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“Are you kidding me? First, that is a supremely lame apology. Second, you didn’t just offend me, Your Highness. You hurt me!”
“That was not my intention. You must know that.”
“No, I do not know that. I don’t think you considered my feelings at all, to be honest, and that makes yourintentionsworth this.” She snapped her fingers, signifyingnothing.
“I planned to tell you everything in the morning.” He spoke with exaggerated patience.
“Talking to me like you are trying to explain a complicated concept to a toddler isnotdigging yououtof the pit you made.” She glared at him, wishing she could at least singe his perfectly cut hair with the heat of her anger.
Who looked that good just climbing out of bed?
Jenna knew she didn’t. Her hair was a mess, her makeup completely lost to their time in the shower and pool after.
So not the point, she reminded herself. Who cared how she looked to the Neanderthal standing in front of her?
“No, that’s an insult to Neanderthals,” she said aloud. “They were supposed to be intelligent and resourceful. You are a spoiled, distrustingprince.”
“Being a prince is not a bad thing.”
“You just keep believing that, Your Highness.”
“Stop calling me Your Highness. I don’t like it.”
“I give this—” she paused and snapped her fingers again “—for what you like.”
“You are very angry.”
“And hurt.” Jenna wasn’t one of those people who thought hiding emotional pain made her stronger.
If someone hurt you, they should know it. If theylikedthat they hurt you, they had no business in any part of your life. Ever. At all.
Dima winced. “I am truly sorry I hurt you.”
“That, at least, is a more sincere apology, but I don’t forgive you, because you thought it was an okay thing to do. Youstillthink it was acceptable to use sex as a tool of expedience and to investigate me behind my back.” She deflated, her pain and disillusion overtaking her anger. “Not to mention the fact that you, or your brothers, could even suspect me of betraying Nataliya’s confidence.”
“I do not suspect you.” His voice rang with truth, but it was way too little, too late.
“Well, certainly not now that you found the bugs.” She shook her head. “You and Konstantin thought I could betray Nataliya. Does Nikolai?”
The expression on his features answered before he spoke. “I am sure he does not honestly believe it, but we had to be sure.”
“You said you were sure before you searched my purse.” Had he been lying?
“I was. Just as I’m sure neither of my brothers genuinely believed you could be culpable.”
She shook her head again. “It doesn’t matter.”
Done talking about something that could not be changed and hurt too deeply for her to process in a matter of minutes, she went back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
Jenna dressed as quickly as she could, leaving her jewelry off. She stared down at it in her hand and realized she couldn’t just tuck it into her purse as she’d planned. Her purse was locked in the suite’s safe. She went in search of something she could use to gather her possessions to take with her and found a leather satchel.
Opening it, she found some files. Most were clearly business files, and she took a second to wonder why Dima didn’t use a locked briefcase. But then all thoughts of locked briefcases and better security flew from her mind as she found a dossier on herself.
It was thorough, she’d give him that. It listed her entire family, even her deceased brother. Not that Matt was a secret, but Jenna didn’t often talk about his loss. Earlier that evening with Emma had been an anomaly.
Every coworker, friend and acquaintance was listed as well as the names of the men she’d dated in the past year and a half, with short backgrounds on each.
She discovered one of the men she’d dated had lied about his job and marital status. Divorced rather than never married. The lies didn’t surprise her. She’d felt like that guy was off somehow. Not genuine. Her gut had been right.
