Snow White Espionage (Barely a Fairy Tale Book 2)

by Maggie Dallen

  He saw too much. He threw her off her game. He made her feel things she didn’t want to feel. “I hate him.” The tiny hiccup of a sob that escaped took some of the power out of the words but it still felt good to say them. Even if Mack was looking at her in obvious disbelief.

  “You hate him, huh? Well, I guess that’s as close as you’ll get to admitting you love him tonight.”

  Jenna opened her mouth to protest but Mack was already walking away, heading back toward the kitchen. “Come on, sis. We’ll eat some pork dumplings, drink too much wine, and eventually I’ll get the truth out of you.”

  Jenna followed in silence. Food sounded horrible but wine… wine she could do. As for telling the truth? Even if she had thought that what she’d felt might possibly be love—there was no way she’d admit to it.

  Hunter was still in a daze the next morning. He’d alternated between extreme anger and aching pain all night as Jenna’s words played on a loop. No amount of whiskey had diluted their effect…the drinks only added to his Monday morning misery.

  He was half hoping that Jenna would be at Knight & Knight that morning, though he had no idea what he would say to her if she was. There was no sign of her in the office she’d been using last week.

  Probably for the best. Good riddance. She’d shown her true colors yesterday and proved beyond a doubt that he was an epically terrible judge of character when it came to love. Fine. So be it. He’d go back to his original plan and start fresh in Chicago and forget this past week ever happened.

  Yeah, right. The tightness in his chest mocked him. Or maybe that was his gut talking. How many years had he bragged about his keen instincts? He couldn’t count how many times he’d gone with his gut. Well, look where that had gotten him this time.

  Clearly he’d lost his killer instincts because he’d been so sure he knew the real Jenna. He’d been so cocky, reveling in the fact that he was one of the rare few who saw the genuine, kind, incredible woman she hid so well behind that ironclad façade.

  What an idiot. Turned out that what he saw was what he got when it came to Jenna. It wasn’t a façade, after all. Maybe he’d been projecting… Trying to see something in her that he wanted to be there.

  Hell, even now after everything she’d said yesterday, he found himself wanting to rationalize her actions. His stupid, traitorous gut was shouting at him to trust in her. There had to be some explanation.

  He firmly shut down that voice. It would be a long time before he trusted those instincts when it came to women. What was that saying? Fool me once….

  “Hunter, what a surprise.” Margaret’s voice brought him back to the present. She was coming down the hall from the opposite direction and gestured for him to follow her into her office.

  When they entered, he was surprised to find Donald sitting in a chair by the window, looking at home in Margaret’s office. He glanced up when they entered. “Ah, Mr. McCaffrey. Margaret has told me all about you. Thank you for your services. Without your digging, we might never have learned the truth about our daughter.”

  Our…daughter? “You mean Jenna? What about her?”

  Donald and Margaret exchanged a look. “No, I meant Andrea.” Jenna’s father proceeded to give him a short recap of the meeting from which he’d been dismissed.

  “I would have thought Jenna told you about her newfound sister,” Margaret added. “From what I hear, you two have been getting quite close this week.”

  From what she heard…what exactly had she heard? Before he could ask, Jenna’s father continued.

  “Don’t tell me you’re here to plead for Jenna’s payment like she did for you. That would be a bit too O. Henry for my tastes.” He gave Hunter a smile that looked slightly unnatural on such a stern face as Hunter tried to make sense of what he’d just said. “Besides, Margaret and I already agreed that you and Jenna have both earned your wages. Having our daughter in our lives is worth two payments.”

  “Jenna pleaded for me?” That was the only think he could say in response. But really, why on earth would she go to bat for him when she was so ready to cut him out of her life?

  Margaret rolled her eyes. “She was worried that you wouldn’t get your bonus because Andrea came forward before you brought her little escapades to light.”

  Little escapades. That’s what they were? But he couldn’t think about that now. His mind was too busy racing through all the reasons Jenna might confront her ex-stepmother on his behalf if she truly didn’t care.

  He couldn’t think of a single reason. What would she have to gain from him getting his paycheck? Unless she did care, after all….

  Hope flared up inside him, temporarily banishing the pain. Easy, tiger. He still didn’t have the full story. And just because she’d wanted to ensure he got paid, that didn’t erase all the hurtful things she’d said yesterday.

  Margaret went to her desk and started pushing papers aside. “I have your check here somewhere. Frankly, I’m surprised to see you this morning.”

  He raised his eyebrows in surprise but the look was lost on her as she continued digging through stacks of papers. “Why’s that?”

  “I thought you’d be halfway to Chicago by now. Last time we talked you sounded like you couldn’t wait to get out of town to start your new life.” She fished the check out from under a sheaf of papers and held it up in triumph. “There it is!”

  A new suspicion had him standing there frozen, temporarily unable to cross the short distance that kept him from his check. Finally, he found the words he was looking for. “Did you tell Jenna that?”

  Margaret blinked at him. “Tell her what, dear?”

  He struggled to keep the impatience out of his voice. “Did you tell her that I planned to leave town?”

  Margaret’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t know…wait, yes. Yes, I think I did. Why, was it a secret?”

  He ignored the question. No, it wasn’t a secret, but it also wasn’t the truth. Or not the whole truth, anyway. He’d decided to put the Chicago plan on hold indefinitely…for her. But she didn’t know that.

  His gaze moved to her father who had his head buried in a file again, completely unaware that it was partly his fault. Okay, maybe not this misunderstanding—that was his fault, and maybe Margaret’s too. But Donald’s gigantic fuck-ups in the love department had scarred Jenna, probably more deeply than this man knew.

  He’d seen it—the fear. The trust issues. And when he’d pushed she’d even admitted it. She’d been terrified…because she liked him. Because she’d been conditioned to believe that romantic love didn’t last. That passion and love were fleeting emotions that left hearts and homes in ruins.

  Oh shit. He bit back the panicky urge to run out of there. “I’ve got to go.” He held up the check. “Thanks for this and, uh…I’m glad to hear you found your daughter.”

  Margaret turned to Donald and the two adversaries exchanged a smile so intimate, he found himself looking anywhere else. Staring at a flower pattern in the rug, he backed away as quickly as possible. “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you around.”

  He was out of the office and back on the street in a matter of minutes and he didn’t pause before heading to his next destination.

  Relief and hope gave him an extra kick of adrenaline and he found himself racing other pedestrians down the long avenue blocks to reach Jenna’s office. Could it really be this simple? Was his gut right, after all?

  He made a mental note to apologize to his gut for ever doubting it…if his next meeting went as planned. Now he just needed to track her down. There was one person who would know where he could find her…

  He pulled out his phone and called Eddie. “Hey man, I need a favor. Do you have a number for Mackenzie Rivers?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Jenna, there’s someone here to see you.”

  She didn’t look up at the new intern whose name she couldn’t remember. “I don’t have any appointments this morning.”

  Her office was exactly as she
’d left it—clean, spacious, and filled with light. Between the comfort of her office and the stack of cases waiting for her undivided attention—she could almost pretend the last week never happened.

  Almost.

  “He said he didn’t have an appointment, but that you’d want to see him.”

  She sighed. What use was having gatekeepers if they didn’t keep out people she didn’t want to see? “I’m in the middle of something here. Tell him he needs to make an appointment.”

  The intern didn’t respond but Jenna didn’t hear footsteps leaving her office, either. Finally she looked, biting back another sigh. “What?”

  The intern, who looked too young to be working, blushed a bright crimson. “I’m sorry, it’s just that…it’s just that…”

  “Spit it out, please.” God save her from interns.

  “He said you’d want to see him because you’re in love with him.”

  Jenna’s head shot up and she stared wide-eyed at the intern. “He said what?”

  The intern opened his mouth and she raised a hand.

  “No, don’t repeat it.” She clamped her lips together to keep from cursing out loud. Who the hell did he think he was? Was his ego so massive that he needed to hear her admit that she’d fallen for him before he got on the next plane out of town and out of her life?

  Jesus, the man had some nerve.

  Telling a fucking intern that she loved him? That was low. And ridiculous. And—

  “Send him in.”

  Shit, she hated the way her stomach got all fluttery with excitement at the prospect of seeing him.

  She was just looking forward to putting him in his place, she assured herself. That was it. He probably just wanted to have the last word like every other man she’d ever met. Fine, she’d give him the last word…before she kicked his ass out of her office and made him wish he’d never been born.

  Her hands were clenched in fists at her sides when he sauntered in, looking far too smug for her liking. Oh she was going to enjoy putting him in his place again. She might have been feeling guilty about her harsh words the day before, but he’d come to her office and was purposefully tormenting her.

  He deserved whatever he got.

  “What are you doing here?” Crap, that hadn’t sounded cold enough. Had he heard that waver in her voice?

  His smirk said he had.

  Fuck.

  “I’m here for the truth.” He crossed the distance between them as if he owned the place, not stopping until he reached her. Before she could protest, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, his mouth crushing hers beneath his.

  For one horrifying moment, she lost her grip on her anger. She forgot how to think and how to breathe as his lips claimed hers in a possessive and mind-numbing kiss. When he pulled back to meet her gaze, her mental faculties returned with a vengeance.

  She shoved him away from her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Clearing the air.” He didn’t try to kiss her again but he didn’t loosen his grip on her, either. She was trapped, and not just physically. His gaze met hers and held it.

  Shit. Crap. Fuck.

  He saw too much. He always had but now…now she didn’t have any defenses to hide behind. He’d smashed them all one by one and now she was left standing there, emotionally naked. “What do you want from me?”

  It had come out as a plea and the sympathy in his eyes was humiliating.

  She pushed against his chest harder. “Let go of me, you big brute.”

  His hands fell away, leaving her cold. He didn’t take a step back, and though she told her feet to move, she remained standing dangerously close. The scent of him surrounded her, taunting her with memories of kisses and touches and emotions that were too delicate and fragile to name.

  “You love me.”

  Not too fragile for Hunter, apparently, because he threw the words in her face and she felt it like a punch. Her head jerked back as her mind scrambled to come up with the right words to argue.

  But for the first time in her entire life, she couldn’t summon up an argument. Maybe it was because those warm brown eyes were fixed on her and she knew that he would see through any lie.

  Some of the anger she’d been clinging to for days dissipated, leaving her hollow and deflated.

  If she argued and said she didn’t love him, he would know that she was lying.

  Hell, she’d been lying to herself but she couldn’t do it any longer. She had fallen for this man. Stupid as it might be, she’d fallen in love for the first time in her life.

  And for the first time in her life someone had broken her heart, just like she should have expected.

  His eyes grew dark with unspoken emotions at her silence. “Admit that you love me.”

  She shook her head and swallowed down the thick lump in her throat. “Why? Why would you make me say it out loud? Leave me alone.”

  He reached a hand out a stroked her cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  She pulled her head away from his hand but her feet stubbornly stayed put. “I’ll call security and have you—”

  “That’s not what I meant. I meant, I’m not going to Chicago.”

  Her gasp sounded too loud in the quiet office. “What did you say?”

  A little smile tugged at the corner of her lips, distracting her. “I said, I’m not going to Chicago. I should have told you about that plan and I would have if I hadn’t changed my mind.”

  “You…changed your mind?” Hope was a scary thing. It threatened to break loose. Hell, even as she told herself not to get her hopes up, they ran away from her and her body flooded with happiness despite the fact that her mind hadn’t quite caught up. “Why?”

  He lowered his voice and cupped her face in his hands. “Because I fell in love with you. I didn’t set out to fall for you and it didn’t line up with my plans to start over in Chicago but once I realized that I was a goner, I changed my plan.”

  The relief was so intense it bordered on pain. She launched herself into his arms and kissed him. Hard. With everything she had. She couldn’t bring herself to say the words but she could show him.

  He groaned as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the floor, their bodies pressed together from head to toe. But that still wasn’t enough.

  “Let’s get out of here.” She tugged on his hand and tried to head for the door but he didn’t budge.

  “Not so fast.” He pulled her back against him. “I want to hear you say it.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he nearly killed her with the gentleness in his eyes. “Please.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat that kept threatening to choke her. The lump that wouldn’t let the words out. With a look of regret, she shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  He leaned forward until his forehead was pressing against hers. “But you do, I know you do. For a little while there, I thought I’d gotten it wrong. That I didn’t know you the way I thought I did.”

  She smiled. If there was one thing this man knew well, it was her. He’d seen her—the real Jenna—from the very start. “You do know me.”

  At his questioning silence, she added, “But it’s only been a week. Give me time.”

  His laughter was soft and low. God, she loved that laugh. “Sorry, sweetheart. I can’t let you off the hook on this one. You need to admit it, for your sake, not just mine.”

  She pulled back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He tightened his grip on her hands as if afraid she might bolt. “I know why you pushed me away the other day. I know how scared you are of getting close emotionally, of letting someone in.”

  She licked dry lips. Why did it suddenly feel like she was on a psychiatrist’s couch?

  “You’ve got to conquer that fear, sweetheart, or there’s no hope for us. You have to learn to trust.”

  She frowned up at him. “I do trust you.”

  His quick grin made her heart melt. “And I appreciate tha
t. But it’s you that you need to trust right now.”

  His words knocked the air out of her lungs. That was it exactly. She hadn’t trusted her own judgment. She meant it when she’d said she trusted him. The moment he told her he wasn’t leaving, it clicked into place. It made sense. Her instincts had never truly believed he was heartless and callow.

  But did she trust herself to love and be loved? She wouldn’t know a healthy relationship if it walked into her. How was she supposed to function in one? “I can’t…” She swallowed and tried again. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never felt this way before.”

  “We’ll take it slow.” His voice was soothing, but he still wore that expectant look.

  When she stared back at him in silence, he let out a loud sigh and dropped her hands. “Fine. Just know that I don’t want to do this.” He headed toward her office door slowly and with a look of regret.

  She gave a choked laugh. “What are you doing?”

  He paused with one hand on her office door. “You’re forcing my hand here, Jenna. If you don’t admit how you feel about me, I’m going to be forced to reveal your secret.”

  She was outright laughing now. “Oh yeah, and what’s that?”

  He glanced at the door and back to her before lowering his voice as if letting her in on a secret. “That you’re a nice person. A good person.” He raised his eyebrows knowingly. “That you are an ice queen with a heart.”

  Her jaw dropped as she struggled to hold back laughter. “You wouldn’t dare. I have a reputation, you know.”

  “Mmm, and one that will be blown out of the water once I tell the world how sweet you really are.”

  “Ugh.” She wrinkled her nose up in distaste. “I hate that word.”

  “Then say it,” he ordered.

  Maybe it was the laughter that did it, but the choking feeling was gone. She didn’t overthink it or overanalyze, she took the plunge knowing that he would be there to catch her. “I love you.”

  They both stood there stunned silent for a second before he strode toward her and rewarded her with a kiss.