Cloud Riders(7)

‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m so sorry,’ she apologised in a whisper.

‘You’re still weak and just overdid it.’ He was leaning on his elbow, watching her. ‘I hope you didn’t mind me staying with you until you woke but you gave me quite a scare.’ His voice rolled over her like warm honey.

She smiled shyly. ‘I um …’ She wanted to say she had never lain with a man before and that it was nice but the words were stuck in her throat.

He reacted to her blubber as if she did not want him there and he mumbled a curse, getting off the bed. ‘You’re right, of course. I shouldn’t have presumed. I’ll keep my distance and take you home as soon as you’re okay to travel.’ He stood at the door for a minute, maybe waiting for her to respond, but she was speechless.

That isn’t what I meant it to sound like at all.

‘I guess you’re hungry. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready, seeing as you can’t do anything for yourself.’

Cassie wanted to crawl back inside of herself. Kayden glared at her before shutting the door and leaving her on her own. She lay for a while thinking, pushing aside his cutting remark.

She had woken up in his arms. He was holding me. Me. At that moment a horrible thought changed her happy mood. It dawned on Cassie that he might still think she was a whore. Maybe he had wanted to have his way with her, only she had rejected him. No wonder he was cross. A woman rejecting him he could handle, but by a would-be tramp? After all, that’s how he saw her. She couldn’t lie there thinking of what he thought of her any longer. It was making her nuts. She flung the blanket off getting up. If he wants me gone tomorrow, then maybe I should make a run for it tonight while he’s sleeping.

With this new plan in mind, Cassie decided to go all-out to be polite and throw him off the trail. Not that he’ll care when he wakes and finds I’m gone.

Kayden turned around as she appeared at the door, looking her up and down with an almost-smirk crinkling the sides of his mouth. Cassie looked down and saw that she had only one of his T-shirts on.

‘I didn’t know where my clothes were,’ she said timidly.

He returned his gaze to the frypan. ‘You’re not anything worth looking at, girl, so don’t kid yourself. It hardly worries me what you wear. Anyway, I had to wash your clothes. They should be dry soon—and don’t say it,’ he said sarcastically, ‘You have never washed clothes before.’

This man sure sounds as if he dislikes me. So why is he cooking for me if he really feels that way towards me? Why am I still here? None of his unusual behaviour was making sense and even if it did, she had no answer for him. Cassie was ashamed to tell him she had never had to wear anything twice. She just walked over to the table and sat down quietly. ‘I’m sorry,’ she apologised and hoped he wouldn’t growl anymore.

When he made no further comment, she glanced up to watch him as he confidently moved around the kitchen. He was so big, well over six feet, yet seemed so graceful. His hair was dark brown tonight, yet in the sunlight it had red highlights. His eyes were hazel and changed colour with his moods. He had the longest eyelashes Cassie had ever seen on a man. Sometimes he watched her through them and she felt like he could see right into her very soul. His features were strong and masculine but when he smiled, which was not often, he looked so very young.

Tonight he had his shirt off and wore only his singlet because he had been with her. She smiled as she realised she was wearing the shirt he must have had on. Somehow it gave her a warm glow as she imagined him taking it off and carefully putting it on her to get her warm. They had been swimming so he would have had to remove her wet clothes. Cassie shook the silly thoughts from her mind, knowing he would never really care about her like that. Maybe he just thought that I’d reward him with sex if he was nice enough to me.

A sneak peak revealed his tattoos. One looked like Pegasus, the mythical flying horse, which didn’t surprise her, seeing as he liked horses so much. He bent into the drawer to pick out a pair of tongs and his masculine body rippled as he moved. For a nice-looking man, he was sure angry towards women. What a total waste! Oh well, not long now and he will be on his lonesome again.

The sound of a motor disturbed Cassie’s thoughts and she looked out the window and saw a four-wheel drive pulling up. Doors opened and closed. She heard a couple of voices: one was very familiar. They were joking around as they walked towards the house.

Kayden moved as quick as a flash at the sound of them. He threw a steak sandwich in front of her and shot her a look that told her to stay where she was as he went out to talk to them. Cassie ate quietly and when she finished she put the plate in the sink and went back into the bedroom.