Chapter Three

Exposed

Tucker

Ravishing. There was no other word for her.

Tethered in ropes, helpless to deny the way he'd exposed her flesh to the elements and now wonderfully muzzled, Ella was every inch the damsel in distress of his dreams.

And despite his secluded life, he had dreamed.

He didn't think about those visions often anymore, didn't acknowledge them outside of the comfort of his bed. He didn't need a woman, after all. He'd thrived without so much as a companion at his side, but now—with Ella shoved into his line of sight—there seemed to be no resisting her charms.

Staring at her half-bared chest, he was obliged to recognize just how charming she was.

With her arms secured high above her, her breasts were stretched from their natural shape, yet still, he could tell how ample and glorious they were. The way they'd reacted to his touch confirmed his suspicions. She desired him. No matter what she said.

Naturally, she can't say much at the moment.

His lips twitched at the hilarity of the statement. He'd put pay to any chance of that when he'd shoved the ball gag between her white teeth, but he had no regrets.

Ella had it coming. Her lips seemed to spew only snark and hatred. What had she expected him to do? It was just like her hands. Until he found a better use for her soft and tempting mouth, he'd had to restrain it.

There was no choice.

"Now you're calmer, I can explore you." He ran his hand along the underside of her right arm, eliciting a tremor from her diminutive frame.

Is she excited?

A flash of hope swelled in his chest. Her trembling was assuredly a sign of her burgeoning passion for him and not a product of her fear or the cold.

"Oo." Her head slid from left to right in a defiant gesture of insolence.

"No?" He chuckled at her non-cooperation.

It was feigned, naturally. She obviously believed opening her legs to him so soon after meeting would cast aspersions on her character, but Tucker could reassure her he didn't care a jot.

Women were nothing to him, and neither was the sex act they offered.

Both were a means to an end.

He certainly never judged a woman for her carnality, but then he hadn't contemplated either for years.

Until Ella.

"You realize how delicious you are, I assume?" He meant it, too. No woman he remembered could rival her.

Her breaths were irregular as his fingers skimmed back down along her bra strap.

"And now I have you here." It was scintillating to admit it out loud. "All mine, and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop me."

"Uck oo." Hissing the offense as best she could around the gag, her nostrils flared.

"Well, yes." His smile grew as he deciphered her sentence. Without the use of proper consonants, Ella wasn't easy to discern, but her pointed glare conveyed her meaning. "We might come to that, but I'm an old-fashioned type of man, Ella, and I was taught to take things slowly with a woman."

Leaning closer, he breathed in the scent of her, the sweet and no-doubt expensive aroma of the lotions she used taunting him. She twisted her head to defy his intimacy, running her feet backward as far as the ropes allowed.

"You're lovely." Reaching around her body, the hand at the small of her back encouraged her to resume her original place. She went with her usual battle, a growl he assumed to be anger escaping her throat as she was manhandled into position. "But you need to behave. Let me see if I can help you to."

He released his grasp on her, his hands traveling to her front and skimming over the silky cups of her bra. She mewled at the scandal, her body squirming in a pathetic challenge to his authority, but he didn't know why.

There was only ever going to be one outcome, and that was his.

Waiting until her nipples beaded with enthusiasm once more, he caught the sensitive teats between his thumbs and forefingers, holding her gaze as he applied pressure.

"Oooo!" Her squeal was frantic, her feet running on the spot, although there was nowhere she could go. The fetters ensured she remained at his mercy while the gag suppressed her complaints to mere moans and whimpers.

"Yes." He breathed the word, pinching her buds harder and conscious of the way his cock sprung to life at the stimulus.

Fuck.

If her tits could achieve so much arousal with only a few grasping touches, he couldn't fathom how much pleasure he'd derive from her entire body.

"Stop trying to fight me." His words were soft as he released the pressure.

Her gaze fell to assess the damage, but naturally, no evaluation was possible while her breasts stayed smothered in their silk prison.

"You won't win."

Determined to aid her mission and keen to witness the spectacle of her nudity himself, he clutched the edge of the pretty underwear and ripped it from its strap. She shrieked as the silk succumbed, her eyes wild with horror at the violation.

Tucker only acknowledged her ire briefly, his focus flitting at once to the object of his desire. Her right breast hung free from the remnants of her bra, her flesh goosing as he brushed a knuckle over the mound.

"So beautiful." There was genuine awe in his voice as his attention turned to the other cup.

He didn't need to tear it as he had the first. In fact, there had been no necessity to destroy either, but something about the temptation she'd brought into his life inspired the ferocity. His lips curled as the flimsy fabric also gave way to his might. The silk dangled limply from the underwiring as his hands moved to replace both cups.

Grasping the weight of her breasts, he was alive with sensation. When Bennett had first proffered his only daughter as a warranty, Tucker had been less than impressed. He hadn't wanted the headache of another person, let alone a spoiled brat like a Bennett. But towering beside her, he realized he was grateful. Without her father's intervention, he'd have never met Ella, would never have talked, touched, or trussed her. He'd never have felt the visceral electricity that raced through his blood as he fondled her.

He had every reason to offer Bennett his thanks.

One day, he would let him know.

"Urgh!" Lurching back against her ropes, Ella freed herself of his grasp and slammed her boot into the ground, narrowly avoiding his foot.

"Bad girl." Wagging his finger at her, he hauled her back into place. Her breaths came faster as she struggled to deny him, but in the end, his strength won out.

He was bereft to no longer enjoy the feel of her firm, intoxicating body but more vexed that she still insisted on resistance. Deep down, he acknowledged it was wrong to take what didn't belong to him, but that voice was easily subdued by the knowledge that Ella did. Her own father had staked her as surety. She was as much Tucker's as the barn they were standing in.

"I said no more tantrums." Looming by her side, he noticed the imperceptible way her eyes widened. She was still afraid then, as well as aroused by his show of authority. "And I told you what would happen if you disobeyed."

"Oo." Shaking her head, she turned to him with big, imploring eyes, and what a sight she was.

With her expressive green eyes, long limbs, and bared breasts, she was scintillating, but Tucker suspected what he had in mind for her next would only increase her appeal.

"Yes." He should have grown tired of her constant countering, yet her insolence empowered him to go even further than he'd planned. Clearly, she sought his punishment. Why else would she continue to push him? "You tugged these up earlier when you thought I'd forgotten." He signaled to her joggers. "But I hadn't forgotten, Ella."

A strangled scream seemed to get stuck in her throat as he stood beside her, both of his hands resting on the sides of her pants. Presumably, she'd guessed what was coming next, yet with her arms out of action, she was unable to prevent it.

"That's why I'm going to help you with them." His grin grew. "You deserve to be displayed, and as it turns out, they'll provide a wonderful impromptu type of bondage until your boots work free of them."

If they ever did.

"Ooo!" She screeched another protest, jerking at the ropes as though the rafters would spontaneously take pity on her plight and give her up.

He never let go of her joggers, despite her intent wriggling, waiting until she'd finally relented before he whipped them down her thighs. She whimpered at the initial humiliation, her head falling like the fabric.

"Stop fighting." He murmured the instruction as his palm brushed over her ass cheeks. He'd already had the delectable diversion of spanking them, the evidence of the encounter demonstrated in their rosy hue, but he'd be happy to do so again if his new guest required it.

Her body stiffened at the caress, although he noted that she didn't try to avoid it.

Finally, she's learning.

It was about time.

"You'll be displayed for my pleasure." Grabbing one of her cheeks, he watched as her chin rose. Likely, she had an opinion about his plan, but she managed to hold in any grievances. "And just to make sure you're safe, I'll make a bed here in the hay and stay with you."

"Oh ‘od." She sighed, her head leaning between the inside of her elbow and her shoulder.

"I think you mean, thank you." Releasing her backside, he wandered back to look into her eyes. "And you're welcome. I knew breaking you in would take a little time."

A glimmer of disdain glowed in her gaze, but ultimately, it looked like weariness that closed her eyes. Her lids were heavy, her body obviously exhausted after the day of shocks and surprises. He'd intended to nurture her, to warm and feed her by the fire, but Ella had insisted on an alternative plan. As it was, the wildcat was still awake inside her, but Tucker reasoned that he'd done enough to cage it for the night.

"Good idea." Glancing around, he looked for a suitable place to crash for a few hours. Although goodness only knew how he'd get any sleep with the wonderful distraction of Ella there to stimulate him. "Let's get some rest."

Choosing a reasonably-sized bale, Tucker strode back to the door and ensured the chains were in place. He didn't want a stray wolf wandering in before dawn.

Briefly, his attention flitted back to the cabin. The fire would burn itself out eventually, and though he loathed wasting the logs, he hoped it would keep the place warm for when they returned. Fortunately, it was only the start of autumn, and the cold hadn't yet closed its claws around the forest. The two of them would survive one night in the confines of his outhouse.

Satisfied that he had thought of everything, he walked back to where Ella was strewn. Hearing his approach, her eyes fluttered open.

"Don't worry." He met her eyes with a soft whisper. "You might not want to be here with me, but while you are, I swear to keep you safe."

Her nose wrinkled at his declaration.

"No one can get in, and you can't get out, Ella." A rush of triumph flooded his senses. "All you need to do is dangle right there until morning."