He felt Belle’s use of his nickname slice straight through his gut.
For some irrational reason he didn’t have the time to process, he realised the feeling was fierce and intensely satisfying.
He still didn’t change his mind.
Instead his hand went to her jaw and his thumb slid along her cheekbone.
“Go to the house, love.”
Her eyes moved to Miles then back to Jack.
Then she nodded, turned on her heel and ran out of the stables.
She stopped at the door and cooed at his dogs, patting her thigh. They ran to her and out the door she closed behind them.
Jack faced his brother.
“I’m going to enjoy this,” Miles sneered, slowly advancing.
Jack very much doubted it.
And, in the end, Jack was right.
Chapter Nine
Multiple Personalities
Belle
Belle woke on her side in her big, soft bed at The Point feeling for the first time in her week of living there, strangely pleasant, cosy and safe.
Then it registered there was warmth at her back and a heavy weight on her waist.
She opened her eyes and looked down to see a man’s hand (not any man’s hand, she’d know that strong, long-fingered hand anywhere, it was James’s) dangling at her waist. She saw in the sunlight streaming through her windows that the knuckles were raw and torn, painful-looking scabs forming at the splits.
She no sooner processed this disturbing fact when she heard dog tags and two canine heads popped up on her side of the bed.
One darker (Baron), one blonder (Gretl).
She had not gone to sleep last night with the dogs in her room.
She had also not gone to sleep with James in her bed.
Indeed, she had only seen James once after she ran from the stables to tell Joy her two sons were fighting.
Yes, she told on two grown men, what else was she going to do?
Half an hour after she’d run from the stables, Belle, Rachel and Lila stood on the front steps and watched James load a far worse for the wear Miles into Joy’s Mercedes. Then James left Joy to drive Miles to the hospital, Rachel running down to the car to accompany her.
James had walked slowly up the steps, fury in his eyes, as Lila and Belle watched him in open-mouthed shock.
He hadn’t said a word but his glittering eyes sliced through them making them both take a large step away from the door
Then he’d locked himself in his study.
Several hours later, Joy and Rachel had come back.
Miles had not.