Lucky Stars (Ghosts and Reincarnation #5)(142)

“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.

He rolled her off him, flicked the covers over her, slid out of bed and snatched up his jeans. Stalking to the bathroom, he quickly dealt with the condom, something which he and Belle were successfully experimenting with in order to enjoy it as part of sex. Something which he’d be glad to dispense with once she was safely on the pill.

He tugged his jeans on as he walked out into the landing, both of his dogs circling to him and the top of the stairs and back again as he moved.

He prowled down the stairs, unlocked the door and pulled it open to scowl at Mickey Dempsey who was standing at the top of Belle’s steps.

“I see Olive failed to inform you of this,” he clipped instantly upon catching the man’s eyes, “but Sundays Belle and I are not disturbed for any reason. I’ll deal with this omission directly with Olive later. I’ll deal with you now by telling you to hold whatever it is until tomorrow.”

Then without another word or allowing Dempsey to utter one, he stepped back and started to slam the door but Dempsey’s hand shot out and caught it.

“You’ll want to hear this,” he stated.

“Is the world ending?” Jack asked and he could see Dempsey fighting a knowing smile.

Through it, he answered, “No.”

“Then I don’t want to hear it,” Jack returned and put pressure on the door but Dempsey moved into the frame, blocking its closure with his shoulder.

“Not kidding, Bennett, you’ll want to hear this,” he said quietly and with not a small amount of gravity.

“Give me a hint,” Jack bit off.

“The third soul is not reincarnated in Cole.” He paused and held Jack’s eyes as he finished. “Caleb Caldwell is reincarnated in your brother.”

Jack felt his chest get tight just as he heard Belle say softly from the top of the stairs, “Oh my goodness gracious.”

He looked to his feet, clenched his teeth, felt a muscle tick in his cheek then he looked to Dempsey and stepped back.

“Come in, stay down here, thirty seconds,” he ordered. “Only then can you come up.”

Without waiting to see if Dempsey agreed, he turned, ducked his head in order not to give himself a concussion on the low hanging ceiling and, once he cleared the ceiling, took the stairs two at a time.

Belle was at the top wearing a becoming nightgown (another one of her own, something he learned recently after asking was all she ever wore) and looking astonished.

“That man, Jack,” she whispered as she lifted a hand and rested it on his chest, “I’ve seen that man.”

“I’m not surprised,” Jack replied. “That’s Mickey Dempsey. I told you I recruited his assistance after he wrote the article about Calvin Cole. He watched us and thus, I would assume, you.”

Her eyes grew unfocussed for a moment as she whispered, “Oh,” then they focussed on him and she stated, “Well, that explains that.”

It was lucky she was so endearing or he’d be even more pissed at that moment than he was. Instead, he was only mildly pissed and therefore he could gentle his voice when he asked her, “Now, I need you to get dressed and make coffee. Can you do that for me, poppet?”