The other one came up to her neck, sliding against her skin in a barely there touch (but still, she felt it, and his touch affected her everywhere). He tugged free her errant lock of hair from where it was caught under his jacket.
Then she felt rather than saw him twist it around his finger, his eyes on this movement, his expression thoughtful, his face beautiful and all she could do was stand there and stare.
Then his finger released her hair and he dropped his hand.
That was when Belle realised her lungs were burning again due to lack of oxygen because she wasn’t breathing.
“I think you’ll like the part of the tour that Miles missed,” he told her and she nodded because she couldn’t think of what else to do.
He turned and put a hand to the small of her back, moving her forward, walking beside her, his hand never leaving her (and it burned there too).
He glanced behind them as they walked and called, “Baron,” and the German Shepherd jogged up to his side.
They walked silently along a stone path that led around the castle and up a small hill. Some of it was uneven though not treacherous but James obviously knew this path like the back of his hand because before they hit the rough patches, his arm would slide around her, fingers curving at her waist to pull her protectively to his side.
Belle didn’t think much about this because her mind was in a perpetual horrified whirl.
How she was going to make it through whatever he was going to show her, she had no clue.
However, their silent, moonlit stroll was weirding her out even more.
It wasn’t like this was the first time they walked close by each other’s sides but as if they’d done it countless times before. And because of that, it seemed even more personal than Miles holding her close in the drawing room.
She had to break the silence and the strange, innate intimacy.
“Is he yours?” she blurted.
“Excuse me?” he asked.
“The dog, Baron. Is he yours or is he a family dog?” Belle clarified.
“He’s mine,” James stated in a way that made it clear the dog was definitely his.
Something about the way he said this gave Belle a melty belly too.
Therefore she decided to stop talking.
Finally they approached a building set some distance away from the castle and James stopped Belle at a wooden door. He opened it, gently pushed her ahead of him and then stopped her again. His torso twisted, his hand still on the small of her back, and light flooded the room.
It was stables.
Belle immediately emitted an unabashed cry of delight.
She loved horses.
She turned and smiled up at James.
“I love horses,” she told him but, even seeing his eyes were on her, something which normally would terrify her, she was too excited to be scared of him. That was how much she loved horses.
Therefore she turned away and instantly moved toward the horses.
There were ten stalls, eight of them filled, the heads of the horses hanging over the doors as they looked to see what was happening.
Belle slowly approached the first horse and put her hand under the horse’s nose. The horse sniffed and snorted at her hand and she laughed softly at the tickling sensation. Once the horse had given her permission, Belle moved closer and stroked her muzzle.
“She’s beautiful,” Belle breathed as she felt James arrive at her side.
“You like animals,” James commented.