Page 28 of A First for the Playboy Dragon

Warmth and comfort slowly spread through her. “Oh, Harrison,” she sobbed. “I almost did something horrible, I almost hurt a lot of people. I’m so stupid, but I wanted to believe him, I wanted to believe that he’d changed.”

“But you didn’t do whatever it is,” he said, scooping her up into his arms. “We’re going to Max’s cabin, and you’re going to tell us what’s going on; I’m sure you’ll feel better once you do.”

“But Max is already mad at us,” she said, the sobs easing slightly. “And when he finds out what I was going to do, he’s going to be even madder.”

“I’ll handle Max,” Harrison said. “I just want to make sure that you’re safe.”

Relief poured though her. “You’re not mad at me?” she asked. “I lied to you, Harrison.”

“And it sounds like you had a good reason,” he said. “I’m not mad, but you have to be completely honest with me now, Juliet.”

“I hated lying to you, I hated every second of it,” she said, sighing. “I really did.”

Max met them at the front door. “What happened?” he asked. “Are you hurt, Juliet?”

“Only my spirit,” she said. “Harrison, I think you can put me down now.”

“Take her over to the couch. I don’t want you face planting on my floor; you’re white as a sheet,” Max said. “I’ll go get you some hot tea with lots of sugar, and then we’ll talk.”

“See, he’s not mad anymore,” Harrison said, smiling down at her. “It’s going to be okay, Juliet.”

She let out a long sigh, wishing she was as sure as he was, but let him settle her on the couch, relieved when Max came back a few minutes later. “Here, drink some of this,” he said, handing her a mug. “I want to see a little color in your cheeks before we talk.”

CHAPTER 18

***HARRISON***

Harrison watched the color slowly come back into Juliet’s face, his protective instincts humming through him, the creature inside him awake and paying attention. A lot of what Juliet had said on the trail didn’t make much sense to him, but he’d understood enough to know that she was in trouble and it was her brother’s fault. Reminding himself to be patient, he took deep breaths, fighting back the urge to find the man and make him pay for upsetting Juliet and putting her in danger.

He realized now that the pain and heartache he’d felt had been Juliet’s, not his. It was also clear that he’d jumped to conclusions. “Are you feeling better?” he asked, pulling her a little closer. Do you feel like talking now?”

“I think so, but Max should be here. This involves him too,” she said, then looked up at him. “I’m sorry, Harrison, I never wanted to do it, but Joe…”

“Juliet, there’s nothing to forgive, you didn’t do anything,” he said. “I’ll go get Max, and we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Max brought the teapot with him and refilled her cup, then sat down across from them. “Now, what is this all about?” heasked. “I have a feeling I’m not going to like what you’re going to tell me.”

“I’m not sure where to start,” Juliet said, looking down into her lap.

“How about at the beginning,” Harrison said, giving her a squeeze. “Or do you want me to help?”

Juliet looked up at him. “No, this is my story to tell,” she said, then sat up straighter. “My brother and I were put in foster care when we were kids. Our parents died in a car accident, and there was no family to take us in. They kept us together and we did okay for a while. Then things began to change. Joe started acting out, doing things to get in trouble. I tried to take the heat for him as much as I could, but then when I was sixteen I was almost raped, and they sent me away. Joe went completely out of control after that. He always blamed me, said that I turned my back on him, but I didn’t have any choice, I was still just a kid.”

“That was Joe I saw you with earlier, wasn’t it?” Harrison asked. “Did you know he was on the island?”

She shook her head. “I had no idea. As far as I knew, he was being held by this guy named Mr. Adaloni,” she said, looking up when Max let out a hiss. “I don’t know who he is, but Joe told me he was in trouble, that if I didn’t help him get pictures and information about security on the island, Mr. Adaloni was going to kill him. I agreed to help him, I didn’t know what else to do. It was just supposed to be a few pictures, but then when they found out you were here, Harrison, that all changed.”

When Juliet paused to catch her breath, he looked over at Max. “Do you know who this guy is?” he asked. “What does he want with the island?”

“He’s a big-time drug dealer who works out of this area,” Max said. “No one has ever been able to catch him. He does all his business on private islands, and he’s been trying to get his hands on Heart of the Ocean since I started building here.”

With the pieces beginning to slip into place, he looked over at Juliet. “What did your brother want?” he asked. What did he want you to do?”

“He wants me to steal the security plans for the island. I think they’re planning to attack and take the island by force; he didn’t tell me that, but it’s the only thing that makes sense,” she said, then let out a long sigh. “Joe lied to me. His life wasn’t in danger, the whole thing was his idea, a way to get a promotion in the organization. He hasn’t changed, he’s even worse than I thought. He dragged me into this, and now Mr. Adaloni is going to be angry with me; he’s going to want all the money he spent sending me here, and he might even want me dead since I know everything.”

Protective instincts flaring to an uncomfortable level, Harrison had to take several deep breaths before he could speak. “No one is going to hurt you, Juliet. They’ll die trying,” he said. “How much did you tell your brother about me?”

“Not much,” she said, her face filled with relief. “I never wanted to spy on the island. Other than a few pictures, I didn’t really give him any information. I couldn’t, I felt too guilty.”

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