Crime and Punishment 4: Burning Submission (9 page)

His mouth stayed glued to hers, their tongues dueling for control, their hands pleasuring each other. Her hips rocked with each thrust of his fingers. When he added a third, her hand moved over his cock even faster. He was so close. The tension that built in his balls made his head spin.

Her walls were tight and slick. All he could think about was how badly he wanted his cock inside her and how much he wanted to feel those ripples along his length instead of his fingers. Was this how sex would always be?

Just as he thought it, Jennifer’s release hit. She screamed as her pussy convulsed around his fingers, sucking the digits deeper into her body. With a groan of pleasure, Josh found his own release, spilling his cum over his stomach and her hand.

The light above popped, showering broken glass all over them. Jennifer squealed and buried her face in his chest as Josh bent slightly, protecting her from most of the shards.

They remained that way for several seconds, trying to catch their breath. Josh’s fingers were still buried deep inside her. Jennifer’s were still wrapped around his cock, her face pressed against his chest and his rapidly beating heart.

“Looks like we’re going to have to keep a good supply of bulbs,” he murmured.

Jennifer responded with a brief, breathy laugh. “What the hell just happened?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m guessing we better go get some condoms.”

“Yeah,” she whispered in agreement, but neither moved.

Chapter Thirteen

Jennifer slowed as she came to the bottom of the stairs. Josh stood in the entry hall, fully dressed and looking as though they hadn’t just��well, basically had sex with their hands.

She ran her palms nervously over the skirt of her sundress, smoothing out the hem and making sure it covered her thighs to the tops of her knees. The denim jacket covered her arms and would keep her protected from the cooler fall temps. She’d pulled her damp hair to the side and braided it, wrapping the ends in a red ribbon that matched the dress.

The shower had helped to lessen some of the lust screaming through her body, but the heated look in Josh’s stare brought it back full force.

Would they even be able to get back home before they made use of the condoms?

The air between them practically hummed with electrical energy that tickled her nerve endings and made her nipples ache for his touch.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her racing heart and came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. “Are you ready?” she asked, although she didn’t really need to.

The man looked more put together than she felt at the moment with his snug jeans and that tight-fitting T-shirt that outlined every damn muscle on his chest. She tried not to look down, tried not to notice the bulge behind the zipper of his pants. Unfortunately, she failed. Even partially erect, the man had a huge penis.

Her pussy clenched, and with a sigh, she looked away.

“I’m about as ready as you are,” Josh drawled drily. “I don’t know what the hell this is, but it got stronger the second you came down the stairs.”

Her gaze shifted back to his in surprise. Did he feel it too?

“Please think of something other than sex, or I swear, I’ll have no choice but to bend you over the back of the couch and fuck your brains out.”

Her entire body warmed as the image played through her mind. She narrowed her eyes in frustration. “Oh, like that helps.”

Josh snickered as he turned to head out the front door. “I think it did. It looks like the key is keeping you pissed.”

Anger tightened her stomach at first, but she soon realized the tingles had lessened and her anger faded. He was right. Getting angry had slowed the desire a bit, or at least enough that she could shove the rest of it down so they didn’t have this simmering charge.

Apparently, when she became aroused, it sparked the energy between them, affecting him as well, which in turn made them crazy for each other. Worse things could happen, she supposed.

JOSH STEPPED OFF the porch into the warm afternoon sunshine. It was a stark contrast to the cool breeze that occasionally flowed through the trees. They should enjoy the warm weather as much as possible before the cold front moved through later in the day.

Maybe thinking about the weather would keep his mind off Jennifer’s legs and the feel of her body next to his. He could still feel her walls convulsing around his fingers as she came and hear the sound of her whimpers. He liked the way she alternated between high-pitched sighs and deep groans. He would definitely enjoy finding out what other sounds she made during sex.

His cock thickened, and he inwardly growled in frustration. Whatever the hell this energy was between them, it would drive him insane long before she learned to control it.

He glanced over his shoulder. “My truck or yours?” he asked.

“Let’s take yours since mine isn’t a truck,” she said as she walked past him toward his truck.

Josh grinned at the sexy sway of her ass behind the red sundress. The color suited her and highlighted her light tan and pink cheeks. He imaged her without underwear so he could easily play with that firm behind and pussy whenever he took a notion.

“We can stop by the hardware store while we’re out and pick up a few things.”

He blinked in confusion. “What?”

With her hand on the open truck door, she glared at him, which only made his cock harder.
Damn.

“If I have to stop thinking about it, so do you,” she said.

He gave a nod. “Fair enough.” He started toward the truck but stopped. Unable to resist teasing her, he asked, “Are you wearing underwear under that?”

Her mouth fell open, and color flooded her cheeks. “Josh! Seriously?”

He felt the tingle almost instantly and cringed. “Okay, bad question.”

He earned a frown from her as he climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door. He wasn’t sure if the anger had been because of what he’d said or the fact that it had turned her on again. It certainly had him, that was for damn sure.

All he could think about at the moment was running his hand up the inside of her leg and seeing just how wet she was. If not for the uncontrollable current between them, he already would’ve.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her settle into the passenger seat and pull the seat belt across her chest, locking it with a
click
. She crossed her legs at the ankles and folded her hands in her lap. She’d set her purse on the floor by her feet.

“Are you worried about going to town?” he asked.

“I probably should be, but I’m not. It’s been several months now. I’m hoping that if they were going to find me, they would’ve already. Besides, I can’t live my life in fear. I’ll become a neurotic recluse.” She looked sideways at him, and her lips lifted at the corners. “To be honest, I’m more worried about you and I keeping our hands off each other in public than anything else.”

Josh laughed and turned the key to start the engine. “I know what you mean.”

* * * *

Josh placed the last of the groceries into the backseat of the truck and then shut the door. Jennifer couldn’t keep her eyes off his ass. Wow, he had a nice one.

“Are you hungry?” he asked as he pushed the grocery cart aside.

Yeah, but not for food.

“I could eat. Are you buying me dinner?”

“Well, considering earlier, I probably should, huh?”

Jennifer snorted in amusement. Crossing her arms, she lifted her chin and replied, “Yes.”

Josh grinned and handed her the keys. “Hop in while I take the cart back; then we’ll find something. Be thinking about what you want.”

Oh, don’t worry. I have been thinking about it. All frickin’ afternoon.

She climbed into the truck and let out a long sigh. It was a good thing she was wearing underwear; otherwise, her skirt as well as the seat would be soaked. The temptation to slide her panties off while he walked back to the truck was hard to resist.

If she did it in front of him, would it encourage him to play with her? Make her come and hopefully lessen at least a little of the hunger now running rabid through her veins? Hell, even her bra hurt her nipples right now.

She reached up and brushed one hand over her right breast. The driver’s-side door opened, startling her, and she quickly dropped her hand.

Josh jumped up on the seat and slid the key into the ignition. “Where would you like to go?” he asked.

Biting her lip, she glanced around, realizing she hadn’t thought about it. “Let’s just get something quick.”

“Burgers?” he asked.

She pointed to a small local restaurant just down the street. “They supposedly have good ones,” she said.

Josh turned his truck in that direction. Once parked, they climbed from the truck and headed inside. The restaurant had been set up to look like an old-time saloon with wide-plank floors, log walls, a stone fireplace centered in the middle of the large room, and a massive wooden bar off to the left.

It had a great atmosphere, and Jennifer couldn’t help but smile at the deer heads, shotguns, and fishing tackle decorating the walls.

“Interesting place,” Josh said as he followed the hostess to a small table in a darkened corner.

Jennifer started to ask for something a little more public but then changed her mind. Surely they could keep themselves in check. The restaurant wasn’t too crowded at the moment, but she had a feeling the owners wouldn’t appreciate any raunchy public displays of affection. Especially since Jennifer had no doubt that, once they started, they wouldn’t be able to stop. Their earlier bout in the kitchen had proved that.

They sat down, and the hostess handed them the menus that mostly contained burgers and steaks. Knowing she would just get a hamburger and then not eat half of it due to her nervous stomach, she set the menu down.

“You know, I don’t know that much about you,” she said. “Only what Linda’s told me.”

Josh grinned at her over the menu. “Then you probably know most everything.”

Jennifer smiled and bobbed her head to the side in acknowledgment. “True.”

He set his menu down as well and gave her his full attention. In the dim interior of the room, his eyes appeared almost navy blue, making her heart skip an excited beat.

“What would you like to know?” he asked.

“Well”—she licked her lips—“I know you work for the FBI.” He nodded, and she continued. “I know you’re friends with Linda’s son, Parker.” He again nodded. “I know you live in Washington, mostly.” This time he just smiled. “Have you ever been married?”

He crinkled his nose. “I came close once.”

“What happened?” she asked. “Unless it’s too personal.”

Josh shrugged. “I tend to get caught up in my work. I wasn’t there enough, and she cheated on me.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.”

Josh sat back so the waitress could set a glass of water on the table. “Can I take your order?” she asked.

The next several seconds were taken up with food orders, but as soon as the waitress left, Josh continued. “Life happens, I suppose. I moved on.”

“You probably have trust issues, don’t you?” Jennifer asked carefully.

Josh pursed his lips and shook his head. “No. I just know how I am. I put work first.”

“So you avoid relationships.”

“Serious ones.”

Jennifer wasn’t sure how she felt about that. He was gorgeous. He was also several years older than her, not to mention her life had the potential to be a war zone. With that in mind, what right did she have to even entertain the thought of a relationship?

They had a wicked physical attraction, nothing more. They barely knew each other. Once he was done helping her with the house and making sure she was safe, he would be back at work, chasing the bad guys.

He leaned forward and reached out for her hand. “Jennifer.”

She sat back, not letting him touch her. Not because anything he’d said had hurt her, but because she knew where it would lead. Her hunger for him burned that hot.

“You and I both know we’re going to have sex. Earlier in the kitchen made it pretty clear that whatever this pull is between us is damn impossible to ignore.”

Jennifer swallowed and nodded in agreement.

“But neither one of us should get attached.”

“I agree.”

At least part of her did. Another part felt hurt and…sad. It was too soon to speak of love and all the wishy-washy stuff that went along with it. What they had was physical attraction, pure and simple, intensified by her inability to control the energy surrounding them. She needed to remember that.

Josh continued to study her to the point her face heated. “I said I agree, Josh.”

“I know you did. I just…”

The waitress returned with their food, interrupting what Josh had been about to say.

After she left, Jennifer began to place the condiments on her burger bun, attempting to avoid Josh’s all too knowing stare. “Let’s just hurry and eat so we can get home before I do something stupid like slink under the table and suck your dick.”

Josh choked on his sip of tea, making Jennifer giggle and helping to lighten the mood, which had turned way too serious.

Chapter Fourteen

Before climbing into the truck, Josh opened up the back door and reached into one of the grocery bags. While Jennifer had been grocery shopping, Josh had headed over to the pharmacy section and bought three boxes of condoms. He opened one and slid a condom into his front pocket. He had a feeling sex would be the first order of business the second they walked through the door.

All through dinner, he kept thinking about Jennifer sliding under the table and sucking his dick. His balls were so tight now, all it would probably take would be a swipe of her tongue across the head of his cock and he’d explode.

He had better control than this. How could this tingling make him lose it? The energy stimulated him, teased his nerves, and intensified the desire he’d already felt for her. It increased whenever she got close, especially if she was aroused as well. When together, they seemed to feed off each other.

Josh shut the back door before climbing into the front. He glanced over at Jennifer, who appeared to be just as sexually strained as he was, if her squirming was any indication. He reached out and brushed the backs of his fingers over her left nipple. She gasped softly and arched toward his hand. When she looked over at him, her eyes sparkled with lust.