Page 8 of Absolution

Her brow furrowed at the realization. He’d promised her a punishment for coming in the bath, then he’d been less chatty than usual. That was bound to be a bad sign.

“I’m thinking of scrambling eggs.” His attention was fixed on the open cupboard beside the stove where he’d found the pack of six eggs. “Aside from a little bread, it’s about all we have left.”

“Then scrambled eggs on toast it is, sir.” Her tone was upbeat as she tried not to dwell on the idea she might have inadvertently pissed him off.

Angering him certainly hadn’t been her intention when she’d begged for release. After all, Tucker knew precisely which buttons he’d been pressing as he tormented her, and there was only so long a woman could hold on before she imploded. What was she supposed to do? Sometimes, she just had to give into pleasure. The problem was, she also had to deal with the consequences.

“I suppose.” His sigh flared with irritation, the sound doing nothing to calm the simmering bubble of anxiety in her belly.

“I can make it for you,” she suggested, more than happy to distract him from her allegedcrime. “I don’t mind, sir.”

“I’m sure you don’t.” Closing the cupboard door, he spun to face her, the determined expression on his face letting her know instantly what was on his mind.

Crap.

She knew that look. There’d be no way to get out of whatever he had planned.

“And I’d be happy to eat the breakfast you’ve prepared for me, little girl, but first, there’s the matter of your penance.”

“Right.” She swallowed, unsure what to say.

Experience had taught her that trying to justify her position only tended to antagonize Tucker further. Better that she feigned contrition and hoped to tug at his heartstrings. Since arriving at the apartment, she’d found him to be far more tender than the man who’d stalked her in the forest.

“What would you like me to do, sir?” She met his eyes, still daunted at his sheer physicality. It was just as well Tucker had morphed into a more affectionate man in recent days because he still had the capacity to do just about anything he wanted to her.

“Well…” He hooked a finger under her chin and held her gaze steady as his stare burned into her. “For breaking one of the few fundamental rules we’ve put into place, I believe there should be an adequate punishment.”

Adequate?

She had an idea their definitions of what that word meant might vastly differ.

“Yes, sir.”

Her acquiescence was all part of the game, the dynamic they’d both agreed to when they’d come there and shifted into a more consensual union. The conversation had never been literal, of course. There was never one moment when they’d sat down and decided on the arrangements, but over the hours they’d shared in his plush apartment, the ‘instructions’ had been written around her. For her part, she’d lapped them up enthusiastically.

The truth was Ella adored this upgraded version of her older lover. He was still the same rugged Tucker who’d swept her from the woods and insisted she kneel, yet now he was also kinder and more attentive. Since he’d agreed that she meet Susie, Ella hadn’t even contemplated fleeing his side. In fact, she’d reveled in the long, luxurious hours of passion and intimacy they’d created, secretly hoping it would never end.

“In the past, I’ve tanned your beautiful backside for transgressions, but I think you’ve come to relish those a little too much to be considered consequential.”

That was a matter of opinion. As far as she remembered, his spankings always packed a punch, but she didn’t argue the point.

“So,” he went on, “I suggest something different.”

A lazy smile spread across his face, expressing what she’d already suspected—Tucker was absolutely loving thischance to have her just where he wanted her. Not that it wasn’t just where she wanted to be.

“Whatever you say, sir.”

Shifting from one foot to the other, Ella was sure the lengthy delay was all part of the penalty. The protraction reinforced his authority and excited them both.

“Thank you, little girl.” His hand shifted to the side of her face, his fingers stroking her cheek. “I appreciate your compliance.”

The muscles at the apex of her thighs clenched at his praise. It wasn’t so long ago that such a backhanded compliment would have sent her into a spiral of rage, and the mere mention of ‘compliance’ would have triggered her petulance. She couldn’t imagine having been willingly compliant to anyone unless it suited her own agenda, yet Tucker had come along and altered the way she saw things.

The idea of yielding to him now was nothing but scintillating, and if that meant suffering correction at his hand, then so be it. She learned it was even possible to find solace and joy in his chastisements, and in the process, she’d discovered how well she was suited to submission with someone she trusted.

Ella caught her lip between her teeth at the overwhelming concept. The idea that she trusted the man who’d held her against her will was as perturbing as it was outrageous, but it was true. A lot had changed between them since those early days in the barn. They understood each other now and were hopeful for a future beyond the ordeal Alexander had initiated.

“You have it, sir.” An unexpected smile twitched at her mouth with the reply, an acknowledgment of how far they had come in such a short period of time.

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