A New Family

[WapWap]

Hi all.  I'm sorry about my absence recently.  Please be assured that there will be more chapters in this story, and many more stories to come!  The Covid crisis has made work incredibly intense.  For the moment I am very short on both time and creative headspace.  I hope to get back to writing soon.  I'll be back!!  Please be safe!

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[Sounder9-]

Take your time. Well be here, Stay safe!

[jumpy999]

Take your time WapWap. Life is strange and stressful all over right now.

[toro]

Bump, great story

[ArkhamAsylum]

Take all the time you need and stay safe. I' m looking forward to the next part when you return.

[WapWap]

Hi all.  Things have settled down for the moment, so I'm furiously writing while I have the opportunity.  I've missed being here.  I see there are a LOT of good looking stories in the forum.  I can't wait to read them and start giving out karma!  Back to my story.  I hope you enjoy it.

______________________________


Following the advice of my professor, I spent the next day researching how the foreign spouse of an American citizen could obtain a green card and eventually citizenship.  There was one clear path in my mind.  I texted Bree and asked Ruslana and her to stop by the house tomorrow before they went to the gym.  Nat had an early client, so she would be gone, and I could talk to the them alone. 

When the girls arrived at the house the next morning, I had coffee waiting for them. 

"Uh oh."  Bree said with mock suspicion.  "He wants something."

"He does not."  Ruslana said as she wrapped a bicep laden arm around my neck and pulled me in for a kiss.  "He is just sweet man who loves the big muscle."

"You mean a muscle slut."  Bree laughed at her own taunt. 

I rolled my eyes at Bree.  "I actually have something I want to give you."  I said.  "Or at least offer." 

Bree and Ruslana sat down with me at the kitchen table and I laid out my plan. 

"Ruslana can get a green card and citizenship if she marries a US citizen.  It takes 4 to 5 years according to my professor.  Marrying you Bree, is not going to help the process.  A same sex couple would face insurmountable difficulties these days.  But Ruslana could marry me.  After she gets her citizenship, we can divorce and the two of you can be together forever.  So, what do you think?"

In my mind, this was the simplest thing in the world.  But Bree and Ruslana looked at me with dumbfounded expressions.  Ruslana spoke first. 

"Zaichik, explain again.  I do not think I understand."

I went over it again and added "I'm moving home for school already.  I've got about 5 years left to finish undergrad and graduate school.  I'll be here," I said  so it's no disruption to me.  We already live like an extended family, so really, it'll be no different than now."

Ruslana's eyes watered as she covered my hands with her vascular paws.  "Zaichik, you are so sweet.  But I could never ask you to do this."

"Natalie will kill us for even thinking about it."  Bree added.

"I can convince her."  I said confidently.  "Nat has a very logical mind and this idea is totally logical."

"You've known her for like a week."  Bree said with an exasperated snort.  "I've known her my entire life.  Sure, she can be logical.  But she's also fiercely protective of you.  Logic goes out the window when she gets like that.  She won't go for it."

Ruslana was really crying now.  "Zaichik, whether such a thing can be or not," She stood and pulled me out of my chair.  "No one has ever tried to do something so nice for me."  Her mammoth arms compressed me into her chest.

Bree's face was hard edged.  She wasn't going to let herself break down.  She shook her head at me, but I could see her lip start to quiver.  She stood up and wrapped her long arms around the Ruslana and I.

"You are the dumbest, most soft-hearted, romantic fool I've ever met."  She whispered down to me, the filling in a muscle sandwich.  "And you're my nephew.  How did I get so lucky?  I love you so much Billy."

Bree finally let us go and pulled back.  "I still don't think we can convince Nat.  And if she's not on board, this won't work."

"Trust me." I said with a cocky grin and a level of bravado I had no right to possess.  "I can convince her!"

That night, I had the fancy table set and dinner ready when Natalie, Bree and Ruslana got home. 

"What's up with this?"  Natalie asked with surprise as they walked in. 

"Don't you think you're overdoing it a bit, squirt?  Bree laughed.

Natalie looked at me, back at Bree and Ruslana, then back at me again.  "Seriously, what's up?  The three of you have terrible poker faces."

"What are you talking about?  Can't I make a fancy dinner for no reason?"  I asked with indignation.

Natalie raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms.  "Of course you could.  But you didn't."

I took a deep breath, accepting that I couldn't fool her.  Damn it.  Why was she so freaking perceptive?  "Fine."  I said, "I have something I want to talk to you about.  I know how to keep Ruslana in the country and together with Bree."

"Great!"  Natalie said.  "Share."

We gathered in the kitchen and I laid out my marriage plan.  Natalie maintained a completely impassive expression as I spoke, but occasionally nodded her understanding.  When I was done, I put my hands on my hips and puffed out my chest. 

"So?  What do you think?"  I asked proudly.

Natalie stared deeply into my eyes for a couple of seconds.  "I need wine."  She said.

She poured glasses of red for her and the girls.  She looked at me, laughed to herself and poured me one too.

"Bill," Natalie began, "What you're describing is noble.  But I don't think you fully comprehend how this 'plan' of yours can affect your life."  You can't just enter into something like this without understanding the consequences.  First, you're describing intentional fraud of the immigration system.  Second, a divorce stays with you for your entire life.  And five years is a long time." 

I argued.  Natalie was right, of course.  She's always right.  But I wouldn't let it go.  Bree and Ruslana stayed silent and looked increasingly uncomfortable. 

Natalie finally interrupted my arguments.  "Bill, you're not telling me anything new.  You're just repeating yourself."  She went on and on with everything that was wrong with my plan.  And there was a lot that I hadn't thought about.  I was so frustrated.  She was right and it was driving me crazy.  I had to get her to understand me.

"Mom, stop!  Please!  You're not listening to me!"  I exclaimed.   

The room went silent.  Bree and Ruslana stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths.  Natalie crossed an arm over her abs and covered her mouth with the other hand like she was trying to suppress a scream.  Her eyes moistened.  What did I do?  What did I say?  I replayed my words in my head.

Bree broke the silence.  "Billy, you called Nat 'Mom'".

Oh, wow, I did.  I crossed my arms defensively in front of me. 

"Yeah, well, she is."  I looked at Natalie.  "You are my mom.  That doesn't take anything away from my mom, my first mom.  But she's gone now.  And...you're... my mom today."

"Oh Bill."  Natalie said in a shaky voice.  "That might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Natalie hoisted my slim body into a painfully tight bearhug.  She pressed her lips to my cheek and held them there.  I felt love like I hadn't in years.  Bree came up behind me and placed her hand on Natalie's shoulder.  Natalie broke her kiss and looked at Bree with sad eyes.  She let me slip down her rocky torso to my feet.

"Bill is right."  Natalie whispered.  "We all need to stop."  She turned my head up to hers.  "Tomorrow is your dad's funeral.  We need to table this and focus on what's in front of us.  I promise I'll ask my attorney friend about your idea.  But for now, we need to think about your father."

I'm such an idiot.  I was so single-minded about fixing things for Bree that I failed to think about how Dad's funeral would affect everyone else.

"I'm sorry Natalie."  I sniffled as I wrapped my arms around her.  I lay my head on her shoulder and she curled her hand around the back of my head to hold me against the stony muscle.

"You don't have anything to apologize for Bill.  We'll get through this as a family."

Natalie held me for a few minutes, and Bree joined in by stroking my back.

"Hey," Bree piped up, "We've got a feast sitting in the oven that some super-chef made.  What are we gonna do about it?"

We all dried our eyes and realized that the emotion of the moment had left us famished.  We sat and ate and spent the rest of the evening reminiscing. 

[WapWap]

Dad hated funerals.  I think it mostly had to do with the trauma of losing mom.  Regardless of why, he left Natalie with instructions that his funeral be small and short.  Dad was buried next to mom in a simple afternoon graveside service.  A few extended family members attended, probably as much to lay eyes on Natalie as to say goodbye to Dad.  Natalie made sure they had plenty to gawk at.  She, Bree and Ruslana were impeccably dressed.  I was astounded at how well the three of them cleaned up.  We were a casual group, so I had never seen them in anything fancy.  Now, all three strutted in high heels, making them even more intimidating amazons than normal.  I swear I'm not even sure how Ruslana found high heels that could support her weight.  The three of them rocked those things like runway models.  Natalie was stunning in a black dress with see through sleeves that gave tantalizing glimpses of her jacked arms.  It modestly ended just below her knees, but immodestly highlighted the massive bulges of her heart shaped calves.  Ruslana's dark blue dress was the same length, but no one's eyes made it to her calves.  The low-cut sleeveless top highlighted her enormous bust, flanked by the biggest biceps anyone could imagine.  Bree's sartorial choice emphasized her thick, vascular legs; legs that ran on forever.  That is, until you added the heels.  Why a 6'1 muscle packed woman would wear four-inch heels that made her long legs look like they ran on for days PAST forever is beyond me.  Damn, my aunt was hot. 

Mom and dad were never that close to the rest of their family, so I suspected the funeral might be a little uncomfortable, especially for Natalie.  I was determined to shield her, so I spent the entire time at her side.  The extended family might gossip and make snide comments under their breath, but they wouldn't do it in front of my face.  For her part, Natalie was protecting me too.  Her arm never left my shoulder.  We were each other's rocks, and it made an incredibly sad afternoon much more bearable. 

Even the short funeral seemed interminable, but it finally ended.  Three massive muscle goddesses and one slightly undersized stud headed back to the car.

"I have a surprise."  Natalie said as we clambered into the SUV.  "We look good and we're not wasting the moment.  Who's hungry?"

We all whooped in unison as Natalie drove us to the entertainment district.  We lived in a large town and there were a few amazing restaurants that would have qualified for Michelin stars if they had been in a bigger city.  Natalie drove us to the best of them.  I was so excited.  She explained that this was the restaurant that she and Dad had gone to when they got engaged and several times thereafter.  Bree, Ruslana and I were awed as we walked in.  It was clear the restaurant folks knew Natalie because they took such good care of us.  They were all over us the minute we walked in and ushered us to a very roomy and private table.  Natalie told us not to worry about ordering; the chef was cooking for us.  I was excited because even though I'm a month away from my 21st birthday, the sommelier didn't ask for my ID.  He poured me a glass of the most amazing wine I had ever tasted.  Natalie offered the toast. 

"I refuse to be sad today.  My husband, and your dad," Natalie nodded to me, "was a happy soul.  We're going to spend tonight celebrating his memory and this awesome family."

We clinked glasses and drank to dad.  The food was AMAZING!  Towards the end of the meal, the chef came out to check in on us.  She was pretty, heavily tattooed and super nice.  It took me a minute, but I realized that I recognized her from the gym.  I'd seen her there once or twice, and she had always been super intimidating.  All of her tattoos and a "don't fuck with me" expression when she was working out made me keep my distance.  But now she was totally approachable.  I asked some questions about how different dishes were made and that totally revved her up. It was the best possible night after the saddest possible day. 

We dropped Bree and Ruslana off at the apartment on the way home.  We all got out and the hugged for several long minutes.  Natalie and I were quiet as we drove away.  We got to the house and went upstairs to get ready for bed.  The enormity of the day started to get to me as I sat on the edge of my bed; I started to tear up.  Natalie must have heard my sniffles, because she appeared at my door.  We locked eyes for a few seconds, then she extended her hand to me.  I got up and took her hand.  She led me into her bedroom and guided me into the bed.  She joined me under the covers and spooned behind me.  Natalie held me tight against her long hard body, radiating heat and solace. 

"I love you Bill."

I started sobbing, and I was only barely able to say, "I love you too".

Natalie let me cry out my grief as she held me all night long. 

_____________________________

When I woke up the next morning, Natalie was already out of bed and downstairs.  I cleaned myself up and walked down to get coffee.  Natalie was curled up on the couch in the living room talking on the phone.  I tiptoed in, kissed her on the head and ran off to the kitchen.  Bree and Ruslana arrived at the house soon thereafter and sat with me around the kitchen table.  We heard Natalie say her goodbyes on the phone and she came into the kitchen. 

"I was talking to Dana, my client who is an immigration attorney.  We talked in hypotheticals about Ruslana's situation.  But before I tell you what she said, Bill, I want you to answer a question.  I need to understand why you're obsessed with going to extremes for Bree.  First you wanted to use your college fund to pay for her college education."

Bree's head popped up with a questioning look on her face.

"We'll get to that later."  Natalie said to Bree, then she turned back to me.  "Now, you're asking to spend five years of your life in a marriage to a woman you've known for a few days, so that Bree can have a life with her.  You want to go to insane lengths to please Bree.  Why?"

I sat silent for a minute, collecting my thoughts and I teared up a little again.  Dad's death brought the reality of my life, past, present and future into sharp focus.  I sipped some coffee and took a deep breath before beginning.

"Look," I explained, "This should be THE worst time of my entire stupid life.  I lost my mom and now my dad, at Christmas, just as I'm becoming an adult.  But instead, I've got happy feelings sparking inside; feelings I have no right to enjoy.  I'm grateful that Bree connected with my dad.  Then Bree hooked him up with you, Nat.  And because of that, I have a mom again." 

I turned to face Bree, who was tearing up herself.  "Bree, you've given me a real future with a real family.  The least I can do is help make sure you have a happy future with the woman you love."

I slumped back into my chair.  Those few words exhausted me.  Natalie stroked the back of my head as she gazed at me. 

"Dana confirmed everything you and your professor thought Bill.  There are a lot of pitfalls, and a lot that can go wrong.  But your basic plan can work."

I perked up, and so did Bree. 

"But," Natalie continued, "I think you've forgotten to ask the one person who is integral in all this.  You haven't asked Ruslana if this is what SHE wants."

I looked into the steel blue eyes of the muscle beast sitting across from me.  "Ruslana," I asked, "Do you want to stay here and be with Bree?"

Ruslana didn't hesitate.  She nodded her head and whispered "yes". 

I got out of my chair and kneeled in front of her.  "Ruslana, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

[crow004]

WOW, just, wow! This hit me right in the feels. I'm like, in love with the whole family.
But I'm wondering if there isn't maybe a deeper reason why Billy will do anything to make Bree happy. She was his first after all.
And when Nicole spooned Billy... that was such an innocent, but intimate scene....
I loved that Bree called him a muscle slut
He called her Mom and didn't even realize it
And he proposed!!! How lucky is this kid!
K+

[Sounder9-]

A awesome update. It definitely is impactful as crow004 said. It was worth the wait!

[hatour]

That was a wonderful update. How will Ruslana and Bree thank him? Karma for all!

[WapWap]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! 
crow004, Your selection of scenes to comment on is funny to me. You picked the very ones that drove my writing.  In particular, Bill calling Natalie "Mom" was the single spoken moment that whole scene was devised around.

There is much more to come.  As with life, our story is not going to proceed on a straight line.   

[WapWap]

As if proposing marriage was no big deal, we all piled in the car and went to the gym.  Ruslana still had a full schedule of photo shoots, Nat and Bree had to work and I had so much nervous energy to burn that a workout seemed the perfect thing to do.  When I was finished, I started to walk home.  I took an out of the way route, just to explore.  Seeing all the old neighborhoods and looking at how things had changed in the past couple of years was interesting.  I was alone on the sidewalk when I saw a man approaching me.  He must have had a few drinks in him because it didn't look like he could walk in a straight line if his life depended on it.  I decided to give him a wide berth.  As we got closer, I recognized him but couldn't quite figure out why.  Then it hit me; this was the jerk that had accosted me in the gym and that Bree had armwrestled.  I needed to give him a VERY wide berth.  As we were passing each other, he recognized me too. 

"You!" he spat.  "You fucking puny loser!  Do you think you can have your bitches show me up over and over and not pay for it?  Get over here you piece of shit.  Let's see how tough you are when you can't hide behind their skirts!"

I tried to duck away and run, but I didn't make it.  He grabbed my arm and pulled me into an alleyway, throwing me hard against a wall.  My head flew back and cracked against the brick.  I was dazed as he punched me in the stomach over and over.  This was not going to end well, I thought, as I clenched my eyes shut and endured the pain.  Then a scream filled the air, and the punching stopped.

"Get off of him, you asshole!"

I opened my eyes to see Jamie, the beautiful blonde receptionist from the gym.  Her leg was a blur as it kicked my assailant in the ribs and then in the head.  He dropped to the ground.  As he was falling, she grabbed his arm and twisted her legs around it, landing with him in an arm bar.  Jamie yelled gutturally and wrenched his arm with all of her power, tearing the tendons in his elbow and snapping his forearm with a sickening crunch.  I almost threw up at the gory sounds.  Jamie released his ruined arm as the jerk wailed in agony.  She leapt to her feet, pulled out her phone and called the police as she stepped over to me.  I was on the ground in a pile trying to regain my senses.  Jamie ran her hand over my face as she talked.  When she was done with the police, she called the gym and told Natalie where we were and briefly what had happened.  Jamie pocketed her phone and helped me sit up against the wall. 

"Hey cutie, you ok?" 

Jamie was back to her usual sweet self, but her voice was tinged with worry.  She crouched in front of me, giving me tender little kisses.  The jerk was bawling in the background and tried to get up.  Jamie turned to him with a fierce glare and growled "You stay right where you are unless you want me to break something else on your body!"

The police arrived quickly along with an ambulance.  EMTs swarmed over both the jerk and me.  As Jamie and I gave our statements, the jerk started screaming at the police.

"Look at what that little bitch did to me!  She attacked me!  Arrest her!"

The police officer shook his head at him as he pointed a thumb over his shoulder.

"You'd better be careful what you say.  There's a traffic camera across the street that'll have this all on film."

The jerk shut up and moaned in pain as he was loaded into the ambulance.  The EMT said I had a slight concussion, but no other serious injuries.  An SUV screeched to a stop behind the ambulance and Natalie, Bree and Ruslana jumped out and ran up to us.  Natalie introduced herself to the police as my guardian while Jamie recounted the events of the afternoon.  Ruslana carefully lifted me to my feet and held my weight like a pillar.  The angry expression on her face was frightening. 

"If he crosses my path again, I will be the last thing he ever sees."  she muttered under her breath so the police officer wouldn't hear. 

"Jamie, I owe you so much for protecting him." Natalie said as she finished with the police and turned back to us.

Jamie blushed.  "Bill's worth a few scrapes." 

Bree gently wrapped me up in her arms.  She ran her hand over the back of my head.  "Jesus Billy, you've got a bump the size of an egg back here."

"Yeah," I replied, "the EMT said I might have a slight concussion."

"Then we're taking you to the doctor right now."  Natalie said with authority.  "Girls, you need to go back and finish Ruslana's photo shoot.  We'll meet you at home.  Jamie, can we drop you off at your place?"

Jamie lived really close by, but she gladly accepted the ride.  Bree and Ruslana started back to the gym on foot.  Ruslana walked backwards for half a block, never taking her eyes off of me until Bree turned her around.  Natalie, Jamie and I got in the car and drove off.  Jamie lived only a few blocks away.  After she got out in front of her building, she stuck her head back in the car window.

"Jamie, thanks for saving me." I said with emotion.  I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you." 

She touched her forehead to mine and a gave me a quick kiss on the lips.  "I'll think of way."  She said with a wink.  I watched her sashay away with a newfound mix of admiration, lust and fear for a girl I previously only thought of as a cute receptionist.

The trip to the doctor was quick.  He saw me right away and confirmed the EMT's diagnosis of a minor concussion.  With the recommendation a full day's bed rest, Natalie and I headed home.  As I climbed out of the car in our driveway, I got a little dizzy and held on to the car door. 

"Oh no you don't," Natalie said as she picked me up in a cradle.  "You're doing this my way."

She carried me upstairs to my bedroom.  The feeling of her hard arms and chest pressed against me was both arousing and calming all at the same time.  Once in my room, she stripped off my shoes, pants and shirt and lay me in bed.  She sat on the edge of my bed and held my hand. 

"You had a lucky break today sport." 

"No kidding."  I answered.  "Jamie was...amazing.  She was pretty darned scary too.  She was vicious with that guy.  I mean, like brutal vicious.  I can still hear her growl, that bone snap and his scream like it was one sound.  It makes my skin crawl."

"There are three lessons to take from this." Natalie said seriously.  "One, never get between a strong woman and someone she cares for.  We can be savage when we're protecting our own.  Two, never underestimate the competition.  Jamie is a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu.  I've seen her submit much bigger and stronger guys because all they see in her is a cute perky little blonde with big tits.  She's a very strong girl for her size, for any size, and she's tenacious.  Before they know it, she's got them in a hold they can't break out of.  All because they didn't give her the respect she's earned."

I thought about that, because I was a little guilty of it too.  "What's the third thing?"  I asked.

Natalie laughed a little.  "I thought that one would be obvious.  Don't piss off Jamie.  That lesson is one you should probably take to heart."

"Well I wouldn't ever try to piss her off," I said, "but what do you mean I should take it to heart."

Natalie looked at me with amusement as she shook her head.  "Bree is so right about you.  You are an innocent.  Natalie shifted around and brought her face close to mine.  "There's a tiger stalking around, and you young man, are the prey."  Natalie got up.  "I'm going to make you something light to eat. Try to get some rest.  OK?"

"Yes ma'am."  I said.  I closed my eyes and thought about Jamie.  Maybe Natalie was right.  Thinking back on it, Jamie flirted with me in a way she didn't with other people.  She was bubbly with everyone, but with me it was different.  The memory of her caresses and kisses after she rescued me gave me goosebumps.  I could still feel her lips on my face and her heavenly scent filled my head.  Could Jamie be The One for me?  I never thought I'd find that girl, and certainly not someone like her.  Jamie seemed so far out of my league.  Her personality was scintillating.  She was a bewitching combination of knockout beauty, muscle babe and killer fighter.  But I was committed to marrying Ruslana so that she and Bree could have a life together.  I wouldn't abandon my plan.  I had a debt to Bree that I desperately wanted to repay.   I just hoped I wouldn't piss off Jamie in the process.

[QBikk]

Very good, it's very nice to read the next chapters of this story.
Thanks for sharing with us.

[pramitsen2008]

  great chapter. You truly bring life into these characters beautifully. Plus , it's a tight spot he is in now. Any wrong move and it could be checkmate. Eager to see how it goes forward.

[WapWap]

The next couple of days were a whirlwind.  Natalie helped us arrange our marriage license and, with her friend's expertise, started the necessary immigration paperwork for
Ruslana.  We went to the offices of Natalie's client, Dana Gonzalez.  She was an attorney who specialized in immigration issues.  Judging by the poshness of her offices, this woman was way out of our price range, but she was a loyal client of Nat's who would be getting free training for life after this.  She was really helpful and broke the entire process down in a way that made it easy to understand and gave us hope of success.  Throughout the meeting, another legal issue kept nagging at the back of my mind.  As we were leaving, I stuck my head back in Ms. Gonzalez's office.  "May I ask you another question, privately?" 

_________________________________

After we got back home, the complexity of the schemes I had set in motion finally settled in on me.  I got butterflies in my stomach like I'd never felt in my life.  I went for a walk to settle my nerves.  I wandered aimlessly, just walking and thinking. 

"Bill?" A sweet voice called.

I looked up, and realized I was near Jamie's apartment building.  She was walking across the street, straight towards me. 

"Oh, hi Jamie." I said with bewilderment.  "I didn't even realize where I was."

Jamie marched right up to me, her smile blazing like a sun.  I could stare into her deep blue eyes all day long.  She scrunched up her face as she covered my ears with her hands.

"Bill, your face is freezing.  Come upstairs and get warm.  You'll catch your death of cold."

I hadn't planned on walking as far as I did, so I wasn't really dressed for it.  I let Jamie drag me inside by the arm.  She brought me up to her apartment, which was almost tropically warm.  It felt so good. 

"I hope you don't mind the temperature."  She said.  "I'm a hot weather girl." 

"It's great."  I answered.  "It feels really good right now." 

Jamie sat me down on the couch and started a pot of tea. With the water heating on the stove, she went into a back room.   

"Sit tight.  I'll be right back."

I fidgeted nervously.  What was I doing here?  Part of my angst came from the memories of Jamie.  Her adorable face, her soft lips, her power...I couldn't get them out of my mind.  When she came back and went into the kitchen to pour the tea, I thought my heart would explode.  I had always seen Jamie dressed for work in loose gym shirts and leggings.  Her upper arms and legs were almost always covered, but her clothes never quite hid the fact that she was both well-muscled and well endowed.  She had changed out of her work gear and was in something completely different and altogether more revealing.  Her cropped tank top and short shorts were totally appropriate for the hot apartment.  They were also appropriate to knock a guy on his ass.  Oh my god she was breathtaking.  Jamie was about 5'3 and I'd say 135 pounds.  Her musculature was ropy and vascular.  Her arms and legs were etched with lean shredded meat.  The abs peeking out from under the hem of her shirt were deeply cut.  D cup breasts, sitting on top of striated pecs, pushed out her shirt making the front of it look like a floating curtain.  Her silky blonde hair was free of its usual ponytail, creating a shimmering halo of gold that surrounded her angelic face.  My breath caught in my throat. 

"Hello?"  Jamie called with an impish grin, stirring me from my reverie.  "Want some tea?"

I nodded silently.  She brought two cups and sat next to me on the couch.  She ran her hand over the back of my head.  "How's that nasty bump doing?"

"It's a lot better."  I said in a ragged voice.  "The bump still hurts a bit, but the dizziness went away."

"I don't know, you seem a little distracted to me."  Jamie teased.

I avoided the innuendo because I didn't want to admit to Jamie that she was affecting me so deeply.  Maybe I was trying to avoid admitting it to myself too. 

"Well, I have been distracted.  It's been a rough, weird couple of weeks."  I didn't know how much Jamie knew about why I was here, with Dad having passed away and all.  I mentioned it, but only briefly.  Well, it turns out she didn't know any of the story. 

"Oh my gosh, Bill!"  She got on her knees on the sofa and wrapped me up in a hug.  "That's awful.  Oh god, I'm so sorry."  She laced her arms around my neck and snuggled her cheek next to mine.   

"How have you kept yourself together this whole time?"  She asked as she let me go with a lingering kiss on the cheek.  "I'd be a worthless basket case." 

Jamie seemed interested, so I told her most of the story about mom and dad, Natalie and Bree and how I got here.  I obviously kept the part about marrying Ruslana a secret.  That knowledge had to stay within the family.  Jamie was very engaged with my tale.  Natalie and Bree were like heroes to her, so she loved getting the inside scoop.  She was also really excited about me pursuing a vet degree.  Of course, someone as adorable as Jamie was a huge animal lover.  As my story wound down, we talked about a whole host of other things.  We found that we had so many interests in common; besides animals, we were both major Trekkies, she loved to cook, the list went on.  It was great.  It was so great, that neither one of us realized that two hours had flown by.

Our conversation hit a lull when Jamie shifted her position on the couch.  The movement of her muscles forced my attention away from her face and onto to her amazing physique.  The slightest movement caused her striated muscles to twitch and bunch.  By contrast, one of the only soft spots on her body, her ample breasts, bounced as she moved.  Jamie's body was so powerful and alluring.

"Bill, am I making you nervous?"  Jamie asked in an unnecessarily innocent voice.  She had to know that she was wrecking my psyche.  She reached her hands up to push the hair out of her face.  I watched the bulge of her biceps as her arms bent.  Muscles the size and shape of large avocados rose straight up out of her skin.  The rest of her arms were a collection of bulging tendons and veins capped by oversized melons for shoulders.  It was no wonder she was able to break a man's bones.  She reached a hand out to me and intertwined our fingers. The tenderness of her touch was incongruous with the brutality that this same hand had meted out a day earlier. 

"Do you like what you see?"  She asked sweetly.

She scooted closer to me and brought her legs up over mine.  Her feet were bare, toes painted a pretty blue. 

"I like what I see."  She said with a radiant smile.  "A handsome, sweet guy that likes to be kissed."

With one hand laced in my fingers, she put her other hand behind my neck and pulled my head down to hers.  She kissed me on the lips, then gently but inexorably pressed her tongue into my mouth.  My eyes closed in rapture.  Then I pictured Ruslana.  My eyes shot open and I tried to pull away.

"What's wrong Bill?  You were enjoying that as much as I was.  I can tell."  Jamie said conspiratorially.  She was rubbing my hardening manhood with her hard calf.

"Jamie, I can't!  It's wrong.  I..."

I tried to pull back from Jamie, but her hold on me, both her hands and legs, kept me firmly in place.  Natalie was right.  Jamie was far stronger than she looked.  And she looked plenty strong.  Much stronger than me. 

"Jamie, please," I pleaded, "You don't understand."

Jamie pulled her face back from mine.  "I don't understand what?" 

"I...I..." I didn't know how to get myself out of this situation, or even if I wanted to get out of it.  The truth was the only thing I could think to say, even if I knew I shouldn't.  "Jamie, I'm marrying Ruslana!"

Jamie glared at me for what seemed like an eternity.  I could read rejection and anger in her eyes, and I got scared.  She pulled her legs off of me and let go of my neck.  However, her fingers were still laced with mine, and her grip tightened. 

"Ow, Jamie, you're hurting me." 

"And you don't think you're doing the same to me?"  She said with venom.  "Everyone knows Ruslana and Bree are a thing.  You aren't marrying a gay Russian woman.  If you don't want to be with me, why not just man up and say it!"  In a tone more sad than bitter, she added "I thought you were different."

Jamie let go of my hand, pushed it into my lap and backed up to the other end of the couch.

"Jamie, please!  You don't understand!"  I scooted closer to her and took hold of her hand again.

"Don't touch me!"  Jamie ordered.

I should have listened and complied immediately.  I didn't.  Jamie snatched her hand away from me.  She gripped my wrist and twisted my arm behind my back, forcing me off the couch and onto the floor.  The exertion she displayed was no more than if she were sweeping away a ladybug.  It felt very different to me.  My hand went numb almost immediately in her crushing grip.  Her merciless twisting of my arm made me cry out in pain.

"Please Jamie, you're really hurting me!"  I squealed.  "You're too strong!  Please let me explain!"

Tears flowed from my eyes, both in pain and frustration.  Jamie let go of me and sat back on the couch. 

"Fine."  She said with raised eyebrows.  "Explain."

I knew secrecy was paramount for my marriage plan to work, but I had to take my shot with Jamie.  I spilled everything.  While I did it, I remained on the floor, prostrated at Jamie's feet cradling my wounded arm and pride. 

"Please Jamie, I really, really like you.  But I have to do this for Bree and Ruslana.  Please don't be mad at me.  I can't live with that."

Jamie regarded me.  She was turning the situation over in her mind, trying to decide if I was the honorable man she thought I was or an unprincipled cad.  The look of torment on my face told her what she needed to know.

"You're totally telling me the truth, aren't you?  What kind of a glutton for punishment are you, Bill?"

"They're the only family I have left, Jamie.  I have to take care of them."

Jamie pursed her lips and shook her head at me.  I thought it was over.  I started to rise to leave when Jamie reached out and took me by the arms.  She pulled me up on the couch next to her.

"I'm sorry I hurt you."  She said softly while massaging my shoulder.  "Guys don't usually like strong girls like me who can kick their ass.  I thought you were different.  I thought you liked me.  Then I thought I was wrong about you and it made me angry."

"Jamie, I don't just like you.  I can't stop thinking about you."

I wanted to hold Jamie so badly, but I kept my hands to myself.  She could tell. 

"Bill, I'm sorry I lost control.  I promise I'll never hurt you again."  Jamie ran her hands over mine.  "I think you should go, though.  I need some time to think about this."

"OK."  I said sadly. 

Jamie reached over and kissed me lightly on the lips, then stood and pulled me to my feet.  She helped me put my coat on and walked me to the door.  I don't know how this will turn out, but there was still hope.