Page 102 of His Ruthless Match

“Don’t let it go to your head, Delgado.”

She just laughed again, that light, melodic giggle that made my stomach somersault. It was the hottest thing I’d ever witnessed: Eva, naked on her back, her hair tangled, her cheeks flushed as she laughed.

I wrapped an arm around her waist, and she slid her leg over mine. We both smelled of sex, and the cool air from the open brushed our damp skin. Yet, I couldn’t imagine feeling more comfortable. More satiated.

More in love.

Why am I thinking about love?The word hovered there, dangerous and thrilling in equal measure. I tried to brush it aside. This was supposed to be a straightforward, no-strings-attached romp, right? Just an old-fashioned shag, as I’d told myself earlier. But the way my heart refused to settle into its normal rhythm told me we’d crossed some unseen boundary.

Eva looked at me with half-lidded eyes that held a question I couldn’t answer. I tried to smile reassuringly, but I wasn’t entirely sure what reassurance she might need.

“You’re incredible,” I murmured.

Her eyes softened. “So are you.”

I let out a quiet huff. “You’re just saying that because you?—”

She silenced me with a gentle kiss that made my heart skip a beat. When she pulled back, her eyes traced over my features like she was committing them to memory. That kind of scrutiny usually made me uneasy, but under her gaze, I felt oddly safe.

“Stay,” she whispered, a hint of vulnerability creeping into her tone. “At least for tonight.”

I brushed my thumb over her lower lip. “I’m not going anywhere,” I promised, and I meant it in more ways than one. As long as threats lingered outside her door, I’d be right here, making sure no one harmed her. But I also couldn’t deny that a part of me wanted to stay in her bed for more personal reasons—reasons that had nothing to do with my bodyguard duties.

Satisfied, she let her eyelids droop. It was late, and we’d had more than a few drinks earlier. Coupled with the intensity of what had just happened, it was no wonder she was seconds from sleep. I pulled her closer, and she curled against my chest.

I considered getting up to do a security check—lock the windows, make sure the alarm was set—but then Eva sighed contentedly, and the weariness hit me all at once. Just for one night, I let myself trust the locked door would be enough. Let the outside world keep its distance.

The gentle weight of Eva’s body against mine and her warm breath on my neck lulled me toward the brink of sleep. My mind drifted, replaying flashes of the night: her laughter in the hallway, her voice urging me to lock the door, the way she looked on the kitchen counter, the unstoppable flood of emotion as we came together. Each memory brought a surprising surge of tenderness that warred with the cynicism I’d used as armor for so long.

In the hush of her bedroom, with the faint glow of the city lights seeping around the curtains, I realized how foreign it felt to simply be at peace. My life was all about survival, stealth, and strategy. Now, here I was, lost in the embrace of a woman who was so much more than she seemed. Eva had awakened feelings in me that I wasn’t entirely ready to confront.

But I pushed those worries aside. Right now, her even breathing was all that mattered. The tension in her muscleseased as she slipped deeper into sleep. I could tell the moment she crossed that threshold because her arm relaxed across my chest, and a soft sigh fell from her parted lips.

29

EVA

Istretched 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.