Instantly she snatched it away, her expression horrified. 'What are you doing?'
'Ellie, Ellie,' he drawled slowly, his lips curling into a smile that made her feel distinctly uneasy. 'Are you really that naive? I haven't asked anyone else.'
'You haven't?' She stared at him blankly. 'Why not?'
'Because the only person I wanted to spend my evening with was you,' he said smoothly, moving his chair so that he was sitting close to her and sliding a warm hand up her leg. 'I know I upset you earlier and I'm sorry. You're a stunning girl. You must know that I'm interested. Everyone else knows.'
Ellie pushed his hand away and glanced nervously round the bar, reassuring herself that they were in a very public place so he was unlikely to go too far.
'W-Will, that's very flattering,'' she stammered, 'but—'
'No buts,' he said hoarsely, his breath warm on her neck as he kissed her. 'I want you, Ellie.'
'No!' She stood up quickly and grabbed her bag. 'I'm really, really sorry Will, but this isn't what I want.'
His face darkened. 'Look, I know I was an idiot earlier, but—'
'This isn't about what happened earlier,' she said hastily, deciding that she'd better put the record straight once and for all. 'I'm not interested in a relationship with you, Will. Not under any circumstances.'
He breathed in deeply and his eyes glittered. 'Ellie, listen, I—'
A harsh male voice interrupted him. 'I think she's probably done enough listening for one night.'
Ellie turned quickly, relief pouring over her as she saw Ben, broad-shouldered and menacing, his feet planted firmly apart as he stood behind them, very much the dominant male.
His usual cool reserve seemed to have been replaced by raw emotion, and for a brief moment she had a glimpse of just how tough Ben MacAllister really was.
'Ben!' Will stumbled to his feet, clearly taken aback to see the consultant standing behind them
'Ellie told me that you'd invited everyone for a drink tonight,' Ben said with cold derision, 'but clearly you left a few people out. So I invited them for you.'
Will looked towards the door of the bar and his mouth tightened as he saw the rest of the staff of the A and E department trooping in, laughing and chatting.
Ben raised a hand to catch their attention. 'We're over here.'
He waited until they'd all pulled up chairs and ordered drinks and then he closed a hand over Ellie's wrist and spoke to the group in general. 'I hope you don't mind if we make a move. Ellie's not feeling' a hundred per cent. It's been a long day.'
There were sympathetic nods all round and Ellie was beyond speech. All she was aware of was the strength of Ben's fingers digging into her wrist.
Without slackening his grip, Ben turned to Will. 'I know you wanted everyone to come for a drink.' He emphasized the word slightly, his tone icy cold. 'So now that everyone is here, I know you won't miss Ellie.'
With that he scooped up Ellie's coat in his free hand and strode out of the room, his strong fingers still clamped around her wrist.
His stride was so long that she virtually had to run to keep up with him.
'Slow down,' she muttered breathlessly as they shot up the stairs and into the alleyway that led to the car park at the front of the hospital. 'Ben, for crying out loud. What's the matter with you? If you're cross with me, just yell at me or something. There's no need to make me run so fast to keep up that I fracture my ankle.'
Still he said nothing, but his grip tightened and she winced slightly at the power of his long fingers.
'Ben—say something,' she pleaded in a small voice, and suddenly he stopped dead and turned to face her.
Faced with such electrifying masculinity, Ellie took a step backwards, dragging breath into her lungs as she stood hypnotised by the expression on his face. He looked every inch the dominant male, all rampant sex appeal and rigidly controlled power.
And then his self-control seemed to snap.
Still not uttering a word, he pushed her back against the wall and kissed her roughly, his long fingers biting into her scalp as he plundered her soft mouth.
Desire exploded inside her and suddenly she was achingly aware of every one of her senses.