Page 27 of The Love Bitten Series: Vol 2

I still had questions before I would be willing to commit my life to this man, though. Especially if it was going to be an eternal one. I needed a little distance between us if I had any hope of holding out long enough to decide if becoming his consort was what I wanted. The pull between us had already been strong back in the alley outside the convenience store, and it had only grown since then. It had taken everything I had inside me to run from him, drawing on all the anger I’d been feeling at the idea of having no control over my future. But my orgasm had drained any lingering resistance from my body, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to stop myself from giving him any promise he wanted so I could feel him moving inside me.

I scrambled off his lap, and Jareth’s bright blue gaze dropped to my chest. He didn’t bother masking the lust in his eyes, and goose bumps spread across my skin. “You can’t look at me like you’re going to devour me.”

“Sorry, sweetheart. That’s a promise I can’t make.” His lips curved into a smile of pure masculine satisfaction even while I tugged the bodice of my dress up to cover my breasts. “There’s no hiding how much I want you. I’m always going to be in the mood to sink my tongue, fingers, cock, and fangs into you.”

His possessiveness earlier must have sparked something inside me because instead of telling him off for his presumptuousness, I narrowed my eyes and growled, “You better not know that because of past experiences with other women.”

“Are you jealous, sweetheart?” His grin widened and turned smug before he slowly licked his bottom lip. “You have no reason to be. I’ve never so much as felt the tiniest twitch in my dick until I touched you. I’m as much a novice when it comes to sensual pleasure as you are. Your pussy is the only one I’ve ever tasted, and you can rest assured that it’s the only one I’ll ever want to devour.”

My nipples pebbled beneath his stare, so I crossed my arms over my chest to hide the visual proof of how quickly he was able to turn me on again. “Only because of destiny.” I tried not to sound like I was pouting, but it bothered me that I was more than physically attracted to Jareth. Yet, his desire for me was a trick of fate.

Jareth scooted closer, his thigh pressing against mine as he leaned in to stroke his thumb against my cheek. “You say that as though it’s a bad thing, but I’m thanking my lucky stars. Fate saw fit to pair me with a gorgeous woman with a fiery spirit who’ll always keep me on my toes.”

I pressed my lips together to stop myself from smiling at his compliment. “Even though I’m not going to just meekly accept that we belong together, and you’ll have to work for it?”

“I’m more than happy to do whatever it takes to make you mine, Narkissa.” Butterflies swirled in my belly as he stroked his nose against mine. “Ask me as many questions as you want, and I’ll answer every single one of them honestly. If you’re in the mood for candlelight and romance, I’ll arrange a date you’ll never forget. Want an orgasm or a dozen? I’ll give them to you. Just maybe try to refrain from punching me again.”

“Sorry about that,” I whispered, pressing a quick kiss against his jaw before pulling away to put a little space between us again. “The self-defense training my dad insisted on kicked in, and the next thing I knew, I was slamming my fist against your jaw.”

“You’ve got one hell of a right hook.” He stroked his fingers over the dark stubble covering his jaw. “It hurt like a motherfucker, but you can be damn sure I’ll be thanking your father for looking after you so well for me.”

“I’m fairly certain you won’t want to do that once you get to know my parents.” I heaved a deep sigh and leaned against the arm of the couch, propping my chin up in the palm of my hand. “From what you’ve told me so far, my family isn’t anything like yours.”

A muscle jumped in his jaw, his bright blue eyes burning with anger as he asked, “Your father isn’t any better than your mother?”

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly.” I shrugged and wrinkled my nose. “It’s just that she sets the bar so darn low. He can pretty much step over it with very little effort.”

He gave me a sharp nod. “Your family is the reason you’re leery of people with money.”

His words were a statement instead of a question, but I answered anyway. “Without a doubt. My mother married my dad for money, my sister is following in her footsteps, and none of them understand why I don’t want to have anything to do with any of the men my dad has brought home for dinner at my mother’s urging.”

Jareth shook his head and fisted his hands. “Yes, you’re right. I won’t be thanking your father for shit. I’ll be too busy trying to stop myself from kicking his ass.”

His growly response made me smile. “On the plus side, I’m fairly certain you’ll get my mother’s stamp of approval.”

“I couldn’t care less about her opinion of me. Yours is the only one that matters.” He flashed me a sexy grin. “But just in case you’re worried, my parents are going to be thrilled as fuck with you. And not just because I’ve waited so long to find you. They’re going to thoroughly enjoy your fierce personality. I have no doubt you’ll fit into the Bancroft clan quite nicely.”

I wasn’t sure how the whole consort thing worked, but with every moment we spent together, I felt the bond between us growing. And with everything he said, I found myself wanting to belong to him more and more. I couldn’t possibly have found a man more perfect for me if I’d searched the rest of my life. Jareth seemed to be everything I’d ever wanted in a partner, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was silly for me to fight against my destiny when I was being handed my dream man on a silver platter. Especially when my fate was certain to include more pleasure than I ever thought possible.

“When you said you wouldn’t take me until I agreed to be yours forever, was that because I’ll officially become your consort once we sleep together?”

“You’re already my consort, sweetheart.” His gaze drifted lower, lingering on my pebbled nipples as his lips curved into a wicked grin. “Something your body has already conceded, even if you’re determined to deny the reality of our situation.”

I let out a little huff of exasperation. “You know what I meant, Jareth.”

“True,” he conceded as his smile widened. The man definitely hadn’t been joking when he said he enjoyed my feistiness, which was yet another mark in the plus column for him. The minus column remained empty. “There’s more to the claiming than just sex. The rituals involved will amplify every sensation. From what I’ve been told, the pleasure of regular sex, no matter how good, will pale in comparison to what’ll happen when I claim you. And that doesn’t even take into account how the exchange of vows will make us feel. The cementing of our bond is supposed to be a powerful thing.”

My orgasm already had me wondering how much better sex would be than him getting me off with his hand. “I guess it’d have to be if we’re going to spend eternity together.”

“There are no ifs about it, Narkissa.” He slid across the couch cushions until he was only a few inches away from me. “I get that this is a lot to take in, especially after what you went through with the nest at the convenience store. It’s understandable that you might need some time to wrap your head around everything you’ve learned tonight. I’m okay with giving you what you need to come to terms with it all. I want you to be one-hundred percent on board when you accept my claim. But you need to know that itisgoing to happen, just on your schedule.”

I pressed my thighs together to relieve the ache between them as I muttered, “I wish I hated your confidence, but it’s really sexy.”

“What can I say?” He flashed me a completely unapologetic grin as he shrugged. “Now that I’ve finally found you, I have every reason to be optimistic as fuck.”

“Here’s the thing.” I reached out to snag his tie with my hand, wrapping the silk material around my fist to yank him closer. “If I learned anything about relationships from my parents, it’s that the only way this thing between us is going to work is if it’s a two-way street.”

He leaned in, and his breath was hot against my lips as he murmured, “I’m not sure I understand, sweetheart.”

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