Page 94 of His Ruthless Match

Eva approached with Nadia and Theo in tow, her smile lighting up the space around her. She came so close to hugging me that I tensed in surprise, but at the last second, she stopped herself and smoothed down her skirt instead.

“I’m really happy for you,” I said.

Theo grinned at me. “Good, because you’re coming to celebrate with us.”

I glanced at Eva for confirmation.

“Another firm helped us out on this case,” she explained. “We’ve all become good friends. They’ve invited us to grab drinks at a bar up the street. You’re welcome to come.”

I studied her. Eva didn’t strike me as someone who hung out with colleagues for fun. Still, I nodded. “All right. But I’m not leaving your side.”

Eva pulled me aside, lowering her voice. “If you’re coming, you need to pretend to be someone else. You can’t just tell people you’re my bodyguard.”

I smirked, enjoying how flustered she was. “What, like at the gala? Should I pretend to be your boyfriend again?”

She rolled her eyes. “No. But it would look bad if my colleagues thought I needed a bodyguard. They’ll think I can’t handle myself, or that it’s because of Genevieve’s drama.”

“Got it. So, what should I be? A stockbroker? A lawyer?”

Eva shot me a warning look. “Whatever you come up with, just don’t make it weird.”

“No promises,” I teased.

“So, if Jareth comes with us, he’ll need to pretend to be someone else,” she said to Theo and Nadia. “I don’t need anyone else knowing I have a personal bodyguard.”

Theo’s eyebrows shot up, his grin wide. “Oh, I love a good roleplay. What’s the plan, Jareth? You gonna be a former Navy SEAL turned chef? Or maybe a mysterious art dealer who specializes in rare sculptures?”

I shook my head, laughing. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Guilty,” Theo said, winking at Eva. “But seriously, Jareth, don’t screw this up. First impressions are everything.”

I glanced at Eva, who was watching me with that mix of skepticism and exasperation I’d come to know so well. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she sighed and said, “Worst-case scenario, we’ll make up an excuse for you to leave early.”

“Not gonna happen,” I said. “I’m staying the whole time. Nice try, though.”

Eva narrowed her eyes, but she didn’t argue.

Theo clapped me on the back as we headed for the door, his grin still firmly in place. “This is going to be fun.”

“Define fun,” I muttered, bracing myself for whatever ridiculous situation I was about to walk into.

The bar wasalive with energy and designed to make you forget about the daily grind. Warm lighting bathed the room, and the sound of laughter, clinking glasses, and music from an old jukebox filled the space. Not that I knew what the fuck ajukeboxwas, but Eva had pointed to it as soon as we arrived.

One of Eva’s friends pointed to our heads and laughed. “What’s the deal with the wigs?”

Eva’s mouth dropped open, but no sound came out. Shit. We meant to remove them before walking into the bar.

I pulled the wig off her head. “We like to roleplay. You know, to keep things spicy. Especially when we’re walking the streets. Don’t we, honey?”

Eva glared at me but forced a smirk. “That’s right.Honey.”

And, just like that, I was playing the role of Eva’s boyfriend again. Everyone laughed and shrugged us off as Eva stuffed our wigs in her briefcase.

I followed Eva and her crew to a corner booth, sweeping the crowd for anything that looked out of place. No immediate threats, just a lot of suits unwinding and spilling overpriced cocktails.

Eva was glowing, her earlier irritation with me buried under the victory she was still riding high on. When it came time to introduce me to the people from the other law firm, her pause was deliberate.