“Very nice?” he teased when she lifted her head and looked down at him.
Her head tilted to the side and she stated, “Yes, and it was so nice maybe we should do it again.”
“I’m thinking we’ll do it again, poppet,” he informed her, running his hands down her back to her bottom and up again. “It was so very nice we’ll likely do it often.”
When she told him the story of her life, considering her timidity, he was not surprised to learn she had very few lovers, in fact, only two before him. He was also not surprised to learn that Calvin Cole was a selfish one. Although not delighted by the last, he was by the first. This meant he had the honour of initiating her to certain things. Things like they’d just done.
She’d also shared that he was the only man with whom she’d enjoyed sex at all. With her uninhibited response to him, this was a surprise. But she’d explained she’d only had what they had, what they’d just shared, what they would always share with him. Only him.
And this didn’t delight him, it thrilled him.
As he thought these thoughts, she studied his face and her hand slid up his chest to curl around the side of his neck before she suggested, “And maybe we can try some…” she hesitated then finished, “other things.”
Jack’s arms moved to close around her.
“What other things were you thinking, my love?” he asked gently.
“Well,” she began, “I was thinking we could try other things you thought of.”
He smiled up at her. “We can do that.”
It was then she surprised him again, rather profoundly, by announcing, “And you can be adventurous. I’ve decided I’m not Belle ‘Meek and Mild’ Abbot anymore so I’m willing to experiment.”
He was bloody ecstatic she was willing to experiment.
But something else she said caught his attention, his brows drew together and he asked, “You’re not Belle ‘Meek and Mild’ Abbot anymore?”
She shook her head immediately as she awarded him one of her sweet, small smiles. “No. See, earlier this week, I thought about it and all my life I’ve been… well, I’ve let things hold me back. The three times I didn’t, one, I saved some children and a bus driver from drowning and the other two, well,” her eyes went soft and her hand slid from his neck up to his jaw as her face dipped closer and she finished, “the other two got me you.”
Jack felt her words hit warm and heavy in his gut as his arms got tight around her and he rolled her to her back again, muttering, “Jesus, Belle.” He settled partly on her, partly pressed to her side and tangled his legs with hers. He was so moved by her words he was unable to say any more of his own.
Her hand didn’t move from his jaw with his roll but she slid it to his cheek, cupping it and running her thumb along his cheekbone, her eyes holding his, no evasion, straight and true and she whispered, “And you’re gentle and loving and accepting, not only of me, my neuroses, my shyness and my silences but also all the craziness and the crazy people around you. So I figure this means I’m safe to jump in, feet first, to whatever’s next for me,” the fingertips of her hand against his cheek pressed in gently, “for us. So, like I said, I’m willing to experiment. Because, well,” she grinned up at him and tilted her head on the pillow, “I just kind of did and, personally, I think it went great.”
One thing about that, it was a lot better than “very nice”.
The other thing about it was everything.
Jack dropped his head, burying his face in her neck and yanking her body more fully under his before he muttered, “Jesus, Belle, I love you.”
“I know, Jack,” she whispered. “That’s why I’m free not to be what I was before.”
He lifted his head, locked his eyes with hers and reminded her, “Don’t forget, poppet, I fell in love with that woman.”
He watched her beautiful face get soft, her grey eyes grow warm, she lifted her other hand and both moved to curl around the sides of his neck as she replied quietly, “I’m still here, Jack. Just kind of improved.”
“You don’t need to improve,” he told her, his voice vibrating. “I like you just the way you are.”
Her face got softer, her eyes warmer and her fingers dug into his neck when she returned gently, “Well, with what we just did, I’m going to have to disagree. I think I could do with a little bit of adventure. Just as long as I do it with you.”
That he couldn’t argue with so Jack grinned.
Belle grinned back then continued, “Except, maybe next time, we should tear open the condom packet in preparation. I was a little impatient and in a bit of a state, I nearly dropped it.”
Jack kept grinning. “I noticed that.”
“If you’re adventurous,” she shared, “I might be more in a state.”
God, he f**king hoped so.
On the thought, Jack’s grin got bigger. “Then we should be prepared.”
She nodded once in mock-seriousness, her hands sliding down to his chest and she agreed, “Definitely.”
“It should be noted that I’m feeling in the mood to be adventurous about,” he dropped his mouth to hers and finished on a whisper, “now.”
“Oh,” she breathed against his lips, he felt that knife through him too and just as her hands slid around to hold on, his mouth took hers in a heated, wet kiss. One of his arms sliced around her, the other one dove into her hair, he rolled them yet again so he was on his back and she was on top.
Then he heard dog tags as the dogs moved with agitation and Baron started barking. Seconds later, there was a loud knock on the front door.
Jack let Belle lift her head away from his as he growled, “This is not f**king happening.”
And it shouldn’t be. Yesterday evening, early, when he left The Point, he told everyone that he would be picking Belle up from her shop, taking her to her cottage and they wouldn’t be seeing any of them until Monday. Or hearing from them. Any of them. For any reason.
Therefore, there should not be a knock on the goddamned door.
He focussed on Belle’s face just as she noted distractedly and with disappointment, “But it’s Sunday.”
“Yes, love, it’s Sunday and unfortunately before we get adventurous, I’m going to need to commit homicide,” he ground out and only felt slightly better when he heard her adorable, startled giggle.