Page 31 of As Long As You Kiss Me

Chapter 8

Jackson stayed after school to help match kids with tutors. He’d started the project the week before, and it was interesting to watch the kids interact with each other.

Austin, the captain of the football team, ended up getting tutored by a shy girl with big glasses named Darcie. Jackson had fun watching their dynamic together. Every time Austin said anything to Darcie, she turned bright red. But Austin was going to lose his position on the team if he didn’t pull his grades up, and Darcie was one of the brightest students in the school. It was just painful to watch her interact with him.

One of the tutors was Ella, Sully’s employee at the ice cream shop. She was an incredibly smart girl and was well spoken. But she was paired up with Caden, a troubled kid who barely said more than a word to her. He could tell Ella was determined to get Caden to open up to her, but he wasn’t budging.

Jackson sat at the front of the room, overseeing the tutoring sessions. They had them three times a week. Hopefully, as time went on, the kids would grow more accustomed to each other.

Jackson’s mind wandered back to Sunday afternoon when Sully had fallen asleep next to him. It had felt just as good as he’d imagined to have her snuggled up to him. For that moment, he’d thought about what it would be like to stop pretending and make things real with Sully. But then he’d remembered that he had secrets he couldn’t share with her. If she knew the truth, she’d be long gone.

Jackson was the reason her brother had been killed. He’d never told anyone about it. It was his deepest secret. He’d been there when Tyson had died. Images flashed through his mind, and he pushed them back to the place where he kept them buried. It was something he’d gotten good at over the years.

Jackson wished he could do more to protect her. She needed him to watch over her all the time, but even if he lived there, he wouldn’t be able to be constantly by her side. He needed to catch Mason in the act. Some sort of proof that he’d been there.

That was it.

Security cameras. They needed to install them in Sully’s house. He pulled out his phone and began researching which ones were the best and what they could all do. He found one for sale at a local store that came highly recommended. Maybe he’d swing by after work and surprise her with it.

The tutoring session ended, and Jackson headed over to the store to pick up the cameras. He figured three would do the trick. It was probably overkill, but he didn’t want to miss an opportunity to help Sully.

He called her see if she was home.

“Hey, Jackson. What’s up?”

“Are you home tonight? I have a surprise for you.”

“I’m just wrapping things up at work, and then I’ll be heading home in about ten minutes.”

“Are you hungry? I could get us Chinese.”

“That sounds delicious. I’d love that.”

“Is Aubrey home too?

“No,” Sully said. “She’s in Nevada, visiting some family.”

That meant they’d have the house to themselves. Was it a bad idea to be alone in her home with her? He couldn’t think about that now. She needed those cameras. “Okay. I’ll go get the food, and by then, you’ll probably be home.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sully said.

“What do you want me to order for you?”

“Broccoli and beef with fried rice.”

“You got it.” Jackson hung up and paid for the cameras before heading out to his car. He went to his favorite Chinese place in town and ordered the food. He ordered orange chicken for himself. It wasn’t the healthiest, but he didn’t care. When the food was ready, he took the bags and headed over to Sully’s apartment.

Her car was parked out front, which was good because he didn’t want the food to get cold before she could eat it. She greeted him at the door, dressed in yoga pants and a loose tank top with her hair in a bun. She looked gorgeous, and he longed to run his hands down the silky skin of her arms.

“Thanks for getting food.”

He came inside. “Of course.” He set the bags on the table.

“So what’s the surprise?”

“I have it out in the car. You start dishing out food, and I’ll go get it for you.” He headed toward the door.

“Sounds good to me.”

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