Page 30 of A First for the Playboy Dragon

“Promise me that you’ll be careful,” she said. “I just got used to having you around.”

“Sweetheart, these guys are nothing,” he said, grinning at her. “Remind me to tell you about the rebels we took out in Afghanistan sometime, those were some scary guys. Plus I do have an advantage, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“I just don’t want to lose you,” she said, hugging him tighter.

“I’m not going anywhere unless you’re with me,” Harrison said, hugging her back. “You’re stuck with me, sweetheart, whether you like it or not. Now come on, I have the urge to feed you, and it won’t go away until I do.”

CHAPTER 19

***HARRISON***

Harrison held Juliet’s hand as they walked along the trail leading to the staff housing that Keith, Stella, and a small crew had been building for a little over a month. It was a beautiful location with a pristine sandy beach and beautiful palm trees, but that wasn’t the only thing that made it special. He watched her out of the corner of his eye not wanting to miss the moment she realized what it was, and was rewarded by her eyes going wide.

“Harrison, are those tree houses?” she asked, looking over at him, then back at the trees. “They’re so adorable.”

“They’re not just adorable, they’re functional, just like the cabins we stay in, and they don’t leave much of a footprint on the island,” he said, smiling at her enthusiasm. “It was Stella’s brainchild; she’s an architect, and Keith is a contractor, so what you see is their work; together, they make a formidable pair.”

“Great, now I’m nervous,” she said. “They both sound amazing; I mean, look at this, who wouldn’t want to live here?”

“It’s not quite as perfect as it looks. There are no bathrooms in the treehouses, no running water, and all their power comes from solar panels,” he said. “But Stella and Keith seem to be coping just fine.”

They’d reached the largest of the structures, and he led Juliet to the bottom of a set of retractable steps. “Anyone home up there?” he called. “I’ve brought someone for you to meet.”

A pretty woman poked her head over the top of the stairs. “Harrison, what a surprise,” she said. “Come on up, we were just cleaning the lunch dishes.”

He guided Juliet up the stairs, feeling her tension as they got closer, but Stella gave her a big hug as soon as they got to the top. “Welcome to the family,” she said, smiling at her. “We’re almost complete now that you’ve joined us. I’m Stella, by the way, and this is Keith. That little scamp over there is our son, Jordan.”

“It’s nice to meet you all,” she said. “This place is wonderful, I’m completely enchanted by it all.”

Stella beamed at her. “We’re very proud of it,” she said, then looked over at Keith. “I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to leave.”

“Now, Stella, don’t start in again,” Keith said, shaking his head. “Maybe we should offer our guests something to drink; then we might be able to convince them to tell us about the earthquakes.”

“Keith, don’t be so snoopy; Juliet may not feel comfortable discussing her life and love with two total strangers,” Stella said. “How about we take a tour of the grounds instead?”

A look of relief spread across Juliet’s face, “I would love to see everything,” she said. “How many people live here?”

“Just a handful right now, but we’re almost done with six more cabins,” Keith said. “That should have been the end of the project, but Max keeps adding cabins. At this rate, we’ll never get finished.”

“Which is fine with me,” Stella piped up from across the room where she was pulling Jordan out of his highchair. “The longer it takes, the better.”

“Stella wants the baby to be born here,” Keith explained. “She’s bound and determined to make it happen, so I don’t know why I’m fighting it.”

“That’s sweet,” Juliet said. “When is the baby due?”

“I’m only six weeks, so we’ve got a long way to go,” Stella said, rubbing the tiny baby bump under her shirt. “But enough about us, I want to hear all about you, Juliet.”

They chatted easily as they walked around looking at the grounds and the treehouses spaced out in the forest around them, then made their way down to the beach and found some shade. Jordan fussed about getting in the water but eventually settled down in Juliet’s lap while she told him a story, entertaining them all in the process. It was a relaxing few hours, and it was exactly what Juliet needed; some of the strain had disappeared from her face, and her cheeks were a healthy shade of pink.

“It looks like someone is ready for his nap,” Stella said, nodding at the baby, who was almost asleep in Juliet’s arms. “And I have to run into the village to pick up a few supplies.”

“I was just getting comfortable,” Keith complained. “Let’s just take a nap here instead.”

“If you want dinner tonight, a nap is out,” Stella said, nudging him. “Get moving mister, your son needs his bed.”

“We should probably get back too. I need to be down at the dock in a few hours, and Max is waiting for me so we can come up with a plan,” Harrison said. “Keith when the baby wakes up, you should join us.”

“Why don’t you come with me, Juliet,” Stella said. “We can poke around in the shops, then meet the guys later.”

---