Cloud Riders (Lord of the Planets) (36 page)

They continued to have wild parties and the house was always full of chicks and booze. It was an exciting time for Cassie. She was young and it was fun to cut loose, especially after the exhilaration of their missions. Her father was still causing trouble and Woody was always there for her if she saw him at a distance and it upset her.

Woody hardly talked about Ella anymore except when she rang him. Then he would be straight out to tell Cassie all about it. They were pretty well inseparable.

The morning after one of their wild parties, Kayden sent Woody and Jason on a reconnaissance mission. The mess from the party they had the night before was left for Ethan, Conor and Cassie to clean up. Well, that really just left Cassie; the other two were still entertaining two of the girls from the party in their rooms. She decided it was probably her turn to clean up anyway. Rolling up her sleeves, she went around the backyard, picking up empty bottles, cigarette butts and food scraps left over from a food fight.

Kayden came over and asked where Ethan and Conor were. After telling him they were busy with some chicks, she told him he could go up and see them if he wanted. He said he did not feel right disturbing them and had only come around to see if they wanted to go to the races with him. Seeing they were busy, he asked if she wanted to take off for a couple of hours to fill in the day instead.

They had been talking nicely again now, so she guessed it would be okay. After all, he was just her boss now.

There were horse races at Wittenoom and even though she was his second choice, she was glad to do something other than clean up on her own. They laid bets on the horses while Cassie sipped on cold glasses of champagne. It was a nice day and on the way home he asked her many questions about Woody and made her laugh a lot about stories of old. ‘Now you’re sleeping with Woody you would know that anyway,’ he said at one stage.

It came out of left field and she stared at him for a moment. ‘Woody’s not like that. We aren’t … I haven’t …’ She turned and stared out the window, not knowing what to actually say.

‘Sorry if you thought I was prying. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I just assumed you two were an item that was all,’ he said, sounding innocent enough.

Cassie turned to him and grinned. ‘That’s alright, I overreacted. It’s complicated,’ she said and just changed the subject.

After he took her home, he stayed and helped her finish cleaning up. The boys surfaced every now and then to see if Cassie was alright and then went back to their rooms. They had a swim after they finished cleaning and then opened a bottle of wine, sipping it in the warm spa. The bubbles and the wine relaxed her after what seemed like a long day.

‘You know I never touched that girl, don’t you?’ he asked, trying to smooth over their past.

‘Yes, I believe you now because you have no reason to lie anymore. Maybe even then.’ She was being honest because he was.

‘Then why did you leave?’ he asked. ‘I know it’s all in the past but I just needed to ask.’

‘It took a long time for Woody to help me work through that. At the time I just kept seeing her in your arms and couldn’t get past it. I guess we both had issues. Sometimes two people are just not meant to be.’ She lay back.

‘You must really love Woody. He’s been a good friend to you and you’ve never run from him,’ he said quietly.

‘I do love him dearly. He’s my best friend in the whole world and if I ever get the urge to run, he has brainwashed me to come get him. He runs with me until I have nothing left. I’ve never had so much devotion,’ she said.

‘Then what’s stopped you from committing yourself to him?’

She sat up angrily. ‘It’s really none of your business, Kayden. I shouldn’t have said anything. I have my reasons, just leave it at that!’

He moved towards her with a look in his eyes that she had not seen for many months and she backed away.

‘Don’t you dare!’ She flashed an angry look at him but he ignored her and slipped his arms around her. His lips came down hard against hers. He didn’t let her go until she stopped struggling. It was her body that finally gave her away, melting into him as her arms wrapped around his neck. He’d stirred up something she had buried deep inside. He pulled away, leaving her breathless. He watched her as she tried to pull herself together.

‘You’re still in love with me, Cassie. You can’t lie to me.’

She tried to get out of his grip. ‘No! No, I don’t, I love Woody now.’

His mouth came back down on hers, kissing her so gently and lovingly that it nearly broke her heart. Tears streamed down her face.

‘What are you doing to me?’ she cried when he let her go. ‘You will only hurt me again! You threw me away. Woody has stuck the pieces back together and now I have to be his. I can’t be disloyal to such love.’

‘Cassie, you don’t have to tell me how much I hurt you. I’ve lived with it every day and every night for months. I really thought you would be better off without me. I honestly wanted you to find happiness but I am still terribly and unconditionally in love with you too. I can’t be the good guy any more. I’m the evil boy come to steal you back any way I can and I don’t care if Woody beats the shit out of me—or you tell me to go—I’m here to get my woman back if she’ll have me. I don’t want you back just as my lover, Cassie. I want to marry you and be with you always. Will you marry me, Cassie? Now, today? We’ll drive somewhere and find a priest. Please make me the happiest man in the world and say yes.’

She put her head in her hands and sighed. ‘I thought you didn’t love me, Kayden. I’ve led Woody to believe he and I have a chance by letting him kiss me. I’m so confused.’

He came back over to her. Just his touch sent electrifying sensations through her. ‘We love each other, Cassie. We always have and always will. I’m going to go and let you work out how you want this to go down. But I‘ll not take no for an answer! I’m not letting go this time and if you’re unable to tell Woody then I will. It’s better he gets hurt now rather than later when he’s taken you to his bed. You have nothing to give him because you know you will always keep yourself only for me.’

He kissed her again. Her heart just about thumped out of her chest and her body wrapped around him, feeling every curve that she had missed so terribly. She groaned.

‘I love you. Come home, baby,’ he whispered. He let her go and got out of the spa.

It was late when Woody and Jason arrived back. Cassie was still up, tortured by what had happened. She tried to act normal but what was normal? She was falling apart with guilt and old feelings. Jason took his leave and Woody came over to where she sat and put his arm around her. ‘What’s up, Cass, did you miss me?’ he joked, trying to break down the barrier he felt around her.

She looked affectionately at her best friend and wondered how she could ever break his heart and live afterwards. ‘Kayden came over today.’

‘He’d better not have upset you! No wonder the bastard was in such a good mood. What did he say?’ he asked angrily.

‘He came to get the boys to go to the horse races but they were busy with their girls so I went.’

‘You what?’ He stood up, angry. ‘He hates the horse races. I knew there had to be a reason why he started to sleaze back over here. He wants you back, doesn’t he?’ He paced.

‘I told him I loved you and was committed to our relationship but …’

He grabbed her by the shoulders and taking one look into her eyes, he knew. ‘He bloody kissed you, that sneaky son of a bitch!’ He was pacing again. ‘I’m going over there to knock some sense into him. He sent us off so he could be alone with you. That lying, cheating mongrel!’

Jason came out. ‘What’s going on, mate? What’s all the yelling about?’

Woody was furious. ‘We put her back together and she just gets happy again and his frigging highness comes over and tries to steal her back. Bloody kissed her as well! Of all the dirty tricks, he sent us off so he could spend the day with her.’

Jason shook his head. ‘You knew it would happen, Woody. We all tried to tell you a love like theirs would find its way back. I guessed it tonight when I saw that sparkle back in her eyes that has been missing for months.’

‘Thanks for the bloody support, mate!’ Woody growled angrily. He went over and swinging Cassie up in his arms carried her inside and up the stairs to his room.

‘Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Woody!’ Jason warned. ‘Let it go, for all our sakes.’

Woody laid her gently on the bed and lay beside her as they had done many times before. He looked at her for a long time and then rolled away, lying on his back and putting his arm over his eyes. She cuddled up to him, feeling his pain, while tears ran down her face for the hurt he was feeling. He felt her quiver with silent sobs and he cuddled her until she stopped.

‘I love you both,’ Cassie sobbed. ‘I’m sorry. He tricked me. I thought I’d buried all those feelings. You’re my most favourite person in the whole world and I can’t bear the thought of never talking to you again. Your friendship is so deeply set inside me. You’re the voice in my head and I can’t believe this is happening to you—to us.’

He kissed her gently as he had done so many times but he became more urgent and she let him, hoping he could change her mind. But as he started to take off her clothes, she froze. He flung himself back on the bed.

‘I’m sorry, try again. I’ll control it. Make me love you instead,’ Cassie begged him. She kissed him again but he went cold.

‘Your love for him is deep in your soul. You can only give me some of your heart and it’s not enough for me. I have to move on and find someone who loves me. The only way that is ever going to happen is to make a clean break.’

‘But I do love you. Please don’t take your love away from me. I’ll never see him again, I promise. Stay with me, Woody. I choose you,’ she sobbed as she begged him.

‘You’re breaking my heart, princess. But I’m not the one you want and I can’t see how I can ever get over you if I try to stay your friend while watching you with him. It doesn’t work that way and you know it.’

She leaned on her elbow, watching him. ‘Can’t we still be the same? What has to change? I’ve always kissed and cuddled you from the first day I met you. I’ve loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you. I thought you were so handsome, you blew me away. We’ve bonded like no other friends could; our friendship is strong enough to last many lifetimes. I’m willing to give up Kayden for that friendship. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? I’ll still see you every day and we can still have our alone time together. Please don’t run from me. You told me not to run and I stayed for you. Can we not work through this together? Let’s spend a couple of days on our own, just to talk.’

He pulled her into him. ‘I can’t think straight,’ he said. ‘Just let me hold you and sleep for a few hours and I’ll see how I feel when I wake up.’

She cuddled into him, not ever wanting to let him go and cried herself silently to sleep. ‘I love you,’ she whispered to him but he never spoke for the rest of the night.

In the morning they were still in each other’s arms and when she looked at him, he smiled at her. ‘I’ve been watching you sleep,’ he said, running his hand caringly over her face. ‘We are two of a kind, you know and it only just dawned on me. Cass, it’s not just you holding back. There’s someone I too have been holding onto and if I’ve learnt anything from you it is that true love never dies. I think it is time we both sat up and took a good look around us. We’ve both needed each other so much that we built ourselves a fortress and hid inside. Somehow we forgot the fact that there was a world out there and that we were really just a brother and sister leaning on each other until we found our wings.’ He sat up. ‘It’s time we let each other spread those wings and find true love. I was watching you before you woke, trying to imagine the love you had with Kayden and my mind went straight to Ella. She never gave up on me but I’ve hidden under the protection of your umbrella, maybe just like you and Kayden. I never gave her time to adjust and learn. I never trusted her. But you know, I think it’s time we trusted someone other than ourselves. I was wrong, Cassie. We will always be together. I want to share with you the lows and highs in my life like I always have and hope you’ll still do the same.’

She smiled and cried at the same time at his happy revelation. He wasn’t going to leave her.
We will always be just how we have always been, best friends
.

When they went downstairs, Jason could see they had worked it out. Woody told him he was taking her home and then he was going to visit a friend. He added that they shouldn’t expect him until the following day.

Cassie kissed Jason. ‘Thanks for being the best friend ever to both of us.’

As Woody dropped her off, Cassie kissed him and wished him luck. ‘Go get your girl,’ she said as he grinned sweetly at her.

Angel Gift of Mine

Kayden heard a car and went out, ready to face the music. He had kissed Cassie and begged her to come home and he knew Woody was there to take revenge on his dirty-arse tactics. ‘Hell, I even sent him off on a bullshit mission to get him out of the way. I can just imagine how this is going to go down with his temper. Nevertheless, she is mine and he had better just start getting used to it. I found her, you bastard!’ he muttered as he watched the car approach. ‘She’s mine … mine!’

The nights he had agonised over the image of her asleep in Woody’s arms—not his—twisted his guts even now.
He can smack my frigging head in if it makes him feel better but at the end of this day, I swear she will be mine again.

The car pulled up a little way away from him and Kayden watched, confused as Cassie kissed Woody while saying something to him. They were smiling at each other.
What the hell! Don’t tell me she hasn’t told him yet.
Jeez, Cass, he has to know! If you’re coming home to me I won’t be giving you back, ever! She’s my girlfriend, woman-thief. That’s right; I’m doing the thieving this time. Shit, it feels good. Bastard! Stop kissing my woman.

He stood, wondering how, if she had told him, he could hold and kiss her with so much tenderness and walk away with a smile, knowing he had lost her.
I knew she was an angel but she must be a gift from above if she’s able to break up with someone so amicably. God hear me now, if she is coming back to me, I promise never to let my foolishness ever hurt one of your angels again
.
Please give me a chance to show you I’m worthy of such a gift.