Crime and Punishment 4: Burning Submission (14 page)

Time apart to breathe would put their relationship back in perspective. He was here to help her with the house and make sure she could take care of herself. Soon he would be gone, and it would be smart for her to remember that.

Chapter Twenty

Josh stood back and watched Jennifer as she scraped off the last of the paint from the fireplace mantel. A cool wind blew through the barn, ruffling the hair that had escaped her loose braid. She’d brought the mantel out here to keep the nasty smell of the paint stripper from filling the house.

She scrubbed hard at a difficult spot, and her ass shook with her movements. Josh grinned and lifted his coffee cup to take a sip. As far as he knew, she had no idea he was here. He had no immediate plans to tell her either. He enjoyed watching her.

Despite everything that had happened to her, she still had a zest for life and laughter. She’d told him most of her captivity she didn’t remember and actually preferred it that way. If she couldn’t remember it, she wouldn’t dwell on it. Made sense, he supposed.

He didn’t remember anything about getting shot, and everyone who had been witness to the aftermath had assured him it was for the best. So maybe she had a point.

She stopped scrubbing and stood back, admiring her work so far. The sweats she wore hugged her hips and thighs but kept her warm as the fall temps began to get cooler. With a sigh, she pushed her sleeves up and attacked the last remaining corner that still had paint on it.

Josh leaned against the frame of the barn door and let his gaze wander down her curvy figure. As he did, he tried to remember their conversation at the restaurant the other day. He’d told her he didn’t do relationships. He’d told her not to get attached. He’d made it clear he put his job first, but since being here, he hadn’t once felt the antsy need to get back. Not like he normally did.

Usually he was chomping at the bit, but right now, he was perfectly content to stay right here. He enjoyed working on the house. He enjoyed fucking Jennifer. Most importantly, though, he just enjoyed spending time with her and watching her like he did now.

Perhaps he should have that don’t-get-attached talk with
himself.

His gaze moved to the other side of the mantel, and he noticed a dab of white paint. “You missed a spot,” he said.

Jennifer squealed and spun around so fast she had to grab hold of the mantel to keep her balance. “Damn it, Josh! You scared me.”

Josh chuckled. “Sorry.”

She scowled. “Sure you are.”

“Have you been practicing your gifts?” he asked.

He’d started calling them that, hoping she would get it in her head that was exactly what they were. Maybe if she saw them as gifts, she would be more likely to embrace them.

She flicked her first two fingers, and a sharp sting moved up his arm. He cursed and dropped the coffee cup, spilling the brown liquid over the dried hay that covered the ground.

“Does that answer your question?” she asked sweetly.

Josh narrowed his eyes but wasn’t really angry. He was impressed. “Watch it, woman. Don’t make me bust your ass.”

“Oooh, I’m so scared,” she teased. “Especially considering your spankings lead to sex.”

Josh’s lips twitched in amusement. “Then perhaps next time I should try something else as punishment.”

She lowered her gaze to his crotch, then back to his face. “Bring it on, tough guy.”

Josh chuckled and shook his head. “It does no good to threaten you if all it does is turn you on.”

“So you’re saying I should be afraid of you?” she asked with curiosity.

“You should be leery of me.”

She tilted her head and studied him. “Sometimes I am. But I trust you.”

He smiled. “That’s good. Now I’m going to go back to the kitchen and grab another cup of coffee since you made me spill the one I had.”

He turned and left the barn. Her giggle floated on the air, making his smile widen. He hadn’t felt this comfortable with a woman in…hell, he couldn’t even remember how long it had been.

He couldn’t stay here, though. When he felt comfortable with her ability to take care of herself, then he would head back to Washington and beg for another assignment. The best way to forget a woman was to bury himself in work. He just hoped his work didn’t eventually bury
him.

* * * *

Jennifer stepped through the back door of the kitchen, and the amazing smell of Italian spices brought her up short. Had Josh cooked dinner? She’d deliberately taken her time with the mantel, hoping to get some breathing room, hoping the time apart would lessen the hunger for him that always seemed to be simmering just under the surface.

She’d worked as long as she could in the barn, until the fading light made it too hard to see. She could’ve used her abilities—or as Josh called them, gifts—to make a bulb burn and lighten the space, but she decided against it. She’d put off joining him long enough.

Now if she could just stop thinking about his spanking comment.

She glanced into the kitchen and noticed the pots boiling on the stove, but Josh was nowhere in sight. She walked over and lifted a lid. Spaghetti. She loved spaghetti.

“Josh?” she called as she set the lid back down on the pot.

“In the living room,” he replied.

Jennifer headed down the hall and peeked around the corner into the living room. Josh had moved the couch back against the wall, a wall she noticed was now painted. The windows were open, and the cool fall breeze gently ruffled the lace curtains. Josh was on the floor in front of the fireplace, stoking a small fire.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I have the windows open to help with the paint fumes and realized it was a bit chilly in here, so I decided to light a fire.” He glanced over his shoulder, and the light from the fire reflected in his steamy gaze. The low light made his tan appear darker and the gray in his hair all but disappear. “Then maybe after dinner we can do s’mores.”

She blinked, unsure what he’d said. “S’mores?” He nodded, and she smiled. “Oh my God. I haven’t had those things in years.”

“Me either, now that I think about it.”

“You’re really just a kid at heart, aren’t you?” she teased as she stepped farther into the room.

He shrugged and smiled almost sheepishly. “I see so many bad things at work that when I’m off, I tend to focus more on the fun and silly stuff, such as the first s’mores on a cool fall evening.”

“I think it’s adorable.”

Josh snorted. “Can’t say as I’m called that too often. Dinner’s ready, if you’re hungry.”

“I’m starving. Are we eating in here?” she asked.

“We can if you want. Might be warmer by the fire.”

She started toward the kitchen but looked over her shoulder and said, “I should probably turn the heat on, but we don’t need it during the afternoon, so it just seems like a waste.”

As he followed her down the hall, she struggled to focus on his face as opposed to how good he looked in his jeans and flannel shirt. With the sleeves rolled up, his muscular forearms were quite the distraction.

“I don’t know about you, but I sleep better when it’s cold,” he said.

“So do I,” she said as she watched him walk around her and grab two plates from the cabinet. “I just realized that you know all my dirty little secrets, but I don’t really know all that much about you, other than your girlfriend troubles and the fact that you like to be a Dom.”

“Not much to tell, really,” he replied as he put spaghetti on her plate along with a piece of garlic bread and passed it over to her.

“Thank you,” she said. “But I think you’re wrong. What makes you tick? Why did you go to work for the FBI? And what do you do for fun? Other than torture women, that is.”

Josh chuckled. “Well, torturing women is fun.”

He filled his plate and then nodded for her to follow him to the living room.

“Oh, we need drinks,” she said as she came to a quick stop and started to head back.

He handed her his plate. “You go get settled. I’ll get the drinks.”

Jennifer headed into the living room and set Josh’s plate on the coffee table. She sat back on the couch and stared at the fire. She could feel the warmth mixed with the cool breeze that came through the window. The fireplace had been a good idea.

Josh came into the room carrying two glasses of wine.

“Are you planning on getting me drunk, Agent Barnes?” she asked.

An amused half smile tugged the corner of his lips, making her stomach flutter. “I don’t like my women drunk. It dulls their pain sensors.”

She swallowed her bite of spaghetti and nodded. “True. So, back to the real Josh.”

He sighed and sat back with his plate. “Must we?”

“Yes. We must. What does Josh do for fun?”

“I like to ski.”

“Snow or water?” she asked.

“Both.”

She stared at her plate as she thought back to her teen years. “I used to like to snowboard. Still do, but I’m not sure if, in my situation, traveling would be a smart idea.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Josh said. “Maybe you should confront this situation head-on.”

“How?” she asked. “I don’t know who they were. Are they government or some private organization? How would I know who to point the finger at, and would the authorities even believe me?”

“I could help with that.”

“The best they could do is put me in a witness-protection program. Isn’t that what I’m doing now? Can they hide me any better than I can hide myself?”

He gave a sideways nod of acknowledgment. “I have to admit, Linda did a damn good job of setting you up.”

“Maybe, in a few years, if all stays quiet, it will feel safer to travel.”

“What about finishing out your fellowship?”

She twirled the tip of her fork through the spaghetti as sadness gripped her chest. “That’s all just a pipe dream now.” With a sigh, she set her fork down and reached for her glass of wine. She took a sip, and the liquid sent a warm tingle spreading through her veins. “Back to you. We know you can cook because the dinner is fabulous.”

“Thank you,” he said with amusement.

“But what else do you do for fun?”

“I like to fish.”

She scrunched her nose. Josh chuckled. “Don’t like fishing?”

“My dad did. I could never sit still long enough. Do you fish often?”

“I used to. Fishing tournaments are what paid for my college education.”

“Like Bassmasters?”

Josh nodded as he took another bite of his dinner.

“If you were winning, why didn’t you stay with it?” she asked.

“My dad asked me the same thing.” Jennifer giggled at his answer. “Fishing was fun, but it wasn’t the excitement I was looking for.”

“I can understand that. So, when did you get into this whole Dom thing?”

“When I was in college. This girl invited me to a party. I didn’t know what kind of party it was until I got there.”

“What kind of party was it?” she asked with interest.

“A BDSM party.”

Her eyes went wide. “They have those?”

Josh’s lips twitched. “Yes. They also have clubs.”

Her eyebrow rose. “Really? Do these clubs have private rooms or…”

“Some do, but most of the action is on the main floor or playroom, as they call it.”

“Interesting,” she said as she took a bite of her dinner and slowly chewed.

Her mind worked overtime, thinking about watching other people have sex live. Could she do that? Have sex in front of people? “Have you ever had sex in front of other people at the clubs?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied, matter-of-fact.

Jennifer blinked in surprise. “You’re not embarrassed?”

Josh chuckled. “No. Sex is often part of a scene, as well as a flogging or spanking. Sometimes the scene is punishment; sometimes it’s just for fun. Not all scenes end in sex, though. Sometimes the sex in public is part of the punishment because the submissive is uncomfortable with it.”

She frowned. “Then why do it?”

“Because it’s a punishment.”

Her frown deepened. “In some ways it all sounds so childish. Misbehave and you’ll get a spanking.”

Josh laughed. “Maybe. The spanking I gave you in the shower was a punishment for coming when I told you not to. Will that spanking prevent you from doing it again?”

She pursed her lips and thought about it. No, it wouldn’t. She might even misbehave, just so he would spank her. “So it’s a punishment, but it’s also enjoyable. In a way, you look forward to a sub misbehaving?”

Josh’s grin widened, and wicked light shone in his eyes that made Jennifer’s nipples harden. “Oh, most definitely.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Josh watched Jennifer’s brows crease in thought. He hadn’t missed the slight spark of lust that ignited in her eyes or the way the tingles over his skin increased when the topic changed to BDSM. It turned her on, which, to Josh, was a delight.
She
was a delight, but in truth, he really needed to tread more carefully with her.

She was an innocent to all this. Her captivity had a lot to do with that. Entering college at such a young age had a little to do with it as well. He’d often wondered if her college professor had been her first, but he wouldn’t embarrass her by asking.

Normally, he didn’t like newbie subs. He more enjoyed the women who knew what they wanted and how they wanted it. There was something about Jennifer, though, that not only brought out his protective instincts but had him wanting to be her teacher as well.

“Punishing is often just as much fun as sex is,” Josh said.

She snorted softly. “I’ll give you punishment is fun, but the other is…”

She stopped, and her cheeks turned a bright pink. She stood and quickly downed the rest of her wine. “I’m going to take my plate to the kitchen. Do you want me to bring you anything back?” she asked without looking at him.

“The stuff for the s’mores is on the table” was all he said.

He was afraid if he said anything more, he would laugh at her obvious embarrassment, so he just stayed quiet and held his grin back until she’d left the room.

He set his plate on the table and tossed a few of the throw pillows on the floor before the fireplace. All day, he’d tried to think of anything around the house he could use to tie her up and tease her. He didn’t want to use rope for fear it would rub her wrists raw. He also hadn’t wanted to go through her dresser and invade her privacy to find something soft.