Resent, Reject, Regret

Chapter 23 Please Me

The man sounded impassioned, and yet Deirdre shivered. How could she not? She was terrified.

She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Brendan had been waiting, his legs perfectly overlapping atop one another, his eyes settling on Deirdre’s suitcase before they turned stormy. His hands around the armrests tightened. “You even packed all your things !” He mocked her. “Lemme guess. Had nothing ruined your plan-say, had Sterling not gotten into the biggest trouble of his life — the two of you would have been on your way, merrily eloping!”

Deirdre instinctively stepped between him and her suitcase. She cast her eyes low and ignored his remark altogether. “Leave Sterry alone, okay?”

“Sterry?” The intimacy of that nickname made Brendan’s ears bleed. He grazed the black diamond hooped over his ring finger and fidgeted with it slowly, almost as though to let out some of the fury burning in his eyes. “Why

should I? He challenged me, didn’t he? Strutting around like some big damn white knight, wasn’t he? I really thought he was a big deal, but oops! Turns out he’s been just an unwanted bastard son all along. To think that is your idea of a reputable man! Ha!”

Insults rolled off his tongue with abandon. Deirdre bit her lip and fell on her knees, causing Brendan to narrow his eyes suddenly

“I know what you’re after, Mr. Brighthall. I’ll graze my knees and grovel if it means you’ll leave him alone.”

she

clenched his hands. “Human dignity is

on you.”

offended you. I’ll do anything if it means you’ll leave Sterry

would have borne witness to the inferno blazing

Anything at

wide as if he was ready for a good time, and sized her

, letting the smog surround them without caring if it suffocated her. He taunted her. “You said anything, didn’t you? You would do f*cking anything for that Fuller bastard, so what’s with

That was

but she had still underestimated the level of

back of his chair nonchalantly. “Once upon a time, Deirdre, we were husband and wife. Do you

have two options. Leave Sterling and return to me. Or… Strip for

to him? Return to him for what? So she could be his b*tch and

might be undignified, but she still had a shred of self respect

and moved her hand to the