Chapter Fifteen

The Penthouse Prison

Ella

Swallowing another mouthful of her hot and tasty soup, her concentration burned into the man sitting across the island from her. Tucker ripped his slice of granary bread in half, his gaze rising as he offered one section to her.

“You need carbohydrates.” His hard tone told her it wasn’t a request, so she accepted the bread without protest.

“Thank you, sir.”

Dipping the bread into her soup, she tried not to dwell on his earlier words about doing ‘something for him’ in return for speaking to her mother, although the fluttering butterflies in her tummy clearly hadn’t forgotten. Hell, she feared the warning would be seared into her psyche for all time.

When men like Tucker Bowman threw comments like that around, there were reasons to be concerned, and even though she had started to trust that he wouldn’t do her any harm, she couldn’t suppress the nervous energy knotting inside her.

“How’s the soup?” He gestured to her half-empty bowl.

“Lovely.” Ella smiled, meaning every word. She’d been hungrier than she realized, and homemade or not, the meal was hitting the spot. “Thanks for looking after me.”

Her voice trailed away, and inwardly, she hoped he’d registered where her sentence had finished and detected her apprehension. He hadn’t promised the deed he wanted would be anything she’d enjoy, and she already knew Tucker too well to be reassured.

The new and significantly plusher surroundings of his city home were a welcome respite from life in the cabin, but Ella was fundamentally still his captive, even if the only ropes tying her to him now were the emotional ones tugging at her heart. She didn’t think she had the strength to walk away from a connection as scintillating as the one they shared, and if she did, what would that mean? Secretly, her fear of never finding a man who affected her the same way as Tucker terrified her more than anything he might demand in his penthouse.

“I always will.” His blue eyes gleamed with the promise. “I told you that.”

Always?

She gripped her spoon tighter at the resolve in his voice. What did that mean? Did he intend to keep her for the rest of their lives, or was he advocating they morph into a more consensual kind of union? Either way, her heart sped up at his assertion.

“Will you remember that when you make me do something for you after the soup?” Grasping the apparent momentum, she’d intended the question to be a joke, yet even she could hear the apprehension in her tone.

Tucker’s spoon paused, the cutlery hovering between his bowl and his tempting mouth.

“Is that what’s on your mind?”

Well, obviously …

She pulled in a breath to ensure the retort couldn’t slide from her lips.

“Yes, sir. You made it sound ominous, and…” The sentence died in her throat, and the way his lips curled did nothing to quell her raging anxiety.

“Did I?”

She noticed that he said nothing to reassure her. His silence persuaded the panic in her belly to rise to her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Is he tormenting me on purpose?

She pushed her cutlery into the remaining soup and eyed his apparent amusement. This was Tucker. Of course, he was doing it on purpose. She knew from personal experience how much he relished toying with her. Her time in the barn and the cabin had proven the point repeatedly.

“Well?” Ultimately, there was no choice but to prompt him for a response. If someone didn’t speak soon, the tension might spiral her into nausea, and suddenly, the soup didn’t seem as appealing as it had been only a moment before. “Why are you torturing me, sir?”

He didn’t try to hide his smirk that time. “Because it’s so much fun, little girl.”

She squirmed at his arching eyebrow, instantly regretting the gesture as her sore ass created friction against her robe and the stool.

“You’re teasing me.” Emotion surged at the realization, lodging in her throat until she was forced to look away.

Why was he being so mean? She thought they’d turned a corner when they arrived at the apartment, but clearly, she’d got it wrong. Tucker was more than happy to twist the knife and make her suffer when he had the chance.

“Don’t be like that,” he chided with a dark chuckle. “It’s not cruel when we both love it so much.”

“Just so you know, I don’t love it,” she corrected, gulping at the way his expression hardened at her petulant tone, yet unable to regret her honesty.

If they were going to live out this debauched fantasy, then he might as well know who she was and how she felt. Ella didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings.

“What did I tell you about that tone, little girl?” Collecting more soup on his spoon, he slipped the cutlery past his lips and swallowed, ensuring his gaze never left hers. “I’m sure I can ratchet up the bargain a little more otherwise.”

“Don’t.” Suddenly, staying on the stool seemed impossible, her hurt at his ability to manipulate her and confusion about her reactions burgeoning until she slid from her seat. As her feet hit the cool kitchen tiles, she inhaled and padded toward the window.

“Hey.” His tone was unimpressed.

She braced as if she expected him to whip around the island after her. It took a moment for her to realize he hadn’t moved from his place.

“You haven’t finished your meal.”

“For some reason, I’m not hungry anymore.”

Her hand rose to her temple as she sniffed back the impending tears. Anger furled somewhere deep inside, mocking her ridiculous responses. Alexander and Tucker had treated her like shit, and how had she answered them? Had she fought against Tucker wherever she could? Had she resolved to go to the authorities about her mistreatment? No. She hadn’t done either of those things. Ella, in her infinite wisdom, had reacted by offering herself to her captor and standing on the verge of falling for the guy!

What the hell is wrong with me?

Thick tears fell from her eyes as she gripped the edge of the window ledge for support. This wasn’t happening. She wasn’t standing in his kitchen fucking crying about his taunts. She was a grownup, for God’s sake! Why was she allowing him to affect her this way?

Why is any of this happening?

“Care to rephrase that, little girl?”

She leapt at the volume of his voice and spinning on her heel, she was stunned to discover he was right there beside her. In the haze of her woe, she hadn’t even heard his journey from the island to her place by the window.

“I’m not hungry, sir.” Her pulse sprinted at his abrupt proximity and unthinkingly, she wiped at her tears, alarmed that he was witness to her upset.

“What’s wrong?” His fingers caught her wrist, urging her hand from her face as his gaze bored into her.

“I just…” Embarrassed to have been caught crying, her gaze lowered down his rock-hard abdominals to the tiny towel he’d insisted on donning.

“What?” His tone was even, though he didn’t release her wrist.

“I don’t like the way you tease me, sir.” She forced herself to meet his eyes that time, gulping back her humiliation.

“Are you denying how much you enjoy this dynamic?” He signaled between them, his hand lifting to catch her chin lightly between his thumb and forefinger. “Because teasing and degrading you is a part of that, little girl, and don’t you dare try to tell me you don’t take delight in it. Your pussy gives you away every damn time.”

Shit .

The muscles between her thighs clenched at the certainty in his voice, and naturally, he was right. She might not have known it until the day their paths collided, but Tucker had left her in no doubt—she did relish the denigrating treatment.

“It’s not easy to admit those things out loud sometimes.” She wished she could break his spell and look away from the weight of his gaze, but his fingers meant that was all but out of the question. “That’s all, sir.”

“Is that why you’re sad?” His brows knitted as his thumb shifted to stroke her tear-stained cheek.

“It’s all just a lot .” That was an understatement. “Alexander dumping me in the middle of nowhere and meeting you.” She sighed, her eyes closing briefly.

“Am I that bad?” His tone was sardonic.

“No, sir,” she insisted as her gaze flickered open. “It’s just I don’t understand why I like the things I do, and—”

Moving like lightning, he tipped her chin and captured her lips for a slow and sensual kiss. Her knees buckled at his sudden intensity, his body moving to pinion her against the ledge as she sagged.

“Stop overthinking.” His voice had shifted to a deep purr as he drew away. “We are what we are, and by some miracle, we’ve found someone else who reciprocates our proclivities.”

Her head spun as she drank in his words. Tucker was right. Despite everything, she’d had the amazing good fortune to have found someone who could nurture this need within her and send her rocketing to the stars on a daily basis. She might have spent her entire life searching for a man like him, yet ironically, it had been her useless father who’d steered their courses for collision.

“You’re right.” She pressed her palms against his chest.

His words were a revelation. All the time she’d spent resisting and running from him, and as it transpired, Tucker understood her in a way nobody else ever had.

Her mind was quiet as the realization washed over her.

He understood her.

“Do you want any more of your soup?” He inched away from her body, his arms still holding her up as he waited for her decision.

“No, thank you, sir.” She was resolved to see this thing through. Whatever sizzling energy existed between them, it had been tangible enough for her to choose to come this far with him, and with a little courage, she was sure it would see her through whatever he had in mind to torment her with next. “I’m ready for your verdict about what comes next.”

“That’s good, little girl.” The corners of his mouth tugged north at her conciliatory tone, but the hand that grabbed her tender backside left her in no doubt about who was in charge. “I’ve made up my mind.”