Page 15 of Suspicion

Evading the roots of the old trees that lined the dirt track, his grip tightened on Ella’s body. She whimpered over his shoulder, finally hushed. The abrupt spanking seemed to have tamed her, her body limp as it sprawled by the side of his head.

Fixing his stare ahead, he dismissed the delicious distraction her proximity provided. Even though she was older than he’d assumed, there were still far too many decades between them for her to have caught his eye. Yet despite his current glib indifference to the opposite sex, Ella had reminded him that he was still a red-blooded man.

It had been so long since he’d had a woman.

Too long.

So long since he’d held the warmth of a feminine body next to his and breathed in her intoxicating scent.

Stop.

His back straightened, his focus turning away from the temptation of Ella’s body. He couldn’t do this, couldn’t go down that road.

The mud trail he was walking on looked clear and well-defined compared to the murky path his mind was straying down. Ella wasn’t his lover. She was his hostage, collateral. That was all.

She wasn’t more.

Could never be, however his neglected cock might protest.

But what if?

The question lingered, ricocheting as he climbed the mud bank. His cabin was no more than a mile away. They were nearly home.

What if she is more? What if she wants me, too?

He glanced back at her and instantly regretted the action. Why had he insisted she bared her ass for the remainder of the trip? Sure, disgracing her was a smart and effective way to assert his authority, but truly, what had he been thinking? How was he supposed to concentrate on anything with her sex so close to his face? The scent of her femininity goaded his nostrils, daring him to act.

No.

His jaw clenched as he denied the primal urges.

No, he wasn’t going to throw her to the earth and take what he wanted.

No. No. No.

He was a mercenary. A man who’d made his money from other people’s misfortune. A man who had little regard for the feelings of others and even less remorse when he benefited from their mistakes, but still… even monsters had lines that they didn’t cross.

Didn’t they?

She doesn’t want me.

Swallowing back his lust, he repeated the words in his mind like a mantra.

She didn’t want him. She didn’t want him, but even if, by some miracle, she did—so what? This wasn’t about sex. Ella was the warranty that her useless crock of a father would eventually pay up. She was a part of a financial arrangement.

“Er…” Her voice trembled as she splintered his conflicted thoughts. “Tucker?”

“What is it?”

He hadn’t intended his reply to be so terse, but the idea of sliding his shaft into her wet places was an enticing fantasy, even if he knew it could never come to fruition. He hadn’t welcomed the interruption.

“I’m sorry, but… I need to pee.”

What was that in her voice? Contrition? She didn’t sound much like the firecracker who’d countered him at every opportunity.

“Can’t you wait?” His pace didn’t slow. “We’re not far from my cabin.”

“Not really.” She wriggled against his shoulder, inadvertently stirring more of the captivating scent that had already thrilled his dick. “I’ve been desperate for a while, but…” Her voice trailed away.

---