He lets out a breath that sounds like he has been holding it for hours. “Really?” His dimples pop as he shakes his head and flashes a smile.
“Yeah.”
“You have no idea what this means to me, Theresa.” He puts his hand over mine and squeezes. Hardin turns onto his street and my mind races. We are really doing this, we are moving in together. Me and Hardin. Alone. All the time. In our own place. Our own bed. Our everything. I am scared as hell, but my excitement is stronger than my nervousness, for the moment at least.
“Don’t call me Theresa or I will change my mind,” I tease.
“You said only friends and family can call you that. I think I’ve earned it.”
He remembers that? I think I said that right after I met him. I grin. “Point well made. Call me whatever you want.”
“Oh, babe, I wouldn’t say that if I were you. I have a whole list of perverted things I would love to call you.” His smile is wicked, and I find myself wanting to hear his dirty words, but I stop myself from asking and squeeze my legs together. He must notice, because his smile grows.
Just as I’m coming up with a line about how perverted he is, the words are lost in my throat. Pulling up to the house, we see that the yard is littered with people and the street is full of cars.
“Damn it, I didn’t know they were having a party tonight. It’s fucking Tuesday. See, this is the shit—”
“It’s fine. We can just go straight to your room,” I interrupt, trying to defuse his irritation.
“Fine,” he sighs.
When we walk into the crowded house, Hardin and I head straight for the stairs. Just as I begin to think I made it without running into anyone I know, I spot a mound of greasy, sandy blond hair at the top of the stairs. Jace.
Chapter eighty-three
Hardin notices Jace the same time that I do and turns to look at me, then back at Jace, tensing immediately. For a second it seems like Hardin might turn us around, but then Jace definitely spots us, and I know Hardin won’t risk antagonizing him by backing away now. All around us, the party rages, but all I can focus on is Jace’s mischievous smile, which flat-out gives me the creeps.
As we reach the top of the stairs, Jace gives an exaggerated look of surprise and says, “Didn’t think I’d see you two here, you know, since you couldn’t make it to the docks and all.”
“Yeah, we were just coming here—” Hardin begins.
“Oh, I get why you were coming here.” Jace smiles and pats Hardin on his shoulder. I cringe as his brown eyes move to me. “It’s definitely a pleasure to see you again, Tessa,” he says coolly.
I glance at Hardin, but he is too focused on Jace to notice. “Yeah, you, too,” I manage.
“Well, good thing you didn’t come to the docks anyway. Cops came and broke up our party, so we moved it here.”
Meaning that Jace’s slimy friends are here somewhere—more people Hardin doesn’t like. I wish we had just stayed at my dorm. By the look in Hardin’s eyes I can tell he wishes the same.
“That sucks, man,” Hardin says and then tries to continue on down the hall.
Jace grabs Hardin’s arm and says, “You two should come down and have a drink with us.”
“She doesn’t drink,” Hardin huffs, annoyance clear in his voice. Unfortunately, that annoyance seems to encourage Jace even more.
“Oh well. You should still come have some fun. I insist,” he says.
Hardin looks at me, and my eyes widen as I try to silently say, No! But then he nods at Jace. What the hell?
“I’ll come down in a minute; let me get her . . . settled in,” Hardin mumbles, then pulls me by my wrist to his room before Jace can say anything. Unlocking the door to his room, he hurries me inside and quickly closes the door.
“I don’t want to go down there,” I tell him as he sets my bag down.
“You’re not.”
“And you are?” I ask him.
“Yeah, just for a minute. I won’t be long.” He rubs the back of his neck with his hand.
“Why didn’t you just tell him no?” I ask. For someone who claims he isn’t afraid of him, Hardin seems to be very intimidated by Jace.
“I already told you, he is hard to say no to,” he says.
“Does he have something over you or something?”
“What?” Hardin’s face flushes. “No . . . he’s just a dick. And I don’t want any trouble. Especially not around you,” he says and steps forward to me. “I won’t be down there long, but I know him, and if I don’t go have a drink with him he will come back up here—and I don’t want him anywhere near you,” he says and kisses me on the cheek.
“Okay,” I sigh.
“I need you to stay in here, though. I know it’s not ideal, with the music bumping downstairs, but I can’t really think of a way out at this point.”
“Okay,” I repeat. I don’t want to go down there anyway. I hate these parties, and I definitely don’t want to see Molly if she is here.
“I mean it. Okay?” he demands in a soft voice.
“I said okay. Just don’t leave me up here alone for long,” I plead.
“I won’t. We should go sign that paperwork tomorrow for the apartment. Right after you get done at Vance. I don’t want to worry about this kind of shit again.”
I don’t want to have to deal with these parties and my small dorm anymore. I want to eat my meals in a kitchen instead of a dining hall, and I want the freedom of being an adult. Spending time on campus and living there only reminds me how young we actually are.