by Kate Hill
She knew they’d passed the cottage long ago, but they weren’t headed for home. He was taking her somewhere else to make love. She knew she’d enjoy whatever he had planned.
As he ascended, she opened her eyes, loving the giddy sensations that swept over her when she saw the meadows, forests, and rivers growing tinier beneath them.
Against her cheek, she felt his heart pounding through his back. His chest expanded with each deep, steady breath. Her clit ached with pleasure and her pussy grew moist with passion as his legs churned, sending currents of raw sensuality through her entire body.
“Oh, Zach!” she panted, clinging to him tightly. “I could ride you forever.”
“I feel I could carry you forever!”
He suddenly slowed his flight and descended a mile from the cave where they’d first made love. He slowed to a walk and she sat, relaxed, her fingers stroking his ribs. By the time they reached the cave, he was fairly cool again, though he said inside he was hotter than ever for her.
In the cave, he lit a fire for warmth and light. She gasped with surprise. A basket sat in one corner, a bottle of wine and two goblets beside it. A thick blanket and pillows were spread across the floor. The center of the blanket and much of the cave floor were covered with soft red and white rose petals.
“Oh, Zach,” she murmured. “Everything’s so beautiful.”
“I wanted it to be, for the most beautiful woman I know.”
While she undressed, she felt the floor shake. She smiled when Zach’s arms slid around her, pressing her close to his rock-hard Huform. His cock pushed against her back, and his steely, hair-roughened human legs brushed hers.
Together they stretched out on the blankets. The rose petals felt soft against Sophia’s skin.
“I want you, Zach,” she purred. “Don’t take it slow right now. I’ve been wet for you the whole ride over.”
“I know.” He grinned. “I felt it.”
Sophia stared at his long, thick erection and knew he wanted her as badly as she wanted him.
She straddled him, piercing herself on his cock and gasping at the sensation of being filled so perfectly. Zach’s eyes slid halfway shut and he held up his hands for her to clasp. Their fingers entwined, she leaned her weight into his hands and arms as she bounced atop him, driving their aroused bodies fast and hard toward orgasm.
“Sophia, Sophia, Sophia,” he chanted, his hips shifting upward to met hers.
She couldn’t speak. Her heart pounded and her breath rasped. She’d wanted him so badly during the flight, now she couldn’t take him quickly enough.
Moaning, she rocked faster, almost sobbing in her passion. Suddenly the coil inside her snapped.
Waves of sweet, throbbing pleasure threatened to drown her in sensation. Somewhere in the blinding, deafening bliss, she felt Zach thrust up hard and utter a hoarse cry.
Melting atop him, she pressed a kiss to the pulsing base of his throat.
“I love you, Zach,” she murmured.
He hugged her and lovingly kissed her eyelids. “And I love you, Sophia.”
He gently eased her aside. She watched, her elbow raised and her cheek propped on her hand, as he strode across the cave towards the basket. The muscles tightened in his long legs and taut buttocks as he squatted, taking the wine from the basket.
A pop echoed through the cave as he uncorked the bottle. Glancing at her over his shoulder, he grinned. “Get on your back.”
She did as he asked, giggling as he approached with a wild look in his eyes.
“What are you up to?” she asked.
“I feel like a drink. Stay still.”
He knelt beside her, tilting the bottle over her torso.
“Zach!” she gasped as the potent red liquid splashed between her breasts. He bent over her and licked the wine away.
Sophia’s pulse quickened when he poured more on her belly. It trickled down her ribs before he could lap it all up. The tip of his tongue dipped into her navel.
Sophia giggled. She grasped handfuls of his hair and tugged up upward. When he kissed her, his lips and tongue tasted of wine.
“My turn,” she whispered, grasping the bottle. He poured the wine into her hand.
“On your stomach,” she demanded.
His eyes glistened with lust. She felt the tension in his body as he guessed what she intended.
Settling onto his stomach, his cheek resting on his folded arms, he drew sips of air through parted lips.
Sophia poured some wine on his lower back. He groaned as she lapped over his Turning Point. She smiled, kissing and licking his lower back while gripping his buttocks, feeling the taut globes tighten even more as his pleasure grew.
“Gods, Sophia, I need you again!”
He rolled onto his back, grasping her waist and caressing her hips and belly as she straddled him. Curling her fist around his stiff cock, she guided him into her pussy. As she rode him like a racer down the homestretch, his hips lunged upward.
His head arched back, his eyes closed. His groans of desire filled the cave. Sophia clutched his chest, her toes curling with pleasure as she came.
Zach lunged upward, exploding inside her.
“Gods.” Sophia giggled, cuddling against his chest. “That was better than drinking from goblets any day.”
“I don’t know about you.” Zach wiggled his eyebrows. “But I’m still thirsty.”
“Well there’s half a bottle left to get drunk on.”
“I’m drunk on love.” He clutched her buttocks, tugging her against his stiffening cock.
Sophia laughed. Already her wedding day was better than she’d ever dreamed.
Chapter Seven
The Contenders
The following week at Gray Rock, village guards ensured the crowd kept clear of the field and the Highlanders warming up and checking their tack. The pulling contest was about to begin. Sophia, along with her parents, stood with Zach as he prepared himself.
Many onlookers called out to Zach and a few of the other well-known pullers.
“Goodness, this is exciting!” Loretta smiled.
Sophia noticed a grin playing around Zach’s lips. He glanced at her and winked as he thoroughly checked his harness. Since that time his tack had been ruined by the cheats at the second competition he had ever entered, he was never too careful before a competition.
“Just wait until it starts, Ma,” Sophia said. She was glad Gray Rock was a decent village, so unlike many of the others Zach’s profession had taken them to. Though normally a small event, the village was bursting with people who had come specifically for the pulling contest. Zach’s presence had attracted three of the world’s top pullers, and it was to be an event that would live in people’s minds for years to come. The three believed they could beat Zach as well as each other, and Sophia knew by their appearance and the expression glistening in their large, dark eyes that it would be a close contest.
Though Zach appeared outwardly calm, she knew he realized the seriousness of his competition. She also knew he had every intention of winning. Zach couldn’t seem to abide the thought of losing. It was as if something in his nature would rebel against defeat to his death. Part of her worried that one day it would do just that, yet she never let him see her fear. Like most Highlanders, his heart was with the pulling game.
“I saw Jacob pull last summer. He was amazing.” Mel nodded in the direction of a Highlander with ash brown hair and beard and a dapple gray coat. He was one of the top three pullers. The second was Reginald Oxberg, a redhead with a brilliant chestnut coat. Sully “the Dragon”, as he called himself, a dark-skinned Horseman with a blue-black coat, was Zach’s third toughest challenger. All three were tall and powerfully muscled, much like Zach. They were easily the best-built, smoothest-moving Highlanders Zach had ever faced. Like him, they strode with grace unexpected in such powerfully built creatures. Also like Zach, they’d never lost a contest and were anxious for the pulling enthusiasts to decide which of them was th
e best in the world.
Sophia followed her father’s gaze to Jacob. Unlike most of the others, his harness was bright red, a startling contrast with his gray coat. His attempt at creating an image for himself among other pullers wasn’t unusual. She’d seen many Highlanders, particularly top competitors, do the same at other fairs.
Reginald’s hair was twisted into dozens of tiny braids that dangled with black beads. The unique style drew attention from the crowd, though not as much as the Dragon. He stood, posing and preening. Two women with elongated faces and matching crooked noses, their rangy bodies draped in trousers and vests exposing a great deal of cleavage, rubbed ointment into his enormous muscles. One of the harlots stood on a fence and mounted him backwards, massaging his tremendous hindquarters.
“Well, that’s enough to make you puke,” Zach muttered, glancing at the Dragon from the corner of his eye. Sophia noted with pride he’d kept his understated appearance. The silver clip bound his long brown hair at his nape, and she’d spent the morning braiding his tail, using a needle and brown thread to keep it in place while maintaining a natural look.
“There’s so much weight on those sledges, I don’t know how you do it.” Loretta’s eyes swept the field where ten sledges were lined up and piled with the first load for each of the competitors.
“They train for it, Loretta,” growled Mel. “You saw how much Zach practiced when we stayed with them.”
“That’s a big harness,” Loretta continued, ignoring her husband as she inspected the leather and steel Zach held in his gloved hands. “How heavy is it, dear?”
Zach held it out to her, making sure he supported the brunt of the weight.
“Gods!” Loretta drew a sharp breath as she lifted it a bit.
Amusement shone in Zach’s eyes. “It’s hardly anything.”
“To you, maybe,” Loretta said.
“Zach, Terra and Inez just got here.” Sophia nudged his arm.
They glanced across the field to their friends who stood next to Moor and Susana beneath the shade of a tree. The black Fighting Carrier had his son tucked in one arm while waving to Zach and Sophia with his free hand. They returned the gesture.
“You three better go join them,” Zach said. “I have to hitch myself up. It’ll be starting in a few minutes.”
“Good luck, sweetheart.” Sophia stood on tiptoe as he bent and accepted her kiss. “Be careful.”
“Good luck,” Loretta said.
As Sophia walked away with her mother, she heard her father say to Zach, “Bury their asses, boy, especially that upstart with the harem of uglies hanging all over him.”
“I have every intention of it, Sir.”
Sophia shook her head, half proud, half concerned. The only time Zach ever displayed the arrogance common to most Horsemen was right before a competition. It was as if he could force himself to win just by believing he couldn’t lose. Perhaps that’s what had enabled him to take first place in so many contests in such a short time.
Sophia and her parents joined Terra, Moor, and their wives beneath the tree.
“Quite a turnout,” Terra observed. “The last time I saw this many people at Gray Rock was at the Carrier sprint a year and a half ago.”
“Gray Rock doesn’t host such events often,” Sophia murmured, her attention focused on Zach as he took his place in line and hitched himself to his sledge. He closed his eyes and circled his head a few times then rolled his shoulders, loosening the muscles. He felt the thick leather straps across his man-torso and equine chest before making a final adjustment on the girth around his equine-belly. She glanced at his massive hooves, knowing this was the first time he’d be pulling while shod. He usually preferred working barefoot, but with tough competitors like Jacob, Reginald, and the Dragon, he’d decided to wear the special shoes that provided Highlanders with excellent traction. Since the three top competitors also wore the shoes, Zach would have been at a disadvantage without them. When he’d returned from the blacksmith with them the previous night, Sophia realized how great a challenge the three other Highlanders must be to have inspired him to get shod.
Since Gray Flat’s Chieftain was elderly, his son oversaw the competition that day. The lanky young man stood in the field. The crowd applauded as he began introducing the competitors. Screams and cheers erupted when the Dragon was announced. He picked up one of his harlots and hoisted her high above his head. Reginald and Jacob also received lively responses. Reginald raised his fist and shook his head of long, red braids while Jacob reared, pawing the air with his sturdy front legs and slamming his massive hooves hard as he beckoned the crowd to continue their shouts and whistles. Sophia couldn’t help feeling pride when Zach garnered as much attention as the other three. A slight but pleased smile touched his lips as he waved to the group of cheering, bellowing fairgoers.
Finally the Chieftain’s son held up his hands, signaling that the contest was about to begin. Immediately the crowd fell silent as the Highlanders began their first pull. Extra weight was added four more times before Horsemen began dropping out. The day was warm but dry, decent enough weather for pulling, though she knew Zach would have preferred it a bit cooler.
He was in excellent condition, and by the ninth pull, his breathing was regular and he’d scarcely broken a sweat while two of the five remaining competitors shone wet and panted after stopping. Jacob, Reginald, and the Dragon also appeared well within their limits. Two more pulls, and only the four of them remained.
“Absolutely amazing,” Mel murmured, his eyes fixed on the Highlanders.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a competition this good,” Inez stated.
“I wonder who’ll come in second?” Moor asked. “Since we already know Zach’s going to win.”
“Sure about that?” Mel cocked an eyebrow. “The boy’s powerful, but the others have great reputations.”
“I’ve seen him work in the mines,” Moor stated. “It’s a rare Horseman who has the heart to pull like he does.”
Sophia listened to the conversation, but was too involved in the contest to engage in it. Her insides felt tight. She folded her arms beneath her breasts. By the amount of weight on the sledges, she knew the pulls must have been starting to affect Zach and the others. Everyone had his limits, but she could see by the four Highlanders’ blazing eyes and pinned ears they would collapse before admitting defeat.
“I’m going with Reginald for second,” Terra said. “I’ve seen him pull a few times in the tropics. He was scarcely breathing hard when others were dropping like ticks full of blood.”
“You’re wrong.” Inez cast her husband a snide look. “Don’t you remember how the Dragon got his name? He burns his competition to ashes.”
“Sensationalism, my love.”
“It is not! I’ve seen him compete before.”
“Shh!” Susana said, pointing to the field where the next pull was about to begin.
The Highlanders leaned into their harnesses as their powerful legs swallowed the field. They were a marvelous sight, four of the most exquisite examples of pulling Horsemen, the muscles of their perfectly proportioned bodies rippling as they hauled unimaginable weight without so much as a crease marring their handsome brows. It must have been the shoes, but Sophia had never seen Zach move with quite so much style. Still, his already tremendous skill seemed to improve with every competition.
Two more hauls and the Dragon showed the first signs of slipping. He lagged behind the others and when he reached the end his man-half and beast flanks dripped sweat. White foam covered his equine shoulders and chest.
“Burns them to ashes, huh?” Terra whispered to Inez who shot her husband an irritated look.
The Dragon made it through the next pull, but dropped to his knees halfway through the one after. The Chieftain’s son approached him.
Sophia noticed Susana tense as she watched the scene. As a healer, Susana was prepared to lend aid, if necessary. The Dragon had gotten to his feet, however, and unhitched hims
elf, abandoning his sledge. It took several moments for the Horsemen hired to add extra weight to the Highlanders’ loads to remove the stones and tote away the Dragon’s sledge. Sophia couldn’t help feeling glad, since it at least gave Zach and the two remaining pullers a longer rest than expected.
She glanced at him, but he was too focused on his work to notice anyone. By then he, Reginald, and Jacob were also perspiring freely, rivulets streaking their man-halves and beast-coats. Zach’s breathing took little time to return to normal, however, and his expression was calm and determined. Jacob, his ears pressed tightly to his head, glared at him. Though Reginald had kept up with them during the last pull, the redhead’s heavy breathing and slight quiver running through his hindquarters revealed that Zach would be the one to watch out for.
“I’ll never understand you Horsemen,” Susana muttered, shaking her head. “I thought Carriers were bad, the way you almost destroy yourselves on speed and endurance flights. These Highlanders are just as insane.”
“Challenge is good for the soul,” Terra said.
Sophia’s fists clenched as more weight was added to the three remaining sledges. As the Highlanders began pulling, their movements were slower. Muscles and veins bulged beneath their glistening skin and coats. Reginald panted and Jacob’s teeth clenched. Zach’s brow creased. Sophia recognized it as a sign the tremendous weight was beginning to tell on him.
He just reached the end of the pull when a sickening crack echoed through the field. Zach grunted and dropped to the grass.
Sophia cried out in horror and rushed to Zach, Moor and Sophia following her. The Chieftain’s son had already approached Zach. Even Reginald and Jacob unhitched themselves to see what had happened.
Blood splattered Zach’s man-torso and equine front. He clutched his right foreleg, his sweat-streaked face pale and lips taut with pain.
“What happened?” Sophia squatted close to him.
Susana knelt beside him, her bag of healing supplies nearby. “Let me see,” she ordered.
He moved his hands, revealing a deep gash that had ripped through flesh and tendons right to the bone.