Chapter 15
***JACKSON***
Jackson guided Abby through the crowd, ignoring the looks she was getting from other men, but making it perfectly clear that she belonged to him with a possessive hand on her hip.
It wasn’t hard to find their table, one of the largest in the room, and he guided her over to the two empty chairs, then helped her sit down.
His friends were all already there with their dates and after introductions had been made, it wasn’t long before they were all laughing and talking.
Abby was relaxed and enjoying herself. None of the nerves she’d complained about marred her happy face, and he was glad; she deserved to have some fun.
During the next lull in the conversation, he leaned over.
“Do you want to give the dance floor another try before they serve dinner?” he asked. “I did promise you a second lesson.”
“I would love to,” she said, smiling at him. “Thank you for bringing me, I’m having a really good time.”
“So am I,” he said, getting to his feet. “Let’s go have a little more.”
They stayed on the dance floor until the bell rang for dinner, then still slightly breathless, joined the line for food. “Everything looks wonderful, but I’m afraid that I’ll spill something on Hattie’s dress,” she said. “Maybe I’ll just snack a little bit.”
“Nonsense, not when there’s so much good food here,” he said, grabbing two plates. “Besides, Hattie’s a genius. If you spill something, I’m sure she’ll be able to get it out, and she would be upset if she found out that you didn’t eat.”
“And you’d probably tell her just to get me in trouble,” she said, shaking her head. “Fine, but I’m blaming you if I ruin this dress.”
“I’ll take the heat,” he said, grinning at her. “It will be worth it.”
They filled their plates and made their way back to the table to join the others.
To his amusement, Abby finished everything on her plate and sent him back for seconds.
“I didn’t think the food would be that good,” she said, patting her stomach.
“I didn’t spill anything, but I think I might be about to burst the seams on this dress. ”
He laughed, then leaned over and kissed her. “I told you,” he said. “Now, let’s go work off some of that food; the band is about to start up again.”
“You’d better give me a few more minutes to let some of this food digest,” she said. “I don’t think I can walk, let alone dance.”
“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” he said, putting his arm around her and scooting her closer. “I’ll be perfectly happy to just sit here with you.”
The band had only played three songs when a commotion at the front door caught his attention.
Turning in his chair, he instantly tensed up when he saw the Kappas come strolling through the door.
They paused in the doorway, blocking anyone else from coming in or leaving, their dates hanging off them, then slowly surveyed the room.
When their leader saw the eight of them, he nodded to the rest of the group and they started across the dance floor toward them, pushing people out of his way.
Jackson looked around at his friends, his body already tensing for a fight, the dragon inside him ready to protect its mate.
He felt the power of their magic before they reached the table, but remained perfectly still, content to let the situation unfold on its own.
“Well, would you look at that, Paul,” Diego, the leader of the fraternity said. “All the Sigma’s are here. This must be a special occasion.”
“And look at their women, aren’t they just adorable? I bet none of them will be getting lucky tonight,” Paul said, laughing too loudly. “Then again, maybe they’ve managed to hook up with a few who’ll be happy to put out for them.”
The tension was so thick, he could have cut it with a knife, but he knew that the Kappas were just baiting them, hoping they’d lose control. “What do you want, Diego?” he asked. “We’re just trying to have a nice time here, we don’t need you hassling us.”
“Hey, I was just trying to make polite conversation,” Diego said, throwing his hands up in the air, then saw Abby sitting next to him. “Hey, what happened to your lab partner? Did you ditch her already? Not that I can blame you; this one is a little more to look at.”
“Diego, I think that’s her,” Paul said, elbowing him in the ribs. “It’s her, man, I know it.”
It took everything in him not to jump across the table when Diego’s eyes skimmed over Abby and a smile spread across his face.
“Well, will you look at that? The ugly duckling has become a swan,” he said, with an amused look.
“I heard you’ve been having some troubles, little lady.
That sure is a shame. It would be terrible if you got hurt, a real tragedy.
The way I hear it, you meddled in business that wasn’t yours. You’d better watch your back.”
This time he couldn’t stop himself and jumped to his feet. “Was that a threat?” he asked, his magic flaring dangerously. “Because it sure sounded like one.”
“A threat?” Diego asked, his eyes hardening. “I would never threaten a pretty woman, but I just thought I should warn her. This campus isn’t a very safe place anymore. It's such a shame, but what can you do?”
Just then a security guard came walking up. “Is everything okay over here?” he asked. “We don’t want any trouble tonight.”
“Everything is fine, Officer. “We were just saying hello to our friends,” Diego drawled, a fake smile on his face. “We’ll be moving along now. I hope to see you at the game tomorrow, boys.”
He sank back into his seat when they were gone, then looked over at Abby, expecting her to be frightened, but instead, her eyes were full of anger.
“It’s them, those are the voices I heard the other night in the science building,” she said.
“Diego and Paul were the ones trying to blow up the building, I know it without a doubt. We should go to the police and we should talk to the dean. This should be enough to at least get them kicked off campus.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” he said. “I know how you feel, but the police and Dean Proctor aren’t going to do anything. They’re using the Kappas to get to someone higher up.”
***Abby***
Abby absorbed that information, then looked over at Jackson. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said. “They’re not going to do anything? They’re just going to let them keep harassing us?”
“That’s what I was told when I met with Dean Proctor the other day. He’s not happy with the situation either,” he said. “I told him I wasn’t going to just sit back anymore. I’m sick of this too; they’ve given the Kappas too much power, and we’re going to take some of it back.”
Her anger instantly turned to concern. “Jackson, what are you going to do?” she asked. “I don’t want you to get hurt. The Kappas are dangerous.”
Jackson didn’t answer right away; instead, a strange look appeared on his face. “I can’t really explain now; it's too complicated,” he finally said, then sighed. I guess it’s time you and I had a long talk. There are things about me that you don’t know.”
“Jackson, you’re scaring me,” she said, suddenly off balance. “Can’t you just tell me now?”
He pulled her a little closer. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, I’m just a little different than most people.
I don’t think it will change anything between us, at least I hope it won’t, but I just need you to trust me for a little bit longer. Can you do that?”
She wanted to say no, she wanted to demand that he tell her right then, but looking into his eyes, she saw vulnerability for the first time, but she also saw affection. “Okay, I’ll wait,” she said. “But we need to have that talk soon.”
“I promise,” he said, a smile of relief on his face. “Now, how about we forget about all that ugliness and hit the dance floor? Let’s not let the Kappas ruin the night.”
The next morning, Abby came downstairs still floating on a cloud of happiness from the night before.
It had been one of the best nights of her life, and she’d decided not to let the Kappas or worrying about what Jackson would tell her ruin the feeling.
The kitchen was bustling with activity. Hattie stood at the stove as usual, but she was firing off orders as she cooked.
She stood in the doorway watching for a second, amused by the way the eight grown men were scurrying about to do her bidding, and a wave of affection for all them welled up inside her.
Reminding herself how lucky she was, she stepped into the fray, “Good morning, everyone,” she called. “Is there something I can do to help?”
“Oh, Abby, there you are, I was about to send someone after you,” Hattie said cheerfully. “I hope you had a good time last night.”
“It was wonderful, thank you,” she said. “I’ll have your dress cleaned and get it back to you.”
“Grab some coffee, then I’ll put you to work,” Hattie said. “There is lots to do today. First, we have the parade, and we’ll need sweets for that. Then we have the game. We always have a picnic first. I made fried chicken this year; it’s staying warm in the oven.”
“Hattie, what time did you get up this morning?” she asked, looking around the kitchen. “You should have asked me for help. I know how to cook, not like you, but I could have helped.”
“Oh, it’s nothing dear, I love doing it,” Hattie said, waving her away. “I’ll rest tonight when it’s all over.”
“You will not, you’ll rest right now,” she said, snatching the spatula out of Hattie’s hand. “You get a cup of coffee and go sit down. You can supervise the boys from the table, and I’ll finish breakfast.”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” Hattie said, trying to get the utensil out of her hand. “It’s just breakfast.”
“Good point, it’s just breakfast. Therefore, I can handle it,” she said. “I can be really stubborn, Hattie. Go take a rest.”
“She’s not lying, she’ll stand here arguing with you all day,” Jackson said, coming up behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. “You’d better listen to her. Besides, I’m done with the coolers; I’ll help Abby.”
Hattie snorted, “Don’t think you two can start bossing me around,” she said, then, chin in the air, made herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. “Cheeky, that’s what you two are.”
Jackson laughed and pulled her into his arms. “That was nice. Hattie works too hard. You’re the first person she’s ever listened to,” he said. “You’re going to be a great doctor; your patients will listen to you.”
“I hope so, it’s all I’ve ever wanted,” she said, then looked over at the stove. “We’d better get to work if breakfast is going to be ready in time.”
“I just want a little kiss first,” he said, holding onto her. “Just one.”
“Jackson, everyone is here,” she protested. “And it’s never just one with you.”
He covered her mouth with his before she could protest further.
His kiss instantly overwhelmed her senses, and for a few seconds, she forgot anything but the wonderful feelings rushing through her.
No one had ever kissed her the way Jackson did.
Even the simplest brush of his lips across hers made her feel things she’d never felt before.
The intensity scared her, made her feel out of control, and she wasn’t sure how long it was going to be before she trusted him enough to give in to the need building inside her.
As innocent as she was, she understood that there would be no going back once it happened.
She had no idea where the knowledge came from; she only knew that it was there.
She wasn’t ready to give herself to him so completely, and needed time to adjust to the idea that her life had changed so drastically almost overnight.
When he finally let her go, she was breathless, and it took her a second to come back down to Earth, but when her vision cleared, Jackson smiled down at her.
“Sometimes it only takes one kiss,” he said. “Now, let’s finish breakfast, I’m starving.”