Page 14 of Addiction

“Not really.” She wished she could have said it was true, but in reality, the man who’d taken her hostage and opened her eyes to so many things was still a virtual stranger. “But it would be nice to be out of this place.”

“You still don’t like my forest?” Despondency reverberated in his voice as he turned and led her onward. “I thought you’d made your peace with the place by the river.”

“I suppose I can see its appeal.” Though as she lifted her head and took in the encroaching branches in every direction, that charm wasn’t immediately abundant. “But it’s still not very ‘me,’ sir.”

“What would you prefer, little girl?” He suppressed a chuckle as he directed her to the left of a small clearing. “We still have to decide where to make a base, and I have a number of options.”

“Do you have anywhere with running hot water, sir?” The idea of a long hot bath sounded utopian. It might only have been a few days since she’d enjoyed the luxury, but it felt like a lifetime.

“Yes.” He laughed, holding back a particularly large branch and gesturing for her to pass by. “Everywhere else has hot running water.”

“Then I’ll look forward to whichever you choose.” She smiled as their eyes met, and she inadvertently stumbled over foliage caught between the trees’ roots, but glancing up, her heart skipped a beat. There, only a few feet from where she stood, was a sight that she feared she might never see again.

A road!

The unimaginable had somehow become real. Tucker had managed to lead her to the edge of the forest, a boundary where the trees thinned to make space for a path that might just be passable as a road.

“We made it.” His hand snaked around her middle as, slowly, he steered her to the left. As she turned, his words echoed in her head like a victory song.

We made it. We made it!

There had been multiple times that Ella feared she might never find the end of the forest, yet her way out was right in front of her.

“And this is how we leave.” His deep timbre drew her attention from the road, and as her focus shifted, her gaze fell over the bonnet of a red car parked beneath the canopy of another enormous tree.

Her heart leaped as her brain registered what she was seeing. Not only a road, but a car! It was like all of her Christmas’ had come at once! There was not only an end to the nightmare of the wilderness but also a way back to something resembling civilization.

For the first time in hours, hope sparked in her chest.

Chapter Six

Banter

Tucker

“Do you need another sip?” Tucker signaled to the bottle of water he’d placed in the sleek cup holder between them. Ella had drained most of the liquid when he’d first unlocked the vehicle and allowed her inside. Apparently, his little girl was as dehydrated as she was exhausted. A knot of guilt twisted in his chest at his culpability. He’d been in charge of both her sleep and drink schedule, and he should have done better.

I will do better, he determined as he flicked on the Lamborghini’s headlights and pulled out of its hiding place.

It pained him to leave such a beautiful car nestled on the edge of the forest. It didn’t matter that he had the money to buy a dozen other cars of the same value or that he knew the area well enough to know the chances of anyone else ever stumbling over it were infinitesimal. There was still something fundamentally wrong about leaving such a fantastic vehicle to be slowly overtaken by the trees.

“No, thank you, sir.” Her tone was weary as she settled against the leather seat. “I feel better just being back in a car again.” Her gaze traveled around the classy interior. “Although, I can’t believe you just left this one out here in the woods.”

“No other choice, I’m afraid.” Joining the road, he eased the car into a higher gear. “I love living in my cabin, but I have to be able to get out whenever I want to.”

“That makes sense.” Her voice was a sigh. “And don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that you did, but…” She shrugged. “It’s just such a lovely car.”

“I’m glad you approve, little girl.” He genuinely was pleased. Beyond indulging in hedonistic sex and their growing intimacy, this was one of the few times the two of them had seen eye to eye about anything. “What do you drive?”

“You might be surprised to know that I don’t, sir…” Her nose twitched as her lips stretched into a grin.

“You don’t drive?”

“There’s never been a need.” She turned her head to look his way. “I’ve always had a driver if I’ve needed to go somewhere, and that’s been a good thing, given how many champagne cocktails I’ve sunk in the past.”

“Right.” He chuckled. “Fair enough.”

“I like this, though, sir.” She glanced over her shoulder at the back seat. “What is it?”

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