Snow White Espionage (Barely a Fairy Tale Book 2) Read online

  Her heart didn’t stop its racing even knowing she wasn’t in danger. Though now blood was rushing in her ears for an entirely different reason. God, why did he have to look so hot all the time? Sometime over the last few days he seemed to have given up on trying to fit in with the firm’s corporate culture. His hair was mussed and he sported a five o’clock shadow. He’d replaced his ill-fitting suit with a classic button-down, blue-collared shirt over a faded pair of jeans.

  And he looked good. So good. Like, sex-on-a-stick good.

  His eyes were crinkled up in concern, which just added to the hotness factor. “Are you all right?”

  Her spine straightened as the memory of their earlier, humiliating encounter played through her mind. What, did he think that just because he’d rejected her she would go running home to cry into her ice cream? “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  His gaze moved to her bat and she thought she saw a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

  Goddammit, his lips were sexy.

  “Do you always answer the door with a baseball bat in hand?”

  Only when I think I’m being followed. But no, there was no way she would admit that she was afraid. Not to this guy. Instead, she smiled sweetly. “Only when a co-worker follows me home. How did you get my address, anyway?”

  He tipped his head forward and scratched the back of his neck in a gesture she was starting to recognize. She hated that move. It was too aw-shucks, like he was some cowboy wearing a white hat. She didn’t do well with nice guys, never had. Not only because she didn’t trust them, but because they lived in a different world. One where people could be trusted. Relied upon. A fantasy world, as far as she was concerned.

  But now Mr. Aw Shucks was looking up at her from her stoop and his gaze cut right through her, like he could see exactly how scared she’d been a moment ago and, worse, knew precisely why she was so prickly around him right now.

  She was certain he could sense her embarrassment and she looked away, terrified that she might see pity there in those warm brown eyes.

  “Sorry to just show up like this,” he said. “Margaret gave me your address. I, uh…I needed to speak with you.”

  She shifted her weight so she was leaning on the bat but she didn’t budge from her spot in the doorway. The fact that she hadn’t invited him inside was probably rude, but she didn’t care. She’d followed Mack’s advice and asked the guy out, and it had been a disaster.

  He clearly hadn’t felt the same way—about the kiss or about her. Did she really have to stand here and listen to him spell it out for her? Hell no.

  “Can whatever it is wait until we’re in the office tomorrow morning?” She pulled out her cell and glanced at the time. “I have to go out.”

  Hopefully he’d take that to mean she had a hot date with a single, attractive man and not her sick, bedridden, ass of a father.

  “Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to come by and apologize.”

  Oh great. He wanted to apologize. This day couldn’t get any more humiliating.

  “What for?” That’s right. When in doubt, play dumb. Bold move, Snow White.

  He looked behind him and then back as if whatever he was going to say wasn’t fit for public consumption. Fine, this guy didn’t want anyone to witness his apology and she had a stalker to hide from. What a wonderful evening this was turning out to be. With a jerk of her head, she motioned for him to come inside.

  Her impatient sigh as she closed the door and turned to face him probably wasn’t the height of politeness, but then she’d had a crappy, long day and was ready for it to end.

  And she still had to see her father and tell him that she was no closer to figuring out what was going on at the office. If anything was going on there, she reminded herself.

  But if there was, this man was part of it. Unless he was in the same boat she was—working alone trying to figure out the truth.

  She sighed again as she ran a hand through her hair. This wasn’t supposed to be so complicated. Go in, prove that her father was nuts, and get out. Somehow that plan had gone horribly wrong. She blamed that kiss.

  On command, her brain flashed back on that kiss and her gaze fixed on those full, firm lips. The ones that had turned her life upside down. She was suddenly and intensely aware that they were alone together in her apartment.

  The atmosphere in the hallway shifted perceptibly. The silence grew fraught with tension and the temperature seemed to skyrocket until she was fighting the urge to jump into a cold shower to ease the heat.

  Either that or throw herself on top of this man and beg him to finish what he’d started.

  Cold shower was definitely the saner option.

  “I’m sorry for—”

  “Kissing me,” she finished. “Yes, I know. You said that earlier.” Twice, actually. The second time he’d even labeled it a mistake. Which it was, clearly…her mistake. She should never have listened to Mack.

  His eyes narrowed on her and she had the distinctly uncomfortable feeling he could see right through her bitchiness to the open, stinging pain underneath. A man had given her an earth-shattering kiss. Spontaneous and passionate, it had quite possibly been the most romantic kiss of her life.

  And he regretted it. Of course that stung. She might have thick skin but that didn’t make her invulnerable.

  “I’m sorry,” he said again, this time slowly as if thinking carefully before he spoke. “For the way that I kissed you. It wasn’t appropriate to kiss a co-worker in a public setting like that. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or make you feel like you were being accosted.”

  Before she could respond he continued.

  “But I don’t regret the kiss.”

  His words hung in the air between them and she temporarily stopped breathing. What did that mean? His gaze had shifted to her lips as he took a step forward. “It was a great kiss.”

  She swallowed.

  “Don’t you think?”

  She nodded without thinking. But really, was there any point denying it? The kiss had been epic. He continued to move toward her slowly, giving her every chance to back away.

  She should. Her brain was telling her quite clearly that the sensible thing to do would be to turn her back on him, or take a step backward at the very least. Yet her body seemed disinclined to listen.

  Instead she stood there rooted in place, his dark gaze holding her captive as he stalked toward her.

  She should say something cutting. This man had been lying to her since day one, had kissed her inappropriately, and then done the absolutely worst thing imaginable and hurt her pride. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to open her mouth for anything more than a gasp as he closed the remaining distance between them.

  “So good,” he said, his voice so low it rumbled through her. “It makes me think we should try it again.” He paused and whatever he saw in her expression had his lips twitching up in a small smile. “We owe it to ourselves to see if it was really as good as I remember, don’t you think?”

  He didn’t wait for an answer. His lips came down on hers and she moaned at the contact. The rush of heat was instant and overwhelming, crushing everything in its path, including rational thought.

  His arms wrapped around her waist with so much strength, she no longer needed the use of her legs. Which was good because they’d turned to mush as his tongue claimed her mouth, tasting and seeking with far more abandon than last time.

  The last kiss had been tantalizing but this kiss was thorough.

  She found herself grasping at his broad shoulders, clinging to him like he was salvation. Pressing her breasts against his hard chest only intensified the ache that had her entire body trembling but he groaned at the contact and that sound was satisfying in a whole other way.

  Maybe it was her competitive streak but she needed him to be as helpless as she was. Her hands tangled in his overgrown hair, holding him to her as she returned the kiss with equal ferocity, her tongue tangling with his until they both pulled b
ack panting for air and desperate for release.

  The silent stare lasted too long. He was just as disconcerted as she was, judging by the dazed look in his eyes. That was reassuring, at least.

  And he hadn’t regretted that kiss.

  Triumph shot through her, giving her a new jolt of confidence. He was the first to turn away and when he did, he headed straight toward her front room which overlooked the street. He glanced outside before turning to face her again.

  “So you came here to apologize,” Jenna said.

  “That’s right.” He looked out the window again as he did the aw-shucks, head-scratching move.

  “Then what are you still doing here?”

  That got his attention. He spun back to face her, his eyes wide with surprise, and she felt that smug satisfaction again. For a second there, she even wondered if he might tell her the truth about himself. That he wasn’t Mark Wayne, environmental specialist, but Hunter McCaffrey, private eye.

  Hope snuck up on her. Maybe he liked her and wanted to be honest. Maybe he wanted this to be something real and not just a part of some ruse involving her father and ex-stepmother.

  But that flicker of hope died when that guarded look returned. “I’m here because I wanted to see if you still wanted a date for your reunion on Friday.”

  She held back a sigh. What had she been expecting? He clearly had hidden motives when it came to her. And it was up to her to figure out what they were and what his agenda was at Knight & Knight.

  She’d expose his agenda and then get the hell out of there with her father’s money and start up her new firm. This was business, damn it. Stay on task.

  Not to mention, the fact that he was still lying to her stung. Of course, she wasn’t exactly being forthcoming about her motives at the office, but she also wasn’t lying about her name and profession, either.

  The fact that he’d brought up her reunion didn’t help matters, either. Just the thought of that popularity contest brought back all the insecurities of high school. Why had she said she would go in the first place? And what the hell had she been thinking asking Hunter to be her date?

  She blamed Mackenzie. She should have known better than to listen to her. Now she was in the humiliating position of being pitied. Surely that’s why he showed up at her house. She’d embarrassed herself in her lame attempt to ask him out, and he felt sorry for her.

  That kiss wasn’t pitiful. A little optimistic voice tried to be heard through the din of her self-doubt.

  Since when had she started doubting herself? This wasn’t her. She was strong. Impervious. She was a freakin’ ice queen, for God’s sakes.

  And he was still waiting for her answer. Then she caught it, another flick of his eyes toward her front window. Like he was looking for something…or someone. Suspicion replaced hope. What was he really doing here? And what were the odds that his sudden appearance was unrelated to the suspicious person who’d been following her?

  There were too many weird occurrences going on for anything to be chalked up to coincidence.

  He took a step toward her, his eyes devastatingly serious. “So, what do you say? Are you still up for a date on Friday?”

  She took a deep breath and pushed away the naïve, infatuated voice that begged her to say yes. He wanted to go on a date with her! But who was talking, Hunter McCaffrey or Mark Wayne? Instead of smiling and saying yes, she took another shot at knocking him off balance.

  “I’ll make a deal with you—I’ll take you as my date if you tell me why you keep looking out my window.”

  His eyes met hers and there was no pretense there. She could see the gears turning behind those dark, serious eyes. He was clearly weighing how much to tell her…but why? What was his end game?

  Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stepped away from the window and came toward her—so close she could smell that heady mixture of soap and aftershave that could easily become addictive.

  “When I drove up earlier, I thought I saw someone following you.” His low voice reverberated through her. God, his voice was sexy. So much so, her surprise at hearing the truth was belated. When his words hit her, she let out a little gasp, which he apparently took to be shock at hearing she’d been followed.

  “Whoever was following you appeared to be looking in your window after you went inside.” He took a step closer and his eyes darted over her face, reading her like a book.

  Most likely he saw her confusion. She had no idea who would want to follow her or why. But it wasn’t the stalker that was bothering her at the moment. It was the fact that he was close—too close—and everything about his closeness was unnerving. She was the one who caught people off guard, not the other way around. But everything about this man made her uneasy. No, not uneasy…vulnerable. His scent made her feel stupid, like his particular pheromones made her drunk or something. And the heat of his body made her own temperature rise to the point where she felt feverish. And his eyes—God, those eyes. They made her feel defenseless. Like he could see straight through her.

  His brows furrowed with concern and he reached out a hand before dropping it quickly. “I’m sorry if I’ve alarmed you.”

  His words registered a second too late and she let out a little snort of a laugh before clamping her lips shut. At his questioning look, she said, “You think this is news? I knew someone was following me.”

  “You did?” The fact that he sounded surprised didn’t bode well. Clearly he underestimated her intelligence. Though perhaps that was for the best if she was to have the upper hand with whatever game they were playing.

  She tried to tone down the sarcastic tone but to no avail. “I don’t typically open my door with a baseball bat in hand.”

  He had the good grace to give her a small, slightly sheepish smile. “Right. I guess that should have clued me in.”

  A silence fell between them and she had to believe he was struggling to figure out what he could say that wouldn’t reveal his hand. She knew that because she was struggling with the same thing.

  He stared down at her bare feet before looking up at her again. “Any idea who would be following you?” At last. There was a glimpse of the former detective she’d seen on the stand. With his rumbly voice and disheveled appearance, he fit the part perfectly. Far better than his new role of environmental specialist, that was for sure.

  Her mind flitted with possibilities on how to answer. She could totally deflect and mention an ex with a grudge or blow it off as some crazy from the neighborhood. But in the end she went with the truth. “I have no idea.”

  She briefly toyed with the idea of mentioning that there were odd occurrences going on at the office. How would he respond? Maybe he would open up and give her some insight into why Margaret had really hired him. Maybe even provide some clue as to why she was being followed—assuming this stalker was in some way related to the burglary at her father’s office.

  Assuming someone actually had broken into the office and her father wasn’t just crazy paranoid. Which was still a distinct possibility.

  But if she mentioned anything askew at the office, then he could turn the tables on her and ask her for specifics. Worse, he might question her motives for suddenly working at her father’s office. She was supposed to be figuring out why he was there, not the other way around.

  He took another step closer and she held her breath. As if that could counteract the effect he was having on her. It only made it worse because she was forced to breathe eventually, and when she inhaled deeply to catch her breath, she was overcome by his scent.

  Holy shit, she’d gone from the Ice Queen to a swooning virgin overnight. This man was bad for her health, mentally and physically.

  He reached out a hand and tipped up her chin so she couldn’t avoid his gaze. She could have turned her head—of course she could have—but that would have meant exercising willpower, which was in short supply around this man.

  “You have no idea,” he repeated. It wasn’t a question but doubt filled his ey
es and she feared that for the first time in her life she might blush. Shit. This was not good. She did not blush.

  She didn’t trust herself to respond.

  Tilting his head to the side, he leaned in even closer until she could feel the heat of his breath against her cheek.

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  She tried to summon up the frosty façade that had served her so well since high school. Cool, calm, unflappable. That was her. “Maybe you have trust issues.”

  The words were right—snarky and aloof—but to her dismay, her voice shook slightly. An average man might not have noticed. But Hunter McCaffrey was not an average man.

  He’d heard it, she would bet her life on it.

  Sure enough, his lips twitched up in a small smile she was starting to recognize. It was subtle but for a man like him that little show of amusement might as well have been a belly laugh. “Or maybe you’re not telling me the whole truth.”

  Ha! That was a laugh coming from “Mark Wayne, environmental specialist.” But she couldn’t say that, of course. Not without letting him know that she knew he was lying his face off.

  This shit was getting complicated.

  He didn’t push it, though. Instead he took a small step back and she resisted the urge to lean toward him, seeking out his warm male scent.

  “So did I pass the test?”

  She blinked at him in confusion. Damn it, this man had a knack for that. “Test?”

  There was that smirk. “You said you’d be my date on Friday if I told you why I was looking out the window.” He shrugged as if to say I did my part, now it’s on you.

  Crap, now she was stuck. But even as she thought that, a giddy excitement had her tamping down an idiotic grin. She was stuck…going on a date with her crush. Isn’t that what she’d wanted in the first place?

  She barely knew anymore. It had seemed like a good idea when Mackenzie proposed this little scheme. And then it had seemed like a horrendous plan when she’d asked him only to have him apologize for the kiss that shook her world. And now…well, now she had no idea what to think.