Unveiled
Page 12
‘I always know exactly what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.’ Miller speaks slowly and concisely. He knows what I’m thinking. ‘I may lose rationality for a split second, but only for a split second,’ he whispers, so quietly William couldn’t have possibly heard him. And just like that, he answers another question that I was silently deliberating. ‘My actions are always valid and warranted.’
William hears that part. I know this because he laughs. ‘In whose world, Hart?’
‘Mine.’ He turns his attention back to his phone and tightens his grip on me. ‘And now yours, too, Anderson.’
His words are cryptic. I don’t understand them, but the fear biting its way up my spine and the long eerie silence that settles tells me to be wary of them. Why did I come in here? Why didn’t I head straight for the kitchen and get something to eat? I was hungry when I woke. Not now, though. Now my stomach feels like an empty void filling rapidly with anxiety.
‘Your world will never be mine.’ William’s tone is rampant with rage. ‘Never.’
I need to leave. This could be one of those times when their two worlds collide, and I don’t want to be anywhere near when that happens. The Atlantic between them may mean no physical clash is possible, but just the tone of William’s voice, his words, and Miller’s vibrating body beneath me is a good enough sign that it still won’t be pretty.
‘I’d like to leave,’ I say, trying in vain to pry Miller’s hand from my tummy.
‘Stay where you are, Olivia.’ My attempts prove fruitless and Miller’s unreasonable insistence that I hang around for the unpleasant show sees my sass flying to the surface.
‘Let. Go. Of. Me.’ My jaw is pulsing, my pissed off eyes stabbing at his straight features. I’m shocked when I’m immediately released. I hastily stand, and not knowing whether to dart out or leave calmly, I begin brushing down my non-existent clothes while I deliberate my quandary.
‘I’m sorry,’ Miller speaks up, reaching for one of my busy hands and squeezing it gently. ‘Please, I’d like you to stay.’
There’s a brief, uneasy silence before William’s genuine, amused laugh breaks our private moment, reminding me that he’s still technically in the room with us. ‘Yes, we’re done,’ he confirms. ‘I apologise also.’
‘I don’t understand why you want me here,’ I confess. This is already too much to process.
‘William has been trying to figure out a few things, that’s all. Please, stay and hear what he has to say.’
I’m relieved he wants to let me help share the burden, but I’m frightened, too. Nodding a little, I take my place on his lap and allow him to negotiate my body into the position of his liking, which is to the side, my legs dangling over the arm of the chair, my cheek on his chest.
‘OK. So, Sophia?’
My blood runs cold, just from the mention of her name.
‘She’s insisting she never breathed a word to Charlie.’
Charlie? Who’s Charlie?
‘I believe her,’ Miller says. It’s a reluctant admission and it surprises me, even more so when William agrees. ‘Did you sense any indication that she could have been following Olivia?’
‘I couldn’t tell for sure, but we all know how that woman feels about you, Hart.’
I certainly know how Sophia feels about Miller, mostly because she was kind enough to tell me herself. She’s a former client who fell in love with him. Or became obsessed with him, is more accurate. Miller was worried she’d tried to abduct me. Does she love him that much? Enough to get rid of me?
‘Sense anything with Sophia Reinhoff?’ William scoffs. ‘The only thing I feel when in her presence is cold. You were careless. Taking Livy to Ice was a stupid move. Taking her to your home is beyond that. I bet she’s relishing in the knowledge that she can expose you, Hart.’
I cringe, feeling Miller look down at me. I know what’s coming. ‘Both Olivia and I have played our relationship down. I’ve only taken Livy to Ice when the club has been closed.’
‘And when she turned up without your prior knowledge, did you have her escorted out? Did you remove yourself from her vicinity to lessen the risk of association?’ There’s humour in William’s serious tone. I want to hide. ‘Well?’ he prompts, despite knowing damn well what the answer is.
‘No,’ Miller spits the word through a clenched jaw. ‘I realise my stupidity.’
‘So, what we have is a club full of people who witnessed various incidents involving the aloof, notoriously closed-off Miller Hart losing his rag with a beautiful young woman. Do you see where I’m heading with this?’
I roll my eyes at William’s unreasonable need to belittle Miller. I also feel a mountain of guilt settle on my shoulders. My obliviousness to the consequences of my actions and behaviour has accelerated the situation, pushed Miller into a corner.
‘It’s all being noted, Anderson.’ Miller sighs, seeking out my hair again and beginning to twist a lock. Silence falls. It’s an uncomfortable silence – one that’s just increasing my need to escape the study and leave these two men to continue their surmising of our diabolical situation alone.
It’s a long while before William eventually speaks, and when he does, I don’t like what he says. ‘You must have anticipated the repercussions of your resignation, Hart. You know that’s not your call to make.’
I curl into Miller’s side, as if making myself smaller and attempting to crawl inside of him might make our reality go away. Not much of my brain space has been dedicated to Miller’s invisible chains or the immoral bastards who hold the keys. The ghost of Gracie Taylor has monopolised my mind, and in a weird sense, now that seems so much more appealing than this. This really is reality, and hearing William’s voice, feeling Miller’s torment, and suddenly being consumed with defeat has flung me to the frontline of anxiety. I’m not wholly certain what will greet us in London when we arrive there, but I know it’s going to test me, test us, more than ever before.
The sensation of soft lips on my temple brings me back into the room. ‘I didn’t much care at the time,’ Miller admits.
‘Do you now?’ William’s question and the curt delivery clearly indicate there should be only one answer.
‘Now I care only about protecting Olivia.’
‘Good answer,’ William retorts sharply, and I look up at Miller, finding him lost in thought, gazing blankly across the study.
I hate that he appears so defeated. I’ve seen this look too many times, and it worries me more than anything. I feel blind, useless, and with no words of comfort to offer him, I reach up and slide my palm onto his neck, pulling him in tighter to me and pushing my face into the stubble on his throat. ‘I love you.’ My whispered declaration falls naturally from my mouth, like my instinct is telling me that a constant reinforcement of my love for him is all I have. Reluctantly, I silently acknowledge that it is.
William continues. ‘I can’t believe you were stupid enough to quit.’
Lean muscles go rigid beneath me in a heartbeat. ‘Stupid?’ Miller hisses, shifting me on his lap. I can practically feel his emotions heating through our naked contact. ‘Are you suggesting I should continue fucking other women when I’m involved with Olivia?’ His crass angle makes my face contort in disgust, as do the mental images of belts and—
William hears that part. I know this because he laughs. ‘In whose world, Hart?’
‘Mine.’ He turns his attention back to his phone and tightens his grip on me. ‘And now yours, too, Anderson.’
His words are cryptic. I don’t understand them, but the fear biting its way up my spine and the long eerie silence that settles tells me to be wary of them. Why did I come in here? Why didn’t I head straight for the kitchen and get something to eat? I was hungry when I woke. Not now, though. Now my stomach feels like an empty void filling rapidly with anxiety.
‘Your world will never be mine.’ William’s tone is rampant with rage. ‘Never.’
I need to leave. This could be one of those times when their two worlds collide, and I don’t want to be anywhere near when that happens. The Atlantic between them may mean no physical clash is possible, but just the tone of William’s voice, his words, and Miller’s vibrating body beneath me is a good enough sign that it still won’t be pretty.
‘I’d like to leave,’ I say, trying in vain to pry Miller’s hand from my tummy.
‘Stay where you are, Olivia.’ My attempts prove fruitless and Miller’s unreasonable insistence that I hang around for the unpleasant show sees my sass flying to the surface.
‘Let. Go. Of. Me.’ My jaw is pulsing, my pissed off eyes stabbing at his straight features. I’m shocked when I’m immediately released. I hastily stand, and not knowing whether to dart out or leave calmly, I begin brushing down my non-existent clothes while I deliberate my quandary.
‘I’m sorry,’ Miller speaks up, reaching for one of my busy hands and squeezing it gently. ‘Please, I’d like you to stay.’
There’s a brief, uneasy silence before William’s genuine, amused laugh breaks our private moment, reminding me that he’s still technically in the room with us. ‘Yes, we’re done,’ he confirms. ‘I apologise also.’
‘I don’t understand why you want me here,’ I confess. This is already too much to process.
‘William has been trying to figure out a few things, that’s all. Please, stay and hear what he has to say.’
I’m relieved he wants to let me help share the burden, but I’m frightened, too. Nodding a little, I take my place on his lap and allow him to negotiate my body into the position of his liking, which is to the side, my legs dangling over the arm of the chair, my cheek on his chest.
‘OK. So, Sophia?’
My blood runs cold, just from the mention of her name.
‘She’s insisting she never breathed a word to Charlie.’
Charlie? Who’s Charlie?
‘I believe her,’ Miller says. It’s a reluctant admission and it surprises me, even more so when William agrees. ‘Did you sense any indication that she could have been following Olivia?’
‘I couldn’t tell for sure, but we all know how that woman feels about you, Hart.’
I certainly know how Sophia feels about Miller, mostly because she was kind enough to tell me herself. She’s a former client who fell in love with him. Or became obsessed with him, is more accurate. Miller was worried she’d tried to abduct me. Does she love him that much? Enough to get rid of me?
‘Sense anything with Sophia Reinhoff?’ William scoffs. ‘The only thing I feel when in her presence is cold. You were careless. Taking Livy to Ice was a stupid move. Taking her to your home is beyond that. I bet she’s relishing in the knowledge that she can expose you, Hart.’
I cringe, feeling Miller look down at me. I know what’s coming. ‘Both Olivia and I have played our relationship down. I’ve only taken Livy to Ice when the club has been closed.’
‘And when she turned up without your prior knowledge, did you have her escorted out? Did you remove yourself from her vicinity to lessen the risk of association?’ There’s humour in William’s serious tone. I want to hide. ‘Well?’ he prompts, despite knowing damn well what the answer is.
‘No,’ Miller spits the word through a clenched jaw. ‘I realise my stupidity.’
‘So, what we have is a club full of people who witnessed various incidents involving the aloof, notoriously closed-off Miller Hart losing his rag with a beautiful young woman. Do you see where I’m heading with this?’
I roll my eyes at William’s unreasonable need to belittle Miller. I also feel a mountain of guilt settle on my shoulders. My obliviousness to the consequences of my actions and behaviour has accelerated the situation, pushed Miller into a corner.
‘It’s all being noted, Anderson.’ Miller sighs, seeking out my hair again and beginning to twist a lock. Silence falls. It’s an uncomfortable silence – one that’s just increasing my need to escape the study and leave these two men to continue their surmising of our diabolical situation alone.
It’s a long while before William eventually speaks, and when he does, I don’t like what he says. ‘You must have anticipated the repercussions of your resignation, Hart. You know that’s not your call to make.’
I curl into Miller’s side, as if making myself smaller and attempting to crawl inside of him might make our reality go away. Not much of my brain space has been dedicated to Miller’s invisible chains or the immoral bastards who hold the keys. The ghost of Gracie Taylor has monopolised my mind, and in a weird sense, now that seems so much more appealing than this. This really is reality, and hearing William’s voice, feeling Miller’s torment, and suddenly being consumed with defeat has flung me to the frontline of anxiety. I’m not wholly certain what will greet us in London when we arrive there, but I know it’s going to test me, test us, more than ever before.
The sensation of soft lips on my temple brings me back into the room. ‘I didn’t much care at the time,’ Miller admits.
‘Do you now?’ William’s question and the curt delivery clearly indicate there should be only one answer.
‘Now I care only about protecting Olivia.’
‘Good answer,’ William retorts sharply, and I look up at Miller, finding him lost in thought, gazing blankly across the study.
I hate that he appears so defeated. I’ve seen this look too many times, and it worries me more than anything. I feel blind, useless, and with no words of comfort to offer him, I reach up and slide my palm onto his neck, pulling him in tighter to me and pushing my face into the stubble on his throat. ‘I love you.’ My whispered declaration falls naturally from my mouth, like my instinct is telling me that a constant reinforcement of my love for him is all I have. Reluctantly, I silently acknowledge that it is.
William continues. ‘I can’t believe you were stupid enough to quit.’
Lean muscles go rigid beneath me in a heartbeat. ‘Stupid?’ Miller hisses, shifting me on his lap. I can practically feel his emotions heating through our naked contact. ‘Are you suggesting I should continue fucking other women when I’m involved with Olivia?’ His crass angle makes my face contort in disgust, as do the mental images of belts and—
