“Yeah?”
“Miss you too, good night.”
When they hang up, Kayla buries her face into her pillow and then hears music coming from outside her room. She rolls over and looks at the clock: 2:30 a.m. Curious, Kayla gets out of bed to investigate. She follows the music and discovers it coming from Jackson’s room. She puts her ear against his door and hears classical music. She knocks on the door. “Jackson?” When he doesn’t answer, she knocks again. “I can’t sleep with music,” Kayla yells through the door. He still doesn’t answer. Taking a deep breath, she cracks open the door to peer inside.
No one is in his bedroom. She hears the music coming from the direction of the bathroom, so she follows the sound and notices the door to the secret room is open. Standing there, she doesn’t know what to do. Taking a deep breath, she lets her curiosity propel her forward. When she gets into the secret room, she finds Jackson standing with his back to her.
Not knowing what to do, Kayla stands there and watches him. Jackson doesn’t seem to sense her at all, so she slowly walks over to him. Reaching out, she puts her hand on his shoulder. He spins around, grabbing his chest. “Kayla, you scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry, I heard the music,” she replies. They stare at each other as Jackson calms down. After several minutes of awkward silence, Kayla asks, “What are you doing?”
Jackson turns back to his painting. She recognizes her face painted on the canvas. “Well,” he starts. “I figured that would be obvious.”
“I didn’t mean to intrude,” Kayla quickly spits out. “I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have come in here.”
He’s quiet for a minute. Setting down his paintbrush, Jackson murmurs, “No, it’s all right. I said you could come into my room whenever you wanted. I just don’t show my work to many people.”
“It’s wonderful,” Kayla says, walking over to some other paintings. “You’re really gifted.”
“I don’t know about that.” Jackson chuckles. “It’s my therapy.”
Kayla smiles. “I think they’re great.”
He returns his focus to the painting of her. “This is the only embarrassing part.”
“No, don’t be embarrassed. It’s beautiful. You make me look a lot prettier than I really am.”
“You’re gorgeous, Kayla. This painting is very accurate.”
“Thank you,” Kayla whispers, walking over to him. She crosses her arms. “Do I get this when you’re done?”
“Wouldn’t you want Damien to have it?” he asks.
“A painting of me?” Kayla giggles. “That’s a little bold. Pictures are fine, but a painting is a little much.”
“Well then, yes, you can have it. It isn’t finished yet, but when it is, you can hang it up wherever you want.”
She looks at him and grins. “How about your room?”
His eyes drift up to her. “Really? It isn’t okay for Damien, but it’s all right for me.”
“Sure, then you can gaze upon it while you fantasize about me.”
“I’m not supposed to do that anymore,” Jackson reminds her, looking back at the painting. “You’re dating Damien and I’m trying to preserve the boundaries.”
Kayla pushes him lightly. “Stop it. You’re being silly. I’m not marrying the guy, just dating him. You can pine away for me all you want.”
Jackson chuckles. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Your painting is fantastic. I do look very pretty in it.”
“It would be better if you actually sat for me,” Jackson replies. “But since you didn’t, I had to go off my memory.”
Raising her eyebrows, Kayla notes, “You have a very good memory then.”
“Mmhmm,” Jackson hums. “You should sit, so I can make this accurate.”
“Hell no.” Kayla laughs. “If I’m going to sit, we have to make it crazy, like all sultry.”
He gives her a weird look. “Why?”
“Because portrait paintings are boring.” Kayla giggles. “We need to make it…interesting.”
“Like, you want to be nude?” Jackson asks, with a bewildered look.
She shakes her head. “No, like wrapped in a sheet.”
“You’re crazy,” he states, trying not smile.
“It was just an idea. I thought it would be fun.”
He stares at her for a moment in silence. “Go get wrapped up in a sheet then.”
“What? You really want me to do that?”
“Yeah, I don’t think you’ll do it. I think you’re all talk.”
Kayla crosses her arms. “No I’m not. I’ll do it.”
A devilish smirk passes over Jackson’s face. “Really, you think so?”
“I know so,” Kayla snaps sharply. “Wait here, don’t come out.” She turns and walks back into his room shutting the bathroom door behind her. Walking over to his bed, she yanks the comforter off. She strips off her pants and shirt, leaving her underwear on. Next, she tears the sheet off the bed. Wrapping it around her body so nothing shows, she walks back into the painting room. Jackson laughs at the sight of her. “See, I’m not a chicken.”
“I didn’t say you were. I just can’t believe we’re doing this.”
She laughs. “Come on, it’ll be fantastic. Neither my parents nor Damien will ever be able to see it. I’ll hide it somewhere, or you could put this up in your room.”
“I would so hang this painting up. Oh dear Lord, yes. Go sit on the floor right there,” he points, “with your legs bent to the side next to you.”
She tries as gracefully as possible to sit down like he instructed. “What do you want me to do?” she asks, spreading out the sheet around her.
“Drop the sheet,” Jackson answers, wiggling his eyebrows. “Only kidding.” He bends down by her and situates the sheet. “Hold it together with this hand like this,” he instructs, moving her hands. “Then put the other one here.” Jackson stands up and looks down at her. “Perfect.”
Kayla laughs. “This is crazy.”
Jackson grabs a new canvas. He puts it on the easel and takes out a pencil. “I’m just going to sketch you for now, and then I’ll paint later. I’ve never done a painting like this before; that’s for sure.”
Kayla blushes. “I don’t know why I am doing this.”
“Because you want to harness your wild side,” Jackson retorts as he starts to sketch. “It’s just between us. I’m not painting your naked body or anything.”
“Like on my naked body?” Kayla giggles.
The corner of Jackson’s mouth twitches. “Now there’s an idea.”
They sit quietly as he sketches. Kayla’s face grows warmer and warmer. She is full of different emotions: bashfulness, excitement, nervousness, and bravery. She watches Jackson concentrate. She smirks at the way he furrows his eyebrows while he sketches.
As Jackson finishes sketching, he says, “Almost done.”
She fidgets with her hair. “This is probably a little crazy.”
“I can fix your hair so it’s not like bed head.” Jackson chuckles. “It will be perfect, I promise. I’ll even bring this with us, so I can work on it while you’re off with your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend!”
Jackson doesn’t even look at her. “Sure he isn’t.”
“Anyway, he can’t see it. He wouldn’t understand that it’s innocent.”
“Yes, well, once he becomes your boyfriend, you’re going to have to tell him. What if he comes across it someday? That would be bad.”
She fidgets with the sheet. “I guess you’re right,” she whispers.
“Maybe you should give it to him.” Jackson sighs as he pulls away from the canvas. “It would make his day, hell, his year.”
“No, I want this. It’s for me. I’ll put it up in my college dorm.”
Jackson looks at her. “The boys will beat down your door. I’ll have to go to college with you just to keep them in check.”
“Wouldn’t that be awesome? It would be great
if we went to the same college. I would be so pumped.”
With a thoughtful look, Jackson replies, “Don’t you want to try and get into Yale with Damien?”
“Like I could afford Yale or even get into it.” Kayla snorts. “I don’t know. It would be cool if we all went to the same college. We could drag Tracy along. You would need to keep the boys in check with her. She is going to be crazy once we get there.”
“Tracy rocks. Okay, I’m done sketching. Painting will have to wait for another day. We need to get some sleep. I have to wake up early to make your brownies.”
“I’ll get up with you,” Kayla suggests. “We can make them together.”
He laughs. “I don’t need as much sleep as you. I’ll wake you up when I’m done. We can go to your house so you can pack anything else you need.”
“Okay,” Kayla replies. She moves to try and get up.
“Here, let me help,” Jackson says as he walks over to her. He grabs her arm and lifts her up. Kayla holds the sheet with one hand, but halfway up, her foot gets caught in the folds, which makes the sheet yank down and out of her hand. At that same second, Jackson pulls her against him. He looks straight up at the ceiling. “I’m not holding you against me because I want to feel you up. This way I can’t see anything. I’m going to close my eyes, so you can get the sheet.” Kayla can’t even say anything; shock prevents her mouth from moving. Her body is pressed up tight against him, and she can barely catch her breath. Finally, he says, “Are you listening to me?”
Nodding her head, Kayla answers, “Yes, sorry. Close your eyes and don’t look!”
Jackson closes his eyes and whispers, “I promise not to look. Every part of me wants to, but I promise to keep my eyes shut.”
Watching him carefully, Kayla pulls away from him and bends over, yanking the sheet back up. “There, I’m covered,” she says.
Jackson opens one eye and peers down at her. “Oh good, I swear I didn’t see anything!”
“It’s fine,” Kayla mumbles, her cheeks on fire. “I’m going to get dressed.”
“That’s a good idea,” Jackson exhales, rubbing his forehead. “I need to clean up anyway.”
She nods and leaves the room. When Kayla gets back into his bedroom, she shuts the bathroom door. “Crap!” she groans, covering her face. “That was so…embarrassing…I think.” Shaking her head, she pulls her pajamas back on. She throws the sheet and comforter back on the bed to get it ready for Jackson. When she’s dressed and the bed is made, she walks back towards the bathroom and opens the door. Jackson is standing at the sink, washing out his brushes.
He turns and looks at her. “Oh damn, you have your clothes on.”
“Shut up.” Kayla laughs. “I’m going to bed.”
“Good night,” Jackson says, turning off the water. “I’ll wake you up in the morning.”
Kayla nods her head. “Okay, thanks for being a gentleman.”
“Oh, if I want to see you naked, I’ll just walk in on you while you’re showering.”
“That’s good to know…I think. Okay, good night.”
“Night.”
Turning, she walks out and back to her room. When she gets into bed, she covers her face. “I can’t believe I just did that. What has gotten into you?” Kayla stares up at the ceiling searching for answers. “He got to you,” she whispers. Frustrated, she pulls the blanket over her head and tries to go back to sleep.
Chapter 19
“Rise and shine.” Jackson’s voice is too loud and too chipper for so early in the morning.
Kayla pulls the blanket over her head. “Go away.”
“You wanted me to wake you up,” Jackson replies. “Don’t you want to get going, so you can see your maaaaan.”
Throwing the blankets back, Kayla stares him down. “Shut up.”
He wiggles his eyebrows. “Come on, get up. We need to go over to your house.”
“What time is it?” Kayla grumbles.
“Nine,” Jackson answers. “Time to rise and shine, valentine.”
With a groan, Kayla puts her face into her pillow. “It’s too early.”
“Nonsense, time to get up,” Jackson says, pulling her up by her hand.
“I’m so tired,” Kayla mumbles, rubbing her eyes.
“If you weren’t up all night taking your clothes off, you wouldn’t be so tired.”
Kayla pushes him. “Shut up.”
Jackson leans in and gives her a kiss on the cheek. “You can sleep for a little while longer if you want, otherwise, you can sleep in the car. That’s fine too.”
“No, that would be rude. Did you make coffee?”
“Yup, it’s in the kitchen.”
Getting out of bed, Kayla yawns. “Good, coffee good, must use bathroom first.”
“I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” Jackson says, ruffling her hair.
“Stop it,” she whines. “Go do something useful.” He laughs and leaves the room. Kayla groans and gets out of bed. A little while later, she makes her way into the kitchen. Jackson is standing in the middle of the room, bopping his head to the music coming from the stereo. “I. Need. Coffee,” Kayla articulates.
He spins on his heels and goes over to the coffee maker. Jackson pours her a cup and then hands it over. “How quickly can you be ready?”
“I just woke up!” Kayla exclaims. “Give me a minute for the caffeine to course its way through my veins.”
“All right, all right,” Jackson says, putting his hands up. “It’s only going to take us ten-and-a-half hours to get to Vegas. I think if we make stops and pump you full of Kiej, you should be fine. Plus, if we get there early enough, we can see a little bit of Vegas.”
A grin spreads over Kayla’s face. “I didn’t think about that.”
“I sure did. We need to at least eat on the strip.”
“What if I shift?” Kayla asks. “In front of thousands of people.”
“I didn’t say we would spend a lot of time on the strip. I say we get to the safe house, meditate, eat about a hundred brownies and head down there. I have GPS to get us everywhere.”
Kayla smiles. “I’ll go get ready.”
“Good, go, go, go!”
Snagging her cup of coffee, Kayla runs to her room. She packs everything she needs in her suitcase. After she’s finished, she goes into Jackson’s bathroom to finish getting ready. Kayla strips her clothes off and hops in the shower. The hot water feels really good. Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door. “Yeah?” she yells.
“Can I come in?” Jackson laughs.
“No! Of course not, are you crazy?”
“Hurry up! I have stuff in there I need to pack.”
She rolls her eyes. “Give me five minutes, geez!”
“Timer starts now!”
“Shut up!”
After she showers and makes herself presentable, she throws open the bathroom door to see Jackson standing in front of her. His eyebrows go up. “A skirt for a road trip?”
Kayla looks down at her pleated skirt. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Nothing, you look hot, but we are driving for ten hours.”
“What is more comfortable than a skirt? It’s like wearing no pants.” Kayla giggles.
A smile spreads across Jackson’s face. “I vote for no pants or skirt. What is more comfortable than sitting in your underwear?”
“You wish. Come on, get your stuff.”
“There’s nothing for me to get,” Jackson quips with a smile. “I just wanted you to hurry up.”
Kayla punches him in the arm. “That’s not nice.”
“Come on, let’s go. Get your shoes on.”
She glares at him, but leaves to go to her room. Half an hour later, they arrive at her house. When they walk in, Kayla yells, “Mom? Dad?”
Her mom comes out of the dining room. “Honey! I can’t believe you’re doing this.”
“Mom, I’ll be fine,” Kayla reassures her. “Nothing will happen to me. Jackso
n will be there, and he’ll keep me safe.”
“Yes, I will,” Jackson interjects before her mom can respond. “Safe and sound.”
With a stern look, her mom says, “You will call us every few hours and when you get to Las Vegas.”
“Yes,” Kayla answers. “I promise I’ll call you, like, five hundred times.”
“Okay,” her mom exhales. “Do you have everything you need? Do you need money?”
“No,” Jackson replies. “I have five different credit cards, and I’ll send Damien the bills.”
Shaking her head, her mom repeats, “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”
“She’ll be fine,” her dad says, coming up behind her.
Her mother grabs the bridge of her nose. “I’m going to be so worried.”
“I promise, Mom, we’ll be fine,” Kayla reassures her.
Taking a deep breath, her mom points to the kitchen. “Do you want me to pack you some food? Do you have Kiej?”
“I made six batches of my brownies. I have five Kiej smoothies for her, plus an entire cooler of water, soda and munchies, because a road trip wouldn’t really be a road trip without those,” Jackson states.
“It looks like you have everything covered,” Kayla’s dad says. “What else do you need?”
Kayla gestures toward the stairs. “I need to grab a few things.”
“Go ahead,” her mom urges. “I don’t want you driving when it’s dark.”
“Okay,” Kayla says as she darts to her room. She throws open her closet door and takes out her best skirts and dresses.
After a few minutes, Jackson walks into her room. “What are you packing?”
“Damien says it’s going to be warm and that I should bring skirts…short skirts.”
“I personally like the one you’re wearing,” Jackson says, sitting down on her bed. “It looks good on you. I’m going to make a suggestion, bring some dressy clothes. His family will probably take you out to some nice places.”
Kayla pulls a dress out of her closet. “How about this one?”
“Beautiful,” Jackson says, with a smile. “I think you’re pretty in whatever you wear, so I’m biased.”
“Awww, now help me pick out dresses.”
Jackson groans and gets up. “Let me just go through your closet.” He gently pushes her aside and starts to pull stuff out. A grin passes over his face. “You need to bring this one,” he says as he pulls out a red halter dress. It’s low cut and short. “Damien will love it.”
Shift (The Neturu Chronicles) Page 39
