Fine. It was a kitchen. She knew how they worked. In theory…
She put her hands on her hips and surveyed the setup. The same modest approach applied to the kitchen as the rest of the house: the appliances were made to be used, not look nice. The fridge, a small affair with a faded Disneyland magnet, nearly matched the horrible mustard color of the countertops. An old-school stove, scratched but clean, nestled into the particle board cabinets. The floor, some sort of yellowish laminate, chorused a 1970s tone with the rest of the kitchen.
As Jenna poked through cabinets, looking for the elusive mugs, she wondered what kind of kitchen Josh had at his own house. Did he go for modest usefulness, like this outdated kitchen, or did he go for new, probably large, manly appliances? She imagined the last. She had the impression he had style. The Hummer was useful, so he said, but also big, luxurious, and of rock-star quality.
“Ah ha! Found you.” Jenna extracted a mug with a machinery logo and poured herself a cup.
As she sauntered to the small, chipped kitchen table, Josh said, “Get some breakfast.”
She slowed her step and tilted her head just a little. The command in his tone was as unmistakable as it was unyielding.
Had he forgotten whom he was talking to?
A smile graced her lips. She set down her mug softly, meeting his hard gaze. The wildness within them crouched, ready to surge forward and pounce. Tingles spread across her body.
She straightened up and decided she’d play his game. For now. “Sure.”
The plate was already out for her, so she scooped the amount of eggs and bacon she’d normally eat. As she sat down, she noticed his lips thin. He wanted her to take more.
Slowly lifting her knife and fork, she gave him time to give another command. Unfortunately, he didn’t. Damn.
“Sleep okay?” Josh growled.
So that was what was bothering him. He had given himself last night, after she’d silently begged, but hadn’t wanted to. Well, fine—she hadn’t wanted to plead like a desperate girl. They were even as far as that went, and now he could put on his big-boy pants and deal with it.
She increased the liveliness of her tone. “Yes. Thank you. You?”
She was met with a punch of silence.
The memory of his strong arms wrapping around her invaded her thoughts. He’d trailed soft kisses up her neck as dawn’s light filtered in through the window. With his lips right next to her ear, he’d said, “Sleep, love. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
She dropped her shaking hands to the table quickly. He didn’t need to see his lingering effect. It would only tip the scales of power in his direction.
Summoning her resolve, she decided to clear the air. They needed to be on the same page. “Look, Josh.” She met his molten eyes. He wasn’t going to take this well. “I really appreciate last night. Very much. I am thankful for your—for that.” Why was this so awkward?
She cleared her throat, sore from all the crying last night. “At the end of the week, though, I’ll be going back to my life and you’ll be going back to yours. We are from two different worlds, you know? It’s probably best if we just keep it physical. In future.”
His eyes sparked fire and a muscle in his jaw bulged. He was probably thinking of the few dozen locations that could quietly house an unmarked grave.
He nodded. “Predictable. You also make me repeat myself too often. I am no toy. If that is your game, I’d prefer you leave me out of it.”
She wasn’t the only one who was predictable. How very irritating.
“There are a few things we need to be clear about this week.” Josh’s stare blasted into her. His crazy lurked right near the surface, raw and wild. “My job is to keep you alive, safe, and in one piece. You are going to give me your cooperation to help me do that. This is not up for debate. Clear?”
Or what? Even though she knew that question was in her eyes, she kept it from tumbling out of her mouth. His burning glare was begging her to ask, which meant she wouldn’t like the answer.
After the pregnant pause, he continued, “If something happens, whatever it is, I will give you orders, and you will follow them. No exceptions. You will eat three square meals a day. No starving yourself. I need you healthy. You will take care of your feet, and of yourself. You will not engage in any sexual acts in my presence. You will keep clothed at all times. You will do your own dishes and help me with food preparation. You will clean up after yourself. You will not go outdoors without my supervision. You will steer clear of windows and think of your own safety over mine. If you have a problem with any of that, tough. Now, eat your breakfast and meet me in the living room when you’re done.”
Oh, you’re running the show, are you? This time she couldn’t help herself. “Or what?”
She didn’t think it was possible, but his eyes became harder. Her limbs started to tingle—flight reflex. If a magic flee button existed, he was pushing it now.
“Or you won’t like the punishment you receive,” he said in a gruff, violence-ridden tone.
A nervous guffaw almost broke free. Her legs were shaking now, to accent her hands. “The punishment I receive? I’m not a child.”
“Then I suggest you stop acting like one. Living room, thirty minutes.” Josh left the room in powerful strides.
Well, she’d walked into that one. She took a moment to breathe to let her body relax.
She wondered what punishments he had in mind. Spanking might be fun…
Chapter Two
Josh stalked out to the living room in a haze of red. Rage boiled deep inside. He wanted to wrap his hands around her delicate neck and shake her like in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.
He stretched, clamping down on his control.
It was as if the woman was more concerned with playing the villain than staying alive. Those rules were not only logical, they were necessary to her safety. They needed to work as a team. Couldn’t she see that? Did the gravity of the situation completely elude her?
He rubbed the back of his neck and stared vacantly at the fireplace.
Maybe her attitude wasn’t the problem at all. Maybe it was that they were able to share a night like last night, a night like he’d never experienced in the whole of his thirty-three years, without her waking up this morning in a puddle at his feet. If he hadn’t expected her to pull away, he would’ve stayed in bed to revel in her. Revel in the experiences of their lovemaking. He would let her mold him into whatever she wanted, because he was putty in her soft, delicate fingers, even if it wasn’t the same for her.
Josh scoffed and did some light shadow-boxing to let out some frustration. That might be it, all right. She wasn’t as affected as he was. She was the one who wanted sex with no strings. Ironic—that was usually his gig.
The question was, and this was the kicker, when had she become so important to him? At first she had just been a beautiful girl. When had she reached in with a kung fu grip and yanked his heart out?
Josh shook his head. She’d enticed him with an enigma, and he’d never stopped being fascinated.
Then there she was, standing over him, his ragged, beating heart in one hand, his dick in the other, completely securing the upper hand in their fucked-up relationship. And the bitch of it was, he was still mad for her. Over-the-moon wanted her, to be with her, possibly forever. If that wasn’t a scary fucking thought, he didn’t know what was.
He noticed movement in his peripheral vision. Before he finished turning, he stopped dead, his whole body going taut, like he’d just grabbed a live wire.
She stood in her stylish boots on the brown carpet with the cool air brushing her budded nipples. Her groomed lady playground greeted him, begging him to reach forward and lick deep in its folds. The lines and shape of her perfect body spoke of twisted sheets and writhing bodies.
His cock was suddenly so hard it could punch a hole in the wall.
He dug his nails into his palms as he braced himself, fighting his desire with everything he had. The small
smile on her shapely lips taunted him.
So. It would be like that.
Reaching for dominance to cover his lust, Josh pinned her with an unwavering glare that would’ve had Jax gulping.
She stared right back, her small smile playing across her lips. She looked like she was about to laugh, of all things. Unbelievable.
He held on to control that was in danger of slipping away. He let action take over.
He took a few quick steps and scooped her up before she could even flinch. He tossed her over his shoulder and then took the steps two at a time, hurrying. He needed to get her to the first punishment site before he took matters into his own hands and got rid of this wood. He couldn’t think with all the blood in his cock.
In the attic, he set her bare ass down on a beam of wood and hoped she’d get a splinter. That’d show her. If she backed down from this physical-only bullshit, he’d take that splinter out with his teeth.
The musty smell of their surroundings assaulted his senses. He held back a sneeze as he backed up, but then his fire and passion withered.
Wide-eyed and shrinking down on herself, the gravity of her new situation registered. Fear sank into Jenna’s features.
Josh swallowed through a newly formed lump in his throat. He felt like a monster.
He opened his mouth to try to explain, but, afraid his voice would crack, he backed further away. She didn’t move to get up. Instead, she looked around while bringing her knees closer to her chest. She met his gaze with eyes like a puppy after it had been swatted with a newspaper, but didn’t know what he had done to deserve it.
Josh’s heart broke. He almost stepped forward to gather her into his arms to make things right.
He turned without a word and went back down the steps. The door clicked shut behind her. He locked it and then leaned against it, fighting the urge to go back up to her.
This was for the best. She had to follow those rules. Despite what he’d said, that gunman would find them. The town was small and he obviously had connections. He’d find them and he’d try to finish the job. Josh had to keep control of his surroundings. He had to account for Jenna at every moment, because when shit got real, he needed to be able to use the resources that came with this location without a moment’s delay. He’d chosen this house specifically for its secrets. Secrets only his family knew. He could keep her alive; he just needed complete power over the situation to do it.
He wished he didn’t have to enforce the rules this way. There had never been any doubt that she would test his resolve, and prey on any weakness she found, and so he’d taken some of the horrors from her past and devised punishments out of them. She had told him about her stepmother locking her into the attic. She’d been bitten by a poisonous spider, and cried and screamed for hours with the pain of it. When she’d finally been let out, she’d had to go to the hospital. Now he was using the moment of soft vulnerability when she had revealed this against her.
And here he was, thrusting her back into her personal hell.
He clenched his fist and nearly pounded on the door, loathing himself. Instead he went and fetched a blanket. He hollered what it was before leaving it on the steps and re-locking the door.
Hating himself for the monster he was proving himself to be, he skulked outdoors and began to check out all their vulnerabilities. He wanted to see where a sniper would lie in wait, knowing that he could be out there already. If he was lucky, he’d meet the sniper and could use the violence to distract him.
Some indeterminate length of time later, Jenna came out of her meditation in the dark room. She rose and moved to the fragment of light from the vent, shrugging off the blanket and checking her body for spiders. Nothing.
Sighing in relief, she tiptoed down the steps, wondering how long she’d been in the attic, and found the door open. The next sigh of relief washed away all the fear and anxiety with it. She’d sat in an attic, immersed in her daydream of the little house on the hill in France, without panicking. She’d come through the other side.
She straightened in pride. She’d just proved that the therapy worked, and that she could face the fears of her past and come out on top. Ha!
Head held high, daring him to come at her again—he’d get a kick in the nuts this time—she made her way to her bedroom. On her made bed—not made by her—lay her expertly folded sweats and a sweatshirt—not folded by her. A note beside the neat pile simply said, Please.
So the horse’s ass was trying to be polite now. He’d held her last night, kissed away her tears after she told the story of being locked in the attic, only to betray her by using it against her.
If he’d wanted to unleash hell, he couldn’t have chosen a better way to do it.
Her stomach growled as she slipped on the sweats. She didn’t bother with the underwear. She didn’t want him to think he’d won.
She’d told him she never felt pretty, but being pretty had nothing to do with feeling powerful. And right now, despite him trying to play the power card, she felt like a rock star. If he got grabby, he’d get a knife in his ribs. There’d be no more messing around.
She stood just inside the kitchen with a hard expression. The refrigerator door was open and he was peering inside, one large hand on the top of the door, the other braced against the side. It almost looked like he was trying to crawl in.
She yanked her gaze away from his perfect, muscular butt. And then from his broad upper back with deliciously defined muscle. His sleeve lifted enough to show an armband tattoo winding around his large bicep.
Her sex swelled as an image from the night before pushed into her brain—her fingers and mouth exploring down the lumpy muscles on his rock-hard stomach. She shivered and quickly wiped it away before her brain conjured up what she had eventually found. How hard it had been.
Her imagination was not helping this situation.
He turned. She ripped her gaze off his butt again.
“How long was I up there?” she asked in an even voice. They had become enemies and they both knew it. There was no sense in making a show of it.
“Two hours with the door locked, an hour for each infraction of the rules. Two hours of your own choosing. If you were trying to make a point, you weren’t successful.”
“You made a very distinct point, but probably not the one you were aiming for.”
He hesitated before closing the refrigerator door. His mask was firmly in place, hiding his emotions. “I wanted to show you some self-defense. I thought you might be willing?”
She shrugged, trying not to show interest. He nodded without comment. It was going to be a long, loooooong week.
After eating a tin of soup for lunch, she met Josh in the living room with a surly attitude. She did want to learn more self-defense, but she was having a hard time being in his presence. She wanted to both have sex with him and punch him in the face. She assumed he would not let her do either, and certainly wouldn’t consent to doing both.
“Okay, I thought we could do some light work.” Josh cleared away the couch. “You know how to put someone in a headlock?”
“Yeah.” Child’s play.
“On someone my size?”
She rolled her shoulders. “I’ve never really met anyone your size. Except for the NFL player, but he’d been sitting down. I didn’t have a reason to tackle him.”
“You should always run if you can,” Josh said seriously. “For a woman, escape is always the most important thing. Don’t fight if you don’t have to, and if you do, fight to get away. Make it so they can’t run after you, if possible, but getting help is always the most important thing. Clear?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I will walk at you with my arms out, to grab you. Men will usually try to grab you first. They’ll only punch or hit you if they think grabbing won’t work. Or if you are struggling.”
“I know how to block a punch.”
“You wouldn’t be able to block my punch, Jenna. I’d go right through it and still connect. As
sume all men are the same.”
There was no way all men were as strong and powerful as him, or as well trained, but it was a good thought. She nodded in understanding, their war under a temporary truce.
“I want you to wait until I’m close, then brush my hands away—you know how to do that?” She nodded again, gearing up. “Okay. Brush them away, and then jump at my neck. You’ll need to wrap your arm around it as you work around behind me. You have to really jump, though. I’m tall. Aim to get the crook of your arm around the front of my throat…”
“Wait…” She straightened a little, unsure. “You want me to really try to put you in a headlock?”
He grinned, something flickering in his eyes. Remorse? “You’ll get to take out your aggression on me.” His face resumed the blank mask. “But seriously, you should have practice actually doing these things. Your body needs to remember the physical actions so they are second nature. I’ll tap out right before I lose consciousness. Please release me then or shortly after. There isn’t a washer-dryer here and most of my pants are dirty.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“If you make me pass out by suffocating me, I’ll probably piss myself. It won’t be pretty.”
“Oh.” She crinkled her nose. “Gross.”
“Okay. Here we go.”
His giant body came at her like a freight train of muscle, his great arms reaching, his scarred hands grabbing her around the middle. She screamed and curled up into a ball, giggling in both fear and fun. Despite having been locked in the attic, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. Knew it in a way that she knew the air had oxygen. That the earth would turn. But still, he was a scary bastard who was unnaturally fast. She’d never seen someone move so fast. It was unnerving.
“Try coming at me a little slower,” she said, her words turning wispy and her eyes drifting closed as he held her for a little longer than was necessary.
Unexpected Danger (Skyline Trilogy Book 2) Page 2
