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“A man called Rufus Wynter compiled the file on you,” Darius explained impatiently. “He’s the owner of the company that handles security for my apartment building, so the background check on you, as a person entering the building on a regular basis, was routine, not the exception.”
Mia stared up at him for several loud heartbeats as she absorbed the fact shemighthave misjudged him. “Then why do you have that file hidden away in a drawer in your apartment?” She was aware, despite trying to continue to sound indignant, that her accusations were losing steam and purpose.
“It was in the drawer because I didn’t want any of my nosey family finding and reading it.”
Having met the mischievous Casper, Mia could see why Darius felt that way.
“I have the file because I own the building, and it was a routine security check on a person who was habitually entering and leaving it,” Darius continued. “I have done nothing wrong or illegal by having that file in my possession. Admittedly, I don’t have files on all regular visitors,” he allowed. “But Rufus thought I had a personal interest in seeing this one. In you,” he added huskily.
Mia felt the last of her anger drain out of her as she looked up into Darius’s harshly hewn face. His cheekbones pressed hard against his skin, lips thinned, with a nerve pulsing in the sharp angle of his jaw.
She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue before speaking. “And do you?” she prompted softly. “Have a personal interest in me?” she pressed when he didn’t answer.
* * *
Do I have a personal interest in her?
As personal as it fucking gets, came Darius’s immediate answer.
One thing had become very clear to him on the drive over here.
Age gap be damned, his screwed-up life and head also be damned, in the matter of a couple of days, he had somehow managed to fall in love with Mia Smith.
He recognized that emotion for exactly what it was, because during the drive here—he was pretty sure he’d broken every speed limit on his way—he’d been absolutely terrified he was going to be too late. That she was going to be taken from him by members of an organized crime syndicate and possibly tortured for information she didn’t have, before he could get to her.
He couldn’t even begin to explain the level of his relief when one of Mia’s housemates, having answered his frantic knocking on the front door of the house, had confirmed that Mia was here. His expression must have shown his relief, because she hadn’t hesitated to tell him Mia was upstairs in her bedroom, along with the directions of how to find it.
He made a note to himself to send her over a case of wine tomorrow. Not flowers, because they were of no use to a student living on a tight budget. He could maybe include the biggest box of chocolates he could source in the delivery. But he had a feeling the wine would be more appreciated.
His anger had returned with a vengeance when he threw open the door to Mia’s bedroom and was able to see her, safe and sound, as she pressed back against the corner at the end of her bed. The fact she was cowering away from him, and still wearinghisT-shirt, had only added fuel to the fire of his fury.
Normally he would have told Mia she had no reason to be frightened of him. But in this instance, he was so damned angry with her for putting herself at risk, he just wanted to spank her arse until she couldn’t sit downanywherefor at least a week.
Or kiss her until she didn’t have the strength or will to leave him again.
Or maybe he could combine the two? Yes, spanking Mia’s arse, and then kissing her senseless sounded the perfect plan to him right now.
But not here.
“What are you doing?” Mia squeaked when Darius moved off the bed before bending down to grasp hold of one of her wrists and lift her.
He used the momentum of pulling her forward to hook an arm about the backs of her legs and hoist her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.
“Put me down!” Her tiny fists pummelled his back. “Darius!” she protested loudly when he ignored her to stride across the bedroom and out the door. “Emma, call the police and tell them I’ve been abducted,” she pleaded with the young woman standing outside on the landing unashamedly listening to the exchange.
“Don’t bother, Emma.” Darius took advantage of the uncertainty he saw in her expression. “At the moment, Mia and I are having a slight disagreement about where she needs to be right now. I think she should still be at my apartment…”
“…and I think I should stay here!” Mia insisted.
“At my apartment where I can keep her safe,” Darius continued firmly. “But it might be a good idea if Emma and the other young ladies living here found other accommodation for a week or so,” he advised. “I have it on good authority that your landlord is going to need the place empty for at least the next week so he can redecorate, refurnish, and bring in professionals to eliminate the rodent and bug infestation.”
Mia gasped. “Did you… Have you…”
“Spoken to him on the subject?” Darius answered calmly. “The two of us had a brief discussion earlier this evening, yes. Admittedly, I did most of the talking, but he did confirm he would be carrying out the necessary work ASAP.”
“Dear God…” Mia groaned.
“I believe the four of you will be more comfortable moving into a hotel while the work is being carried out,” he advised the still-watching Emma. “Your landlord will happily pay the bill.” Darius would ensure that he did.
