They'd all been drinking, except Jason. Cassie was sure he'd not even had a drop and wondered what Sonia had that the others didn't. Eyeing her again for a minute, she couldn't see it. Shaking her head, she grinned. Sun must have got to him and mucked with his senses.

The meal was superb and later they sat on the beach drinking shots of tequila, watching the stairway to the moon. Kayden explained it only happened at a certain time of the year when there's a full moon. 'As it rises over the water at low tide, it creates the effect of stairs, giving the illusion that they reach as high as the moon.' Cassie thought it was awesome.

Afterwards, he pulled Cassie up and took her for a private stroll. Out of sight, they decided to have a private skinny-dip together. They left their clothes on the beach, swimming out and frolicking in the night with the waves lapping and rolling around them.

'I've really enjoyed today, gorgeous. Thanks for making me feel so special,' he said, kissing her. Cassie melted in his arms. Being naked and kissed in water, she felt so sexy and wished they had more time. She doubted she would forget today for a very long time. All the new experiences and the laughs they had still made her smile or squirm with the remembered joy.

As they returned and rounded the cape, they spotted the rest of the team sitting on the beach on their own. She felt for the surprise that she kept for them in her pocket.

'What happened?' Kayden asked once they reached them.

'Did the girls get sick of you dorks all at once?' Cassie joked.

'No, they're fine. We've just had enough and told them we needed time with our sister,' Jason said, sounding a little flat.

'Yeah, there's only so much girl stuff we can put up with,' Conor said. 'They were getting on my nerves.'

'You can say that again,' Ethan grumbled. 'Just one more stupid question and I would have exploded.'

Cassie started to laugh although she stopped when they all looked deadly serious. 'Sorry, but you guys are unreal. Five women, all available and you're sick of them already. Jeez, the poor girls have literally thrown themselves at you all day. I don't get it.'

'You just hit the nail on the head, Cass, thrown themselves at us. Where's the chase or the thrill?' Conor grouched.

Cassie could see they all needed cheering up although she had no idea why. Spoilt little shits. They should be kissing my feet. They should be so grateful. She grinned to herself. They were so going to cop it, the unappreciative sods. She went behind Woody and Jason, who sat together and knelt down, putting her arms around them. They let out a sigh and relaxed with her touch. Even though she knew it was a Cloud Rider's bond she was amazed how much power she had over them and it excited her just as much as it did them.

As they depended on each other, they now also depended on her. Only, being a female, it was shaking them up a bit. Maybe it was a protective thing that a man naturally feels towards a woman. Whatever it was, she felt it in them, mixed with the need to be with her too. She grinned mischievously to herself. She had a game and now seemed the perfect time to play it. She knew it would rattle them further but the little ungrateful shits deserved it. Afterwards, she was sure they'd be glad to hand her back to Kayden to get some peace for a while.

'Well I guess we better cheer you all up then. I have a new game that starts off boring, but you'll love the ending. Do you want to play it?'

'Go for it, Cass,' Woody said and she felt his mood lift already in anticipation of what she was going to get up to.

She made them all sit together. They only had their swimmers on and no tops so this was going to be easy-peasy to play, she decided.

'Now, we're going to start off with a guessing game and it may sound dumb at first so have patience.' She started with Woody first and wrote on his back with her finger. He had to guess what the word was.

'Jam boy,' he said. 'What does that mean?'

She pushed him from behind, smiling. 'You have strawberry hair and are so very sweet.'

Woody smiled and sighed. 'Jason, check my back. Did she scribble on it?'

He looked. 'Nope, you're good.'

'I know she's up to no good,' he said. 'But I'll play her dumb frigging game.'

She went to Conor, slipped out the texta from her pocket, wrote 'Bad Boy' and he guessed it. On Jason, she wrote 'Evil Boy' and on Ethan, 'Wicked Boy'. Then back to Woody, she wrote 'Devil Boy' and stood back, admiring her work. She ran off down the beach laughing.

They all looked at each other's backs and when they finished laughing at each other's names, they took off after her. 'You are so dead, cloud girl!' they called after her, hitting each other for being so dumb and letting her do it, while laughing and running after her. Kayden watched her pull the texta out and tried to warn her and then just shook his head and grinned, knowing she was really going to cop it this time.

Woody reached her first and had her under his arm, dragging her back. 'Take it off and we might go lenient on you.'

'I can't, I haven't bought the remover with me. Wait until the girlies see you tomorrow. I doubt if they will be falling all over devil boy now.' She kept giggling.

'You little ratbag, I can't think of anything bad enough to punish you with just yet but give me a minute,' he was saying as he brought her back to the others. 'What have you guys decided?' he asked. 'She reckons she can't take it off. She didn't bring anything to get the stuff off.'

'Cassie,' Jason said. 'That was a dirty trick. At least we did it where you couldn't see it.'

'Well, you said the girls were annoying you. I've just put repellent on you. I was trying to help, evil boy.' She kept cracking up laughing. 'The chicky-babes are going to love this: a story about dumb shits who let their sister scribble all over them. It will be laughed about for years.' She kept making fun of them.

'I say we drown her first, then feed her to the beach bugs and bury her under the sand,' Woody was saying with revenge in his tone.

'I say we draw all over her so she looks just as bad,' Jason said.

Cassie realised she was really in for it and tried to wiggle and get loose from Woody's grip.

'I vote we stop her from going anywhere near Kayden so she can't have any fun with the opposite sex either,' Ethan said wickedly.

'And I think she should be made to give us all a back massage after we get this shit off,' Conor said, smiling like his was the best punishment.

'It's decided then,' Woody said and lay her wiggling on the ground. 'The punishment is what we all said.' He grinned roguishly. 'Well, maybe not drown her but all else stays.'

Woody, Jason and Conor held her down so Ethan could grab the texta out of her pocket and begin drawing on her.

'Cassie,' Ethan said playfully. 'The more you wiggle, the worse the writing will look. Keep still.' He was laughing as the other three stopped her from moving.

When they'd finished her front, they rolled her over and did her back. She grabbed a handful of sand and when they stood her up, she dropped it down Woody's pants.

'Little shit,' he said laughing. 'She just threw sand down my bloody pants. You're in so much trouble now, girl.'

He picked her up and they all went into the water after them. She had only used a water marker and it came off as they mucked around in the water. Kayden tried to rescue her at one stage but they all attacked him and he gave up and let the games continue.

Woody was the first to realise that the texta was coming off and smiled, shaking his head. 'You are so not getting away with it because it's coming off. You're still going to pay for making us freak out,' he grumbled and threw her up in the air, over to Jason.

When they sat back on the beach, they buried her in the sand. There was no way she could move so she just had to wait until they were bored without her and pulled her out. 'That's no fun,' Jason said as he dug her out. 'She can't talk or laugh when the sand's packed around her. Forget that stupid game.'

As soon as she was free, she ran to Kayden and just as she nearly got to him, Woody snatched hold of her and sat her back between him and Jason.

'But that's not fair,' she whinged. 'That punishment was only if you couldn't be with the girls. It should be nullified now the scribble's all gone.'

'So does that mean you're sorry for what you did to your friends?' Woody said. 'Are you actually going to say sorry, Cassie and give in?' he asked.

'When hell freezes over maybe,' she said defiantly.

He put his arm around her. 'I thought as much. Now, you still have one more penalty facing you, and that is the back massage. This time you'll be watched, young lady, so no more drawing!'

Jason came back with beers. 'We need a drink first. Cassie's worn me out.'

Now I have to watch them all clink their bottles together and the rotten sods all drink to that. This is hardly over yet. She sat planning.

Woody felt her thinking. 'I wouldn't, Cassie. If you ever want to be back in your man's arms again, behave!' he said firmly.

She glanced over at Kayden and he was lying back comfortably against a log that had been washed up onto the beach, having a drink. He seemed amused that she didn't give in and was waiting for her to act up again. He looked so inviting with the glow of the moonlight reflecting on his skin that she no longer wanted to play with the boys. She wanted to play with her man. She sighed, knowing she was just prolonging the inevitable. 'Okay, who's first for their massage?' she asked, giving in.

Woody was the last one and when she finished she bent down to his ear. 'Sorry, handsome. Forgive me,' she whispered and kissed his cheek.

He rolled over and sat up, giving her a hug. 'You can make me so frustrated and cranky, yet say four little words and I'm sucked in. I do but I'm not the only one you rattled tonight.'

She went over and knelt behind the others one at a time, whispering a message just for them before kissing them on the cheek as well. Ethan started laughing. 'You must really want to be with the boss to have given in. Go on, I'll let you off.' He grinned and the others nodded.

She collapsed into Kayden's arms, worn out. She needed to toughen up to be as strong as the guys but she knew Kayden would always be her safe haven.

The night was still young for the night owls so a game of cards was organised.

And me? Well, I need a drink, so agreed .

Just too Hard.

During the evening Cassie laid on the couch for some shut-eye. She had enjoyed her day and fell asleep listening to the guys joke and hang it on each other as they continued the card game. Dawn came and the light shone on her face, waking her. Getting up, she looked about for Kayden. Not finding him inside, she wandered outside, thinking he might already be up and had gone for a morning dip.

When she finally found him he was lying out on the beach and right there was every girl's nightmare. A woman, although fully dressed, was wrapped in her man's arms. Her whole body started to tremble as she went to confront him.

He woke, looked up at her and turned to look at the girl in his arms. 'No, Cassie, it's not what you think. I don't know how she ended up here. I must have thought it was you.'

She shook her head in disbelief, unable to control her shaking any longer and she turned and ran out of sight to where she could calm down.

She heard Woody calling out to her as he headed towards her but she put her hand up angrily. He stopped, seeing by look in her eyes she would possibly inflict pain on anyone that came near her or attempted to stop her at that moment. She was so filled with anger!

He had no choice but to let her be until she had calmed down. She heard Woody and Kayden arguing. The chick jumped up, laughing as if it were a big joke. Cassie was so livid about her attitude that she had to really restrain herself from turning and zapping the stupid bitch. She needed to be on her own and didn't feel up to an argument or lies. In a total trance, she turned her back on them all and the situation that she had no idea how to deal with.

Trudging through the scrub, she ended up at the wharf where a boat was getting ready to leave. The captain was on the deck smoking a pipe and when she asked if he would give her a lift to the mainland, he was very obliging. Most likely he felt sorry for her as she was still shaking uncontrollably and as white as a sheet. As the boat pulled away from the dock, she could see Kayden and the team arguing on the beach.

She watched, not really taking it in until her legs crumbled under her and she sat right where she was until they reached land. She was still numb and apart from the shakes, she told herself that she would get through this deceit.

She hiked back home and walked the long path up to the house. Inside it was cold and uninviting. Walking straight back out again, she decided she might be able to think better if she was with Starburst. Any comfort, other than human, was what she thought she needed. To her disappointment, when she reached the paddock, Tremaine was still there checking on the horses. I'm in no mood for him either! She sighed, changed her mind and detoured around him.

As she walked, her mind went into overdrive. Her past fears of not being worthy of her untrustworthy family and friends all jumbled around in her mind, mixed with the present. She had nowhere to go that she could think of. In her state of mind, she just couldn't think past putting one foot in front of the other. She was unable to comprehend why Kayden would want another girl in his arms. She thought about their time together, reliving every minute and trying to find a break in the connection somewhere that she should have noticed.

Is it the boys? Is he jealous? Does he want to get back at me for mucking around with them last night? Or is his love all just a con to have me join his team? Her mind went round and round until it felt like it was going to explode.

She finally realised where she was and stumbled around in the brush before finding the lake. She couldn't get rid of the thought of another woman wrapped in her man's arms. As she thought it, a stab of pain folded her over and she screamed with the severity of it. She rolled up in a ball, trying to stop the pains that gripped her stomach. She felt delirious and was burning up with a fever. She rolled around with beads of sweat pouring off her face.

She had just been bitten by something and she realised that it must have been poisonous due to her reaction. She tried to get up a few times but kept passing out, the pain getting worse, until she felt a little nudge and opened her eyes to Starburst.

'Go get help!' she told him, rolling over and groaning. He must have felt she was upset to have come so far to find her.

Coherent at last, she was glad when she woke and had been found. Kayden was in the chair next to her and she looked away, still angry with him. The nurse came in, confirming what she had already figured out, that a poisonous spider or snake had bitten her. She still had drips in her arm and complained about it while the nurse removed the thermometer from her mouth.

As Cassie expected, the nurse only took the thermometer from her before leaving. Now they were on their own again, Cassie shook even more, knowing she had to deal with what had happened.

Kayden looked irritably at her, stopping her fear and turning it to anger.

'Why are you here, Kayden? Shouldn't you be with your new girlfriend?' she snarled.

She could feel him suck in his breath and she waited for what seemed like ages before he let it out. 'I can't believe you would think I would do that to you, Cassie. Obviously, our relationship isn't that strong after all. I've just come to let you know that I give up. You win. I am sick of you running every time something goes wrong. I'm sorry that silly little tart came and cuddled up to me but maybe you might try to understand a little of what I go through every time you kiss or hug one of the guys. It always has to be all about you or nothing. From now on, I'm your boss and that is it. The boys are happy for you to stay with them. If you wish to stay on as a member of the team, you're welcome to but I don't want you to come home.'

She glared at him with hatred. 'Good! You're just as painful. I'm sick of having to try to make you and your damned buddies happy. I'll not be staying, so don't flatter yourself that you're worth waiting around for. Get out and don't let the door hit you on your way out, you dirty rotten two timer!' she added furiously.

After they released her from hospital the next day, she had no idea what she was going to do or what the day would bring. Woody stood waiting for her as she came out the front entrance. He took her arm and as much as she wished she could tell him where to go, she didn't know where she was and needed him to drop her off somewhere that would lead her anywhere but back to Kayden's.

'Just drop me off on the highway, Woody. I'll hike back to Perth and try to pick up where I left off. I was a fool to come back here and think that someone would ...' she ran out of bother. She was so over people not loving her the way she did them. She just wanted to give up.

'Cassie, I have told you before, to find happiness you have to stop running. To stay is to fight for what you believe in. Stop being afraid and look your fears in the face. Stay the course. You know Kayden wouldn't have done that to you and he's not just angry with you at the moment. He is angry with us all but he'll work through it. Come home with me, with us, where you belong. We are your family now and we want you with us.'

Tears streamed down her face. 'Family! How can you say I'm family when I keep hurting everyone?'

'Because we understand. We boys adore you!'

'I'm just finding it hard because all I can see is her in his arms and it makes me want to just run and run and run until I'm too tired to see the damned image!'

'Then we'll do it together, around the property and out along the main road, everyday. You're not alone anymore, Cass. We'll be your rock until you become one. How about it? Tell me what you have to lose. The road to Perth is just outside our front gate and if at any time you really don't want to be with us anymore, I'll take you myself.'

Months to Heal.

It had been four months since she'd moved in with the boys. Woody had been right. They were her world now and she loved being the centre of theirs. At last she had found the family that she always wanted. Kayden had stopped moping around and over the past few weeks had began to join them again, his personality surprising them all. He was jovial, funny and a joy to have around. Cassie didn't love him anymore, he was just a boss and that suited her fine. Woody had become her friend and love, she adored the ground he walked on. He had seen her through so much and his friendship was beyond anything she had ever had. She could sit for hours and listen to him and most days they would just talk until dawn.

They had kissed a few times but she had not been able to go much further than that and she knew it worried him. She just needed a bit more time and he seemed to understand. Once they were in the kitchen and Kayden had walked in on him kissing her but he had just walked out again, not saying anything or showing any reaction. She knew he was over her too.

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.