Chapter Six

The Best-laid Plans

Tucker

“You look amazing, Ella.”

Tucker glanced across the Lamborghini at her, once again wowed by how great she looked in the blue outfit he’d purchased. Understandably, she hadn’t had any clothes with her when they’d arrived in the city, save for the attire he’d found her in, so he’d taken the liberty of buying her a few new garments to make leaving the apartment a little easier.

Not that I want her to be dressed too often.

“Thank you, sir.” She tugged at the mid-length skirt, her brows knitting. “It feels odd to be wearing so many clothes again.”

“I bet.” He stifled his laughter as he backed out of his space and eased from the parking lot. “Are you feeling nervous?” He didn’t have to be a psychologist to see she clearly was. Her fidgety movements and shallow breaths, since they’d traveled down the elevator to his car, were a dead giveaway.

“A little.” She managed a small smile. “I want to see Mum, but it’s strange. She’s the first person I’ve interacted with since I met you, and so much has changed since I last saw her.”

“I know.” His hand slid from the gear shifter to encase her delicate fingers.

“And I know she’ll be full of questions I can’t answer.” Ella’s gaze speared the side of his face as they approached the building’s security.

Tucker brought the car to a halt and raised his hand at the guy in the control room. His face wasn’t one Tucker recognized, but after so many months away in the cabin, he’d been forced to delegate a lot of the recruitment to his managers. It only made sense that he no longer knew every person. The unknown guy nodded in their direction and elevated the thin barrier in front of the Lamborghini.

“You can answer some of her questions.” Tucker glanced back at his little girl before he drove the car forward. “Most of them, really. You’re safe, you’re being looked after, and you can give her your new phone number to keep in touch.”

“Yes.” She still sounded uncertain as she dug her hand into the pocket of her jacket and fished out the device. “Thanks for that, sir.”

The phone had been another recent purchase of Tucker’s, and it was a sign of their evolving relationship. It was one thing to hold her in a perpetual state of consensual dominance, but he realized, quite another to cut her off from her friends and family.

If there was to be any tangible future for them, he had to start allowing her regular freedoms and trusting that she wouldn’t abuse them. He accepted exchanges with her mother and friends were not unreasonable. More than that, though, if he wanted her life to be joyful, and he honestly did, then he had to welcome the people she cared for into their lives.

“You’ve got it.” His hand returned to the wheel as he steered them up the ramp and out to join the afternoon traffic. “I want you to be happy, little girl.”

Her smile grew, and if he wasn’t mistaken, some of the impending tension eased from her shoulders. He’d enjoyed taking her back to the bathroom and washing her long hair after their bedroom chat. Even though he hadn’t benefited from another orgasm, there was something about the intimacy of that experience that called to him.

The fact she was seemingly so at ease around him now and her willingness to let him wash her—those were things he’d never known with a woman before.

Probably because I never stuck around long enough to find out.

He shook away the wry voice in his head as he changed lanes and headed deeper into the city. Whatever happened at Osbourne’s, he resolved not to take their growing intimacy for granted.

“I am happy.” The conviction in her voice surprised him. “I mean, we’ve not had a conventional start, but… this thing we have… it feels right.”

“Oh, I agree.” He glanced her way, his heart swelling as their gazes collided.

For a man who’d never much believed in the concept of relationships, let alone the idea of falling in love, her words were like fire to his blood. That a woman like Ella could even contemplate being with him when she was his captive was mindblowing, but the notion that she chose to of her own free will was too much to contemplate.

How could an old devil like him possibly have ensnared her?

How can I deserve her?

“I’ve never been as happy as I am right now.” As the admission escaped his lips, he realized it was the truth.

Every other chapter of his life had been about endurance and tribulation, about getting through and, if possible, getting stronger. The only exception had been his time in the forest, which had been about self-discovery and contentment, but he couldn’t recall life in the cabin bringing him as many highs as the time he and Ella had spent in his city hideout. The last few days had been perfection.

“Perhaps we should write to my dad and thank him for bringing us together.” She snorted at the idea, shaking her head as she glanced out of her window.

“Yeah, maybe.” Though when he ran into Bennett again, Tucker would certainly have a few other things he wanted to get off his chest before expressions of gratitude. “But let’s not let your father ruin our day.”

She nodded, he presumed entirely in agreement with his thought process. They’d already had a volatile start to the day, and while that matter was resolved, he, for one, wanted the meeting with her mother to be a smoother process than his ingenious punishment had been.

Not that he regretted his plan. He smirked as he glanced in his side mirror. Seeing Ella degrade herself that way at his command had easily been the most electrifying high of his life, and knowing that they’d both relished her performance made it all the more scintillating. By contrast, he wanted their time at Osbourne’s to be as uneventful as possible.

He glanced in her direction. “Do you want to go over the plan at Osbourne’s again, little girl?”

They’d discussed every moment in detail at the apartment, but he wanted to be sure they had every base covered. Nothing could go wrong once she left his side.

“Okay.” She clutched at the matching purse he’d bought for her. Not that she had much to put in there, aside from her new phone, which she kept forcing into her pocket. There was no need for his little girl to carry cash, and she didn’t yet have access to whatever credit cards she’d been used to spending with. Tucker would be taking care of the tab at Osbourne’s. “Let’s do that.”

“So, there are two tables booked for us.” He’d repeated this part so often it was starting to feel as though he was talking from a memorized script. “One for you and Susie and another for me.”

She blew out a breath, as if resolved. “Yep, I understand, sir.”

“I’ll make sure I’m sitting somewhere close to keep an eye on you both,” he went on as her narrowed gaze slid to him. “Not like that ,” he reassured, although in truth, it was a bit like that . He wanted to have eyes on her at all times. “I only want to make sure you’re safe, and with Bennett’s men on the loose somewhere, the best way I know to manage that is to be there with you.”

“Okay.” Her suppressed smirk suggested she was less than convinced by his passionate self-defense, but she didn’t say anything more.

“I’ll give you and your mum some time to catch up.” His heart raced as if he was the one meeting his mother for the first time in what surely must have felt like an age to Ella.

Fat chance. He sighed. His mother wouldn’t be coming back from the dead to meet him.

“Order whatever you like and enjoy the time with her, little girl.”

“And then?” She turned to him, prompting him to elaborate on what was unquestionably the most precarious moment of his careful planning—the moment he introduced himself to the mother of the woman he’d held at his cabin, the moment he came face to face with Susie. “You’ll come and join us, sir?”

“That’s right.” He worked hard to keep his tone even as he answered. He didn’t want to evidence the nervous energy swirling in his chest. “I’ll introduce myself and try to reassure your mum that I’m taking care of you.”

“Taking care of me?” She bit back on her laughter. “It’s that what you call it, sir?”

“Excuse me?” Feigned disgust echoed in his voice as he focused on the road ahead. The restaurant he’d selected wasn’t far from his place, but the city traffic lengthened every journey. “Do you have a problem with my approach, Miss Bennett? Because I’m pretty sure I’ve sought your assent to almost everything since we arrived at my apartment.”

“Busted, sir.” She definitely laughed that time. “Yes, I’ve agreed to most of it, and yes, I’ve loved it, but you cannot say ordering me to eat eggs from a plate on the floor constitutes taking care of me!”

“Hmmm.” His delight at seeing her so relaxed overtook any angst he might have at her reply. “Well, maybe that is a stretch, but I’m helping you to grow and learn about your own needs. I think that should be applauded.”

“Oh, absolutely.” She smiled. “I’m just not sure I’ll be sharing the details with my mum.”

“Yeah, maybe not,” he admitted. “It might not give the best impression of me.”

That was one way of putting it. Susie was probably closer to his age than Ella was, so she’d likely be suspicious of his intentions from the get-go. Tucker had given up caring what other people thought a long time ago, but he understood the path ahead with Ella would be a lot easier if her mother was on board.

“I’m also not calling you ‘sir’ in front of her, sir.” She chuckled at the irony of her sentence. “I mean, how on Earth can I explain that ?”

“True.” He didn’t especially like the way she’d unilaterally made the decision, but he supposed he could understand. The whole discussion about power-play in the budding relationship would have to wait for another meeting with Susie. Hopefully, one much farther down the road. “Okay, but only while you’re with your mum. Normal service resumes when we’re alone.”

“Yes, sir.”

He watched as she settled back against her seat. “Osbourne’s is just ahead, little girl.” He motioned to the left, and she turned to see the passing buildings outside of her window. “I’ll park the car in the neighboring hotel, which owns the restaurant.”

“I think I might have been here before.” She frowned as though trying to remember the possible past event. “But I can’t recall. I’ve been to a lot of nice restaurants.”

“I’m sure.” He didn’t dwell on her recollection as they approached. He was happy to keep their location vague.

Trust was a blossoming asset between them, but it was still young and tenuous. He wouldn’t be content for Ella to go back to anything resembling her ‘normal’ life until the matter of Bennett and the others had been resolved.

“It doesn’t matter.” Her quieter tone conveyed a fresh bout of nerves now they were close to their destination.

“Don’t worry,” he soothed. “We’re here early so we can both get settled at our respective tables before your mother arrives.”

Tucker had been careful to time their departure for this exact reason. He didn’t want Susie to see him and Ella together before she and her mum had time to catch up. Having to explain their relationship first would surely pulverize their chances of mother-daughter time.

He turned into the hotel car park, greeting the valet who met them. “We’re patrons at Osbourne’s,” he confirmed as the guy handed him a ticket in exchange for his car keys.

“What a lovely car, sir.” The younger guy grinned as he eyed the Lamborghini.

“Yes, she is,” Tucker agreed as he climbed out of the vehicle. “Take care of her.”

He wandered around to Ella’s door and helped her from the car. She took his hand as he led her out of the parking lot and back around to the entrance of Osbourne’s. The cool autumnal air whipped past them as they walked, urging him to tug her closer.

“I’m feeling anxious,” she whispered, gripping his digits tighter.

“Don’t,” he murmured back. “You’re meeting your mum. She loves you. Everything will be okay.”

Ella’s lips tugged into a curve at his words of support. “It will be good to see her.”

“Of course, it will.” He glanced in both directions before he opened the door for her, still conscious of who might be watching them.

He didn’t really believe that Bennett was smart enough or savvy enough to track them to the restaurant, but experience had taught him never to be complacent where his enemies were concerned, and fundamentally, he didn’t think it was really Bennett he had to watch out for.

His gut still insisted there was someone else pulling the strings where Bennett was concerned. He hadn’t vocalized his suspicions to Ella yet, but Tucker had a nasty feeling he knew who the culprit was.