Rustled Read Online Free PDF Page B

uncomfortably, but I could do
nothing about that without waking Russ.
    Finally, I was
facing him, his head resting against my upper arm and our torsos pressed close
together. My breath quickened as I shifted my hips closer to him. I couldn’t
make a connection, because he was too low in the bed and taller than I. To fit
perfectly, I would need to creep a little lower, but could I do it while still
not waking him? I lay still, trying to decide.
    Before I could
do anything, Russ shifted again, and now his head was on my shoulder, and one
arm thrown across my waist. Now I was trapped, and there would be no more
maneuvering on my part until he rolled over again.
    I lay there,
wide awake, savoring the feel of his warm weight against me. There in the dark,
with his soft breathing providing the background music, I considered my life. I
was a grown woman, no longer under the control of my father or mother as long
as I could stay ahead of the RALDS who would drag me back to Bethel City
against my will. I knew other women had escaped, and they were left alone after
they went public with their ordeals. My education was shit except for my
reading, but maybe I could get a GED, then go to community college. I wasn’t
stupid, I could make a life for myself.
    And then,
would it be beyond the realm of the possible that I could have a man of my own,
who loved only me and didn’t try to control my every action, word and thought?
Someone like Russ, maybe, if only he weren’t a criminal. Someone who was
good-looking without being pretty, strong, competent and desirous of protecting
me from the big, bad world? I was drifting into sleep again when the face on
that dream man became Russ’s, and when his arm tightened around me, I turned
into him, threw my arm over his shoulder and clung to him, with the most
delicious sensations of pure, unsullied happiness.
    §
    Something was
different, I couldn’t say what. Russ’s breathing had quieted, but I could feel
his chest moving against mine, so that wasn’t it. His arm was still around my
waist, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he was holding me more firmly. I risked moving
a little, causing him to open up his body and flop over on his back. Bereft of
his warm embrace, I would have been disappointed if it hadn’t given me the access
to his body that would advance my plan.
    Only now, I
felt a little sleazy about it. It was wrong to manipulate him, wasn’t it? He
had taken the best care of me he could. And, he had been a perfect gentleman,
except for that first few hours when both of us were naked while waiting for
our clothes to dry. Even that was understandable. Staying in those wet clothes
would have made it impossible for him to warm me in the meagerly furnished
cabin. A rush of gratitude sent a warm feeling running through my body. He
deserved a reward for that, didn’t he? Would he consider it a reward if I
offered him my body, willingly?
    I wasn’t built
like a model, nor did I have a model’s looks. But men turned their heads when I
walked by, especially back when I was a teen and wore something besides this
ugly cotton dress with its long sleeves, fitted bodice and gathered skirts. I
was sure it was Russ who had loosened my hair from its unmarried woman’s braid
down my back, with combs holding it severely in place in front. My dark red
tresses flowed in braid-induced waves around my shoulders and drifted across my
face.
    Before I
touched him, I would get rid of this twisted dress that threatened to strangle
me, and while I was at it, the ugly white cotton panties and bra. I slipped out
of bed and stood at the side, stripping as quickly as I could, then climbed
back into the welcome warmth of the quilt and Russ’s body. He had removed his
jeans before going to sleep, and his flannel shirt, I thought, but there was
still a thermal undershirt between my face and the skin of his body. And a set
of under-drawers below. Getting them off without waking him would be a good
trick, but in the end,