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

Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

***CAMERON***

C ameron’s protective instincts were still thundering through him, making it difficult to control the dragon as he stood staring at Kennedy, but the urge to chase the tiger down finally began to fade. With it went some of the power that fueled his change, and he could feel himself begging to shift; then, he was suddenly back in his human form, staring at the only regular human who had ever seen him in his other form. Not wanting to scare her even more than he already had, he didn’t move, didn’t rush to her side like he wanted to. Instead, he waited her out, wondering what her reaction would be.

She let out a little gasp and put her hand on her chest, but she didn’t move either, and the seconds slowly ticked by until Kennedy let out a little sigh and started to crumple to the ground. He caught her before she hit the dirt, swept her into his arms, carried her over to the shade, and carefully lowered her to the ground. Her eyelids fluttered, but she didn’t open her eyes, and he started to panic, then took a deep breath and tried to put himself in her place.

Leaving her only long enough to grab one of the packs, he knelt next to her and pulled out a water bottle and then a sweatshirt. Wadding up the sweatshirt, he lifted her head and shoved it underneath, then opened the water bottle and dribbled a few drops on Kennedy’s lips. She opened her eyes a second later, let out another gasp, then closed them again, and he was afraid that she’d fainted again.

“It’s okay, Kennedy. I would never hurt you,” he said, stroking her cheek. I’m sorry I scared you, but I didn’t know how else to get rid of the tiger. Please wake up; you’re scaring me.”

“Scaring you?” she asked, her eyes fluttering open again. “After that little stunt you should be scared. When I can get up from here, I’m going to make you pay for that. What was that? What did you do?”

He was so relieved that she was okay, even if she was threatening him with violence, that he scooped her up into his arms and kissed her. She fought him for only a second before she curled her body around his and kissed him back, sending waves of pleasure shooting through him and awakening the passion between them. He groaned deep in his chest, threaded the fingers of one hand through her hair, then flipped her onto her back, and crushed her under his body.

Waves of pleasure, unlike anything he’d ever felt before, washed over him one after another, quickly followed by a throbbing need between his legs that threatened to take over all rational thought. He wanted Kennedy naked under him, wanted her writhing with pleasure, crying out his name as he claimed her, and he knew instinctively that he could have her right then, that he could take what he wanted and she wouldn’t fight him.

Instead, he broke the kiss and looked down at her, his body growing warmer when she looked up at him with pleasure-filled eyes. But the passion slowly faded away and she sat up, gave him a big shove, then scrambled away from him, a touch of fear in her eyes, her lips red from his kisses, her hair a wild halo of curls.

He knew in that instant that everything had changed; they’d crossed a line and there was no going back. The truth was, he didn’t want to go back, he wanted the woman sitting in front of him. What he was supposed to do next, he had no clue, but he was sure of one thing: nothing mattered but keeping Kennedy in his life, not what his parents wanted, not what the clan demanded. He’d give it all up and take banishment with a smile if she was by his side; he just had to figure out how to make that happen.

Wondering if he’d lost his mind, starting to believe the rumors and stories about the island, he got slowly to his feet. Deciding that the first test was the simplest one, he held out his hand to help Kennedy up off the ground, holding his breath when she just studied him for a second. She finally reached up, placed her much smaller hand in his, and let him pull her to her feet, but he could feel the tension radiating from her.

“I’m guessing the hike is over,” he said. “You probably want to head back now.”

“You promised you wouldn’t kiss me again,” she said. “You can’t keep doing that.”

“That’s what you’re upset about?” he asked, smiling at her. “I did warn you it would probably happen, so you only have yourself to blame.”

“Don’t you turn this on me,” she said, then let out a huff. “You're impossible. I can’t deal with you, so stop smiling at me like that.”

“Sorry,” he said, wiping the smile off his face. “Is that better?”

Before she could answer, a raindrop plopped onto the ground between them, and he looked up at the sky to find dark clouds swirling around above their head. “We’d better find some shelter,” he said. “Looks like it’s going to rain. Where’s that map of yours? Does it show a cave or something?”

Kennedy gave him a dirty look. “There’s one not far from here,” she said, grabbing her pack. “See, you should have been prepared.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you were looking out for me,” he said, the smile back on his face. “Come on, let’s go. We’re going to get wet if we don’t hurry.”

By the time they got to the cave, the rain was coming down in sheets. They were both completely soaked, and Kennedy had begun to shiver. “It will be warmer inside,” he said, helping her up the little slope that led to the cave. You go on in. I’m going to see if I can find some dry wood to build a fire.”

Kennedy’s face was white, her teeth were chattering, but she nodded and ducked inside, leaving him standing in the rain. It didn’t take long to find enough fuel to keep a fire burning for several hours. He carried it all back to the cave and stacked it inside, then turned to find Kennedy still in her wet clothes, staring into the empty fire pit shivering.

***Kennedy***

“Kennedy, you should have put on something dry,” Cameron said, throwing the armload of wood he’d been carrying down next to the firepit. “You’re going to make yourself sick sitting there in those wet clothes.”

She looked up at him but couldn’t move, teeth chattering, head spinning, trying desperately not to faint again as the events of the last hour slowly played over and over in her mind. The shivering wasn’t just because of the cold; her world had just been turned upside down, and she was struggling to accept everything that she’d seen. Nothing would ever be the same after what she’d witnessed. That was the only thing that was clear to her at that moment; everything else was a muddle in her suddenly crowded brain.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” Cameron said, grabbing her backpack. “Let me help you get out of those wet clothes. You’ll feel better, I promise. Then I’ll build a fire and make you something hot to drink.”

When he brought her sweatshirt over to her, she could only look at it. The effort it would take to put it on was more than she could handle, and she shook her head. “I don’t think I can,” she said, teeth still chattering. I can’t move; I’m too tired.”

“That’s okay, sweetheart, I’m right here to take care of you,” he said, kneeling down next to her. “We’re going to get your wet shirt off first, then we’ll put this on.”

With gentle hands, he carefully pulled off her wet shirt, then slipped the sweatshirt over her head and began to rub her arms. “I think you should take off your wet shorts, too,” he said. “But I don’t think I can be trusted to help you with that.”

A wave of warmth washed over her and she let out a little moan of pleasure at the sensation, then looked up into his eyes. “I trust you,” she said, the truth of her statement resonating through her, creating another wave of warmth. “You would never take advantage of me.”

“You have more faith in me than I have in myself,” Cameron said, but got to his feet and helped her up.

The feel of his warm hands on her chilled skin when he reached up under her sweatshirt to unbutton her shorts made her gasp, and thrills rushed through her, chasing away more of the cold. She didn’t mean to moan, but it came from deep in her chest before she could stop it, and Cameron froze, his hands hovering near the zipper on her shorts. Then he took a deep breath and, teeth clamped tightly together, slid the shorts down her legs. Reaching up to steady herself, she put her hands on his shoulders, sending a wave of desire rushing through her and making her begin to tingle deep inside.

Legs shaking, she managed to step out of the shorts, not sure now what was making her tremble this time, the cold or the passion suddenly burning brightly between them. Swallowing back the urge to throw herself into his arms, she let Cameron help her back down on the blanket he’d spread on the ground, aware that she was too vulnerable right then to make such a big decision. Crouched next to her again, he took her chin in one hand, tipped her head up, then kissed her tenderly before slowly backing away from her.

“I want to hold you right now, Kennedy, but I’m afraid to,” he said. “I’m going get a fire started and make you something hot to drink, then if you’re up to it, we’ll talk.”

“Okay,” she managed to croak. “Thank you for taking such good care of me.”

“It was my pleasure, sweetheart,” he said, smiling at her, but his eyes still burned with desire, and her body responded. “Sit tight. I’ll have it warmed up here in just a few minutes.”

With a proficiency that surprised her, Cameron built a fire that instantly began to warm the chilled air in the cave and gave off a happy glow that was just as comforting as the heat. After digging through the backpacks, he produced a hot cup of instant coffee, which he carefully put into her hands before pouring one for himself and settling down next to her on the blanket.

They sipped in silence, the popping of the fire the only sound in the cave, and she finally began to relax as the cold slowly seeped back out of her bones. When her cup was empty, Cameron took it, set it aside, pulled her into his arms, and held her until the fire burned low. There was so much that needed to be said, so much she had to tell him, but she was scared that he would be angry when he heard the truth, afraid that he’d turn his back on her and walk away.

He was the only thing she had left, and if she only got a few precious days with him, it would be worth it, even if it was going to cost her dearly. She let out a long sigh and looked up at him, trying to find the words to tell him who she really was and what she was doing on the island. She’d been so wrong about him, so wrong about that gut feeling she’d had the first time she saw him. She understood that now. Steve had been right, she’d completely misinterpreted her feelings.

“Cameron, I think I’m ready to talk now,” she finally said. “I want to go first. There’s something I need to tell you, and I know that you’re not going to be happy, but before we go any further, I want you to know the truth. I would appreciate it if you would remember that I was just trying to do my job; it wasn’t anything personal, or at least I didn’t think it was…”

He looked over at her. “Who are you, Kennedy?” he asked. “I hope I haven’t fallen for a woman who doesn’t exist.”

“Most of what I’ve told you is true. I did grow up in a small town just outside of Milwaukee, but I left when I went to college and never moved back,” she said, then let out a long sigh. “I didn’t win the trip here on a game show. I made that up with a little help from my boss at the newspaper I work for. I came here to do a story on you, Cameron. I was so sure that you were up to something illegal in your lab, and I thought I was going to uncover something big.”

He was silent for a long time. “And you did,” he said, then looked over at her. “A story about dragon shifters would really sell papers.”

“I would never do that to you,” she said, shocked and stung. “Do you really think that little of me? ”

“You’ve told a lot of lies since we met, Kennedy,” he said. “Can you blame me?”

“I told you I was just doing my job,” she said, her heart sinking. “And after…well, we started getting closer I never lied to you, everything I told you was the truth.”

“What about us?” he asked. “Were you faking that?”

She shook her head, “My attraction to you is what got me in this trouble to begin with,” she said, then looked over at him. “I saw you at a fundraiser I was covering for the paper, and I got that tingly feeling I always get when a good story falls in my lap. I was curious about you so I did some research, and let’s just say I read a lot of things wrong. As soon as I met you, I knew it, but I had put my entire career on the line for this story, I couldn’t just give up.”

“Why didn’t you just talk to me?” he asked. “It would have made everything so much easier.”

“In my experience, the bad guys don’t usually give themselves away,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “What exactly are you doing in that locked room behind the lab?”