Page 115 of The CEO I Hate

Liam’s lips twitched as if he was considering it. “Believe me, the show I’d be watching would be much better,” he said, leaning toward me.

I caught his chest with my hand. “Don’t you dare ruin my makeup.”

He grinned in challenge, tipped his head, and pressed a soft kiss to my neck, enough to make my heart flutter but not enough to leave a mark. Despite the temptation, we both knew we had to be careful. Season one ofEnd in Firewas up for a ton of awards tonight, and we’d be in front of cameras all night. We couldn’t afford to look less than perfect.

“I’ll be good,” he whispered against my neck. “But I promise to ruin you later.”

“I’m sure there’s some sort of after party you’ll be invited to.”

“You’re the only after party I want,” he said, pulling back and waggling his eyebrows at me.

I laughed. “You’re so corny.”

“Is it corny if I open your door?” he asked as our limo finally came to a stop.

I hummed. “I’ll allow it.” Liam hopped out, walked around the back of the limo, and waved the security guard out of the way so he could pull my door open himself. A wave of excitement washed through me, momentarily replacing the nerves. Liam reached for my hand, giving me a little tug to help me stand.

“Welcome to the Emmys, Mia,” he said, smiling down at me.

“Thank you for bringing me.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted to come with anyone else,” he said, tucking a stray curl behind my ear. I was about to answer when a sudden bark cut through the hum of arriving limos.

“Oh my God,” I said, spinning to the source.

On the far side of the arrivals gate, behind the velvet ropes, Ash was perched like a furry little paparazzo, sitting proudly next to Jake, who was watching us with a knowing smirk.

“You brought them?” I asked, grinning.

“Technically, they brought themselves,” Liam said. “Ash lives with Jake now, remember? But he still has visitation rights at every major VeriTV event.”

“He’s got better red carpet access than some of the nominees,” I muttered.

“And more fans,” Liam added. “There’s merch now, apparently.”

I waved at them, and Jake waved back. I pointed at Ash, who immediately barked again like he was cheering us on. I clutched Liam’s arm, heart so full I could barely take it.

“He’s still on set a few days a week,” Liam said, guiding me toward the press line. “Refuses to retire. I think he’s waiting for someone to offer him a spin-off.”

“End in Fur,” I said.

Liam groaned. “Don’t give the internet ideas.” But he was smiling too.

Security waved us forward to make room for more arrivals, so Liam wrapped his arm around my waist and swept me into the chaos. Thered carpet unfurled before us, a massive step-and-repeat framed behind us as we posed for pictures. Liam was pulled into interview after interview, but he didn’t once let me go, keeping me tucked against his side. I answered a couple impromptu questions about season two, but we were keeping spoilers to a minimum.

The carpet was a whirlwind as we bumped into fellow cast and crew. Leo looked stunning, and I imagined these photos would end up on the fan forums tomorrow tagged with #EyeCandyOfFirehouse14. We mixed and mingled, and by the time we reached the building, my cheeks ached from smiling so relentlessly.

An attendant guided us to our seats where we were reunited with Jerome, Kait, Tanya, Paula, and Lyle. A bunch of other studio execs filled the rows around us, as well as their guests, and Liam made the necessary small talk while Jerome whistled at me.

“Girl, you look stunning.”

I beamed. “Thanks. I’m trying not to breathe too deeply so nothing busts out.”

The group laughed. Sophie and Craig rocked up fashionably late. Craig darted right to Jerome’s side, pecking him on the cheek. I beamed at them. Sophie did a little spin at Jerome’s insistence, her dress so sparkly we could hang her up as a disco ball. She inched her way down the row, sitting on my other side.

“Where have you been?” I asked.

“Handing out business cards.” She gave me a smug grin. “Craig bet me fifty bucks I couldn’t link up with a celebrity by the end of the night.”

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