Crime and Punishment 4: Burning Submission

by Trista Ann Michaels

  “Jennifer…” Josh reached for her, but she backed away. “Couldn’t stop what?”

  “I don’t know. I…I think I electrocuted them, caused them to have heart attacks.”

  Josh froze and stared at her. His hand was still outstretched. Jennifer wanted so badly to take it but was terrified that she might do much worse than the spark from last night, so she kept talking.

  “When I got out, I had this irresistible pull to find Linda. I didn’t understand it, until I finally got to her house. I was dehydrated and bruised and burned and…detoxing off something. I think it’s what they gave me to keep me under control.”

  He didn’t move, just kept his hand out. Her gaze kept flickering to his hand, his offer of support…a lifeline.

  “What were they doing to you, sweetheart?” he asked softly.

  Tears streamed down her face, and her voice shook as she spoke. “They were trying to turn me into a weapon.”

  “And that weapon turned on them, didn’t it?” he whispered.

  Jennifer sobbed and nodded. She started to reach for his hand but pulled back. “I’m afraid if I touch you, I’ll hurt you.” She stared at him with pleading eyes, trying to make him understand.

  “You won’t hurt me,” he said with much more confidence than she felt.

  “I did last night.”

  “That was a spark, sweetheart. Nothing more.”

  He hadn’t moved. She saw no fear in his eyes, no wariness, just understanding and comfort. Taking a deep, quivering breath, she raised her trembling fingers to his and lightly placed them in his outstretched palm. His skin was warm. There was a tingling sensation that should’ve made her pull back, but his fingers closed over hers before she could get away.

  He tugged her to him, forcing her flush against his hard, strong chest. Jennifer sagged against him. Her sobs shook her entire body as his arms enfolded her, holding her close.

  “It’s okay,” he cooed.

  JOSH HADN’T EXPECTED her to reveal her secrets quite that fast, but he was glad she had. Confusion still tugged at his mind. She thought they were turning her into a weapon? That made no sense.

  Her sobs slowly died down, but Josh kept his arms around her. He had a feeling if he gave any slack at all, she’d bolt.

  The sizzle of the potatoes frying in the pan finally registered in his mind. He released her long enough with one arm to turn off the gas. Breakfast could wait.

  “Jennifer, I need you to tell me everything,” he said softly.

  “I can’t,” she murmured against his chest.

  “If you’re afraid they will come for you again, I need to know why. I need to understand so I can better protect you.” She shook her head, and Josh sighed. “You can trust me.”

  “I can’t put you in any more danger, Josh. You have to go.”

  With a louder sigh, Josh gripped her shoulders and pushed her back from him. She kept her gaze down, and Josh gave her a firm shake before ordering, “Look at me, Jennifer.”

  She raised her gaze to his, and the anguish he saw there nearly tore his heart.

  “How do I know you won’t do what he did?” she whispered.

  “What who did? Your college professor?”

  After a second’s hesitation, she nodded.

  “What happened, Jenn?” he asked again, hoping this time she would answer.

  She broke free of Josh’s grip and stumbled to the kitchen table. She dropped heavily into one of the chairs as though the weight of all her troubles forced her down. She reached out and began to fiddle with one of the napkins lying in front of her. Josh moved to take the seat across from her, sensing she needed a moment to gather her thoughts.

  “We started dating the fall of my third year at Harvard.” She bit her lip and looked up at him.

  He gave her a nod of encouragement. “Go on.”

  She stared back down at the napkin, her brow creased into a deep frown. “Did Linda tell you any of this?”

  “No, and you’re stalling, Jenn.”

  “Then how did you—?”

  “Jennifer,” he said firmly. “We’ll discuss how I found out after you tell me everything.” He leaned forward and put his hand over hers. “You’re in trouble, and I need to know why.”

  “You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

  “You’ve already said that, but I am, and I’m not leaving until I know you’re going to be okay.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I promised Linda. Now spill.”

  Chapter Nine

  Jennifer wasn’t sure whether to hit him or hug him. His hand over hers felt warm and comforting, but there was also that underlying tingle that always seemed to accompany his touch. She stared down at their hands: her small one completely covered by his larger one.

  “Do you feel that?” she asked.

  His thumb softly brushed over the back of her hand. “Feel what?”

  “That tingle.”

  Josh kept rubbing his thumb over her hand, increasing the intensity of the current and warming her flesh. She brought her gaze back to his and wanted to just drown in his blue eyes, forget the world outside existed if only for a little while. She’d been so lonely, so alone.

  “What is it, Jenn?” he asked.

  She started to open her mouth and tell him she wanted him to hold her, to kiss her like he had last night, but she suddenly realized that wasn’t what he’d meant.

  “That tingle is me.” She pulled her hand away and grabbed the half-empty cup of coffee that had been sitting on the table. “This coffee is cold. Feel it.”

  She slid it toward him, and he dipped his finger in the liquid. “Yes, it’s cold, but what does—”

  She held up a finger as she pulled the cup back to her. She placed her hand over the cup and concentrated. Steam began to lift through her fingers as the liquid warmed. She removed her hand and slid the cup back to Josh, but she couldn’t look at him. She kept her gaze on his hand as he wrapped it around the now warm mug.

  “How did you do that?” he asked.

  He didn’t sound afraid or freaked out, so she risked a glance. Instead of revulsion, she saw curiosity in his eyes, but she still didn’t quite relax. Her professor boyfriend had been curious too, then excited, then…

  “I’ve been able to do it since I was little. I can pull the cool air away, and somehow the contents heat up. I can also pull the heat out, sometimes even freeze things solid.”

  Josh let go of the mug and folded his hands in front of him on the table. “So, the pot handles yesterday were hot; you just cooled them.”

  “Yeah, I had forgotten the pot holders.”

  “This is why you went into neurology?”

  She cleared her throat before answering. “Yes. As I got older, I realized I could do other things, such as manipulate the energy and electrical current that surround all of us. I spent most of my allowance as a kid buying lightbulbs to experiment with.”

  Josh’s lips twitched, but other than that, his expression didn’t change.

  “I thought that maybe it had something to do with the way my brain was wired. We only use a portion of it, so I thought it might be possible that somehow an unused portion of my brain had been awakened or something to that effect.”

  “That explains the fellowship you never got to do. So, let me see if I can guess the rest. You told your professor about these abilities, and he turned you over to people who wanted to exploit you.”

  She cringed, then nodded.

  “What did they do to you, Jenn? Who were they?”

  “I don’t know who they were. I never did. As for what they did to me… I was a lab rat. They used drugs, shock therapy, surgeries, anything they could think of to manipulate my abilities.” She grabbed the napkin again and began to tug at the corners. “I don’t know if they increased my power or if it was always there and I just hadn’t figured out how to work it yet, but when I left, at least what I remember, I pretty much leveled the place.”

  “Maybe t
here’s no one left to come after you.”

  “No. They’re still out there. That wasn’t the only facility. It was just the last one they took me to. I was moved at least twice. I don’t think they’re government. I think they’re something else.”

  “You said you leveled the place.”

  “Yeah,” she whispered, then swallowed as she tried to push what elements she remembered to the back of her mind. “I manipulated the electrical current to set fires and caused the men guarding me to have heart attacks.”

  “What kept you from doing it sooner?” he asked.

  “I didn’t know I could. They were…they were getting ready to do a surgery that would… It had a good chance of killing me. I think I panicked.”

  Josh reached out and again put his hand over hers, comforting her. She still couldn’t look up at him. She felt unsure and odd. That was what she was. An oddity. A mutation. After what she’d done to get away, a monster.

  “Hey. Jenn, look at me, sweetheart.”

  Jennifer hesitantly brought her eyes up. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye to slide down her cheek. Josh reached out and wiped it away with his thumb. She wanted to lean into his touch but kept herself rigid out of fear.

  “Have you tried to do any of that stuff since you got away, other than the simple things like heating water?” he asked as he lowered his hand back to the table.

  She shook her head firmly. “No. Why would I do that?”

  “What you did that day may have been an emotional reaction. Sometimes when people have abilities similar to yours, adrenaline will make them stronger. Just like with any other type of ability.”

  “Such as mothers lifting cars off their children.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I don’t know if it’s a good idea. What if I can’t control it?”

  Josh’s gave her a half smile. “It would be better to find that out now, don’t you think?”

  Jennifer frowned as she slid her hand out from under his. “So you want me to practice and play around with my powers?”

  Josh pulled his hand back, crossed his arms, and leaned on the table. “I think that would be the smart thing. You need to know what you can and can’t do. What your limitations are. It’s better to know that now than in the middle of a fight and things get out of hand.”

  She watched him warily. “I suppose I see your point.”

  He leveled his gaze, staring intently into her eyes. She wanted to trust him, felt deep inside that she could, but what if kept playing loudly through her head.

  “I’m not him, Jenn. I’m not going to abuse you or your power. I’m not going to turn you over to someone who will. I just want to keep you safe. That also means that we, but mostly you, need to know what you can do. If you have confidence in yourself and your powers, you can better defend yourself.”

  He was right, and she knew it.

  “I can’t stay here forever, but while I am here, I can help you. And I need to know, when I leave, that you’ll be okay.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “Good.” Josh sat back and smiled. “Now let’s finish breakfast, get some more work done in the living room, and then we’ll work for a couple of hours this afternoon on you. Sound good?”

  She smiled slightly. “Sounds good, coach.”

  Josh chuckled as he stood. “So, that shock last night during that kiss was you?”

  She felt the heat of a blush move over her face. “You just had to bring that up, didn’t you?” She looked up at him and noticed the devilish grin and spark in his eyes.

  “Can you control that?”

  She gave a shrug. “I don’t know. That’s never happened before.”

  “We’ll have to find out.” He leaned down and braced one hand on the table, the other on the back of her chair. “Because when I kiss you again, I don’t want to end up having a heart attack.”

  Before she could react, he bent forward and placed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. She watched in stunned fascination as he walked to the stove and turned the potatoes back on.

  “Do you want sausage or bacon?”

  He asked it so casually, as though he hadn’t just basically told her he planned on kissing her again. She wasn’t sure if it was his straightforwardness or the fact he planned to kiss her again that had her heart racing wildly. The light above her flickered. She glanced up, wondering if that had been her. Did her excitement affect the energy around her?

  Josh apparently hadn’t noticed, or if he had, he didn’t say anything. She should probably answer his question. “Um, both, I suppose.”

  “Good. You’re going to need your energy if we’re going to get those shelves done this morning.”

  Yeah, and then maybe kissing later.

  Her nipples hardened at the thought of his lips on hers. The light flickered again, and she rolled her eyes. This was going to be interesting.

  Chapter Ten

  Jennifer stepped back and studied the shelves and the trim molding that Josh had just nailed around the edges. It looked really good, and once the mantel was back in place, it would look even better.

  Josh came to stand by her side. “Do you want to paint them white or stain them?” His proximity was playing havoc with her senses. It had been all morning, and she didn’t know what to do to stop it.

  She raised her hand and rubbed at the back of her neck. “Um…”

  “Staining them would go with the old feel of the house. Painting them white would brighten it up in here.”

  She glanced sideways and stared at his profile. He hadn’t shaved this morning, and his jaw was covered in stubble. His lips were full, and she could well remember how soft they’d been against hers. Warmth began to spread over her flesh and pool in the center of her womb. She bit her lip and turned away. “Which would be easier?” she asked.

  “Truthfully, they’re both about the same. If you paint, you’re going to have to prime first. If you stain, it will take at least two coats, depending on how dark you want it, plus a coat or two of polyurethane.”

  “Let’s stain it to match the cabinets I have picked out for the kitchen.”

  Josh gave a nod. “Okay. We need to clean it up in here as much as we can, get all the dust out. Then tomorrow we can make a run to the hardware store and pick out your colors. Do you know what you want to paint the walls?”

  How could he keep his mind on the project? All she could think about was sex. God, it had been forever since she’d felt anything between her legs. Even her own hands. She didn’t dare do that where they’d held her captive. She’d always been watched. And she’d been so scared or drugged half out of her wits the whole time, sex hadn’t even entered her mind.

  It was definitely on her mind now.

  He turned, and his brow creased into a frown. “Earth to Jennifer? Are you with me over there?”

  Her eyes widened, and a flush of heat bloomed in her cheeks. “Sorry. My mind was somewhere else.”

  Like in her bedroom, Josh over her, fucking her. She swallowed and turned to look at the wall. “I was thinking maybe earth-tone colors. You know, deep beiges, greens, burgundy, or maybe a blue-gray.”

  “Earth tones are good. That’s what I did my house in.”

  She grinned. “That’s right. Linda showed me some of the pictures. How long did it take you?”

  “A couple of years, but I was only working on it part-time. I traveled a lot with work.”

  She rubbed her hands down her arms, brushing away some of the sawdust from when they’d sanded the shelves. “Will you go back to work once you’re healed?” she asked.

  “To be honest, I don’t know. I’m a little tired of getting shot at, but I’m also afraid I would miss the thrill of the hunt.”

  Jennifer smiled. “I guess it would be hard to give that up. Have you been shot before?”

  He pointed to his chest. “Before this one?” She nodded, and he continued. “Yes. Twice before. Once in the thigh, and once in the arm.”

  He roll
ed up his sleeve and showed her a small scar just below his shoulder.

  “Where was the one in the thigh?” she asked, secretly hoping he would drop his pants and show her the scar.

  “Are you trying to get me to take my pants off?” he teased.

  Her cheeks flamed again, but she ignored it and snorted. “You wish.”

  Josh chuckled and pointed to a spot just above and to the right of his knee. “It was here. Two months of rehab for that one, but I at least got full mobility back…and the criminal.”

  “All so you could jump back in the fray. Sounds like you have a death wish.”

  His lips twitched. “Nah, just an indestructability complex.”

  She snickered. “I could see that. Are you hungry?”

  A spark of lust ignited in his eyes, and Jennifer had a wicked image of her splayed out on the table, Josh’s face between her legs.

  She harrumphed. “I meant for lunch, Romeo.”

  Josh laughed. “What makes you think I had anything else in mind?”

  She pointed at him and turned to leave the room. “I’m beginning to recognize that devilish spark in your eyes.”

  She could feel Josh behind her as they walked down the hall toward the kitchen. She’d hoped he would’ve stayed in the living room. She needed a breather. His sex appeal, his promise this morning of a kiss, and his deep voice all sent her senses into a total tailspin. If she didn’t get some space between them soon, she would attack, rip his clothes off, and ride his cock like the sex-starved lunatic she was.

  She turned on the water and let it run for a second to heat up before rinsing off her hands. “Sandwiches okay?” she asked.

  “That’s fine.” Josh opened the fridge and grabbed a beer off the bottom shelf. “Maybe we should swing by the store later and pick up a few things. It’s looking a little bare in here.”

  She turned to look at him just as he shut the fridge door. He tilted the beer bottle toward her. “Want one?”

  “No,” she said with a firm shake of her head. The last thing she needed right now was alcohol.