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 left 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.”