Page 142 of His Ruthless Match

“That’s what I thought,” he drawled languidly. Beneath the casual tone, I sensed something predatory. Jareth was a man who wore cockiness like a second skin, but this was more than mere ego. This was a calculated push, a test—and I was failing it spectacularly.

A quiet click of the keys echoed in the stillness of the room. Jareth typed something else into the search bar, his fingers moving slowly, almost suggestively. I caught a glimpse of the new words he typed before he pressed Enter.ORAL SEX. He settled back in his seat, eyes darkening as he scanned the images or links that popped up.

“Seriously?” I managed, my voice embarrassingly breathy. My pulse hammered so loudly in my ears that I only half registered the roll of thunder outside.

“Relax,” Jareth said, still in that same offhanded tone. “If you’ll stop being such a prude, you might learn something.”

“I don’t—” I began but faltered as he turned in his chair to look at me fully. There was heat in his gaze, a challenge that made my breath catch.

“Don’t what?” he teased, leaning closer. “Don’t want to? Don’t need to? Or don’t know how to admit you’re enjoying this?”

That made me bristle, but even so, a traitorous quiver raced down my spine. “You’re the worst, Jareth.”

“And you’re still sitting here, watching the screen while your cheeks grow redder and redder.” His voice dropped, the casual edge softening but no less insistent. “If you want me to stop, say the word.”

I forced my eyes away from him and stared at my own blank screen. My lips parted, but no words emerged. There was a magnetism in him I couldn’t deny, and an annoying little voice in my head whispered that I didn’t actuallywanthim to stop.

Jareth’s fingers brushed against my wrist. The featherlight touch sent a jolt of electricity through. I tensed, my heart in my throat.

“You keep testing me, Delgado. Careful, or you’ll get exactly what you’re asking for.”

Defiance and excitement twisted in my stomach. “What if I want that?” The words left my mouth before I could filter them. My tone was surprisingly steady, even if my pulse was not.

He chuckled roughly. “Then you’d better be ready.”

Without another word, Jareth grabbed the silk scarf I’d draped over the back of the chair. My mind sputtered, torn between protesting and succumbing to the anticipation surging through me.

“What are you?—?”

“Do you trust me, Eva?”

I nodded.

“Are you comfortable with me tying you up? I promise to be gentle.”

Tying me up? That was new. Desire pooled deep inside me. “Okay. But shouldn’t we set boundaries?”

Jareth nodded. “Of course. I’d like to explore every fucking inch of you, Eva. And I’d like to be in control. But if you tell me to stop, I will.

I nodded even though a thousand impulses warred inside me: to stand, to run, to protest. I didn’t like giving up control. But none of those impulses prevailed over the trust I had in Jareth. I remained seated, heart pounding as Jareth moved behind my chair. He nudged me forward and drew my hands behind my back. The silk slid over my skin like a whisper. He looped it once, then twice, and I felt the tension of the material binding my hands. The sensation was intense, terrifying, and exhilarating all at once. Every nerve in my body hummed.

He secured the ends of the scarf, then checked the knots. “Too tight?” he asked.

“No.” My mouth felt dry, but my entire body thrummed with awareness. “It’s fine.”

Satisfied, he stepped in front of me and tilted my chin up with a single finger. The molten intensity in his eyes made me feel simultaneously fragile and fierce. “Don’t move.”

His lips claimed mine, and all my worries fell away. Nothing else mattered in this moment but him and me. The kiss began slowly, testing and deliberate. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat. Bound hands or not, I found myself leaning into him, seeking more of that dangerous heat.

Jareth’s hands traveled down my shoulders to my waist, then around to my back, as though memorizing my shape. My senses sharpened. Every brush of his fingertips was magnified by me not being able to touch him. When he broke the kiss, I gaspedfor air, my eyes fluttering open. His gaze was dark and full of hunger.

“I like you like this,” he breathed, a rough edge to his voice. “Restrained and at my mercy.”

A spark of alarm mingled with desire. I had given him this control, and some part of me relished it.

His gaze roamed over me. “You look absolutely gorgeous.” A thunderclap sounded in the distance, and the storm outside raged louder. The corners of his mouth curved into a wolfish grin. “Now let’s see what else you’ve been hiding.”

He slowly lifted my shirt enough to reveal my lacy bra. Even as a flush of self-consciousness warmed my cheeks, a thrill rippled through me at the pure, unadulterated lust in his eyes.