Protecting Ellis (Loved by the SEAL #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

“Get off me!” Ellis Granger couldn’t believe she’d ever thought Bennet was a nice guy or someone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The first clue should have been when her dad introduced her to him. A few months ago, she’d finally had enough and called it quits. But Bennet didn’t stop coming around.

Bennet tightened his hold. “Not until you listen to me.”

She’d made a mistake of not locking her front door to her studio as soon as her assistant left. She had no reason to believe he would get this physical. Then again, she was alone with him.

When he’d shoved her up against the wall with his hand on her throat, she’d been surprised. There were cameras outside. Surely, he knew the cameras had picked him up. Maybe he thought they were fake. Worry slid through her as his grip tightened. What if she didn’t survive?

His grip loosened for a moment, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re not moving back in and I’m not moving in with you. We’re done.”

Anger made his face contort, and he pushed her again, causing her head to slam into the wall. Pain blossomed, and she gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

“You’re going to call our parents and tell them you made a mistake, that the wedding is still on, and you were wrong to walk away.”

She shoved at his chest, trying to push him off. It was no use. Bennet was bigger and stronger. He could hurt her, kill her even, but there was no way in the world she would do what he wanted.

The door chime sounded, and she glanced over Bennet’s shoulder, glad the door was still unlocked. A police officer stepped in, her eyes narrowed as she met Ellis’s gaze. The officer wasn’t huge, but she had a gun, and all the other equipment police officers carried.

“Is everything okay?”

Bennet turned on the charm, his smile wide as he dropped his hold on her. “Yes, Officer. Just a lover’s tryst. Sorry, we’ll head home.”

Bennet tried to grab her hand, but Ellis had moved away from him and was shaking her head. “That’s not what happened. He threatened me and won’t leave.”

The officer changed her stance, putting her hand on the butt of her gun. “Sir, can you step outside?”

Bennet’s shoulders stiffened, and he shot Ellis an angry look over his shoulder that promised trouble. He was close enough she could hear his low words. “I’m the best you could ever hope for, and now you’re going to pay.”

She rolled her eyes. “The cop is standing right there, and you’re threatening me again right in front of her. Get out, and don’t ever come back.”

His words hurt. He’d spent most of their time together reminding her how plain she looked. At one point, he’d called her an ugly mutt. Maybe he was the best she could hope for, but she didn’t want or need a cheating, abusive jerk in her life.

Bennet huffed as he moved past the officer. Ellis wondered if her ex would try to run. He was white, and his parents were rich, so he probably thought he could either charm the officer or pay her off.

Relief filled her when another officer pulled into the parking lot. Ellis blew out a breath, puffing out her bangs. Bennet hated her bangs, so instead of growing them out, she’d kept them cut short to repel him.

It hadn’t worked. He’d still come back to annoy her. At one point he’d told her she looked like a wet dog with her bangs. His insults had stung, but she’d stayed with him because her parents had piled on, too, emphasizing how Bennet was the best she could do.

She guessed it was true. She hadn’t been serious with anyone before Bennet. Guys hadn’t been bugging her for dates. Heck, most men ignored her. Maybe there was something wrong with her. In her late teen years and early twenties, she’d turned to photography instead of obsessing over guys.

“Excuse me, Miss?”

The officer was back, her eyebrows raised. “He said you’re his wife and wants the keys to your car so he can drive home.”

Ellis threw back her head, laughter spilling out, echoing off the walls in the small space that was the retail part of her studio. It took her a moment to recover from the hilarity of the statement. She was laughing so hard her sides hurt from the workout she’d done earlier that morning.

“Oh God, you’re going to make me choke.” She shook her head. “Heck no, I’m not married to that jerk. I called off the wedding. We never made it to the rehearsal dinner or my bachelorette party. He’s an as—ope, sorry. Not going to curse. He’s not a nice guy. I found out before the wedding, and I called it off. He’s trying to force me to marry him.”

The officer looked around at the photos on the wall, her gaze staying on the amazing landscapes she had that featured colorful clouds at sunset. She’d taken that shot in Florida a few days before a huge storm. Her work won awards and had been featured in multiple national travel and nature magazines. She had a good reputation and was proud of the work she did.

“This is you?” The officer pointed at the photos.

Ellis nodded. “Yes. It’s me.”

“He’s claiming that he’s the photographer, and you stole all his equipment, too.”

That should have been funny, but him messing with her business was pissing her off. “Oh, he can go right to hell for that. He has never been involved in my business. He may have gone on a few hikes with me, but he didn’t take the photos or do the work.” Ellis shook her head and held up her hand, trying to offer an apology. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to get heated. I take my work seriously, as I’m sure you do. You’re in a male-dominated field. Do guys try to take credit for your good ideas?”

The officer rolled her eyes. “I can’t even start on that or we’d be here all night. I’m going to tell him to leave. If he doesn’t leave on his own accord, I’ll run him in. I hope you don’t mind, but I have about twenty minutes of paperwork for another case, and I’m just going to sit in your lot. Where is your vehicle?”

“Around back.”

The officer nodded. “Can you lock this door and I’ll drive around back and meet you there when you’re ready to leave?”

Ellis nodded. “I need about five minutes to close down. I’ll flash the lights in here when I’m ready to go.”

“Sure. And you should get a restraining order. There’ll be a report you can pick up from the station. I’ll make notes so other officers know to drive by a few times a day just to discourage him from coming back around.”

“Thank you.”

“Most guys like this back down once they realize you aren’t bowing to their wishes.”

Ellis smiled, hoping the officer was right, but knowing she probably wasn’t. Guys like Bennet didn’t like to lose.

She had a small photography store in San Diego, but she had a name in Europe. In her early twenties she’d gone backpacking through Europe and been lucky enough to take some great photos. Back before this current issue, her mother had helped her with her smart investing that she’d learned by watching investment TV for decades. Of course her father always tried to take credit for their money, but Ellis knew the truth. The only reason her parents had any money was because her mother was smart.

After turning off her computers and making sure the doors were locked, she flashed the lights, getting the officer’s attention. She waved and watched as the officer backed up and pulled away.

Ellis stepped out the back door, relieved to see the officer already in the lot, her lights shining on the one car in the back. She worried that Bennet had done something to her vehicle. Luckily, he hadn’t slashed the tires or broken out the windows. She didn’t think he was capable of that, but who knew?

She waved to the officer and slid behind the wheel, making sure her phone connected to Bluetooth before she took off. The officer followed her for a few blocks before turning down another street.

At the next stop sign, Ellis called her best friend, Ginger. Her parents hadn’t been inventive when naming her. She looked exactly like what people thought she would just by hearing her name. Even the freckles that dusted her cheeks and nose weren’t surprising.

“What’s up?” Ginger asked. The sound of cartoons played in the background, emphasized by the shriek of her kid.

“Bennet is a dick.”

“Oh no. What did he do?”

“Came to the shop and threatened me. A cop was passing by and stopped in to make sure I was okay.”

“And?”

“I’m going to have to file a restraining order.”

“You need to move closer and to an apartment with an alarm.”

“I’ll buy something for the door. I know I moved to a surprising place, but I figured he would never guess I’d live there. There is no way he will be going out to Riverton to find me.”

“The bast—yes, darling, you can have a cookie.”

“Wow, you’re allowing her to have a cookie before dinner.”

“It’s technically after her dinner. You’re running late. You need to talk to a lawyer and get something done about him.”

She let go of a heavy sigh. “I know. I will.”

“And get some sort of alarm for your place. He’s dangerous. Also, a panic alarm at work.”

Ellis blew out a breath. Ginger was right. She needed more protection. She wouldn’t run away, but maybe a trip to Europe was in the cards for her. She could go back and take more photos to sell in galleries over there. Her US customers appreciated her work, but Europeans went wild over her photos. She wasn’t sure why, but she was glad to be able to share the beauty she found while on hikes in Europe.

They talked about Ginger’s kid and gossiped about a makeup blogger they’d been watching for years. She appreciated how Ginger kept her grounded. Bennet hated her friends, especially Ginger, and had tried to prevent her from seeing them. Ellis had told him she wouldn’t abandon her friends. It was one of the main reasons she’d left him. Of course she hadn’t been willing to stand up for herself, but she would always stand up for Ginger.

“I’m home. Get your kid to bed. I’ll check in tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you do that. I’m worried about you.”

“I know. But I’ll be okay. He doesn’t know I moved to this tiny apartment out here. He’ll never find me.”

“I hope he doesn’t. Love you, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Love you, too, Red.”

“Bye, dork.”

The call ended, and she sat in her car for a moment, glad to be home. No one else had pulled into the lot at the same time she had, so she felt confident he hadn’t followed her. She slipped from her car, grabbed her bags, and started to the stairs that led up to her apartment. No way would she ever live on the first floor again.

The door on the ground level right under hers opened, and a big, sexy man stepped out. Her neighbor was gorgeous, moody, perhaps, but so freaking good looking. His lips down in a severe frown and his eyebrows had a line between them. They hadn’t talked, but he’d grunted at her. He looked mean—no, serious. His body was built and he looked nearly model perfect. Maybe he was a model. He had the bad boy, I could fuck a girl up hard look about him that sent a shiver straight through her.

He glanced up from his phone and narrowed his gaze even more before grunting as she slipped past him. Seriously, the intensity coming off that man made her squeeze her legs together just walking past him.

She pushed the lust away and headed upstairs to unlock her door. The man wasn’t interested in her. All he did was grunt. Maybe he didn’t speak English or speak at all. It was wrong to stereotype people, but he fit the dumb jock theme to a T.

“Hello, Lucy, I’m home,” Ellis called out to her goldfish. Not that the goldfish cared, but she liked to think her fish wanted her to stick around. She’d thought about getting a cat, but she took frequent photography trips and didn’t want to leave a cat alone that often. She had an auto feeder for her fish, and Ginger didn’t mind taking the fish when she had longer trips planned.

When she dropped a few pieces of food into the fishbowl, Lucy came up and nibbled. The fish was happy she was home. Maybe it was just the food Lucy was happy about, but Ellis liked to think the fish cared.

She sighed as she leaned against the countertop, wondering if this was all she could hope for. Sticking with Bennet for so long had been out of desperation. She was thirty-three and had never had a serious boyfriend other than Bennet. Guys thought her dark hair and pale skin looked plain. She didn’t have curves or even breasts to speak of. Well, she had them, but on a good day with loads of water retention, she was an A cup at best. Maybe she would never find anyone who wanted to be with her. If that was her life, she would embrace the single life. Just dealing with Bennet depressed her. Something had to change.