Cloud Riders(58)

Kayden caught the tail end of the conversation Cassie had with Conor. He couldn’t remember a time when the men looked so completely happy and so at ease with one another. They had gone from a confident five to a feeling of oneness. The magic of Cassie was a gift to them all.





My Prince


It was a stinking hot evening and that night after dinner they all cooled off in the lake at the back of the property. Afterwards Woody and Jason built a fire for them to dry off. Cassie cuddled up to Kayden, worn out from her session with Woody and glad for the warmth as the nights seemed to get chilly of late. It had been one of those fabulous days, one of the ones you slide into your memory bank to retrieve on a bad day. By the sound of some of the stories now being told, there were going to be a few of those. Her man’s body was warm and the eyes she was trying so hard to keep open, shut with a thud. Almost overcome with sleep, she listened as the stories of other missions changed to the new threat in the galaxy. She smiled, imagining them waiting for her to conk out before bringing up something they thought might make her worry and in turn, hinder their fun together. She was sure they could smell her fear and she so wanted to change all that, to toughen up and become more confident and gutsy. Hopefully that would stop them treading on eggshells around her.

In her fog, their voices still made sense and she could almost feel the evil that breathed down their necks. This man’s name was Aldebaran and this dark wizard had a friend, a tyrant called Conom. Both were powerful rulers and both were determined to take over the constellation of Orion’s Belt. Both were hell-bent on destroying anyone who dared to stand in their way. As she listened to them work out a game plan to stop the feud and bring reconciliation, sleep overcame her. She felt safe enough with those around her to drift into a dreamy world of darkness and peace.

Eyes blurry from too deep a sleep, Cassie was surprised when she woke to find they had camped out all night. A sudden jolt of excitement gripped her: she had never slept outdoors before. It was nice to wake up and see all her friends still hanging out, even if they were asleep. The boys were lying on sleeping bags around the fire. They must have been in a deep sleep as they were breathing heavier than they did when they rested before a mission. Then she saw the empty rum bottles and understood their comatose states.

Kayden still had her securely in his arms and her movement woke him up.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,’ she whispered as she rolled around to face him. His eyes were dreamy and loving and he started kissing her gently around her neck and then her face until he found her lips, groaning as his feelings overwhelmed him.

‘Shh, you’ll wake the others,’ she giggled.

He put his head up and saw they were not in bed. ‘Shit!’

‘Shh,’ she chuckled again.

He stood and pulled Cassie to her feet, taking her around to the other side of the truck. He leant up against it and pulled her into him again, covering her lips with his hot mouth while his tongue explored the sensitive and sensual parts of her mouth. ‘I could eat you all up, baby, you taste so delicious,’ he groaned.

‘Later, bad boy, you have to go check the horses first.’

His eyes roamed over her and he grinned with a naughty, boyish look.

‘Kayden, behave.’ She slapped his arm playfully

He stepped away from her and put his hands up, smiling. ‘Okay, but I’m coming back to get you, my lovely and sending this riff-raff home. I have something very special in mind for you today and you’ll want it to be private.’

‘Wow, the mind boggles.’ Cassie did a little wiggle and twirl for him, lifting the edge of her T-shirt up to stir him before skipping off laughing.

Kayden pounced on her like a lion and snatched her up in his arms, growling deeply into her ear while nuzzling her hair. ‘You’re so wicked, woman. Now behave until I get back or look out,’ he said, putting her down.

Jason lifted his head up, rubbing his eyes. ‘Hang on, K,’ he said pulling on his boots as he watched Kayden head for the truck. ‘I want to come and check on Starburst, make sure yesterday hasn’t rattled his chain.’

Kayden nodded, waiting.

Woody also stirred and jumped up refreshed, showing no side effects of all the alcohol he would have consumed. He threw some more wood on the fire poking at it with a stick. Ethan and Conor both just groaned at the noise, rolled over and went back to sleep.

The morning was crisp with the fragrance of fresh redwood in the air. It felt so peaceful just listening to the crackle of the flames as they bit into the dry wood. Cassie plonked down next to Woody, who put a friendly arm around her. ‘Feel like working with me for half an hour while it’s quiet?’