Page 21 of A First for the Playboy Dragon (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #7)

CHAPTER 20

***HARRISON***

H arrison dragged Juliet down the hallway, trying every door that he came to, until he found what he was looking for. Then, he pulled her inside and flipped the lock. “You could have warned me you were going to do that,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “I just about attacked you right there in the lobby. It took all my control not to.”

Juliet’s cheeks turned pink. “You don’t mind?” she asked. “I know it’s a big change. I just thought it was time.”

“You were gorgeous to me before,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Now you’re just irresistible, and I can’t wait another second to have you.”

Juliet gasped, “Harrison, everyone is waiting for us,” she said. “We can’t do that right now.”

“It won’t take long, I promise,” he said, sliding his hand under her skirt. “Did I tell you how much I like this dress?”

“Hmm…no,” Juliet sighed, parting her legs when his hand slid between them. “Marie picked it out.”

“She’s a genius,” he said, pushing her toward the couch, then down onto the cushions. “Remind me to thank her later, but first, we have some business to take care of.”

When they stumbled out of the room ten minutes later, Juliet’s legs were still a bit wobbly and he hadn’t quite caught his breath. “Sorry about that, you all, I hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long,” he said, trying not to smile when a blush spread across Juliet’s cheeks. “What are we doing for dinner? I’m starving.”

“If you two can control yourselves for a few hours, we’ll all go back to my cabin,” Max said. “We need to bring the girls up to speed on what we’ve got planned.”

Juliet groaned and buried her face in his arm, but everyone just laughed, then got up and headed for Max’s cabin. “After dinner, we’re going to move your stuff to my cabin,” he said. “I don’t want you staying there alone, it’s too dangerous.”

“Is that the only reason?” she asked, smiling up at him. “I was hoping it was for more than just safety.”

“Behave yourself, princess, or we’ll be making a detour to my cabin right now,” he said, grinning down at her. “I want to strip that dress off you, then run my hands over your body until you're begging for more, but that’s going to have to wait until after dinner.”

Juliet gasped, “I think you won that round,” she said, slightly breathless. “I’m going to hold you to that, by the way.”

“Oh, there’s going to be that and much more,” he said, feeling his body beginning to respond to her teasing. “I have big plans for you, princess, just wait and see.”

The sound of someone moaning softly woke him much later that night. It only took him a second to figure out that it was Juliet. “Sweetheart, are you okay?” he asked, leaning over her. Is there something wrong?”

“I’m sorry I woke you, but my stomach hurts,” she said. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Before he could say anything, Juliet jumped out of bed and fled to the bathroom. A second later, he heard her retching into the toilet. He followed her, then knelt down next to her, pulled her hair back from her face, and waited it out, unable to do anything else. When Juliet finally sat back, her face white as a sheet, he helped her to her feet and over to the sink.

“Rinse your mouth out, you’ll feel better,” he said, turning on the tap. “Then we’ll get you back into bed. You must have picked up a bug.”

Juliet looked over at him miserably, “Maybe…” she said, then rushed back to the toilet.

When it was over this time, he picked her up off the floor and carried her back to the bed. “Close your eyes and rest for a few minutes,” he said. “I’m going to get you some water. Maybe that will help.”

Juliet was sound asleep, her hair spread out across the pillow when he came back. He stood watching her for a few minutes, then set the water down next to her and crawled back into bed. She shifted into his arms but didn’t wake up, and he was relieved to see some color back in her cheeks. Frustrated that he’d been powerless to help her, that there had been nothing that he could have done, the weight of their bond settled on him, and for the first time, he wondered if he’d made a mistake.

Telling himself that he was being dramatic, Juliet just had a touch of the flu, he closed his eyes and forced himself to go to sleep. He woke the next morning to the smell of coffee and opened his eyes to find Juliet’s side of the bed empty; disappointed, he threw back the covers. She was in the kitchen, a mixing bowl in her hands, humming to herself as she stirred something. He stood watching her for a second, all the doubts he’d had the night before disappearing.

“You look like you’re feeling better,” he said. “I was afraid you’d come down with something.”

Juliet looked a little guilty. “I feel fine this morning. In fact, I’m starving,” she said. “How do waffles, bacon, and eggs sound for breakfast?”

“Like a feast,” he said. “What can I do to help?”

“Not a thing, I’m almost done,” she said. “There’s fresh coffee in the pot.”

After breakfast, he took Juliet back to bed and made love to her slowly, relishing every moment they spent together. “I have to meet with Max again this morning,” he said when they were curled up together. “Do you want to come with me or stay here?”

Juliet stretched like a cat. “I think I’ll stay here and take a nap,” she said. “Will you be gone long?”

“I hope not, but if I don’t get going soon, I’ll never go,” he said, giving her a kiss. “I’m going to have one of my men come over and keep an eye on you while I’m gone. Don’t be alarmed if you see a strange man sitting on the porch.”

“Do you really think that’s necessary?” she asked. “I’m sure I’ll be fine here alone.”

“I’m not taking any chances with you,” Harrison said. “Just humor me, okay?”

“If it makes you happy, then it’s fine with me,” she said, smiling at him. I just want this whole thing to be over.”

“Me too, sweetheart,” he said. “But it won’t be long. I can feel it, they’re going to make a move soon.”

Juliet shivered, “Promise me that you’ll be careful,” she said. “You’re a target too, Harrison. Without you the island wouldn’t be protected.”

He leaned down and kissed her. “I will be, I promise,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”

***Juliet***

Juliet lay in bed for a few minutes after Harrison left, trying to decide if she wanted to take a nap, then got out of bed instead, the thought of a strange man sitting on the porch while she slept slightly unnerving. After a long shower, she got dressed then wandered into the kitchen and reached for the coffee pot, but stopped herself and put her hand over her still flat belly. It was hard to believe that Marie could know before she did, but her nausea the night before was a sign that she might be right, and she opened the refrigerator to get some juice instead.

Sipping the juice, she walked over to the window and watched as a burly man came stomping down the path to the cabin, climbed the ladder, and sat down with a thud in one of the chairs. It felt weird to have a bodyguard, but she pushed through her discomfort, deciding that the best way to get over it was to introduce herself, then the man wouldn’t be a stranger. Leaving the juice behind, she walked over to the front door and eased it open, rehearsing in her head what she was going to say.

The man was mumbling to himself. “Stupid assignment, what am I, some kind of babysitter?” he said. “Next he’ll be asking me to change someone’s diapers. Ten years of training for what, to sit on a porch all day and do nothing? It’s a good thing I love my job…Harrison has gone too far this time, though…”

She started to retreat back into the cabin but changed her mind and slowly opened the door. The man jumped when he saw her, and a guilty look appeared on his face. “Shit, how long have you been standing there?” he asked, jumping to his feet. “I was just talking to myself, I didn’t mean any…”

“That’s okay, I understand. This isn’t exactly the most exciting assignment,” she said. “I’m sorry you got stuck with it.”

“Harrison made it pretty clear how important you are to him,” he said. “I was just blowing off some steam.”

“I’m Juliet,” she said, holding out her hand. “Thank you for looking out for me, my brother…well, he’s…”

“Hooked up with pretty bad people,” the man said, shaking her hand. “I’m Tom, by the way, Harrison and I have been together since the Seals.”

“Is it against the rules for you to come in and have some coffee?” she asked. “I’ll even put on a fresh pot.”

“That’s mighty kind of you, but Harrison wants me out here keeping an eye on things,” he said. “If your brother makes it into the house, then I’ve failed.”

“Oh, I see,” she said. “How about if I bring it out here to you?”

“Now that could work,” Tom said, a smile spreading across his face. “Thank you.”

When she returned with the steaming cup, Tom took it with a grateful nod, downed in one gulp, and set the cup on the table next to his chair. “That hit the spot,” he said, grinning at her. “Now, back into the house with you. I’ve got to make my rounds, and don’t forget to lock the door after you get inside.”

She slipped back inside, went back to the kitchen, saw the mostly empty coffee pot, picked it up, deciding to refill Tom’s cup and throw the rest away. Opening the front door, she peeked outside, scooted over to the table, picked up the cup, and started filling it. It was only half full when the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise and she felt someone’s presence behind her.

Heart pounding, she stood there holding her breath. “Hello, sister dear,” Joe said, making her jump and the cup crashing onto the porch. “I looked for you in your cabin, but I guess I should have known you’d be here. Your bodyguard is taking a little nap. We should really get going.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said, edging toward the door. “Leave me alone Joe, it’s over.”

Her brother reached out and grabbed her by her hair and started dragging her toward the ladder. “Oh, it’s far from over, you owe us, Juliet,” he hissed at her. “Did you think we wouldn’t figure out that the plans were fake? Do you think I’m that stupid? You’ve outlived your usefulness. It’s time we moved you on to a new assignment, but I'm afraid this one is a little more permanent.”

“Joe, what are you talking about?” she asked, trying to stall, but he kept dragging her over to the ladder. “I’m your sister. Doesn’t that mean anything?”

“Get down there, or I’ll throw you down,” he said, giving her a shove and pulling out a gun. “A few broken bones won’t lower your price at auction. We’re going to make a nice profit on you, and you’ll finally get what you deserve.”

With no other choice she went down the ladder, then started walking, the gun digging into her back, but she shuffled her feet hoping Harrison would come. “Joe, please don’t do this,” she begged, icy tendrils of fear beginning to take over the closer they got to the shore. “Have you really become this kind of person? We’re family, don’t you remember?”

“Family?” he snarled at her. “You left me, Juliet, you abandoned me to that family. They beat me, did you know that? You should have just slept with that guy, then everything would have been fine, but now you’re going to get a chance to make it up to me. Who knows, maybe you’ll be lucky, and some sheik will take a liking to you; living out the rest of your life in a harem wouldn’t be so bad.”

It was all she could do not to cry, but she wasn’t going to give Joe the satisfaction. Instead, when they reached the boat, she climbed in without a word, surprised to see six other women. “This is going to be one of the biggest hauls we’ve ever had,” the man at the helm said. “Six hours from now, we’re going to be rolling in dough.”

“Not if we get caught,” Joe said, shoving her into a seat. “Get us the hell out of here.”

She closed her eyes, fighting the panic that was slowly building up inside her, then forced herself to think about Harrison, hoping it would calm her down. Focusing all her energy on him, she visualized his face, thought about how wonderful it felt to be in his arms, then let the memories of their night together play out in her brain. The world around her faded away as she lost herself in the comfort of the bond they shared, the warmth of their love slowly warming her up from the inside out, and she knew in that instant that he would come for her. She just had to be ready when he did.