Page 78 of Dead Girls Don’t Forget

Jackson met her eyes without blinking. The silent warning rolled off him in waves.

Naomi faltered. Instead of walking to her usual seat further down the long table, she grabbed a tray and veered sharply toward a small empty table near the door. She sat alone with her back stiff and didn’t touch her food.

Only then did Jackson’s grip loosen slightly. He picked up half his sandwich and brought it to my lips. I took a bite without thinking, still half-focused on Naomi across the room.

That was when I noticed how quiet the table had become.

Several heads had turned. Rick leaned back in his chair with an unreadable expression. Jason set his fork down carefully. A couple of the other wolves exchanged quick glances. Even Lia had frozen with her hand halfway to her glass.

Jackson acted like nothing unusual had happened. He fed me the second bite, set the rest of the sandwich on my plate, and settled his arm back around my waist. Then he picked up Rick’s interrupted story about regional rankings as if it were any other ordinary lunch.

I shrugged the stares off and focused on the food. After a minute the chatter around the table stumbled back to life.

Ten minutes later, Lia stood up suddenly.

“I just remembered I need to talk to Hartley about the project deadline,” she said, forcing a smile that didn’t quite land. “Catch you guys later.”

Jason blinked. “It’s lunch.”

She didn’t answer. She grabbed her tray, gave the table one more quick, tight smile that never reached her eyes, and carefully avoided looking at me. Then she walked out.

I watched her go. She didn’t head toward the faculty offices. She turned left instead, toward the side exit. Her phone was already in her hand before the door swung shut behind her.

Chapter 26: This Feels Right

Thursday after school, Jackson drove us straight to his place for the study session. The gates of the compound opened for him without a pause. As we passed through I automatically checked the camera positions against the layout I had already memorized. Nothing had changed.

He pulled into the drive, killed the engine, and got out to take my bag before I could reach for it.

“I can carry my own bag.”

“I know you can.”

He carried it up the walk without another word. The moment we stepped inside, the quiet of the house hit me.

“Where is everyone?”

“Gone for the night.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “You cleared the whole place?”

“Figured we could use the quiet.”

We set up at the dining table with books and notebooks spread between us. Close enough that our elbows brushed whenever either of us moved. Close enough that I could feel the warmth of him without even trying.

I tried to focus. For a while I even managed it. Then I hit something that didn’t make sense.

“Wait,” I said, turning my notebook toward him. “How did you get that?”

He leaned in. The sudden closeness made my breath hitch before I could stop it.

“You missed this step,” he said, his voice lower now.

I followed his finger, but my attention slipped almost immediately. Not to the equation — to him. The way he smelled, clean with something deeper underneath. The warmth along my side when he shifted a fraction closer.

A shiver ran through me before I could stop it.

Jackson noticed. Of course he did. He went still, a quiet breath catching in his chest. Then he lowered his head toward my neck, slow and deliberate, giving me every chance to pull away. I didn’t. Warm breath brushed my skin first, then the soft nuzzle of his nose. My pulse skittered hard. I turned my head without thinking, and our mouths met.