Wrangled

by Natasha Stories

  To think I used to look like that, I mused, forgetting that my hair was done in a similar topknot and bun. That must have been what attracted the attention of the oldest, who approached me at the table where I sat with Jason.

  “Sister, I’m not sure we’ve met,” she said.

  “Annalee Nielsen,” I said, automatically.

  “Whose wife are you?” she asked, with a glare at Jason.

  I came to my senses then, and spoke more sharply than I intended. “No one’s.”

  Jason raised his eyebrows, clearly intending to make this woman leave me alone if necessary, but I put my hand on his arm. “I no longer belong to the Church,” I said coldly. “I’ll thank you to leave me alone.”

  She sniffed and turned away, but soon herded her younger charges out of the diner without eating.

  “What was that all about?” Jason asked.

  “Those were women of the RALDS,” I said. “They must have spotted my hair and decided to discipline me for unseemly behavior. I told you I needed to cut it.”

  Jason looked out the window with interest. “I knew there was a nest of them around here somewhere,” he said. “Word in town was Denise White ran off with one of them. Is that who you ran away from?”

  “I didn’t run away, I was taken away, after Russ got my ex-husband in trouble. But to answer your question, yes, another community, but Charity’s told me they’re the same, and yes, his ex-wife left him for the community.”

  “Can’t figure it,” Jason said, slipping into the Western drawl that he sometimes used when he wasn’t thinking. “But, if they’re going to attack you every time they see you because of your hair, then I guess I can’t stop you from cutting it. I’d just like to see it down just once.”

  Emboldened by standing up to an older woman of the Church, I told him, “Jason, in my world, only a husband sees a grown woman’s hair down and free.”

  “Well then,” he said, “I guess I’ll have to marry you.”

  I don’t know what my face looked like, but I could imagine. My mouth dropped open, my eyes were wide and round, and I’m sure the blood drained from my face before it came rushing back in a blush to end all blushes.

  “What? Oh, you’re joking. Don’t say things like that, you’ll give me heart failure.”

  “Annalee,” he said, taking my hands, “I wasn’t joking. Maybe I should propose properly, be a little more romantic, but I do want to marry you. Would you think about it?”

  Like a fish out of water, I opened my mouth several times before I got enough air to speak. “Are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack,” he said.

  “I need to think about it,” I said.

  “I figured you would.”

  The rest of that day was a loss. I couldn’t concentrate even enough to file properly, so I gave up before I scrambled papers into the wrong files. While Jason fortunately went out on listing appointments and showings, I sat like a wooden statue, trying to think it through.

  I didn’t love him, that much I knew. If I was honest with myself, I still loved Cody. But there was no sense going there, because Cody was gone, and even if he wasn’t, I couldn’t saddle him with a family to support when he could barely support himself. I tore my thoughts away from Cody and that dead-end line of thinking, to consider Jason.

  He was kind and considerate, okay, that was in the Pro column. He was successful and had money. Pro. He liked my kids, and treated me well. Pro. He knew about my financial troubles and wanted to marry me anyway. Pro. What was there for the Con column again? Oh, I didn’t love him. One Con. I didn’t know him very well, Con. He’d been upfront with me about his family, Pro. At the end of the day, I had a column of Pros that was three times the length of the Con.

  With a little twinge of regret for love and passion, I made the practical decision. I guessed I’d tell him yes.

  ~~~

  It was Wednesday, Celeste’s day off, so when I went home with my decision made, I sat down at the kitchen table with her and Ciara and told them my news. You’d have thought I’d dropped a rotten egg in the soup.

  “Annalee, are you sure? You don’t love him, do you?” Ciara’s cry was anguished, but I had the answer ready.

  “No, I don’t. But I didn’t love Jed, either. Love isn’t required for marriage, but security is required when you’re a mother. I need to do this for the kids.”

  “Oh, honey, don’t you think you deserve happiness for yourself?” Celeste didn’t think much of the idea either. I wondered if any of the sisters would support me.

  “Who said I wouldn’t be happy? I was happy when we were all in Bethel City. I can be happy anywhere.” It wasn’t strictly the truth, but if I was going to do this, I was going to make the best of it.

  “Where’s the ring?” Ciara demanded.

  “He didn’t give me one,” I started. Before I could explain, both of them started talking at once, their indignant tones waking the children from their nap. There would be no more discussion until bedtime. We got the kids up and took them to a nearby park for a little fresh air, then brought them back dirty and ready to be fed. After dinner, we’d bathe them and put them down to sleep, and then we could talk more.

  Except, that’s not the way it happened. We were in the middle of dinner when a knock came at the door. I went to answer it, and found Jason on the front porch, on one knee, with a big bouquet of roses in one hand and a velvet box in the other. My hand flew to my throat as I realized this was the proper proposal he’d promised, and I gave a little squeal that brought the others out to see what was going on.

  With my sisters as witnesses, Jason said, “Annalee, will you marry me?” I thought it was brave of him, since I hadn’t yet told him I would. He was risking some pride, here.

  “Yes, Jason, I’ll marry you.” There, I’d said it. Now I’d have to follow through, no matter what my misgivings. Jason asked me to come out for a ride with him, and my sisters shooed me out the door, their objections apparently overcome by the romantic proposal.

  When he had me in the car, Jason said, “Is this a good time for me to see your hair down?”

  I laughed, understanding that he was asking for sex. I might as well, I thought. It would soon be his right, and at least if he saw my hair down tonight I could get it cut. Okay, I know it wasn’t romantic or even sexy, but that’s what I thought. “Sure,” I said.

  Jason drove me to his house, which I realized I didn’t even know where it was before. It was a nice house, far grander than the rental that Celeste and I shared, but nowhere near as grand as Russ’s ranch house. As he ushered me inside, I looked around curiously. “Is this where we’ll live?” I asked.

  “If you like it, yes,” he answered. “If you don’t, we can sell this one and move somewhere else. I want you to be happy. I know you don’t love me yet, Annalee, but if you’ll give me a chance, I’ll help you grow to love me.”

  I gasped. How had he known? But, I understood. It was in the stiff way I held myself when his arm was around me. I would need to get past that.

  “Jason, I’m sorry. Just give me some time, and I know I’ll grow to love you. It’s just that we don’t know each other well, yet. It will come, I’m sure.”

  “Why did you agree to marry me, Annalee?” his voice was low and I had to strain to hear him.

  “There were a lot of reasons why I should, and only one or two why I shouldn’t. The Pros came out longer than the Cons,” I said whimsically.

  “That’s good enough for me,” he said. Taking my hand, he led me to the master bedroom, where candles were already lit. “May I?” he asked, lifting his hands to my hair, still bound into its severe bun.

  “Yes, Jason, go ahead.”

  One by one, his nimble fingers found the pins and loosed my hair into a cascade that rippled down my back to well below my waist. He removed the clips that pushed the front forward, and ran his fingers through it.

  “My God,” he said. “Has it ever been cut?”

  “No,�
� I answered.

  “It’s magnificent,” he replied. “Are you sure you want to cut it?”

  “Yes, Jason. It marks me as something I’m not anymore. But, if you like, I’ll have them save it for you. They can put it in a long braid, and it will stay nice.”

  “That would be wonderful,” he murmured, his face now buried in handfuls of my tresses. I was getting a little worried that this was all he wanted, when I’d resigned myself to sex and actually started looking forward to it. But then, he dropped my hair and drew me to him in a strong embrace. Slowly, as if he wasn’t yet sure how I’d react, he kissed me on the lips. When I opened mine, he groaned and tightened his arms.

  His passion unleashed, he pawed at the straps of my top, a knit cotton that barely covered my bra straps. I let him undress me, not trying to help. He pushed the straps down my arms, and then did the same with the bra straps, until my breasts were half uncovered. I shrugged the garments down, releasing my breasts, which dropped him to his knees.

  “Oh, my God,” he said again. His hands cupped both breasts, and he buried his face in them. Impatient, I reached between us to unbutton my capris, pushing them and my panties down along with the top and bra, which was still fastened, until I had to wriggle my hips to get the bra over them. That seemed to wake Jason from his feast on the flesh of my breasts, and he stood back to look at me, naked except for the puddle of clothing at my ankles.

  “You’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” he breathed. He reached to take a strand of my hair and arranged it over my shoulder, covering my breast except for the nipple that peeked through a part in the cascade. Brushing a hand over the swell of my hip, he urged me to get on the bed, then arranged each limb until I was artfully laid out, half on my side, with my hair swirling around me.

  Only then did Jason begin to remove his own clothing. His chest rippled as he opened his arms to take off the white button-down shirt, revealing a thin cotton undershirt with a deep V-neck and deep-cut straps; the kind that I’d heard the cowboys call wife-beater for some reason. He left that on as he unfastened his pants beneath my fascinated gaze. I wouldn’t have dreamed he’d have a physique like this, dressed as he always did in a pair of business slacks, white shirt, and tie. His slacks dropped to reveal narrow hips and a pair of well-shaped legs.

  Moisture began to gather between my thighs as I beheld the bulge beneath his boxer briefs, and I licked my lips in anticipation. Jason’s eyes glittered before he stripped off the wife-beater to reveal gym-honed muscles that bulged and rippled across his chest as he moved, drawing my attention downward to the six-pack below. A trail of coarse hair started just below his navel, and disappeared into the boxer briefs, drawing my eyes there and causing me to wish he’d let me see where it led. The thought barely entered my mind before he slipped a finger on each hand into the waistband of the briefs and flipped it over his erection, which sprang out enticingly.

  “Oh,” I breathed. It had been nearly three months since I’d been with Cody, and the memories were fading, along with the love that he’d spurned. The body I saw before me would be my husband, a real husband this time, with no other wives. I reached for him, finding my hands around his cock and my senses swimming.

  Jason’s hand tangled in my hair and he growled his pleasure as he thrust into my hands. “That’s good, Annalee. Touch it, stroke it.”

  He was astraddle me on his knees when he started giving directions. At first, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to comply, being unused to this type of lovemaking. Cody seldom talked when we made love, only made incoherent noises of pleasure. And Jed, well, I didn’t want to think about Jed. Jason had raised my head from the pillow and was pressing his erection to my lips. “Here, Anna, suck it.”

  A little shocked but even more hot, I opened my lips for his strong thrusts, trusting him maybe more than I should have. Immediately, both of his hands were at the back of my head, holding me still while he fucked my mouth. His masculine scent was overwhelming, dizzying. I felt wanton and lustful, feeling the incredible length and breadth of Jason’s cock invading my mouth like I’d never felt before. Even though I was struggling not to gag when he thrust deeply, my core was on fire, along with my nipples. I moaned, wriggling my body under him.

  Jason laughed and immediately withdrew from my mouth. “You want some for yourself, huh? Let’s see what I can do.”

  He fell on me then, devouring my breasts with his lips and teeth, sucking hard and then nipping the nipples. It was painful, but at the same time exquisite. My breath came in ragged gasps each time he bit me, and I cried out my pleasure, arching into his face for more. The Jason I knew from the office, kind, considerate and quiet, was gone, replaced by a man whose appetites drove him. His assault on my senses left me no time to think; only my emotions were engaged. Lust as I’d seldom known it, mixed with a fear of the unknown in the back of my mind, and in the forefront, the fiery sensations that followed his hands, lips and teeth.

  Jason’s rough hand thrust between my legs, and a growl of pleasure escaped him when he found me wet and ready. He parted my legs and began to position himself to enter me. “Condom,” I gasped.

  Jason went still as granite, then ground out, “What?”

  “We need a condom, Jason. I’m not protected.” Reason was flooding back into my mind as I panicked at the near-miss. Once again, stress was messing with my cycle, and I had no idea whether I’d be safe or not.

  “Protected from what?”

  Fully alert now, I stared at Jason as if he’d lost his mind. “From pregnancy, Jason. I don’t want to get pregnant tonight.”

  Anger flooded his face and my fear returned until he gained control of it. I watched, fascinated as he schooled his face to confusion and disappointment.

  “Why not? We’re going to be married soon, and I want children. Don’t you want more?”

  I really hadn’t given it a thought, but now I did. Tonight had given me information about Jason’s character and personality that I hadn’t known before. I wanted to be sure of him, especially his temper, before I had children with him. For that matter, I wanted to be sure before I married him.

  “Jason, please, I don’t want to think about it right now,” I said. “Let’s get to know each other better, get our lives settled together, before we think about children. Don’t you have a condom? I do want to make love with you.”

  “No, I don’t,” he said simply. The look he gave me was, what? No longer confused, maybe a little disappointed, but most of all I saw challenge. I’d killed the mood, and it was up to me to bring it back, if that was what I wanted. I gazed at him for a moment, recalling my Pros and Cons list. Did I still want to marry him? Adding ‘control issues’ to the Cons list still didn’t overcome the Pros, so yes, I thought I still wanted that. But I couldn’t risk pregnancy. I’d have to offer a different release.

  “I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to kill the mood. If you still want to make love, I’ll suck you off, but I can’t risk pregnancy right now. I’m still too stressed over Al and everything to want to worry about that. Can you understand?” As I spoke, hesitatingly, I watched his face for clues to his thoughts. He was impassive at first, but I thought I saw a spark when I said I’d suck him off.

  In a tone I could only describe as chilly, he answered. “I suppose I understand. You can suck me off if you want to.”

  If I want to? Didn’t he want me to? I honestly couldn’t tell, but this night was turning so weird that I didn’t want to risk withdrawing the offer. I’d learned he was volatile, but I thought I could calm him.

  “Lay back,” I said.

  As Jason arranged himself against the pillows and headboard, half-reclining, I surveyed his body. There was no question he was fit. Carved muscles from his neck to his feet bespoke hours in a gym. Why hadn’t I noticed that before? Jason crossed his arms behind his head and splayed his legs, opening himself for my inspection. In contrast to Cody’s ropy work-honed muscles, Jason’s were smooth, rounded and cut deeply in betw
een. I stroked my open hand over his chest and abs, enjoying the ripple under my fingertips while watching his cock spring back to life. Summoning every memory of my educational DVD, I bent to pleasure him.

  Taking him in one hand, lightly, with just the fingertips, I used the other to stroke lightly over his sac and the insides of his thighs. My reward was the leap of his cock in my hand, and a tiny drop of pre-cum appearing at his tip. At the sight of it, my nipples contracted and I couldn’t help but lean forward, tongue extended, to taste. It was nearly tasteless, only a faint hint of salt and something indefinable, pure man maybe. I closed my eyes, savoring the control I now had over him.

  Taking a firmer hold on his shaft, I opened my mouth wider and licked all around the head, nibbling the edge of the corona with my lips. Though I didn’t look up at him, I knew I was having an effect on Jason when he moaned under his breath. His gasp of pleasure when I suddenly engulfed him with my whole mouth told me he was no longer so indifferent to my ministrations. I swirled my tongue around him, still encased in my mouth and wrung a louder groan from him. The fingers of my other hand weren’t idle, either, as I teased his balls with the fingernails, alternating with cupping them and gently squeezing.

  When I began to suck and bob my head up and down to create some friction for him, I felt him grasp handfuls of my hair on both sides. His hips started lifting to thrust more deeply, and he held my head by my hair, wresting control from me as he came closer to climax. With a long groan, he went rigid, thrusting upward and pulling my head downward at the same time so that he was buried all the way into my throat when the spasms came. Gush after gush of thick, salty cum forced their way down my throat faster than I could swallow, with the result that some squeezed out around his cock and dribbled onto my lips. My eyes were watering and I was desperately trying to breathe through my nose when at last he collapsed into the bed, spent.