Page 30 of Suspicion

She turned her head to follow him, reluctantly having to cede once he slipped out of her peripheral vision.

“Wha—”

He moved like lightening, hoisting the unknown object over her head and cutting off her sentence as his large hands drew close to her mouth.

Oh God. She wasn’t certain how much more panic her poor heart could take.

“What ar—”

As though he’d waited for the exact moment her lips were apart, Tucker slid something between her teeth before tightening the straps she’d seen around the back of her head. In a matter of seconds, the unidentified obstruction was wedged in her mouth permanently. Panic ballooned as she registered her plight.

He’s gagged me!

She couldn’t believe it. Tucker had vowed to make her quiet, but she’d never anticipated a response as awful as this. Flicking her tongue around the foreign body, she realized it was a small ball of some sort—the perfect size and shape to prevent her from speaking.

“Ooooh!” she protested, kicking out at the bastard as he tightened the buckle at the back of her head. Sadly, though, each of her efforts failed to hit their target, the frustration only ratcheting up her outrage.

First, the swine had taken her and transported her like cargo, then he’d had the audacity to truss her up like an animal, and now this… Ella had never felt so indignant in her life! Seething at his treatment of her, she threw her heel back once more, satiated when it finally connected with something hard.

His shin. Sickening gratification washed over her as he cried out in pain. Finally, he understood a fraction of what she was feeling.

“Stop that.” He had the balls to actually admonish her for self-defense, but his words had little impact as she held onto her small victory.

He might be able to restrain and silence her, but she wasn’t giving up. She wanted him to know that with every fiber of her being.

It’s not over!

“That hurt, Ella.” His brow creased as he stalked around to face her.

Good. She shot him the reply with her eyes. I hope it fucking stung.

“We’re going to have to work on your impetuousness, little girl.” He chuckled, his lips curling as he surveyed her no doubt thunderous expression.

Little girl? Had the bastard just called her a child?

“That’s enough.” He reached for her face, trailing a fingertip along the line of the strap holding the blasted gag in place before she dodged away from his caress.

It didn’t matter that he was being gentle instead of brutal or that his expression looked almost handsome as he flicked the length of his dark hair from his eyes. Ella didn’t want any of his attention. She couldn’t bear the sight of him.

“I don’t want acrimony between us.” His brow rose as though he believed his own bullshit. “It doesn’t have to be vicious.”

Then why am I tied up and gagged? Glaring at him, she hoped her stare conveyed the demand she could no longer speak.

“No more tantrums.” His stare drilled into her. “I might punish you and cause you short-term hurt.” His digit rose to her chin this time, tracing a line over her goosing skin. “But I won’t cause you any harm.”

Hurt? Her breath sped up as the word rattled around her head. That was a relative concept. She’d been strung up and spanked—didn’t that constitute harm?

“Do you understand?” His finger paused, hooking under her chin and compelling her attention back to his face.

What does he expect me to do? She forced air from her nostrils. I can’t fucking answer.

“Nod if you understand.”

Fine. She forced her head up and down, her toes curling at his smug smile.

“Good girl.”

There was that word again—girl. She was twenty-six years old and not a hapless child! How dare he call her that? How dare he treat her that way?

---