‘Well?’
She frowned at Taz. ‘Well, what?’
‘How do you know what standing in the spotlight feels like? Are you an influencer or the aristocratic daughter of an earl? The girlfriend of someone famous?’
‘Ha, no. As if.’ But he wasn’t too far from the bull’s-eye. Should she tell him who her parents were? It hadn’t occurred to her before, but perhaps he deserved to know who he was getting involved with.
He leaned forward, rested his arms on his thighs and dangled his hand holding his glass between his legs. ‘How do youknow?’
He wasn’t going to drop the subject. If nothing else, she should tell him about Ben, before he found out via someone else. Secrets were difficult to keep in any workplace. ‘I’m the daughter and niece of pretty famous actors.’ She gave him their stage names and recited some of their popular roles.
Taz frowned, his razor-sharp mind making connections. ‘I met them, years ago. Through Ben Brennan.’
It didn’t take long for him to connect the dots to Ben. Would the final piece slot into place? His gaze sharpened. ‘You’re related to Ben, aren’t you?’
‘He was my cousin and, in many ways, my protector and my best friend growing up.’ Millie sighed. ‘Our parents, both sets, love attention. If there’s a camera, they want to be in the shot. I was dragged to art galleries and show openings and premières and made to pose. I never could, not in the flattering way they wanted me to, and the photos with me in them always bombed. They eventually decided it was easier to leave me and Ben at home with our nanny. My mum and his mother are twins and shareeverything.’
‘That sounds ominous.’
He had no idea. ‘Ben and I had four parents, all equally demanding, equally narcissistic, equally uninterested in anything but themselves. Ben and I became a team to keep them at bay.’
‘Sounds like a nightmare,’ he commented. ‘But why keep your connection to Ben under wraps?’
A good question. How to explain? She stared at the floor. ‘Ben asked me, probably every week, to come see him race, but I was in my late teens and early twenties when his career took off, and I wasn’t particularly interested in cars.’ She saw him wince and smiled. ‘I found every excuse to dodge a visit.’
‘Why? It’s such a dynamic, exciting place.’
It was one thing to feel insecure and another to admit it. She looked away, looking for the answer in the view. He, surprisingly, didn’t push her for an answer. ‘Ben was, genuinely, one of the best people I knew. I was gutted by what happened to him,’ Taz said, sounding sincere. ‘Was he the reason you joined De Rossi Racing as a press officer?’
Taz could be, occasionally, incredibly perceptive. And there was something about the way he looked right now. Less like a racing team owner or arrogant driver and just like a man who made her feel that she could open up to him.
‘Next month will be the tenth anniversary of Ben’s death. I don’t expect you to understand, but I joined this world, his world, as a tribute to him.’ And as a means to find, within herself, the confidant, secure woman Ben believed her to be. ‘But it’s turned out to be more complicated than I expected,’ she added, linking her hands around her knee.
‘Because of me?’ He was quiet for a few seconds. ‘Are you wanting to bail on being my fake girlfriend?’
‘Yes. But I can’t.’
‘Because of the money,’ he stated, his voice flat and his expression unreadable.
She nodded. ‘Yes, because of the money. I can’t afford to pass up the opportunity to raise a million quid for his charity. It would normally take us years to raise so much money.’
‘You’re donating the money I’m paying you to acharity?’
It was wonderful to see him caught off guard for a change. ‘I wouldneverfake- or real-date you, or anyone, for personal gain,’ Millie told him.
‘I think you’d better explain,’ Taz told her, his voice brusque.
Millie quickly told him about her inheritance from Ben and about the charity she’d established in his name. Taz kept his eyes on her face, his expression stoic, but she knew he was taking in every word. At the end of her two-minute-long ramble, he nodded but didn’t comment.
Millie hated herself for wanting his praise. She shook off her disappointment and pushed back her shoulders. ‘Coming back to my original question… How are we going to act when we are out and about?’
He looked at her, his expression still serious. ‘How do you want me to act, Millie? It’s your call.’
‘I don’t know. That’s why I asked.’
He took her hand and linked his fingers in hers, his thumb stroking the top of her hand. ‘We’ll have to hold hands.’
When his hand swallowed hers, she felt grounded and safe. But the action itself was innocuous, so she nodded. Taz moved closer, his thigh against hers, and dropped his head to lay his lips on her temple. ‘A couple of light kisses?’
