Mountain Devil (6 page)

“Shh,” he murmured, and lifted Ella up—only to seat her in his lap. Too stunned to speak, she permitted the embrace. After the initial awkwardness, she buried her head under his chin. This feels like home, she thought, and began to cry harder.

“Shh.” He stroked her hair until the sobs faded away.

When Ella pulled back, they locked eyes. It was the longest moment of Ella’s life. He was going to kiss her. The bounty hunter was going to kiss her.

And he did.

Ed leaned down and captured Ella’s lips, tenderly at first, tasting and exploring while holding her tear-streaked face lightly between his hands. A tremor of arousal coursed through Ella’s body, and she felt his hardness swelling in his pants underneath her sore bottom. She returned the kiss as her heart pounded and pounded and pounded.

She’d never felt anything nearly as nice with Brandon Andrews. Ella and Ed had chemistry between them, as twisted as the circumstances surrounding their meeting each other were. In a way, she was free. Free to leave, free to allow Ed to exchange her for the reward money. But in another way, she was captive. Captive to her own desire to stay in his arms—for longer than six days.

“Ella,” he whispered, shifting her closer. The unmistakable erection pressed up into her punished bottom, and another tremor of arousal coursed between Ella’s thighs. She was aching for him, literally aching to be filled and loved to completion.

As he guided her down onto the bed, Ella didn’t resist. Hungrily reaching out, she pulled Ed Peters closer, and gasped as he pressed against her center.

When she eyed his pants, he seemed to read her thoughts, because he stood up, leaving her empty and longing. Holding her gaze, he slipped the black leather belt off first, taking his time.
The next time you
attempt escape, Ms. Emerson, I’ll be taking my belt to you
, he’d said. Ella shivered at the thought—partly from fear and partly from excitement.

As Ed shed his pants, she tossed her shirt to the floor. The cool air rushed her hardening nipples. Ed stood, staring at her with darkened eyes, his need bulging forth from between his muscular thighs. God, he was a work of art. He settled over her, skin to skin, and worked at her nipples, sucking and pinching until they were as hard as the formation prodding against her aching entrance.

The tip of Ed’s cock nudged between her folds, exploring through the gathering moisture. Ella arched her back, inviting him inside. When he lingered too long at her entrance, she moaned despairingly. She needed him. She needed him now.

Ed pulled away from her nipple, gracing her with a wry smile before plunging deep in a movement so swift that Ella bumped the headboard. Bracing herself against his thrusts, she arched and permitted him deeper entry. He filled her up, satisfying the aching, quenching the thirst, and building her up and up to territories previously unfamiliar.

She moaned, low in her throat, writhing and meeting his fervent rhythm. Already, both their bodies were gleaming with a thin layer of sweat.

“You were a bad girl,” he whispered in her ear, and increased the pace of thrusts.

“Then punish me,” she whispered back. She was at the top of a mountain, riding a wave of energy from the clouds, a wave of pleasure so intense that she felt she was falling, falling into a pool of wet heat.

Maybe it wasn’t love, maybe it was only lust.

Chemistry in a form Ella had never experienced. But it didn’t matter. Not at the moment. All that mattered was that Ed Peters kept pounding deep, deep and zealously, inside where the wave of pleasure rose higher and higher.

The morning was humid but not unbearable as Ed guided Ella through the forest, toward the clearing he promised was soon ahead. It was almost a full mile from his cabin, but he knew the path through trees the like back of his hand. To his amusement, Ella gasped and jumped when a deer suddenly cut across the path a few feet ahead.

“I thought you went hiking all the time?” he asked, laughing. “Are there no animals on your mountain?”

She gave him her best death glare and punched his arm playfully. When he shot her a mock angry look in return, she blushed deeply and Ed’s desire for her stirred. Last night had changed everything.

“So does this lake have a name?” Ella asked when she finally caught sight of the small body of water surrounded by rocks and lush vegetation with patches of orange spotted touch-me-nots. An old, magnificent weeping willow tree stood across the lake, its soft green branches cascading to the ground.

It was Ed’s favorite place on the mountain.

He shrugged and laced his fingers through hers, loving the feel of her silky-smooth hands. “No, no name. It’s at the edge of my property line, and this
is
the middle of nowhere, you know.”

Her light smile melted his heart, and he realized his grip on her hand had intensified, as if he never wished to let her go. After the intimate night they’d just shared, there was no awkwardness between them, but Ed felt a strange sense of possessiveness for the girl he’d only known for three days. Her acceptance of the two spankings he’d given her was surprising, and he found himself admiring her all the more. His last girlfriend had called him a caveman and threatened to call the cops, but Ella admitted that she deserved what he gave her last night.

They walked around the lake once before finding a soft patch of earth under the weeping willow tree.

Ed often found it difficult to hold a conversation with someone for longer than five minutes, but this wasn’t the case with Ella. She was the easiest person to talk to that he’d ever met. He wrapped an arm around her, and to his delight she rested her head against his chest, as if listening to the beating of his heart.

“Ella?”

“Yes,
sir
?” she asked playfully, wrapping both arms around Ed to snuggle closer. Her hair smelled like lavender and her skin like honey.

“Is your bottom still sore?”

He felt her tense in his arms, and knew the unexpected question had caused her a degree of embarrassment. “Um…well…yes. Trust me, I learned my lesson. It still hurts.” She sat up and they locked eyes. “But I’m glad you did it.”

Something inside Ed gave at that moment, and a rapid flood of warmth for this woman filled his heart to the point of bursting. “Why Ella? Why are you glad I did it?” He had to know.

She studied his face and pressed her hands against his chest. Tears formed in her eyes. “Brandon has always been a control freak. He gets mad at me for the stupidest things, and he always berates me, tells me I’m worthless. He’s just plain cruel.” Ella paused and took a deep breath. “But you only got mad at me for a good reason, and you didn’t yell insults at me like Brandon would have. I’ll admit you shocked me the first time you spanked me, but the second time… I knew I deserved it and then…the way you held me afterward…” Her voice trailed off and she reached an arm around his neck, shifting even closer.

Ed didn’t need her to complete the sentence. He knew what she couldn’t finish saying. That the way he’d held her afterward made her feel safe and loved.

It angered him that Brandon Andrews had hurt her so badly. He leaned down to place a gentle kiss upon her lips, as if that simple act could heal the pain in her heart. It wasn’t long before the kiss became urgent, and their bodies pressed firmly together, hips rocking back and forth as their passion built.

“I would never hurt you like that,” Ed said breathlessly against her ear.

Ella kissed his neck and pressed her center against his erection. “I know. I trust you.” Her profession of trust touched Ed’s soul. He wanted to possess her body and mind right here, to make love to her under the swooping branches of the weeping willow tree in broad daylight.

“Did it turn you on when you did it?” Ella asked, leaning back to pull her tank top off. She rested her hands at the front clasp of her bra. “When you spanked me, I mean. Did it turn you on, even a little?” God, this woman was full of surprises. Of course it had turned him on, but he didn’t want her to think he’d punished her to satisfy his own sexual fantasies.

He reached forward and brushed her hands away, unfastening the front clasp of her bra. Her breasts spilled out, round and firm and white. Her nipples were pink, hard peaks, and he gently twisted one until she moaned.

“Yes, Ella, it turned me on when I spanked you.

But that’s not why I did it. I did it because I wanted you to behave for me. When you disobeyed me, I had no choice but follow through with my threat. I
am
a man of my word.”

A shadow fell over her face, and she leaned back into Ed’s chest, hiding as she spoke. “Even though it hurt, and even though it was rather embarrassing, a little part of me was excited. It was so…beyond intimate.”

Ed knew this confession wasn’t spoken easily, for she had just admitted an embarrassing secret to him.

He forced her to meet his gaze by firmly cupping her face in his hands. He’d never wanted a woman so badly in his life before, so great was his need to take Ella. But her admission had just presented an opportunity that he wasn’t about to pass up.

“Do you really trust me, Ella?” he asked.

She nodded, her expression slightly bemused.

Wordlessly, Ed guided her over his lap. To his delight, she didn’t protest, though he saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes just before lowering her head. He pushed the bottom of her cotton shorts and underwear up, revealing the sweet curve of her recently punished buttocks. His cock shifted at the sight, and he trailed his hand over her flesh. Ella shivered, but remained in place.

He raised his hand up and delivered a sound smack to her bottom, prompting her gasp. Ed leaned down and whispered, “This isn’t a punishment, Ella.

This is just because I want to. I want you to be a good girl and submit to this spanking. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” Her voice was high and breathless, and Ed knew she was as aroused as he was.

He began slow, warming her up for the harder slaps to follow. Once her flesh was a beautiful deep pink, he moved his attentions to her thighs, smacking each one several times before returning to her bottom.

Ella gasped and squirmed as he built his momentum, but she didn’t attempt escape. She gasped again when he slipped a finger inside her panties, probing the gathering moisture between her secret folds.

Instantly, Ed knew the spanking had indeed aroused her, even though it had obviously caused a level of discomfort. She was slick for him, ready for the merciless pounding he intended to give her. When he slipped two fingers into her warm tunnel, she moaned and arched back, begging for more.

Ed couldn’t wait a second more. “On your hands and knees,” he commanded.

Ella obeyed, and he helped her into position on the soft grass. With her breasts exposed and her reddened bottom high and inviting, she was a vision to behold. Ed quickly lost his pants and moved behind her. He gripped the fabric wedged between her buttocks and yanked upward, teasing her with the friction. She whimpered and bucked backward, and Ed yanked the fabric up twice more. She met his gaze from over her shoulder, her face flushed with need. Ed smiled wickedly, pulled her shorts and panties down, and thrust his length inside in a movement so swift she cried out in surprise.

This woman was made for me, he thought, pounding her ruthlessly as he gripped her hips so hard his knuckles turned white. He was lost in a sea of pleasure, barely aware of the world surrounding them. There was only Ella and his consuming desire for her. A light sheen of sweat covered both of their bodies, and Ed’s heart pounded in his head as his rhythm increased. God, he was like a beast, functioning on some primitive, animalistic instinct he’d never known he possessed.

It was a morning unlike any other.

* * *

Ella stared out the bay window of Ed’s living room as the sun rose up over the tree line, a hot cup of coffee between her hands. Two glorious days had passed since her time with Ed under the weeping willow tree by the lake. She refused to think about the future right now, refused to think about what would happen on day seven. Instead, she planned to focus on the here and now with Ed. Whatever happened in the days to come, at least she’d have these memories of Ed Peters to hold onto.

The whole situation was mindboggling, Ella realized with a light smile. She’d run away from Brandon only to fall straight into the arms of a stranger who incited more passion in her than she believed humanly possible. She loved everything about Ed, his rustic voice, his piercing blue eyes, his musky scent, his kindness, his firm discipline. He was the flame, and she was the starved moth who’d spent years in total darkness.

“Penny for your thoughts?” The deep voice interrupted her musings.

Ella turned as Ed strode in from the hallway, his presence filling the room as it always did. He was already dressed in jeans and a form-fitting blue T-shirt, his biceps bulging under the sleeves. It was hard not to stare.

“Good morning, Ed,” she purred, moving forward to place a kiss on his cheek. “Can I make you breakfast?”

He snorted, but his eyes twinkled with laughter.

“Are you telling me you know how to cook, but not how to use a dishwasher?”

Ella narrowed her eyebrows, but it was hard to be mad at Ed. He did have a point. And really, there wasn’t much in the kitchen she could do. Suddenly, she realized she would have to learn if she wasn’t going to marry someone as rich and pampered as Brandon. Maybe there would be no future with Ed, but if there was even the slightest chance…

“I’ve already got some eggs going,” Ed said, wrapping an arm around her waist to guide her toward the kitchen.

Breakfast took over an hour, because neither Ed nor Ella would stay quiet for more than two seconds.

She realized with a pang of sadness that talking with Brandon had never been so effortless, or enjoyable. Ed seemed to value her thoughts and ideals, and he never once interrupted or berated her for anything she said. They talked about politics, science, travel, movies, animals, friends and family members, and everything in between.

The remainder of the day was spent much like the others. After breakfast, they took a long walk through the forest and around the lake. Ed reluctantly permitted Ella to make them sandwiches for lunch. To her delight, he ate the whole thing and claimed it was the best turkey sandwich he’d ever tasted. She suspected he was fibbing, but she wasn’t about turn down such a nice compliment.