Page 5 of The Last Bachelor Dragon

“That’s the problem you don’t know,” she said. “If you would just let me leave the island…”

“That’s not going to happen,” he growled at her. “Not until I know that you’ll be safe.”

“Stop acting like my father, I’ve been taking care of myself for a while now,” she said. “I don’t need to be treated like a child. I did manage to get a job already, in case you’d forgotten.”

Her father was the last thing he felt like right then. In fact, her real father would probably be horrified if he knew what he was thinking, and he found himself taking a step backward. A look of satisfaction appeared on Nora’s face, and he realized she thought that she’d won and that he was backing off. The truth was that if he didn’t put some space between them, he was going to kiss her.

The thought both shocked and excited him, and he backed away another step, shaking his head against what was slowly sinking in. It wasn’t possible, Nora couldn’t be the one, she was nothing like the woman he’d been imagining, but he could no longer ignore the desire pumping through his body. When his dragon began to stir and warmth spread through him, he started to panic. This just couldn’t be, there was something wrong.

Backing away from Nora, he shook his head again, then turned and fled like a coward, leaving her standing in the middle of the food court, a look of confusion on her face. He headed straight for the beach and started walking along the shore, trying to calm his pounding heart, unwilling to accept what he already knew. Nora wasn’t the one, he told himself, she was just a distraction before his real soul mate showed up, a test of sorts to make sure that he was ready.

It was just a physical attraction, nothing more. He didn’tfeel that special something with Nora; it was just his hormones doing their job, he told himself, feeling the tension beginning to ease. He’d met plenty of women who did the same thing to him. When he was younger, he might have gone for it, but he was way past the days of casual sex, especially with a woman who wouldn’t even tell him her name. Feeling more in control now that he understood what was going on, he let out a long breath. Nora was just a temptation he’d have to resist, and the sooner he got her off the island, the better.

Deciding that Keith was right, he needed to be nicer to Nora, trick the information he wanted out of her, he headed back to the village with a plan slowly forming in his mind. He headed straight for the clothing shop and yelled for Marie as soon as he was through the door, annoyed with the older woman for interfering.

She came out of the backroom only a few seconds later. “Oh, Max, there you are. I knew I’d be getting a visit from you today,” she said, crossing the store toward him. “You just missed Nora. She looked lovely in her new outfit.”

“I can’t believe you gave her a job without even asking me,” he said. “I wanted her to be miserable, not fit right into life on the island. She’ll never tell me who she is if she gets comfortable, and we have enough trouble on the island without adding more.”

“So, you think that she’s trouble?” Marie asked, her voice thoughtful. “That wasn’t the impression I got. She seemed like a very nice person to me. I only gave her a job because she wouldn’t take the clothes I tried to give her.”

“I know, I heard all about it,” he sneered. “She’s just a little goodie two-shoes, isn’t she? I don’t buy it, she’s up to something, and I’m going to find out what.”

Marie made a noise of disapproval, then stared up at him for a second, looking amused. “She’s not what you expected,is she?” she finally asked, shaking her head. “That’s okay. I think it should be a surprise.”

“You’re talking in riddles,” he said, glaring at her. “You’ve seen something, haven’t you?”

“Only what anyone else looking closely would see,” Marie said, then patted him on the cheek. “Now, if we’re finished, I have work to do. We’ve got a shipment coming in tomorrow, and I have to make room for it in the storage closet.”

***Nora***

After twelve hours spent lugging huge bolts of fabric up from the dock and into their place in the storage closet, all Nora could think about was a hot shower and a soft bed. Her first day working for Marie had been a whirlwind of colors and textures, and she’d crammed more information into her brain that she’d thought possible. It was no wonder she was exhausted, both mentally and physically; she’d just worked harder than she ever had in her entire life, and while she was proud of herself, every muscle in her body ached.

Reminding herself that not every day would be so hard, she slipped into the infirmary and down the hallway to the little room she’d been given when she’d first gotten to the island. It wasn’t much more than a bed and nightstand, but it had started to feel like home, and she was looking forward to shutting the door and being alone for the first time that day. She was surprised to see a man standing outside her door and her heart began to pound at the thought that she’d been found, then she realized it was Max. Fear turned to annoyance, giving her a little spurt of energy.

“I’m too tired for this,” she said, stopping in front of him. “I’ve been working since eight this morning. I just want to take a shower and go to bed. Maybe we could postpone thisround until tomorrow, I’ll be happy to fight with you in the morning.”

She was surprised to see a look of amusement in Max’s eyes, but it only lasted a second before he was scowling at her again. “Since you insist on staying on the island, I thought it was time you had your own place. You can’t sleep here forever,” he said. “Pack your things, and I’ll show you where it is.”

“Now?” she asked, the hot shower evaporating before her eyes. “Can’t it wait until morning?”

“This is a hospital, not a motel,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s not my fault that you’re tired. We could have done this earlier, but you weren’t home.”

“I was working and you know it, you saw me there just a couple of hours ago,” she hissed at him. “You could have told me then.”

“I didn’t think about it,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Come on, let’s get going. I don’t have it all night. I’ve still got your friend Carlos to worry about.”

“He’s not my friend, I never even met the man,” she said, then sighed, feeling tears beginning to sting her eyes. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter, I’ll get my stuff.”

She ignored the look of satisfaction on Max’s face and stomped past him, her chin in the air, refusing to let him see that he’d gotten to her. It didn’t take her long to put her few possessions into the bags with her new clothes, but she took a few minutes to gather herself before she opened the door and stepped back out into the hallway.

“Lead the way,” she said, gritting her teeth to keep from saying more.

He led her out of the village toward the trail to the cabins but took a path she’d never noticed that led them deeper into the jungle. When he finally stopped it was so dark it was hard to see the outline of a cabin in the trees, and for a momentshe expected him to keep going. Instead, he strode toward the cabin, then looked behind him to see if she was following.

A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she followed him up a set of creaky stairs, jumping when she saw a dark lump sitting on the porch. Max pulled a flashlight out of his pocket, turned it on, and shined it at the lump. She realized it was a pile of bedding. Letting out a shaky breath, she told herself to calm down. She wasn’t afraid of the dark or anything that might be out in it.

She still jumped and let out a little scream when Max shoved the door open and it let out a horrible squeak, sending the birds in the trees around them soaring into the air. “Here we are, home sweet home,” Max said, holding the door open for her. “It’s been closed up for a while, so it might be a little musty, but open a few windows, and you’ll be just fine.”

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