Crime and Punishment 4: Burning Submission

by Trista Ann Michaels

  Damn. The woman was a knockout.

  “If we plan on talking, that wasn’t the right choice of clothes,” he drawled as he walked in and sat on the bed.

  Her giggle sounded from behind him as he lifted his foot to remove his shoe.

  “I’ll climb under the covers. Will that help?” she asked.

  He glanced at her over his shoulder, his lips lifting in a sideways grin. “Probably not, but knock yourself out.”

  He finished removing his clothes and climbed under the covers with her. He sat with his back against the pillows and turned to stare at her. She’d covered herself up to her waist, but he could still see her breasts. Her very enticing, perky breasts.

  She smiled and held up a movie. “X-Men?”

  He returned her smile. “I found it downstairs. I planned on watching it one night but just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

  She studied the back of the DVD case. “I used to have these comics. I probably still do somewhere in my parents’ house. I always felt like I understood them. I was a mutant, just like they were.”

  “You’re not a mutant, Jennifer,” Josh said firmly.

  “Yeah?” she said as she set the case aside and looked at him. “What am I, then?”

  “You’re gifted.”

  She snorted and shook her head before staring up at the ceiling. “I wouldn’t call it a gift. A curse, maybe.” Josh reached over and placed his hand on her thigh, giving it a squeeze through the covers. “I always thought it would be cool to have an academy like Xavier. I could help kids like me. Maybe even figure these so called gifts out, teach them how to control them. Not that I know how to myself, but…”

  “Jenn—”

  “You said before that you liked to tie women up.”

  Her statement surprised him, and he frowned. “What?”

  “In the kitchen. I asked if you were like Linda’s husband and liked to tie women up, and you said yes.”

  She wouldn’t look at him. Instead, she studied her nails, picking at them nervously.

  “Does that bother you?” he asked softly.

  “I walked in on Linda and her husband once,” she murmured.

  Josh raised an eyebrow, trying his best to keep up with her sudden change in conversation. What was she doing? “Come again,” he said.

  She still wouldn’t look up at him. “He had her tied to a table, bent over, and was hitting her…ass with a riding crop of some sort.”

  Josh bit back a grin and waited.

  “I attacked him.”

  He coughed, trying not to laugh, but failed miserably.

  “It’s not funny,” she said, scowling.

  Josh continued to laugh. “Yes, it is.” At her furious expression, he tried to sober and cupped her cheek, but she pulled away from him in anger. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Go on.”

  “I was so scared for her,” she argued in defense of her actions.

  “I know,” Josh said with a nod. “And it’s okay—”

  “No, it wasn’t,” Jennifer replied with a shake of her head. “Linda calmed me down and explained it all. I was mortified, but also…”

  “Aroused?” Josh asked.

  Jennifer bit her lip and nodded. “Thinking about it now, yes. I was young when I went off to college. I’ve slept with guys, but my experience is somewhat limited, and then, of course, my time in captivity. I didn’t know anything about all this stuff.”

  She finally looked up at him, and Josh’s breath caught at the honesty in her eyes. “I liked how you talked to me. How you told me what to do.”

  Josh reached out and took one of her hands in his. The energy between them instantly sparked, tickling the nerve endings in his arm. “That’s good to know, but if we can’t figure out how to get this energy or whatever it is that springs to life every time we touch under control, quickies are probably all we’ll ever be capable of.”

  Jennifer snickered. “Yeah, I kind of got that too.”

  She bit her lip again, and Josh got the impression she wasn’t done talking. Which was good. She needed to talk. They both did.

  “So, what do you do with women once you tie them up?” she asked.

  “Are you sure you want to talk about this now?” Josh asked as he drew gentle circles in her palm with the pad of his finger. “It may lead to another round of sex.”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe we can use this time to see if I can control it.”

  “Fair enough.” He let out a slow breath, trying to force his lust to the back of his mind. “Well, I like to tease. I use toys and oral sex to drive the woman tied down to the point of release…then deny her.”

  “That sounds mean.”

  Josh chuckled. “Maybe, but when she finally does come, it’s pretty explosive.”

  “What else?”

  “I like to pour hot wax on them.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Hot wax? Are you serious?”

  He nodded, his lips twitching with amusement at her stunned expression. She really was an innocent.

  “It’s very arousing. I’ll have to show you sometime.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jennifer tried hard not to let her arousal get the best of her. She could feel the tingles working their way through her limbs. Could Josh feel them as well? Was it possible that if he controlled his side of things, even if she didn’t, they could still keep their time together relatively nonexplosive?

  She bit her lip, debating whether or not to say what she desperately wanted to say. She would think that after the sex from earlier, the massive size of his cock, and her amazing orgasms, she would be satisfied. Unfortunately, sitting this close to Josh, his wide chest right here for the touching, not to mention their current topic of conversation, sent her desire through the roof.

  She rubbed at her wrists, wondering what it would feel like to be tied down, her legs open for anything he wanted to do to her. After her captivity, could she stand it? Just thinking about it made her wet…again.

  She glanced at him through her lashes. “Would you show me?” There was a brief pause while he studied her before she got the nerve up to ask, “Now?” He didn’t say anything, and she licked her lips. “We could use it as an experiment of sorts. To see if I can keep from getting out of control.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that, Jenn?” he asked softly.

  “Will you stop if I say stop?” she whispered, uncertainty slowly overriding her lust.

  “No,” Josh replied.

  She lifted her head and frowned. “No?”

  “‘No’ and ‘stop’ don’t work. There are safe words. So, if you truly want me to stop, then you have to say ‘red.’”

  “So if you were having sex with a girl and she said stop, you wouldn’t?”

  He smiled slightly. “If it’s just casual sex with a girl and we’re not playing at BDSM, then yes, I would stop. But during a scene or if we’re in a Dom-sub mode, then I would ignore ‘stop’ or ‘no.’”

  “So, I would have to remember ‘red,’” she murmured.

  She wondered how hard that would be, considering she had a hard time remembering her name when Josh kissed her.

  Josh must’ve seen her uncertainty, maybe even understood it. He reached over and took her hand in his again. He studied the backs of her fingers before he brought them to his lips and kissed her hand.

  “I can feel that tingling pull,” he said as he rubbed his hand over hers, keeping her fingers sandwiched between his large palms. “I also know one kiss and we would be all over each other again.”

  “I’m not sure how to stop it. It’s as though my desire for you ignites the energy around me.”

  “Which, in turn, affects the energy around me,” he finished for her.

  “That would be my guess. Any ideas how to control it?”

  He sighed and continued to stare at her hand. “Not at the moment.”

  The wrinkles between his eyebrows creased, and she wondered what he was thinking so hard about. She reposi
tioned so she faced him more fully.

  “Am I crazy to want to try this?” she asked.

  He pursed his lips as he shook his head. “No,” he replied. “But because of your captivity, I do worry that you won’t be able to handle it.”

  “I don’t want to live my life in fear, Josh. I’m always going to be looking over my shoulder, always wondering if the guy who asks me to the movies is really one of them in disguise. With you, I know I’m safe, so if I’m going to try this, then it should be with you.”

  He raised his gaze to hers and smiled slightly. “Then we should start small and easy.”

  “What’s small and easy?” she asked, intrigued.

  “Sleep with me here tonight.”

  She frowned. “But that’s not…”

  “Let’s see if we can be in proximity without one of us attacking the other.”

  “In other words, let’s see if I can keep my mouth and hands to myself?”

  Josh’s lips twitched. “Once you get started, it gets me started, and then we’re goners.”

  She twisted her mouth. “Fine,” she drawled.

  Josh chuckled and lifted his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. “Come here,” he murmured as she snuggled against his chest.

  His body felt warm and hard. He was strong, and she felt safe in his arms. What would she do when he left?

  * * * *

  The ringing of his phone brought Josh awake instantly. He grabbed it off the nightstand and glanced at the screen. It was six a.m. What was Nathan doing calling so early in the damn morning?

  He slid his finger across the screen and opened the call.

  “Hey, Nathan,” he said softly. “Hang on a couple of seconds.”

  At Nathan’s acknowledgment, Josh glanced over at Jennifer. She was still sound asleep in the bed beside him. She looked so peaceful at the moment, the last thing he wanted to do was wake her. As quietly as possible, he slid out from under the covers and climbed from the bed. He tiptoed out into the hall and shut the door behind him.

  Putting his phone back to his ear, he headed downstairs to the kitchen and a fresh pot of coffee.

  “Everything okay?” Josh asked.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing,” Nathan replied. “I had a bad feeling this morning.”

  “I’m fine. Overdid it a little yesterday, but other than that, things are good so far. Is that what woke you so early?”

  “Yeah. Plus Connelly isn’t here. I’m afraid I’ve kept her a little tied up over the last couple of weeks, and she’s behind on her manuscript deadlines, which her publisher isn’t too happy about.”

  “Which means Connelly isn’t real happy with you right now,” Josh finished for him, his lips twitching in amusement.

  The Dom in Nathan went clear to his bones, but Josh knew Connelly had him wrapped around her little finger like a puppy dog.

  Nathan chuckled. “She’s at her place trying to get caught up. I’ve been banished until she’s done.”

  Josh snorted as he filled the coffeepot with water. “And you let her get away with that?”

  “It’s her career. I let it slide…this time.”

  Josh laughed. “To be a fly on the wall.”

  “Anyway, it’s amazing how quickly I’ve gotten used to having her in the bed beside me. It feels strange when she’s not here.”

  “I bet,” Josh murmured as he added grounds and hit the Power button.

  Sometimes, Josh envied his friend. Deep down he wanted what Nathan had with Connelly, but he also knew as long as he worked for the FBI, that was an unrealistic goal. He put his job first. Always had. Probably always would.

  “You’ll find her,” Nathan said quietly, bringing Josh up short.

  “Stay out of my head,” Josh commanded but not harshly.

  Nathan harrumphed.

  “Any more odd feelings about this situation I should be aware of?” Josh asked, ignoring Nathan’s attempt to make him feel better about the lack of love in his life.

  Nathan sighed, and Josh didn’t miss the fatigue that came clearly through the phone. His friend was stressed over this, and that alone put Josh on edge.

  “Nothing new. Just the same feeling of impending danger.”

  Josh frowned as his sixth sense began to kick in. Nathan was keeping something from him.

  “Ever since meeting Connelly and that weird incident where I saw my own death, I’m…” Nathan began.

  “What are you seeing?” Josh asked. “Are you seeing the future again?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe. All I know is whatever I’m seeing has to do with you…and Jennifer.”

  Josh dismissed the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. “It’s probably just that sense of danger you’re picking up on. I have cameras around the house to alert us to anyone snooping around. I have my guns. We’ll be fine.”

  He wasn’t sure if he said that to make Nathan feel better or himself.

  “Just keep checking in with me,” Nathan replied.

  “Will do.”

  * * * *

  Nathan disconnected the call and stared at the now dark screen of his phone. Should he have told him? As he sighed, he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back off his brow. He felt like shit.

  “Did you tell him?”

  He glanced up in surprise to see Connelly standing in the bedroom doorway, a cup of coffee in each hand. He’d been so wrapped up in his thoughts about Josh he hadn’t even sensed she was here.

  “Hey, pet.” He reached out and took the cup she handed him. “Thank you. I thought you would still be at it.”

  She smiled slightly as she sat on the bed next to him. “I pulled an all-nighter and finished it up. If I go to sleep now, it will throw off my days and nights, so I’m just going to wait and sleep later.”

  Nathan touched a soft curl next to her ear. “You look tired. Are you sure you want to do that?”

  She smiled at him, and the dark feeling in his soul lifted, just like it always did whenever she was around. “Yes,” she replied. “I’ll be fine. But you never answered my question. Did you tell him?”

  Nathan dropped his hand. “How do I tell him the woman he’s protecting and possibly falling for is the one who may be responsible for what I think might be his death?”

  Connelly placed her hand on his knee. “You don’t know that for sure.”

  He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “No. I don’t. Damn it, I wish I would just go back to being an empath. These ominous visions—or whatever the hell they are—are going to drive me to an early grave.”

  “Can you shut them out?”

  “I’m not sure I should. Maybe, if I can decipher them, I can warn him.”

  Connelly leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his shoulder. He brought his hand up, trapping her cheek against him. The strands of her hair tickled his fingers as he massaged her scalp. He dipped his chin and kissed the top of her head. He really shouldn’t be worrying her about all this. She had enough on her plate.

  “What do you say you and I go out for breakfast?” Nathan asked. “I think much better on a full stomach.”

  She grinned up at him. “That sounds perfect, because I’m starving.”

  He bent down and kissed the tip of her nose. “I also punish much better on a full stomach,” he whispered. “And I know a certain little sub who needs her ass busted.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Josh lowered his phone but kept it in his hand. Since it was attached to the motion cameras, he preferred keeping it close. With a tired sigh, he stared out the kitchen window. The sky was just beginning to show hints of sunrise. A cold breeze brushed across his chest, and he lifted his hand toward the window. Old house, lots of drafts. Jennifer should probably consider replacing the windows as well.

  “Do you normally stand around in the kitchen naked?” Jennifer asked from behind him.

  “Got a problem with it?” he asked, teasing her.

  He turned his head and grinned. She still w
ore the shorts and tank from last night, and her hair was mussed from sleep. Since she was barefoot, he hadn’t heard her approach, but the sight of her did what it always did—got him hot.

  Her gaze slid down his body, igniting his lust and making his cock thicken.

  “Not when you look like that,” she purred as she brought her gaze back to his.

  “Girls always did like my ass,” he drawled, making her smile mischievously.

  “Personally, I like your pecs the best. I’ve always thought there was just something so sexy about a man with a strong chest.”

  One corner of his mouth lifted in amusement. “To each her own.”

  “So, what’s your favorite part of a woman’s body?” she asked as she walked over to the coffeepot and poured two cups.

  As she handed him one, he turned to face her and almost chuckled at the way her hungry stare took in his chest and growing cock.

  “Depends on the woman,” he replied. “On you, it’s definitely the breasts. Although your ass isn’t bad either.”

  Jennifer made a coughing sound deep in her throat. “Why don’t men ever notice the eyes or the hair?”

  “We do, but it’s the breasts and the asses that get us all worked up, so that’s where our attention tends to stay. Should I tell you how many times I’ve counted your gaze dropping to my cock?”

  Her cheeks turned bright pink. “Well, it’s a little hard to miss,” she replied as she lifted her cup to take a sip of coffee.

  Josh laughed at her discomfort. He loved teasing her.

  “Was that early-morning call anything to be worried about?” she asked as she set her cup down and strolled to the fridge, opened the door, and stared at the contents.

  Josh had a feeling she did it more to have something to look at so he wouldn’t call her out again.

  “I was hoping that didn’t wake you.”

  “It’s okay.” She shrugged. “I’m usually an early riser, anyway.”

  “It was nothing to worry about. Just my best friend checking in on me.”

  She glanced at him over her shoulder. “You have a best friend?”

  Josh raised an eyebrow. “Does that seem like such a stretch?”

  “No,” she said with a firm shake of her head. “That’s not what I meant.”