“Hmm?” Jack mumbled as he slid his mouth to her ear.
“I have to go to my room,” Belle told him and instantly his head came up.
“What?” he asked.
“I have to go to my room,” she repeated.
His brows drew together and he queried gently, “Do you want to tell me why?”
She slid her hands up the hard muscle of his back and answered, “I need to go and get my toothbrush.”
His brows unknitted, his face relaxed and he kissed her nose then for some unknown reason he declared, “I’ve got an electric toothbrush.”
Then his face disappeared in her neck again.
Belle stared at the canopy of the four-poster and tried not to think about how nice his lips felt on her neck.
Jack’s room was larger than hers and this was saying something since hers was enormous. His was decorated in rich browns, dark blues and mustardy golds. The canopy, curtains and coverlet were a subtle, swirling, paisley mixture of the three.
It was lush.
“Um, I’m glad,” Belle mumbled and went on uncertainly as his mouth worked at the sensitive skin at her neck. “My dentist tells me every time I visit him to get one. They’re supposed to be the thing. It’s good you take care of your teeth. That’s important.”
His head came up and he studied her again, his green eyes shining and his mouth twitching like he was trying to control laughter.
She had no idea what was funny except maybe him telling her he had an electric toothbrush. But he wouldn’t think that was funny as, apparently, he thought that was the most natural thing in the world to share while having a morning cuddle.
When he succeeded in this task, he said, “Belle, what I meant was, I have an electric toothbrush with separate heads. You can have an unused one.”
“Oh,” Belle breathed, feeling like a complete idiot and his eyes watched her mouth form that one syllable like it was mesmerising.
Then he muttered, “God, you’re sweet.”
She completely forgot she was an idiot, a trill shot up her spine straight into her scalp, her belly melted and Belle’s head tilted again when she asked, “I am?”
His eyes came back to hers. “Yes, poppet,” he replied softly. “You are.” His voice dropped even lower when he finished, “Unbelievably sweet.”
For a second, she couldn’t speak mainly because she couldn’t breathe.
Then she didn’t know what to say but she felt she should say something. He’d just given her a lovely compliment. The best she’d ever had (by a mile). It would be rude to let it pass without comment.
So she whispered, “Thank you.”
For some reason her response made him roar with laughter. His body collapsed on hers but she took his weight for only a moment before his arms curled around her. He rolled to his back taking her with him so she was on top.
She lifted up with her forearms on his broad chest. He held her closely and she watched as he got control of his hilarity.
He was, if it could be believed, even more handsome when he was laughing.
“I still need to go to my room,” she told him and his hand came up to pull her hair away from her the side of her face to hold it at her back.
“Why?” he asked, still smiling.
“I need a change of clothes,” she told him.
He shook his head. “No you don’t.”
Belle blinked. “What am I supposed to wear?”