Entangled (Free Indeed Book 1) (12 page)

God, he loved her laugh. It was so joyful and sweet, so genuine. Like it reached down into his soul and gave it light. He smiled contentedly as he watched her love on the two dogs, and when they felt properly greeted, he reached down his hand to help Allie back to her feet.

She stood to her full height, and when her head snapped up, it was now the barest of inches away from Jason’s face. The fact he was so close seemed to surprise her for a moment, and she grabbed a hold of his arm to keep from stumbling. Jason placed both hands on her waist to keep her secure until she regained her footing.

Allie froze and stared up into his eyes. Those big, beautiful eyes that he felt like he could get lost in. Jason just let her look her fill, heck, he’d stay here with her in his arms all night if she wanted to.

“I guess I should go to bed,” she finally murmured softly, still not breaking eye contact.

“Ok,” Jason agreed but still didn’t release his grip on her waist.

“Um, goodnight then.”

“Goodnight,” Jason smiled at her. She still hadn’t stepped out of his arms or made any movement to leave.

“Ok then,” Allie laughed and finally took a step back, so his hands dropped back down to his sides. “Come on Shuggs, time for bed.”

Jason watched as Allie turned her back to him and started to walk down the hallway to her room. He wanted to stop her so badly. Instead of just letting her walk away, he wanted to grab her by the arm and spin her around, and then he wanted to kiss her until neither of them could think clearly anymore. Then he wanted to take her to his room and show her how much she meant to him.

But he couldn’t do that, especially now after hearing about how her father practically gave her away to another man without her input or consent. She had so much taken away from her just because she was a woman. And as much as he wanted to, he wasn’t going to influence her decision now, unless she gave him some sort of sign that she was ready.

So he watched her as she slowly walked away from him and forced his feet to remain still. Just as she reached her door and placed her hand on the knob, she froze. Then all Jason saw was a blur as she spun around and dashed back down the hall in his direction.

Oh hell yes, that was all the sign he needed. Jason took the remaining steps that spanned the distance between them to meet her in the middle just as she jumped into his chest. He grabbed onto her and pulled her close, angling her head toward his as he pushed his lips down onto hers.

“I don’t need time,” she muttered in between the flurry of kisses, “I know I said I did—but I don’t. I just need
you
!”

A smile spread across Jason’s mouth as he rained kisses from her mouth to her cute little ear, and then trailing them down her neck. He just couldn’t get enough of this woman. The more he found out about her, the more he was fascinated by her. He wanted to know everything. And then when he learned every last detail of her by heart, he wanted to learn it all over again.

Sure, some people would say this was moving kind of fast. But screw them, Jason knew there was something special about her the moment he saw her strutting down the interstate to their little town in that god-awful outfit.

Jason’s hands grazed down her back until he rested them under her butt, where he slid them down to grab hold of her legs and jerked her body up against his. She straddled her legs around his waist, locking them to grip his body close. With her secure, he kept kissing her while managing to make his way down the hall and carry her into his bedroom. As they entered the room, he kicked the door closed to keep the dogs in the hall.

The massive king sized bed stood in front of them, and Jason carried Allie to it gently laying her down and then covering her body with his. He pulled back just for a moment to make sure she was still ok with where this was headed. All he saw were her heavy-lidded eyes gazing back into his filled with arousal. Damn, she was beautiful! And he couldn’t believe that he had her here in his bed and in his life.

A soft whimpering noise passed through her lips. If she wanted more, he was more than willing to give her more. Jason lowered his face again to press his lips against hers, as his hands started to wander down her chest. He found the bottom of her shirt and slid his hand underneath to the soft skin there. He splayed one hand across her stomach and let it slowly wander its way upwards. His hand trailed up past her rib cage and attached onto her breast. He slipped one of her breasts free of her bra and caressed the soft skin, kneading it and plucking at the hardened nipple. Allie’s body twitched as she moaned under his lips in pleasure.

Jason lowered his hand back to the hem of her shirt to grab the bottom and push it up fully exposing her breasts and the creamy white skin hidden beneath. Allie lifted her body slightly to assist him as he pulled the shirt above her head and off of her body. With a toss, the shirt landed behind them on the floor. Jason froze. He wanted, no needed to take a moment to appreciate how beautiful she was splayed out on the bed in front of him. As far as he was concerned she was the most exquisite woman in the world, and she was here, in his bed.

Unable to hold himself back any longer, Jason lowered his head down to her breast and began to kiss and lave it with the love that wanted to burst out of his chest. Her perfect, pink nipples rose into peaks at his attention, practically screaming for more. Without stopping what he was doing, he reached his hand behind her to unclasp her bra and removed it, freeing the other breast so he could give it equal attention.

Allie’s body jerked underneath him in pleasure, as a moan escaped her lips. His hand wandered down her rib cage, down to the place he truly wanted to be. The other hand reached around her waist to unzip the back of her skirt, which he slipped off of her hips and pushed down her legs. After depositing the skirt on the floor, he finally had access to her mound and dipped his finger inside. Allie gasped above him at the intruding digit, as he pushed in as far as he could go.

God, she was so wet
. The realization pleased him more than anything else possibly could at this time. She was so perfect for him. He started to move his finger in and out of her tight sheath until he felt her body begin to tense.

“Um, Ja—Jason,” she breathlessly panted. He froze and pulled back enough to look into her eyes. “Um, I should probably tell you something first. Before we um...go any further.”

“Ok,” he agreed instantly. He’d wait as long as she needed. Hell, he’d stop if that’s what she needed, but he
really
hoped that wasn’t what she was going to ask for.

“Uh...um…I’m….” she stuttered, and it was so freaking cute, he almost wanted to laugh. “Gah!” A pent up exhale burst from her lips in frustration, “Why is this so hard?”

“It’s ok. Whatever it is, it’s ok.” Jason assured her with a soft smile.

“I’m a virgin,” she blurted out.

Jason froze for a moment and just stared at her. He had actually suspected that with her super religious upbringing, so hearing her say it was no real surprise. But what did surprise him was the feeling of intense satisfaction her words brought. The thought that she had saved herself all this time and that he would be the first, and hopefully, only man to ever be inside of her, that made him more pleased than he had ever thought possible.

“Thank you for telling me. Allie, if you need me to stop, or if anything makes you uncomfortable, just say the word, and I’ll stop.”

“I don’t want you to stop,” she sighed, “
please
don’t stop...I just thought you should know.”

A smile spread across Jason’s face at her words, and he lowered his head back down to hers and once again found her lips. His hand seemed to have a mind of its own and found its way back down her soft mound. He slipped his finger back inside of her and started to slowly thrust it in and out.

God, she was tight too
, he thought. More than anything he wanted this to be good for her, and he didn’t want to cause her any more pain than absolutely necessary. He broke his mouth away from hers and trailed kisses down her belly marking the path down to where he wanted to be. When he reached her mound, he kissed it almost reverently, before darting his tongue inside of her pussy.

He heard her gasp out in pleasure above him, encouraging him to continue. His tongue continued to dart in and out of her while paying attention to her sensitive little nub as well. The pressure continued to build for Allie as she thrashed about on the bed, her moans and pants becoming more and more urgent.

He could feel her muscles tightening and knew she was close. As his tongue drove her wild, he reached his hand and placed it next to her clit, rubbing it softly and then with increasing urgency. The final pressure was all Allie needed, and she exploded above him in pleasure.

Jason climbed back up her body to cradle her face, dazed with wonder, in his hands. He smiled down at her as he lowered his mouth to hers in a loving kiss. His body fully rested on top of hers, and he continued to kiss her as his hands traveled up and down the sides of her body.

Allie reached for the bottom of his shirt and tugged it out of his pants and up his chest. He reached behind him, grabbing hold of the collar, and jerked it off. Before the shirt even made it to the floor, Allie had his pants unbuttoned and pushed them past his hips. Jason helped her by sliding them the rest of the way off, and they joined the pile of clothes growing on the floor.

He paused just for a brief moment to reach inside of his bedside table. His hand ruffled around in the drawer until he pulled out a small, foil packet. Jason ripped open the condom quickly and rolled it along his length. Then he moved his body back on top of Allie’s and stared into her eyes to make sure she was ready. Beautiful, sparkling blue eyes gazed back at him with wonder, and he knew she wanted this as much as him.

He slowly started to ease his throbbing member into her pussy.
God, she was so tight.
And she felt so good. He inserted just the tip and then pulled out, repeating to try and get her adjusted to having him inside of her. Allie’s body clenched underneath him, and he knew their joining was causing her pain.

“Are you ok?” he whispered.

“Yes,” came back her gritted reply.

“You can tell me if it hurts, we can take this as slow as we need to.” He could see her jaw clenched tight, and the thought that he was causing her pain made his heart want to break.

“Don’t stop,” she pleaded as she clutched his shoulders. “I want this. I want
you
.”

Jason pushed his mouth down onto hers and invaded her mouth with his tongue. He then pushed into her one last time and thrust into her fully. Allie gasped underneath him, and he forced himself to remain still to give her time to adjust to having him inside of her.

After a couple of deep breaths, he felt Allie start to move beneath him and begin to thrust against him. Jason pressed a kiss into her neck and started to move with her.

The pleasure became so unbearably wonderful to the point Jason knew he was about to finish, but more than anything he wanted Allie to come with him. The pace increased between them, thrusting in and out, faster and faster. Their passion kept building until Jason felt Allie’s muscles clench down tightly around him causing him to groan in pleasure. Allie tightened beneath him and then exploded in a gasp of wonder as she came again. With one last thrust, Jason found his release as well and collapsed on top her.

After taking a moment to regain his breath, he pulled back and looked into her face. Her eyes had an adorably dazed, sleepy look as they looked up at him, “Wow,” she muttered, “if I’d known it was going to be like that, I’d have done this a long time ago.”

Jason laughed and rolled to the side, sliding off of the bed to take care of the condom. On his way back to the bed he opened the door to two waiting puppies. Shuggs and Malcolm dashed into the room and promptly made themselves comfortable on the doggie bed in the corner.

Jason climbed back into bed and pulled Allie’s warm body into his, spooning against her back. He kissed the back of her neck as he wrapped his arms around her, resting one contentedly on her stomach and held her tight. This was right, it was perfect, and he had no intention of letting her go anytime soon.

“
S
oooo
,” Rayne drew out the word as she leaned over the desk to invade Allie’s space, “I’ve been wanting to ask all day, and you’ve got to give me props for waiting this long.” Allie laughed, she knew her friend was torn between wanting to give her privacy and wanting to barge in on her business, “Did you really spend last night at Jason’s ranch?” When Allie’s cheeks turned pink at her question, Rayne laughed, “Oh my God! You have to tell me! Please! I am your best friend here, after all, I think.”

Despite being embarrassed, Allie couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s enthusiasm, “First of all, of
course
you’re my best friend here.” Allie rolled her eyes at Rayne, “And second,” try as she might, she couldn’t keep the huge smile from spreading across her face, “um, second, um—”

“You two DID it!” Rayne gasped, unable to contain her excitement, “Your face totally gives it away. You had sex with Jason Connors!”

“Shhh,” Allie tried to shush her friend from announcing the news to all of Serenity.

“Sorry,” Rayne laughed, “but I’m so happy. Happy for you, a great girl. Happy for Jason, a great guy. And happy that Daphne the super bitch is about to suffer extreme and total humiliation because she told everyone that Jason was her man!”

They both laughed. “So are you ok with everything?” Rayne asked her, this time much more calmly and inquisitively.

“Oh yes,” Allie’s eyes shone with happiness. “I’m so happy, Rayne. I literally feel like I’m going to burst. I’ve never felt this way before.”

“Oh girl, you’ve got it bad. It’s all over your face. I’m so happy that both of you found each other.” Rayne reached over to embrace Allie.

“So,” Rayne continued as she pulled away with a sly glance, “can I call Hana and the girls and let them know the good news?”

Allie laughed, “How about we wait just a little bit longer and let it sink in.”

“Oh fine, if you insist.” Rayne teasingly pouted out her lower lip, “But just so you know, they’ll be thrilled too.”

Time to let it sink in would be a good thing all around. As happy as Allie was, she had gone through a lot of changes last night. Goodness knows she would have been judged mercilessly by the Free Indeed people if they had known. An unchaperoned date...yep, that would make her a sinner. Spending the night at a man’s house...major sinner. Pre-marital sex with that man...get down on your knees and repent or God will strike you down, sinner. Yeah, the group she came from was pretty judgemental, to say the least. And even though she was happy and thrilled to be in the place where she was, sometimes she still heard all their voices in the back of her head screaming at her to get her life back on track.

But her life was right where she wanted it to be, and she just needed to remember that this was the life she chose. This was who the real Allie was. And she knew the more she pushed those voices back, the more muffled they would become.

Jason, Shuggy, her freedom...these were the best things that ever happened to her. To wake up this morning in Jason’s arms was a wonderfully, awesome feeling that she wanted to experience every morning for the rest of her life. Then he had driven her and Shuggy into work and given her a kiss that made her tingle all the way down to her toes. She definitely wanted more of that too.

Allie couldn’t keep the smile off of her face while she worked. She couldn’t believe how amazing her life in Serenity had turned out.

They heard the front door jingle indicating someone had entered the shelter, “I’ve got it.” Allie volunteered, “You go ahead and finish up.” Rayne smiled her thanks in Allie’s direction before returning her attention to administering shots to Simon, the Jack Russell Terrier in front of her.

Allie walked to the front office area and looked out into the waiting room. “Oh hi, Sheriff.” She greeted the man she was seeing way too much of recently. “Did something else happen?” She asked at the worried look on his face.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Allie,” he brought his gaze up to make eye contact with her, “but I’m going to need you to come down to the station.”

“Ok, Sheriff,” Allie didn’t understand why he looked so concerned. If he needed her to sign some more papers or give an additional statement, she was more than willing to do whatever she could to help him catch the man who broke into her apartment. “Is it ok if I stop by after work? We’ll be closed in just a bit.”

“No, I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to come with me now.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Allie, we’ve received a report that you’re wanted for robbery from a small community called Free Indeed. The sheriff from that region sent over the documents today for me to bring you in and deliver you to their representative for extradition back to Free Indeed.”

Allie froze. That couldn’t be true. There’s no reason for her father to try and trace her this far. He didn’t even like her, why would he care less about going through so much effort just to bring her back. She didn’t even take all of the money! She only took a couple of stacks so she’d be able to get away, leaving the vast majority of it behind. To come after her all this way just didn’t make sense.

“I just need a moment to grab my purse and tell Dory where I’m going.”

“Go right ahead, Allie. I just need to tag along and keep you in my sight, ok?”

Allie nodded, as she opened the door for him to be able to enter the office area. After he walked through they both strode back to where Dory was giving the animals a quick check up.

“Oh hi, Sheriff.” Dory greeted as she looked up from Zoe, the stray black and brown Siamese cat that they had recently taken in. The look on both Allie and the sheriff’s faces alerted her to something being wrong, and she straightened her back to inquire, “What happened?”

“Dory, I need to go down to the station with the sheriff. I’m really sorry about this.” Allie replied just as Rayne walked in the room.

Rayne took one look around and picked up on all the tension rolling off everyone, “Do you need help?”

Allie was terrified, and yes, she needed help. But the thought of involving her new friends in her problems filled her with guilt. “It’ll be ok,” Allie whispered back. She turned and walked over to her locker and pulled out her purse, and then turned back to the sheriff. “I’m ready.”

The sheriff nodded and held open the door for her to proceed him out of the room. They walked out of the shelter, and Allie noticed his police car wasn’t outside. At her confused look, the sheriff muttered, “Thought we could walk.”

“Ok,” Allie replied.

“Allie, is there anything I should know before we go in there?” He asked as they started walking towards the station.

Allie remained quiet.

“If there’s something going on here that I can help with, I need you to be upfront with me so I know what I’m dealing with before we go in there.”

“I can’t go back there,” she spoke so quietly that she was worried he wouldn’t be able to hear her. But he did, and touched her arm to stop her from walking.

“What happened?”

“I—I saw my father kill a man in an argument about money. To keep me quiet, he was going to force me to marry a man I’m absolutely terrified of. I took the money and ran because I had to get out of there.” The words fell from Allie’s lips without even thinking. After saying them, she raised her frightened gaze to meet the sheriff’s.

He just stared at her for a moment as if processing what she had just told him. After what seemed like ages, he finally nodded and grunted back, “Afraid it was something like that. The way you came into town, no family or friends to speak of, keeping a low profile, and that ever-present wary look in your eyes.” He stopped to give her a little encouraging smile. “It’s going to be ok. We’re going to go in there and see what they have to say, but I’m not going to let them take you out of this town, ok?”

A huge wave of relief passed through Allie, and she finally felt like she could breathe. “Thank you. I—I’m scared to face them again.”

“You’re not going to face them alone,” he promised. “I’ll be right there with you the whole time. I also called Jason to give him a heads up that something was going down. So he’s on his way in and will meet us at the station soon.”

At the mention of Jason’s name her heavy heart lifted and she finally let loose a small smile. “You’ve got people in your corner, Allie. This town looks out for its own, and you became one of its own the second you sat down with Jason at BB-Dub’s.”

Allie felt her eyes fill with tears at his statement, and she tried to hold them back. This town was such a godsend to her when she needed it the most. She loved Serenity and its people so much, and she just wanted the nightmare of her past to be over so she could move forward with her new life.

They walked the rest of the way to the station in silence. As they made their way to the front entrance, the sheriff reached over and gave her arm a soft, encouraging squeeze. Allie took a deep breath and they walked inside.