Page 35 of A First for the Playboy Dragon

He counted down the seconds, desperate to get to Juliet, the dragon inside him fighting to get out and save the woman he loved, but held back using every ounce of his control. When they finally saw Keith’s head poke up above the water next to the boat, he let his dragon loose, and the transformation was over in less than a second; then, without hesitating, he spread his wings and took to the air. Max was right beside him, his tawny colored feathers glistening in the sun, a puff of smoke coming out of his nostrils, and together they soared toward the boat.

Completely unaware of what was coming their way, the two men in the boat were already celebrating their newfound wealth, but Juliet was paying attention. Her eyes widened when she saw them, but she quickly turned around, bracing herself on the seat, and love swelled inside Harrison for the smart and brave woman who’d turned his life upside down. The warmth of their connection filled him, causing a burst of power that made him feel stronger than he’d ever felt before, and the urge to save Juliet pulsed through his blood even stronger.

Keith came up out of the water only a few seconds later, his wings extended, water streaming from his sleek body, thenhovered just in front of the boat, a howl of anger coming from deep in his chest. The man at the boat's helm screamed in terror and tried to steer the boat around the dragon, but only succeeded in knocking everyone to the floor, including Juliet’s brother and himself. The boat began to swing wildly through the waves with no one at the helm, but the driver managed to get back to his feet and get it under control.

He pulled a gun out of his pocket and began firing at Keith, who just rose a few feet in the air until the chamber had emptied itself and the gun clattered to the floor of the boat. Now screaming in terror, the man abandoned the helm, jumped over the boat's side, and was instantly lost in the waves as he was pulled out to sea.

***Juliet***

The screaming around her made it difficult for Juliet to think, but she started pushing bodies off her, trying to get to her feet. It was almost impossible with the boat careening through the water, but she finally managed to get a grip on the side of the boat and hauled herself up. All she could do for a second was stare; the air was full of dragons, two she didn’t recognize, but the third was Harrison, and a wave of love erupted inside her, filling her body with heat.

Sucking in a deep breath, she turned away from the dragons following the boat just in time to see the man behind the helm jump into the water with a terrified scream. The dragon in front of the boat continued to follow them, but she wasn’t focused on it. She was watching her brother slowly extract himself from the pile of bodies, the gun still in his hand. He turned to look over at her; the hatred in his eyes hit her like a punch to the stomach, stealing her breath for a second, but she pushed away the imageof the little boy he’d been to face the truth about the man he’d become.

Joe lifted the gun and pointed it at her, but that was the moment he saw the dragons around the boat. He faltered, and a look of terror appeared on his face. Without even thinking, Juliet rushed her brother, knocking the gun out of his hands. It landed with a quiet splash in the water. A crazy look in his eyes, Joe roared at her, then slapped her across the face, sending her reeling back into the woman now cowering on the floor.

She was only vaguely aware of the roar of anger that came from Harrison as she sat, head spinning, trying to recover from the blow Joe had just given her. But only a second later, her head cleared, and she saw Harrison diving for the boat, his giant talons extended, and she understood what he was going to do. Joe caught on at the last second and tried to get away, but there was nowhere to go, and Harrison snatched him up and then lifted him into the air as if he weighed nothing.

The women in the boat stopped screaming and whimpering when they saw what was happening. There was total silence as Harrison flew away from the boat and dropped her brother into the sea. She watched her brother flailing in the waves for a few seconds, then turned her back on him, no longer caring what happened to him, and rushed over to the helm.

She grabbed the wheel, making the boat lurch, then looked down at the controls, trying not to panic when she realized she had no idea what to do. Closing her eyes for a second, she took a deep breath, then looked around again, relieved when she saw the levers marked forward and reverse. Grabbing a hold of them she slowly began to ease them back, relieved when the boat began to slow down and she could control it better.

After bringing the boat to a complete halt, she plopped down into the captain’s chair and put her shaking hands into her lap, her breath coming in short gasps. She felt the whoosh of air asHarrison flew over to her. She looked up to find him hovering over the boat and then managed to give him a shaky smile. The sound of a vessel approaching made them both look toward the island, then Harrison looked over at her once more, the look in his eyes filling her entire body with warmth. She blew him a kiss then watched as the three dragons flew back toward the shore and disappeared into the trees.

The first boat was followed by three more, and they were soon surrounded. “Is everyone okay?” Montgomery yelled. “Do you need medical assistance?”

“I think we’re all just a little shaken up,” she called back after looking over her shoulder at the women. “But I’m not sure.”

“You just hang in there. We’re going to get you off there right away,” Montgomery said, then turned and started shouting orders at the other boats.

One by one, the women were taken off the boat and transferred to one of the boats from the resort. Then Montgomery helped her into his boat. “Harrison already radioed from the shore; he’s waiting for you at the marina,” he said, helping her into a seat. Just hold on; I’ll have you there in a few minutes.”

They drove away, leaving the empty boat floating in the waves, and she wondered for a second where her brother was. Then, she pushed him out of her mind, something she was sure she’d be doing for a while. She saw now that there had been no saving him; nothing she could have done would have changed the man he’d become, and she realized that she was grieving someone who’d ceased to exist a long time ago.

Harrison leapt off the dock and into the boat before it even came to a stop. He pulled her into his arms, shaking with relief, then kissed her like they’d been separated for years, not just a few hours. She was barely aware of Max shouting orders on the dock or the women as they were given blankets and usheredtoward the village. Her only focus was the man holding her in his arms, showing her how much he cared.

When he finally pulled back and looked down at her, she could see the love shining in his eyes and knew that everything would be okay. “I just kept thinking about you,” she said, smiling up at him. “I knew that you’d come after me.”

“That was too close, Juliet,” he said, pressing his forehead against hers. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared. The island messing with us was one thing, it wouldn’t have let you get hurt. But your brother…when I saw you in that boat with the other women…I wanted to kill him with my bare hands.”

“But you didn’t,” she said. “You let Mother Nature take care of him. Now you don’t have his blood on your hands.”

“It took everything in me not to do it, but I didn’t want that between us,” he said. “I just want you to know that I would have done it if I’d had to. I’ll always protect you, Juliet, no matter what.”

“My knight in shining armor, no wait, my hero in feathers, no wait…” she looked up at him, searching for the right words. “My brave dragon, you, sir have earned a reward for bravery. Anything you wish is my command.”

Harrison burst out laughing. “You know you were pretty brave yourself, princess,” he said, stroking her cheek and making her wince. “I nearly burst with pride when I saw you knock your brother’s gun out of his hands. Does your cheek hurt? He hit you pretty hard.”

“It’s tender and I’m sure I’ll have a nasty bruise,” she said. “But I’m alive, that’s all that matters.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Harrison said. “I think we should get you back to the cabin now. You’re probably exhausted; I know I am.”

CHAPTER 22

***HARRISON***

Harrison helped Juliet off the boat, then kept her hand firmly grasped in his, unwilling to let her go. In fact, he would have carried her if he thought she’d let him. “Juliet, you were brilliant out there,” Max said, rushing up to them. Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks to the three of you,” she said, smiling up at him. “I know how hard that must have been to expose yourself to all of us. I’ll never forget what you did for me, for all of us. Thank you, Max.”

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