Living the Charade

Tino chuckled. He enjoyed her superior confidence and kick-ass attitude. It reminded him of himself when a rookie tried to come up against him on the circuit.

He noticed her eyes were focused on his mouth, and when she raised them to his a spark of red-hot awareness flashed between them.

Clearly not wanting to acknowledge it any more than he did, she turned to face the window.

Silence filled the room so loudly he could hear the gentle ticking of the marble clock on the desk two feet away.

‘Dexter saw us on the beach this morning.’

Her voice was soft, but he heard the disappointment edging her words.

Tino rolled his stiff neck on his shoulders and swore under his breath. That man was dogging his every step and he was getting beyond irritated with him.

‘Are you telling me or the seagulls?’ he asked pleasantly.

Miller swivelled her head around, a frown marring her alabaster forehead. ‘I’m not in the mood for your ill-timed humour, Valentino.’

‘What about my well-timed humour?’

She shook her head but a smile snuck across her face. ‘How is it you can make me smile even when this is deadly serious?’

‘Deadly?’

She sighed. ‘Maybe I’m exaggerating slightly.’

Tino sat forward and regarded her silently for a moment. ‘Relax. At least he no longer thinks we’re faking it.’

Her smile disappeared. ‘He’s right about the fact that I should behave in a more professional manner with you.’

Tino snorted. ‘Let me guess. He told you no touching?’

‘He told me to keep my private life private—and he’s right.’

‘Of course he did,’ Tino drawled, half admiring the man’s nous. He wanted Miller for himself, and he was trying to drive a wedge between them to get her.

Not that he could blame him. He’d realised this morning on the beach that Miller was one of those women who had no idea of her true appeal to men and, given similar circumstance, he might have done the same as Caruthers. Then again, he had yet to want a woman enough to actually fight for her.

‘What does that mean?’ Miller frowned.

‘It means he wants you for himself.’

‘No, he doesn’t.’

She turned her face away, but he’d already seen her eyes cloud over.

‘I can’t work out if you’re actually naive when it comes to men, or hiding your head in the sand.’

Her eyes flashed a warning. ‘I do not hide my head in the sand.’

‘Hit a nerve, have I?’

‘If you’re trying to be annoying you’re succeeding beyond your wildest dreams,’ she retorted pithily.

‘If you’re trying to avoid facing your colleague’s attraction to you then so are you.’

She sighed heavily and turned away. ‘I’m not naive. I just...’ She stopped, looked uncertain. ‘Can we talk about something else? Or, better still, not talk at all?’

Tino could sense the deep emotions rolling around inside her. He knew she would hate him to know the turmoil she was obviously experiencing. He didn’t think he’d met a more self-contained woman, and it wasn’t his experience that women kept such a tight lid on their emotions.

His Italian mother was a classic case in point—as were most of the females he’d dated, who had wanted more from him than he had ever been prepared to give. The fact that Miller so steadfastly didn’t want anything from him made him feel ridiculously annoyed.

‘This weekend really isn’t going as you planned, is it, Miller?’

She had tucked her legs up under her chin as she gazed out of the window and now she glanced back at him as if surprised he was still in the room. Another blow to his over-inflated ego, he thought bemusedly.

‘You think?’

Her eyes snagged on his and for a moment he was caught by how vulnerable she looked.

‘You clearly dislike TJ’s business methods so why do you want to work on his account so badly?’

‘Partners are not made of people who say no to clients, no matter how distasteful they are.’

It took him a minute to decipher her meaning. ‘Ah. You’ve got a promotion riding on this.’

‘Something wrong with that?’ Her voice was sharp and he realised she’d taken his words as an insult. He wondered what was behind her strong reaction.

‘Only if you think so.’

‘I deserve this. I’ve sweated blood for this company. I...’ She released a long breath. ‘It’s not something you would understand.’