Page 115 of Bragg's Love

“Help you? How did he help?”

Miller wiggles his hand he’s still holding out to me. “Come on. Let’s talk somewhere no one can eavesdrop.”

“I’ll eavesdrop if I want to,” Elder shouts from his office.

I grasp Miller’s hand and he leads me past his office.

“Where are we going?”

He places a finger over his lips.

“Fine. But I’m not jumping over fences,” I mutter.

He opens a door marked ‘employees only’. I realize it’s a storage room full of all kinds of restaurant supplies when I enter. He locks the door behind us.

“Can I talk now?” I whisper.

He chuckles and my heart warms. He’s laughing. He’s not yelling at me. Not telling me to get the hell out. I probably have those cartoon hearts in my eyes now.

“I—” We both start at the same time.

I motion to him. “Go ahead.”

“Ladies first.”

“I’m no lady.” I wink.

He arranges a couple of boxes and motions for me to sit down.

“I’m sorry,” I say once I’m settled.

His brow wrinkles. “What are you sorry about? I’m the one who screwed up.”

“And I’m the one who pushed you away when you tucked your tail between your legs and came to apologize.”

“I don’t have a tail.”

“Tucked your dick doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

He barks out a laugh and I can’t help but smile. Damn, I missed his grumpy ass.

“Anyway,” I pause. Can I really do this? Can I push past my fears? Can I tell him I love him? I swallow.

Miller kneels in front of me and grasps my hands. “The expansion isn’t happening.”

“What?” I shake my head. “No. No way. I came here to tell you I won’t protest the expansion anymore. You can’t usurp me this way.”

The corners of his lips tip up. “Usurp?”

“Oust. Unseat. Depose.”

He squeezes my hands. “I know what usurp means. I also know you’re stalling.”

I narrow my eyes and attempt shooting lasers at him. He laughs. I guess my lasers are malfunctioning when I need them the most. Typical.

“I’m not stalling. I’m thinking. Formulating things in my mind.”

“Okay.” He nods. “I’ll wait.”

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