them off.

"You sure you don't want to come in?" I ask her, lift my leg over the edge, and climb in.

Fuck, it's hot as hell. A few seconds later the burn disappears and I lean back against the hard plastic.

"I'm sure," she says and looks around the wooden area.

"No one can see us, you really think I'd offer you come in here naked if someone could?" I ask.

She should know better than that.

"What if they come back?" She asks quietly, as if someone can hear her.

"They said an hour or two,"

"Yeah but.."

"I thought you were learning to live a little?" I tease my beautiful girl.

"I am,"

"You're sitting there pouting in a chair while I'm enjoying the view," I point out.

"I'm not pouting," she pouts more.

"Okay," I smirk at her, knowing it will irritate her further.

I close my eyes as she purses her lips.

"I sure am lonely in here, I may have to take care of myself."

"I don't have anything to wear,"

"Deja-vu," I remark, thinking about our time at the stream for the second time today.

"I,"

"Just get in the damn water,"

"Fine, I am!"

That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. When I open my eyes, I nearly choke. She's lifting her t-shirt over her head and of course she's wearing that damn red bra.

"Take the bra off,"

She looks around again and I shake my head. The only thing she can see from this balcony is the water and trees.

"Take it off," I coax and she nods, sliding the straps down her arms.

I will never get enough of her, no matter how many times I touch her, fuck her, kiss her, hold her, will never be enough, I always want more. It's not even about the sex, which we have often, it's that I'm the only one who's ever been with her and she trusts me enough to get naked on a fucking balcony.

Why am I such a fuck-up?

Her jeans join her t-shirt and bra on the chair, folded perfectly of course.

"Panties," I remind her.

"No, yours are on." She fires back and steps into the water.

"Ouch," she squeaks, pulling her foot back before easing in.

She sighs, I'm assuming it's because her body has gotten used to the water.

"Come here," I reach for her and pull her onto my lap.

I suppose the uncomfortable plastic seats can be useful after all. The way her body feels against me in combination with the jets pulsing makes me want to rip those panties right off.

"It could be like this in Seattle, all the time." She says and her arms wrap around my neck.

"Like what?" The last thing I want to do is talk about fucking Seattle. If I could find a way to wipe that damn city off the map, I would.

"Like this," she gestures between us, "Just us, no problems with your friends like Molly, no bad history, just you and I in a new city. We could start all over Hardin, together."

"It's not that simple," I tell her.

"Yes it is, no more Zed,"

"I thought you were going to come in here and fuck me, not talk about Zed," I tease and she tenses.

"Sorry, I.."

"Calm down, I'm joking. Well about the Zed thing," I shift her body on mine so she's straddling my lap, her bare chest flush against mine.

"You're everything to me, you know that don't you?" I repeat the question I've had to ask her so many times.

She doesn't answer this time, instead she rests her elbows on my shoulders, threads her fingers through my hair and kisses me.

(I'm double updating today! The next chapter will be up later today! I love you guys! xo)

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