Page 10 of Hidden Desires

How am I going to get her to trust me?

“Can you forget about the damn past. Yes, I fucked up. You’re a great person both then and now, and I totally fucked my chance up. I get it. Now we can move on.” Okay, that wasn’t exactly the best route to winning her trust. “Look, I’m here to help. Yes, your father is paying me, but I honestly like you. I know you hate my guts, but I want to help you figure out who this bastard is. I can’t do that if you don’t help me. We’re partners in this, Autumn. It’s up to you and me. Help me figure out who this is so we can go back to living our lives.”

Autumn sat her mug down in front of her and stared at the dark liquid inside. “I can’t remember everything. I honestly forgot about the note.”

His heart raced while he struggled to control his annoyance. “Autumn, this is serious. It’s a threat. You can’t afford to forget anything.”

Her expression changed, like she was about to cry again. “You don’t think I know that? I know this isn’t a stupid game, Jackson. “

“Yet, you don’t need any help dealing with it?” He ran his fingers through his hair staring at the note. “Do you have any clue as to who it is?”

Autumn leaned forward, momentarily distracting him. “I don’t know. I made a lot of enemies when Dr. Gallagher opened up his doggy ambulance service and my clients wanted me to do the same. I simply didn’t have the money or the resources to provide that kind of service to my clients, and several people got mad about it. Maybe it’s one of them.”

Jackson chuckled. “A doggy ambulance service?”

“Yes. It’s more or less a rolling vet clinic. I came up with the idea a few years ago and he stole it from me.” She picked up the mug and completely avoided his eyes.

“Why would he steal an idea like that? I mean, is there a high demand for doggy ambulances or something? I know you like animals and everything but dogs aren’t humans.”

“Stop making fun of me!” She slammed the mug against the counter, liquid sloshing everywhere. “I help animals. I love my job, and you will not belittle it for your own twisted pleasure.”

He watched her shake as if she were trying to control a million emotions she bottled inside. “I wasn’t belittling it. Most people just take their pets to the vet. I don’t understand why this is that big of a deal.”

She glared at him. “You wouldn’t understand. Even if I told you my reasons, his reasons, you’d laugh in my face. Mocking people seems to be the only thing you’re good at.”

“That was below the belt. And I wasn’t mocking you.” He stood and rounded the counter. “Autumn, you’re shaking.”

He couldn’t tell if it was from the need to punch something—mainly him—or if it was the need to cry. Either way, he knew he had caused it. Jackson stood next to her, hesitant about touching her. Comfort was the last thing he knew about and probably the last thing she wanted from him.

“Yeah, well, you have a knack for pissing me off.” She took a deep breath. “I just want this to be over with.”

Don’t we all. Jackson stepped toward her and wrapped her in his arms. He tried his best to keep the hug platonic, stroking her back gently like a brother would comfort a sister. He didn’t force her to accept his comfort and to his surprise, she didn’t pull away.

“I wasn’t making fun of you or your job.” She still shook in his arms, and he tightened them around her. Autumn pressed her cheek against his bare chest and wrapped her arms around him. “A doggy ambulance service sounds great. And I promised you earlier that I’d find this creep.”

“It’s not that,” she mumbled.

He rubbed her shoulders. “I’ll leave as soon as the case is solved.”

She chuckled. “Not what I meant either. He stole all my ideas. I talked about the ambulance service with him over lunch, even including the fact I didn’t have money to support it, but I never suspected Gallagher to run with it. He stole my business and now with the threats and God only knows what else that could happen, I can’t afford to stay out of the office for long.”

Whoever this guy was sure planned on making Autumn’s life a living hell. Jackson gently pushed her away from him so he could see her eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. We’ve got the stuff to put everything back to normal and we’ll start on it tomorrow.” He kissed her forehead. “Go get some sleep.”

He watched her leave, noting for the first time in his life what it was like to put another person’s needs before his own. He actually cared about her and didn’t know what to make of it.

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