Page 20 of Secrets of the Dragon's Heart

Kennedy gasped, a blush spread across her cheeks, and she jumped to her feet, then remembered that she wasn’t wearing any shorts. Tugging the sweatshirt down, her cheeks even pinker, she looked over at him. “Don’t you dare say a word,” she said. “I don’t suppose my shorts are dry yet?”

“Nope,” he said, still grinning. “And I’m sure glad.”

***Kennedy***

Kennedy scooped the last bite of spaghetti out of the bottom of the bag, shoved it into her mouth, chewed as quickly as she could, and then swallowed it with a groan of disgust. “Well, that was edible, but that’s about all I can say,” she said, shoving the spoon in the bag and closing it. “

“It will keep us alive, but that’s about it,” Cameron said, setting his bag next to hers. “I don’t know about that chocolate cake. My sweet tooth might be just fine without it.”

“Let’s save it for later, I’m not up to that experiment yet,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Do you think it’s ever going to stop raining? It’s going to be dark soon, and if it doesn’t we may have to spend the night here.”

“Hmmm…that brings a few interesting ideas to mind,” he said, scooting closer to her. “You’re going to need someone to keep you warm.”

“Oh yeah, and I suppose you’re volunteering for the position,” she said. “I’ll need to see your resume, Mr. Sullivan.”

“As a matter of fact, there are several positions I would like to apply for,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “You on your back would be the first one.”

Kennedy gasped. The playful look in her eyes was replaced by desire, and he had to force himself not to pull her into his arms. “Cameron, tell me about this shifter thing,” she said, her eyes locked on his. “How does it work?”

Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly. “I’ve been avoiding this conversation,” he said. “I’m afraid that it’s going to ruin everything between us.”

“Why?” Kennedy asked. “I’ve already seen what you can do. I’ll admit that it scared me at first; I mean, you did turn into a dragon after all, but when I realized that it was you, the fear disappeared.”

“That’s not the problem, I wish it was that simple,” he said, taking her hand. “This thing between us, Kennedy, is forbidden by my clan. I’m not allowed to be with a regular human, and I have to keep the bloodline clean for my future children.”

Kennedy was silent for a few seconds. “Are you some kind of royalty or something?” she finally asked. “Are you going to get in trouble for breaking rules? What can they do to you?”

Cameron reached up and covered her lips with his finger. “I can see why you’re such a good reporter,” he said, smiling at her. “But how about asking me one question at a time.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I get…”

“Carried away,” he finished for her, then gave her a kiss. “I’m not royalty, at least not the way you’re thinking. My father is the leader of the clan, and as his first-born son, I’m supposed to be his successor. He also expects me to take overthe family business, marry the right woman, and have a couple of kids to keep the family line going.”

A wave of disappointment washed over Kennedy. Cameron wasn’t a free man, he was destined for another woman. “Oh, I see,” she said, scooting away from him again. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”

“I don’t want any of it. I never have, I never will, and now that I’ve met you, I want it even less,” he said. “That secret room in my lab is there because I’m trying to prove that our ability to shift isn’t magical or mystical, it’s simply a difference in our genetic code. If I can just prove that all the old legends and stories aren’t true, maybe I can convince my father that I’m not the right one for the clan. My brother is the one who should be taking over. He’s far better suited for the job. I would hate every second of it, and I don’t want to marry someone I don’t love. I always hoped someday I would be free to find the love of my life, but I guess it didn’t quite work out that way. I found you, but I’m not free to love you.”

“What would happen if you didn’t do what your father wants?” she asked. “What can he do to you?”

“He could banish me from the clan, cut me off from all my friends and family,” he said. “I would be completely on my own. It’s the worst punishment there is in the clan, but I think you might be worth it, Kennedy. I’ve spent my entire life trying to avoid falling in love, but here we are, and I don’t know if I can go back, I don’t know if I can let you go. It might be too late for that.”

“Maybe you’ve just been waiting for me,” she said, not willing to give him up without a fight. “This thing between us feels so right, I can’t believe that it’s wrong, no matter what your clan says.”

“I’m not giving up on us, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said, his voice suddenly full of determination. “I’m goingto figure this out. I’ll stay in the lab twenty-four hours a day if I have to, but I’m not giving you up.”

“I don’t want to give you up either, especially not to another woman,” she said, then got to her feet. “You belong to me, Cameron, we’re supposed to be together. I don’t know how I know that, but I do, and I don’t want to wait any longer for you to claim me.”

Pulling the sweatshirt over her head only took a couple of seconds, but Cameron was already on his feet trying to stop her. “Kennedy, don’t…” he started to say, but the sweatshirt was already drifting to the floor of the cave, leaving her standing by the fire in only her bra and panties, and his words died away in an appreciative sigh.

CHAPTER 13

***CAMERON***

Cameron kept his feet firmly planted, knew that to move even an inch would be his undoing. “Kennedy, you don’t know what you’re saying, you don’t know what that means,” he ground out between clenched teeth, the dragon inside him now fully awake and responding to her words. “Shifters bond for life when they find their perfect mate, claiming you would mean that you’d belong to me forever. That would be a dangerous thing to do, the future is so…”

“I know exactly what I’m asking,” she said, cutting him off, then took a couple of steps toward him, hands on her hips. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone, Cameron. You make me feel things I didn’t think were possible, and I’m not just going to walk away from that. If all we have are these few days then I’ll find a way to live with it, but not before I put up one hell of a fight, and this is round one. I want you, Cameron, more than I’ve ever wanted anything. Unless you can tell me that you don’t want me just as much, this is happening.”

The spark of determination in her eyes and the stubborntilt of her chin was what finally pushed him over the edge, and he reached for her as warmth spread through him. “It doesn’t sound like I have much choice,” he said, groaning with pleasure when his hands touched her bare skin and her breasts flattened against his chest. “I know how stubborn you are when you want something. I just hope you don’t get carried away like you always do.”

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