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

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

***CAMERON***

C ameron was angry and jealous, the urge to show Kennedy just who she should be with thundering through him, fueled by the creature inside him and the ancient instincts his jealousy had awakened. He tried to control it, tried to push it away, but the anger making her eyes sparkle in the dim light of the torches only made him want her more. It didn’t help that she was standing so close to him that he could smell her unique scent, a combination of wildflowers and vanilla, or that her chest was rising and falling with anger, making it impossible to ignore the swell of her breasts under her shirt.

Desire raced through him, wave after wave, each getting stronger until he was overwhelmed by the intensity of his feelings and, with a groan of frustration, told himself to step away from her. But the creature inside him was fully awake, and he could no longer control it or the driving need to claim the woman standing only a few inches from him.

Reaching out, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, then slammed his mouth down on hers; she resisted for only a second before her arms came up around his neck with a long sigh. Pleasure made it impossible for him to think as feelings he’d never experienced before rushed through him, and it wasn’t until they were both struggling for breath that he managed to let her go, but a low growl of disappointment came from deep in his chest. Knowing that it would be too easy to pull her into his arms again, he stumbled back a couple of steps, desperate to put some distance between them.

As he backed away, he stepped into a big hole in the sand, tipping him even more off balance, and before he could right himself, he landed on the wet sand with a thud and a little splash. Kennedy was staring at him with a look of shock on her face, but it slowly melted away and was replaced by amusement. Then, she started to laugh before coming over and offering him her hand. He looked up at her, knowing that he should be horrified by what he’d done, but suddenly didn’t care, and instead of letting her help him up, he pulled her down next to him.

Kennedy let out a shocked gasp, her laughter gone, then turned to give him a dirty look, but he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again, this time parting her lips with his tongue. Threading his fingers through her hair, he let instinct take over as he kissed her deeply, deciding that she tasted even better than she smelled. Then he abruptly let her go when the urge to take the kiss further slowly began to take over.

She stared at him, eyes wide for a few seconds, her breath coming in short gasps, then began to scoot away from him. “You have to stop doing that,” she said, stumbling to her feet and shaking her head. “We can’t…I can’t…it’s not right.”

He got to his feet, unable to tear his eyes away from her, desire still pulsing through him, fed by the power of the dragon inside him, and he couldn’t speak for a few seconds. Not that he knew what to say. He’d crossed a line, kissed her not once but twice, and would do it again given the chance. He was clearly out of control, nothing more than an animal unable to control its baser instincts, and he wouldn’t blame Kennedy if she never wanted to see him again.

Realizing that was the answer to his problem, he got to his feet and took a couple of steps toward her. “I don’t think that’s possible,” he said, hoping she could see the hunger in his eyes. “Every time I’m around you, all I can think about is kissing you.”

His words had the desired effect. Kennedy gasped, her eyes widened, and a look of panic slowly spread across her face. “Don’t say that, don’t even think it,” she said, still backing away from him. “We’re just friends, that’s all we’ll ever be.”

“You said you wanted a vacation romance. I’m just trying to give you what you asked for,” he said, taking a couple more steps to close the distance between them. “Why waste your time with that jerk when you could have me?”

He didn’t know how much further he could push it; his body was going haywire. A part of him was hoping that she’d take him up on his offer, but she finally backed away again. “I didn’t say I wanted a vacation romance, I just said I might,” she said. “I think I should go now. I think the clam digging is over.”

She scooped up her bucket, then hurried toward the bonfires before he could say a word, and he stood watching her go, wishing he could follow her, but he bit back the disappointment, telling himself it was better for both of them this way. Nothing but heartache could come from getting involved with her, and he’d promised himself a long time ago that he'd stay away from women until he was free of his legacy. Until Kennedy appeared in his life, he’d never been tempted to break that promise. Now it was taking every ounce of his willpower to let her go .

“Here you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” Max said, walking up to him. “What are you doing standing here in the dark? Who was that you were talking to?”

He forced himself to look away from the spot where Kennedy had just disappeared into the crowd. “No one really,” he finally said, shrugging his shoulders. “Just a woman I was digging clams with.”

Max studied him for a second, then let out a long sigh. “It’s happening already, isn’t it?” he asked. “Who is she? You might as well tell me. Hiding it isn’t going to make it go away.”

“She’s no one,” he insisted. “Even if she was, I just got rid of her, and I’m sure she won’t come near me again.”

***Kennedy***

Kennedy’s lips were still tingling when she walked away from Cameron, shocked by the sudden change in him, her body throbbing with need, and it was all she could do not to fall in the soft sand, thanks to her trembling legs. Taking deep breaths, she carried her bucket over to the table and plunked it down a bit harder than she intended, but her hands were shaking and she was afraid she would drop it. She looked up to find a pretty young woman watching her, a look of worry on her face, and tried to manage a smile.

It must have been more like a grimace because the woman whispered something to the man standing beside her and came out from behind the table. “You look like you could use something cold to drink,” she said. “You’re flushed and your hands are shaking, a sure sign of dehydration. It’s easy to let it happen here on the island, but a nice cold bottle of water will take care of it.”

Kennedy let the woman guide her over to a bench and sat down with a thump when her legs wouldn’t hold her anymore. “I’ll be right back,” she said. “Don’t move.”

She was only gone for a few minutes, but it was long enough for Kennedy to relive everything that happened on the beach. To her utter humiliation, her body responded to the memory. “Here we go,” the woman said, sitting down next to her and holding out a sweating bottle of water. “Drink some of this, it will help.”

Twisting off the cap, she put the bottle to her mouth and drank half of it, hoping it would cool the desire still flowing through her, then let out a long sigh. “Thank you, that helped,” she said, finally able to find her voice. “But I don’t think I’m dehydrated. I wish it was that simple.”

The woman was silent for a second. “Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?” she finally asked. “You look upset.”

“Not exactly. It’s kind of complicated,” she said, then looked over at the woman. “I work with this guy, well, sort of, and he just kissed me twice. This could ruin my career, maybe even get me fired. I didn’t see it coming, at least I don’t think I did…”

Her words trailed off as she realized the enormity of Cameron's kiss, and she let out a long sigh of frustration, seeing her career go up in smoke. “Did you tell him that it wasn’t a good idea?” the woman asked. “I mean, mistakes happen. Maybe you two can get past this.”

“He more or less told me he was going to do it again if we were together again, and I can’t stay away from him; it’s part of my job,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. This wasn’t supposed to happen. We were just supposed to be friends, and then he went and kissed me. Do you want to know the worst part? I want him to do it again.”

“Oh my, I can see why you’re so upset,” the woman said, shaking her head. “It’s this island. It does strange things to people. I thought it was only Max’s friends, but maybe it’s spreading.”

“You think it’s the island,” she said, looking over at the woman. “I heard some rumors, but I don’t usually pay attention to that kind of talk. Besides, what could an island do? It can’t affect people or anything like that.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything. Max would kill me for talking about this with a guest,” the woman said. “But I thought it might make you feel better.”

“Thank you, I don’t know if it helped,” she said. “I’m Kennedy, by the way.”

“Stella,” the woman said. “My husband and I are in charge of building the new staff quarters on the other side of the island.”

She knew instantly who Stella’s husband was; her research had told her that much, and she realized with a start that she had a reliable source for the other story. “It’s nice to meet you, Stella,” she said, truly meaning it. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now, but I do feel better. It was all just such a shock.”

“I’m glad. You had me worried there for a second,” Stella said, smiling at her. “I probably should get back. Everyone will be looking for me. If you need someone to talk to, I’d be happy to listen. I know how hard it can be to be a woman in a man’s world. Come by anytime you want, we’ll have coffee and bitch about men.”

“That sounds like an offer I can’t refuse,” she said. “I’ll bring something sweet with me.”

“That’s a deal,” Stella said, getting to her feet. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

When Stella was gone, she slowly sipped the rest of the water bottle, outlining the questions she would ask when they met for coffee, relieved to have something to distract her. In only a few minutes, Cameron had managed to completely distort the line between personal and professional, and she wasn’t sure how to go from there. Just kissing him had ruined all her creditability as a journalist. It would cloud anything she discovered in her investigation, and on top of that, she was beginning to think that she might have gotten it all wrong.

The sound of laughter from over by the bonfire interrupted her thoughts, and she got to her feet, her stomach growling. Cameron had already ruined her story, and she wasn’t about to let him ruin the rest of the night. There was crab to eat, and she didn’t want to miss out. The mess her life and career had become could wait until morning. All wasn’t completely lost. If she could get Stella talking about the island, she might be able to salvage her career.