“Liar,” he muttered, breaking into her thoughts.
“I’m not lying,” she lied.
He didn’t reply.
She watched him warily.
He studied her with amusement dancing in his green eyes.
Finally he whispered, “This is going to be interesting.”
Belle didn’t like the sound of that.
Before she could find something, anything to say to convince him he was wrong, he bent his neck and kissed her forehead.
But he only moved away a scant inch when he said softly, “All right, poppet, I’ll let you off the hook for now.”
“What does that mean?” she asked in a shaky voice.
His hand moved from her hip to cup her jaw and his thumb slid along her cheekbone. “That means I’ll see you at breakfast.”
He bent again to touch his mouth to her trembling lips and, once he’d done that, his thumb trailed along her lower one.
Then without another word, he turned and walked to the door.
Hand on the knob, he looked at her.
“Do you want the dogs?” he asked.
Belle, standing like a statue, tilted her head down to look at Baron and Gretl who were both sitting at her sides, tongues lolling happily, grinning up at her, tails sweeping the floor.
She mutely looked back to Jack.
He’d asked if she wanted the dogs like he asked it every morning during their years long relationship before popping off to get ready for breakfast.
Not like they’d had their first ever Jack’s Multiple Personalities Melodrama in her bedroom.
She wondered to herself if he was mad.
Then, for some bizarre reason, she answered him out loud, “Yes.”
At her answer, he gave her a sexy grin, one she’d never seen before, one that looked almost playful.
Her belly did a delightful dip.
“See you at breakfast, poppet.”
Then he closed the door.
Then she stared at it.
Then she looked down at Baron.
Then at Gretl.
When Belle’s attention turned away from him, Baron woofed.
When Belle’s attention turned away from her, Gretl licked her hand.