Free Cuffed by Kait Gamble Page A

growled something unintelligible, but quickly adopted a dazzling smile when two little girls shyly edged toward him.
    “Tuxedo Mask?”
    “I am.” Jackson bowed gallantly. “What can I do for you ladies?”
    “Can we get a photo with you?”
    “Of course.” Jackson swept the cape back with a dramatic thrust of his arms and he kneeled. He struck several poses, each making them giggle more with delight.
    Scarlett had to admit that something inside went a little mushy as she witnessed the scene. She quickly shoved the feeling aside. This was Jackson, a man who had relentlessly taunted her when she’d first started her blog. He’d called her out on his YouTube channel countless times. And all because she was a female who dared to declare herself a gamer. Sure, his tone had changed over the years. His respect for her came through now, and she’d slowly gotten over the hurt that his words had caused her in those early days. It wasn’t hard to see—once you got to know him—that his persona on the videos was a façade. The guy underneath wasn’t so bad.
    The early acrimony had turned into more banter from their differing views over the years, but they never passed up the chance to get in a few barbs whenever they could. It made them quite a hit on YouTube and the gaming blog world.
    “At least I made an effort to join in the spirit of things.” He winked at the girls in parting, drawing more giggles as they dashed off, and sighs from a few women who were nearby.
    “Please.” Scarlett unzipped her jacket to reveal a black T-shirt with the words ‘Make Me A Sammich, Bitch Boy’ emblazoned across her chest in a bright red that perfectly matched her upswept shock of hair.
    “Nice.” And by the smile on his face, he meant it.

Chapter Two
     
     
     
    Scarlett looked amazing. She might not have been dressed up in costume, but she definitely stood out with that hair, that body. He really had to work not to stare too long at the words on her chest. Even though the way her nipple poked through the hole in the ‘A’ in ‘Make’ had him drooling. Was she wearing a bra? If she was, it was delightfully thin. Not that she needed one, as small and pert as her breasts were. He dropped his attention to her jeans that had the enviable job of tightly cupping the delicious curve of her ass.
    His dick twitched. Damn, he had to stop thinking about her tits and ass or he’d embarrass himself even more than he already had with the costume.
    They hadn’t had the best start as far as friendships went. And they were friends, now. He regretted being dragged into a debate about whether girls were ‘real gamers’. Scarlett had been caught up in it right as she was gaining a following, and he could have totally ruined her YouTube career with a few thoughtless words. He did admire her for not giving up or letting a bunch of macho imbeciles run her off. Scarlett might have been elfin in looks, but she was tougher than any guy he knew.
    In fact, she was a great gamer. She’d had him running for his money in more than a few games and they’d become pretty good friends over the past few years, though they’d only met up at less than a handful of conventions like the one they were at now.
    And with each meeting, she got hotter.
    This time around, they were even on the same panel. Who would have thought that they would have such popular channels? Or that that they would be asked to be part of a panel discussing how to recreate their success?
    He let his gaze wander over her once more, starting at her feet. Everything about her outfit, from her biker boots, her jeans torn in some very interesting places, the combative shirt and the shock of red hair, screamed Stay Away! but he was tempted to do the opposite. What he wanted to do was strip her of the façade and get to the woman underneath—literally.
    Jackson noticed the gazes of the other men around them—they lingered just a little too long on her for his liking. He clenched his fists