Page 26 of Dragon's Unwanted Love
“You look like one, too,” Hattie said, wiping her eyes. “I’m sorry to get all emotional, I’m just so happy for you. You’re going to have a wonderful time tonight.”
Jackson was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in a suit and tie, his hair slicked back. He’d never looked more handsome, and she had to stop for a second to catch her breath. Hoping her legs would hold when she saw the look in his eyes, she came slowly down the stairs, feeling as if she’d slipped into a fairytale, and he was her handsome prince.
“You look amazing, better than amazing,” Jackson said, stepping forward when she reached the bottom stair. “I’m not sure I want to share you with the rest of the world tonight.”
“You look very handsome yourself,” she said, reaching up to straighten his tie. “I think Yvonne and Hattie would be disappointed if we didn’t go.”
He looked up the stairs where the two women were watching them. “I guess you’re right,” he said. “But I’m not letting you out of my sight. Someone will try to steal you away.”
“I don’t want anyone but you,” she said without thinking, then gasped. “I mean, I’m your date tonight.”
He leaned down and gave her a kiss. “And I don’t want anyone but you,” Jackson said, echoing her words. “Shall we go?”
“Not until we get some pictures,” Hattie called, rushing down the stairs. “Your kids are going to want to see their parents on their first date.”
Yvonne looked over at Hattie, then over at Abby. “Well, I guess she knows something we don’t,” she said, a grin on her face. “Come on, you two, pose for your future kids.”
Abby knew that her cheeks were flaming, but Jackson just laughed. “Maybe you two could slow down just a little,” he suggested. “I don’t want you scaring Abby off.”
“It’s okay, Jackson, I know they’re just joking,” she said, smiling up at him. “Let them have their fun.”
“Maybe I’m not,” he said. “Maybe I like the idea of our kids.”
A thrill rushed through her, and warmth spread from the inside out. “Jackson, we haven’t even graduated yet; we haven’t even…” her words trailed off.
“That’s easy to fix,” he said, grinning down at her. “In fact, the house is empty right now.”
“Jackson, stop that,” she said, slapping him on the chest. “We’re supposed to be going to a dance.”
“Oh, that’s right, I got sidetracked,” he said, grinning down at her. “It’s easy to do around you, sweetheart, but to the dance we must go.”
After an overabundance of pictures were taken, Jackson took her arm and led her to the front door. “I have a surprise for you,” he said, swinging it open. “It’s right out front.”
It took her a second to realize that her car was sitting on the curb. “Oh, Jackson, you fixed my car,” she said, throwing her arms around him. “That was so sweet, but you didn’t have to, I…”
“I thought it might make you feel better,” he said. “But don’t think this means I’m letting you take off on your own.”
“I know, I know,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him. “But at least now, we can escape. I miss being outside so much.”
“We’ll go for a drive as soon as we can, but for now, you’ll have to be happy with a ride to the dance,” he said, then held out his arm for her. “Do you want to drive?”
“I’m not sure I trust myself in these heels,” she said. “I think you should do the honors.”
When they walked into the gym after the short ride across campus, she let out a sigh of appreciation. The lights had been dimmed, and fairly lights twinkled everywhere. “Oh, it doesn’t even look like the gym anymore,” she said, unable to hide her excitement. I just hope I don’t embarrass myself.”
“I won’t let that happen,” he said, leading her out onto the dance floor. “Just follow my lead.”
She hadn’t expected to find herself out there so soon and tensed up until Jackson pulled her into his arms and up against his body. “I’ve got you, Abby,” he said. “Just relax and let me do all the work.”
It only took her a few minutes to find her rhythm and they were soon gliding across the dance floor, Jackson spinning her around in the glittering lights. She was breathless when the music finally ended, and looked up to find Jackson beaming down at her, his eyes full of more than just desire for the first time. It was like a lightning bolt straight to her core, her heart began to pound faster and all she could think about was kissing him.
As if he had read her mind, Jackson lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her until she was breathless, then led her off the dance floor. “That was pretty good for your first lesson,”he said, grinning down at her. “We’ll have a second one after we find our table. Everyone else should be here already.”
Her heart fluttered with excitement. “We could just skip the dancing,” she said, grinning at him. I like what happens after the best.”
CHAPTER 15
***JACKSON***
