through his blond hair. âIâm human, Jenna. I made a mistake.â
âIâm human, too, but I wouldnât purposely hurt someone I care about.â
And the second the words left her mouth, she realized sheâd just told one more lie. What kind of person had she turned into? All to get Martin to stay away. How was that working out for her? Because Mac was gone and Martin was less than a foot away.
âLet me make it up to you,â he pleaded. âYou donât want to marry an OâShea. You know what they say about that family. I put up with you being his friend, but I canât stand by and let you marry him.â
Martinâs eyes darted over her shoulder, then widened. Immediately Jenna knew who stood behind her. She tensed because Martin was still sporting the evidence of Macâs rage.
âOh, donât let me stop you,â Mac stated. Did he sound...amused? âIâd like to hear more of these rumors regarding my family and how you canât let Jenna marry me.â
Standing directly between them, Jenna kept her back to Mac. Hopefully she wouldnât have to become the human shield between these two.
âWeâre having a private conversation,â Martin stated.
Macâs hands curled around Jennaâs bare shoulders. âWhen youâre talking to my girl, youâre not allowed privacy. So, please, donât let me stop this speech because Iâm sure you rehearsed it.â
Tension seemed to envelop them, blocking them off from the cheerful party, the upbeat music and the laughter. It was more than Jenna could handle.
âGo, Martin. Before this gets worse. Just...go.â
His eyes held hers, he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something more, but finally wised up and turned away. Jenna remained still, waiting for Mac to say something, to remove his hands or...she didnât know what, but she didnât want to make the first move.
When he seemed content to stay just as he was, Jenna sighed. âWhat are you doing here?â she whispered.
âI told you Iâd be here for you this week.â He brushed her hair aside. Seconds later his lips grazed her ear. âI never go back on a promise, Jenna.â
At the contact, chills covered her body. âIâm not sure I can keep this up.â
âAre you saying I won the bet?â he asked, a hint of humor to his voice. âBecause Iâm ready to call in my favor.â
Jenna shook her head and turned. âNo. Iâm not saying you won the bet. Thereâs more to this than some silly bet we placed.â
The humor vanished from his face. âFor the next few minutes, weâre in love. Whatever else we need to discuss can wait until weâre alone. Deal?â
Jenna nodded and blew out a breath. âDeal.â
Mac wrapped his arms around her, pulling her directly into his warm embrace. âI was never going to walk away,â he whispered in her ear. âI only left to give you the space you needed. I would never desert you.â
Tears pricked her eyes, emotions clogged her throat. Jenna nodded against his chest because words were not coming to her.
âOh, youâre feeling better.â
Her motherâs elated voice cut into the moment and Jenna cringed. Would Mac grasp the fact that Jenna had lied to cover for him?
âI wouldnât miss this party,â he replied easily, sliding Jenna around to the crook of his side. âSorry Iâm late.â
Mary waved a hand in the air. âDonât worry about it. Iâm just so glad you could join us. Jenna looks happier than she did when I first saw her.â
Mac threw Jenna a heavy-lidded glance. âIâll make sure sheâs always happy.â
The promise in his eyes, the conviction in those words gave Jenna a false sense of hope. Once again. He couldnât possibly know what she was battling within. He couldnât have any idea how much she