I jump at the loud crash, and Miller drops his head. ‘Shit,’ he curses quietly, making no attempt to enter his office.
‘Are you okay?’ I ask, keeping my distance. I’m constantly willing emotion from him, but not if it’s going to be like this.
‘I apologise,’ he murmurs, keeping his eyes to the ground, defying his own rule of looking at someone when you’re speaking to them. I don’t remind him, though. The words that have just been exchanged between Miller and his bar manager were about me, I have no doubt. And now he’s mad. ‘Livy?’
I feel my spine stretch out, making me stand up straight. ‘Yes?’
His shoulders rise and fall on a heavy sigh. ‘Give me my thing,’ he says, turning pleading blue eyes onto me. ‘Please.’
My shoulders drop, seeing a side of Miller Hart that I never have. He wants comfort. I reach up over his broad shoulders, lifting on my tiptoes to get my face in his neck.
‘Thank you,’ he mumbles, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me from my feet. The force of his hold compresses my ribcage, making it a little tricky to breathe, but I’m not about to stop him. I wrap my legs around his waist as he shuts the door and walks us to his empty desk. He rests his arse on the edge which allows us to maintain our hold, and he shows no sign of letting up. I’m surprised. His suit will be a crumpled mess and he has an interview.
‘I’m creasing you,’ I say quietly.
‘I have an iron.’ He squeezes harder.
‘Of course you do.’ I pull away from him so we’re staring into each other’s eyes. He doesn’t give me anything. His annoyance seems to have faded, his face as expressionless as ever. ‘What has upset you?’
‘Life.’ He doesn’t hesitate. ‘People overthinking things and interfering.’
‘Interfering with what?’ I ask, but I suspect I already know.
‘Everything,’ he breathes.
‘Who’s Cassie?’ I also know the answer to this question.
He stands, lowers me to my feet, and grabs my cheeks. ‘The woman you thought was my girlfriend.’ He hits me with a long, moist kiss, sending me dizzy.
‘Why is she coming here?’ I ask around his lips.
He doesn’t break our kiss. ‘Because she’s a pain in the arse.’ He pecks up my cheek to my ear. ‘And because she thinks that holding shares in my club gives her a right to dictate what happens here.’
I gasp and pull away. ‘So she really is a business associate?’
He almost scowls before yanking me back to his chest. ‘Yes. How many times do I need to tell you? I said trust me.’
This knowledge doesn’t make me feel any better. I’m not completely stupid and I’ve seen the way she looks at him. And me, for that matter.
‘I’ve had a terrible day.’ Miller kisses my cheek softly, distracting me with those soft lips. ‘But you’re going to de-stress me when I get you home.’
I let him take my hand and lead me around his desk. ‘What are we doing?’
He sits me in his chair and turns me to face his desk, and then takes a remote control from the top drawer and crouches beside me, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair. ‘I want to show you something.’
‘What?’ I ask, noting Miller’s desk is as empty as the last time I saw it, the phone its only adornment.
‘This.’ He presses a button and I jump back in my chair on a gasp when his desk starts to shift in front of me.
‘What the . . .’ I’m open-mouthed and gawking like an idiot as five flat screens start to rise from the back section. ‘Bloody hell!’
‘Impressed?’
I might be a little stunned, but there is no denying the proud edge to his tone. ‘So you just watch TV in here?’
‘No, Livy,’ he sighs, pressing another button which prompts the screens to jump to life, revealing image after image of his club.
‘It’s CCTV?’ I ask, letting my eyes travel over the screens, each one sectioned into six images, except the middle screen. That screen is just one large image.
And I’m on it.
I lean forward, seeing myself on Ice’s launch night drinking with Gregory, then the image changes to us walking up the stairs, me looking around in awe. Then I’m on the dance floor. And Miller is on the prowl behind me. I see Gregory whisper in my ear, and me going to turn, and then I watch as he homes in, giving me a thorough inspection before he has his hands on me. The footage is clear, but when Miller reaches forward and touches the centre of the screen, it gets bigger, clearer, and the look on his face makes me instantly wet. I’m tingling, too, and it’s right now I wonder why the hell I’m staring at a screen when the real thing is crouched next to me.