Page 26 of Hideaway

“Well, I did offer to take the floor, butsomeoneinsisted on sleepingwith me,” Cade retorted with a roguish smile on his beautiful face. The comment earned him a glare from Kara, but she refused to fall prey to his arrogant jabs. “Now get out of my bed,” he commanded with a sharp clap of his hands. “We have things to do.”

“Whatthings?” Kara asked suspiciously. After the disaster of the night before, she was practically resolved to hide out in Cade’s bedroom until he grew so tired of her that he set her free. Although, something told her that Cade offering her freedom was about as likely as Jane Austen coming back to walk the earth in zombie form. Somoderatelyunrealistic.

A spark that seemed almost reminiscent of actual happiness filled Cade’s eyes as his full lips stretched into a wide grin. “I’m taking you riding.”

IN what was becoming an inconvenient habit, Kara once again found herself outfitted in Cade’s clothes. Casual horse riding attire was one of the few things not to be found in her well-stock closet. It was a surprisingly warm and sunny winter day, so she wore one of Cade’s thick, woolen sweaters with the sleeves rolled up to her wrists, a pair of black yoga pants that she had managed to find in the back of her closet, and a pair of the most sensible boots she could find. The black leather boots still sported a short heel, but the only other option had been a rather risqué pair of thigh-high, stiletto boots. Whoever her predecessor had been, she clearly wasn’t the outdoorsy type.

Forgoing her usual routine, Kara had decided to forget the makeup that morning and pulled her hair into a simple ponytail. Being comfortable and relaxed while walking silently with Cade in the open air felt surprisingly nice. Lovely, even. Cade seemed altered when he stepped into nature. Calmer, as though he shed his usual cloak of dominance and assholery and just allowed himself to enjoy his surroundings. Kara couldn’t help but admire the rare view of Cade without his usual three piece suit and tie. He wore brown jodhpurs, a simple white sweater, and beige riding pants. His pants were tight, clinging to his body and revealing every muscular curve of his ass and thighs. She tried not to ogle his sinfully attractive body, but—since he was walking ahead of her—why not take advantage of an opportunity to study the way his perfectly taut ass swayed with every stride?

“Would you like to take a picture, Miss Caine? It would last longer,” Cade playfully chided without so much as looking behind him.

Turning bright red all the way to her ears, Kara squeaked in mortification before hurrying her steps to match Cade’s. Did he have eyes embedded in the back of his freaking skull or something? Thankfully, they were close to the stables entrance, and she would have something to distract her from the shame of being caught checking out her captor. Kara immediately went to say hello to Sugar Cubes while Cade made himself busy getting the gear ready. The dark horse recognized her immediately, sniffing her hands as though she expected treats like last time.

“Sorry, girl. That tyrant dragged me down here before I could snatch you some apples from the kitchen. Next time, I promise,” Kara crooned as she stroked the horse’s mane.

“Who is a tyrant?” Cade asked, sneaking up behind Kara and placing his hand on the back of her neck. His touch was gentle, but barely, as though he was holding himself back. He wondered if she could feel the contained threat of destruction in his hold.

Kara jumped at the surprise attack, steadying herself by grabbing ahold of the stall door. “None of your business,” Kara answered spitefully, though a little breathlessly. “I was talking to Sugar. No boys allowed.” She waved him away as though he would listen to her demands.

Of course, he didn’t. “Watch yourself, Miss Caine,” Cade cautioned, his eyes glittering with malice. “I came armed.” He twirled a black riding crop between his fingers threateningly.

Kara gulped nervously at the sight and resolved to be on her best behavior. At least until Cade put down the fucking horse whip. “So, which one is mine?” Kara asked to change the subject, gesturing to the other horses stomping in their stalls.

“Oh, I think I have the perfect one for you,” Cade answered mischievously, heading toward the back of the stable. He stopped in front of the last stall, nodding toward a large, white stallion. “You two hellions should get along nicely.”

Kara gawked at the sight; the stallion was huge, one of the largest she had ever seen in person. There was no way she’d be able to mount him unassisted. “What’s his name?” Kara asked, making it clear that she wasn’t backing down from Cade’s challenge. It was a fucking low blow to pair someone as small as her with the largest horse in the stable, but she would show the bastard. There was nothing quite so thrilling as proving Cade wrong. In fact, it was becoming the very thing she lived for.

“Avalanche,” Cade answered with a smirk.

Named after a deadly barrage of snow and ice. Fantastic.

“Cute,” Kara replied sarcastically, attempting to mask her trepidation at being forced to ride the white, snow-death stallion. Cautiously, Kara stepped toward the horse with her hand outstretched. The stallion snorted at the approach, but slowly let down his guard enough to nudge her hand. Softly, Kara trailed her fingers through his coarse mane as the horse adjusted to her scent. “There you go,” she encouraged. “You might look scary, but you’re a sweet boy aren’t you?” Avalanche reflexively nodded, making Kara laugh. “Yes, you’re so good,” she continued to sweet talk while rubbing his back.

“Huh,” Cade muttered, the sound surprised and annoyed.

“Yes, Lord Ashford?” Kara asked in a snarky tone, pausing her attentions with Avalanche to study the brooding man beside her.

“He likes you,” Cade explained with a note of astonishment.

“And this is surprisingbecause? I’ll have you know I’m very well liked outside of your general vicinity, people and animals included,” Kara answered with a pout, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m sure you are,” Cade retorted in a tone of thinly veiled sarcasm. “Avalanche doesn’t like anyone.”

“Not even you?” Kara asked incredulously. She assumed the man possessed the ability to glare anything into submission.

“No, not even me,” Cade answered with a laugh.

“So you paired me with a stallion who hates everyone,why?” Kara asked in annoyance, though she knew she really shouldn’t be surprised. Clearly the man made it his mission to torment her.

“I was testing a theory,” Cade replied vaguely as he continued to study her, a dissecting expression marring his too lovely face.

“And what was your conclusion?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Possibly.” She was actually unendurably curious to know what he thought he had discovered about her. But she tried not to seem too keen as she waited for his response. She was met merely with silence and a mischievous grin. “Wait, you’re really not going to tell me?” Kara asked in exasperation.

“You know, I don’t think I will,” he retorted smugly.

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