Page 47 of His Ruthless Match (Below #3)

EVA

I stretched lazily, letting the soft sheets glide against my bare skin, their comforting coolness doing nothing to keep a tangle of thoughts slowly creeping into focus.

My body ached in the best fucking way possible, and my mind replayed vivid fragments of last night. The way Jareth had touched me, the intensity in his gaze, the juxtaposition of power and tenderness. It hadn’t just been sex. At least, it hadn’t felt that way to me.

I bit down on my bottom lip, a faint sense of panic rising in my chest. God, what have I done?

This wasn’t like me. I never caught feelings or got attached.

My life was built on keeping people at arm’s length, and I was damn good at it.

But something about Jareth felt dangerous, and it had nothing to do with his skills as an assassin.

The door creaked open, and I snapped back to reality. Jareth strode into the room, shirtless, his hair slightly damp from the shower. He was carrying two mugs of coffee and a brown paper bag. The sight of him made my stomach flip in ways I absolutely did not want to analyze.

“Morning,” he said so casually, as though nothing monumental had transpired between us the night before. He set one of the mugs on the bedside table and held the bag out to me.

I sat up, pulling the sheet around me for modesty, even though it was absurd at this point. “Thanks. You didn’t have to do this.”

“I was hungry,” he replied with a shrug, raising an eyebrow. “Thought you might be, too.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and handed me the coffee. The easy rhythm that had developed between us seemed conspicuously absent. In its place was something heavier.

We ate in silence. I nibbled at the bagel, sneaking glances at him when I thought he wasn’t looking. His gaze was fixed somewhere in the middle distance as he chewed. He wasn’t cold or dismissive, but his posture was tense.

Is he regretting it? The thought came unbidden, twisting in my chest like a knife. I took another bite, trying to shove it down, but it lingered. The idea stung more than it should have.

As I sipped my coffee, my mind spiraled further. What if I’m just another notch on his bedpost? A convenient distraction? I hated how much the possibility bothered me. I didn’t even know why I cared so much. This wasn’t supposed to matter.

But it did.

Jareth finally broke the silence. “You don’t talk much in the morning, do you?”

“Not usually,” I said, forcing a light tone. “But this isn’t exactly a usual morning, is it?”

His lips twitched, but it wasn’t quite a smile. He took another sip of coffee, but he still didn’t look at me.

Great. I bit back a sigh. This is going well.

I wanted to ask him if he regretted it, but the words stuck in my throat. I was too afraid of the answer.

What if he does regret it? Panic bubbled beneath the surface, sharp and suffocating. What if this was just another night for him, while I’m sitting here catching feelings like an idiot?

I couldn’t afford to make things more awkward between us. We were stuck together for the foreseeable future, and I didn’t want this to turn into a soap opera.

Jareth finished his bagel and stood. When he stretched, his muscles rippled. I caught myself staring and quickly looked away, my cheeks heating.

“You good?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said quickly, too quickly. I busied myself with my coffee, willing my face not to betray me. “Thanks for breakfast.”

He nodded as he strode to the door. “I’ll be in the other room if you need anything.”

The door clicked shut behind him, and I exhaled sharply, setting my mug down with more force than necessary.

What the hell was that? I ran a hand through my hair. I couldn’t tell if Jareth was acting weird because he regretted it or because he didn’t know how to deal with me. Either way, it was driving me insane.

I clenched the sheet, twisting it around my fingers. Get it together, Delgado. You’re overthinking this.

Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the pillows. For a brief moment, I let myself replay the night before—his hand on my skin and how he’d looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered.

Boy, was I in trouble.

Because as much as I tried to convince myself otherwise, as much as his constant presence infuriated me, I knew I was starting to fall for him. And that terrified me more than anything else.

I stared up at the ceiling and willed myself to move. The emotional whirlwind of the previous night still clung to me, leaving my thoughts scattered. Images of Jareth, coffee, and the awkward silences that followed flitted through my mind like an annoying reel on repeat.

The sound of the door swinging open snapped me out of my haze.

“What the…” I started, sitting up in alarm as the familiar, rigid figure of Grelth stepped into the room. He looked as if he were on a mission of utmost importance, his posture as straight as a ruler, his hands clasped neatly in front of him, and his expression deadly serious.

“Master Grelth regrets to inform you that he will not be preparing breakfast for you this morning,” he declared in his usual monotone, dripping with exaggerated formality.

My gasp was more out of indignation than surprise as I yanked the covers up to my neck. “Do you not knock?” I demanded, my voice rising with a mixture of irritation and disbelief. “You can’t just barge in here like this!”

From the living room, Jareth laughed. “Guess privacy isn’t a thing here,” he muttered as he stepped up behind Grelth. His grin widened when our eyes met, and I wished I could throw something at him.

“I’ll deal with you in a second,” I snapped, turning my attention back to Grelth. “Well?”

Grelth ignored my outrage entirely, his composure unshaken as he continued with his statement, as though my question was irrelevant. “Master Grelth has a prior engagement this morning, which prevents him from fulfilling his usual duties.”

Jareth’s brow furrowed, and he lowered his mug. “Prior engagement?” he asked skeptically. “Since when do you have a social life?”

Grelth shifted awkwardly, his hands tightening slightly in front of him. For a moment, he seemed uncertain, as though debating whether to elaborate further. Finally, he cleared his throat, clearly annoyed by the interruption.

“If you must know,” he said, his tone taking on an air of faint exasperation, “today is Master Grelth’s birthday, and I should like to have the day off. If it pleases you.”

My jaw dropped. “Your birthday? Why didn’t you say anything sooner? We could’ve done something for you.”

Jareth looked equally surprised but recovered faster, nodding casually. “Yeah, of course, you can have the day off. Go enjoy yourself, Grelth. You’ve earned it. Besides, we already ate.”

Grelth tilted his head slightly, as if considering the offer, before giving a sharp, approving nod. “Very well. Master Grelth accepts your benevolence. I shall return for dinner.”

He turned on his heel to leave, but just as he reached the doorway, he paused. Over his shoulder, he delivered his parting remark, completely deadpan. “By the way, Master Grelth can see your nipple.”

And with that, he popped away, leaving a stunned silence in his wake.

I froze, my mind grinding to a halt as his words registered. Slowly, I glanced down in horror. Sure enough, the edge of the sheet had slipped, and my left breast was peeking out. I yanked the covers up to my chin, my face blazing with embarrassment.

“Oh my god,” I muttered, burying my face in my hands. “This is mortifying.”

Jareth was shaking with laughter. “Well, Grelth certainly knows how to make an exit.”

I grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it at him, hitting him square in the chest. “You could’ve told me!”

“Where’s the fun in that?” he replied, tossing the pillow back with a grin. “Besides, you seemed so confident in your cover-up technique.”

“I hate you,” I muttered, though the twitch of my lips betrayed me. As much as I wanted to stay mad, his stupid grin was contagious.

“Sure you do. Though, you’re going to have to work harder to convince me.”

I let out a long sigh and sat up properly, clutching the sheet tightly around me. “I feel terrible. We didn’t even know it was his birthday.”

Jareth shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. “Grelth doesn’t strike me as the type to enjoy parties. But if it makes you feel better, we can do something for him later. Maybe cake or a small gift.”

“He deserves something nice,” I murmured, glancing toward the door where he’d stood moments ago. “Even if he does have the worst timing in the world.”

I was perched at the kitchen counter, my laptop open in front of me, scrolling through the latest updates on my caseload.

Worry gnawed at me. Genevieve. Jareth. Too many thoughts whirled in my mind, making it hard to concentrate.

Work usually helped focus my mind, but today, even the technicalities of my assignments failed to hold my attention.

My phone vibrated, and I glanced over to see Genevieve’s name flashing on the screen. Genevieve’s name flashed on the screen. My stomach twisted as I answered immediately.

“Genevieve? Everything okay?”

“I hate to bother you, Eva,” she began, her voice bordering on frantic. “But I can’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to go against your advice, but I can’t stay in this hotel room for another second.”

“What happened?” I pressed, my mind already running through worst-case scenarios.

“The rat,” Genevieve said, her voice breaking. “It’s back. I swear it’s the same one. Pest control came and said there was nothing, but it’s here. Scratching in the walls, watching me from around the corner. I can’t sleep. I’m losing my mind.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Okay, listen. Jareth and I will come get you, and we’ll move you to another hotel.”

Genevieve exhaled shakily, her relief palpable even through the phone. “Thank you,” she whispered.