Page 43 of His Ruthless Match (Below #3)

The group eased into more casual chatter after that, though Theo kept sneaking questions about my detective work. When Walter suggested a game of pool, the energy shifted again, everyone moving toward the back of the bar.

As we passed the pool table, Eva groaned under her breath. “I’m terrible at pool.”

I couldn’t resist. “Perfect. Let’s make it interesting. Twenty bucks says you can’t sink three balls before I do.”

I leaned against the edge of the pool table, watching Eva’s every move as she glared daggers at me. Her irritation only made my smirk grow wider.

“You’re betting on my incompetence?” she hissed.

I chuckled. “Not incompetence, Delgado. I’d call it… untapped potential.”

The flush creeping up her neck betrayed her frustration… and maybe there was something else under it. It was entertaining watching her try to keep her composure, even when she was clearly itching to throttle me.

Her head snapped toward me, her eyes narrowing. “You’re on, Detective .”

Eva picked up the cue stick, gripping it too tightly, her movements awkward and stiff. I shook my head, stepping forward before she could butcher her first shot entirely.

“Relax your shoulders,” I said, putting my hands lightly on her to guide her grip.

She tensed under my touch, but then she relaxed. Being so close to her was more than a little distracting. My chest brushed against her back, and I inhaled the faint, floral scent of her perfume. The slight hitch in her breath didn’t help anything.

“Like this?” she asked, her voice softer than usual, almost hesitant.

I leaned closer until my lips brushed the shell of her ear. “Exactly. Now, shoot.”

She took the shot, and the ball grazed the corner pocket but didn’t go in. She groaned, dropping the cue onto the table in frustration. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered, glaring at the table as though it had offended her.

Chuckling, I stepped back. “We’ll call that progress,” I said, unable to keep the amusement out of my voice. Watching her bristle like this was strangely endearing. It made it harder to ignore the pull between us.

Determined to save face, Eva bent over the table to line up another shot. My gaze instinctively drifted down, lingering for a second too long on the way her pencil skirt hugged her ass. I forced my eyes upward, but not before a thousand inappropriate thoughts flashed through my mind.

A loud rip broke through the noise of the bar, and Eva froze. Her hand flew to her thigh, her face twisting in mortification. “Oh, no.”

“What happened?” I grinned because I knew exactly what had happened.

“My pantyhose,” she hissed, her voice low and frustrated. “They ripped.”

I couldn’t help myself. My grin turned wicked. “It’s not a big deal.”

The look she gave me could have incinerated me on the spot. “It is to me! They’re ruined.”

I moved closer until I had her caged in between my chest and the pool table. Her eyes widened as I invaded her space. “Let me fix it.”

“Jareth, don’t you dare?—”

But I was already crouching, my fingers brushing against her calf as I grabbed the edge of the rip.

The feel of her skin under my fingers sent a jolt through me that I tried to ignore. Masking the sudden rush of heat with a smirk, I tore the pantyhose the rest of the way. The sound was sharp and oddly satisfying.

“Jareth!” Eva shrieked.

I stood, holding the tattered remains like a trophy. “There,” I said, tossing the scraps onto the table. “Now you’re free.”

The group around us burst into laughter. The corners of Eva’s mouth twitched with reluctant amusement. She wanted to be mad, but she couldn’t quite manage it. My cougar let out a low growl that was all desire.

As the game continued, and more drinks flowed, Eva became more relaxed. She started sinking balls with surprising accuracy, each shot more confident than the last.

When she cleared the table effortlessly, I stared at her in disbelief. “What the hell? Where the fuck did that come from?”

Eva leaned on her cue stick. “Turns out I’m a fast learner.”

“Hustler,” I said accusingly. “You set me up.”

She shrugged. “You set yourself up.”

“You know what happens to hustlers, Delgado?”

Her eyebrow arched, though I didn’t miss the slight quickening of her breath or the pink creeping into her cheeks. “What’s that?” she asked, her voice steady but quieter.

I leaned in, close enough to feel the heat radiating off her skin. “They get punished,” I murmured, my voice a low rumble.

The noise of the bar faded into the background as we stared into each other’s eyes. There was a challenge in her expression, and it pulled me in, making me forget everything but how she looked at me in that moment.

Eva swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.”

The moment stretched out, heavy and charged, until someone in the group called out, breaking the spell. Eva turned away quickly, her composure snapping back into place. I stayed where I was, discreetly adjusting my pants.

As the night wore on, I kept a close eye on her. Every time our gazes met, heat coiled inside me at an unspoken desire simmering just beneath the surface that neither of us could ignore.