Page 28 of Forced Pregnant Mate

They are so comfortable together… they obviously love each other so much. Will I ever have that with Jack?

“Hey,” Jack says, smiling. “I got tickets for the creature feature. I hope that’s okay?”

“Fine by me,” I answer, grinning.

“Good choice,” Gina agrees. “I haven’t seen a good thriller in a while.”

“I give you all the thrills you need,” Bae says, tickling her. He chases her into the theatre, with Gina giggling the whole time.

Jack and I follow quietly, walking close together but not touching. The space between us is small but feels insurmountable at the same time.

We sit in the center of the theatre, not too close to the screen. Bae and Gina whisper and giggle a lot, and I find it a bit distracting.

I’m jealous. I want what they have. He obviously loves her so much.

After the movie, we have coffee at a café nearby. Jack has loosened up a lot, joking around with his sister and laughing with Bae about school days.

I don’t understand why Father said he was a bad person. There’s no way to fake a connection like this.

It hurts me even more because it’s perfectly obvious how much Jack cares about his sister and best friend. I don’t feel anywhere near that important to him.

Gina and Bae have to get back to Natalia, so the group breaks up and we head home. Jack’s in high spirits, and I can’t help but catch the mood.

“The movie was good, wasn’t it?” he asks.

“Yeah, it was. Better than some of the modern ones that have come out.”

“Not too violent. Lots of suspense.”

I laugh softly. “Yeah. I did expect a movie about a killer croc to go straight to the gore, just like Lake Placid.”

“This one was way more classy. Setting it in outback Australia really made it spooky. What was it called again?”

“Rogue. It had that guy in it, you know, from Avatar?”

“Yeah! Man, that scene where he got killed was good. The whole time they were setting up the zip line to stay out of the water, I knew he was going to get nailed on land.”

“I know, right! Like, they can run almost as fast as they can swim.”

“It was nicely done, though. The suspense was full-on.”

“Yeah,” I’m giggling now. “It was a good setup! I liked it.”

“Do you want to go out again next time they play a non-mainstream type film?”

“Absolutely. I love checking out things that never made it to blockbuster status. Some of the best thrillers have a small cast and a budget of next to nothing.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for the schedule,” Jack says as he pulls up into our driveway. “They do these vintage nights once a month, I think.”

“Cool,” I answer, hopping out of the truck. “I’d love to go with you. I didn’t realize you liked thrillers so much.”

“Neither did I,” Jack answers, laughing softly as he unlocks the door. “But I really wanted to do something you enjoy so we could appreciate it together.”

A warm throb in my chest makes my eyes sting, just a little. “I’m touched, Jack. Thank you.”

He turns to me after locking the door behind us. His face looks serious, his eyes dark and intense.

“I just want to make you feel safe and appreciated,” he says. His tone is just a little urgent, making his voice deep and husky. We are standing very close together. The space between our bodies feels electrically charged, drawing me towards him like a gravitational pull.

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