An Inconvenient Marriage

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  She closed her eyes and tilted her head as he kissed the side of her neck. His hands moved over her body, caressing her breasts and hips.

  “There’s no denying that you are a woman. Your amazing curves would entice any man with the need to touch you. You have a splendid figure that has often excited my imagination.”

  She felt weak as her pulse quickened under the intense scrutiny of his hands.

  He kissed her on the lips, and she wrapped her arms around him as her desire for him grew brighter with each word and movement he made. When he pulled away from her, his breathing was as shallow as her own. He took her hand and led her to the bed where he sat next to her.

  “It’s time someone told you the truth about yourself, Mrs. Mitchell. You are everything that is good and noble in a woman, and I love you. I want to be kept. Will you keep me?”

  “I do want to keep you, Jake,” she softly confessed. She looked at him and smiled. “I love you too.”

  He returned her smile and leaned in to kiss her. His lips were soft and warm.

  She had no idea a man could make her feel so alive. Her skin tingled with anticipation as he pulled her to him. He parted his lips. Surprised, she followed his lead and felt his tongue as it brushed against hers. The sensation was so new to her that she hardly had time to register it before he pulled away from her.

  “I find that clothes can be so restrictive,” he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. “Don’t you?”

  She giggled, feeling like a school girl. Her cheeks flushed, and she wondered when the last time was when she acted this silly. She peered up at him and saw that his eyes twinkled. Perhaps he felt giddy too.

  He unbuttoned her shirt, exposing the flesh under her collarbone. She didn’t wear a corset on the farm, and it made her feel exposed. Not that such a thing mattered. He was about to see her naked. He kissed her neck and let his mouth descend to her cleavage. She gasped as she held onto his arms. His beard tickled but his warm lips made her shiver in anticipation. Though she wore a chemise beneath her shirt, the feel of his hands as they cupped her breasts seemed to scorch her skin. She had no idea that her breasts were so sensitive. Her nipples hardened and an unfamiliar ache formed between her legs from his caress.

  She laid back on the bed so he could have better access to her bosom. But he didn’t continue as she thought he would. He stood up and removed his clothes, his face as serious as usual but with a certain intensity in his eyes that made her pulse quicken. He wanted her. Really wanted her. The way that men wanted women they desired.

  She looked at him as he removed his clothes. Perhaps she should have been shy, but she’d been around animals her entire life and was well acquainted with the male urge to procreate. She’d seen erections before. But even so, nothing prepared her for the intriguing sight of him.

  Before she had a chance to reach out and touch him, Jake unbuckled her belt and took off her pants. His actions were as certain as they were in everything he did, except he didn’t possess the usual calculated calm she’d seen him use in business. His movements were urgent, and as gentle as he was with her as he took off her shirt and chemise, there was an impatience she’d never seen in him.

  When she was naked before him, laying on the bed and waiting for him to join her, he studied her for a moment. Smiling at her, he climbed onto the bed. He moved over her, his hands on either side of her head as he settled between her legs.

  “You are a beautiful sight, Mrs. Mitchell,” he softly said, his voice husky.

  She returned his smile and let her hands drift down to the male part of him. She watched him, wondering if he’d allow her to explore him, and she caught the flicker of excitement in his eyes. He closed her eyes, a slight groan escaping his lips.

  She took that as permission and lightly touched him, noting the way he felt. He seemed to like it when she took him into her hands and gave a gentle squeeze. She’d never thought she’d ever feel a man the way she was feeling him, and she had no idea what he’d feel like. It was wonderful.

  The masculine form was a beautiful thing. Jake had broad shoulders, a lean chest covered with dark hair that tapered down to the mass of curls that surrounded his manhood. He had a narrow waist and strong legs. He was perfectly sculpted. When she was satisfied with her newfound knowledge, she released him and brought her hands up to his shoulders.

  He lowered his body on top of hers, her soft form curving nicely into his, as if they were made for each other. She groaned at the feel of his erection against her sensitive nub. He moved, rubbing her, creating sensations as new as the ones he’d produced when he touched her breasts.

  He shifted and she cried out in protest. He stopped and looked at her. “Where does it feel good?”

  She showed him and he obliged her by stroking the sensitive area with his thumb.

  “Take your pleasure, Sue,” he said, his voice low, his eyes focused on her face.

  She threw her head back and closed her eyes, knowing he watched her. She realized he enjoyed it. And she enjoyed what he was doing and how he made her feel. She was a woman, a desirable one at that. She could feel his arousal on her skin, the tip of the male part of him on the threshold of her entrance. She’d never been thankful for her body until then. She’d taken everything she had for granted, figuring it was there to serve a purpose, but none of those purposes was for pleasure. Certainly, not pleasure like this.

  As he slid into her, her body responded to him, easily taking him in. He groaned and increased the rhythm of his circular motions with his thumb. She gasped and found the completion her body cried for. So this was how it felt when a husband took his wife to bed and made love to her. Safe and warm…and engulfed in an all consuming desire that made her forget about everything but this moment. It was the most amazing thing she’d ever experienced.

  She shuddered and felt her body tighten around him. He removed his thumb from her and embraced her tightly in his arms. She clutched him closer, loving how it felt to be one with him. The sensitive regions of her body received further pleasure as he thrust in her. Their bodies moved together until she felt a second round of bliss engulf her. He moaned and released his seed, filling her and completing the act.

  Her heart beat in time with his, and he stayed in her arms. She gulped back the tears. She was loved. She had no idea that being married could be so wonderful, and the future couldn’t be better.

  ***

  When Sue woke up the next morning, she was aware that Jake had his arms wrapped around her and that he was kissing her bare shoulder. She smiled and snuggled against him.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Mitchell,” he warmly greeted her.

  “It is a good morning, isn’t it?” She loved how he felt.

  “You know, you’re going to have to move into my bedroom now.”

  “Then my plan worked. I wanted to move in there when I first saw it since it was the best one in the house.”

  “This was all a set up?”

  “You bet. I would do anything for that bedroom.”

  “Anything?”

  She giggled. “Do you have something in mind?”

  “I’ve got lots of things in mind for you.”

  He kissed her.

  They heard some giggling from outside the door.

  He chuckled. “I don’t think they’ll leave us alone much longer.”

  “Then we’ll have to get up.”

  “As long as you get dressed in front of me. I like seeing your body.”

  “I like seeing you toss my brothers’ things out and taking me into this room.”

  “You liked that?”

  “I was stunned but I did enjoy it. It was nice that you wanted me so badly.”

  “Well, you are a very desirable woman.” He kissed her again and sat up. “Alright. Let’s get this day started.”

  When they were ready for breakfast, they opened the door.

  Trevor peered around the corner. “Can we keep him now, sis?”

  “Yes, you can.” Jake
grinned. “You can’t have her back. She’s all mine.”

  “We weren’t interested in her. We were interested in you. I have other stories to show you.”

  “And I’m looking forward to reading them or seeing them acted out. Do you have any where Sue has to bend over to get something?”

  “Jake!” She blushed.

  “I can’t hide my enjoyment of you any longer.”

  “Well, come and eat. Gloria’s been up all night with the baby so Pa is watching him. Ma made breakfast,” Trevor said.

  “They really should let you cook if you want to. Your food isn’t that bad,” he told her.

  “Only you would think that.”

  He shrugged. “I like anything you do. You’re very talented.”

  “Please don’t let me cook anymore. I don’t enjoy it that much.”

  “Who said I wanted you in the kitchen? I want you in bed.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again.

  “Are you coming to eat or what?” Jeremiah called out. “I have to feed the animals this morning and Ma says I have to wait until you’re here before I can eat.”

  They went to the kitchen and sat at the table. He sat closer to her than usual and put his arm around her shoulders.

  “Someone’s in love,” Trevor noted, grinning.

  “It’s hard not to love someone so beautiful.” Jake kissed her on the cheek. “And she’s all mine.”

  She blushed, enjoying his praise and affection.

  “Finally, I can eat,” Jeremiah said. “I was up half the night helping Gloria with Kevin and I didn’t eat since last night’s dinner.”

  “Serves you right for making me think my writings got destroyed.”

  “That was funny.” Luke laughed. “Your face got so red.”

  “What a terrible thing to do to a writer,” Sue commented. “You shouldn’t mess with literature.”

  “Thank you, sis,” Trevor replied. “It’s nice to have some support in this family.”

  “When am I going to get to read something else you wrote?” Jake asked.

  “You mean it?”

  “I sure do. In fact, I was talking to a publisher I know and he has been asking for some fresh material and I mentioned that you wrote The Path to Christmas. He said he would like to put that into a book of short stories, but I told him you had written some other things worth reading and he is interested in seeing your best work. He said if the stories are good enough, he’ll compile your work into a single book.”

  Trevor leapt out of his seat and pushed Luke aside so he was sitting next to Jake. “When does he want it?”

  “By the end of next month.”

  “You’ll want to do some light revising but it won’t take long since your work is almost as good as anything I read in the library,” Sue added.

  “Will you help me with that part, sis?”

  “Yes. It will be nice to take part in the creative process.”

  “Whoo hoo! I’ll start on it right away,” Trevor jumped up and ran to his room to collect his work.

  “If that boy didn’t like you before, he does now,” Sue’s mother said. “You just made his year.”

  “I wouldn’t have said anything if I didn’t think he had potential.” Jake shrugged. “He might be the next Shakespeare.”

  “Or Mark Twain?” Luke asked.

  “Or him too.”

  “It would be great to be related to Mark Twain. I love Tom Sawyer. That kid is clever.”

  “Since Trevor won’t be finishing his breakfast, I will,” Jeremiah said and dumped the food on his plate. “Now he’ll be working on his stories all day instead of helping me.”

  “I’ll give you a hand,” Jake offered. “Just lend me some clothes and I’ll even throw the pigs some slop.”

  Jeremiah’s mood brightened. “It’s good to have you in the family, Jake.”

  “I’ll help too,” Sue said. She didn’t want to be away from Jake if she didn’t have to, and she was used to the chores.

  Jake kissed her cheek. “You’re so beautiful.”

  She blushed.

  “And modest,” he added and kissed her on the neck.

  Her mother smiled at her. “It’s nice to see you with someone who appreciates you.”

  “You did a fine job raising her, Mrs. Lewis. She’s a wonderful wife.”

  Her mother seemed pleased with the compliment.

  “You’re winning everyone over,” Sue noted.

  “I’d better. I don’t want everyone ganging up on me,” he replied.

  After breakfast, he asked her to go into the bedroom with him so he could change into Jeremiah’s clothes.

  “I have some things I need to talk to you about before we work on the chores,” he told her before he changed. “You may want to sit down for this.”

  Noting the serious tone in his voice, she simply nodded and sat on the bed.

  He took out his briefcase. “Do you want the good news or bad news first?”

  She hadn’t expected this. “Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”

  “Because for once, I wanted to put pleasure before business.”

  “Alright.” She shrugged. “I’ll take the bad news first.” Might as well get it over with.

  He opened his briefcase and took out the envelope from Mr. Barnett and a folder. “I sat down and read this on Tuesday evening. My father left me and my mother when I was ten. He never said why. One morning we woke up and all that was left was some money and an apology. I didn’t hear anything else about him until he died a month and a half ago when Mr. Barnett contacted me. Apparently, my father kept track of what I was doing. He wrote some letters and left them in Mr. Barnett’s care. While I get dressed, I’ll let you read through everything. I knew my father engaged in some criminal activities but didn’t know the details until I read through this stuff. After you read through this, I have more to tell you about what happened last night before I came here.”

  She slowly nodded and carefully read through the letters while he got ready for the day. She almost felt sorry for his father. He must have been scared for the lives of his family members to leave the way he did. Belinda had mentioned Jake’s father leaving when he was a child. Sue didn’t feel she should ask for details since it wasn’t her business. She understood why Jake didn’t wish to discuss it. She was fortunate to have a happy childhood. She was amazed that Jake turned out as well as he did. He could have easily let his father’s abandonment and life of crime influence the way he approached life. She came across the letter from Brian Silverman and realized Jake’s father got in a situation where he couldn’t escape. She realized what Brian’s threat meant. She looked at Jake who was dressed in Jeremiah’s clothes. He was going through some other things in his briefcase. It’s hard for him to show me this. He’s not used to being vulnerable.

  “What more is there?” she softly asked, purposely avoiding any talk regarding his feelings.

  “Daniel Riley is Brian Silverman.” He glanced up at her. “He came by last night under the guise of wanting to court you once May comes. I thought he was after your money since he kept asking about the inheritance, but then I discovered he was interested in the inheritance because he wanted the money from the jewelry and figured the inheritance included that.”

  “Which it didn’t.”

  “Right. My father had already returned the jewelry, but Brian figures he is still owed his half of the money from the inheritance. I had a letter of his confession to my father sitting in my safe. I think that’s what George Leroy was looking for when he crawled into the window in the den. He was searching for something in there, and the only thing worth of any value to Brian was the confession. With it, he will be sent to jail. Ralph was upstairs, I was in the parlor with Brian and Lydia was asleep with Timmy, so none of us but Brian knew that George was in the den. I think Brian was just stalling for time until George found the letter he needed. Anyway, as soon as Brian discovered I recognized him, he bolted for the front door. I ca
ught him but George came up behind me and knocked me unconscious. I didn’t wake up until after the police arrived. Had it not been for Ralph seeing George hit me on the head, I never would have known whose Brian accomplice was. To make a long story short, George and Brian are on the loose, Mr. Barnett is missing, and I was told to stay away from town for a few days.”

  Sue tried to hide her apprehension as she glanced at the letters in front of her. She didn’t want to think of what would have happened if Ralph hadn’t shown up when he did.

  Jake seemed to understand what she was feeling, for he went over to her and held her. “There’s nothing to worry about. The police know who they’re looking for. It’s just a matter of time before they arrest Brian and George.”

  “They could be anywhere,” she whispered.

  “I gave the police a description of Brian and they know who George is.”

  “Do Brian and George know where my family lives?”

  “I don’t think so. It’s not like this farm is easy to find.”

  She took a deep breath, taking comfort in that fact. She hugged him. She didn’t want to imagine what her life would be like without him.

  “So, do you want some good news now?”

  She nodded. “It would be a nice change of pace.”

  He went back to the briefcase and took out a couple of items. He was smiling as he went back to her. “I picked this up yesterday.”

  She took her old Greece brochure.

  “Open it.”

  He looked so excited that she was already beginning to feel better. She turned the page and gasped when she saw two tickets for a ship going to Greece. “It leaves on May 21.” She felt tears come to her eyes.

  “I had decided sooner that I didn’t want an annulment but yesterday I thought I would make it official. I also updated my will. Everything goes to you and any children we have upon my death.” He handed her his will. “You will have to get one drawn up too. I notice you don’t have one and unless you specify what you want done with your possessions, it’s easy for the court to misuse them.”

  “Well, you’re not allowed to die on me until your way past Mr. York’s age.”