Secrets of the Dragon’s Heart (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #6)

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

***CAMERON***

C ameron jumped over the side of the boat and helped guide it gently into shore, then held on until Montgomery secured it to the beach with a long line. Sailing had turned out to be more fun than he’d anticipated, just like Kennedy had predicted, but he wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was right, not after all the emotional upheaval she’d put him through that day.

Not that it was her fault that he was attracted to her. She couldn’t control that, but she’d made him open up to her, got him talking about things he never shared with anyone, and that was alarming. He'd almost told her his entire life story, but managed to stop himself at the last second, which was even scarier since he never told anyone but his closest friends anything about his life.

Wondering what it was about the woman that made him act like an idiot, he watched her climb out of the boat. The now familiar thrill shot through him, but this time, it was followed by a wave of warmth. Feeling his power beginning to stir as the creature inside him slowly began to awaken, he looked away, shocked by his reaction to just the sight of the woman.

“Well done, you two,” Montgomery said, a big smile on his face. “I hope I’ll see you both for another lesson before you leave. I think you’re ready to handle the current around the island. It’s a beautiful trip, and you don’t want to miss it.”

“Sounds great,” Kennedy said, a big smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “What about you, Cameron? Are you up for another sailing adventure?”

A strong stab of desire left him speechless for a second. “I don’t know…I’ll have to check my schedule,” he stammered, suddenly wanting nothing more than to get away from Kennedy and the confusion she had caused. But thanks for a great morning, Montgomery.”

“My pleasure. I love this job,” Montgomery said. “Easiest money I’ve ever earned, but don’t tell Max that.”

“I won’t,” he said, smiling at the man as he backed away. “I should really go. I’m supposed to have lunch with Max.”

He turned and started up the beach without even saying goodbye to Kennedy, but he didn’t care. He had to get away from her before he did something stupid. The woman had a way of throwing him off balance, making him think about things he had no business thinking about. He needed to be thinking about the lab. If he didn’t find the answer to why they could shift and other people couldn’t, if he couldn’t prove that there was nothing magical or mystical about it, his fate would be sealed.

This couldn’t be happening to him, not now, not after he’d made it all his life without getting tangled in a messy relationship with a woman he could never have. He wasn’t about to make that mistake now. He’d stay as far away from Kennedy as he could, walk the other way if he saw her coming, and banish the longing he felt around her to the deepest part of his brain .

Knowing that work would calm him, when he got to the village, he grabbed some lunch from the deli and headed for the clubhouse to claim his two hours of internet time. He found Max in his office, knocked on the door jam, and then sat down in the chair across from his desk, hoping his old friend couldn’t tell that something was bothering him.

“Was it that bad?” Max asked, after studying him for a second. “I know that you’re not crazy about water, but I thought sailing would be different.”

“Actually, I had a good time, and I’m thinking about going again,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I think I’m just tired. It was a big morning. I thought I’d work for a couple of hours before doing whatever you’ve arranged for my afternoon.”

“Maybe you should go take a nap instead,” Max suggested. “You’re supposed to be on vacation.”

“Don’t start in on me again,” he said. “I just want to check in with the lab and then if it will make you happy, I’ll go take a nap.”

“Make it a long one; I just heard from the fishing fleet that they’re bringing in a big catch,” Max said, a big smile on his face. “We’re going to have a crab boil tonight, which means a clam digging contest, live music, and some of the best fish you’ve ever eaten.”

“Sounds like fun,” he said, faking enthusiasm he didn’t feel. “What time does this little shindig start?”

“An hour before sunset,” Max said. “We’ll ring the big bell at the marina when it’s time.”

“I’ll be there,” he said. “Now, about that internet connection…”

When his time was up, he left the clubhouse and, as promised, went to his cabin to take a nap, but he lay staring up at the ceiling for a long time, unaccustomed to sleeping during the day. He finally drifted off, but his dreams were filled with visions of Kennedy, first in her bathing suit, then laughing as she manned the tiller on the boat. As he dreamed, his body responded to the desire that was slowly building, waking the sleeping creature that was the other half of him and stirring deeply buried instincts.

He woke an hour later, his body throbbing with need, Kennedy’s face in his mind. He let out a groan of frustration and jumped out of bed. Not even his sleep was safe from the woman, he thought, heading for the bathroom. I’m a grown man. I should be able to control my desire. After turning the shower on as cold as he could stand it, he jumped in, wincing when the cold water washed over his heated skin, then leaned against the tile wall, taking deep breaths.

When he got out of the shower, he felt more in control. Kennedy was just a woman like a billion others on the planet. There was nothing special about her, he’d just let himself become a little infatuated. He refused to believe it had anything to do with the island, his hormones were just out of control. If it hadn’t been Kennedy, it would have been some other unsuspecting woman. He wasn’t falling for her, he wasn’t capable of that. He knew better. This was just a phase, it would pass, and he just had to stay away from her.

***Kennedy***

Kennedy sat back in her chair and quickly reread her entry in her notes, a bit disappointed that the sailing lesson hadn’t gotten her more juicy information about Cameron. All she’d learned was that he wasn’t a very happy man, that much had been easy to pick up from his words, but it was the underlying desperation she’d felt emanating from him that had her interested. One of the first lessons she’d learned as a young reporter was that no matter how good a person was, desperation could lead to risky and unwise choices, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Cameron was in that group.

If he was acting out of desperation, that could explain why he seemed like such a nice guy on the surface, but that didn’t change the fact that he was hiding something, and it was her job to find out what it was. Steve had taken a big risk for her; she couldn’t let her personal feelings get in the way of the story, even if she was beginning to think she might have read her reaction to Cameron the first time she’d seen him wrong. Reminding herself that she’d just started her investigation and that there was still a lot more to uncover, she closed the file with a sigh, feeling torn, and not for the first time since she’d met Cameron.

Opening the file, she’d started on the rumors about the island. She reread her notes and shook her head at some of the crazy stories, especially the one about dragons flying around the island. But somewhere in all of it was a story, she just knew it, and a way to save her job if she was wrong about Cameron. She just had to sift through the fantasy for the truth. What she needed was reliable witnesses, and the island was full of them; if even a quarter of what she’d heard was true, the people who worked on the island would know. The trick was getting them to trust her enough to talk about it.

After shutting down the computer and putting it away, she headed for the shower, determined to make some progress on at least one of the stories that day. When she was ready, she headed to the village, deciding that the best place to start was the café. Everyone on the island visited it daily, even the staff, and she hoped there was someone working there who loved to gossip.

When she walked into the village, she was surprised to find all the shops closed and the restaurants in the process of shutting down, but the café looked like it was still open. Wondering what had changed since she’d been in the village a few hours before for lunch, she walked over to the counter that ran along the back of the little space and sat down in one of the chairs. The smell of coffee drifted over to her, and she let out an appreciative sigh. Then, she waited until the young woman behind the counter came over.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, it’s been a little crazy around here,” she said. “What can I get you?”

“As long as it’s got coffee in it, I don’t care,” she said, then looked out the door. “What’s going on? Is there a hurricane coming or something?”

“Oh, no it’s nothing like that,” the woman said. “The fishing fleet just got back with a big catch. We’re having a crab boil on the beach tonight. I’ll be closing up in just a few minutes, too.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be keeping you,” she said. “I’m sure you’re anxious to get down there. The coffee can wait.”

“That’s okay, I have to wait for this last pot to brew before I can go,” the woman said, then pointed to several rolling carts. “Then I have to haul all this down there.”

“All by yourself?” she asked, seeing a way in. “That’s going to take two trips. I’d be happy to help you. I don’t really have anything else to do.”

“I don’t know. Max might not like it, but we are shorthanded today,” the woman said. “It might be okay just this once.”

“If Max has a problem with it, I’ll just explain that it was my idea,” she said. “I’m Kennedy, by the way.”

“Sheila,” the young woman said, smiling at her. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

She grabbed a cart and followed Sheila out the back of the building to a concrete path that led down to the water. “Have you worked here long?” she asked, slightly out of breath. “It must be a great place to work. The view is incredible. ”

“I’ve been here since Max opened the resort. There was a lot of competition to work here,” she said. “The benefits and the pay are very generous, and he really cares about us. You should see the new staff housing he’s building on the other side of the island.”

“That’s great, and I bet this job is a lot of fun,” she said. “I bet you get to meet all kinds of interesting people too, a lot of really rich people.”

Sheila shrugged. “Not really, I mean, Max’s friends have all been super rich, but that’s about it,” she said. “Most of them didn’t even act like they were rich, well, except for Simon, but he sure got what he deserved. It was fun to watch.”

Kennedy knew that she couldn’t seem too interested and let a few seconds pass, hoping that Sheila would say more. “Hey, you’re not going to say that and then just leave me hanging, are you?” she finally asked. “I’m always up for a little gossip.”

Sheila looked around and then back at her. “It’s kind of a strange story; if I hadn’t been there to see it, I wouldn’t have believed it happened,” she said, keeping her voice low. “If I tell you, you’ll probably think I’m making it all up, and it did work out in the end; Simon found the love of his life and became a new man. This island is a special place, that’s all I can tell you. Working here has been an experience I’ll never forget for a lot of reasons.”

Just then, Max came walking up. “Sheila, what are you still doing working?” he asked. “Everything looks great here. You should go get changed and join the fun. We’re about to start the fires, and you don’t want to miss that.”

“I was getting ready to head back to my cabin,” Sheila said, then looked over at Kennedy. “Thanks for the help, I better go change. ”

“See you later,” she said, very aware that Max was studying her.

“Kennedy right?” he finally asked. “You’re the one who won the trip on a game show.”

“That’s me,” she said, smiling at him. “And it’s already been the trip of a lifetime. You’ve done something really special here. I probably won’t want to leave when the trip is over.”

“That’s good to hear,” Max said, smiling at her. If you need anything, let me know. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay.”

She watched him walk away, wishing she could question him about the island, but she knew better and let him go with only a thank you. After grabbing something to drink from the carts, she headed for the beach where the bonfires were being built, pleased with her progress on the island story and hoping that she’d run into Cameron. She ignored the little thrill that rushed through her when she thought about him, reminding herself that the man wasn’t all he seemed and it was her job to expose him.