I took the rest of the day to rest and get warm. Bennett made sure to send warm tea and sandwiches to the room I was instructed to stay in. I still couldn't believe all that had happened with Ellis and his step-mother at the hospital. It was true that there was nothing I could do. Ellis and I weren't married and I had no legal right to stay in the hospital by his side if he didn't want me to. When I was alone and settled down I was able to allow the tears to fill my eyes and spill down my cheeks. None of this could be real. How could it be that Brenda was by Ellis's side and I was now being saved by Bennett Klein? My heart broke as I thought about Ken. After everything he had been through in his short life, how could I tell him that his father didn't remember us? No, there had to be something I could do. Even if we weren't married, there must be a way to convince Ellis that I was his fiancée.In the end I realized that I would have to call home and at least tell my mother what was

I had no words for the way I felt after having made Olivia cry like that. No matter how a woman came into my arms, I never ever meant to make her feel like anything other than beautiful and desired. What was going on with me? Why had I let my jealousy of Bennett having her make me be cruel to her? There was no excuse and I would do my best to make it right. When I got myself together, I hurried back to the ballroom and made it into the party to see that the guests were beginning to leave. I hoped Olivia was still there. I looked around the room to see that she stood alone, looking sad and hurt. An uneasy feeling squeezed my chest.I took a deep breath, not sure what I could say to her in the way of an apology. Then Bennett was by her side and I felt a sour taste rise in the back of my throat. He was helping her with her coat. If what Olivia was saying was true and Bennett was forcing her to stay with him, I couldn't let that continue. I shook my head not believing that I was really

**Ellis POVEven I couldn't fully understand what compelled me to help Olivia Richardson that night. But, absolutely nothing had felt right since I left the hospital until I was able to hold her in my arms and claim her. I knew that Brenda would be suspicious of my actions and was prepared to hear her complaints once we were securely in the car.That was one of the many attributes about Brenda I appreciated. She was determined and ambitious but also very discreet. She was the perfect woman, born and raised to marry into a family like the Petersons. She was a great partner and asset to have by my side.I knew she probably meant well by advising me against giving Olivia the time of day. But, I couldn't rule out the possibility that this advice came more from a place of jealousy as well. But, she didn't mention anything about Olivia that night or the next few days. She didn't even talk about the party until she heard the news that I had withdrawn my proposal to the mayor on Midtown and

After my recovery from the hospital, I decided to rent a new office space in the city to conduct my business. It was a little bit of a headache trying to juggle what was going on in New York with the new business ventures I was looking into in Boston. It didn't help that Olivia's beautiful face was also on my mind nonstop. I still was not sure what to make of her. I couldn't forget the way she threw my credit card back at me as if I'd offended her. No woman has ever done that before. It was only fortunate that she seemed to be so very responsive to my touch. Maybe just as responsive as I am to hers. This was different and new. Part of me liked it but there was another part of me that felt the danger of not being completely in control of myself around Olivia. Everything about her was unexpected, a mystery or a surprise that I couldn't get enough of. "Ellis," Brenda called my name before knocking on the office door and interrupting my thoughts. I cursed under my breath and then cleare

I was shocked as Ellis tossed me over his shoulder. I tried to wiggle and shake free of his hold. He gave a slight shake himself and I bounced against his shoulder. The air left me for a moment and I fell forward, dangling over his shoulder to face his back. When I recovered my breath, I began to kick against his hold. "Put me down, Ellis!" I demanded and was rewarded with a smart wack on my backside. "Ow! What the..?! Ellis! What are you doing?" He didn't answer but followed that spanking with a gentle caress that had me gasping despite my anger and annoyance. I stopped struggling to avoid another wack, thinking that he would just carry me to the room and place me on the bed. I had planned to just wait until then to slap him for what he'd done. I was not expecting him to bypass the room and walk to the end of the hall. He carried me to a back door that had been locked ever since I arrived. I assumed it was a room for the staff to use and so ignored it. But as he quickly unlocked