As he helps me down onto the soft lounge chair, he places the book down near my legs. The five stories below us, I can see the first acre at the back of the castle is perfectly manicured lawns and garden, containing a lot of purple flowers and a large marble fountain in the middle of the maze of hedges. Past that is a large green field that is empty except for a stable, framed by a forest on both sides, further after that it looks like it might possibly be a vineyard or more forest I can't really tell though. I realise that I'm avoiding looking at Ryder as I see glimpses of reds, greys and whites blurring in out between the trees closest to me. Once I see it a snap my head back to him, trying to shake the thought. Ryder's angry and I can feel it, but I can see it more in the way he's holding himself. "I'm sorry." I whisper. Anger never brings the best out in people and I really don't want him to be angry at me. He sighs again and sits down on the similar lounge chair next to me. "Don't be sorry Lottie." He says, giving me a smile. "You're angry." His smile drops a little when I say that but he just follows it with a gently shake of his head, his hair moving lightly with it as he does. It makes butterflies flutter in the bottom of my stomach at the sight of it. "I am, not at you though. I could never be angry with you." He pushes himself up off the chair after giving my hand a small squeeze. Before he gets to the door that leads into the room, he stops and turns back towards me, running his hand through his hair and messing it up a little. He's hiding something and I can see that it's eating at him to tell me and it makes me think back to the words that Reynolds said to Ellie on my first night here. If it was me they were talking about then I could see that he is close to tell me something then pulling back. "Ellie will be up with lunch soon. Let her take a look at your cut please, I need to know that you're alright." He says this time fear in his voice. My eyes flicker down the muscles of his body, he tenses as if he knows what I'm doing, he probably does, he is watching me but the way he tenses makes his shirt hug his body much more wonderfully then the way it already does. "Who are you angry at then?" I ask, needing to know more than ever that it isn't me. His hands clench and unclench at his sides before he steps back to be in front of me. He crouches down in front of me, making it so that he's shorter instead of towering his usual foot over the top. His hands come up and cup the both of my cheeks between his hands, his long fingers behind my ears, his thumbs massaging lightly over my cheekbones forcing me to look down at him. Warmth radiates from his touch that's sending tingles down my spine to between my legs raising a new warm and pleasing feeling within me. As soon as the feeling takes over my body Ryder's eyes drop down to my lips and he inches in further towards me, letting out a deep sigh as he drops a thumb down to brush over them before he looks back up to my eyes. Instinctually my hands have moved to lock around Ryder's shirt and hold him in close to me. I didn't notice that my hands have moved but he has, the muscles tense before a slow rise and fall begins beneath them. I keep my eyes on them for as long as I can because looking into his eyes I don't know what I may do or even say. "I'm angry at whoever is making you afraid." He whispers and as I expected my eyes snap up to his as soon as the words leave his mouth. My fists tighten around his shirt even more. He doesn't need to know that, I don't even want to know that, but that one simple sentence brings painful memories forward and if it were anyone else I would push myself away from them but I tighten myself in close to him, savouring the feeling of his touch. Ryder's hands continue to massage gently over my cheeks trying to calm my racing nerves. "I'm angry at who it is that has put their hands up your shirt without your consent and who has made you afraid of my touch." His voice is pained, yet his hands are still trying to calm me. "Ryder, I" I begin to say but he cuts me off with a gentle shushing noise, a hand slipping into my hair. "I trust you." Is all he says before he lets go and pulls back with a regretful sigh, my hands dropping away from his shirt. The muscles of his back flex as he begins to make his way out of the room. His words reassure me. He asked me if I trusted him and I do without a shadow of a doubt and now he's telling me that he trusts me without me even asking whether he did or not. "What about my tour of the castle though?" he smiles at me, a large smile that stretches far across his cheeks and is accompanied with a melodic laugh. "I'm a bit behind in my schedule, but as soon as I can make a space available, I'll be here." He turns with a final smile. Ellie's walking into the room with a plate in her hand. The regular black maids' uniform replaced with a light wash pair of jeans and a loose fitted black t-shirt, with soft brown leather lace up boots, her hair braided down the left side of her neck. She gives Ryder a small smile and a nod of her head and stops as if she's about to listen to something he's about to say. "Thank you Ellie." Is the only thing that comes out of his mouth before he leaves. Ellie sits the plate of what she said was chicken and vegetables down on the table next to me with a glass of water and another two tablets. She moves around to sit near my and she nods at my stomach asking to check it like Ryder asked me too.