The irritating chime of the alarm drew Betsy from a deep slumber. Groaning, she turned away from the sound. There was a brief pause lulling her into a false sense of security. And then the irritating jangle blared once more. With a huff, Betsy pulled the pillow from under her cheek and then placed it over her head.

She had been dreaming. A good dream - at least it had felt good. The details were already fading but the sense of peace and contentment lingered. It was a pleasant change. Her heart wasn't thundering like it usually did from her nightmares. 

With the alarm muffled to a bearable level, Betsy released a happy sigh. Heaviness settled into her limbs once more. Nick's bed was comfier than the one in her cottage. If she gave it a few minutes, she knew she could drift back off to sleep.

Fingers suddenly drifted up her sides . Yelping loudly, all thoughts of sleep left Betsy's mind as an involuntary laugh to escape her lips. 

"Nick," Betsy squealed, pulling the pillow off of her face before swinging it towards the head of dark wet hair hovering above her. "Stop it. It's too early." 

With a chuckle, Nick pulled back so that he was hovering over her prone form. "It's seven thirty and, if I remember your schedule correctly, today is a -."

"Work day," Betsy finished with a gasp. 

No longer muffled by the pillow, the alarm's shrill ring assaulted her ears. It grew louder with every repeat.  With a soft curse, Betsy pushed at Nick's damp shoulders. They were firm and unyielding under her touch. Raising her brows, she gave him another light push, but Nick refused to take the cue. Instead, he leaned close, his minty breath caressing her face. 

"Nick! I haven't even brushed my teeth." Betsy protested, as she turned her head away. 

His fingers were gentle on her skin as he turned her face towards him. Nick leaned in closer, his dark eyes holding hers. He paused, their lips a hair's breadth away. "I don't care."

Then, before she could utter another word of protest, he closed the last of the space between them. Betsy closed her eyes instinctively. Her hands, which had been pushing him just a moment before, stilled. And then they were tugging him closer. Betsy tilted her chin to meet his kiss, her lips parting as he angled his head just so. Nick didn't need to be given any instructions and soon his tongue teased against hers. The kiss was slow and languid as Nick explored each and every inch of her mouth. 

It was different to the kisses from the night before. 

 This kiss was slow as they savoured one another yet it was no less  passionate than the frenzied kisses they had shared in the dark. One of Nick's hands caressed along her side before moving to cup her breast, his thumb teasing the sensitive skin. Betsy groaned aloud. Her body ached from the night before but still she wanted more. 

She was surrounded by Nick. 

The smell of his cologne. The taste of him mixed with the mint toothpaste. The sound of his rapid breathing as he pulled away long enough to caress the side her neck with soft teasing kisses. She shivered, tilting her head to the side to give him greater access to her neck. He filled her senses in the best way possible. 

Betsy's body heated as she remembered exactly what his body had been doing to her just a few hours before.

"I'm going to be late," Betsy reminded herself, fighting to regain control of her hormones. 

She opened her eyes but Nick chose that moment to flick his tongue against the juncture of her neck. He knew her weaknesses. Betsy's fingers threaded through his hair as she held him closer.   

"We can be a little late?" Betsy offered, trailing her free hand down from his shoulder to trail down the smooth skin of his back. 

Cool air rushed in to fill the vacuum as Nick pulled away with a wide grin. "You'll have to hold that thought for tonight. I have a meeting at nine." 

Shifting slightly, Betsy's brows raised as she felt the evidence of Nick's arousal brushing against her thigh. "Seriously? Are you sure about that?" 

"As much as I would love to stay in bed with you all day, we both have things to do. Tonight, I am all yours." 

"Promises, Mr Davenport." Betsy murmured. 

Lifting herself up ever so slightly, her bare chest pressed against his as she stole a kiss. With a nip at his bottom lips, she pulled away. "I'll hold you to that." 

"I hate being sensible." Nick groaned, leaning forwards to steal another kiss. 

"Me too." Betsy chuckled in response before pushing against his shoulder once more. This time, Nick rolled away to lay beside her. 

She allowed a sigh to escape her lips as her eyes swept over his form. Despite being in the office and chained a desk most of the time, he somehow managed to find time to stay in shape. As she let fingers stroke down the length of his arm, Betsy appreciated the effort. 

"Stop that or neither of us will be leaving this bed today." Nick chastised, stilling her hand with his own before pulling it up so he could kiss her fingers. 

"You started it." 

"And I'm finishing it." 

"You're no fun." 

Rolling out of bed, taking care to tighten the towel around his waist in the process, he offered her one last heated look. "I'll remind you of that later." Then, with a wink, he strolled into the walk in wardrobe with a sashay to his step. 

Chuckling, she slumped back onto the bed, her curls a tangled halo around her. Her alarm chose that moment to persist in another round of incessant chirping. 

Hitting the correct button on her phone, Betsy forced herself up from the warmth of the bed and strode into Nick's en-suite. Steam still clung in the air, fogging up the mirror. Still, as she glanced around, she was struck with just how much she had taken over the small space. Her toothbrush was next to Nick's in the holder. A dish of her extra strong hair ties sat on a little shelf below the mirror. She also knew that if she opened up the cupboard under the sink, there would be a basket of her sanitary products. She even had her own towel hanging over the radiator, a splash of baby blue in the otherwise monochromatic room. 

Betsy blinked. It had happened slowly over the months but somehow she had moved in without actually moving in. 

Pausing with her hand on the shower door, Betsy glanced briefly towards the bedroom. Nick passed by the open doorway, a white shirt already clinging to his shoulders. 

She swallowed. Maybe she just needed to go for it? What was holding her back? She had asked to slow things down and the time living apart had done what she had needed. She knew she was all in with Nick. What was happening between them was real and not just a rebound after her divorce. 

It felt stupid to admit it; but she had just needed to be sure. And she was. 

Turning the shower lever, water started raining down from above.  Stepping under the spray, the cold temperature washed away any lingering heat from Nick's kisses. Maybe she needed to discuss the living situation with Nick. But first, she had a job to do.

 **

As Betsy parked her car in front of the two storey office building, her heart started to pound within her chest. She had been training for several weeks but today was her first official day without the training wheels on. It would just be down to her. 

She drew in a shaky breath before releasing her death grip on the steering wheel when her hands grew clammy. Betsy couldn't even identify the cause of the anxiety. She knew how to do her job and she loved it. 

It paid a negligible amount but then she didn't need the money. Nick had been her previous employer and a generous one at that. As a result, her bank balance was currently the highest it had ever been. It was still modest in comparison to Nick's wealth but it gave her the freedom to pursue a career she loved.  

Betsy sighed. She only hoped her fear and anxiety would not put a barrier in her path. 

Climbing from the car, taking extra care not to scratch the car parked closely to hers, Betsy quickly made her way into the front entrance. Holding her access badge to the lock, Betsy let herself into the reception area.  An older woman sat behind the desk. Her watery green eyes lifted from her screen with confusion, her face illuminated by the blue glare. Betsy fought back a grin as Esther blinked owlishly up at her. 

"Oh hello, dear. Back again, are we?" She asked, pausing briefly in her athletic typing session to set a file on top of the desk. Then, after tapping a pink painted nail on it, she turned back to the screen and continued on as if there had been no interruption.

After four weeks of the same, Betsy didn't feel slighted. She simply picked up the file and glanced inside. She breathed out slowly at the sight of her official welcome pack. It was mainly a stack of paperwork most people never read in its entirety. But an uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach at the sight of the neon pink sticky note stuck to the front. 

'Come and see me, Bea.'

The file snapped closed within her hands. It couldn't be over before it started. Could it? 

Pulling her shoulders back, Betsy plastered a smile on her face. Her footsteps were muffled by the grey carpet tiles as she strode down the corridor with all the false bravado she could muster. She paused just outside the bland wooden door adorned with only a simple black nameplate for 'Beatrice Evans'. 

Drawing in a breath, Betsy raised a hand and rapped lightly on the wood. Ten seconds later, the door opened inward to reveal Betsy's eccentric manager. She was dressed head to toe in a clashing mix of colours, light airy skirts billowing around her sandal clad feet while half a dozen necklaces hung around her neck. Her hair hung around her shoulders in long grey wisps. 

"Come in. Come in." She announced, stepping to the side to let her pass. 

"Good morning, Bea." Betsy greeted as she slowly stepped into a room, offering a genuine smile as she sidled past her. 

Bea's office was one of the few places that had been spared any renovations. The furnishings were all well loved antiques, scuffed and worn from use. The walls were covered floor to ceiling in book cases which were adorned with paperbacks and a variety of figurines. The recent addition was the shiny new laptop on her desk which Betsy knew she used only with reluctance.

As Betsy emerged past Bea's cloud of floral perfume, she paused as her gaze fell upon the regal and almost statuesque woman seated behind the door. Her face was delicately wrinkled, her eyes sharp and bright despite her advanced age. 

"Elizabeth, I'd like you meet Lady Bainbridge. Helena, this is the young woman I told you about." Bea chirped as she breezed back behind her desk with a swish of her skirts. 

Despite spending time around aristocrats due to her relationship with Nick, all sense of etiquette vanished from her mind. Suddenly unsure how to greet someone with a title, Betsy swallowed past the lump in her throat and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Lady Bainbridge." 

Cool soft hands wrapped around hers in a brief greeting. And then the older woman's face split into a small smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you too. Now, take a seat and try not to look so terrified. We are all strong capable women so lets act like it, hmm." Her tone left no room for argument so Betsy released her hand and lowered herself slowly into the seat. 

Placing her hands in her lap, Betsy looked between the two women who were, by appearances and demeanour, complete opposites. 

"Now, Elizabeth, you're probably wondering why I called you in here today?" Bea started, earning a small nod in response. "There is a new project our organisation will be entering in to with Helena. And, we would both like you to be involved." 

"Me?" Betsy squeaked in response, glancing between both women. "Wouldn't you want someone with more experience?" 

"My husband passed away last year and I have no living children of my own." Lady Bainbridge said evenly, her face a regal mask. Only the slight tightening around the corner of her eyes told of the underlying pain in her statement. "With no heirs, upon my death, the familial home would pass to Reggie's dreadful nephews. Those boys have been trouble since they were children but even marriage and four decades have done nothing to straighten them out. They are beholden to their vices and I will not allow our home to be tarnished in such a way. The place had so many happy memories for Reggie and I. I can't let it be turned into a house of ill repute. It's why I have decided to donate the buildings, in their entirety, to Hope's House Charity."

Clenching her hands within her lap, Betsy fought the urge to place a consoling hand on the elderly woman's shoulder.  It the right thing to do. From the stubborn tilt of the other woman's chin, she had an inkling the woman wouldn't appreciate the gesture. 

Instead, Betsy replied, "That's a very generous of you. I still don't understand what this has to do with me." 

"You have the relevant training and you also surpassed our expectations during your first few weeks with us. We want you to be the education support at the new facility." Bea said, her fingers toying with her beaded necklace. "As you know, Hope's House provides respite care to families with children that are terminally ill. It also provides support for young carers and children who are living in poverty, helping them grasp every opportunity available to them. There's something about you that I think will benefit the children and I also think will benefit you." 

Betsy tried not to smile at the words. It felt good to have her skills recognised. And yet, even with everything they were saying, Betsy could sense their hesitation. 

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Betsy asked, "That's not it though, is it?" 

"What I said was true. Yet, I would be lying if I said that your relationship with Nicholas Davenport wouldn't draw in some much needed publicity for the charity." Bea dropped her hold on her beaded necklace with a heavy sigh and leaned forward. Her eyes met Betsy's and did not look away in their earnestness. "However, I would not force that upon you. You can be involved in the new project in an education support capacity only. Or, you can be the education support, and the face of Hope House's new facility. This will include television and radio appearances and more dealings with the press. I think you've had enough control taken away from you so this will be entirely your decision."

Sharp pain edged into Betsy's mind as her fingernails dug into her palms. Was this how it would always be now? Would people determine her worth because of who she was dating? Her fists clenched tightly as yesterday's bombardment by the press filled her mind. 

Betsy dropped her eyes away from Bea. The job was everything she wanted - she would be able to work with children and make a difference. Being a PR stunt had never been part of that plan. How could she deal with the press on a daily basis? Even now they hounded her daily when she had nothing to offer them.

"I'm not sure I can do it. I want to help but..." She shook her head, her eyes glazing over as she remembered the feeling of them pressing far too close. "I've not had good experiences with the press and I would not want that to affect the children. They're what is important." 

"You don't have to make any decisions now." Bea reassured gently. "And we will respect any decision you make. However, I do think this would be your chance to use the attention for something good."

"I concur." Lady Bainbridge added, her chin tilting up in haughtily. "Beat the press at their own game. If they're going to follow you anyway, why not use it?" 

Even the bite of pain in her hands as her finger nails broke through skin did nothing to ease the pounding of her heart. Still, Betsy managed to calmly force out the words. "I'll think about it." 

Unaware of her inner turmoil, Bea clapped her hands. "Excellent. Now, enough business talk. Would you both care to join me for a cup of tea?"

In that second, there was nothing Betsy wanted to do less. Still, she nodded, tilting her head forward so her blonde curls dropped in front of her face. She drew in a shaky breath. It was fine. It would all be fine. Now she just had to believe it.