Jinxed (7 page)

The thick ebony fringe of lashes framing his deep black eyes captivated her. Strong fingers traced a line up her jaw to her ear. The world slipped away until it was just she and Jinx, alone.
How does he do that? Muddle my mind with just a look or a touch?
Clearing her throat, she fought to regain her hold on reality.

“Nothing. I just want to stay home and do nothing.”

“Nothing works for me. As long as I’m with you, nothing sounds just perfect.” He leaned in and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. Like a spring bubbling from a mountain well, pleasure coursed through her at his simple touch. It might have been disappointment that made her stomach sink when he pulled back after the brief kiss, or maybe it was sorrow. She chose to believe it was the bagel she had for breakfast.

She wiped a bit of lipstick from his lip, smoothed the shoulders of his suit jacket and stroked his tie. Damn, he looked good. Of course, men like him could make anything look good. “I’ve never seen you in business clothes. This looks good on you.”

“Thank you.” Cocking his head, Jinx stared at her a minute before speaking. “You seem different. Less combative. That was actually a very nice compliment. What happened?”

Lip caught between her teeth, Frannie looked deep into his eyes and didn’t even try to be flippant. This was too important. Recalling Tracey’s words about love and sex, she decided Jinx deserved her honesty. She still expected him to wake up one day and realize he was wrong about her, but at least she would have a clear conscious.

“I told you I’d try and just let things happen, see what develops between us. I’m trying to let that happen. I still think you’re crazy but I’m not fighting it anymore.”

Jinx lowered his eyelids and sighed before hugging her to his chest.
Breakthrough!
One brick down, half a million to go.
He had no idea he’d been holding his figurative breath until Frannie acted on her promise to give them a chance. He wouldn’t mess this up. Fate had given him another chance, and he was going to make it work. If anyone understood how things could slip away in an instant, it was him. He wasn’t going to let it happen again. He inhaled deeply, and the scent of coffee mingled with her pear shampoo. To him it smelled like hope. Hope and Frannie were all he needed.

{

Gritty-eyed with exhaustion, Frannie pulled her compact car into the drive and noted Jinx’s SUV at the curb. Navigating the salt-crusted stairs in her heels took concentration but she couldn’t fight the joy that leapt knowing he was already inside, waiting for her. She didn’t even quibble that he’d kept her spare key. Her shoulder bag sang out with the
Star Wars
theme song. Digging for her cell, she stumbled and scraped her leg against the concrete step.
A fitting end to a crappy day.

She grimaced, freeing the phone from beneath her wallet, cosmetic case and three inches of junk. The laptop case slid off her shoulder and almost wrenched her arm from its socket. Cursing, she fumbled with the knob, juggling her awkward load. Jinx pulled the door open from inside as she managed to flip open the cell. The day got brighter with his smile.

As Tracey gave her a colorful and descriptive blow-by-blow of the care she had given Steve, Jinx took her things and set them aside. He helped her out of her coat and bent to remove her shoes. The cats wound around her feet and he shooed them away. Pocus transferred his feline love to Jinx’s arm with a deafening purr. Hocus spit at him, took a quick swipe at his hand and disappeared into the kitchen, fluffy tail held high.

Jinx ran his hand up her scraped shin, placing a quick kiss on her knee. Listening with half an ear, she smiled.
This is nice.
C
oming home and being taken care of.

She jumped as Jinx’s hands skimmed up her thighs to her waist. Reaching up under her short suit skirt, his large hands grabbed her panty hose band, pulling them over her butt and past her thighs. She hopped from one foot to the other so he could finish pulling them off while Tracey droned on about Imodium and chicken noodle soup. The shredded nylons tossed over his shoulder, Jinx dropped a quick kiss on her lips and disappeared into the kitchen.

Now this I could get used to
. She turned her attention back to Tracey. First-aid kit in hand, Jinx returned and propelled her toward the couch.

“Tracey, just let him sleep it off. Okay, call me later. Okay. Talk to you then. Bye.” She closed the phone with a groan and collapsed back into the cushions. Jinx swung her feet into his lap.

“Rough day?” He swiped disinfectant over her scraped shin.

She pulled a throw pillow behind her head and sighed. “Absolute hell. Since lunch, I’ve had three meetings, the computer system crashed and I found out one of our clients may be charged with embezzlement. I had to go over his portfolio with a fine-toothed comb. All this on top of answering the phones since Tracey’s with Steve. Ow! That stings!”

Lifting her leg, Jinx blew gently on the graze. His cooling breath soothed her wound but warmed her blood. She watched in open-mouthed fascination. One simple breath and he sent her blood to fizzling.

“Better?” His chocolate-coated voice drenched her senses in softness and warmth. She nodded and sighed. Using his thumbs, he massaged the aching arches of her feet. Eyes closed in satisfaction, she relaxed against his touch, letting the tensions of the day ebb away. A contented purr slipped out and she pressed her feet firmer against his hands. No one had ever made her feel so special, so cherished with just a simple act. She lost herself in the repetitive motions of his fingers. They lulled her like a mother’s rocking chair. She was so tired. If she could just close her eyes for a second, then she could garner the energy to move.

“Since you wanted to stay in and do nothing, I thought we could make dinner here and just watch TV or something. Sound okay to you? Frannie? …Frannie?”

Gently putting her legs back on the couch, Jinx pulled the fleece throw from the chair and covered her, letting her sleep. Tenderness washed over him. Slumber had eased the firm set to her jaw and tinged her face with an airbrushed glow. She was beautiful. Not in the classic sense, not in the manner that would turn heads and inspire lust in men passing by. But in a way that reached into his chest and squeezed his heart in an iron grip. He loved her.

Chuckling softly, he listened to her low snores. It had been a hard week for her. An exhausting flight, increased work and, of course, meeting him. He knew he’d pushed every emotional button she had and he wasn’t the least bit sorry. Never in his life had he ever been as sure of anything as he was of his love for Frannie.

The way a bolt of lightning splits a tree in two, love had shattered every pale dream he had for the future. Now the only dreams he had were about Frannie and a life with her. Nothing in his past mattered. From here on out, he vowed he would be with Frannie for every joy and every tear. This Happily Ever After had started the day he met her. But she was so timid when it came to trusting him, he knew he had to move carefully.

It was a balancing act, a precarious juggle to hold her but not squeeze her so tight she ran. She had to want to be with him, to make a life with him. He couldn’t make her believe, any more than he could make her sprout horns. All he could do was feed her growing trust and hope she had enough faith in herself to let go of her fear. He knew fear, could read it in her eyes and in how she pushed him away. The same electrified love surging through his veins shone in her eyes—when she wasn’t spitting at him in fury. If she felt nothing, she’d have decked him when he kissed her the first time or kneed his crotch when he threw her over his shoulder. No, Frannie felt it, she just didn’t trust it. Time might help overcome that but he couldn’t wait. Waiting was the one thing he couldn’t do, couldn’t risk.

He snagged his cell from his pocket and walked to the kitchen. He had plans to make. The rest of their lives began here. Now. Immediately.

Frannie woke when Pocus jumped on her stomach and kneaded it. Groggy and thick-tongued, she caught the smell of food and breathed deep. She let her nose lead her to the brightly lit kitchen. She squinted against the harsh lights. Jinx stood at the stove, grating cheese into a skillet.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

He sent her a bright smile and motioned to the coffee pot. “It’s fresh, help yourself. You only slept a bit over an hour but I thought I’d start dinner anyway. I hope ham and cheese omelets are okay. It’s just about all I could find to fix.”

Frannie padded to the counter and poured a cup of coffee. Eyes clamped closed, holding the cup in front of her, she inhaled the rich fragrance deeply. Just the scent revitalized her. With a long sip, she turned and found him watching her.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He smiled. “You look like an adorable sleepy raccoon.”

Horrified, she sped into the hall bath and slammed the door. Her hair was flat on one side and completely tousled on the other. The tails of her silk blouse had come out of her skirt and her mascara-rimmed eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Groaning in embarrassment, she grabbed the hairbrush. Why couldn’t she be one of those women who woke up looking cute and sleep-tossed? No, she looked like an extra for a horror flick. Visine and a cool washcloth helped to banish all traces of wildlife. Her cosmetic bag was in her purse, wherever he had put it, so she settled for a freshly scrubbed look. Not that she had much choice. It was either that or slather on a freebie mud mask she found in the medicine cabinet.

A snort burned her throat.
Bet that look would send him racing to the hills.
Exiting the bathroom, that sobering thought stayed with her.

“What can I do to help?” she asked, feeling useless in her own kitchen.

“You can start some toast if you want. These are just about ready.”

While the bread toasted, Frannie finished her coffee and studied him. For such a large man, he moved with an easy grace that showed his confidence. He was comfortable in his own skin. And apparently in the kitchen.

“So you can cook?”

“I’m great with breakfast. Other than that, I can dial takeout with the best of them.” His eyes twinkled like wet coal. “What about you? Can you cook? Or are you a takeout queen?”

“Phhtt, I could give Paula Deen lessons.”

“Oh, really? Think you’re that good, do you?”

“Damn straight. Tomorrow I’ll make dinner and show you. What would you like?”

Jinx stopped sliding the eggs onto plates and stared at her. She read his mind effortlessly. She’d just made plans for them, on her own, without his prompting. The delight in his face made her heart skip.
How does he
do
that?
One of his talents seemed to be leading her to his way of thinking before she knew where she was going. It unsettled her how easily she fell under his spell. When he motioned her to sit, she grabbed the warm toast with a bit too much force.

“You can’t cook anything until we go to the store. We have nothing in the fridge.”

“We?” She raised her brows and stared at him, self-recrimination making her voice stern. “In case you have forgotten, wacko, you don’t live here. My house, my fridge, my life, okay? As far as I know, you could be homeless.”

His fingers steepled, he watched her with a deeply intent expression.

Frannie could almost see the wheels turning in his head and she fidgeted. “Stop staring at me like I’m some sort of zoo animal. It’s rude.”

He smiled at her before picking up his fork. “Note to self, Frannie’s grumpy when she’s hungry.”

A retort fired from her lips like a pistol. “Note to self, Jinx is a pain in the ass.”

She dug into her own plate. The buttery eggs and smooth cheese did a lot to soothe her annoyance. This meant he was right about her mood. It irritated her but she was too hungry to think about it. She finished in record time and started feeling guilty for snapping at him. He confused her so much her gut reaction was to lash out. Either that or haul off and drag his delectable ass to bed and be done with it. That option was looking better and better.

“Thank you. Dinner was wonderful. Considering what you had to work with, I’m surprised you could make anything. I really have to hit the store if I’m going to cook dinner tomorrow.”

“Actually, I’m going to need a rain check on dinner.”

Unexpectedly, her heart plummeted. He didn’t want her to make dinner tomorrow.
Is he backing away already?
Although she expected it to happen, she didn’t expect it to hurt so much or for it to happen so soon. Realizing she wanted more of him, more time, more everything, she blinked against the unshed tears making her nose burn. Mark’s tenor rang through her memory.

“I just can’t take it anymore, Fran. You’re like a too-tight shoe. Every step I make, you pinch me and ruin every second of the day.”

“I have a favor to ask you.” Unaware of her emotional turmoil, Jinx stood and gathered their empty plates. “I’m having a small dinner party tomorrow at my house. It’s nothing fancy, just casual. Will you come?”

“Okay.” She shrugged but internally she was dancing for joy. He wasn’t pushing her away yet. He still wanted to be with her. Staunchly refusing to examine why that thrilled her, she hopped up and grabbed a note pad. “I do need to go to the store sometime tomorrow, though. Help me make a list.”

She was oddly curious to see Jinx’s house but tried to hide it by digging in the junk drawer for a pen. He cleaned up the light supper dishes while she looked through the cabinets and added things to her grocery list. She again asked what he wanted her to cook for dinner. She figured he would pick something manly, like steak and baked potatoes or maybe something elegant like poached salmon. His answer took her by surprise.

“You want meatloaf?”

“Yeah, you can’t get home cooking at many restaurants and I miss those Sunday-type suppers. Honestly, I haven’t had meatloaf in years. Why don’t we do that on Sunday? Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, string beans, biscuits, all gut-filling food. Then we can just crash on the couch and let our belts out while watching football. Sounds like a great idea to me.”