control my body’s reaction to him.
He moved his hand away quickly, grabbing hold of the sheet next to him, as if only just realising what he was doing.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, and his voice once again sent delightful shivers down my spine.
“I feel great, really. I’m just so happy Annabelle is okay. I honestly had no idea she was following behind me.”
“Of course, I know that.” He smiled slightly, and I rejoiced at being the one to finally put a smile on his gorgeous face.
“You were stupid.” He said, and the smile dropped off my face as I reared back in shock at his words. Anger burnt through my veins as I struggled not to slap his face.
“Excuse me?”
“You could have gotten yourself killed. The current in that stream is far too strong, hence why that part of the woods is rarely visited by any of us. The water can be unpredictable, and it was silly of you to jump in there. Did you even think what could have happened?”
“Of course I did! I thought about how if I didn’t jump in the water, a child would die! I thought about how a sweet, innocent child would drown if I didn’t go for it, and there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen! Don’t you dare try and tell me that you wouldn’t have done exactly the same thing.”
“Of course I would have! And I cannot thank you enough for what you did, but I have to tell you how stupid you’ve been. Laura, I’ve only known you for two days but I care about you. My job is to care about every one of my people from this town, and as a guest here you count as one of them. I would give my life up to save my niece, but the thought of anyone else doing it does not sit well with me. It’s hard to explain, but when I came across you lying unconscious in the dirt, with a crying Anabelle at your side, dread filled me as I thought you were dead. Your bravery and courage saved my niece, and for that I am forever in your debt. Just, please try and avoid any life threatening situations in the future.”
I sat there stunned, as that is the most I had ever heard Jackson speak, and his words resonated deep within me. I would never have expected Jackson to admit he was scared, and it actually made him slightly more endearing. Which was dangerous. I was already starting to like him more than I should, and it was a lot easier when he was just annoying and brooding.
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“I would expect nothing less.” He smiled, and for the first time since I had met him, it was a proper smile, reaching his eyes and completely transforming his face. It was like all the troubles I saw in him every day had just been wiped away, and I couldn’t resist smiling in response. It really was infectious.
He started to lean towards me, and I silently cheered at the thought he was going to kiss me. I didn’t bother to try to figure out why I wanted him to kiss me, when he annoyed me so much. I just went with it and couldn’t wait for him to just do it. I leaned forward eagerly, when the door burst open again, causing us both to spring apart as if electrocuted. Jackson jumped up, and looked at whoever had burst in and ruined our moment.
“Isaac, what’s wrong?”
Isaac was slightly out of breath, with worry in his eyes.
“Intruders. We need to go.”
Jackson looked at me, and I swore I could see regret on his face for a moment, before his mask came back on and he returned to his serious self. Without another word, he walked out of the door and I felt a sense of disappointment at how brief the time was when I saw Jackson’s true personality, and I sincerely hoped it was not the last instance I would experience it.
Isaac hovered in the doorway for a moment, and I worried about what he was going to say to me. He had made no secret of the fact that he didn’t like me, and I could only imagine what he must have thought now after the scare with his niece. He coughed slightly, looking nervous for the first time.
“Look, I was
He moved his hand away quickly, grabbing hold of the sheet next to him, as if only just realising what he was doing.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, and his voice once again sent delightful shivers down my spine.
“I feel great, really. I’m just so happy Annabelle is okay. I honestly had no idea she was following behind me.”
“Of course, I know that.” He smiled slightly, and I rejoiced at being the one to finally put a smile on his gorgeous face.
“You were stupid.” He said, and the smile dropped off my face as I reared back in shock at his words. Anger burnt through my veins as I struggled not to slap his face.
“Excuse me?”
“You could have gotten yourself killed. The current in that stream is far too strong, hence why that part of the woods is rarely visited by any of us. The water can be unpredictable, and it was silly of you to jump in there. Did you even think what could have happened?”
“Of course I did! I thought about how if I didn’t jump in the water, a child would die! I thought about how a sweet, innocent child would drown if I didn’t go for it, and there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen! Don’t you dare try and tell me that you wouldn’t have done exactly the same thing.”
“Of course I would have! And I cannot thank you enough for what you did, but I have to tell you how stupid you’ve been. Laura, I’ve only known you for two days but I care about you. My job is to care about every one of my people from this town, and as a guest here you count as one of them. I would give my life up to save my niece, but the thought of anyone else doing it does not sit well with me. It’s hard to explain, but when I came across you lying unconscious in the dirt, with a crying Anabelle at your side, dread filled me as I thought you were dead. Your bravery and courage saved my niece, and for that I am forever in your debt. Just, please try and avoid any life threatening situations in the future.”
I sat there stunned, as that is the most I had ever heard Jackson speak, and his words resonated deep within me. I would never have expected Jackson to admit he was scared, and it actually made him slightly more endearing. Which was dangerous. I was already starting to like him more than I should, and it was a lot easier when he was just annoying and brooding.
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“I would expect nothing less.” He smiled, and for the first time since I had met him, it was a proper smile, reaching his eyes and completely transforming his face. It was like all the troubles I saw in him every day had just been wiped away, and I couldn’t resist smiling in response. It really was infectious.
He started to lean towards me, and I silently cheered at the thought he was going to kiss me. I didn’t bother to try to figure out why I wanted him to kiss me, when he annoyed me so much. I just went with it and couldn’t wait for him to just do it. I leaned forward eagerly, when the door burst open again, causing us both to spring apart as if electrocuted. Jackson jumped up, and looked at whoever had burst in and ruined our moment.
“Isaac, what’s wrong?”
Isaac was slightly out of breath, with worry in his eyes.
“Intruders. We need to go.”
Jackson looked at me, and I swore I could see regret on his face for a moment, before his mask came back on and he returned to his serious self. Without another word, he walked out of the door and I felt a sense of disappointment at how brief the time was when I saw Jackson’s true personality, and I sincerely hoped it was not the last instance I would experience it.
Isaac hovered in the doorway for a moment, and I worried about what he was going to say to me. He had made no secret of the fact that he didn’t like me, and I could only imagine what he must have thought now after the scare with his niece. He coughed slightly, looking nervous for the first time.
“Look, I was
Similar Books
