Glass Apples: A Modern Steamy Snow White Fairy Tale (Fairly Twisted Tales Book 2)

by Lux Miller

  Still, despite knowing this and somewhat believing it, I can’t stop reliving every breathtaking moment from last night. And it wasn’t even the carnal pleasure of it all that has me utterly intrigued. It was seeing someone that’s been portrayed to me as meek and subservient take the reins and force me to submit to her every will and desire. And despite Raven’s exclamation point on her statement that it’ll never happen again, I can’t help but wonder how close I can get to the forbidden fruit before being cast out of the garden.

  “I can give you the filthy details if you want, but I can almost assure you that you won’t like what I have to say about the matter…”

  Raven flinches, but I can see the curiosity bubbling in her innocent stare. She wants to know what happened - that much is apparent. But if she really doesn’t remember what happened, there’s no way in hell she’s going to be able to hear the details without going into full-on lobster mode. The girl is blushing just looking at me right now, and I’m fully clothed and decidedly not balls-deep inside her like I was last night.

  “Hunter, I’m a big girl. I just want the truth…”

  I shake my head, casting my eyes at the floor so her innocent green stare isn’t judging me. “Raven, you can’t handle the truth…”

  She gasps indignantly and stomps past me and out into the hallway. She wheels around, and it’s the first time I’ve seen even a glimmer of the fire she unleashed last night. “So, that’s how it’s going to be? I won’t let you go for round two of taking advantage of me, so you’re going to be a jerk about it? Haven’t you ever heard of consent?”

  I scoff. What the hell is with this girl? I didn’t even mention it happening again, but she’s stuck on that branch of this screwed-up tree. She said she doesn’t want it to happen again, so she’ll get her wish. It rubs me the wrong way that she thinks I can’t control myself and I’m just a mindless drone on autopilot any time I see a perky set of breasts. And for her to even insinuate that I forced her to do anything she didn’t want to do is causing my vision to cloud with red.

  “You threw yourself at me, Raven! How am I being a jerk about it when it was your idea?”

  Raven shakes her head quickly, her dark locks flying about her face like black wings. “I couldn’t consent because I was high out of my mind!”

  I step over to her, my chest heaving with dread as we get dangerously close to her claiming rape. I hold my index finger up and wave it at her, “I asked you more than once if you were sure this was what you wanted. Every time I asked, you reassured me that it was exactly what you wanted. In fact, if I recall correctly, when I brought up the question of ethics, you told me that your plan was positively evil as you reached your hand into my jeans and wrapped that dainty hand of yours around my dick! The only thing I did last night was follow your orders… like a man bowing to a queen...”

  Her face goes ashen and she closes her eyes. She looks like she’s going to be sick, and I suddenly regret being so defensively angry. It just bothers me to the deepest part of my being that this girl is insinuating that I took advantage of her, or God forbid, that I forced her to do something she didn’t want to do. Whether she regrets it now or not, the fact is that I never would’ve done any of it if she hadn’t explicitly declared that it was what she wanted.

  I drag my hands down my face with a groan, rubbing them hard over my features to try to wake myself up from the nightmare that I’m experiencing right now. I inhale a deep breath and let it out slowly, but when I open my eyes, to my surprise, Raven is gone. She may be diminutive, but the fact that she snuck out in mere seconds while I wasn’t looking tells me she was ready to bolt anyway. I guess we’re going to have to leave our completely uncomfortable situation where it stands.

  Except, it’s not really the end of it. Ms. Bianchi called me this morning and told me that three of the miniature horses are expected to be delivered in the next hour. It’s truthfully the entire reason I’m even dressed at this hour. It’s barely even daylight out. The first streaks of the sun’s rays are ust starting to unfurl across the sky. I’m up even before the roosters and that’s saying something. Those bastards wait for no one.

  I sigh and flick my cowboy hat up onto my head, tugging it down so that the curved brim shades my eyes. It’s not necessary right now, but even in the late fall, the heat can be brutal sometimes when working on the ranch, and the sun blazes no matter the time of year. If I didn’t think I’d look utterly ridiculous, I’d be wearing shades as well. But the miniatures are being delivered to the horse barn, so I’ll be inside for hours getting them acquainted with their new surroundings.

  As I walk across the property, I think back over the last twenty-four hours. I went from being despondent over Poppy’s departure (yeah, she left two weeks ago, but the reality is just setting in that she’s really not coming back to the ranch) to reluctant regarding the new arrival (both the horses and the girl). Then I was elated when she turned out to be feisty and in-tune with the animals, yet astonished when she wanted to fuck the night we met (and stupefied when it was literally the best sex of my life). Now it’s complete confusion and coming to terms with the fact that she probably never wants to see me again.

  Not that she can actually avoid me, but I have a feeling she’s going to go out of her way to not get stuck on the same assignments as me. Which is fine. She was hired to deal with the miniatures, and I’ve already got my hands full with the herd in addition to Liberty, Dallas, and Fiona. I can ensure that our paths don’t cross often if that’s what she wants, despite it being the last thing I want.

  If it were up to me, we’d tackle each task together. At least, that’s how Poppy and I always did it for the year she was here. It seemed to make things go faster throughout the day working together. We always had someone to talk to (and inevitably complain to), and someone to help work out new solutions to old problems that kept cropping up. Like the looming issue we’re facing with the miniatures potentially getting stuck in the fence like Ditsy. Granted, Ditsy isn’t the brightest of animals, but it was never an issue with the horses before because their heads rest well above the fences.

  As it stands, I doubt Raven will want to work with me unless it’s absolutely necessary. To be fair, if what she’s claiming is true, this must be even more awkward for her than it is for me. Even knowing that doesn’t temper the flame burning deep in my gut for her, though. Despite her claim that she has no recollection of our night of passion, part of me wants to have the opportunity to recreate it for her. To make her understand why, even though she’s made it clear it won’t be happening again, I want to repeat it time and time again.

  I hear a frustratedly loud scream as I near the barn, and I pick up speed, dashing inside to see what’s going on. Raven is standing on the outside of the stall, animatedly waving her arms around as she mutters something incoherent under her breath. “Is there a problem here?” She whirls around to look at me, a withering glare on her face as I give her a little shrug.

  She points behind herself and grinds out, “He’s gone and done it again!”

  I raise one eyebrow and inquire, “Who’s done what again?”

  Raven steps aside, and I see what might be both the funniest and most pitiful thing I’ve even seen. Ditsy is stuck… again… and is wildly kicking and squealing like he’s being electrocuted. Which might be an idea for future applications if the other miniatures have this same issue. For now though, we’re going to have to figure out how to get him free before the others arrive. I sigh and shake my head. “Really, Ditsy? Living up to your name, huh?”

  Raven cracks a smile, but looks away almost instantaneously as I too manage to grin a little bit. It really is funny, despite the frustration of the whole situation. I sigh and hold both hands out. “What about the lube we used yesterday?”

  Raven shakes her head. “We used it all. We had to really grease him up yesterday. I don’t think he’s stuck quite as bad today, but we’re fresh out of lube.”

  I chuckle softly and close
my eyes, trying to think of something else we could use. “Well, I guess I could go get some some cooking grease… but then Ditsy is going to smell like french fries probably for the rest of his life. That smell does not come out of fur!”

  Raven groans, so I pop my eyes open. She’s sitting on her knees on the floor of the barn, with both hands pressed against Ditsy’s face between his eyes, desperately twisting and pushing to try to free the terrified horse. That’s when it hits me. “Wait, I know!”

  Raven looks up at me and narrows her eyes. “Well, are you going to stand there all proud of yourself or tell me before Ditsy has a meltdown?”

  I shrug and reach into the back pocket of my jeans. I pull out the nondescript foil packet and toss it at her. It lands in her lap and her eyes go wide. “Are you serious, Hunter?”

  Nodding, I shrug my shoulders. “Don’t give me that look, Raven. I’m not suggesting anything. You made yourself very clear that nothing else would be happening between us, and yes, before you ask… I wrapped it up in one of those before we, uh, well… you know. But seriously… it’s not ideal, but there should be enough lube on that thing to at least slick up his neck enough to free him up.”

  Raven rolls her eyes and rips the packet open with her teeth. I’m not going to lie and say that the scene doesn’t make my dick jump, but at least I know it has nothing to do with her trying to jump on my lap and everything to do with her determination in trying to free the stupid horse. She pulls the condom out of the packet and stretches it between her hands, rubbing the lube between her palms, then massaging the horse’s neck with her hands. She rubs them up over Ditsy’s ears and gives his head a firm, but gentle push. With a loud neigh of protest, Ditsy stumbles backwards out of the fence as Raven sits on the floor of the barn on her butt and laughs, a sweet sound that catches me off guard, and is by the far, the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.

  NINE

  Raven

  Getting some of the sordid details of what happened with Hunter last night was mortifying, but at least it put to bed the worry about what happened. It made things painfully awkward between Hunter and I as a result though, and that’s something I’m going to have to accept. He’s not tiptoeing around me like he’s going to break me, but he’s much quieter today than he was yesterday. Aspen described Hunter as boisterous and outgoing… a far cry from the reserved demeanor he’s displaying today.

  After Ditsy got stuck in the fencing once again, Hunter devised a plan to fix the fencing, at least temporarily until something else can be done. He’s currently affixing two-by-fours across the bars from the inside of the stall to block off access to the bars. The other miniatures that are coming today haven’t arrived just yet, but they’re due any minute. I’ve been tasked with keeping Ditsy out of the way while Hunter works, and it’s a task that’s easier said than done.

  More than once, Ditsy has dragged me back into the stall where he promptly sniffs at Hunter’s ass, then tries to headbutt him into the bars. I’ve managed to pull Ditsy back every time but the last one. On that one, I was distracted briefly by one of the Anatolian puppies wandering into the horse barn. It’s not that I’ve never seen a puppy before, or that there was anything particularly unusual about this puppy. But there’s a mischievous streak in that one that stole my attention away for the whole five seconds it took for Ditsy to trot up behind Hunter and knock him over into the bars.

  Thankfully, the crash into the fence didn’t knock him out, but he’s probably going to have a lovely bruise on his face from the impact. Ditsy might be a miniature horse, but I’d bet he still weighs over two hundred pounds, and I’m pretty sure he put his all weight into that hit. Hunter stands up and rubs at his face with his hand, then scowls at the horse. Ditsy just trots back over to me like it’s no big deal and hides behind me. Hunter groans and slams his hat back over his head. “That one, I swear… has it out for me!”

  I shrug as I giggle softly. Glancing over my shoulder at the innocent-looking horse behind me, I scold Ditsy, “That wasn’t nice, you little rascal.”

  Ditsy nickers at me and paws at the crushed hay that litters the floor of the barn. I just shake my head slowly and look over at Hunter, a look of sympathy on my face. “Are you okay?”

  Hunter shrugs, turning his back to me as he kneels down inside the stall to finish installing the final board on this side. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Just don’t let Ditsy out. I don’t really want to chase down a horse with a vendetta against me.”

  I watch his broad back as he works, keeping a hand on Ditsy’s bridle so he doesn’t slip away while I’m otherwise distracted. The muscles across Hunter’s shoulder blades bunch and ripple with his movements as he nails in the final corner of the board. He brings his gloved hand up and across his face, and I gasp when he drops it back down beside himself. “Hunter! You’re hurt!”

  He shrugs again, “Nothing a little time won’t heal. Didn’t knock out any teeth this time at least.”

  I frown, trying to figure out if he’s joking or not. I got a good look at his teeth the first time I saw him smile, and he’s not missing any. In fact, they’re nice and straight and damn-near blindingly white. They’re the kind of teeth that one pays a lot of money to obtain. Nobody is born with teeth that perfect. “What’re you talking about, Hunter? Your teeth are fine…”

  Hunter chuckles as he wipes his bloody hand on his jeans, then stands up and dusts himself off. Some of the dust clings to a sticky, dark patch of blood on his jeans, and when he turns around, I can see that it’s his nose that’s bleeding. “Oberton Family Dentistry is great with payment plans… just paid them off a couple weeks ago. You like them? They cost a small fortune… and I’ve that one to thank for them.”

  He motions haphazardly at Liberty’s stall, then looks at me pointedly. “When I tell you to stay away from Liberty, I want you to know that I mean it. She’s dangerous, and I’m a good example of just how dangerous she can be. I was lucky she got me with her front leg. If she’d back-kicked me, she’d have shattered my damn face. Like she shattered Poppy’s clavicle.”

  I stumble back as he makes his revelation. “Liberty kicked you in the face?!?”

  Hunter shakes his head. “Nah, she stomped me in the face.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Poh-tay-toes, Poh-tah-toes… the horse’s foot injured you. Why’s that horse still here?”

  He shrugs and gives me a look like the answer should be obvious. “She’s not a bad horse. She just has a bad temperament. Somewhere out there, there’s a rider than can ride her, but it isn’t me… and it sure isn’t my sister. Liberty threw her off, and that’s why you now have a job, so you should be thanking Liberty for the opportunity, not criticizing her.”

  My mouth falls open. Did Hunter just scold me for being concerned about the danger this horse could pose to not only myself, but to him as well? He obviously has a history with her, but I don’t know if I’d have the same tolerance for an animal that’s clearly disobedient.

  Hunter smirks and swipes at his face again, then motions to where he’s fixed the fence. “Put him in. See if the genius gets stuck again.”

  I frown at him, but do exactly like he says. Leading Ditsy inside the stall, I pop him lightly on the hindquarters, and he trots on into the stall, walks over to the repair and sniff at it, then nickers loudly as he glances back over his shoulder at me like I’m a traitor. Shaking my head with a laugh, I respond, “As cute as you are, I don’t think I want to spend every day of the next few weeks rubbing lube all over you to get you unstuck. That’s not anybody’s idea of a good time, no matter how kinky they might be.”

  I can’t help but let my gaze wander over to Hunter. Silently, I curse myself when I find him staring at me with a look of intrigue on his face. I can feel my ears burning as a sly grin spreads across his face. A realization of horror grips me as I see more crimson red liquid flow out of his nose. He grumbles and swipes his hand at it once again, but this time, all he manages to do is smear it across his
face.

  He grunts, turns, and spits out a mouthful of blood onto the hay. He looks over at me, and my stomach lurches to see that his perfect smile is tinged with blood. He chuckles as he looks dead at me, “Seems Ditsy here’s a bigger danger to me than Liberty.”

  He steps out of the stall and closes the gate, locking it into place as Ditsy nickers mournfully. I do feel bad for Ditsy, but he kinda made that bed for himself. I sigh and step over to Hunter, resting my hand gently against his cheek. “You’re still actively bleeding, Hunter. We should get you cleaned up.”

  Hunter opens his mouth to protest, but I place my hand over it and shake my head. “The blood’s coming from your nose. You should go to a doctor to check that you didn’t break it.”

  He grunts and crosses his arms, “You mean that Ditsy didn’t break it?”

  I roll my eyes, then shift my gaze to meet his. “Don’t be a smartass, cowboy. Does it feel broken?”

  He shakes his head and leans around me to grab a rag that he presses to his nose for several moments, before balling it up and doing it again. When he pulls it away, there’s fresh blood on its dingy surface, but not as much as before. He shows it to me, and bounces his shoulders. “It’s stopping… see? It’s not broken. Trust me, I’ve been there, done that. Did you know horses’ll headbutt you in the face, too?”