The next morning I wake up before Hardin and manage to roll him off of me and untangle our legs without waking him. The memory of him breathing my name in relief and all the secrets about himself he disclosed to me makes my stomach flutter. He was so unguarded and open last night, it made me care for him even more. The depth of my feelings for him scare me and I am not ready to face them yet. I get my curling iron and small bag of Steph's makeup I borrowed, with her permission of course, and walk down to the bathroom to get ready and brush my teeth. The hallway is empty and no one knocks on the door while I get ready. I'm not as lucky as I make my way back to Hardin's room. Three guys walk down the hall, I recognize one of them as Logan.

"Hey Tessa!" he chirps and flashes me his perfect smile.

"Hey, how are you?" I ask politely. I feel awkward with the three of them staring at me. 

"Good, just on our way out. Are you like moving in here or something?' He laughs.

"No, definitely not. Just uhm.. visiting." I have no clue what to say. The tall guy bends down and whispers something into Logan' ear but I can't make out what it is so I look away.

"Well, I will see you guys later." I say.

"Yea, see you tonight at the party." Logan says and walks away. What party? Why wouldn't Hardin mention a party to me? Maybe he doesn't plan on being here? Or maybe he doesn't want you to come. My subconscious adds. Who throws a party on a Tuesday anyway. When I reach Hardin's door it opens before I reach the handle.

"Where were you?" He says and opens it wide enough for me to walk in.

"Doing my hair, I wanted to let you sleep." I tell him.

"I told you not to be wandering the halls Tessa." he scolds me.

"And I told you not to boss me around, Hardin." I add sarcastically and he chuckles, his features softening.

"Touché" He laughs and steps closer to me. He places one of his hands on the small of my back and puts the other under his shirt onto my stomach. His fingers rough with calluses, but gentle on my skin, move higher and higher on my stomach.

"However, you really should wear a bra when you're roaming the halls of a fraternity house Theresa." He brings his mouth to my ear the exact moment that his fingers find my breasts. He rubs over the sensitive area with his thumbs, making them harden under his touch. He sucks in a sharp breath and I am frozen but my heart is racing.

"You never know what kind of perverts are lurking in the halls" he breathes softly into my ear. His fingers swirl around my nipples, before he pinches them lightly between his thumb and forefinger. My head falls to his chest and I am unable to control my moans as his fingers continue their gentle assault.

"I bet I could make you come just by doing this." he says and applies more pressure. I had no idea that this could feel this..good. I nod and Hardin chuckles, his mouth against my ear.

"Do you want me to do that? Make you come?" he asks and I nod again. Does he even have to ask? My heavy breathing and shaky knees should give it away.

"Good girl, now lets move to the .."he begins, my alarm on my cell phone interrupts.

"Oh god! We have to leave in ten minutes Hardin and you're not even dressed. I'm not even dressed!" I pull away and he shakes his head and pulls me back to him. This time pulling my pants and panties down my legs. He reaches over and shuts my phone off.

"I only need two minutes, that leaves eight to get dressed." he says and lifts me off the floor, taking me over to the bed. He sits me down on the edge, kneels in front of me, and pulls me by my ankles to the edge.

"Spread your legs baby." he coos and I oblige. I know this wasn't on my schedule for this morning, but I can't think of a better way to start my day. His long finger traces up my thighs and he holds me down with one hand. His head dips down and he licks up and down my core once before puckering his lips and sucking. Its that spot again, oh lord. My hips buck off the bed and he pushes me back down and continues to hold me down. Using his other hand, he inserts a finger into me, pumping faster than ever before. I can't decide if his fingers or him sucking feels better, but the combination is mind-blowing. Within seconds I feel that burn in the pit of my stomach and he pumps his finger faster.

"I'm going to try two okay?" He says and I moan in approval. The feeling is strange, like the first time and uncomfortable but he places his lips back on me and sucks again, making me forget about the subtle pain. I whimper as Hardin removes his mouth once more. "Shit, you're so tight baby." His words alone are going to send me over the edge.

"You okay?" he asks. I grab him by his curls and push his face down. He chuckles and then attaches his lips again.

I moan his name and pull his hair as I experience my strongest orgasm. Not that I have had many, but this one was definitely the quickest and strongest. Hardin places a small kiss on my hip bone before standing and walking to the closet. I lift my head and try to catch my breath. He walks back over and wipes me off with a t-shirt, I would be more embarrassed if I was fully coherent.

"I'll be right back, I'm going to brush my teeth." He smiles and exits the room. I stand up and get myself dressed and check the time. We have three minutes until we have to leave. When Hardin returns, he quickly gets dressed and we leave.

"Do you know how to get there?" I ask as he pulls out of the driveway.

"Yea, my father's best mate from university is Christian Vance." he tells me.

"Oh..wow." I knew Ken had a connection there but I didn't know the CEO was his best friend.

"Don't worry, he's a nice guy. A bit of a square but nice, you'll fit right in." His smile is contagious. "You look lovely by the way." he praises.

"Thank you, you seem to be in a good mood this morning." I tease.

"Yea, having my head between your thighs this early in the morning makes for a good day." he laughs and takes my hand in his.  

 "Hardin!" I scold him and he laughs once more. The drives goes quickly and in no time we are pulling into a parking lot behind the large building. Vance Publishing House is a six story building with mirrored glass sides and a large V placed on the front.

"I'm nervous." I admit to Hardin as I check my makeup on the mirror.

"Don't be, you will do fine. You are so smart and he will see that." Hardin assures me. I love when he is nice like this.

"Thank you." I say and lean across to kiss him. It is a sweet and simple kiss.

"I'll be in the car waiting for you." He says and kisses me again.

The inside of the building is just as elegant as the outside. When I reach the front desk, I am instructed to go to the sixth floor. I reach the desk on the sixth floor and give the young man my name. He flashes his perfect white smile at me before walking me to a large office.

"Mr. Vance, Theresa Young is here." He says and I am waved in by a middle aged man with a beard. His green eyes can be seen from across the room as he walks towards me and shakes my hand. His smile is comforting and relaxes me as he tells me to have a seat.

"It's very nice to meet you Theresa. Thank you for coming." Christian Vance greets me.

"Tessa, call me Tessa. Thank you for having me." I smile.

"So, Tessa you are a freshman English major?" He asks and I nod.

"Yes, sir." I answer.

"Ken Scott gave you a great review, says I would be missing out if I didn't give you an internship" he smiles.

"Ken is a very kind man." I say and he nods, rubbing his beard with his fingers.

He asks me to name my favorite and least favorite authors and explain why I feel that way. He nods and hums through my explanation and when I finish he smiles.

"Well Tessa, when can you begin? Ken has agreed to have your schedule altered so you can be here three days a week and take classes on campus, the other two." he says and my mouth falls open.

"Really?" Is all I can say. This is beyond expectations. I had assumed I would have to take night classes and come here during the day IF I got the offer.

"Yes, and you will also receive credit hours towards your degree for your time spent here."

"Thank you so much. This is such an amazing opportunity, thank you again." I can't believe how lucky I am.

"We will discuss your pay Monday when you start."

"Pay?" I had assumed it would be an unpaid internship. This really is the best day of my life.

"Yes of course you will be paid for your time." he smiles and I nod. I am afraid if I open my mouth I will thank him for the thousandth time.

I practically run to the car and Hardin climbs out as I reach the car.

"Well?" He asks and I squeal.

"I got it! It's paid and I will be here three days a week and school two days and I get college credit and he was so nice and your dad is wonderful for doing this for me, and you too of course. I am just so excited and I.. well I guess that's it." I laugh and he wraps his arms around me, squeezing me tight and lifting me into the air.

"I am happy for you." he says and I bury my fingers into his hair.

"Thank you." I say and he puts me down. "Really, thank you for driving me and waiting in the car."

He assure me that it is no problem as we both climb into the car.

"What do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?" Hardin asks.

"Go back to school of course, we can still make it to literature"

"Really? We could find something much more fun to do."

"No, I have already missed too many classes this week, I don't want to miss anymore. I am going to Literature and so should you." I smile. He rolls his eyes but nods in agreement. We make it just in time for Literature and I gush to Landon about the internship. He congratulates me and gives me a tight hug. Hardin rudely makes gagging noises behind us and I kick at his leg.

After class Hardin walks out with Landon and I as we discuss the details for the bonfire this Friday. We agree that I will meet Landon at his house at five for dinner then we will go to the bonfire at seven. Hardin stays quiet during our discussion and I wonder if he will accompany me. He told me before he was going to the bonfire, but I believe that was only to compete with Zed. Landon tells me goodbye as we reach the parking lot.

"Scott!" Someone calls. We both turn around to see Nate and Molly walking towards us. Great, Molly. She is wearing a tank top and a red leather skirt. It's only Tuesday, she should save the skanky outfits for the weekends.

"Hey" Hardin says and takes a step away from me.

"Hey Tessa" Molly smiles. I return her greeting and stand awkwardly as Hardin and Nate exchange hellos.

"You're ready right?" Nate asks him and it becomes clear that Hardin told them to meet him here. I don't know why I had assumed we would hang out again, it's not like we can spend every day together. Even though I wish we would.

"Yea, I'm ready." Hardin tells them and looks at me. "See you around Tessa" he casually says and turns to walk away from me. Molly looks back at me with a smirk on her makeup covered face as the three of them climb into Hardin's car, Molly in the passenger seat. While I stand on the pavement and wonder what the hell just happened.