Page 8 of A First for the Playboy Dragon (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #7)
CHAPTER 7
***HARRISON***
A fter a long run and a hot shower, Harrison went to the kitchen, put on a pot of coffee, and then rummaged through the refrigerator for something to throw together for breakfast. Feeling far more in control than when he’d woken up that morning, he poured a cup of the island’s special coffee and took a sip, enjoying the flavor as it rolled across his tongue. After whipping up some eggs, he put butter in a hot skillet, poured in the eggs, and sprinkled cheese over the whole thing.
A few minutes later, he was sitting down in front of his computer again reading the responses to the emails he’d sent out the day before and munching on his food. After printing out several of the messages, he took his empty plate to the kitchen, poured himself another cup of coffee, and then went in search of the maps he needed. A quick search gave him what he needed and he stuffed the maps into a second tube, put it by the door, and looked around the cabin, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.
He wasn’t sure where to find Max, but decided to start with his office and headed for the village, pleased to finally have something concrete to give his friend. Max was lounging behind his desk reading a newspaper when he walked into the office, but he put it down when he saw Harrison and gestured to the chair across from his desk.
“You’ve got maps with you. I take it this is a professional visit,” Max said, a grin on his face. “I guess I’ll have to wait to hear about your dinner last night. I saw Claudia this morning, and it looked like she hadn’t gotten much sleep.”
“That wasn’t because of me. Then again, maybe it was,” he said, then let out a long sigh. “Things didn’t end up working out between us.”
Max sat up and put his hands on the desk. “You’re kidding, I’ve never known you to screw up,” he said. “What happened?”
“I didn’t screw up, I just changed my mind,” he said, a little defensively. “Besides, I didn’t come here to talk about my love life.”
“You have a love life now?” Max asked. “When did that happen?”
“Will you stop, I’m not in the mood,” he said, scowling at his friend. “I met someone else, okay, and Claudia just wasn’t that appealing to me anymore; it really wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“So, you slept with this other woman instead?” Max asked, his eyes wide. “That’s pretty low, even for you, my friend.”
“I didn’t sleep with her. She’s mad at me right now,” he said, then wished he’d kept his mouth shut when he saw the look on Max’s face. “Don’t say it, don’t you dare, the island is not influencing me, I just…well…Juliet is different, that’s all.”
“That sounds about right,” Max said, resting his chin on steepled fingers. “Tell me more.”
“There’s nothing more to tell. I’m attracted to her, and she’s attracted to me,” he said, acting like it was no big deal. “I just lost interest in Claudia and moved on to someone else a little sooner than I normally would.”
“That’s not like you. This woman must really be something,” he said. “How long do you think it will take for her to agree to sleep with you?”
He didn’t answer right away. “Well…that’s hard to say…I mean, we’re just getting things sorted out, and she’s still mad at me,” he hedged. “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”
“You’re not even sure that she’ll sleep with you,” Max said, a look of astonishment on his face. “You’re chasing her! You never chase women. Now I know something is off.”
“I’m not chasing her, not like that,” he said. “She’s not that kind of woman, okay, she won’t just sleep with me like it’s no big deal, to her it is, and I’m trying my best to respect that. It’s a first for me, so give me a break. You’re supposed to be my friend.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Max said, holding his hands up. “I took it too far, but this island, it does things to people. I know you don’t want to admit it, but you haven’t seen everything that I have. My fate is sealed; my time is coming; I accept that. Hopefully, it will make it easier, and if you want my advice, that’s what you should do. There’s a reason you met Juliet, there’s a reason you ditched a smoking hot, very willing woman for her. Only an idiot wouldn’t see that.”
“I came here to talk business. Thanks for the advice, but I’m still in control of my life,” he said, slamming the stack of emails he’d printed down on the desk. “Now, do you want to get some work done, or should I come back later?”
Max just shook his head. “Business it is then,” he said. “But I’m telling you right now, fate doesn’t go away just because you ignore it. You won’t escape that easily if this is what is supposed to happen.”
“Max, I promised myself a long time ago that I would never fall in love, and I’m not planning on breaking that vow,” he said, looking his friend in the eye. “Love leaves nothing but pain and heartache behind for everyone involved, and I dare this island to prove that I’m wrong.”
Outside the window, the wind began to blow, whipping through the trees and sending the birds scattering into the air with a chorus of unhappy screeching. A second later, rain began to pour down, and then the ground began to shake and tremble as if the island was about to explode. Max gave him a dirty look and reached out to grab the desk to keep from being thrown to the ground as the entire building shook for several long seconds. Just as quickly as it started, the shaking stopped, then rain cleared away, the wind died in the trees, and there was a few minutes of total silence.
“Was that an earthquake?” he asked. “You didn’t tell me you had earthquakes.”
“Because we didn’t until you challenged the island. Thanks a lot for that,” Max said, then got to his feet. “I guess I should go see how much damage was done. You’re in real trouble now, my friend.”
***Juliet***
Juliet sat on the beach, knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around them, staring out at the waves washing up on the shore, wishing she’d never agreed to her brother’s plan. It was dangerous and risky on so many levels; if she got caught, she’d never be able to explain what she was doing, and if she didn’t, she’d be betraying Harrison, Max, and all the people that worked on the island. But Joe’s words still echoed in her head, and she knew that no matter how much he’d messed up, she couldn’t turn her back on him when he needed her the most.
She’d spent the entire morning trying to figure out a way to save her brother without doing something she’d feel terrible about afterward, but she couldn’t find a way out that would satisfy everyone. Then she had spent another hour convincing herself that she had no choice. She had to get those security plans if she wanted to keep her brother alive. It might be the difference between life and death, and a little guilt was a small price to pay.
Now, the only problem was finding a way to get close to Harrison again. After what she’d said to him the day before, she was sure that he’d stay far away from her. The idea of seeking him out made her stomach twist into knots. She wasn’t the kind of woman who chased men, and if he’d already moved on to someone new, that was going to make it even more difficult. Wishing she knew more about men, she let out a long sigh, then closed her eyes, telling herself that she could do anything she put her mind to. She’d already proven that by getting as far in life as she had.
Harrison was standing in front of her when she opened her eyes. She let out a little yelp of surprise and then gave him a dirty look. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people,” she said. “It’s not very nice.”
“I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you,” he said. “I didn’t realize you had your eyes closed until I got closer. I thought you were ignoring me. I’m sorry I scared you.”
“I should be ignoring you. I’m still mad,” she said, forgetting that she was supposed to be trying to get closer to him, not push him away, but she was unable to help herself. “I thought you’d be busy with Claudia, or is she gone already, and you’re moving on?”
Harrison let out a long sigh and sat down next to her on the sand. “She left this morning,” he said, then looked over at her. “You were right to call me out, Juliet. I acted like a cad. I shouldn’t have kissed you, but for what it’s worth, I didn’t sleep with Claudia.”
She looked over at him, trying to ignore the little flame of hope that sprang to life. “You didn’t?” she asked. “What happened? She was all over you yesterday afternoon.”
“I guess you could say I changed my mind about her,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “We didn’t even have dinner together. I spent the night working.”
“Oh, I see,” she said, trying to hide the relief in her voice. “I bet she wasn’t very happy about that.”
Harrison let out a little snort. “That’s putting it mildly,” he said. “But Claudia doesn’t matter anymore. It’s you I care…want to get to know.”
A thrill shot through her, but she held herself in check. She was walking a fine line, still feeling the pull he had on her, and knew she could find herself in too deep if she wasn’t careful. Men were still a big mystery to her; she’d never even had a boyfriend. Harrison was a player, a man used to getting women into his bed without much effort, and she had no intention of being another one of his conquests. But she needed the information about the security plans, so she had no choice but to risk her heart and maybe more. It was the only way she could save her brother.
She looked over at Harrison, “We should get one thing clear right from the beginning,” she said, ignoring the urge to kiss him that settled over her when their eyes met. “I’m probably not going to sleep with you even if we get to know each other, so I don’t want you wasting your time or anything.”
“Spending time with you won’t be a waste of my time,” he said, smiling at her. “But you said probably not, so I think that might just leave an opening in there somewhere, and I can’t promise I won’t try to find it.”
“Harrison, I mean it,” she said, shaking her head. “There isn’t an opening. I won’t be just another one of your women, I’m not like that. I never have been, and I don’t think I ever will be. It’s just not who I am.”
A little flare of anger appeared in Harrison’s eyes. “They’re not my women, Juliet,” he said. “Everyone I’ve ever been involved with has been there because they wanted to be, and every single one of them knew what the deal was. I never promised anything more than what I could give. I don’t trick women into sleeping with me with empty promises and then ditch them; that’s not the way I operate. You may not agree with the way I live my life, but I’ve never hurt anyone. A lot of people can’t say that.”
She stared at him in shock for a second, then realized that he was right. She was being judgmental, and he had every right to be angry. “I’m sorry, you’re right, that wasn’t fair of me,” she said, then sighed. “I’m scared of you, Harrison, scared of the things I feel when you kiss me. I probably shouldn’t tell you that; you could use it against me, but that’s the truth.”
“You’re not the only one feeling that way, Juliet,” he said, putting his arm around her. “I’ve never turned down sex in my entire life, but you were all I could think about.”
“This could turn out badly,” she said, looking over at him. “We should walk away right now before one of us gets hurt.”
“I have a better idea. Let’s start over,” he said. “I’ll act like a gentleman, even if it kills me, and maybe you can pretend that you trust me not to try and trick you into going to bed with me.”
“Somehow, I don’t think you would need any tricks if you really wanted to get me into bed,” she said, a little smile on her face. “But I’ll be brave and live a little recklessly for once.”