Cloud Riders (Lord of the Planets) (7 page)

They had a banquet of different flavoured foods that Jason made her try. She loved the way he constantly made the effort to educate her in Aussie culture to help her fit in. He told her silly jokes that made her laugh through most of the courses so she ate heartily without complaining about everything she put to her lips.

After dinner he held her hand and walked with her through the streets, showing her the different styles of double-brick housing in those parts and how they were fully air-conditioned to handle the rugged and harsh West Australian heat waves which were common up north and explaining how the strong-framed houses are constructed to hopefully withstand the cyclonic months where rain, floods and terrible winds ravage the landscape.

When they arrived home, Jason said that he had enjoyed himself and kissed her cheek, thanking her for the lovely night. He was a prince among princes but he was not Kayden and Cassie felt bad that she hadn’t felt anything more than friendship as he held her hand and kissed her goodnight.

Kayden was in bed. Not wanting to wake him, Cassie tried to undress in the darkness of her room and jumped straight into bed. Kayden heard her and stomped to her room, pushing the door open. Cassie sat up and saw his heated look.

‘If you’re going to go out until all hours the least you can do is be courteous and keep it down. Next time do your damned kissing and canoodling in the car, not on my front porch,’ he said, gnashing his teeth and stomping back into his room.

Kayden had riled her up, provoking her to stomp irritably into his room. ‘He kissed my cheek, mister! Don’t think I’m one of your horses you can farm out to your friends for entertainment just to give you a break. Next time you don’t want me around, say so! I will gladly prefer to sleep in the barn for the night.’ She scampered back to her room in a huff and threw the blankets over her head, feeling just as moody as he was.

Cassie woke up early. The light was not yet peeking over the horizon. She rolled over and moaned.
God, what a nasty piece of work I was last night.
The way she had retaliated towards Kayden was childish and uncalled-for.
It is his house and I should have more respect
.
No way does he bring girls here and flaunt them in my face
. She knew she could be so damned hot-headed sometimes.

Feeling bad that they were fighting, she sneaked into his room. It wasn’t the first time she’d gone to him to apologise and she felt a little nervous in case he might reject her. After all, she had upset him. Sliding under the covers, she hugged him remorsefully.

‘Sorry,’ she whispered and was so glad he pulled her closer and hugged her back.

‘I’ve been waiting for you, little one. Thanks for forgiving me,’ he whispered.

Contented to have their friendship again, they fell straight back to sleep.

When Cassie woke, still embraced in Kayden’s warm arms, the sun was pouring through the window. He must have felt her wiggle, preparing to get up and readjusted his hold. It felt so warm and natural that she settled back into his arms with a sigh.

‘Don’t go,’ he said in a husky voice.

His lips found hers. The kiss was so soft and tender that Cassie thought she was going to pass out from the sweetness of his mouth. Her breath quickened and her body was strangely wrapping around his. His lips moved from hers and smiled, his eyes sparking like chips of bottle-green glass, the brown in them intensifying the colour. She knew she was under his spell and didn’t ever want him to stop.

‘Was that a better first kiss?’ he smiled and his eyes still danced as he watched her.

God, does he want me to answer that?
She had never felt anything so divine.

Kayden gazed into her eyes and she followed them as they settled back on her lips. She melted under another of his kisses and this time the feeling gave her tingles all the way down to her toes and her mind liquefied, the feeling, sensational. Her body was having extraordinary sensual desires as his tongue moved deeper inside her. She heard him groan as he hardened against her, matching her slow movements. The urge to have him naked and feel his raw passion made her feel light-headed. Her lips missed his as soon as he pulled back and rolled away from her.

‘Come with me, princess. I have to check the horses before the morning gets away from me.’ His voice was deep and shaking. Cassie wanted to drag him back to her lips. Grinning and pulling her up, they walked back to her room. His thigh pressed against her, the strong taut muscle and the feeling of his masculinity made her insides tremble.

‘Get changed and I’ll meet you at the car.’ He looked down at her with a tormented expression. ‘Cassie … oh shit,’ he said, kissing her again. When their lips parted he lifted his head up and she saw him close his eyes as if he was struggling too.

She sighed. ‘The horses—they need you, don’t they? I can feel you almost communicating with them.’

He smiled. ‘How do you know that?’

‘Womanly intuition. I’m right, aren’t I?’

He nodded. ‘Well, if you know I’m being dragged from you, you also know not to keep me waiting. Move it, princess!’ He slapped her gently on the behind and chuckled as he shut the door.

He left Cassie feeling dazed and unable to function. As her heart slowed, she began to register what she had to do and quickly dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. She went to the bathroom and splashed water on her face, which still tingled from the sensation of his kisses before racing out to join him.

The horses were grazing when they arrived except one that moved with a slight limp towards them when they pulled up. Kayden grabbed his bag out of the car and worked on its hoof. Unable to fix it completely they brought the mare back to the stable which was nearly full of horses he’d treated lately. This won’t be their last run
,
she thought as he readied a couple of stallions to go back into the paddock.

That morning was the first time she had ever made breakfast. Cassie setup a makeshift table on a bale of hay and told Kayden not to expect this kind of service every day or she would have to start burning it and make him come and help again.

He rolled up the morning paper and tapped her with it, encouraging Cassie to retaliate and attack him and sending them both rolling in the hay together. Cassie loved the way his eyes glazed over just before he kissed her again. The sensation of his hold and those yummy lips didn’t last. At that exact moment, the horse Kayden had been attending kicked up a fuss about its sore hoof. Kayden pulled them both up out of the hay, drinking down his coffee and focusing his efforts back on the mare.

Cassie started sleeping in Kayden’s bed but he never took their relationship any further. After a couple of weeks she realised he didn’t want her the way she wanted him so she didn’t go in to him anymore.

Cassie understood by his lack of commitment that she was just company and a bit of fun. She needed to snap out of the fantasy she had of them being a couple and realise that he would never want more than friendship. What he offered her was more than she had ever had. She had to stop being selfish by wanting more.

Sleeping Beauty

Cassie had been on the farm for a couple of months and Kayden had just put her out to it.

‘Is she asleep, Kayden?’

He nodded. ‘Yes, our sleeping beauty will be out until we get back. I hate doing this to her, Jason.’

Jason shook his head. ‘Then tell her about us and see if she will join us. Rules are rules. Unless she joins us it has to be this way, bro.’

‘Yeah, I know. I need to talk to Zoren. She has powers that could really help us up there.’

‘In that case stop procrastinating and sort it out. You’re the boss and a female on our team is not an issue for us, dude—but it is for you. I have known you for centuries, man and never seen you so twisted up about a female. You shocked the shit out of me when you never moved her on. You could have rid yourself of her that first night. Shit, you could have left her for the car behind us to pick her up that first day but you saw her, even then. You really saw her, hey?’

‘Give it a rest, Jase. Yes, yes and yes to it all. My problem is whether she’ll handle taking orders from me. You know how I get when the mission takes me over.’

‘Yeah, we know. You can become a real prick if we stuff up but we get it and understand. You have a big responsibility up there and it drains you guiding us through it. But if she’s meant to be one of us, she’ll get it as we do.’

Kayden laughed. ‘You don’t have to be quite so Goddamned honest.’

‘Just keeping it real, dude. Hey! The guys are pulling up,’ Jason said, watching out the window. ‘We better get out of here unless you want them finding out about your sleeping beauty before you’re ready to bring her out of the closet. I can’t imagine with a mission in progress that you feel like explaining your new secret weapon.’

‘Good point. Not in the mood to clash with the boys tonight,’ Kayden said, getting up, kissing Cassie on the cheek and smoothing her hair back. ‘Sleep tight, little one.’

Jason chuckled. ‘Crikey, you have it bad, man. Have you slept with her yet?’

‘Jase, I’m not going there with you.’

‘So, I take that as a big fat no. You’re losing your touch and your balls, man.’

Kayden pushed the stirring shit out the room. Jason laughed so hard Kayden had to cover his goddamned mouth. ‘You could wake her. Quit your shit, Jase! I mean it.’

Jason put his hands up. ‘I give, okay? Cool it, dude.’

Woody, Conor and Ethan had already started getting the horses ready when Kayden and Jason reached the barn.

‘What’s on, boss?’ Conor asked Kayden.

Kayden looked around at his men. Woody, Jason, Conor and Jason’s brother, Ethan had been riding with him for as long as he could remember. They were a good, steady bunch who knew him like the backs of their hands. He roughly scraped his fingers through his hair, wondering if he could really join up a female. How would she add to the mix when none of them including himself could stand a female being around for longer than a few months? Yet here he was, considering the crazy notion. Cassie was different though and he wanted them to get to know her first. Yet every minute he had with her was precious and to share her was not easy for him to cope with. Even the night she spent in town with Jason nearly did him in.

He had been a hair’s breadth away from marching into town, throwing her over his shoulder and bringing her home when he’d heard Jason’s car in the distance. He grinned at how jealous he’d became, yelling at her like it was her fault any guy would want to be around her. Due to having such little self-esteem she had no idea how truly adorable she was. He’d felt like a real heel when she came to him and apologised.
Apologise for what? Being the most beautiful woman on the frigging planet? Yeah right! Wait until this lot see her.
He sighed deeply and felt sure he would lose her if he didn’t make her his by then. He groaned deeply, knowing just how badly he wanted to.

He eyed Jason as they hounded him as to why the boss never partied with the stars or stayed out late after a mission anymore. How long Jase could keep his mouth shut was also an issue. Kayden had to admit though he was impressed with his loyalty.

‘Boss, you in there?’ Conor asked, waving a hand in front of Kayden’s eyes. The action and look of concern snapped Kayden out of his thoughts and back into reality.

‘Sorry, man, mind’s elsewhere tonight, unlike you, hey?’ he said, slapping Conor on the shoulder. ‘Just a rescue mission, guys, in and out. I’ve already plotted the course so we’re good to go.’

‘What princess has Aurus kidnapped this time?’ Woody had guessed it already.

Woody was more astute than the others and his powers went well beyond those of the rest of the team. Truth be known, Kayden knew he could send Woody on his own and just his presence alone would frighten the crap out of Aurus although he knew Zoren would freak out if he split up the team. They had their allies but they also had their enemies. Getting a chance to pick one of them off would be their adversary’s greatest joy and sending a team member alone was a sure way of getting him killed.

Putting the bridle on his horse, Kayden turned to face Woody. ‘Princess Eda was visiting friends and on her way home, ended up a little lost and went through Taurus’s constellation without permission. We all know how much Aurus loves a princess and her being on his land without authorisation is a good excuse for him to abduct her.’

‘You mean give him time to seduce her?’ Jason commented, only saying what the rest of the team was thinking.

Kayden winced knowingly and agreed. ‘What he is doing is within their laws and yes, he knows it. After all, he caught her on his land. When we get her out I hope she’s learnt this time.’

Jason jumped up on his horse. ‘Poor Perseus must be beside himself. How many times has he rescued the chained princess? Normally when she wanders off he finds her just chained to a rock and he easily saves her. However, this time there is no rock. It’s Aurus from Taurus. As we know, Perseus recently made a pact with Aurus. It must be frustrating for him not to be able to charge in there and grab the princess he has sworn to save, no matter who has her.’

Kayden mounted his horse. ‘Agreed. He sounded disheartened when I spoke to him but cheered up when I told him the parents had come up with a plan. King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia have cut a deal with their neighbour, Cetus. They will let him court their daughter if he helps them get her back. Aurus loves to go whale hunting with Cetus, so Cetus is giving us permission to barter for him. He will refuse Aurus access to his whales unless the princess is returned.’

Woody mounted his horse in one slick movement. ‘I didn’t know Cetus has a thing for the Princess Eda. He has always hated her.’ He sounded surprised.

‘Love and hate walk a fine line. Cetus is apparently beside himself with jealousy that she might be canoodling up to Aurus and falling for his charms. The king tells me he is almost feral—wants to blow Aurus and his constellation out of existence.’

Conor and Ethan punched knuckles and back-flipped onto their horses. Woody, Jason and Kayden cracked up laughing.