Page 21 of A First for the Playboy Dragon

“Well, it wasn’t me, I’ve been with you all day,” Harrison said. “Whatever crazy thought is going on in that head of yours, I had nothing to do with all this. If I wanted to seduce you, I can think of much more romantic ways than this..”

Juliet’s entire body sagged, and he could see for the first time how tired she was. “Let’s get that fire going and have something to eat,” he said, putting his arm around her and guiding her away from the boxes. I think I know what’s going on, but it’s going to take some time to explain, and it may be hard for you to believe. It might be easier if you’re rested and have some calories in you.”

Juliet looked up at him. “This is all just so…hard to believe,” she said. “I don’t know what to think.”

“I know, sweetheart, this must all be really confusing,” he said. “But I promise you that we’re safe here. Nothing bad is going to happen to us. I haven’t been wrong yet, have I?”

She shook her head. “No, you haven’t been,” Juliet admitted, then took a deep breath. “What can I do to help?”

“Nothing, I’ll take care of everything,” he said. “I want you to sit down and relax, and we’ll have something hot to eat before you know it.”

“Harrison, I can’t do that,” she protested, but he walked her over to the empty fire pit and pushed her down onto the hard packed floor of the cave.

Thanks to the pile of wood stacked next to the boxes, it didn't take long to get a fire going, and the cave was soon filled with flickering light. After rummaging through the boxes, he set a potof water on to boil, then put together a meal before joining her next to the fire.

“It’s not hot, but it should fill us up,” he said, handing her a plate of roasted chicken and vegetables. “There’s a pie for dessert if you’re up for it.”

“Are you kidding? I feel like I could eat a horse right now,” she said, a smile spreading across her face. “This looks wonderful. Thank you for taking care of me.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he said. “Now eat, and then we can talk.”

***Juliet***

Her stomach full, Juliet accepted a cup of coffee from Harrison, feeling a bit better, giving him a smile of thanks, but their strange situation was still on her mind. “Okay, I’m full and rested,” she said, watching as he added more wood to the fire. “I think it’s time for the explanation that you promised me.”

Harrison took his time pouring himself a cup of coffee, then came over and sat down next to her, took a sip, then looked over at her. “Before I explain what I think is going on, I have to tell you that I didn’t believe it at first either, and I’ve seen a lot of things in this world that can’t be explained, and a few that can,” he said, then paused. “All I ask is that you keep an open mind. What I’m about to tell you is a little hard to believe; most people have never experienced anything like this in their lives.”

She took a deep breath, her stomach suddenly in knots. “Harrison, you’re scaring me,” she said. “Please just tell me.”

“It’s this island, there’s something special about it. I don’t know what or how it works, but it brings people together,” he said, then looked over at her. “It makes them fall in love.”

“Wait, what? That was not what I was expecting you to say,” she said, shaking her head. “But maybe I didn’t hear you right.”

“No, you heard me right. It all started a few months ago when Theo came to visit for two weeks. He met a woman, a woman who was perfect for him, but she was a lot younger than him, so he tried to ignore his feelings,” he said, then took a deep breath. “He and Eden were transported somewhere that looked like the island but wasn’t. There’s more to the story, but the bottom line is they fell in love, the kind of love few people get to experience.”

She was silent for a second, sorting through what he’d said. “So you think the island transported them or whatever so they would fall in love?” she asked. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I didn’t believe it either, not even when Max told me that it’s happened over and over again,” he said, shaking his head. “There are eight of us, Juliet, and there have been six marriages, all of them after one of my friends visited the island. I’ve tried to deny the island has anything to do with it, but each time one of my friends fell in love, something strange happened. It wasn’t just Theo and Eden. All of my friends were affected, even including a tiger attack, and there aren’t any tigers on this island. Now here we are, lost on an island that’s only five miles long. I’m a Navy Seal, I shouldn’t get lost anywhere. Plus, I’ve mapped this entire island, and none of this was here before.”

She could only stare at Harrison in silence, her brain trying to absorb what he was trying to tell her. “You’re talking about magic, aren’t you?” she finally asked. “You’re trying to tell me that this island is magic, that it can mess with time and space or something, and it does it to make people fall in love.”

“That about covers it,” he said, giving her a sheepish smile. “Pretty crazy, huh?”

Head spinning, she looked over at Harrison, then feeling a little panicky, she jumped to her feet and began pacing around the cave, trying to make sense of what he’d said. He watched her silently, a look of understanding on his face, and she was grateful for the silence. Eventually, she turned and looked over at himagain, hoping she could read the truth in his eyes, and sucked in a deep breath when she saw what she was looking for.

“You’re telling me the truth,” she whispered, not sure how she felt. “The island is trying to put us together; I didn’t want to believe it, and I still don’t. Magic isn’t supposed to be real, it’s just something in books and legends. I don’t know what to do now.”

“Why don’t you come back over here and sit down with me,” Harrison said. “We can talk about this some more, or we can take a break and just enjoy the fire. I know this is a bit of a shock, but there’s nothing to be afraid of. The island won’t hurt us.”

“How can you be so calm?” she asked, panic starting to make her vision blur. “What if I don’t want to fall in love? What if you’re all wrong for me? I don’t even know you. What if I have a secret that might make you hate me?”

“Juliet, try to calm down,” Harrison said, jumping to his feet and coming toward her. “The island can’t make us do anything we don’t want to do. We’re still free to make our own choices.”

“You don’t understand,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t know what I’ve done…I need some fresh air, I can’t breathe.”

Before he could stop her, she ran for the opening of the cave, wiggled through, then jumped to her feet and sucked in gulps of the cool night air. Head spinning, she stood there for a few seconds, then heard Harrison coming after her and began to panic. She would have to tell him now why she was there; it couldn’t be avoided any longer. He would never forgive her. It would destroy what they’d built between them; the island had gotten it wrong.

Desperate for a few more minutes to collect herself, she turned and started walking along the edge of the cliff, her eyes straining in the darkness but unable to see that she’d walked out onto a ledge. A few seconds later, Harrison emerged from thecave, a frantic look on his face, and called out to her. She paused, looking over her shoulder at him, only then realizing that there was open space next to her. She’d never be sure what happened next, but a second later she was falling through the air, her scream filling the night.

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