Page 37 of Addiction

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?

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