Home > Jinx, You're It (Trouble for Hire #3)(5)

Jinx, You're It (Trouble for Hire #3)(5)
Author: Cynthia Eden

“Um, yes, it was. As in…you saw me with someone like that.” He rocked forward onto the balls of his feet. “You came looking for me after the mission.”

Dang it. She had.

“Oh, Ali. Don’t hold back on me now. One of the things I always enjoyed about you most was your honesty.”

He’d enjoyed it? He wanted more? Her grip tightened on her beach bag. “I might have come back to catch up with you. Not like I had anything else big on my agenda. And, yes, I did happen to see you with the redhead. Not that it mattered. We weren’t involved. You were free. I was free. End of story.”

“Sonofabitch.” A low, vicious curse. The lethal edge in his voice caught her off guard. “All this time…and that was why you hid from me?”

Hid. That one word set off alarm bells. Yes, she was hiding, but not from Jinx. “I need to go.” Once more, she moved to step around him.

He stepped with her in the same instant, as if he’d anticipated her movement. “It was one dance. She danced with me, if you want to know the full story. And, yes, she offered to take me back to her place when the dance was done.”

“It doesn’t matter.” This whole insane conversation didn’t matter.

“Didn’t realize you’d seen that. How the hell did you even know where I was that night?”

She stared at a random point to the left of his face. “You know I’m good at finding people.” One of her gifts.

“Yeah, I do. That’s why I was sure you’d come back to me, only you never showed up, so I thought you were ditching me.”

The sun beat down on them. The waves slammed into the shore.

“If you were there, you should have seen me send her away.”

She hadn’t. She’d left after seeing them together because…it was Jinx. Jinx didn’t get involved with anyone seriously. Jinx didn’t take anything seriously. It was just who he was. Not like he was magically gonna change. Not for her or anyone else. She’d realized that as she stood in the doorway of that club.

Realized that I didn’t know what in the world I was doing. Realized that I didn’t want him to tell me—to my face—that we were one and done.

“Judging by your expression, I guess you missed the magic moment when I sent her on her merry way.”

Her gaze darted to his. “We…weren’t involved. You could—can—date or—or fuck—whoever you want.” Okay, she’d seriously stumbled over what should have been a casual, breezy, sophisticated, I-don’t-care statement.

“That really how you feel?”

No, at the time, she’d felt like clawing the redhead’s eyes out. And as for how she felt now…

“Because it’s not how I feel,” Jinx stunned her by saying.

Had she heard him correctly? The surf’s roar was awfully loud, and she was so tempted to ask him to repeat himself.

“It’s been months,” Jinx continued grimly, “but the idea of you fucking anybody else…” He lowered his mouth near her ear. “It makes me want to damn well destroy someone.”

What? No. No way. Jinx had not just said those words to her. She’d misunderstood.

He put his mouth to your ear so that you could hear perfectly. You know you didn’t misunderstand.

“Just so you know where I stand.” His breath teased the outer shell of her ear.

A shiver traveled through her body.

Jinx’s dark head lifted. “I’d like more.”

“More?” she repeated.

He just stared at her. If his glasses weren’t in the way, maybe she’d be able to read the emotions in his eyes. Then again, maybe not. She’d never been able to read him. As far as she knew, no one had.

“More of you.” He reached for her left hand—the hand not gripping her oversized bag. As soon as he touched her skin, a bolt of pure energy zipped up her arm. She gave a quick, little jerk, one that he had to notice.

It had always been that way for her. She’d had an instant attraction to Jinx. The man was walking sex appeal, so how could she not want him? And he was just too perfect. Perfectly symmetrical features. Perfectly sexy bit of stubble on his perfect, square jaw. Thick, dark hair that had just the lightest bit of curl. A voice that sounded like warm sin.

Jinx had always been able to attract anyone he wanted, and she’d certainly been no exception. There was a line to get in his bed.

But…

She didn’t intend to stand in line any longer.

“No reason we can’t pick up where we left off,” Jinx continued in that warm-sex voice of his. “You’re here. I’m here. I’m sure there is a bed close by that you and I could wreck.”

She swallowed. When that didn’t help to clear the lump in her throat, Ali swallowed again. What he was offering was ever so tempting but… “No.”

“Excuse me?”

“I get that most women probably don’t say this word to you, but I’m saying it…No. Or, rather, no, thank you.” Because she’d been taught to be polite.

His jaw seemed to drop.

“Now, I’m afraid that I have to run. I’ve got an important meeting tonight that I can’t miss.”

“You have a date?” Guttural. Not warm-sex any longer.

Ali pondered his question. A date? Not that she’d call it that, nope. “I have a meeting.” That was all she’d tell him.

His hand flew up and—

Snagged her sunglasses. Oh, no.

“Much better.” He stared into her eyes. His eyes were still shielded by the aviators, dammit. “Always liked staring into those pretty brown eyes of yours.”

She narrowed said eyes at him.

His head cocked. “You’re hiding something from me.”

“I want my sunglasses. The sun is bright.”

He took a step back. “Are you scared of me, Ali?”

She snatched back her glasses. Screw waiting for him to give them to her. “You don’t scare me.” With somewhat shaking fingers, she plopped the glasses back on her nose. “And believe me, it is most definitely in your best interest to stay the hell away from me.”

With that, she surged past him. She didn’t look back.

Her heart pounded, nearly bursting from her chest, as she left him in the sand.

It really is better this way. So much safer…Because Jinx had no idea just how dangerous her life had become.

***

“I thought I told you to stay the hell away from me,” the low, snarling words came from the man who sat at the end of the bar.

Ramsey.

Big, tough, and supposedly the baddest bastard in the bar.

Jinx lifted his shot glass and saluted the fellow. It was, after all, Ramsey’s place, and if he didn’t at least act vaguely polite, he’d probably get thrown out the door. “Just wanted to check in on my favorite criminal.”

Ramsey slammed one tattooed fist onto the scarred bar top. Then he heaved to his feet and stalked toward Jinx. “I am not in the mood for your shit tonight.”

Jinx dropped his empty glass back onto the bar. As he did, the nearby saltshaker spilled over.

Oh, hell. Bad sign. As if he needed more of those. Jinx snagged some of the salt and tossed it over his left shoulder even as he whirled toward Ramsey. The guy was in full-on charge mode. You aren’t in the mood for me? “Oh, right, like I am in the mood to deal with your sorry—” He stopped. Put his hands on Ramsey’s shoulders.

Hot Books
» House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)
» A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
» From Blood and Ash (Blood And Ash #1)
» A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime
» Deviant King (Royal Elite #1)
» Den of Vipers
» House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2)
» The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #
» Sweet Temptation
» The Sweetest Oblivion (Made #1)
» Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels #6)
» Wreck & Ruin
» Steel Princess (Royal Elite #2)
» Twisted Hate (Twisted #3)
» The Play (Briar U Book 3)