Fighting For You d-4 Read online

  “Trying to stay out from under your car. Shit, Ella where did you learn to drive?” As she was opening her mouth to reply, he added, “Pull your car out of the road, baby, before someone hits you. And try not to kill me in the process.”

  With her mouth still hanging open, she pulled slowly forward into her parking space. Baby? Declan Stone just called me baby? Okay, so it was a bit sarcastic, but it still counted, right? When her door opened, Ella’s mouth fell the rest of the way to the floor. Declan stood before her in figure-hugging shorts and a tank top. His huge biceps glistened with sweat and a light coating of dark hair shown against his muscular legs.

  Despite having very little experience with the opposite sex, Ella was certain that she could have an orgasm just by rubbing against his hard body.

  “Ella . . . Ella . . . ELLA!”

  Ella jerked as he shouted her name. Geez, he sure was bossy. “What?”

  “I asked why you were driving home like a bat out of hell?”

  “I . . . I wasn’t and come to think of it, what are you doing in my driveway?”

  “Well, obviously, I was jogging before your bumper attempted to crawl up my leg,” Declan smirked.

  “Do you live near here?”

  “Yeah, just a few miles down the road. I run this route a lot.”

  Oh great. I’ll never rest again knowing he is this close to me. Maybe I can take up jogging and start running by his place.

  “It’s a little late to be coming home from work isn’t it?” he asked.

  Ella was thrilled that he had asked. Here was her chance to tell him about her date without just volunteering the information. Her plan to make him see her as someone with experience would never work if he didn’t even know she was going out on dates. “Oh, I had a date.”

  Declan looked around and asked, “Oh yeah? So where is he?”

  Ella felt herself start to fidget under his stare and when she was nervous, she started talking . . . a lot. “I met him at the office so we drove separately. Beth thought it was a good idea not to let any of them know where I live at least until I am sure they aren’t stalkers or something.”

  Declan looked puzzled as he continued to stare at her. “I’m lost here, babe. Why would you be afraid for someone to know where you live, if you know them well enough to go out on a date?”

  Ella knew she had said too much, but she couldn’t seem to stop. She had never been very good at keeping things from people especially if they asked her a direct question. “I don’t really know them. Beth helped sign me up with a dating service, and these are the guys I’ve met through it. I’m sure they check them out and all, but Beth still doesn’t want me to get into a car with any of them until I get to know them better. Don’t you think that’s a good idea?” Her words trailed off as she took a good look at him. His jaw was clenched tight and his hands were now resting on his hips as he glared at her.

  “Beth signed you up with a dating service?” At her small nod, he blew. “Is she out of her damn mind? She actually thought it was a good idea to put you out there for every freak in the world to try to get their hands on you? Hell, why not just sell tickets?”

  Ella took a step back, unused to Declan raising his voice to her. “I . . . I asked her to. It’s not her fault.”

  He took a step toward her and put his hands gently on her shoulders. “Babe, why would you want to do that? You’re a sweet, innocent girl. Those types of men will just try to take advantage of that. You need to cancel or whatever the hell you do to stop it.”

  Startled, Ella put her hand on his chest and looked up into his handsome face. “No, Declan, I can’t. I’ll be careful, but I have to keep dating.”

  “I said stop,” Declan snapped. “If you’re that desperate for a date, just let nature take its course. You don’t need a dating agency. I mean it Ella, cancel—or whatever you need to do—now.”

  Ella shook her head, looking down at her hand on his chest. “I can’t stop.”

  Visibly frustrated, Declan shook her lightly and asked, “Why? I don’t get this.”

  Still unable to avoid answering a direct question, Ella admitted, “I can’t stop because if I do, I will never have you.” She felt him stiffen under her hand as if he had stopped breathing.

  “What do you mean?” he asked hoarsely.

  Ella raised her eyes to his and said softly, “It’s the only way to get you to see me as a woman. So I have to keep doing it.”

  * * *

  Declan felt his gut clench as he looked down at the gorgeous woman in front of him. He still couldn’t process what she had just said. She had joined a dating service because of him? What could she possibly have been thinking? And the better question was what could Beth have been thinking? How could she have gone along with this whole thing? Did she have no idea what could happen to someone like Ella if she went out with the wrong man?

  “Baby, I don’t get this whole thing. I know you’re a woman. Trust me, I know it too well. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

  “I like you Declan . . . as more than a friend. And I know I’m not the kind of woman you probably go for, but I can change.”

  A harsh laugh escaped his throat as he looked down at her. Here was the woman he had been trying to stay away from because he wasn’t the kind of man that a woman like her needed and she was trying to change to be the kind of woman that she thought he needed. Man, the universe was truly fucked-up sometimes. He knew he wasn’t going to give her what she wanted in life, but if he could have just one taste of her before he pulled back, maybe it would last him a lifetime. Hell, or it might scare her so bad that she would give up her crazy plan and go back to her safe life.

  Declan ran a thumb over the plump curve of her lower lip and inhaled sharply as she trustingly parted her lips for him. “Oh, Ella, girl, what am I going to do with you.” Then before he could talk himself out of it, he lowered his head and took her mouth in a kiss that was surprisingly soft and gentle. He could feel her heart thudding against his chest as he pulled her closer to his body. What she lacked in experience, she more than made up for in eagerness. Her arms wrapped the rest of the way around his waist bringing their bodies into close contact.

  Soon, Declan was powerless to control the stir of his erection. His body reacted to her presence like gas on a fire. When she innocently rubbed herself against him, he was in serious danger of losing all control in that moment. He wanted to pick her up and have her wrap her legs around his waist so he could rest his cock in her softness.

  Then when he felt her tongue slide against the seam of his lips, he threw all caution to the wind. Gone was the gentleness and in its place was a fire that he hadn’t let out of control in oh so long. He took possession of her mouth and tasted every sweet inch. He lowered one hand to grasp the sweet curve of her ass and used it to pull her even closer.

  Ella was writhing against him as if desperate for a release from the tension gripping her body. “Oh, Declan, please . . .”

  Running his mouth up the curve of her cheek, Declan whispered, “You have no idea how much I would like to please you, baby.” As she started to fold her body closer in to his, he fought to pull back from her. “Shhh, hold on, baby. We can’t do this. You deserve better than being groped in a parking lot.”

  Ella grabbed his hand when he pulled away. “Let’s go to my place. I want this. I want you.”

  Declan put his hands on both of her shoulders and pushed her gently away. “Baby, I know you think you do, but it’s just a big case of lust. If any man kissed you the way I just did, you would want him too. It’s basic hormones and you don’t have much experience controlling them yet.” Oh, shit.

  Could you have handled that any worse? “Wait, Ella . . . I didn’t—”

  Ella pulled back stiffly and looked at him with eyes filled with hurt. “I think I get your point, Declan. Well, thanks for clearing that up. I should have given my date more of a chance tonight if any man can turn me on. That is what you said, right?”
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br />   “Baby . . . I didn’t mean it like that. You just don’t have much experience.”

  Ella held her hand up and yelled, “Stop! Just stop talking about my lack of experience. First, you were freaking out because I was dating to get experience and then you’re pushing me away because I don’t have experience. Well, which is it, Declan? Should I just take up knitting and stay home alone forever? I don’t need your permission to date and you know what? I don’t even think I want you anymore, so there!”

  “Baby,” Declan began, holding out a calming hand.

  “Stop calling me baby. I’m not a baby, I’m a woman and if you don’t believe me, then watch and see!” With those final words, Ella walked to her door and slammed it so hard that even he was impressed with how much the frame rattled.

  Well, that went well. Why didn’t you just take her to a street corner and push her into the first car that pulls up because you just gave her all of the encouragement she needs to date a different man every night. Fuck! He knew it was useless to try to talk to her again tonight so he took off at a fast run hoping to burn off some of the adrenaline still pumping through his veins. Running with a hard-on? Not so nice.

  * * *

  “Oh my God!”

  Ella had to pull the phone away from her ear as Beth continued to shriek loudly.

  “Okay, sorry about that. I’m just an old knocked up, engaged lady now, so I have to live through my young, single friend. It was good though, right, Els?”

  Ella sighed and admitted, “Better than I could have imagined. I thought I would explode just from a kiss.”

  “Oh, baby,” Beth giggled, “there is nothing better than a kiss from a man who knows what he’s doing. And if Declan kisses anything like he looks, oh yeah!”

  Suddenly, Ella heard a male voice in the background and she had to laugh as she overheard Nick say, “I’m going to try not to take it personally that you seem to have spent a lot of time checking out Declan. It could be worse. At least you aren’t discussing Gray.”

  Beth laughed and Ella heard a smacking kiss that she assumed had been delivered to Nick. “Oh, honey, I’m just supporting my friend. You know I haven’t really looked at Declan. It’s just some girl talk.”

  “Um, should I let you two go now?” Ella asked.

  “Oh no,” Beth assured her. “He just left for the grocery store. I’m dying for some strawberries and Cool Whip. There is no way he would be going without complaining if he wasn’t hopeful that I would eat at least half of the Cool Whip off of . . .”

  “No, no, please don’t finish that sentence!” Ella pleaded “I have to see him every day. It’s bad enough the things that Suzy has put in my mind about Gray. At least Claire doesn’t share quite as much about Jason.”

  “Alright, I’ll spare you tonight. So let’s get back to Declan. What are you going to do? I can’t believe he told you that any man would make you feel the same way that he did. Is he crazy?”

  “I don’t know about that, but he clearly doesn’t see me as a woman. I don’t know why I even bother; he can be such a butthead.”

  “Ella Webber, you bad girl,” Beth teased. “You must be hanging around my sister too much. Before long, those four-letter words will be rolling off your lips as easily as they do hers. All kidding aside though, I know you care about him and it’s pretty obvious that he’s attracted to you. I sure don’t buy the fact that he just happened to be jogging in your neighborhood. Keep your eyes open because I would be willing to bet he makes a point to go by your house. This is just the first time you almost ran over him. I bet that was a bit of a surprise.”

  Ella finally relaxed and a chuckle escaped her. “It was pretty funny, now that I think about it. He’s always so calm and controlled but he looked anything but that when my bumper stopped two inches from him. Do you think he was jogging past to try and check up on me?”

  “Oh yeah. I know Myrtle Beach isn’t a huge place, but that’s too much of a coincidence. Let’s get the girls together tomorrow and see if we can plan our next move. Did you get any more replies to your personal ad?”

  “I’ll check my e-mail when we get off the phone. I have a few that I haven’t replied to yet. One of them was older than my father, ugh. Why would a man want to go out with a woman who is that much younger than him?”

  “Oh Ella, my naive friend, they didn’t get the saying, ‘men are pigs’ from nowhere.”

  Ella promised to have lunch with Beth, Suzy, and Claire the next day and hung up the phone. Nick had made it back with the strawberries and Cool Whip and Ella had been anxious to end the call before she heard more than she could ever forget.

  What must it be like to have a relationship like the one Beth had with Nick? She knew it hadn’t always been easy for them, but they were in such a good place now. Nick seemed to adore Beth and she knew the feeling was mutual. He wanted to marry her immediately and she wanted to wait until after the baby was born. She said she couldn’t bear to be huge in her wedding pictures. Everyone else thought she was crazy, but Ella could imagine that for someone who had battled a weight problem for most of her life, it was very important to her to look her best on her wedding day.

  Thoughts of Declan pushed back into her mind as she imagined a wedding day with him. Men like him probably didn’t do marriage. Was that something she was willing to give up for him? The memory of how he’d kissed her as if he wanted to consume her meant she’d consider it. She had felt a fire roaring through her blood that had never been there before. From the feel of his hardness pressing into her stomach, he had also felt the same. If by some miracle she was able to start a relationship with Declan, would it be enough? Would she be satisfied by the type of flame that had burned through them for those brief moments or would she eventually want more from him and their future?

  All of a sudden Ella felt like she was in over her head. Having such a limited experience with men had never bothered her until now. If not for Beth, Suzy, and Claire she would be lost. She certainly couldn’t discuss sex with her mother. Her overprotective parents were still trying to talk her into moving back home. Her room was exactly as she had left it, a shrine to the nerd that she had been. Back then, books and school had been her only life. Dating was something that would never have been discussed in her parents’ house. Until she got the job at Danvers International, she was set to be a spinster and live with her parents forever. Some days she still couldn’t believe the girl who looked back at her in the mirror. Beth had helped her to look like the person that she had always dreamed of.

  The old Ella would never have had the nerve to go after a man like Declan. Sure, like most women, she would have looked twice at him, but that would have been it. Now, she not only wanted him, she was determined to make him accept that he wanted her too. And if this was what it took, she would go on boring date after boring date until she had the experience that she needed to seduce a man like him.

  Chapter Four

  Declan barged into Nick’s office the next morning without bothering to knock. Nick raised a questioning brow in his direction and motioned for him to take a seat while he finished the call he was on. Rather than sit, he continued to prowl around the office until Nick was free. “Hey, Dec. What can I do for you?”

  Never one for small talk, Declan got right to the point. “Have your girlfriend drop Ella from the dating service that she signed her up for.”

  Hearing Nick’s groan, Declan turned back to face him. “Shit, has every woman in this building joined at one time or another? Beth used them too. I even crashed one of her dates. I’m not saying I agree with it, but I don’t know what I can do about it. Ella is a grown woman and I don’t think she’s interested in my opinion on her dating life.”

  “She may not be interested in it, but I’m sure she would listen to Beth.”

  Nick leaned back in his chair and studied him. “You know, Dec, this is probably the longest conversation we have ever had about anything that didn’t pertain to business. I thought we would eventual
ly ease into a friendship. Maybe enjoy a few drinks while we watch a game. I never imagined we would be discussing your woman problems this soon in our relationship.”

  Declan allowed a smirk to curve his lips as he acknowledged the truth of Nick’s statement. He didn’t hang out with much of anyone and that included Nick Merimon. This was certainly the most personal conversation he had had with anyone in the office, besides Ella, since coming to Danvers. “I don’t have woman troubles. I’m just trying to protect a friend.”

  “So Ella is just a friend to you? If that’s true, why do you care who she dates?”

  Declan raked an impatient hand through his hair. “Because she could get hurt. She knows nothing about men and is far too trusting. I don’t want her to end up in a situation that she has no idea how to handle.”

  “Look, I don’t think Beth would put her in a position to get hurt. I’m sure they have all of that covered. If you’re worried about her, maybe you should talk to Ella. Hell, give her some self-defense classes. You would be a pro at that. I’ll mention your concerns to Beth, but don’t expect it to help. One thing you should know about that group of women is that once they have made up their minds, you just have to step out of the way and hope for the best.”

  “Damn, Nick, that’s not good enough! She could be in danger. I know firsthand what can happen to someone like her when they trust the wrong person!”

  “What are you talking about, Dec?”

  Turning away from Nick’s direct gaze, Declan reluctantly answered, “My sister, Ava, was once an Ella until someone took her trust and innocence and ripped them away. I won’t let the same thing happen to Ella.”

  Nick answered with a soft, “Wow, I had no idea, man. She’s so quiet; I really haven’t spoken with her much since she came on board here with your brother.”

  “Yeah, well, Ava changed after all of that happened to her. She isn’t really comfortable around new people anymore, especially men. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention it around her. She wouldn’t want anyone’s pity.”