Page 90 of His Ruthless Match

Jareth straightened. “That was a spark of fucking magic.”

I laughed in disbelief. “Genevieve is not a magical being.”

“You sure about that?” he asked, his tone serious. “Because that flash says otherwise.”

Frustration boiled inside me. “Of course, I’m sure. The whole world knows her story—her family’s story. There have been documentaries, interviews, everything. She’s as human as they come.”

“Well, that didn’t look human to me. And need I remind you of the remnants of magic I picked up on in Genevieve’s hotel room? Something magic related is definitely afoot.”

I replayed the footage again and again. The flash was faint but undeniable. What could this mean? I’d hoped it would be anything but magic, that it would be something I could legally manhandle into cooperation, but this…

“So, this confirms it,” I said. “What we’re dealing with definitely goes beyond the human world. Right?”

Jareth nodded. “Seems that way.”

I drummed my nails on the desk. “This just keeps getting more complicated.”

“Agreed.” Jareth cracked his knuckles. “We need to get to the bottom of this, because a magical being targeting a human is not the fucking norm. It’s unheard of, really. I’ll reach out to some of my contacts to see if they’ve heard anything.”

Jareth trailed me as I stood from my desk and walked to the bathroom. Hopefully, he’d take the hint and give me a few minutes of privacy. But, of course, the man was like a shadow—persistent, unavoidable, and mildly infuriating.

I pushed open the bathroom door and, as expected, Jareth followed me right in. I stopped dead, turning to glare at him.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I demanded, hands on my hips.

Jareth didn’t miss a beat. “Quick sweep. Can’t be too careful.”

I groaned as he proceeded to check each stall with the efficiency of someone who was either very serious about security or just trying to annoy me. “You’re doing this on purpose.”

He gave me a grin that was as smug as it was charming. “Can you blame me? The ladies’ room has always been shrouded in mystery. I couldn’t resist.”

I crossed my arms, doing my best to suppress the urge to shove him out the door. “Very funny. Now get out.”

Jareth finished his so-called sweep, then bowed dramatically and gestured to the nearest stall. “The throne is all yours, princess.”

I glared at him until he finally stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. Grumbling to myself, I ducked into the stall to finally relieve myself.

Having a six-foot-something, impossibly good-looking bodyguard following me around was starting to get old. I knew Jareth was only doing his job. But the lack of privacy and constant hovering was grating on me.

I finished up and washed my hands, taking a deep breath to calm my simmering irritation. When I stepped out, I found Theo had cornered Jareth.

“Your skin is flawless. Seriously, what’s your regimen? You’re not exfoliating too much, are you? That’s a common mistake, especially for guys.”

Jareth looked alarmed. “I don’t know what exfoliating is,” he said slowly. “But it sounds awful.”

Theo let out a loud, dramatic laugh and swatted Jareth’s shoulder. “You’re too much! You’ve never heard of exfoliation? It’s life-changing. Truly.”

Jareth looked at me, silently begging to be rescued. I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and watched the scene unfold. It was rare to see him so flustered, and I wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.

“If you ever need help figuring out what products to use, I’d be happy to give you a rundown of the basics. I could bring my stuff here, or you could come over.”

“Oh. No, thanks.” Jareth stood straighter and cleared his throat. “I think I’m good with an old-fashioned bar of soap. You know, the manly kind without essential oils and whatever the fuck else is in the kind of stuff Eva uses.”

Theo laughed again.

After letting Jareth suffer for a few more moments, I stepped in. “Theo, I need to steal Jareth from you. I have to stop by the courthouse on the way home.” I held up a hand. “Of course, if you two would like to continue your conversation about skincare, I really don’t need an escort. I’ll be fine.”

“No.” Jareth practically ran in my direction. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”