Gypsy Designs Ch. 01

Caydn felt the fire storm of emotions battering her brain, his expression never changing as he listened without her being aware. Some of the stress and pain he'd seen in her eyes being answered. Something nagged at him to know more, to push for more answers since he'd met very few people who had this ability other than those like himself.

She didn't even have to see the look of determination on his face to know he wasn't going to be happy with a brush off like most people. Taking a deep breath she looked up to find him staring at her intently.

He didn't like the flash of defeat and resignation that slammed into him when he read her thoughts. He knew she'd tell him as much as she was comfortable telling but he didn't want her to feel pressured into it.

"It's okay I really should've gotten use to the questions over the years but for the most part people ignore it and chalk it up to a fluke," she said sliding down the wall to sit on the floor beside the door.

"If you don't want to answer any questions or explain you don't have to," he said gently his voice dropping to the deep seductive tone he'd used when talking to his dance partner earlier that evening. He was shocked when she laughed and rubbed her forehead.

"Sorry but something felt like it tickled," she explained looking up at him. "You wanted to know how I could answer questions you never spoke out loud am I right?" she met his eyes directly.

"Well since I think I'm old enough to know the mechanics of eating an apple, you're right about my question," he smiled not pleased at the turmoil and pressure he could hear and feel her putting on herself at the moment.

"To be perfectly honest I don't have any idea how I do it, I just know that I do and that I've been able to hear someone's words before they come out of their mouths," she said with a sigh looking down, pulling the lose threads from her sweat pants and shirt hoping that the flush of heat she felt wasn't burning on her cheeks.

"I also seem to know something's going to happen or when someone around me is going to do something before they do it. It can be helpful but also be a real pain when people start noticing," she shrugged her shoulders. "As for when or how I don't have a clue it's something that's happened all my life."

Caydn felt the burden that even talking about this caused her, in his mind he saw flashes of people who'd either turned away from her or she'd turned away from. One of the people who'd condemned her had been her mother.

"Don't worry about it some people are to self involved and ignorant to understand everyone in the world isn't all made from the same cookie cutter mold," he said softly for some reason wanting to relieve some of the burden he felt weighing her down.

"Yes I can do it to," he laughed when her head snapped up quickly, her eyes boring into his. "Sometimes the senses are just ultra sensitive, enhanced for some more than others," he gave the generic reason careful to keep her from hearing anything in his mind.

Wanting to see just how enhanced her natural abilities were he thought his next question instead of asking it. "How much do you hear or know about people when you're able to hear what their thinking?" he asked in his mind watching her closely seeing the frown creasing her forehead for a second before she looked at him.

"I don't know anything any different than anyone else I don't think. I just know what their thinking about me," she sighed. "Every so often I can hear what seems to be a low roar of things but I've learned to tune it out like a fly buzzing around. I only pick out the things that directly affect me."

"So you don't try to hear what their thinking intentionally?" his voice again dropping to the seductive smooth deepness that made her laugh earlier.

Sitting up straight she glared at him, "Stop that it's annoying and it also tickles," she said firmly shaking her head realizing how strange that sounded. "It must be the tone your voice takes that makes me feel like it's trying to crawl in my head and dance around, I don't like it," she shrugged as if to say she didn't know why. Taking a deep breath she held still knowing that if she moved her suddenly overly sensitive nipple would brush against the fabric and she wasn't sure she could contain the moan.

Caydn wasn't just shocked but very careful to block his mind so she'd not inadvertently hear more than he allowed her to. This of course meant being much more on guard than he'd ever been in his own home, he wasn't sure he was at all comfortable with that.

She stood up slowly, her face calm outwardly but her eyes mirrors to the disappointment she was feeling. He didn't want her here. He hadn't said it and didn't even really think that exactly, but his discomfort made it obvious this situation wasn't going to work out as she'd hoped. Immediately she put up the blocks she'd been taught to use, she knew when he left the house in the morning she'd take what she needed and find a place of her own even a weekly rental until she found the right apartment. Once she got settled she knew Sophie would bring her things. The question was how she'd explain the sudden change in plans to Sophie? Sighing she was almost thankful for knowing how he felt since it acted as if showering her with ice water. The flushing heat and tingling itch subsided instantly.

He knew the instant she'd blocked herself, the whispered sounds stopped in his mind as quickly as turning a light switch off. He watched her closely, she walked over to the table her hand running over the random pieces of fabric she'd sewn together creating a patchwork of colors and textures.

"Those colors go together wonderfully," he smiled standing to walk over stopping beside her. "What amazing design are you planning for it?" he asked frowning when she did nothing more than shrug, keeping her head down, face turned away from him.

"You have to have some idea or you wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of piecing these together," he chuckled trying to lighten the mood. Reaching for the large piece of fabric his hand brushed hers running his finger along the gold braid she'd bordered each piece with.

The minute his hand touched hers he knew she'd read what he was thinking even when he'd closed himself off, she was as mentally stable at the moment as a doe standing in the headlights of on coming traffic. He almost laughed when she jumped back from the contact pulling her hand to her stomach as though she'd been burned.

"Gypsy do I bother you?" he asked having to mentally remind himself not to use his ability to force compliance, it tickled her and she was aware of it. "Or have I done something to upset you?"

She stepped back her nostrils flaring slightly catching the strong pungent scent of perfume that radiated from him. Walking over to the shelves she made a mental note of which pieces she wanted to take with her so she could continue working on a few pieces.

"No Caydn you haven't done anything to bother me," she forced a laugh, "Why would anything you do effect me in anyway?" she added flippantly beginning to pick up the mess she'd made, at the same time

"You've been a gracious host who's given me permission to stay in this amazing home and welcomed me for as long as I need the help. What about that would upset me? I'd say the only thing close to being a bother is that rather over powering feminine smelling cologne you're wearing. I've got to tell you the scent is not as flattering as people might let you think, it even leaves a rather heavy alcohol taste in the mouth just by breathing it in," she couldn't stop the giggle imagining the expression on his face but she refused to look at him continuing on her hands and knees under the table to pick up the few pins she'd dropped.

Caydn almost dropped the glass he'd been holding when he heard her comment. "It actually tastes as strong and obnoxious as it smells I can assure you," he muttered stepping back closing his eyes to block out the vision of her tight rounded ass lifted invitingly in front of him.

She stopped turning to look at him when she heard that. "Please don't tell me you've had the urge to taste it so you know this for a fact?" she stared at him her amber eyes laughing her lips fighting to contain the laugh threatening to erupt any second.

"That didn't come out right at all did it?" he laughed. "That over powering smell is the clinging cologne of one of the presenter's wives at the event I went to this evening," he explained, from the way her eye brows shot to her hair line he knew again he wasn't doing very well.

"Let me try this again," he sighed deeply. "I went to an event tonight, the presenter was there with his wife and about three hundred other overly inflated cronies who seemed to feel they were important enough to be there. His wife got me cornered for a long conversation about how wonderful it was that I was there to support the foundation and in doing so she held on to my arm so I couldn't escape, therefore I smell of her rather over powering cologne," he finished by tossing back his brandy.

She put the pins she'd picked up into the pin cushion before looking across the room where he'd walked to the chair, throwing himself in the seat with a dramatic sigh.

Seeing the expression on her face he had a feeling of dread that as soon as she opened her mouth he was going to regret ever having opened his, he was right.

"Okay let's see if we can make sense of all this then. First you don't wear the offending smelling cologne but you know 'for a fact' what it tastes like so it either means you've got a fetish for sipping women's cologne, or you secretly like to taste the throats, wrists or cleavage of random women especially your associates wives so you know what their cologne tastes like as well as how it smells," she grinned at what she thought was a brilliant conclusion only to laugh at the stunned expression on his face.

He held his breath for a minute until he saw the flash of evil playfulness dancing in her eyes. Leaning forward elbows propped on his knees he watched her continuing to laugh until tears slipped from her eyes.

"I can almost get this mental image of you walking through a large crowd of people, all of the women clamoring to know who the tall darkly handsome and seductive man with the hypnotic eyes is," she wrapped her arms around her stomach the muscles beginning to spasm as she laughed.

"All these women swooning for your attention and you're just feeding your fetish for the taste of women's cologne," she fell back laughing when he rolled his eyes at her comments even though they'd hit so close to the truth.

"I hope your stomach muscles punish you for the false accusations you've just thrown out about me," he said his nose lifted in the air as if offended. He was surprised to find he was enjoying this, the laughter and the casual comedy of the entire situation. It'd been a long time since he'd dropped his considerable guard.

"I'll tell you the truth if you'd stop cackling long enough to listen," he said tugging the lapels of his jacket with a smile. "Many of these people are under the assumption that since I spend my time abroad that I have the same passion as the air headed Frenchmen that instead of shaking hands that I kiss each person I meet on each cheek," he said with a groan remembering the overly stuffed bosoms that'd been shoved against him while the women dragged him down to 'air kiss' his cheeks.

"Have you ever noticed when you get that close to someone wearing what smells like half a gallon of a overly priced obnoxious smelling cologne you can literally taste it?" he asked her one brow raised waiting for her answer. "I see not," he laughed.

"I don't go out of my way to taste these colognes I just keep finding myself in a position of not being able to get away from it," he said with a huff leaning back. "I've never understood this habit women have of covering themselves in scented this or that until they smell like a toxic combination that's about to ignite. And for the record since you did admit how 'handsome and seductive', I think were the word's you used describing me," he grinned at her winking when she covered her mouth trying to stop the giggles. "I do not wear any cologne I prefer my own natural scent to that found in a bottle."

Sitting back up holding her aching stomach muscles she shook her head while catching her breath. "I didn't say I thought those things that's what I imagined a room full of women would think," she rolled her eyes dramatically, "And not all women do that," she said proudly. "I don't wear anything either since it makes me sneeze," she admitted with a grin.

Caydn got out of the chair, walking across the room, reaching down he pulled her to her feet. "I don't see why you want to try and lie since it's obvious to anyone with a nose you wear some citrus scented something that reminds me of a orange that's been in the sun, juicy and ripe," he laughed nodding his head as if to say he'd called her on her statement.

"Okay you've either tasted to many varieties of cologne for one night or you've lost your mind because I honestly haven't worn or used anything with any scent since I was about eight and developed odd allergies to things that smelled," she explained.

Leaning his head down slightly he inhaled deeply only to find that not only was his senses filled with the warm citrus scent of her, doing so caused his cock to harden rapidly.

His voice dropped unintentionally the compulsion a result of his body's reaction. "You smell like a sun kissed orange Gypsy, there's no doubt about it," he said softly.

She lifted her hand to her forehead with a giggle rubbing away the tickling sensation only to gasp feeling the warmth of his tongue stroke the side of her throat, tasting her skin. She swallowed the gasp that threatened to escape when she felt a sharp tightening and rush of heat and wetness pour through her body at his touch.

Meeting his eyes when he leaned back she saw the brown ring surrounding the dark pupils almost burning. Her hand went to her neck, her palm covering the damp skin marveling how the heat still remained, and the heat of her body ramped up even further.

He swallowed the animal like growl in his throat after he'd felt and been so close to tasting the warm fluid beating strongly against his seeking mouth. Closing his eyes he wrestled the rush of heat knotting deep in his stomach. He should've spent more time on the balcony with his dance partner earlier this evening to lessen the dark physical desires he had in addition to just satisfying his hunger. The need and desire to plunge himself into hot wetness almost overwhelming.

"I asked you not to do that," she said softly, "if you want me to do something just ask me there's no need to try and make me," she sighed quietly.

He bowed his head knowing he needed to put some distance between himself and the amber eyed temptation standing in front of him before he ripped her clothes off to see if his senses were misreading the flush covering her cheeks and chest. "I apologize Gypsy, no alcohol taste," he grinned trying to lighten the situation, "so you must be telling the truth, your gifted with a natural scent that would tempt the earth itself." He said stepping back.

"Well it's late, you've a bath to take if the water's not to cold and I've some paper work to get finished," he said walking to the door, "Sometime tomorrow I'd like it if you'd show me the sketch for the design you've planned for this amazing patchwork you've created."

She stood there staring at the empty doorway after he'd walked off, hearing him go into the large study down stairs closing the door behind him. There went her plans on moving out immediately, he wanted to see some of her work.

"Maybe he has a few people who might like to see them with all the people he knows in the business world," she muttered walking to the bathroom, pulling the plug on the tub of cold water, instead jumping in for a quick shower before climbing between the sheets

Trying to get comfortable she sighed. "Maybe I should've taken advantage of the cold bath tub," she mumbled punching her pillow again trying to find a place where it didn't feel like the sheets were caressing her bare skin. With a groan she flipped back over, her nipples so sensitive trying to sleep on her stomach was out of the question. Tangling her legs in the sheets as she moved she frowned at the deep throbbing in the pit of her stomach making her entire body feel as if her skin was on fire.

Caydn didn't even have to try and listen to what was racing through her mind, each word and sensation seemed as if broadcast through a loud speaker directly into his mind. Closing his eyes he fought the urge to envision her nipples when they tightened, aching from the touch of the smooth cotton sheets.

His eyes snapped open hearing the audible groan she made when her nipples tightened painfully as he was thinking about them. Taking a deep breath, brushing his hair back from his face where it'd come lose from the leather holding it back he reached for his glass, downing the brandy enjoying the burn he'd learned to welcome.

Slamming his mind shut he began looking over the papers on his desk, making calls to a few of the business offices he maintained in various places abroad. Throwing himself into dealing with dramas and conflict he was able to push her from his mind, stopping himself from opening his mind to hear what was rambling through her mind at the moment.

Finally she felt like she could take a deep breath, and her skin wouldn't dance over her body. Curling on her side she listened to the rain falling creating a pitter patting noise on concrete surrounding the pool beneath her window. She forced herself to think about the designs she needed to sketch out in the morning. She could hear Caydn's voice in the room below her. His tone changed from boredom to frustration, occasionally anger as she drifted off to sleep listening to his voice.

Hanging the phone up for the last time he leaned back in the large leather chair closing his eyes, the heavy weight of the approaching dawn seemed to wash over him. Shaking his head he wondered at the excessive lethargic feeling until it dawned on him he'd spent additional energy all night keeping himself focused, his mind off of the warm woman directly above him who was sleeping peaceful he noticed dropping his guards allowing her scent, heartbeat and rhythmic breathing to fill his senses.

Pushing back from his desk he walked through the house, something he hadn't done since Sophie and Vince made sure everything was in order and secure while he slept.

He found himself standing outside her doors. The door into the study area was open. He stepped in moving toward the double doors that framed her sleeping in the large four poster bed.

His eyes moved over her arm and shoulder resting easily on top of the down comforter. He smiled seeing those thick ridiculously long lashes resting against her cheeks he fought the urge to touch them to see if they were real.

"They've always been so long people thought they were fake," she said in a whisper. Brushing her hand over her face, pushing her hair back from her face, opening her eyes seeing Caydn standing in the doorway his shoulder leaned casually against the frame watching her.

He could hear her heartbeat so he knew that he hadn't startled her, there was only a slight acceleration in the pulse that beat steadily along her throat he took as a natural occurrence for her at waking, and at the same time wishing that it was more.

"I was just checking the house making sure everything was closed and secure before getting some sleep," he said softly. Seeing her questioning look he chuckled. "I got here the same day you did so I'm still suffering from jet lag, my working the night away with business didn't help."