JINXED: (Karma Series, Book Two) Read Online Free Page B

been a lie. Maybe he’d been a lone wolf. And even if there were more of them, as long as they left me alone, I was perfectly content to leave them hiding wherever they were. I’d had enough drama in the past few months to last me a long time.
    “You’re not listening to what I’m telling you. You can’t walk away.”
    “Everything about my life has been hijacked. I’ve had no say in where I live, where I work, what I do—”
    “No say in what you do?” The words were staggered, each pronounced with emphasis. His eyebrows couldn’t have lifted higher on his forehead.
    “Fine, perhaps I’ve had a little say in what I do. My point is, I’m maxed out on being dictated to. I’m not putting up with it.” I shrugged and waited for him to do his worst.
    “I told you this was non-negotiable.”
    “I remember what you said, and I’ve decided it is.” I yanked my arm back again and crossed my arms in front of me, tighter this time. If he wanted a limb, he was going to have to seriously fight for it. No more easy conquests. 
    “Come with me.” He started taking off in the direction of the elevator, but I didn’t follow.
    He looked back to see I hadn’t budged and walked back. He reached out for an arm and I turned my back on him. When he moved with me, I wouldn’t let him budge it away from my body to get a firm grip.
    It was a good thing the hall was empty. We must have looked ridiculous, but I didn’t care. He wasn’t getting a hold. I’d beat him at his game.
    He wrapped an arm around my waist and just lifted me entirely.
    “That’s cheating!” I yelled, my feet dangling as he started walking.
    “It’s not cheating, because there are no rules.” His voice was smug. “There is no legal system for us.”
    I was torn. If I undid my arms to hit him, he’d just grab one of those. If I didn’t, he’d just keep carrying me. Without another clear-cut plan of action, I figured a verbal assault would be the most prudent. “Why do you insist on physically forcing me to go where you want? Have you no couth?”
    “No. I don’t. Why do you refuse to do what I want you to?”
    “Because I don’t have to do what you want.”
    “Looks like you do.” He wasn’t laughing but he was definitely close to it.
    I made the mistake of looking back at the office door down the hall. Someone had opened it and they were all hovering nearby. Every head swiveled guiltily away the second I saw them.
    “Do you know what this looks like? They all think we slept together now.”
    He leaned his head closer to mine. “No, they all know we slept together, remember?”
    “Now that you’ve done even more damage, would you mind putting me down?”
    “Sure,” he said as we strode through the hallway. “In one minute.”
    We left the building and I thought he was going to try and make me go somewhere with him, but he stopped at his car.
    “Do you plan on putting me down?” I asked. My legs were still dangling a foot off the ground and I was surrounded by his body heat.
    “Are you going to listen?” he asked.
    “Yes, I’ll hear you out.”
    “Why do you sound so winded when I’m the one that carried you?”
    “You were squeezing my lungs.” That sounded a lot better than the truth.
    He set me on my feet and looked around to make sure no one was listening. My arms were still wrapped tightly around me, just out of principle.
    “You aren’t going to be able to walk away from this.”
    “Why? Because I know about your men? If the paltry amount I know is too much, you guys are in worse shape than I gave you credit for. And as far as catching your objective, I’d say you’re chasing your tails more than your target. Maybe it’s time to pack up and call it quits.”
    “You can ID my guys,” he said, but I couldn’t help feeling like he was just throwing out excuses.
    “But I haven’t.”
    “But you can, and they don’t feel comfortable with someone that isn’t with us knowing who they are.”
    “Then they