Innocence Lost (Lone Mountain Ranch Book 1)

Chapter 25

Kylie's head still throbbed from the headache, pulsing at the outer edges of her skull. She grabbed the glass of water and threw down the contents in one movement. Kylie got out of bed and went to the kitchen to refill her glass and get different clothes to wear. She spotted her suitcase by the door earlier this morning. Chase was really was so attentive and sweet.

She unzipped the crudely packed bag and put her toiletries on the chair next to her. She tried to find cleanish clothes which were not completely rumpled or covered in dust. She turned the suitcase over and everything fell out onto the floor.

She burrowed through the pile and came across her work pants and white button-down top. The lighter material of the pants would feel much better across Kylie's hot thighs than her tight jeans. She pulled out a nude bra and a clean pair of white panties. A mismatched pair will have to do, she thought to herself.

She went into the bathroom and pulled out her toiletries. She threw the shower on and hopped into the freezing cold water before she could think twice about it. It shocked her back to life. It felt good rolling down her sweat covered and overheated body. She soaped herself quickly and ran shampoo and conditioner through her hair. She hopped from one foot to the other as she endured the cold temperature. The last bit of aching in her head was numbed by the adrenaline pumping through her body. She washed her face, making sure to give extra attention to her under eye bags covered with makeup. As soon as she was done, she turned off the water and jumped out of the shower.

She looked for an extra towel, since there was only one hanging on the rack. She looked in the cabinets under the sink, but there were none. She was not about to start traipsing around his house naked. With no other choice, she pulled Chase's towel off the rack and wrapped it around her cold body. She dried off quickly and wrapped the towel around her hair in a turban. She applied all of her potions and creams, paying extra attention to her sunburnt legs. I should ice my legs before I get dressed, she thought.

She pulled the towel back out of her hair and wrapped it around her body. She tiptoed out to the living room and searched the kitchen for plastic bags and filled them with ice. She went into the bedroom and sat on the side of the bed with the ice on her legs. She enjoyed the soothing sensation of the cold ice on her hot skin. Kylie sat there, numbing the pain in her legs and going through her work emails on her phone, when she heard the front door shut.

"Kylie?" Chase said as he entered the house.

Kylie's eyes bulged out of her head with surprise and said, "Umm...I'm in the bedroom getting dressed. One second."

Her clothes were in the bathroom and the door to the bedroom was open. She got up and shimmied over to close the door before Chase could come in. She went into the bathroom and emptied her ice bags into the sink and put the bags into the trash can.

She dressed quickly. She looked crazy. If Chase did not already think that about her, this was not going to change his mind. She patted on concealer and a little blush and lipstick and towel dried her hair a bit more. She hung the towel on the rack, but then thought better of it. She gathered her things and went to the bed to pull the rest of the linens off. She wound them into a big ball and placed her toiletry bags on top of them. Hugging the ball of cotton, she walked into the living area to greet Chase.

"What is all of this?" Chase asked her.

"I umm...I forgot to grab an extra towel before showering, so I used yours. I am sorry. I wanted to strip the bed. If you give me another set of sheets, I can make it up for you," Kylie replied.

Chase let out a quick guffaw, replying, "You didn't have to do that. The extra towels and linens are in the closet in the bedroom, right next to the bathroom. I am sorry. I should have told you."