Page 114 of The Originals

“Hmmm.” She hummed, thinking about the bar.

“Why?” he asked.

“Just wondering who was at the bar and if they stocked it.”

Jack laughed, sliding his hand over her back. “You miss being behind the bar?”

“Not really. I mean, I like the clubhouse, but being away from the bar got me thinking maybe I should try working somewhere else. Never graduated high school, but I could always get my GED.”

Her sister-in-law, Beth, had been the driving force behind it. Surely there were places that offered a similar program in Turnersville.

“That’s a good idea,” Jack said. “What else?”

She knitted her brow and propped up on her arm. “What do you mean?”

“With your life. What else do you want to do?”

Colleen had never given it too much realistic thought, but she had some ideas.

“I’d like a good paying job so I can buy a little house with a back yard and put one of those swings on the front porch.” She smiled. “And travel a bit. I would’ve never gone to Colorado if my brother hadn’t lived there. So kinda explore some other places. Go to the beach.”

Jack’s soft smile sent a warm rush to her belly. He slid his fingers across her cheek and hooked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“What about down the road? Babies?”

Colleen tried to hold back her smile, but she couldn’t. Her first thought went to her brother’s son. She hadn’t considered children until she’d held her nephew.

“Yeah, but…” Her cheeks heated, and she ducked her head. “Not sure what kind of mother I’d be.”

Jack slipped his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“A good one.”

Collen hiked up on his chest, pressing her lips against him. She was falling so deep for this man. Jack just had a way ofseeing her unlike anyone ever had in the past. It was as though he knew her better than she knew herself.

“You know what else I want in my very near future?” She mumbled against his lips but didn’t wait for an answer. “You inside me.”

Jack deepened the kiss.

Round three.

When the phone rang, Jack never broke from their kiss but flipped her on her back and reached over to the nightstand. She heard the click of the receiver seconds before he turned his head and held the phone to his ear.

“Yeah?”

Colleen caressed her hands over his back.

“When?” Jack’s tone was off, and she felt his muscles tighten. She glanced up. His jaw squared, and his brows dipped in a tight scowl.

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

Jack hung up the phone and rolled onto his back. He dragged his hand down his face. He was obviously stressed. While Colleen didn’t want to pry, she was concerned. She reached over, resting her hand on his stomach.

“Everything okay?”

Jack glanced over at her and didn’t say a word. The back of his hand brushed against her cheek, down her chest, and around her waist. He never broke away from her stare. Something had happened, but he wasn’t telling her. She parted her lips, and he pulled her over his chest. She cuddled closer, and Jack spread his hand over her back, holding her close.

It was the exact position they stayed in until she fell asleep fifteen minutes later.

---