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Authors: Linda Howard
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seen a naked man before, and the shock was jarring. He pulled Jessie up on her hands and knees and slapped her rear, laughing harshly at the hot, guttural sound she made, then he was driving into her again the way Roanna had once glimpsed two horses doing it, and dainty, fastidious Jessie was clawing at the blanket and arching her back and rotating her butt against him.
Bile rose hotly in Roannaâs throat, and she ducked down behind the rock, pressing her cheek against the rough stone. She closed her eyes tight, trying to control the urge to vomit.She felt numb and sick with despair. My God, what would Webb do?
She had followed Jessie out of a perverse, mischievous desire to cause trouble for her hateful cousin, but she had expected something minor: teasing kisses, if another man was involved at all, maybe meeting some of her friends and slipping away to a bar or something. Years ago, after she and Jessie had first come to live at Davencourt, Webb had sternly neutralized Jessieâs spitefulness by threatening to spank her if she didnât stop tormenting Roanna, a threat Roanna had found so delicious that she had spent days trying to provoke Jessie, just so she could watch her hateful cousin get her rear end warmed. Amused, Webb had finally taken her aside and warned her that the punishment could come her way, too, if she didnât behave herself. That same impish impulse had prompted her today, but what she had found was far more serious than she had anticipated.
Roannaâs chest burned with impotent rage, and she swallowed convulsively. As much as she disliked and resented her cousin, she had never thought Jessie was stupid enough to actually be unfaithful to Webb.
Nausea rose again, and she quickly turned around to drape her arms across her drawn-up knees and rest her head on them. Her movements scraped against some small gravel, but she was too far away for them to hear the slight noises she was making, and at the moment she was too sick to care. They werenât paying much attention to anything around them anyway. They were too busy pumping and humping. God, how silly it looked ⦠and how gross, all at the same time. Roanna was glad she wasnât any closer, glad that the bush had hid at least part of them.
She could just
kill
Jessie for doing this to Webb.
If Webb knew, he might kill Jessie himself, Roanna thought, and a chill ran through her. Though he normally controlled it, everyone who knew Webb well was aware of his temper and took care not to arouse it. Jessie was a fool, a stupid, malicious fool.
But she probably thought she was safe from discovery, since Webb wouldnât be back from Nashville until tonight. By then, Roanna thought sickly, Jessie would be all freshly bathed and perfumed, waiting for him and wearing both a pretty dress and a smile, and silently making fun of him because only a few hours earlier sheâd been screwing in the woods with someone else.
Webb deserved better than that. But she couldnât tell him, Roanna thought. She could never tell anyone. If she did, the most likely outcome would be that Jessie would lie her way out of it, saying that Roanna was just jealous and trying to make trouble, and everyone would believe her because Roanna
was
jealous, and everyone knew it. Then both Webb and Grandmother would be angry with her rather than with Jessie. Grandmother stayed exasperated at her most of the time anyway for one reason or the other, but she couldnât bear for Webb to be mad at her.
The other possibility would be that Webb
did
believe her. He might really kill Jessie, and then he would be in trouble. She couldnât bear for anything to happen to him. He might find out some other way, but she couldnât do anything to prevent that. All she could do was not say anything herself and pray that if he did find out, he wouldnât do anything to get himself arrested.
Roanna slipped from her place of concealment behind the rock and quickly
Bile rose hotly in Roannaâs throat, and she ducked down behind the rock, pressing her cheek against the rough stone. She closed her eyes tight, trying to control the urge to vomit.She felt numb and sick with despair. My God, what would Webb do?
She had followed Jessie out of a perverse, mischievous desire to cause trouble for her hateful cousin, but she had expected something minor: teasing kisses, if another man was involved at all, maybe meeting some of her friends and slipping away to a bar or something. Years ago, after she and Jessie had first come to live at Davencourt, Webb had sternly neutralized Jessieâs spitefulness by threatening to spank her if she didnât stop tormenting Roanna, a threat Roanna had found so delicious that she had spent days trying to provoke Jessie, just so she could watch her hateful cousin get her rear end warmed. Amused, Webb had finally taken her aside and warned her that the punishment could come her way, too, if she didnât behave herself. That same impish impulse had prompted her today, but what she had found was far more serious than she had anticipated.
Roannaâs chest burned with impotent rage, and she swallowed convulsively. As much as she disliked and resented her cousin, she had never thought Jessie was stupid enough to actually be unfaithful to Webb.
Nausea rose again, and she quickly turned around to drape her arms across her drawn-up knees and rest her head on them. Her movements scraped against some small gravel, but she was too far away for them to hear the slight noises she was making, and at the moment she was too sick to care. They werenât paying much attention to anything around them anyway. They were too busy pumping and humping. God, how silly it looked ⦠and how gross, all at the same time. Roanna was glad she wasnât any closer, glad that the bush had hid at least part of them.
She could just
kill
Jessie for doing this to Webb.
If Webb knew, he might kill Jessie himself, Roanna thought, and a chill ran through her. Though he normally controlled it, everyone who knew Webb well was aware of his temper and took care not to arouse it. Jessie was a fool, a stupid, malicious fool.
But she probably thought she was safe from discovery, since Webb wouldnât be back from Nashville until tonight. By then, Roanna thought sickly, Jessie would be all freshly bathed and perfumed, waiting for him and wearing both a pretty dress and a smile, and silently making fun of him because only a few hours earlier sheâd been screwing in the woods with someone else.
Webb deserved better than that. But she couldnât tell him, Roanna thought. She could never tell anyone. If she did, the most likely outcome would be that Jessie would lie her way out of it, saying that Roanna was just jealous and trying to make trouble, and everyone would believe her because Roanna
was
jealous, and everyone knew it. Then both Webb and Grandmother would be angry with her rather than with Jessie. Grandmother stayed exasperated at her most of the time anyway for one reason or the other, but she couldnât bear for Webb to be mad at her.
The other possibility would be that Webb
did
believe her. He might really kill Jessie, and then he would be in trouble. She couldnât bear for anything to happen to him. He might find out some other way, but she couldnât do anything to prevent that. All she could do was not say anything herself and pray that if he did find out, he wouldnât do anything to get himself arrested.
Roanna slipped from her place of concealment behind the rock and quickly
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