Page 19 of The Last Bachelor Dragon

She gasped when another wave of warmth spread through her, this time followed by tingles of desire. “You really mean that, don’t you?” she asked. “I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to think.”

He put two fingers over her lips, then leaned down and gently kissed her, afraid that he might hurt her. “I mean every word of it,” he said. “But we have to talk, sweetheart. My life is a bit complicated.”

She opened her mouth, but he shook his head, then got to his feet and disappeared down the stairs, leaving her alone with the moon and stars, the ocean lapping at the boat. She didn’t know the exact moment that it had happened. It could have been when she saw Max fighting his way through the storm toward her; it could have been when he shifted back to his human form, but she knew that it didn’t matter, he would keep her secret.

That knowledge changed everything and she shivered as the possibilities unfolded in front of her, a life on the island, a life with the love of a man who both drove her crazy and made her feel things she’d never felt before. It was almost too good to be true, almost too much to hope for, and she reminded herself that nothing in life was ever that easy.

A second later, Max came up the stairs, a tray in his hands. “I brought you some water and a snack. I’m sure you’re hungry,” he said. “Let me help you sit up.”

Her head spun just a bit when he pulled her upright, but itpassed quickly, and she smiled at him. “I’m okay, just a little ache in my head,” she said, then took the glass he handed her and downed most of it. “But I guess I was thirsty.”

“Here, eat this,” Max said, trading her for the glass. “It’s just peanut butter and jelly, but it will fill you up.”

She took a big bite, suddenly starving. “Tastes like a gourmet meal to me,” she said, not caring that her mouth was full. “Thank you for feeding me again.”

“My pleasure,” Max said, grinning at her. “If I can get the generator going, we can have a real meal. There’s a full refrigerator in the galley and the pantry is overflowing. We aren’t going to starve.”

“Somone must have been planning a trip,” she said, then looked up at him horrified. “Max, did I steal someone else’s boat? I just assumed this one was yours.”

“I’ve never seen it before,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “But that doesn’t surprise me. Nothing that happens around here does anymore.”

She took another bite of her sandwich and turned his words over in her mind. “We’re stuck out here, aren’t we?” she finally asked. “Something happened to the boat in that storm, and you can’t get it started.”

“I’m afraid so. It looks like the water short-circuited the instrument panel, and without it, I can’t start the boat,” he said. “A rescue team will already be looking for us, but I don’t know how long it will take them to find us. That wind carried us a long way away from the island, and they won’t have any idea where to start looking. We’ll be safe enough in the boat as long as another storm doesn’t come up.”

“That wind came out of nowhere; one minute it was calm and I was doing fine, the next I was being blown all over. The waves were coming over the bow of the boat and I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “It was a stupid thing to do. I should never have tried to run away, but I was afraid youwould tell my father where I was. You looked so mad when you found out.”

“I was mad because that woman said that you were engaged,” he said. “I thought you were playing games with me, but Stella and Juliet set me straight. By the time I went after you, you were already half way across the harbor.”

“I’m sorry, Max, I really thought I could do it,” she said. “You risked your life to save me, I’ll never forget it.”

“You might have made it if the island hadn’t sent that storm after you,” he said, then paused, waiting for her reaction. “Wind like that doesn’t just come out of nowhere, then go away again, and I hate to point it out, but have you noticed that we’re not moving, not at all?”

She looked around, trying to make sense of what he was saying. “Max, that doesn’t really make sense,” she said, shaking her head. “Are you trying to tell me that the island caused that storm? That can’t be true. I mean, it’s just an island, a beautiful one, but what you’re suggesting isn’t possible, is it?”

CHAPTER 13

***MAX***

“Itold you my life was complicated, I didn’t know the island was special when I set out to build the resort,” he said. “For a long time, I ignored the truth, and refused to believe that the island could make people fall in love. When it became impossible to ignore the truth, I told myself that when my time came I’d just give in and let fate have its way. It didn’t quite work out that way.”

Nora looked stunned, and he didn’t blame her. She’d been absorbing a lot of unbelievable things that night. “I know this is a lot to take in all at once,” he said, sliding over next to her and pulling her into his arms. “Most people would be freaking out right now. You’re an amazing woman, Nora and I’m lucky to have you in my life.”

“There’s a part of me that thinks this is just a crazy dream, that I’m going to wake up back in that horrible room at my parents’ house,” she said, then looked up at him. “But this is all real, magic is real…you’re real…you can really…”

“We call it shifting,” he said. “A long time ago, a magician blended humans and dragons together with a powerful spell. He wanted to create the most powerful soldier in the world.It backfired on him and most of us were killed, but a few of the smartest survived and flourished. Those were my ancestors.”

“Is that what I feel when I’m with you?” she asked, looking up at him with curiosity. “I get warm all over, and then sometimes I want…”

Her words died away, a blush spread across her cheeks and she looked down into her lap. “What do you want?” he asked, reaching over and tilting her chin so he could look into her eyes. “Do you want me to kiss you?”

Desire blossomed in her eyes, “Yes,” she whispered. “And more.”

“Right now, I’ll settle for a kiss,” he said, lowering his mouth until it was only inches from hers. “We’ll talk about the rest later.”

When he captured Nora’s mouth with his, there was no resistance. She melted into him with a sigh from deep in her chest, and the dragon inside him began to rejoice. The bond between them instantly came to life as he feasted on her mouth, tasting, nipping and teasing until she was trembling in his arms. When he finally pulled away, not daring to push his control any farther, she looked up at him, her blue eyes filled with the same passion he felt humming through his blood.

“A kiss wasn’t good enough,” Nora said. “If this is a dream, I don’t want it to end here, and if it isn’t, then this is what’s supposed to happen. This is why we’re out here all alone. I want you, Max, more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life. We’ve come this far, let’s finish this. You said it yourself, we’re meant to be together.”

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