Jinx by Jennifer Estep Read Free Book Online Page A

throaty.
    “You know my name?”
    I stared at his broad chest, the rose insignia just even with my eyes. He smelled sweet but manly, like rose petals mixed with a rich musk. The heady scent made my head fuzzy.
    Debonair put a finger under my chin and tipped it up. His eyes slammed into my hazel ones. They were blue—as blue as blue could possibly be and then some. A ring of silver and black shimmered around the edges of his bright irises, adding to the intensity of his gaze.
    “Of course I know your name. You make some of the finest clothes in all of Bigtime. And as you may know, I’m a purveyor of fine things.” His gaze raked over me in a slow, sensual way that made my breath catch in my throat. “All sorts of fine things. In fact, I think it’s time for me to sample one right now.”
    Debonair leaned in and lowered his lips to mine.
    And I got angry. Really, really angry. Yeti Girl angry. Debonair might be attractive—okay, sexy with a capital S —but that didn’t give him the right to just pop! over here and manhandle me. Lots of sexy heroes and villains called Bigtime home. They were a dime a dozen, really.
    But Debonair thought he was going to kiss me just because he could? Without any encouragement whatsoever from me? After he’d stolen from my friends? I didn’t think so.
    I might be short, but I can take care of myself. Johnny’s supertough exoskeleton had given him an unfair advantage when we were kids. As a result, I’d learned lots of dirty tricks to ward off unwanted noogie and tickle attacks. Like the one I was about to use right now.
    I ducked Debonair’s looming lips, turned my body into his broad chest, grabbed his left arm, and flipped him over my shoulder.
    POP!
    He teleported away a second before he slammed into the floor. My eyes flicked around, wondering where he’d poof to next.
    POP!
    He appeared in the hallway in front of me. “That wasn’t very nice, Bella. All I wanted to do was kiss you.”
    “Well, I didn’t want you to kiss me .”
    “But I’m Debonair,” he said.
    His tone was smug and self-assured, like the very mention of his name should be enough to make any woman his willing slave. And get her to take off her panties. Sexy and arrogant. A dangerous combination. One I had to work very hard not to find attractive. Maybe the Casanova routine worked on other women, but it wasn’t going to on me.
    “Oh, get over yourself,” I snapped. “You’re not all that.”
    He smiled. That too was perfect, just like the rest of him. White teeth. Nice lips. A tiny dimple in his chin.
    “I think the folks in SSS would disagree with you. I’ve been their Man of the Year three times in a row now.”
    “Slaves for Superhero Sex? The cult group full of crazies who worship heroes?” I snorted. “They’re hardly an appropriate judge of character. They’ll do anything in spandex.”
    That was an understatement. Slaves for Superhero Sex was a group of men and women whose sole purpose in life was to get up close and personal with superheroes. SSS members deliberately did stupid, life-endangering things—like handcuff themselves to railroad tracks and swallow the key or climb to the top of the Skyline Bridge—in hopes that some superhero would come along and rescue them. Not only that, they usually tried to make time with their superhero savior after they were out of danger. In recent months, some of the more enthusiastic, morally challenged members had gone over to the dark side and started volunteering to be flunkies for various villains. At least, that’s what had been reported on SNN.
    “And what about you, Bella? Do you like spandex? Or are you more of a whips-and-chains kind of girl?” Debonair asked.
    “That’s none of your business!”
    I couldn’t stop myself from blushing. Whips and chains? I’d never dream of doing such a thing. Why, I hadn’t even been much of a regular-sex girl lately. Not since before my father died, really.
    Debonair gave me another sexy,