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.

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 eventually 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.”

“No problem. I’ll do what I can with Beth. But, like I said, honestly, I wouldn’t expect anything to change. Maybe you should look to a plan B and watch over Ella yourself. I wasn’t kidding about the self-defense; it might be a great idea.”

“Maybe so. Thanks Nick, I appreciate the talk.”

Declan walked back toward his office and had to admit that Nick was right. Protecting Ella was going to fall on his shoulders. Teaching her to defend herself was also a good idea. If Ava had known how, her life might have been very different now. He wasn’t a man prone to fanciful thoughts, but he would love to see his sister smile that easy smile that she had for so many years before that bastard took it away from her. And he would be damned if he would let the same thing happen to his Ella.

Not your Ella, she will never be yours. Remember who you are.

“Ready to go, kid?” Ella looked up to see Beth, Suzy, and Claire standing on the other side of her desk with their purses. The morning had passed in a blur of work and thoughts of Declan. She was surprised to see that it was well after noon.

“Get your things,” Suzy demanded. “I hear you have some good stuff we need to hear during our lunch hour.”

Ella looked over at a sheepish Beth.

“Hey, you know that pregnant women can’t keep anything that good to themselves. I really tried, but I can never hide anything from my sister.”

Suzy put her hands on her hips and looked at Beth. “Oh, really? It seems to me like you are the queen of hiding things. Let’s see, there was that whole doing my brother-in-law in my kitchen and then practically living with him for months before you told me.”

Beth’s face flushed red as she laughed. “Well, that was an isolated incident. I’m totally truthful now.”

Claire stepped forward and took her arm. “Come on, Ella. They can walk behind us and bicker all the way to the car. At least they’ll get it out of their system so we can all focus on you during lunch.”

True to her prediction, Beth and Suzy did indeed tease each other for the entire ride to lunch. Once again, Ella found herself grateful to have such an amazing group of friends. They might embarrass her more often than not, but she knew that they genuinely cared and would support her no matter what.

Since Beth had a craving for Japanese food, they decided on the Yamoto at Broadway at the Beach. Ella loved the mix of restaurants and stores arranged around a lake. Sometimes during her lunch break, she would come here alone and spend her hour walking the boardwalk and feeding the fish. Luckily, it was a favorite of everyone in the group so they came here often.

When they were settled at a table, Suzy leveled a direct stare at her and asked, “So, with tongue or without?”

As she choked on a sip of iced tea, Beth thoughtfully wacked her on the back.

“Wha . . . what?”

Flicking her wrist impatiently, Suzy asked, “Did he put his tongue in your mouth or did you just rub lips?”

“I . . . well.”

Giving her a sympathetic look, Claire said, “Honey, just go ahead and answer the question. It will be less painful.”

Ella took a deep breath and admitted, “Yes, there was tongue.”

“Good, good,” Suzy smiled. “Are we talking a lot of it or just a swipe?”

Ella could feel her face flaming as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I’m not sure how much a lot is, but it lasted a while and . . . I liked it.”

“You slut!”

“Suzy!” Beth and Claire both gasped out in horror.

“What? I’m just kidding. I’m happy that she admitted to liking it. My little girl is growing up.” They all laughed as Suzy looked at Ella like a proud parent. “So the dating thing is getting to him.”

“I don’t know,” Ella said. “Maybe.”

“Oh, yeah, it is. I busted him at the office watching you leave with your date. He didn’t know I was there so I had a few minutes to study him. When you strolled off with your not so attractive date, he looked like someone had kicked him in the balls.”

Ella was stunned. She had no idea that Declan had seen her leave with Hugh. “I never saw him.”

“I know,” Suzy smiled, “and that made it even better. I, of course, took a moment after you left to turn the screw. I’m not sure, but I think he might hate me now.” Normally, that thought might upset someone, but apparently not Suzy. “Alright, so this seems to be working. Do we have any more candidates? I gotta say though, you can do better than the last one. That man looked like he fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.”