ChasingCassie Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Lorna Jean Roberts
behaved last night—that wasn’t her. She didn’t
run off in a temper. She didn’t have sex in the outdoors. She certainly didn’t
cry and yell and moan and beg.
Maybe she could lie here forever. Someday, someone would
find her mummified body. She could go down in Landon history, known forever as
the mummy girl.
Then again, maybe not, if the persistent knockers at her
front door didn’t go away.
“Go away.” She’d been trying for threatening. She managed
little more than a grumble.
“Cassie, open this door. Please.” Laney. Cassie grunted and
tugged the pillow over her head.
“Blaine, open the door before I break it down,” Dusty called
out.
Bloody werewolf would do it too.
Cassie grumbled under her breath but got up and moved to the
front door, tugging on an old, tattered dressing gown on her way.
“Blaine?” she queried, squinting as the bright sunlight
pierced her aching eyes.
“Am I close?” Dusty was alarmingly cheerful.
“No.”
“Hmm.” Dusty tapped her finger against her chin.
“What are you doing here?” Ridiculously she found herself
looking behind them, hoping to see Jay standing there. She shook her head in
self-disgust. She was acting like her mother—waiting, pining after a man.
“Can we come in?” Laney’s face was pale.
Cassie left the door open and turned away. “Not like you
couldn’t force your way in anyway.”
“Now that’s the attitude.”
“Dusty!” Cassie heard Laney scold the enforcer.
“Cassie, listen—”
She ignored Laney as she walked back to her bedroom and
hopped into bed.
“Look, I’m not in the mood for company today, okay? Do whatever
it is you came to do and then show yourselves out.” She needed to be alone, to
wallow in self-pity for a while.
“Oh goody, something around here has got to have your name
on it.” Dusty immediately left the bedroom and Cassie could hear her rummaging
around in the small living area. Nobody touched Cassie’s stuff. She’d had so
little growing up that she practically worshipped the few possessions she now
owned. But even the idea of Dusty pawing her way through her precious
belongings failed to penetrate the shield she’d erected around herself. She
felt nothing.
“Cassie, listen to me. I’m so sorry. I didn’t tell you that
stuff last night to hurt you. I told you, well, because I thought I was doing
the right thing. Jay told me it was stupid, and he’s right. He’s furious with
me—”
“Where is Jay?” Cassie interrupted her. He’d left messages
on her phone but she hadn’t bothered to listen to them. She’d unplugged the
phone after the third message. Still, part of her had been hoping he’d come
back.
“Well, he’d be here right now, but Cooper has him working on
the disturbance we had last night.”
“Right, pack business.” And pack came first.
“Someone set fires around the boundary of the estate.
Cassie, no one was laughing at you or ridiculing you, really we weren’t. We hadn’t
even spoken about it. Cassie, please.”
“Come on, Bernice, get your butt outta bed and stop moping
for Christ’s sake. The work at the store won’t get done by itself.” Obviously,
Dusty had failed in her mission to find Cassie’s real name. Cassie almost
smiled at thwarting the werewolf. She kept all her important documents in a
watertight container in the freezer. It felt nice to get something over on the
beautiful redhead.
Man, she hated Dusty right now, detested the fact that Jay
was attracted to her. That he’d left Cassie’s bed for this woman.
“I’m not coming into the shop today. Maybe next week, maybe.
Now go away, both of you.”
“Wow, way to live up to a stereotype, Bethany. I guess I was
right after all.”
“What?” Cassie turned over to look at the smug werewolf,
puzzled.
“Well, this may come as a shock, but I don’t really like
humans and I didn’t like you when I first met you.”
Cassie snorted. “Believe me, that comes as no shock.”
“I think
run off in a temper. She didn’t have sex in the outdoors. She certainly didn’t
cry and yell and moan and beg.
Maybe she could lie here forever. Someday, someone would
find her mummified body. She could go down in Landon history, known forever as
the mummy girl.
Then again, maybe not, if the persistent knockers at her
front door didn’t go away.
“Go away.” She’d been trying for threatening. She managed
little more than a grumble.
“Cassie, open this door. Please.” Laney. Cassie grunted and
tugged the pillow over her head.
“Blaine, open the door before I break it down,” Dusty called
out.
Bloody werewolf would do it too.
Cassie grumbled under her breath but got up and moved to the
front door, tugging on an old, tattered dressing gown on her way.
“Blaine?” she queried, squinting as the bright sunlight
pierced her aching eyes.
“Am I close?” Dusty was alarmingly cheerful.
“No.”
“Hmm.” Dusty tapped her finger against her chin.
“What are you doing here?” Ridiculously she found herself
looking behind them, hoping to see Jay standing there. She shook her head in
self-disgust. She was acting like her mother—waiting, pining after a man.
“Can we come in?” Laney’s face was pale.
Cassie left the door open and turned away. “Not like you
couldn’t force your way in anyway.”
“Now that’s the attitude.”
“Dusty!” Cassie heard Laney scold the enforcer.
“Cassie, listen—”
She ignored Laney as she walked back to her bedroom and
hopped into bed.
“Look, I’m not in the mood for company today, okay? Do whatever
it is you came to do and then show yourselves out.” She needed to be alone, to
wallow in self-pity for a while.
“Oh goody, something around here has got to have your name
on it.” Dusty immediately left the bedroom and Cassie could hear her rummaging
around in the small living area. Nobody touched Cassie’s stuff. She’d had so
little growing up that she practically worshipped the few possessions she now
owned. But even the idea of Dusty pawing her way through her precious
belongings failed to penetrate the shield she’d erected around herself. She
felt nothing.
“Cassie, listen to me. I’m so sorry. I didn’t tell you that
stuff last night to hurt you. I told you, well, because I thought I was doing
the right thing. Jay told me it was stupid, and he’s right. He’s furious with
me—”
“Where is Jay?” Cassie interrupted her. He’d left messages
on her phone but she hadn’t bothered to listen to them. She’d unplugged the
phone after the third message. Still, part of her had been hoping he’d come
back.
“Well, he’d be here right now, but Cooper has him working on
the disturbance we had last night.”
“Right, pack business.” And pack came first.
“Someone set fires around the boundary of the estate.
Cassie, no one was laughing at you or ridiculing you, really we weren’t. We hadn’t
even spoken about it. Cassie, please.”
“Come on, Bernice, get your butt outta bed and stop moping
for Christ’s sake. The work at the store won’t get done by itself.” Obviously,
Dusty had failed in her mission to find Cassie’s real name. Cassie almost
smiled at thwarting the werewolf. She kept all her important documents in a
watertight container in the freezer. It felt nice to get something over on the
beautiful redhead.
Man, she hated Dusty right now, detested the fact that Jay
was attracted to her. That he’d left Cassie’s bed for this woman.
“I’m not coming into the shop today. Maybe next week, maybe.
Now go away, both of you.”
“Wow, way to live up to a stereotype, Bethany. I guess I was
right after all.”
“What?” Cassie turned over to look at the smug werewolf,
puzzled.
“Well, this may come as a shock, but I don’t really like
humans and I didn’t like you when I first met you.”
Cassie snorted. “Believe me, that comes as no shock.”
“I think