Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
***CAMERON***
A fter a nearly sleepless night, Cameron was in no mood to go traipsing around the jungle like a boy scout, but he’d made a deal with Max, and he wasn’t going to back out even if he already felt like he’d run a marathon. He’d spent half the night berating himself for kissing Kennedy and the other half wishing he could do it again; now he just wanted to forget about the woman for a few hours. She’d completely captivated him, making him forget everything else, including Max and his increasingly worrying belief that the island was magical or mystical or something.
Pausing in mid-step, it suddenly hit him that what was happening to him was exactly what Max had said had happened to their other friends, at least in the beginning. His heart began to pound, his breath came in short gasps, and panic made every muscle in his body tense up as a strange sense of inevitability slowly settled over him as if his future had already been decided. Forcing himself to slow his breathing, he reminded himself that he was in control. He made the decisions about his life, not the island, not the dragon inside him .
Love wasn’t in his future. He’d known that he was destined to take over for his father from a young age. That had been written in stone the first time he shifted. Falling for Kennedy would be a huge mistake, even if he’d never felt anything like what he felt when he was with her, even if he could sense that being with her would be one of the most incredible experiences of his life. He wasn’t free to have that experience, he was tied to the clan and the family business, restricted by the rules and traditions of both, a man unable to make his own choices.
Realizing that he was still standing in the middle of the trail leading to the village, he sighed and started walking again, wishing he could just go home and forget about the island. When he arrived at the meeting point for the hiking trip, he scanned the eight or ten faces in the group, relieved to find that not one of them was Kennedy, and began to relax.
“Welcome, everyone. I hope you all got a good night’s sleep because we’re going to cover some miles today on our hike,” the instructor called. “I’m Matt, and I’ll be your guide for the morning. I know some of you are seasoned hikers, so all I ask is that you be patient with the rest of us. I also want to remind you that the jungle is a much different place than you’re used to, and while we don’t have any predators or poisonous snakes to worry about, there are still things that can hurt you, and we’re going to talk about some of them now.”
Matt was halfway through his speech when a familiar scent drifted to him on the breeze. It only took him a second to identify it, and his heart began to beat faster. A second later, he spotted Kennedy sliding into the group, her cheeks pink from rushing, her hair still wet from the shower. He let out a groan as warmth spread through him, making the woman standing next to him look over. He flashed her a smile and then looked back up at Matt.
When they finally set out, he slipped into line in front of Kennedy so he wouldn’t have to watch her while they hiked. He told himself that he could survive a couple of hours if he stayed away from her. The first hour they hiked passed more quickly than he’d hoped, and he managed to keep his distance when they stopped for a break, hiding himself in the shade under a big tree. Kennedy seemed to be happy to keep her distance as well, even if he did catch her watching him a few times, and he told himself that it didn’t bother him, that it was for the best. But he caught himself staring at her as she laughed and talked with the other hikers.
By the time they got back to where they’d started the hike, Cameron was having an even harder time ignoring the pretty blonde who’d wormed her way into his life. “Wasn’t that fun?” Matt asked the group. “There’s nothing better than getting out in nature and taking advantage of what she has to offer. I hope you’ll all sign up for another guided tour, but if you’d rather strike out on your own, I’ve got maps here for anyone who wants one.”
The last thing he wanted was more nature, but he waited patiently as several people in the group took a map, including Kennedy. “I guess that’s it then,” Matt said. “I just want to remind you to use the buddy system, especially if you’re going to tackle one of the harder trails. If there aren’t any questions, you’re all expected in the village for lunch, and I’m sure you’re all starving after our hike.”
There were murmurs of agreement and groups began to head down the path to the village, but he found himself hanging back watching Kennedy again as she chatted with Matt about something on the map. When she finally walked away, he told himself to go the other way, but instead, his feet took him over to her and there was nothing he could do about it.
“I’m sorry about last night. I don’t know what got into me, well, I kind of do, but that’s not what I’m trying to say,” he said, shaking his head, knowing he was screwing up. “I shouldn’t have come on so strong, I shouldn’t have kissed you, I shouldn’t have meddled in your life, but there’s something about you that makes me do stupid things.”
Horrified that he couldn’t seem to keep his thoughts private around Kennedy, he snapped his mouth closed, feeling like an idiot and wishing he’d just stayed away. “Are you blaming it on me?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. “Because then I’d have to remind you that you kissed me, not the other way around.”
“I wasn’t blaming you,” he said, holding his hands up in front of him. “It was completely my fault. Honestly, I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve barely even kissed anyone, and I’m not exactly the kissing type.”
This time, a groan escaped when he realized what he’d just said, and he waited, embarrassed, as Kennedy studied him. “Well, you sure could have fooled me,” she said, a blush spreading across her cheeks. “But it can’t happen again. It will mess everything up. It probably already has.”
This time it was his turn to study her. “What does that mean?” he asked. “Do you have a boyfriend? You never said anything about a boyfriend.”
***Kennedy***
Kennedy froze for a second, silently cursing her choice of words, then quickly tried to decide if she should lie to him, but in the end, she couldn’t do it. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend,” she said. “That’s not what I meant.”
“You didn’t answer my question. You said I messed everything up,” Cameron said, his voice full of suspicion. “What does that mean?”
“I was talking about our friendship. It was going fine until you kissed me and said all those things,” she said, scrambling for the right words. “It changed everything, and I wasn’t ready for that.”
“So, you didn’t mean it about the vacation romance?” Cameron asked, his voice full of disappointment. “I thought…never mind…it was stupid.”
“No, not really…you were right, I’m really not that kind of girl,” she said, then let out a long sigh. “I just didn’t like you making choices for me. I didn’t even like that guy, but you were being such a…”
“Jerk, yeah, I know,” he said, his voice full of regret. “I wasn’t lying to you last night, I don’t ever act like that. I’m not exactly good with women; I’m not really the dating type, and I spend most of my time in my lab.”
“Someone told me last night that the island does weird things to people,” she said. “Let’s blame the island and try to forget about it.”
Cameron studied her for a second. “Don’t tell me you believe that garbage,” he said, suddenly annoyed. “That’s all just a bunch of superstition and rumor. I thought you were smarter than that.”
“Hey, I was just trying to give you a break,” she said, wishing she hadn’t said anything. “It was just something someone said to me, okay?”
“Sorry, I guess I’m a little sensitive about it,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I know there’s a perfectly good explanation for everything that’s happened on the island, and I’m going to find it before I leave.”
“What do you mean everything that’s happened?” she asked. “I just thought the island made people fall in love. Is there more? I mean, I guess I never thought about how it happened, I just assumed…well, I don’t know.”
“I shouldn’t be talking about this,” Cameron said, shaking his head. “I don’t want to encourage Max or make the rumors worse, not that you would say anything. At least, I don’t think you would.”
“Come on, Cameron, just a few details, I’m not a gossip,” she said, trying to hide her excitement, sure that she might still be able to salvage something from her trip to the island. “I heard it only happens to Max’s friends. Is that true? Are you sure it hasn’t happened to other people? Has anyone tried to find out?”
As soon as the last question was out of her mouth she knew that she’d gone too far and shut up, but the damage had already been done. “You sure are asking a lot of questions,” Cameron said, studying her again. “I really can’t talk about it.”
“Sorry. I get carried away sometimes, forget I even asked,” she said, frantically searching for a way to change the conversation. “I’m thinking about making the hike up to the cliffs on the other side of the island tomorrow. I need to ask Matt a couple more questions, so maybe I should get going.”
“That’s a difficult hike,” Cameron said. “I hope you’re taking someone with you.”
“I’ve been hiking my entire life, I don’t need a buddy,” she said. “Besides, the island isn’t that big, how much trouble could I get in?”
“Kennedy, you can’t go on a hike like that alone,” he said. “There are lots of things that could go wrong. It would be foolish, and I’m not going to let you do it.”
“Do I have to remind you that you’re not the boss of me?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. “If I want to go on a hike alone, I’m going on a hike alone.”
Cameron let out an exasperated sigh, “Then I’m going with you,” he said. “And don’t say no, I’ll just follow you the entire way if you do.”
She was both annoyed and touched that he was worried about her, then a little panicked at spending that much time alone with him. “You don’t have to do that, I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’m sure you have work you need to do.”
“It can wait,” Cameron said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t be able to concentrate anyway, knowing that you were out here alone.”
It was her turn to sigh, this time at the wave of warmth that enveloped her when she looked up into his eyes. “I told you this was a bad idea,” she finally said. “But you aren’t going to listen, are you?”
“Guess not,” Cameron said. “What time do we leave?”
“Eight a.m. and bring a lunch; we’ll be gone all day,” she said, giving up the battle. “We can meet here. It’s a long hike, so I’ll understand if you change your mind.”
“I won’t,” he said. “See you in the morning.”
She watched him walk away wondering when she’d lost control of her investigation, how it had come to this, and how she was going to resist Cameron if he pushed her. But she knew the answer, she wouldn’t be able to and that scared her more than anything, more than her career imploding again, more than losing her job. The man was dangerous and could break her heart in a second if she let him in, and she wasn’t about to let that happen. She’d just gotten over Cliff and his treachery.