Page 4 of Secrets of the Dragon's Heart

She’d follow up on the other story if there was time. Stevewould just have to be happy with that, she thought, snapping her computer shut. Cameron Sullivan was her target, and she’d get her first shot at him in the morning. Until then, there was nothing she could do. Looking around the cabin, she decided there was no reason she had to hang around the cabin all day; there was an island out there waiting to be explored, and there was nothing wrong with having a little fun while she was working on the story.

Grabbing her bathing suit out of her suitcase, she quickly changed, then grabbed a towel off the stack in the bathroom and headed for the beach. She climbed down the ladder from the cabin, feeling optimistic that she might run into Cameron. It might happen again, and this time she’d be prepared. If not, she’d spend a few hours enjoying the beach, then see what she could dig up about the rumors she’d been hearing just to make Steve happy and herself not feel quite as guilty.

CHAPTER 3

***CAMERON***

Still annoyed that Max hadn’t warned him that he would be out of communication for most of his trip to the island, Cameron stomped across the sand, looking for a place in the shade to set up his chair. The idea of spending the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the beach wasn’t very appealing to him, but Max hadn’t really given him much choice since it was that or hiking around in the jungle. Setting up his beach chair, he tried to tamp down the frustration that was slowly building inside him when he thought about all the wasted hours, time that could have been spent working on his latest battery of results.

Positioning the cooler that he’d picked up in the village next to his chair, he sat down with a loud sigh, then dug around inside for something cold to drink before looking up and down the beach. There were several couples and a family spread out on the white sand. They all seemed to be enjoying their time in the water, and he felt a little pang of jealousy that something so simple could bring them so much joy.

He wondered for a few minutes what it would be like to live a different life, a life that left him free to be himself, tomake his own decisions. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate all that he’d been given, he knew how lucky he was, how hard other people struggled just to have the basics, but he would have gladly given it all up to have his freedom. Letting out another long sigh, he forced himself not to think about what he couldn’t have. He was in a beautiful place, and he should at least try to relax.

Taking a deep breath, then letting it out slowly, he watched the waves rolling up on the shore, and to his surprise, he felt his tense muscles begin to loosen. A breeze off the ocean rolled over him, bringing with it the fresh scent of salt, and the trees above him began to rustle, adding their own scent to the air. Wondering if Max might have been right, he sat, letting nature work its magic on him for a long time, sipping his drink and entertaining himself by watching the people around him.

He was just thinking about closing his eyes and taking a nap when a figure walking down the beach toward him caught his attention, and a little thrill shot through him. Sitting up straighter, he watched as the woman got closer, his heart pounding just a bit harder with each step she took, his stomach beginning to churn uncomfortably when he realized that it was Kennedy Fisher. His first instinct was to run, and he started to get up from his chair, then realized that she hadn’t seen him yet and sank back down, slouching a little, hoping she wouldn’t look over.

To his relief, Kennedy was staring at the water, a happy smile on her face as she stepped into the waves up to her ankles, then retreated with a little squeal when a big wave washed up on the shore. Relief slowly began to change into desire as he watched her strip off the shorts and top she’d been wearing to reveal a bikini that left little to his imagination. Cursing the woman for showing up just when he was beginning to relax, he sat there watching her, unable to lookaway. The magic inside him was making his body tingle as it slowly came to life.

Even more alarmed, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths, willing his body to calm down, telling the creature inside him to go back to sleep, but it did little good, and when he opened his eyes, his reaction to the blonde beauty was even stronger. It didn’t help that she was splashing around in the waves, her body glistening with water droplets, a look of pure pleasure on her face. To his horror, his body began to throb with need, and he forced himself to look away.

On one level he understood what he was feeling; knew that animal instinct had taken over, but that didn’t stop the panic slowly spreading through him. He’d never reacted to a woman the way he was to Kennedy, and he didn’t know how to stop it, let alone control it, and retreat seemed like the only option at that point.

Getting to his feet, he folded up his chair, grabbed the cooler, and, with a determined stride, headed back toward the beach, hoping Kennedy would keep her back turned so he could make his escape. He wasn’t that lucky. Only a second later, she turned and spotted him, a big smile spreading across her face, and she waved to him. Frozen for a second, he could only stare at her, then to his shock and horror, his feet started to move toward her, and only a few steps later, he was standing just a few yards from her.

She waded out of the ocean toward him, her skin glistening in the sun, water running down her body, and it was all he could do not to stare at her breasts in the skimpy top. When he tried to look away, he found himself looking at her shapely legs, the flare of her hips, and his hands suddenly itched to touch her, to feel her velvety soft skin under his fingers. Realizing that he was losing control again, he dragged his eyes back up, forcing himself to keep themfocused on her face, only to discover that she was studying him with a curious look on her face.

“Did you just get here?” she asked. “You look hot. You should come into the water, it will cool you right off. It’s a long walk from the cabins, and I didn’t think it was supposed to get this hot here.”

“I was just heading back to my cabin,” he said, gesturing up the beach. “I’ve been here for a while.”

“And you haven’t been swimming,” she said. “That seems like a crime.”

“I’m not much of a swimmer,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not that hot.”

“Your face is all red, and you're sweating,” Kenndey said, putting her hands on her hips. “You don’t have to swim, you can just wade around. It doesn’t get deep until you’re a long way from shore, you’ll be perfectly safe.”

“I’m not afraid if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said, a bit insulted. “I just don’t feel like getting wet right now.”

“Okay, suit yourself,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m going back in. This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

***Kennedy***

Kennedy was smiling as she waded back into the water. Without even trying, she’d run into Cameron again. Fate must really be on her side for a change, and she frantically searched for a way to use it to her advantage. She hadn’t missed the spark of attraction in his eyes, but going that route was a bit risky, especially since a part of her was thrilled by the idea. She’d never used her sexuality to get a story before. It was cheating in her view. Even if lots of other female reporters weren’t above the practice, she’d never stooped that low and wasn’t planning to start now.

Discarding the idea as too dangerous, she turned back to Cameron, ignoring the way her heart was pounding when she saw the interest in his eyes. “You’re going to roast standing there on the beach,” she said. “You’re beginning to make me feel bad. Maybe I should get back out.”

“No, don’t do that,” Cameron said, shaking his head. “You look…cool in the water, and it is a little hot out here. Maybe I will wade around a little. I’m not in any hurry to get back to my cabin.”

“You look a little tense; it will help you relax,” she said, kicking her feet up so she could float on her back. “Just close your eyes and let the waves take you where they will.”

“I’m not tense,” Cameron said. “I’m just not used to doing nothing…I’m usually in my lab working…”

She pushed herself back up. “You’re not doing nothing, you’re enjoying the ocean, at least I think you are,” she said, cocking her head to study him. “You’re one of those workaholics, aren’t you? I’ve met a few people like you. All they want to do is toil away, they don’t know how to have fun, it’s just work…work…work.”

“I’m not a workaholic,” Cameron argued. “What I do is important. If I get too wrapped up sometimes, that’s just…well, the way things have to be.”

“When was the last time you took a vacation?” she asked, surprised to see a spark of anger in his eyes. “I bet it’s been years. I bet you don’t even take days off, and I bet you’re planning on working while you’re here.”

---