Page 51 of His Ruthless Match
“Oh, you’re going to regret that,” I growled, lunging forward to return fire.
We spent the next few minutes splashing each other. The water glittered as it arced through the air, catching the pale light before crashing back into the restless ocean. Eva was relentless in her attack on me. Her laughter carried over the sound of the waves. It wasn’t the usual sharp-edged wit or sarcastic bite. It was a real, unrestrained laugh that made something in me go still for a moment. It was pure, untamed joy.
The sound hit me harder than expected and loosened a knot deep inside me that I hadn’t known was there. I wasn’t sure what to do with the warmth spreading through my chest, but it made me want to hear her laugh again and again.
I splashed her again, this time drenching her hair. Squealing, she pushed the wet strands out of her face.
“Jareth, you?—”
“—are winning!” I interrupted, grinning like an idiot as I dodged her retaliation attempt.
“You areinsufferable,” she yelled, but the grin stretching across her face betrayed her words. She didn’t mean it.
“Insufferable and undefeated!” I crowed.
Her eyes narrowed, her grin sharpening as if she were plotting her revenge. She took a few steps back, letting the water ripple around her legs. For a moment, I thought she might surrender, but then she surged forward, scooping up as much water as she could and flinging it straight at me.
The cold shock hit me square in the face, and I staggered, laughing despite myself. “Cheap shot!”
“All’s fair.”
I splashed water in her direction with both hands. Eva turned, trying to shield herself, but my aim was perfect. The water hit her shoulder, splattering her dress even more. She gasped and spun around, her eyes wide with playful outrage.
“Jareth Lanza, you are a menace!”
“Guilty as charged.” I shrugged, though it wasn’t as effective with my shirt plastered to my skin.
Eva’s laughter continued, wild and free, as if she’d forgotten the world. I didn’t want her to stop. Seeing her like this—her cheeks flushed, her smile so bright it could rival the stars—was something else entirely. She wasn’t the guarded, sharp-tongued woman who spent half her time trying to put me in my place.
She was radiant.
It took a hell of a lot of willpower to restrain my cougar because he was just as enamored with Eva Delgado and her entrancing laugh.
She splashed me again, and I decided to call a truce. “All right, all right! Truce!” I said, holding my hands up in surrender.
Eva froze, her hands mid-splash, eyeing me suspiciously. “Truce?”
“Truce,” I confirmed. “For now.”
She raised an eyebrow but lowered her hands. “Good, because I’m about two seconds away from hypothermia.”
“Not my fault you can’t keep up,” I teased, but my tone lacked its usual bite.
She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to wringing water from the hem of her dress. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
“So I’ve been told,” I replied, watching her more closely than I probably should have. Her hair was plastered to her face, her cheeks glowing pink from the cold and exertion. Her dress clung to her in all the right places, and I forced myself to look away before my thoughts wandered too far.
“God, I’m soaked,” she muttered, twisting her hair to squeeze the water out.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
She took a step closer, her bare feet sinking into the wet sand, and tilted her head to look up at me. “You know, for someone who claims to be my bodyguard, you’re not very good at keeping me dry and safe.”
“That wasn’t part of the job description. I’m just here to keep you alive, not comfortable.”
“Good to know,” she said, shaking her head, though the corners of her mouth quirked upward.
The playful energy between us shifted into something more. The quiet roar of the ocean filled the space as we stood there, soaked to the bone and catching our breath. Her gaze met mine, and I couldn’t look away. There was something in her expression—something unguarded, just for a second—that made my chest tighten.
