Page 16 of Storm's Embrace

“It’s not gone, just put away.” His own anger was rising—his jaw tightening—but he wasn’t about to start a yelling match with her, so he kept his tone even. “And did you hear what you said? I’mthe kind of manyou wanted, not the man you wanted. There’s a big difference.”

“You’re going to argue word usage with me? Now?” She dismissed his point with a wave of her hand. “And don’t change the subject. You’ve put it away. It was the first thing I noticed when I walked in here. I’d hoped you’d put it away for me.” She glanced at the closed door when he didn’t say anything, while a look of speculation filled her eyes—her features hardening after a moment. “Or did you put it away for someone else?” Her glare going back to his skewered through him.

“It doesn’t matter why I put it away.” It did, but now wasn’t the time to put Miriam on Deidre’s radar.

She lowered her head, shaking it, before looking his way—her lips trembling while a lone tear tracked down her cheek. “It certainly does matter.” She moved toward him. “I thought we meant something to each other.”

Her tears surprised him. So much so, he found himself meeting her halfway and allowing himself to take her in his arms. She trembled against him and he wanted to kick his own ass for hurting her. Her anger he’d expected, but not this vulnerability she’d never shown before. Maybe Deidre wasn’t as tough as she made herself out to be.

“You’ve meant a lot to me, too, but it’s not right to make you think there can be more,” he said as gently as he could. “You should expect more.”

She took in a stilted breath. “Youarethe person I expected to have more with.” He held her for another few moments until her light touch ran up his thigh.

“Deidre,” he warned, staying her hand.

“Can’t blame a girl for trying,” she said on a sigh and stepped away from him. “God, I must look a mess.”

He gave her face a once over. Not one trace of her former distress showed. “No, you look fine.”

“So, you’re dumping me.” She shook her head and went over to put on her jacket and let out a laugh. “I have to admit, this is a first for me.” She turned toward him and crossed her arms. “I don’t like it. So, who is she?” She motioned with her head toward the door. “Is it…”

He still didn’t feel comfortable bringing Miriam’s name in on the conversation until he knew exactly what their relationship would be going forward. “Miriam? There’s nothing between us.”

She raised a brow and let out a little disbelieving sniff. “But you’d like there to be.”

“I—”

“Save it,” she said, holding up her hand, her demeanor changing once again to the Deidre he was used to. “You don’t want to see me anymore? Fine. But you still have one more commitment with me and youwillkeep it.”

The fundraising ball for the local pet shelter was coming up on Saturday night, and they were not only the committee chairs, but were expected to attend—together.

She gave him a hard look. “And I won’t be embarrassed.” She sat down on his couch next to where she’d left her purse and set the blue leather bag in her lap.

He nodded, figuring he owed her that.

“And not embarrassing me,” she said, pulling a compact out of her purse and opening it, “means I’ll be doing the dumping sometime in the next week or so.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

She pulled out a puff and patted over her face, a slight smile playing over her lips. “No. Which also means you’re not to be seen out with another woman.” She put the compact away and sat back against the couch cushion, her calculating gaze cutting over to his. “Agreed?”

He checked his watch. It was getting close to time for him to see his first patient after the lunch break, so he didn’t have time for a lengthy negotiation of his…

What? Surrender?

So he figured it couldn’t hurt to let her have her way on this one thing.

“Okay,” he said with a bit of reluctance. “Agreed.” He rolled his tense shoulders, not liking being dictated to, but he had painted himself into this corner all on his own. He checked his watch. “I’ve got to go, so—”

“I’d like to sit in here for just another few moments. You know, to finish gathering myself together.” She blinked several times, and then sniffled. “And you might want to wipe my lipstick off your face.”

“Take as much time as you need,” he said, frowning and grabbing a few tissues from a handy box. He scrubbed at his mouth while he hurried from his office. Miriam wasn’t at her desk.

“Dammit,” he muttered as he hurried down the hall to exam room three with his white coat flapping behind him in his rush. The afternoon wasn’t as packed with patients as the morning had been, but he still had a full roster of patients he needed to keep on schedule. He grabbed the chart off the door just as the door at the end of the hallway chimed and he glanced up.

Miriam.

The urge to go to her was hard to resist when she glanced his way without any particular expression on her face—something that struck him as odd. It wasn’t like her to seem so… Detached. Then she added to that feeling she had nothing to say to him when she turned her attention to her purse.

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