Page 60 of Runaway Hucow

It was true, Tess thought. The alpha hadn’t really hurt her. Sure, it had stung a little, but that was nothing compared to the sparks of pleasure his hand had sent swirling through her core. She wanted to tell him to keep going, but she was too embarrassed, especially now that the other two bisonmen were here.

“Tess isn’t a calf,” Spike said angrily. “She’s a grown woman.”

“Then it’s time she started acting like one,” Roscoe replied, “instead of lying like a naughty little girl.”

Tess was relieved when Spike didn’t ask what she had lied about.

“Let her go, Roscoe. I don’t want to fight you over this, but I will.”

Roscoe paused for a beat before letting out a grunt of annoyance. “No. There’ll be no fighting tonight.”

He lifted Tess off his lap and stood her up on the ground in front of the stairs. She quickly pulled up her drawers to cover her burning backside and hide the wetness seeping out from between her legs. Then Roscoe stood up, and her eyes immediately went to the one place they weren’t supposed to.

The thing between Roscoe’s legs wasn’t hanging down anymore. It was hard and throbbing with arousal, as long as Peyton’s and as thick as Spike’s. Plump veins snaked across the immense shaft, and the tip glistened wetly in the moonlight. Tess shivered at the sight of it.

“I’m going to bed,” Roscoe said, his voice suddenly cold. “I suggest the rest of you do the same.”

And with that, the alpha turned abruptly, marched up the steps, and went inside.

CHAPTER 30

The next day around mid morning, Tess decided to take a ride down the valley. She had already put in an hour reviewing the messages on the wireless telegraph machine. Then she had spent some time grooming the horses. Once she was finished, an overpowering urge had come over her to go for a ride, so she had saddled up the chestnut mare and set out. She didn’t bother telling the bisonmen where she was going, since she wasn’t going anywhere in particular, and she didn’t plan to be gone for long.

She just needed some time alone to clear her head. The last few days had been… eventful.

And confusing.

Once she was out of the yard, Tess urged the mare into a canter. Then, when the farm was some distance behind her and she was moving through the meadow that filled most of the valley, she spurred the horse into a hard gallop. She was careful to keep her distance from the wild bison living in the valley, but she enjoyed the sight of the grazing animals as she rode past. The sky today was clear and blue, but the sun had not yet had time to heat the air too much. Her hair was loose, and it whipped behind her like a black flag. For the very first time since escaping from Crooked Valley, she felt well and truly free.

It was a good feeling.

The only problem was her backside. It was still a bit sore from the night before, and every time she moved in the saddle, she was reminded of the shameful way Roscoe had spanked her, and the even more shameful way her body had responded to that punishment. Just thinking about it made her wet all over again.

Of course, the spanking was not the only reason she was sore this morning.

Last night, Roscoe had suggested they should all go back to bed, but Tess’s desire had been too intense to even think about trying to sleep. She had begged Spike and Peyton to carry her off into the meadow and share her in the moonlight, and the bisonmen had not required much convincing. Peyton had brought his lubricant again, and the two brothers had been inside her every way a man could be inside a woman. They had marked her face and breasts with their hot seed many times over, and Tess had matched each of their climaxes with one of her own. By the time they were finally finished, her legs were too weak to walk, and Spike had to carry her back to the house.

Those memories, coupled with the motion of the saddle between her legs, left her feeling desperate with need—a need that she knew she could not satisfy on her own. She turned around and started galloping back toward the farm, noticing with a touch of dismay that she had strayed farther than she’d meant to.

Her dismay deepened when she saw a pair of riders coming toward her across the valley.

Tess knew right away that the men were not Walkers. The Walker men were part Shoshone, with dark hair and beardless faces. These new riders both had dusty blond hair, and as they got closer, Tess could see their faces were grizzled with scruff.

Outsiders!

She spurred her horse onward, but she’d been riding the animal hard, and it was already tired. Her pursuers were rapidly closing the distance between them, and it quickly became clear that they would reach her well before she made it back to the farm.

Her only hope was to call for help. She yelled with all the strength in her lungs and prayed that the sound would reach the bisonmen’s ears in time to alert them to the danger.

The riders were right behind her now. One of them rode up beside her and made a grab for her. She steered her horse away, but the second rider was already there on the other side. With ferocious strength, the man yanked Tess from her saddle and tossed her face down across his lap. She screamed again for help, but the man brought his hand down hard against her hindquarters, reigniting the sting of the spanking she had received the night before.

“Shut up, bitch,” the man snarled, as he turned his horse toward the woods that lined the edge of the valley. “Ain’t nobody coming to save you now. We’re taking you back to Crooked Valley to collect that nice fat bounty.”

“It’s a long way back to Crooked Valley,” his partner called from his horse, “and she’s a fine lookin’ piece of ass. You reckon we can have a little fun with her before we get there?”

“I reckon so. The bounty’s on her head. They didn’t say nothin’ about her cunt.”

The man carrying Tess yanked up her skirts and petticoats, then he pushed his hand between her legs and rubbed roughly through her thin cotton drawers. She drew a deep breath and screamed with all her might. She screamed until her face burned from the strain and stars skittered in front of her eyes.