Lucky Stars (Ghosts and Reincarnation #5)(149)

“Okay, I’ll be there and I’ll tell Jack all about it,” Belle offered quickly.

“Aye, lassie,” Angus grinned at her.

“No,” Jack stated flatly and felt Belle’s eyes move to him so he looked down at her.

“What?” she asked.

“No. You will absolutely not be in on this without me with you.”

“But, they’re children and they’ve never harmed anyone,” she reminded him.

“This is true,” he agreed. “But what they could say might be distressing and I’ll not have that either. Let Cassandra and the McPhersons deal with this. They can brief us later.”

“I want to be there,” she pushed.

“And I’ll not allow it,” he returned and her brows drew together.

Then she whispered, “Allow?”

“Belle –”

She took a step back, out of his arms but she didn’t go far and immediately dug in for a fight. He knew this when she planted her hands on her hips.

“Inside me is their mother,” she announced.

“Belle –”

“And I’m here to release them,” she went on.

“You’re here because we’re in love with each other and intend to spend the rest of our lives together,” Jack reminded her.

“Well, that too,” she muttered.

Jack pulled in a calming breath then repeated, “Belle –”

“I’m going to help those children, Jack. I’m going to be there when the McPhersons and Cassandra talk to them. I’m going to assure them we’re going to do everything we can to get them where they need to go. And then I’m going to do everything I can in order to get them where they need to go!”

“Perhaps, poppet, we can talk about this without an audience,” Jack suggested with strained patience.

“We could, I’m sure. Though it would be a waste of time because the result will be the same. I’m going to be there when they talk to the children. And there’s a lot to do so we shouldn’t dillydally,” she declared.

She was lucky she used the word “dillydally” because Jack thought it was cute. If she hadn’t, he’d have lost control of the shreds of patience he was clinging to.

Unfortunately, she used the word “dillydally” therefore Jack found himself biting off the word, “Fine.”

“Fine,” Belle replied, grinning at him, openly pleased she got her way.

“My love,” Jack started to warn, “if you end up with nightmares or sitting in the window of our room attempting your non-thinking in order to get over unpleasant thoughts, don’t come to me. I’ll only tell you I told you so.”

She moved into him, pressing her softness to his frame as she wound her arms around him, tipped her head back, kept grinning at him and whispered, “Balderdash.”

It was. It was complete balderdash.

And he thought that word was cute too.

“Jesus,” he muttered, winding his arms around her as well.

“Can we get to work or are you two going to continue your domestic through cuddling?” Lachlan asked and Jack looked over Belle’s head to pierce him with a scowl.

“Getting to work would be good,” Jack told him.

“Excellent,” he murmured, grinned at the floor and left the room.

Lorna followed her brother but she did it grinning at Cassandra who went with her.

Leaving them with Angus who announced, “Always the way.”

“What’s always the way?” Jack asked when he knew he shouldn’t.

“The quiet ones,” Angus replied.

“Pardon?” Jack queried.

“It’s always the quiet ones who manage it. Before you know it even began to happen, you’re already wrapped so tight around their finger, you can’t get loose.”

This was absolutely true.

“Good thing is, you don’t want to,” Angus finished softly, grinned his manic grin, turned on a whirl of his kilt and stomped out.

“Do I?” Belle asked softly and Jack looked from the door to her.

“Have me wrapped around your finger?” Jack asked back and she nodded. His arms got tighter as he answered, “Absolutely.”

“How did I manage to wrap criminally handsome James Bennett around my finger?”

Criminally handsome James Bennett?

Jack smiled through his response. “If you don’t know, poppet, it’s not me who’s going to tell you.”

Her eyes drifted to his shoulder as she murmured, “I’ll ask Mom.”

Rachel wouldn’t know.

Jensen would.

Jack didn’t tell her that either.

He gathered her closer, dipped his head and at the tightening of his arms, hers tipped back.

Then he kissed her.

She kissed him back, she did it without delay, it got heated to the point she moaned sweetly into his mouth and in so doing Belle Abbot wound Jack Bennett even tighter.

* * * * *

Lewis and Myrtle

“Lewis! What’s happening?” Myrtle screeched as, powerless, they were pulled from their hiding place and they materialised in the eastern turret, Lewis standing strong, his arms wrapped tight around his quivering little sister.