Page 14 of Dragon's Unwanted Love
“Jackson, it’s too dangerous,” she said, shaking her head and trying to tug him toward the back door. “What if the bomb goes off and you’re still inside? What if they catch you?”
He grabbed her by the shoulders. “I’ll be fine, I promise,” he said, looking into her eyes. “You’re just going to have to trust me.”
Something flared to life between them as they looked into each other’s eyes, but he didn’t stop to think about what it was; his only thought was to get Abby out of the building as quickly as possible. “Okay, but promise me that you’ll be careful,” she said, surprising him. “I’m going to kill you if you get hurt.”
“That’s not going to happen,” he said, then, without even thinking, leaned down and kissed her. “Go get help, and I’ll see if I can slow them down.”
Abby lifted her fingers to her lips, a look of amazement on her face. Then she stretched up on her toes and kissed him before turning and running down the hallway toward the back door. He stared after her, distracted for a second by what had just passed between them, but when the door closed with a click behind her, he turned and started for the stairs.
Letting his magic begin to flow, he tested the air, feeling the tingle of power from above him, and knew he was dealing with two of the members of the other fraternity. Knowing that evened the score he proceeded slowly, not sure what he would do once he found them, but determined to stop them. He’d just made it to the top of the stairs when the scream of sirens in the distance split the silence of the night, and he scrambled back into the shadows.
A second later, two dark clothes figures came racingdown the hallway, one of them carrying something heavy, and he sprang from his hiding place. “You’re not going anywhere until the police get here,” he said, channeling more of his magic, ready to shift if necessary. “This is going to end tonight.”
The two men hesitated for a second, but he knew it wasn’t going to be that easy, he knew they’d fight their way out if necessary, and braced himself, expecting them to shift. Instead, the man carrying the dark shape launched it at him, hitting him in the middle of the chest, knocking the wind out of him and flinging him back a couple of feet. He landed on the floor with a thud, disoriented for a second, but it was just enough time for the two men to flee down the stairs and out the front door.
He was back on his feet and running after them only a few seconds later, but when he burst through the doors, the courtyard in front of the building was empty. Cursing as he ran down the stairs, he stood at the bottom sniffing the air, hoping to get a trace of their scent, but all he could smell was the forest around the campus. Abby came running around from the side of the building just as three police cars came to a screaming halt in front of the building, and he was forced to give up on the chase.
“Jackson, are you okay?” Abby asked, running over to him. “I saw those men come running out and I…”
“I’m fine, I almost had them,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “I’m pretty sure I know who they were, though.”
“I heard one of them call the other one Paul,” she said, looking up at him. “Who are they?”
“Kappas,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “I think they were planning to blow up the science building. The bomb is still in there.”
Abby looked up at the building, then buried her face in his chest, a shiver going through her entire body. “You’re notgoing back in there,” she said, then looked up at him. “I mean it, Jackson, you can’t.”
“Don’t worry, bombs aren’t my thing,” he said, then grinned at her. “I guess you’re not mad at me anymore.”
Abby stared at him for a second, then realized where she was and quickly untangled herself from his arms, leaving them feeling empty. “You said I was weird. I’m not going to forget that any time soon,” she said. “I was just worried about you, that’s all.”
“And that kiss you gave me back in the hallway,” he said, the grin still on his face. “I suppose that was just worry, too.”
“You kissed me first,” she said, a blush rising on her cheeks. “I just…well…never mind, forget about it.”
“Hmmm, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he said, pulling her back into his arms. “In fact, that’s all I’m thinking about now.”
When he lowered his mouth to hers this time, the world melted away, the swirling lights vanished, and he could only think of the woman in his arms. Abby responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and letting out a little sigh that touched something deep inside him, sending a current of electricity shooting through him. Surprised by the feeling, the world came rushing back, and he pulled away from her with a groan, trembling as much as she was.
“Are you two okay?” one of the police officers asked, rushing over to them. “We got a call about a bomb. I hope this isn’t a practical joke.”
He sucked in a deep breath, gently letting go of Abby, who was staring up at him, a shocked look on her face. “It’s on the second floor,” he said. “I don’t think it’s armed. It didn’t go off when they threw it at me.”
***Abby***
Abby tried to focus on what was going on around her, but her entire body was still tingling, and her knees felt wobbly. She’d never been kissed like that before, had never experienced anything so intense, and her brain was having a hard time functioning. Jackson was talking to the police, recounting what happened inside the building, but all she could think about was kissing him again.
“Ma’am, you haven’t said much,” one of the officers said, walking over to her. “Are you sure that you’re okay?”
Forcing herself to focus on the man, she took a deep breath. “I’m okay,” she said. “I just need a couple of minutes to catch my breath.”
Jackson put his arm around her. “Abby was inside the building when the power went out,” he said. “She heard the men first, and I came along a few minutes later.”
“We’ll need to get your statement too, then,” the officer said. “The bomb squad is on their way. Maybe we should step away from the building for now.”
Jackson guided her over to the parking lot. “Are you sure that you’re okay?” he asked. “You’re shaking.”
She looked up at him. “What was that?” she blurted without thinking. “What just happened between us?”
