Kristen Ashley: Lucky Stars

But in the flesh, she was a knockout.

It struck Jack that she was with a man, a man who was holding her close and Jack’s eyes moved to the man.

They did this as Yasmin breathed, “I don’t believe it.”

When Jack saw his brother Miles holding Belle Abbot, his still body went rock-solid.

He felt Yasmin’s hand clutch his forearm as Miles turned to look at what had caught Belle’s attention.

Jack watched as Miles’s face took on an expression Jack knew very well. Indeed, Jack had seen it time and again for as long as he could remember.

It was the look Miles got every time Miles engaged him in a competition which happened often between the two brothers. Over the years Jack had vigorously participated, until recently, after their father died (but even before) when Miles’s obsessive competitive streak had turned to unhealthy compulsion.

The look on Miles’s face was filled with triumph.

Jack knew at that moment that Miles was not with Belle Abbot because she was graceful, stylish and extraordinarily sexy.

He was with her to rub Jack’s nose in it.

“Jack, is Miles with Belle Abbot, The Tiny Dynamo?” Yasmin whispered.

“Yes,” Jack’s deep voice clipped tersely.

“My God.” Yasmin was still whispering, this time in shocked horror as Jack watched Miles break away from Belle but he held her close to his side as he guided them their way. “He’s going to eat her alive,” Yasmin finished.

Her words were Jack’s thoughts precisely.

Jack didn’t move as Miles and Belle walked the short distance. Only his eyes cut to Belle who was looking at Yasmin then she looked away not even sparing Jack a glance.

“Jack!” Miles greeted him with a handshake even though this was rude. Any gentleman knew he should greet Yasmin first.

However, he wouldn’t have called Belle’s attention immediately to Jack if he had demonstrated good manners.

And called it he did. Jack watched as her head moved and she lifted her eyes to him.

Fifteen feet away, Jack thought she was a knockout.

Two feet away, her stormy grey eyes on his, she was phenomenal.

“Belle, I’d like you to meet my brother, James Bennett. And his girlfriend, Yasmin Delacourt,” Miles introduced them.

She lifted her hand for him to shake rather than her cheek for him to kiss.

For some reason this irritated Jack to an irrational extreme. Such an extreme, it brought him to the point of action.

Therefore, when his hand closed around hers, it did it powerfully and he used it to pull her closer to his body. Taken by surprise, she came up to her toes then over, moving toward him and lifting her hand at the last minute, bracing herself by resting the champagne glass she held against his arm.

He put his other hand, which also still held his glass, to her waist and he bent his head. He brushed his lips against her cheek at the same time he smelled her subtle, complex perfume. Instead of releasing her and letting her pull away, he lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

“Belle,” he murmured.

“James,” she murmured back, her eyes caught on his for the briefest second before they moved over his shoulder, her hand tugging at his, her body tense and trying to move away.

“Jack,” he corrected, his hand in hers pulling her closer, his other hand curving slightly around her back so she was, effectively, in the circle of his arm. Their hands held between their bodies, her breasts nearly, but not quite, close enough to brush his chest.

Her remarkable eyes skittered back to his.

“I beg your pardon?” she whispered.

“My friends call me Jack,” he told her softly.

Her eyes grew slightly wider and her mouth parted deliciously when she breathed, “Oh.”

His eyes locked on her lips.

With an intensity that startled him, Jack felt the urge to kiss her. This urge was so intense, his hands on her actually tensed as if to pull her closer just as she leaned in slightly. His gaze moved to hers and he saw she was also staring at his mouth, her face soft, her eyelids heavy, her desire to be kissed was written on her features in unconcealed temptation.

Good fucking God , he thought right before she was pulled away by Miles and Jack lost hold of her.

Miles positioned her firmly and pointedly at his side.

This sudden movement surprised her and her head came up, her expression cleared of desire and she looked charmingly cross for a moment before she was able to control it.

This almost made Jack laugh, however the scheming yet annoyed look Jack caught on Miles’s face wiped away all thoughts of laughter.

Belle’s head turned to Yasmin and she smiled a small smile before she pulled away from Miles to kiss Yasmin’s cheek.

“Yasmin,” she mumbled.

“I’m not Jack’s girlfriend, you know,” Yasmin announced, apropos of nothing, instead of greeting Belle in return.

“You’re not?” Belle asked, her voice quiet.

Yasmin’s eyes were moving between Jack, Belle and Miles and Jack saw they were scheming as well but in an entirely different way.

“Yasmin,” Jack muttered with a warning note in his voice but Yasmin, as usual, ignored it and talked over him.

“We were, ages and ages ago. Now we’re just friends. Close friends but just friends. We’ve been friends for years. But we’re only friends,” Yasmin made herself perfectly clear and Jack felt Miles’s displeasure without having to look at him.

“So, you’re friends?” Belle mumbled her dry question and Jack chuckled.

As he did so, he saw her eyes on him held a hint of shocked pleasure before they quickly moved away.

“Yes,” Yasmin replied, amusement in her voice, her eyes on Belle. “By the way, Joy showed me the brooch you gave her. It’s stunning.”

Belle and Jack both looked at Yasmin.

“What brooch?” Jack asked.

“Joy told me that the girl Miles brought with him, Belle, obviously,” she nodded her head at Belle and then carried on, “bought her a brooch for her birthday. Very unusual, very gorgeous. I want one,” Yasmin replied throwing a smile toward Belle as Jack’s eyes moved to her as well.

She was, again, looking anywhere but him.

“You bought Mum a brooch?” he asked her and her eyes went to his ear.

“Yes,” she replied.

“It’s fantastic,” Miles put in, pulling Belle closer to his side and Jack watched her body grow visibly tense. “It’s from her shop in St. Ives.”

“I’ll have to visit your shop,” Yasmin told her.

Belle looked relieved to have an opportunity to move her gaze to Yasmin whom she gave a nod and another small smile. “I’d like that.”

“She made her dress,” Miles declared and Jack watched a becoming flush creep into Belle’s cheek as Miles went on. “The one she’s wearing tonight.”

“Miles,” she whispered, clearly embarrassed and equally clearly wanting him to shut up.

Miles ignored her and kept talking. “She designs clothes.” Miles’s eyes moved to Jack and his hand not wrapped around Belle’s waist came across his body. Holding his champagne glass, he flicked the ruffle at her collarbone with an extended finger. “Sexy little number, isn’t it?” he asked Jack.

“Miles!” Belle hissed with now obvious embarrassment as her body went solid.

“It’s lovely,” Jack murmured, wondering how angry his mother would be if he did physical injury to his brother at her birthday party before turning the conversation off Belle’s more than just lovely dress to something else. “Are you spending the weekend?”

Belle’s eyes came to his and he thought he saw a hint of gratitude at his change of topic before they moved swiftly away.

“Yes,” Miles stated, curling Belle possessively closer, his head bending in an openly intimate way toward hers, both actions gave his words more meaning. “We’re staying until Monday.”