Brendan would admit that he was feeling up, but he absolutely did not appreciate seeing her initial reaction to his arrival. It was as if she was accusing him of being nothing but a sex-starved animal!

“I came here to rest, Deirdre.”

“Rest?”

“Yes. Rest,” he replied slowly. “Look, it will be very easy for Ophelia to see through our current facade. You’re repulsed by me, and that’s so obvious even I could tell. The good news is, we’ve got 10 days to slowly phase into some semblance of intimacy. It’ll look natural in the end.”

Deirdre’s face turned pale. Brendan, sensing a revolt, changed tactics. “If you object to it, fine by me.”

Object? Deirdre felt the wind get knocked out of her. Her real intention was obvious, but this was not optional for her. She had to please him, not just for Ophelia’s sake, but because she knew Brendan very well. This was the man who would do anything—noble or ignoble—to get what he wanted. Nothing she could say or do would change that.

She would rather