Page 63 of His Ruthless Match (Below #3)

JARETH

R ain drummed against the windows of my bedroom, a steady rhythm that echoed the hammering of my pulse.

My mind was spinning with conflicting thoughts. I’d come so close to telling Eva she was my fated mate until the damn downpour had started. It had killed the moment and left us drenched and breathless. Now here I was, an unspoken confession clinging to my lungs.

The room was dark, save for the dim glow of the bedside lamp I’d left on earlier.

Outside, occasional flashes of lightning flickered through the heavy curtains, illuminating the room in momentary bursts of white.

I let out a long exhale, trying to steady my breathing, trying to ignore the magnetic pull that Eva had on me.

My cougar stirred restlessly, reminding me it had recognized her as something far more important than a passing fling.

She was the one. My mate. The knowledge buzzed under my skin, but I wasn’t ready to share the secret yet.

Not because I doubted her, but I doubted myself .

I wasn’t sure how I could articulate the gravity of what it meant to claim her in that way.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I caught sight of my reflection in the large mirror above my dresser: hair plastered to my forehead, eyes bright with adrenaline. My heart still hammered in my chest, as though it hadn’t caught up with the fact that we were inside, safe from the storm.

The first order of business was to grab a towel for Eva. She’d been soaked to the bone too, and I couldn’t stand the idea of her standing around shivering. I switched on the overhead light in the bathroom and opened the linen closet, pulling out the fluffiest towel I could find.

When I turned around, Eva stood in the doorway.

The faint glow of light revealed the goosebumps on her arms, but the expression on her face was unreadable.

It was as if she was weighing whether to step forward or walk away.

Yet her presence, silent and watchful, filled the room like a flame threatening to consume all the oxygen.

My heart thumped in my chest. Does she know how close I was to confessing everything?

The question churned in my head. Unable to bear the tension any longer, I moved toward her and draped the towel over her shoulders, my knuckles grazing her arms. Her skin felt warm despite the chill of the storm, and I couldn’t help but let my fingers linger.

Eva’s gaze locked with mine as she clutched the towel. My cougar rumbled inside me, urging me closer. Desire, relief, and an undercurrent of something much deeper tangled in my gut.

“Thanks,” she whispered, but she didn’t pull away. Her lips parted slightly, eyes shining with an unreadable emotion. Rainwater still clung to her eyelashes, and as she blinked, droplets slid down her cheeks.

We stood like that for a moment, suspended in that fragile space between us. The air felt charged, full of tension and longing. Is this what we’re doing now? The question hummed between us, unspoken but unavoidable.

A thousand doubts pinballed through my mind.

Does she want this as much as I do? What if I’ve misread everything?

But that single shred of hesitation vanished when Eva reached up and placed her hands on my chest. Her fingers traced tentative patterns against my bare skin.

I almost forgot to breathe. The heat of her touch made my stomach clench, and my cougar’s growl reverberated in my chest.

“Eva…” I began, but words failed me. What exactly was I going to say?

She looked up, tilting her chin. Her eyes carried a question. Are we really doing this? I answered her not with words, but with a gentle kiss.

I leaned in slowly, my palm sliding to cup her face. Our lips brushed, barely more than a whisper at first, yet it ignited something fierce and consuming in me. The initial contact sent a rush of warmth spiraling from my chest to every nerve ending in my body.

A quiet sigh escaped her, and the sound emboldened me. I kissed her again, this time more deliberately. She tasted of rain, and her lips parted in invitation. The flood of emotions that surged up almost floored me. Relief, need, protectiveness—I poured it all into that kiss, unable to hold back.

Eva’s hands slid around my shoulders, then up into my hair.

She pulled me closer, a silent plea for more.

I obliged as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her flush against me.

A low growl rumbled in my chest as my cougar roared in approval.

I broke the kiss to look down at her, my breathing ragged.

Our eyes locked, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

There was no need for words, not when every breath we shared crackled with unspoken meaning.

I scooped her up effortlessly, my arm slipping under her knees while my other hand supported her back.

She let out a startled little gasp, followed by a breathless laugh.

But she didn’t resist. In fact, she tucked her head against my shoulder as I carried her to my bed. My heart thundered with anticipation.

I carefully laid her down. She didn’t look away, didn’t murmur any protest. Instead, she reached for me, her arms extended in invitation. My cougar let out another throaty rumble. She’s ours. The words whispered in my mind, fueling a possessive need I never expected to feel so intensely.

I crawled onto the bed, hovering over her.

The lamp’s faint glow cast shifting shadows over the planes of her face, highlighting her parted lips and the flush creeping across her cheeks.

When I lowered my head to kiss her again, I did so with a reverence I didn’t know I was capable of.

Her fingers found their way into my hair once more, tugging gently as she deepened the kiss.

A low moan escaped me as I slid my hand over the curve of her waist. My fingertips ventured under the damp waistband of her leggings, grazing the warm skin of her stomach. Each small contact felt electrifying, and I found myself wanting more—more skin, more heat, more of her.

Eva let out a soft sound that vibrated through me, spurring me on.

A wave of desire coursed through me as I took in the sight of her, clad only in a simple bra and leggings.

Something about the contrast of her disheveled hair, the glow in her eyes, and the faint tremble in her limbs made my heart ache with longing.

Gently, I traced my lips down her neck, searching for those spots that made her gasp and arch beneath me. I found one near her collarbone, and sure enough, she inhaled sharply, her nails digging into my shoulders in the most delicious way. Her reaction had me teetering on the edge of self-control.

I paused, breathing heavily against her skin, wanting to savor each moment.

But she urged me on, hooking her fingers into the waistband of her leggings and giving them a frustrated tug.

That was all the encouragement I needed.

The wet fabric resisted, making us both huff a breathless laugh at the unwieldy process.

Finally, I got them past her hips. She kicked them off, leaving her in nothing but that lacy bra and matching underwear that set my pulse racing.

With her body fully revealed beneath me, my cougar roared its approval.

I met her gaze again, hoping she could see the depth of what I felt.

It’s more than lust, I wanted to say. It’s fate.

But words wouldn’t come. Instead, I leaned down to place a soft kiss at the center of her chest, right where her heartbeat thrummed.

She returned the favor by reaching up and tugging me closer.

The scrape of her nails over my back sent sparks through me.

I settled on top of her, pinning her beneath my weight.

My palms skimmed her sides, from her ribcage to her hips, memorizing the lines of her body.

Every inch of her felt like a revelation.

Our kisses grew hungrier, more desperate. Thunder rumbled faintly outside, but it only served as a backdrop, underscoring the urgency of our movements. A primal energy crackled between us, unstoppable now that we’d finally given in.

My mind raced as we lost ourselves in each other’s touch.

Should I tell her? Should I claim her right now?

My soul cried out for it. My cougar practically clawed at me from within, demanding I speak the truth and tell her she was my fated mate.

But I couldn’t bring myself to do it, not when we were caught in the throes of passion.

I didn’t want her to think it was merely an impulsive, heat-of-the-moment confession. She deserved better than that.

Instead, I poured those unspoken words into my touch. I traced every contour of her body, letting my lips explore the curve of her jaw, the shell of her ear, the sensitive hollow of her throat. Her moans grew in volume, matching my own as we let go of every barrier we’d once placed between us.

I unhooked her bra, then slid it down her arms and tossed it aside. She shivered, so I shifted her up against me, offering my body heat. The contact of her bare skin against mine was almost too much. My breath caught in my chest, a ragged sound that was half growl, half moan.

We rolled over, our limbs tangling in the sheets. My left hand slipped under her thigh, hooking it around my hip, and in one swift movement, I tore her lacy panties in two. She pressed closer, her lips finding mine over and over, each kiss somehow more urgent than the last.

Then, in a sudden burst of motion, I lifted her from the bed, my hands gripping her thighs to support her.

She let out a startled laugh that swiftly turned into a gasp as I carried her to the dresser across the room.

The wooden surface was just the right height.

She braced her palms behind her for balance, eyes shining with anticipation.