The Originals (Ghosttown Riders #10)

Chapter Twenty-Three

This probably wasn’t one of his best ideas. The Lodge wasn’t that bad, and it put the much needed distance between Colleen and Dunn. Jack had known the brother for years. He was good to the club, but he wasn’t always a good guy, especially with women. The shiner on Colleen’s cheekbone was proof in itself.

Jack walked up the stairs with her following. Once at the landing, he pointed to a door at the end of the narrow hallway. “Bathroom. Only got one.”

Colleen was in for a rude awakening the first time she’d have to use it. To say they weren’t the tidiest of guys was an understatement. Every so often Caden would half-ass clean, and on occasion Jack had had one of the girls from the club come in. It had been a while for either of those to happen. He walked past his own room and stopped between the two doors on either side. With both boys away, he had options. Or did he?

Jack glanced over at Kase’s door. God only knows what she’d find in his room. Used condoms and cum stains were a given. He turned to Caden’s door and grabbed the handle. It probably wasn’t much cleaner than Kase’s, but it was the better of the two, he assumed.

Jack opened the door and flicked on the light. Surprisingly, it wasn’t nearly as bad as expected. There was a certain odor that anyone with a teenage son could understand, but it was faint. He walked over to the window and cracked it. There were a few things on the floor and an overflowing laundry basket. Overall, his bed was made, and there weren’t used condoms on the nightstand.

“Cade’s the cleaner of the two.” Jack glanced around the room. Cleanliness had never played a huge part in his child rearing. Truth be known, Jack didn’t know what the fuck he was doing half the time. He’d spent the majority of their childhood winging it.

Colleen chuckled, peering around the room. She didn’t seem the least bit bothered with the state of his son’s room. “It’s been a long time since I’ve slept in a teenager’s bed. Sure he won’t mind?”

Jack smirked, looking over his youngest’s bedroom. Caden was the responsible one of the two. The kid was going places. There was already interest in him playing football in college. His grades were decent, high enough to get the scouts looking at him. In a town like Turnersville, it was rare to get out, but his kid was something special.

“He won’t mind.”

Colleen grabbed the hem of her shirt, revealing her toned belly. She had a small butterfly tattoo on her hip, peeking from the waist of her cutoff shorts. “You sure? I know sometimes kids are territorial of their space. I could always sleep with you in your room if it might be a problem.”

Fuck. Up until now, keeping his distance from Colleen had been an easy task. She’d made it easy. Aside from offering him company a few times when she’d first started coming around, she’d backed off immediately. It wasn’t a move he saw often with the club whores. Maybe they’d step back for a day or two, but they’d come on strong again eventually. Not her.

While Colleen had gone through quite a few brothers in the club, done more orgies than he could count, she’d always seemed too sweet, too kind, and too soft for the lifestyle. She could hold her own with most of the women, but she backed down with all the men.

It was strange to see her shoot her shot after all this time. Taking into consideration her current position, Jack wanted to make sure there wasn’t any confusion.

“Ain’t gonna be a problem.”

Her smile faltered, and she looked down at the stained gray carpet. Her hair only half shielded her pinkened cheeks. “Okay,” she whispered.

Jack walked out of the room without another word. It would be a long and restless night knowing he had the biggest temptation just a few doors down.

****

Waking up in a strange bed gave her a reason to pause and glance around the room. It was cooler than she would’ve preferred, but the open window served to cleanse the odor. She couldn’t quite make it out, but it was reminiscent of her old high school boyfriend’s stinky socks. Teenage boys. Some things never changed, she assumed.

Colleen wasn’t exactly sure of the protocol for staying at Jack’s house or even how long the invitation would stand. It was beyond nice, but as he stated last night, he didn’t want to get in between her and Dunn.

Dunn.

It was strange how much she enjoyed waking up alone. That was a sign she shouldn’t ignore. Most of her time with Dunn was one big red flag. The constant other women, disrespect, and mental and physical abuse. He was never outwardly abusive in front of anyone, but it was impossible to cover up the bruising sometimes. She glanced over at the dresser mirror. It was slightly dusty, but she was able to see the light bruise and small cut on her cheek. It would fade and become just a memory. Until the next time. And there would be one, if she stayed.

Colleen drew in a breath and dug into her bag, grabbing her toiletry bag and clean panties. Thankfully, she’d had some stuff in Dunn’s room at the clubhouse and was able to grab it before she left last night with Jack. She only owned one bra and hadn’t brought it with her. She grabbed a crop top and cotton shorts, and made her way to the bathroom. Jack’s bedroom door was open, and she peeked inside.

It was empty, so she took a lingering look. His boys definitely took after their father when it came to keeping their room tidy. Jack’s bed was unmade with the covers thrown to one side. His nightstand was piled up with what looked like receipts, boxes of cigarettes, and an ashtray. She couldn’t help but focus on his bed. It wasn’t much larger than a queen, with mismatched pillowcases and gray sheets that didn’t quite go with his comforter. Yet somehow, it was incredibly inviting. But I’m not invited.

Jack had made it abundantly clear last night, and she refused to step over the line with him again. Especially when he’d gone out of his way to help her.

She rushed down the hall, noting the background noise from downstairs. Music was playing, and she heard a cabinet open and close, then light footsteps.

Colleen showered quickly, making sure she put everything back where it belonged. Jack wasn’t exaggerating when he spoke of their level of untidiness. She noticed an overflowing wastebasket, and on top were two condom wrappers. Colleen bit her lip, avoiding the garbage again and trying to ignore the slight ache of jealousy. She hadn’t even considered Jack having a woman on the side outside of the club.

She returned back to Caden’s room, made the bed, and shoved her stuff in her bag. She took one last look in the mirror. Her outfit was more casual than anything she’d worn at the clubhouse. It still revealed quite a bit of skin. Most of her clothes did. She ran her fingers over her dark, damp hair and looked over her face. It was clean without a stitch of makeup. She looked back at her bag and considered putting some on. But what was the point? She didn’t have anyone to impress.

Colleen drew in a breath, taking one last look before walking out the door, through the hallway, and down the stairs. She slowed her steps as she made her way to the kitchen, stopping in the doorway.

Jack had his back to her and his arms braced on the counter with his head bowed. He was reading the newspaper. The scene made her smile. It was such an ordinary thing to be doing for the notorious president of the Ghosttown Riders MC. She could’ve stared at him for hours. God, he was gorgeous. His long hair was confined at the nape of his neck with a rubber band. It was light brown, with natural blond highlights. Jack’s beard wasn’t long but full and evenly trimmed. All his features were strong and defined and could’ve been viewed as harsh, but the softness of his brown eyes leveled it out. There was just something about this man’s eyes.

Colleen wasn’t sure how long she’d stood there staring, but it was probably too long to be deemed acceptable. It might’ve even been downright creepy. She purposely cleared her throat and waited.

Jack straightened and glanced over his shoulder.

“Morning.”

Jack eyes scanned her face and took a slow perusal over her body, lingering on her breasts. The attention caused her nipples to instantly harden. The corner of Jack’s mouth curved slightly, which did nothing to settle down her desire. Or her heartbeat.

“Sleep good?” he asked.

“I did.”

“Were there clean towels?”

She drove her hand through her damp hair. “I did a smell test, and it passed.”

Jack furrowed his brows and then snickered as he turned toward her, leaning against the counter. He waved his hand in front of his face. “Never saw you without makeup.”

Her face immediately heated, and she regretted her decision to go natural. “Yeah, I…” She glanced down at the floor, unable to answer coherently. What was she supposed to say? I didn’t think I had a chance with you, so I wasn’t going to put in the effort. Absolutely not.

“I’ll go up and put some on.” She spun around, but stopped when Jack’s voice roared through the room.

“Get your sweet ass back here.”

Sweet ass? She slowly turned, fighting against a smile.

Jack crooked his finger, calling her over. Colleen didn’t hesitate, but she did control her steps, forcing herself not to rush. She stopped a foot away. It was probably closer than he expected, and she was about to move back, giving him some space. But Jack closed the gap between them. He rested his hand on her hip, his rough calloused thumb sliding over her bare skin.

“I like your face like this,” Jack said, dropping his gaze down her body.

Her skin heated, and she felt a rush shoot straight down to her core. Jack was giving her every mixed signal in the book. Colleen should’ve thanked him for the compliment and ignored the innuendo. But she couldn’t.

“Anything else you like?”

His jaw squared, and his heated stare met hers. “Yeah, but that’s gonna get me in trouble, darlin’.”

She leaned an inch closer, whispering, “I won’t tell, if you don’t.”

Colleen stared back at Jack until he arched his brow. If this was a game, Colleen was ready to forfeit. You win, now take me to your bed, Jack.

He smiled, letting out a heavy sigh. He dropped his hand from her waist and gestured to the counter across the room. “Get yourself a cup of coffee.”

Game over. For now.

She walked to the coffee machine, sneaking a peek over at Jack. His gaze was still locked on her with a small smile playing on his lips. He liked her without makeup. That statement alone would have her flying high for the rest of the day. Maybe even the week.