Free Cuffed by Kait Gamble Page B

and glowered at one as he walked past, eyes glued to Scarlett’s ass. If he stared any longer, the guy would be picking up his teeth.
    What the hell was he doing? Jackson forced his hands to relax. He’d never been the territorial type. But right then, he wanted to zip up her jacket, throw her over his shoulder and find a place where he would be the only one to see her.
    It was ridiculous. They’d never gone past the friend zone. He did wonder from time to time what she would be like if he got her naked. If their fiery arguments were anything to go by, she would be a wildcat in the sack. But he found the less he thought about that, the better it was for his sanity. She would never go for him.
     
    “Not filming today?” She looked around for the camera that he was known for carrying. Jackson always filmed cons, but he seemed a little distracted.
    Drawn from his thoughts, he tapped the top hat. “Thought it would be better to do this one from my POV.”
    She smiled. “Always thinking.”
    “Hey, gotta keep the fans on their toes, right?” He nudged her, sparking another round of photos and tweets.
    “Jackson! Scarlett! I’m amazed you two haven’t started brawling yet. Or have you finally realized that all the hair-pulling and rough talk is just foreplay?” Rex Schaffer, aka Rex the Hex, approached them with a grin befitting his Loki costume. There wasn’t a costume that fit him and his channel more than Loki, God of Mischief. His popularity came from the pranks he pulled on everyone from unsuspecting bystanders to others in their community.
    He clapped them on the shoulders, and Scarlett couldn’t help but swipe her hand over the spot he touched to make sure he hadn’t planted anything on her.
    It was a move he didn’t miss. Her distrust of him made Rex laugh loud enough to draw more attention to them. Never one to miss a photo op, and winking at a few girls eyeing him, he threw his arms around Scarlett’s and Jackson’s shoulders, pulling them in close. “Smile for the cameras, guys.”
    So there they were. The Norse God of Mischief, a disgruntled female gamer and the dapperly dressed hero of a shoujo anime smiling sweetly as flashes blinded them. Not all that odd by Comic Con standards. In fact, next to them stood half the Avengers, The Little Mermaid and She-Ra throwing up peace signs.
    Scarlett still couldn’t shake the suspicion that Rex was up to something. It was rare for him to do anything without an ulterior motive.
    A glance at Jackson told her he wasn’t buying the act either. His dark eyes met hers behind Rex’s back. He wasn’t even hiding the fact that he was keeping an eye on what Rex’s hands were doing.
    Rex jostled them. “Look at you two playing nice. Don’t tell me the fire’s gone out of this relationship. I remember when you two couldn’t stand to post comments on the same blog.”
    Scarlett slipped out of his grasp and brushed her jacket down as if he’d covered it in dirt. “We’re mature adults. Unlike some people.”
    He must have been practicing his diabolical laugh because the one he barked gave her chills.
    “You have to give the people what they want. You know they love it when you two bicker like two old ladies.”
    She saw Jackson roll his eyes in exasperation. Shaking her head, Scarlett shrugged. There wasn’t the time to explain to him how people grew and evolved. Usually. Unlike him. “We’re on a panel in a few minutes. So we’ve got to go.”
    The smile Rex gave her increased her sense of unease. He was definitely up to something. He checked his watch. “I’m on that one too. We’ve got plenty of time, so why don’t we check out what else is going on?”
    Jackson shook his head. “Not interested. We’ve got coffee to bicker over.” Without waiting for a reply, he hooked his hand around Scarlett’s wrist and tugged her away. Once they were out of earshot he growled, “That guy pisses me off.”
    “Me too.” She took a quick scan of Jackson.