All Chapters of The Divorcee Who Ruled Their Hearts : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Derek sat alone in the quiet of his bedroom, scotch untouched beside him, Claire's face still refusing to leave his thoughts.This is genuinely ridiculous, he thought, staring at the ceiling. A grown man, wide awake at three in the morning over someone he spent one night with.He'd built his entire reputation on control composed, unreadable, three steps ahead of everyone around him. And here he was, undone by his own stubbornness over a woman who'd walked into his life less than forty-eight hours ago.He thought back to the night before. The way she'd looked at him in that club, bold enough to claim him in front of his own men. The ease of it, the way she'd fit against him in the bath before his pride had gotten in the way of good sense.I threw that away over nothing, he admitted to himself. Panic, basically. Didn't like how much I wanted her, so I pushed her out before she could get any further under my skin.Classic. Predictable. And now he was lying here at three a.m. losing a bat

Claire Bennett was still shaking with fury. He had nearly killed her.She shoved Derek Voss away, sat up straight, and forced the words out through clenched teeth.“Derek, I want to get out of this car.”“Stop being so arrogant. I don’t want anything to do with you right now.”She turned toward the driver and ordered coldly, “Pull over. I’m getting out.”The driver, of course, did not stop. He only took orders from Derek. He kept his eyes on the road and continued driving as if she had never spoken.Derek’s expression shifted in an instant. The coldness in his eyes spilled over as his hand locked tightly around hers.“Say that again.”Claire’s voice trembled, but she did not back down. “I want to get out of the car.”Derek gave a short, humorless laugh.He had already tried to calm her down. What more did this woman want?The pressure of his grip increased until pain shot up her arm. Claire refused to show it.“Sweetie, stop making a scene,” he said, voice low and edged with warning.

Claire's shoulder collided with Derek's chest as she stumbled back from the pool's edge. She caught herself against him, instinctively pushing to create space, but his hand closed around her arm.Derek studied her, something unreadable flickering behind his dark eyes."Can't find a wife, huh?"Claire tugged against his grip, testing it, and found it wasn't budging.She studied his face, wary now in a way she hadn't quite been before. "Based on tonight's performance? I stand by it."She kept half an eye on his expression, still not entirely sure what this man was capable of when provoked. After the car, after the pool, she wasn't taking anything for granted with him.If he's this unpredictable over something small, she thought, *better to stay alert.Derek's gaze dropped to her soaked shirt, clinging to her skin, and something in his posture shifted less combative, more deliberate."It's not that women don't want me," he said, voice lower now. "It's that most of them bore me.""Your cl

Derek Voss stripped off every piece of clothing and dove naked into the pool.Once he was in the water he began teasing Claire Bennett without restraint, the pure white tulle clinging to her body like a second skin. Only when he was completely, utterly consumed did he finally stop holding back.By the end of the night Claire had succeeded in claiming him.He was everything she had imagined aloof, arrogant, cold-blooded, ruthless, cunning, and secretly passionate. Extremely sexy. Extremely dangerous.She was satisfied.Even though he had been the one to force the issue so shamelessly, a new unease settled in her chest.Why did it suddenly feel as if she was the one completely under his control?Derek had proven every bit as formidable as she expected. Tall, imposing, wild, and hard in every sense of the word. Outwardly he was iron; inwardly he was just as unyielding when he decided to take what he wanted.Because the two of them had been so intense the night before, Claire did not wake

Claire took the milk, downing a few grateful mouthfuls against her dry throat before answering. "You know Derek Voss?"Both men moved in the same elite circles it only made sense they'd cross paths."I know him.""We're not close, though.""I saw the tattoos on those men's necks. Knew immediately that meant Derek was involved somehow."Sebastian settled onto the sofa beside her, leaning in close, mouth curving into a knowing smile."So?""What exactly did Derek Voss try to pull on you?""A man with that kind of power could have any woman he wanted without lifting a finger.""Though I'd always heard he had zero interest in women, period."Claire felt the warmth of his breath against her ear, heat creeping up her neck despite herself."Don't even get me started. That man is genuinely terrifying.""Worst luck of my life, apparently, catching his eye," she muttered, cheeks flushed, a trace of real irritation bleeding into her tone.Sebastian, well aware of exactly what kind of man Derek w