Jinxed (11 page)

“Four…three…two…one!”

“Auld Lang Syne” filled the room through the tiny speakers of the laptop. A great cheer went through the long-forgotten crowd. Frannie jumped at a loud pop behind her and tiny bits of shiny confetti rained down on her. Paper popper in hand, Jinx caught her surprised mouth in a deep, hard kiss. Just when she thought she would never breathe again, and didn’t care, he released her lips and toasted her.

“Happy New Year, dollface.”

A clear chime pinged as she touched her glass to his. The magical spell he wove enchanted her. The traditional song was overshadowed by the crowd’s cheer and the emcee’s voice but Frannie was oblivious to it all. The thud of her heart drowned them all out. She didn’t look at the scenes of yester-New Year. She only saw Jinx. The dorky paper hat was askew and firelight flickered on the bits of metallic confetti in his hair. Emotion smoldered in his eyes like a banked flame.

Caught up in his make-believe world, she echoed him with a raised glass of her own. “Happy New Year, fruit loop.”

Jinx tossed back the entire flute, slid the hat from his head and motioned her attention back to the screen. The party scene faded to blue then lightened to purple, to violet, to pink and then to red. A small centered dot grew into a wide beating cartoon heart. The heart burst open and a winged cherub appeared, drew back his bow and shot an arrow directly at them. The scene dripped away and calligraphy scrolled across the screen wishing them a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Mesmerized, Frannie turned to Jinx and found him holding a single cream rose.

“Be my valentine?”

With a nod, she dashed away the tears that filled her eyes. This night, this one magical, memorable night, was beyond her comprehension. How could he do all this in such a short time? And why? What did she do to deserve this attention?

A heart-shaped box of candy followed the rose and she laughed through her tears. He was too perfect. This had to be a dream. She was almost convinced she would wake up from dozing on the flight to the East Coast. No one had ever made her feel this special. People didn’t do things like this in real life. But it was happening. To her.

A four-leaf clover, a delicate painted-china Easter egg and a sand bucket full of beach toys followed, along with matching computer animation. Fireworks banged and boomed from the view screen and she oohed and aahed in the right places. With a deep laugh, he handed her a spitting sparkler. The crackling fireball sank lower and lower on the metal stick, hypnotizing her. She waved it around laughing at the trails of light before it fizzled out with a cough and an acrid smell.

Flashes of a child’s birthday party rotated and the “Happy Birthday” song rang out. Before she could blink, a cupcake with a single lit candle appeared in front of her. She blew out the candle and swiped a finger through the pink frosting. The thick concoction was still in her mouth when Jinx handed her a small wrapped gift.

Her heart leapt to her throat and Frannie swallowed more than sugar. The yellow satin ribbon fell away to reveal a simple gold heart on a chain with a single diamond at its crest. Her fingers trembled as she lifted it from the box. She tugged the paper New Year band from her hair and connected the clasp behind her neck. The pendant warmed to her skin and she had to force her hand away from it.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Tears shimmered in her voice and he drew a gentle finger down the slope of her nose.

But the year wasn’t over. Labor Day picnic images, accompanied by a stuffed toy ant in a wicker basket, made her howl with laughter. A back-to-school lunchbox came complete with PB&J and a cookie. Vincent Price’s
Thriller
monologue sent chills up her spine as witches, pumpkins and ghosts floated before her eyes. The plastic Halloween treat bucket was filled with Kit Kats, lollipops and eyeball-shaped bubble gum.

A Norman Rockwell-type Thanksgiving print complete with oversized bronze bird dimmed to the Macy’s Parade. Huge character balloons fought stiff winds and marching bands beat out Christmas tunes. Jinx pulled a knit cap over her head and everything went dark. She yanked the hat off and her eyes widened in amused horror.

It was a turkey cap. Long knitted feet dangled past the wearer’s ears. A full plume of horrid orange and brown knitted feathers stood tall in the back. The open beak begged for mercy and the googley eyes wobbled when she shook it.

He took it and plopped it back on her head with a snort of laughter. Snapping the laptop case shut, he sat on the ottoman with arched eyebrows. “So Miss Turkey, what did you think of our year in review?”

“I think you are a few fries short of a Happy Meal.”

A bark of laughter rang out and Jinx dropped a hard kiss on her lips.

“Ah, but I did get the special prize… You.”

Frannie felt like the champagne still in her glass. Bubbles of some kind of nameless tender emotion raced toward the surface and she fought to keep them at bay. This night had wrapped her in Jinx’s love and the warm cocoon was a temptation she had to resist. She couldn’t risk her heart. If she caved, he would destroy her when he left. Not intentionally, but the pain would be the same.

When Jinx moved the ottoman back in front of the couch, she squeezed her eyes tight and pushed the fuzzy feelings somewhere below her ribcage.

“What happened to Christmas in this year-in-review?” she asked, rising to stand in front of him. He toyed with one floppy turkey foot hanging by her cheek. Secrets glistened in his eyes.

“Christmas is coming. You’ll just have to wait for it.” He took her hands and drew her down to sit beside him on the butter-soft leather couch. “I’m sure Santa has checked and double-checked his list by now. Have you been naughty or nice this year?”

“That depends. When I’m good, I’m very, very good. When I’m bad, I’m even better.” Frannie walked her fingers up his thigh. Eyes locked on his face, she saw desire flame before he tamped it down.

His brows slammed together and he pursed his lips before he stilled her hand. His quiet voice was strained. “Stop, Frannie. Slow’s hard sometimes, but I’m trying. Don’t make it harder for me, please.”

Frannie pulled the ridiculous hat from her head, fluffed her hair and slid to the floor between his widespread knees. Despite his earlier prediction, he was not wearing a polo but a warm sand-colored button-down shirt. Lips tilted in a sultry smile, she slid the first of those shirt buttons loose.

“Ya know what? This slow thing bites, and making things harder sounds pretty damn good right now.”

As a child, Jinx had learned in science class about magnets. A pencil threaded on two magnets, suspended above two more, would hang like magic, floating on an invisible force. If the pencil was just a millimeter off-kilter, it would crash down, yanked by the powerful pull of attraction.

Frannie just yanked his pencil.

Desire he had so carefully tried to bank crashed into him and exploded like a powder keg. The initial boom of all-consuming want wiped out his consciousness for a spilt second. Only the sensation of his shirt being pulled from the waistband of his pants penetrated the confused haze. Her hands slid up his bare chest.

“Frannie…” He didn’t recognize his own voice. It was deeper, huskier.

The flickering firelight sparkled in her whiskey eyes. She fixed him with a smoldering look. The tongue that had tempted him all night snuck out to lick at her painted lips and she smiled in a feline fashion. Elbows on his thighs, she leaned in close and purred.

“Last night we started something. I want to see where it leads. Make love with me, Jinx.”

Yeah, like I’m going to say no. My mama didn’t raise no fool
.

One slim hand ran through his hair. She stood and drew his attention up. With a quick tug, the wraparound blouse fell open and slid down her arms. Creamy skin glowed in the firelight and the bit of satin slipped from her hand. Her small breasts, thrust up, cupped in ocean blue lace, beckoned for his touch.

Jinx’s breath quickened in anticipation.
Thank you, God, there’s another one I owe you.

She stepped closer, her fingers skimming over his cheeks. Though she would deny it, he saw love in her eyes mixed with sexual yearning. A deep sense of satisfaction warmed his heart and need erupted through him. His hands reached for her waist, drawing her closer until she knelt on the couch between his legs. The urge to rush, to give into the gnawing hunger that flared was so great he steeled his muscles against it. This was a gift. The first time he made love to Frannie would be burnt into his soul. He would not rush through it. He would savor it, draw it out like a fine wine.

Lips the color of dewy roses rained kisses along his brow and down his face. The slight weight of her body pressed against him and she tugged the shirt from his shoulders. He pulled his arms free and reached for her. He caught her exploring lips in his and feasted on her succulent mouth. Kiss for greedy kiss, they gave and took, each matching the other’s stroke.

He forged a line of heat down her throat. The breathless whisper of his name pierced the air. Her flesh scorched his hands as he let them travel over her body. Faced with the swell of her cleavage, he toyed with the lace cups held firm by a tiny front clasp. The tips tightened under his hot breath and he tongued each one mercilessly. Each small mound swelled. Her body tempted him, a banquet table in front of a starving man. Some men loved large breasts. Jinx had always preferred small and firm. The old saying that more than a mouthful is a waste was true as far as he was concerned. He didn’t plan on wasting one mouthful of Frannie.

Hands buried deep in his hair, she pulled his head back and burned him with another soul-searing kiss. She was fire and he was a moth, drawn by instinct, by nature. He wanted her. He needed her. He loved her. Lips still dancing with hers, he fingered the clasp of her bra, waiting for her to stop him. No protest came and victory shot through him. One quick flick of his wrist and the lingerie went sailing, leaving her exposed to his touch. He took one pebbled crest in his mouth and wrenched a moan from her.

The low sound reverberated, calling to his ego like a drumbeat in the night. Passion sizzled in the room, crackling like a tinder spark. His skin tingled with sexual tension. Never letting his lips break contact with her skin, he caressed each breast. She smelled of jasmine and a heady aroma he couldn’t identify. It intoxicated his senses and blocked everything out of his mind except for her. His cock throbbed, his balls heavy, aching for release. It took more willpower not to lay her back and plunge inside her than he knew he possessed. She was a drug and he was an addict.

Chest heaving, she braced herself against his shoulders. Her feet touched the floor and she stood, pulling just out of his mouth’s reach. Not ready to let her go, he circled her hips with his arms and pressed his lips to her breastbone. Her ribcage was a map and his tongue found a route directly to her stomach. Nestled in her navel was a tiny gold star on a miniscule chain.
A bellybutton ring? How did I miss this?

The jewelry was a plaything and his tongue swirled it, tickling the tender flesh around it. The slight roundness of her tummy was soft under his cheek, like a ripe peach in the summertime. He couldn’t resist nipping her, just for a taste.

Her slender hand found his jaw and she stepped away from his touch. Loss swept over him until he noted the twinkle in her eye. Light shimmered over the moist trail his mouth had made and her skin glistened. Small pert nipples shone like wet glitter. She caressed her breasts, cupping each one and rolling her thumb across the tip. Down her stomach to the concave navel with its gold adornment, she drew his attention back to the gentle swell of her belly with trailing fingers. Over and over she stroked her flesh, tempting him.
Touch me
, her body silently cried to him.
Caress me, possess me, take me
. She retraced her path back up to her neck, and his breath came in ragged bursts. She was a cock tease, and his control was rapidly slipping away.

Her fingers went to the side of her pants. The flames as a backdrop, she eased the hidden side zipper down slowly, teasingly. He waited and watched. With a shimmy and a twist, the fluttery black pants floated down to lie in a pool around her ankles. In barely there lace and ankle-strapped stilettos, she was a vampish vision. He struggled for air and his eyes caressed her long legs from pointed toe to curved hip. The miniscule bit of lace she called underwear hid exactly what he wanted and nothing more. It was too much and not enough at the same time.

She bent provocatively to one knee, her hand going to the ankle strap of her shoe.

“Don’t.” He was unaware he had spoken aloud until she looked at him with an arched brow. “Leave them on.”

Never before had shoes been any type of turn-on for him. But now, in this minute, on her, they were the sexiest thing he had ever seen. Surprise widened her eyes. Then she smiled. A secret smile, one which has driven men crazy for ages, the smile of a woman who has something brewing in her brain. With a sexy shrug, she left the buckle alone, but traced one hand up her leg, drawing his gaze up her body once more.

His stomach clenched as she cat-crawled to him, shoulders dipping dramatically with each movement. Her breasts, tucked into the shadows one minute, blazed in vivid color the next. At his feet, she sat back on those fuck-me shoes and touched his leg. His socks disappeared in the dark depths of the room. She ran her nails up his ankle, under his pants, tickling the coarse hairs of his legs. The sensation was too much. His body jerked as if touched with a hot poker. She pulled her hands back and skated her fingers up his thighs and reached for his zipper.

Blood rushed in his ears in a deafening cadence. His heart pounded hard enough to rattle his ribs. She branded his stomach with her tongue, and a sizzle danced on his skin. Her fingers found his zipper tab and he was there, yanking it downward. She laughed a siren’s laugh, deep and throaty but gripped the material under his knees. She pulled and he raised his hips and his pants joined her bra somewhere in the darkness.