Mountain Devil (3 page)

Ella’s eyes became glossy. “Thank you…sir.” Shyly, she looked at her knees, but it was impossible to ignore the large man beside her. His scent was a combination of musk and leather, more manly than Brandon could ever be. Another pang of heat shot between her thighs. When Ed produced a pair of handcuffs she thought she would die.

“Just in case you decide to back out of the deal.

I’ll return you to your family at your request, but I won’t allow you to escape me. I don’t take kindly to being cheated,” he said, pushing her forward to lock her wrists into the cuffs behind her back.

“But…”

“Quiet,” he snapped, and from nowhere he produced a strip of black fabric—a blindfold! “I don’t want you to have any idea where I live. That way, it’ll be near impossible to escape.”

Ella nodded meekly as Ed adjusted the blindfold.

The SUV’s windows were so darkly tinted that she knew no one would see her from the outside. Once he checked her seatbelt, he leaned closer, and his hot breath pulsed against her neck. Her heart had never pounded so fast.

“I don’t like having houseguests,” he said. “I have rules, and I expect to be obeyed. You will listen to me at all times. If you misbehave or attempt another escape, your bottom will pay the price.”
Chapter Two

Ella wasn’t sure whether Ed Peters lived hours away from the Catoctin Mountains, or if he was simply driving in circles to confuse her. It seemed as if he’d been driving
forever
. Her wrists ached, and she was generally uncomfortable in the backseat. Just when the urge to scream overpowered her, the car rolled to a stop and the engine cut off.

Without a word, Ed exited the car, slamming the door behind him. She straightened and waited nervously, wondering just what she’d gotten herself into. After all, she’d allowed this man—this bounty hunter—to put handcuffs and a blindfold on her before driving her to his home.

When the door finally opened, Ella almost screamed. Almost. Ed slid close enough to unlatch the seatbelt and pull her out of the SUV. The feel of his hands on her was dangerously enjoyable. She struggled to breath and tried to ignore the traitorous longing between her thighs. He was the enemy…the devil!

“Um, Ed?” she found herself asking. “Why won’t you take the cuffs and blindfold off?” Her feet crunched over gravel.

His grip tightened as he marched her forward. “I thought I told you to call me sir.” Something about the way he spoke terrified and aroused Ella at the same time. She’d never met a man so
in control
, so terribly certain of himself.
What have I
gotten myself into?

Only once Ella was inside, the deadbolt locked and the alarm set, Ed removed her cuffs and blindfold. Her gaze darted around. The house was huge, but her gaze immediately wandered outside the windows. Trees swallowed the land as far as the eye could see, though her efforts to be nonchalant about looking outside were a failure.

“There’s not another house for five miles in all directions,” he said, moving into the spacious kitchen.

Ella followed, her heart beating louder with each step. “I’m not going to run off, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Although she was lying. What if the reward shot up to $25,000 overnight? She had no intention of returning to her family and Brandon that soon. Not when so many out-of-state guests were still in town.

Ed shot her a scorching look, but didn’t reply. He moved about the kitchen with purpose, pulling items out of the fridge and cabinets. Ella lingered in the hallway, and realized she’d never felt more out of place in her life. She was supposed to stay
here
with Ed for a few days? Just the thought of being his houseguest for so long caused her stomach to flutter.

“Sit,” Ed commanded, gesturing toward a breakfast nook between the kitchen and the dining room. Ella obeyed, and watched as he carried two plates forward. He placed them on the table. It wasn’t anything fancy—turkey and cheese sandwiches and an apple—but she was starving. Those granola bars weren’t very filling, and the drive to Ed’s secretive house had lasted hours.

“Thank you,” Ella said as Ed returned with two glasses of juice. He sat across from her with an unreadable expression. They ate in silence, and Ella fought tears throughout the whole meal. She was shy by nature. Ed was a stranger and she was completely in his hands in an unfamiliar environment. What have I gotten myself into? she wondered again.

* * *

Ed Peters checked on Ella occasionally from her place at the window. Each time he entered the room, she glanced at him with obvious fear before returning her gaze to the trees. It wasn’t his style to intentionally intimidate a woman, but Ella Emerson wasn’t just any woman. She was a runaway with a $10,000 reward on her head. Normally, Ed wouldn’t chase after anyone for an amount so small, but after losing the anticipated $25,000 reward for Chuck Dearing, he wasn’t about to turn down an easy opportunity to earn a little extra money. If the reward money didn’t increase in a couple of days, then he’d settle for the $10,000 and return Ella to her family.

He had no sympathy for her situation. Randy had e-mailed Ed a dossier about Ella and her family. She came from money, had a topnotch education, and had a job lined up with her father’s lucrative construction company. Ed tried not to stereotype people he’d just met, but it was difficult not to label Ella as a spoiled brat. Correction, he thought, a heartless spoiled brat.

She’d run off without leaving her family a note.

She’d run off just to escape a marriage to Brandon Andrews, a well-liked young man in the Catoctin area. Ella had done a selfish thing, and Ed had no plans to make her comfortable during her stay.

Besides, Ed didn’t trust Ella. Her type would take advantage the moment he let his guard down. Ed walked the house, checking every window and door.

The alarm would go off the second she attempted escape, and he would be on her in a moment. A woman as rotten and spoiled as Ella wouldn’t necessarily hold to any deal. If she tried to cheat him, he wouldn’t hesitate to teach her a hard and painful lesson over his knee.

When Ed reached the living room again, he stood quietly along the wall, spying on Ella. She was young and very pretty, but he vowed not to allow her attractiveness to cloud his judgment. He noticed her wiping a tear away, and for a moment—just a moment—his resolve weakened.

With a shake of his head, Ed tried to banish the temporary weakness. The beautiful young woman crying at his window was nothing but a spoiled brat with a reward on her head. It was just business. Just business.

Ella was still dirty from her struggle against Chuck Dearing, Ed realized as he continued to spy.

Her shorts were grass and mud stained. Her tight T-shirt was ripped in the back and as dirty as the rest of her. The hiking boots she’d removed rested against the wall under the window.

A thought suddenly occurred to Ed. He couldn’t hold Ella Emerson—the daughter of a wealthy and influential family—for several days without meeting her needs, as trivial as those needs might seem. She would need fresh clothing, makeup, and toiletries.

Ed checked his watch. 2:15 p.m. He explained the situation to Randy over the phone. Randy, in his eagerness, said he’d stop by in three hours with everything Ed required.

“Oh, and the reward hasn’t increased yet, Mr.

Peters, but it will. Give it a full day or two. Those Emerson’s are swimming in money,” said Randy.

Ed smiled. “I’m afraid I might have to give you a raise after this.” Until now, Randy had only provided Ed with information over the phone. The kid had never run errands for Ed.

They hung up and Ed found himself standing in one of the guest bedrooms. It was directly across from the master bedroom, and he figured it would serve just fine for Ella. There was a bathroom inside, and attaching a deadbolt outside the door wouldn’t be difficult. Ed could lock Ella in each night and sleep soundly knowing the alarm was set as well.

A short while later, after Ed had installed the deadbolt, a strange noise drew him back to the living room. He lingered against the wall in the hallway, spying and listening. Ella’s shoulders heaved and silky sobs escaped her lips. She was crying. A warning bell went off in Ed’s head. No way did he wish to keep Ella Emerson here against her will.

“Ms. Emerson,” he said as he strode into the room. To his surprise, Ella flinched and wiped at her face. The crying had stopped as quickly as it had begun. “I’ve no intention to keep you here against your will. I’ll take you directly back to your family this instant if that’s what you wish. This arrangement of ours will not include me holding you against your will. I want that to be clear.”

Ella stood up, anger replacing her prior sadness.

“I’ve made no attempt to escape, Mr. Peters. And I don’t wish to negate our agreement,
thank you very
much
.” Her tone was challenging, purely insolent.

Ed’s blood boiled and he moved closer, towering above like a giant. “You are a guest in my house, Ms.

Emerson,” he reminded her sternly. “You will refrain from speaking to me in a disrespectful tone.” Her eyes flashed. “I promised I wouldn’t try to escape,” she said. “Nothing more. And right now I’d prefer to be alone. So if don’t mind…get out.” She nodded toward the hallway, dismissing Ed from his own living room.

“I won’t warn you again,” he said, closing the space between them.

Ella seemed unaffected by Ed’s warning, and took her seat at the window again. “It would appear that we don’t get along, Mr. Peters,” she said, staring out into the trees. “I suggest you leave me the fuck alone for the next several days. You stay out, of my way and I’ll stay out of yours.”

Infuriated, Ed grabbed Ella up, holding her arms between both hands. “I warned you, Ms. Emerson,” he said, his voice cold and sharp. “And now I’m going to teach you that lesson we talked about earlier.”

Ella’s eyes bulged. “Get your hands off of me!” she yelled, struggling against his firm hold. “If you want to collect that reward, you won’t touch me!”

“And why is that?” asked Ed, his lips curling in amusement.

She fumbled for words, but eventually said, “My father won’t pay a man who beat me.”

“Not
beat
, Ella,
spanked
,” he corrected. “And your father will have no choice. Legally, he’ll have to pay the reward money. And besides that, I seriously doubt anyone will believe anything you say for a while. Think about it: you just ran away without leaving a note, right before your wedding to this well-liked Brandon fellow.”

To Ed’s surprise, fresh tears gathered in Ella’s sky-blue eyes. “I…I want to leave then. Right now.

Just take me home.” She looked down and the tears followed her gaze.

“Fine,” Ed said, “I’ll take you home—with a very sore bottom.”

Ed easily maneuvered the girl over his knee on the couch. She struggled and screamed and cursed, but that didn’t prevent Ed from yanking her shorts down. As he wrapped one leg around her flailing ones, he pinned her hands firmly down against the small of her back.

“Please…please,” Ella begged. “Don’t do this!”

“While you are in my house, Ms. Emerson, you will follow my rules. If you wish to leave after this, fine.” Ed wasn’t about to let some spoiled brat curse and scream at him in his own house. Ella Emerson needed a good spanking, and he was just the man to deliver it.

When Ed placed a hand overtop her panty-clad bottom, Ella shuddered and struggled anew. Ignoring the hardness swelling in his pants, Ed lifted his hand and…smack! The first heavy slaps were delivered quickly overtop her silky blue panties. The girl was already crying on his lap, though he suspected it wasn’t yet from the pain. No, she was frightened and embarrassed. Although it wouldn’t be long before her cries increased with the intensity of the spanking.

“Please…please…please,” Ella cried over and over again. She wasn’t struggling as fiercely, but Ed continued delivering the hard slaps.

When Ed eventually paused, Ella’s shoulders relaxed. He couldn’t suppress a smile. Though the spanking was only just beginning, she thought it was over. “I believe I promised you a
bare-bottom spanking
, didn’t I?”

That got the girl’s attention, because she screamed and writhed as Ed pulled the silky fabric down, revealing her reddened cheeks. His hardness shifted again at the sight, but he resolved to finish what he’d started.
This girl needs to be taught a lesson
.

“You ran away without leaving your family or fiancé a note, Ms. Peters,” he scolded. “And now you are cursing and raising your voice to
me
in my own house. You deserve to be punished.” And with that, Ed unleashed another fury of slaps across Ella’s bare bottom.

When she gasped for breath in between sobs, Ed knew these were tears from pain. Feeling satisfied with his progress, he shifted his attention lower, and spanked the creamy smooth flesh of her thighs to drive the lesson home.

“I’m sorry!” Ella screamed. “Please stop, I’m so sorry!”

Ed paused with his hand resting on her bare flesh. “Why are you sorry?” he asked, and slapped at her thigh again.

“I-I’m sorry I was rude. I’m sorry for running away,” she said in a voice choked with emotion. “I know it was wrong not to leave a note. It’s just that—I just couldn’t marry Brandon. I just couldn’t.” She dropped her head and sobbed harder.

Ed tried to ignore the way her apology pulled at his heartstrings. Though he still believed Ella Emerson was a spoiled brat, he believed in the sincerity of her words. And though he also believed she’d learned her lesson, he feared coming across too soft. “A few more and your
lesson
will be over,” he said, careful to maintain a stern voice.

Ella yelled out as his hand crashed firmly down, applying another dose of punishment to her bottom and thighs. As she wriggled on his lap, he caught a glimpse of the sweetness between her thighs and his cock shifted again. After Ed delivered the final blow, he sat her upright and turned around, resisting the urge to watch Ella pull her panties and shorts up.

“Mr. Peters?”

Ed turned to see Ella wiping tears from her pretty, freckled face. “Shall we leave for your parent’s house now?” he asked. Obviously, making this deal with Ella had been a mistake. The sooner she was gone, the better. Although the lustful side of him wanted her to stay—the side that didn’t care if it was wrong to mix business with pleasure.