Page 8 of My Ruthless Opponent

He knows what makes me tick, and how to get a rise out of me. That’s why he doesn’t miss a chance to make me uneasy.

I can practically feel his warm breath whispering along my cheek.

If he thinks he can get any reaction out of me tonight, he’s going to be disappointed.

I take my sweet time to face him.

Any other gentleman would step back because of the hair’s breadth space between us but not Raleigh.

He’s wearing an olive-green field jacket over a black t-shirt and dark wash jeans. The sleeves of the jacket are bunched up around his elbows, showcasing the tattoos on his forearm.

Several leather bracelets are wrapped around his tattooed wrist, his fingers glinting with metal rings.

My eyes slide up slowly, stopping for a second on the coin charm of his thin necklace. I finally lock eyes with him.

“RJ.”

I smirk when a muscle in his jaw jumps. His baby blue eyes turn glacial.

Everyone calls him RJ and he is okay with that. But when I call him that, he loses it. Not literally, but I see plenty of signs which say he’s seconds away from strangling me.

I rolled my eyes so hard when I first heard about the whole Ruthless Jackson nickname thing, I was afraid they might get stuck at the back of my skull.

I did witness him in action. He is hard on his team members and interns when it comes to attaining perfection. Yes, heisruthless.

He is fucking unstoppable when he puts his mind to something. Raleigh is designed like that.

But women call him RJ in a totally different context.

They use that nickname to flirt with him by batting their eyelashes.

Raleigh loves all the attention he garners and basks in it. I on the other hand use it as an insult. And he knows it. He is fully aware of it, all right.

I spew it with so much distaste and hatred that it usually sours his mood instantly. Like now.

I don’t remember exactly when we started pestering each other with these “endearments” but it feels good.

My eyes fall on his lips. His lower lip is slightly swollen at the corner, a red bruise marring it. I frown.

“What happened to your lip?” I almost reach up to touch his lip with my fingers.

He clutches his heart. His blue eyes are gleaming with mirth. “Aww. Your concern touched me, princess.”

I just blink at him.

He tilts his head. We are still standing too close to each other. I thank my 4-inch pumps for boosting my five feet six height. But it still falls short in front of Raleigh. I still have to gaze up to meet his eyes.

“Can I know the reason behind your curiosity?”

“No.” I deadpan. And he throws his head back in laughter.

He sobers up then leans down. That’s when I realize I should’ve kept my mouth shut. I swallow but don’t step back. Doing so would entail that he affects me.

He stops when his lips are mere inches away from mine. “Are you gonna kiss it better if I answer your question?”

I scoff and push him. He laughs again.

My face is hot with embarrassment. Damn him. I know what he just did. He easily carved a way out to avoid answering my question.

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