“You have time, Jenn. What are you? Twenty-five? Twenty-six?”
She glanced at him over her shoulder as the microwave dinged. “Fishing for my age?”
Josh grinned. He liked the brief spark of mischief that sometimes poked through. Probably too much. He was glad to know whatever had happened to her hadn’t dimmed her light completely. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I know how touchy you women are about your age.”
She turned back and reached for her cup, giving Josh another chance to admire that adorable backside. As she walked back to the table to sit down, he looked away and tried to take his mind off the desire now swimming through his veins. Damn, the woman was a knockout, and this house was getting smaller and smaller.
She sat down and eyed him speculatively. “I’m twenty-eight,” she finally said.
He blinked and looked back at her, unsure what exactly they’d been talking about. He really needed to keep his mind on the conversation and not her body. “See? Just a baby.”
She snorted, making Josh chuckle. Wow, twelve years younger than him. He wasn’t against a little sexual romp with a younger woman. As a matter of fact, he’d had several. But Jennifer seemed different somehow. He saw her as above a wild one-night stand, no matter how good it might be.
Besides, here, one-night stands were out. They would be living in the same house for a while. It would not be a good idea to start something like that, especially since he lacked the ability to finish it. He knew how he was and how it would end—how it always ended.
She tapped the tip of the pencil on the table to get his attention. “You seem a little distant all of a sudden.”
He stared at the almost empty cup. “I was just thinking.”
“What about?”
“The past.”
She picked the pencil up and tapped the eraser against the wood of the table. “I would like nothing better than to forget the past. At least the last six years, anyway.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if it were just that simple?”
She looked up at him and smiled. “Yes, it would.”
She had such a pretty smile. And her lips were so… Damn it! Stop going there! Josh took a deep breath and pushed the chair away from the table. “Since we’re up, how about I cook us some breakfast and we get started?”
“That sounds great. While you cook, I’ll run upstairs and put on clothes.”
Josh nodded. He didn’t trust himself to speak. He wanted to see her without clothes, spread out on the table, her wrists secured to the legs so she couldn’t move, her thighs spread wide, enabling him to do whatever the hell he wanted.
He slammed the cup on the counter and winced at the loud sound that echoed through the kitchen. This wasn’t going to work if he didn’t get a handle on his thoughts. What on earth was his problem anyway? He’d never had trouble controlling himself.
Sighing, he fished through the cabinets till he found two skillets. Maybe he should call the office and have one of the tech guys do a search on Jennifer. Or maybe his friend Nathan would be better for the task. He needed to find out what she was really running from, and the sooner the better.
He glanced down the hall toward the stairs as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was payback time for all the mornings Nathan had called him before sunrise. To Josh’s surprise, Nathan Delacroix answered on the second ring.
“What the hell are you into?” Nathan asked.
Josh frowned at the tense voice on the other end of the line and an immediate wave of unease worked its way up his spine. “Why? What are you sensing?”
Nathan was psychic. Josh had learned a long time ago to listen when his friend had a worried feeling.
“You’re in danger.”
“Yeah, I figured that. I just need to know what kind.”
“Meaning?” Nathan asked.
“I need you to run a check on someone named Jennifer Sanlin. She’s twenty-eight.”
“Can you give me anything else?”
“Not right now, and I need this done under the radar. I’m off the clock.”
Nathan sighed. “So it’s my neck that has to be stuck out, huh?”
Josh snorted. “You love it, and you know it. Besides, if I recall, you owe me.”
“I shared my fiancée with you while we were in hiding. I figure that makes us even.”
A grin spread Josh’s lips as he glanced back down the hall. “Not by a long shot, old man. See what you can find out, and let me know as soon as possible.”
“Will do, but Josh…” Nathan’s pause sent a prickle of unease through Josh’s limbs.
“Yeah?”
“Watch your back. I don’t know what it is yet, but it’s not going to be pretty.”
“Understood,” Josh said, then disconnected the call.
“Damn,” he growled. “Linda, I’m going to fucking wring your neck.”
Chapter Five
Josh stood back and stared at the living room wall with the fireplace. They’d already removed the mantel; now they just needed to open up the walls on either side while they waited for the firebox and piping to arrive.
He studied the wall closely. Tearing down the Sheetrock would be easy. He tried to envision the best way to accomplish what Jennifer had sketched out on paper.
“You look like you’re awfully lost in thought,” Jennifer said from behind him, her voice full of amusement.
He spun around to face her and smiled. “Just orchestrating my plan of attack.”
An eyebrow rose over her pretty turquoise eyes. “It’s Sheetrock. Do you need a plan of attack?”
She had her hair up today, showing off a long, graceful neck he itched to kiss.
He tossed the hammer up in the air and caught it so the handle faced her. “You always need a plan of attack.” He held the handle end of the hammer out to her. “Wanna take the first whack? It’s great for getting out your frustrations.”
Her lips twitched, and her eyes practically danced with excitement. “Oh, I definitely have a frustration or two.”
She took the hammer and walked toward the wall to the right of the fireplace. “Anywhere?” she asked.
“Go right in the middle.”
She pulled her arm back and swung, breaking the Sheetrock with the head of the hammer. With a grin, she reared back again and created another hole just to the right of the first one. Sheetrock fell to the floor, and dust filled the air. Small specks of dust and paper swirled in circles as the breeze from the open windows moved them through the room.
Josh watched as each swing seemed to lighten her mood. Her smile widened, and she giggled as pieces of Sheetrock flew toward her, landing in her hair. One flew into the open neck of her shirt, making her laugh.
She bent forward and shook the shirt, trying to dislodge the offending piece. He had to bite his tongue to keep from offering to dig it out for her. He could easily imagine just how well her breasts would fill his hands. As the piece fell from the bottom of her shirt and bounced across the floor, he forced his mind off her breasts and back onto the wall. If he wasn’t careful, he would end up with a hard-on that would be difficult to explain.
She smiled and turned to face the wall once more. As she pulled her arm back, she said, “Go find some more walls in the house we can tear down.”
Josh chuckled. “You can’t tear them all down. If you want more things to beat on, I’ll let you hammer in the nails.”
She stepped back and watched several pieces of the wall fall to the floor. “Now this…” She swung again, this time hitting higher on the wall. “This is therapy.” She glanced at him over her shoulder, her eyes bright, her cheeks flushed. “Is this why you remodeled that house of yours? To get out your frustrations?”
Had he? Maybe. “Nah. I use sex for that.”
The second he said it, he wanted to call it back, but the devilish grin on her face made his heart race. Her gaze raked down his body before coming back to his face. “I would believe that,” she said simply and then turned bac
k to the wall.
The sound of gravel crunching under the wheels of a car caught both of their attentions. Jennifer immediately tensed, and Josh didn’t miss the spark of fear that darkened her eyes.
“It’s the fireplace guys,” Josh said as he glanced out the window.
Relief made her shoulders sag, but the worry still clouded her eyes. As she walked past, he caught her arm. “Hey. What are you afraid of, Jennifer?”
She looked up at him, at first in surprise, before covering it up and sucking in a calming breath. She shook her head as she pulled her arm from his grasp. “I should probably go let the fireplace guys in so they can get started.”
“Why don’t you let me do that?” he offered.
With a single nod, she murmured, “Thank you.”
She walked toward the front entry hall, and Josh frowned as he watched her turn to the right and head to the back of the house and the kitchen. She was definitely lying. Hearing that truck arrive had scared the shit out of her. Hopefully, Nathan would call him back soon on the information he had requested so he would know what the hell to do to help her.
JENNIFER STEPPED OUT onto the back porch and drew in several deep breaths to try and calm her pounding heart. If she wanted any chance at all at a normal life, she had to stop reacting like this.
No one knew who Jennifer Sanlin was, even those who were after her. Her best shot at blending in was to stop jumping at every little sound, especially in front of Josh.
She didn’t want him suspicious. She didn’t want him asking questions. Questions led to answers, which led to discovering her secret and then possibly betraying her…just like the man she’d loved had done.
Chapter Six
Josh leaned against the door frame and watched Jennifer as she threw a handful of freshly chopped vegetables into a pot. After her initial freak-out over the arrival of the fireplace, she had seemed to return to normal. She’d even come into the living room and checked on the progress of the installation.
“Did they finish?” she asked.
Josh tilted his head in surprise. He hadn’t realized she knew he was there. “Yes. They just left. Something smells good.”
She glanced at him before scraping what was left on the cutting board into the pot. “I had a craving for soup and grilled cheese. I hope that’s okay.”
“Little tip about me,” Josh said as he walked into the kitchen. “I’ll eat most anything.”
She gave him a friendly smile. “Good to know.”
Leaning over the pot of soup, he inhaled. “That smells incredible.”
“It needs to simmer about an hour. If you want to shower or anything, you have time.”
He was tempted to ask her to join him, but instead he said, “I believe I will. I think I even have Sheetrock dust in my underwear.”
Jennifer laughed, and the sound made Josh grin as he headed up the stairs to the bathroom. At the top, his phone rang, and he quickly grabbed it.
“Hey, old man. What have you found out?” Josh asked softly as he entered his bedroom and shut the door.
“Nothing. Jennifer Sanlin isn’t her real name.”
“Shit,” Josh snarled, although not really surprised. It stood to reason. If she was hiding, she wouldn’t use her real name. “I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.”
“Where do you want to go now?” Nathan asked.
Most likely the property was bought under that name as well. He could send Nathan something with her fingerprints, but that would only work if she was in the system.
“She has a connection to Linda Johansson through her parents who died recently, I believe. Linda is Parker Johansson’s mother.”
“As in former FBI agent, Parker Johansson?” Nathan asked.
Josh sighed. “Yeah.”
“So you want me to look into our friend’s mother?”
Josh cringed. “Yeah.”
“You owe me one, Josh. One big one,” Nathan drawled before hanging up.
Josh grinned slightly as he set the phone on the dresser and grabbed some clean clothes. He and Nathan loved to pick at each other, but they also knew that, if the chips were down, they would each be there for the other. Nathan would come through for him…somehow. He always did.
Josh quickly showered, then headed back downstairs. Jennifer stood at the counter, putting sandwiches on a cookie sheet. “Baked grilled cheese?” he asked, intrigued.
“Less butter. Less fattening. Linda introduced me to them. They’re actually really good.”
“I trust ya,” he said as he grabbed a piece of cheese lying on the counter and took a bite.
She set the sheet in the oven and turned to smile at him. “You look better.”
Her smile made his balls tighten. God, what he wouldn’t give to kiss those lips, maybe even slide his cock between them. With an inward warning to himself, he leaned his hips against the counter. “I feel better.”
As he studied her, he realized she wore different clothes, and her hair was damp and wrapped in a braid instead of pinned on her head. “When did you shower?”
She giggled. “Are you always this slow?”
“Only on my good days.”
Her giggle turned into a laugh. “I showered earlier,” she said. “I didn’t want Sheetrock to fall from my hair and into the food.”
Josh gave a nod, trying to ignore his body’s intense reaction to her. “Understandable.” He really needed to do some digging, see what he could find out. “So, what did you do before coming here?” he asked.
Her demeanor changed instantly. Her stance became more rigid, her eyes everywhere but on him.
“Too personal?” he asked.
“No,” she said, trying to reassure him but failing. Josh did his best not to let on he knew she was lying. “I was going to school to be an architect. That’s where I met my husband.” She turned and began to fiddle with the dish towel lying on the counter. “It’s the typical girl-meets-boy, girl-gets-fooled-by-boy story. Pretty boring, really.”
And it was all a lie. He didn’t need Nathan’s empathic abilities to realize that. He’d interviewed enough criminals in his day to know the signs. “And obviously still too raw for you to talk about comfortably,” Josh said. “So we’ll change the subject.”
Her shoulders rose and lowered on a sigh. She turned, and her tortured gaze caught his, almost taking the breath from his lungs. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It’s just…”
“It’s fine, Jenn,” he said. “I guess architecture would make sense, considering how well you draw. Where did you learn to do that?”
She shrugged. “Don’t know. I can just do it.”
She opened the oven door and reached in to turn the sandwiches over. Josh’s gaze remained glued to her ass covered in tight denim until she straightened. Damn, he wanted to slap his hand across those firm globes and make her squeal.
When she brought her gaze back to his, he smiled. “Natural talent. You’re lucky.”
Her eyes narrowed as she harrumphed. “Natural talents are not always what they’re cracked up to be.”
Josh wondered at the anger he could see simmering within her eyes. “My best friend would probably agree with you. He’s empathic with the occasional psychic ability. He can sometimes freak people out.”
One of her eyebrows rose in interest. “Really?”
“Makes it damn impossible to lie to the man,” Josh drawled. “It makes him a good psychologist, though.”
Jennifer’s lips twitched. “I bet his patients don’t like that much.”
“He very seldom sees patients now, just mostly special cases. He primarily profiles for the FBI.”
“How is… Does it bother him, having this ability?”
“Sometimes. He’s not the only one. I’ve worked with several at the agency, all with different levels of skill. I even worked with this one girl who could move small objects with her mind.” Her eyes widened, and Josh went on to explain. “Very small objects, and she couldn’t move th
em very far.”
“Wow, I didn’t realize there were so many people out there with those kinds of talents.”
“It’s a regular world of X-Men out there.”
JENNIFER TURNED TO remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Her fingers shook as she reached for the sandwiches, so she jerked back and balled them for a second in order to still the trembling. Once calmer, she pulled the sheet out of the oven and set the browned sandwiches on the center of the table.
If there were so many like her out there, then why had she been singled out? Because they could weaponize her, that was why. They’d wanted to turn her into a killer they could use at their will, and would’ve succeeded if she hadn’t escaped.
Why couldn’t she have done something like work for the FBI? Would she have met Josh then? Would she have this burning need to kiss him, run the tip of her finger along his scar? Would she have felt the same tingling in her nerves whenever he got close to her like she did now?
Josh moved past her to grab bowls from the cabinet. As he did, heat seemed to singe her very flesh and send a tingle along the nerves of her spine. Why did she feel those things? She’d never felt them before. Was it a side effect of her increase in power due to all their experiments? Or was it hers and Josh’s chemistry?
She really wanted to know, but what would he do if she kissed him? And would that even give her the answer she needed or just cause more questions?
She licked her lips, wondering what his mouth would feel like against hers. Would his stubble be rough, or would it tickle? Would his kiss be gentle or demanding? She eyed him through her lashes as he set the bowls and spoons on the table. She’d bet he was demanding, rough, intense. Her panties became wet just thinking about it.
Coughing softly, she covered her mouth and turned to grab the pot from the stove. She’d forgotten the pot holders, and at first, the heat of the handles burned her flesh. She hissed, then in reflex pulled the heat from the metal handles, cooling them instantly.
She turned to set the pot on the table and caught Josh staring at her. “Jennifer, that’s hot,” he said harshly.
“No, it’s not,” she argued.
Crime and Punishment 4: Burning Submission Page 3