Page 11 of A First for the Playboy Dragon (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #7)
CHAPTER 10
***HARRISON***
H arrison was whistling as he walked down the hallway to Max’s office, but he stopped when he walked through the door and saw the look on his friend’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, instantly on the alert. “Do we have a problem?”
“You were whistling.” Max said, his voice full of disappointment. “I’ve never heard you whistle before.”
“I was whistling, so what?” he asked. “Can’t a man whistle around here?”
“A man can whistle all he wants as long as it’s not because he’s falling in love,” Max said, giving him a dirty look. “I warned you, Harrison, now look at you.”
“I’m not falling in love, I don’t fall in love,” he said. “In fact, I already told Juliet about George and Annie. She knows how I feel about it, she understands.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?” Max asked. “As far as I know, you’ve never told another woman about them.”
“It just came up in conversation, okay,” he said. “We were getting to know each other, that’s all. She’s easy to talk to, she gets my pain, she’s had a lot of her own, you know.”
“No, I don’t know, but it sounds like you do,” Max said, shaking his head. “Are you really that blind? You’re falling for Juliet and falling hard.”
“I am not, I’m just enjoying having a different kind of relationship with a woman,” he defended himself. “It doesn’t always have to just be physical, I’m capable of connecting on a deeper level, you know.”
“I’m not saying that you aren’t,” Max said with a sigh. “I’m just saying that you’re getting in deep, and there might not be a way back out if you’re not careful.”
“That’s not going to happen, we’re mostly just friends,” he said, ignoring the little voice that said Max might be right. “Friends talk, they share secrets, don’t make a bigger deal of this than it is, and don’t even think about bringing up the island. The simple truth is that I’ve found someone I can connect with; it just happens to be a woman.”
“I see,” Max said. “Have you kissed her?”
He didn’t answer right away. “Of course you have,” Max said, shaking his head. “Kissing kind of blurs the lines of friendship unless I’ve got the definition wrong. You can’t have it both ways, you’re either friends or you’re more than friends.”
“I’m not trying to have it both ways, I’m just trying…well, I don’t know what I’m trying to do,” he finally said. “But I can guarantee you two things: I’m not falling in love, and the island isn’t trying to get the two of us together. When our time on the island is over, we’ll both go our own way, and the time we spent together will just be a pleasant memory.”
“Whatever you say, but I’ve seen this happen six times now,” Max said. “I know what it looks like, Harrison, and once you fall, I’ll be the only one left.”
“You make it sound like the others died,” he said, shaking his head. “They just fell in love and got married, Max. I just saw Keith and Stella yesterday. I’ve never seen him so happy.”
“Just forget I said anything, you’re flip-flopping on this like a fish out of water,” Max said, shaking his head. “But remember that I warned you, your days as a single man are coming to a close, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
“Okay then, on that note, I think we should change the subject,” he said. “All your doom and gloom is ruining my good mood.”
“Like talking about how to keep people off my island is going to improve my mood any,” Max said. “But since that is why you’re here, let’s get on with it.”
When he left Max’s office an hour later, he wasn’t whistling; in fact, he was wondering if he was making a mistake, if he really was falling for Juliet. As much as he’d tried to play down his friend’s warnings, he knew deep down that he’d never felt the things he’d been feeling with Juliet. He knew he was playing a dangerous game, but he’d never had a problem controlling his emotions in the past, had always known where to draw the line.
He’d already stumbled over that line and back again several times; that alone should make him wary, but all he could think about was seeing her again. Letting out a groan, he considered backing out of the hike they were supposed to go on in a couple of hours. It would be the smart thing to do. It would be easy enough to use work as an excuse, and there was plenty he could do with the rest of the hours in the day, but the thought left him cold and filled with disappointment.
You just have to be careful, keep things on the friend level, he told himself. No more kissing, no more hugging, you have to treat her like she’s one of the guys. It shouldn’t be that hard; Juliet had made it more than clear that she wasn’t going to sleep with him, and now that he knew why, he wasn’t going to push her. Thinking about what happened to her ignited his protective instincts instantly, and the urge to avenge her washed over him, another warning sign, and he let out a groan.
“You’re an idiot, Harrison,” he said out loud. “You’re tempting fate, boy, you’d better back off while you can.”
But he knew he’d be there to meet Juliet in a few hours and probably kiss her again. What he refused to acknowledge was that the island could have anything to do with what was happening between them. He wasn’t going to go that far, even in his head. He was still in control of his life, still able to make his own choices, and he wasn’t going to fall in love, it would only end in heartache for someone.
***Juliet***
Juliet had just finished braiding her hair when her phone began to ring in the living room. Her heart sank; only one person could be calling her and he was the last person she wanted to talk to right then. She was so torn between helping her brother and her growing feelings for Harrison that she’d barely slept the night before, and the last thing she needed was one of Joe’s guilt trips. It was an impossible situation, the first time she’d truly had to choose between her brother and her own happiness, and she wished now that she’d had the guts to tell Harrison everything the night before.
With a sigh, she picked up her phone and answered the call, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to ignore it. “Did you get it yet?” her brother asked without even greeting her. “Mr. Adaloni is getting impatient, Juliet.”
“Well, hello to you too,” she said, slightly annoyed. “I’m doing just fine, thanks.”
“Well, I’m not, they’re putting a lot of pressure on me here,” Joe said. “One of Mr. Adaloni’s men almost broke my arm the other day, so excuse me for skipping the niceties. I’m fighting for my life, in case you forgot.”
“How could I forget? That’s all I can think about,” she shot back. “I’m doing my best, Joe. I told you it might take a couple of days; Mr. Adaloni is just going to have to be patient.”
“He’s not a very patient man, and he takes it out on me when he gets annoyed,” Joe said, but then the line went silent. “Oh, no, he’s right here, and he wants to talk to you. Please don’t make him mad, Juliet, he’ll make me pay for it afterward. I can’t take any more broken bones.”
Before she could say a word, a deep male voice came on the line. “Young lady, the pictures you sent were very useful, but they weren’t enough. We need those security plans,” Mr. Adaloni said. “I thought you understood how important this is. We must take possession of the island. It is imperative for my business. Without it, there could be grave consequences. I hope we understand one another now.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, her voice shaking. “I understand, I really do, but…”
“I will not accept failure,” Mr. Adaloni said, his voice suddenly hard. “Get the plans immediately, or there will be repercussions.”
There was a clatter on the other end. “Juliet, you have to do this for me,” Joe said, back on the phone. “I’m too young to die, and you know that you’re in danger too. If you don’t cooperate, he’ll kill you too.”
She’d been so worried about her brother, so distracted by Harrison that it had never occurred to her that she might be in danger, and a shiver ran through her. Even if she did what he asked, Mr. Adaloni might see her as a liability, and he might want to get her out of the way. Suddenly, her brother’s problem had truly become hers, and she was more frightened than she’d ever been before. Her life was now at risk as well.
A surge of anger rushed through her. “Joe, I’m scared,” she said, her voice trembling. “Do you think he’s going to kill me?”
“I didn’t mean he was going to kill you,” her brother quickly said. “That wasn’t what I meant, really, Juliet. You’re safe as long as you do what he asks, I promise.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “What if he kills you? Then he’ll have to kill me too. I know all about him and what he’s doing.”
“Juliet, that’s not going to happen if you just do what you’re supposed to do,” Joe said, his voice full of impatience. “Sleep with the guy and get the plans, it’s that simple. I’ll expect to hear from you tomorrow morning. Send the information to the email address I gave you.”
The line went dead, she pulled the phone away from her ear and then sat staring at it for a long time, trying to get the pounding of her heart to slow. She’d been scared for Joe before, but now she was frightened for herself. Something deep down told her that no matter what she did, this wasn’t going to end well. It had been a stupid mistake to agree to come to the island in the first place. She should have seen the way it would turn out, should have known that anything involving her brother would end in disaster.
After setting down the phone, she got shakily to her feet and began to pace around her tiny living room, the decision she had to make suddenly the most important one she’d ever made. She’d always thought that she’d do anything for her brother, but faced with the possibility of dying for his mistakes; that resolve was slipping away, but the idea that she could be partly responsible for his death made her feel a little sick.
A knock on the door made her jump and let out a little cry of alarm, but she realized that it was just Harrison picking her up for their hike. “I’ll be right there,” she called, hoping her voice wasn’t shaking like the rest of her. “Just give me a minute or two.”
Without waiting for a response, she ran to the bathroom, splashed cold water on her face, then took several deep breaths and looked at herself in the mirror, telling herself to calm down. She needed time to think, needed time to make a decision. She couldn’t let Harrison see how upset she was. He would back her into a corner, make her tell him what was wrong.
Taking one more deep breath, she squared her shoulders, put a smile on her face, and went to answer the door. “Sorry about that,” she said, letting Harrison into the cabin. “I wasn’t quite ready.”