Page 13 of A Savior for the Arrogant Dragon

That made her pause for a second, “You didn’t buy them?” she asked, hating the way her heart was beating a little faster, but still suspicious. “Where did you find them?”

“All over the island, this place is pretty amazing if you take the time to look,” he said. “Max wouldn’t let me traipse around the jungle on my own, so I did have some help from the guide he sent with me, but it was mostly me. Did you know they grow coffee up on one of the mountain's slopes?”

For a second, she thought she was talking to someone else, this couldn’t be Simon, “I’ve been drinking it every morning since I got here,” she said, then saw his face fall. “But I’ve never seen a coffee plant, I bet that was cool.”

Simon’s face brightened instantly, “I’ve never paid much attention to the world around me, so it was a new experience for me,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, clearly a bit embarrassed. “I cooked our dinner too, with a little help from Max. I’ve never done that before either.”

That got her, “Okay, Simon, what’s going on here?” she asked. “You’re like a completely different person, gathering flowers, making dinner. That doesn’t seemlike you at all.”

“It’s not, or at least it didn’t used to be,” he said, then sighed. “Almost getting you killed scared me, Kira, it woke me up, made me realize that I don’t like the person I’ve become. I’m not exactly sure who I want to be, I just know that I don’t want to be that guy I was before.”

It was impossible to miss the sincerity in his eyes, and her heart melted a little, “Well, since you worked so hard to make dinner, I guess I’ll come inside,” she said, then studied him for a second. “But I still don’t trust you, for all I know this is just an act to get back on my good side, not that you were ever there.”

“It’s not an act,” Simon said, crossing his heart. “I’m being honest with you, Kira, and that’s a new thing for me too.”

CHAPTER 8

***SIMON***

Simon led Kira around the cabin to the table he’d set up on the deck overlooking the ocean, as nervous as he’d ever been in his life, not sure why the dinner was so important to him, only that he wanted it to go perfectly. It was the only way he could think of to show Kira just how sorry he was, and he’d put everything he had into making the food and setting the table, hoping to give her an experience that she’d never forget.

When Kira saw the table draped with a white tablecloth, a hurricane lamp burning in the middle, another huge bouquet of flowers next to it, she paused for a second, then looked over at him, her face full of surprise. She took a few more steps toward the table, then looked out at the view of the ocean before letting out a long sigh at the beauty of the waves crashing on the shore in the moonlight.

When Kira turned back to him, she had a smile on her face, “This is beautiful, Simon,” she said. “You went to a lot of trouble to set all of this up, thank you.”

“It wasn’t really that much work,” he said, shrugging hisshoulders, but deep inside he was pleased with her praise. “Dinner is ready if you want to sit down.”

He helped her into a chair, then poured her a glass of the sparkling juice he’d made, “Try this, I created it myself,” he said. “I’ll be right back with our dinner.”

Kira was sipping the juice and watching the ocean when he slipped away, and he let out a sigh of relief that she’d not only come, but stayed. “Well, how is it going?” Max asked when he stepped into the kitchen. “Did she stay?”

“So far so good,” he said, a big smile on his face. “I didn’t realize how good it would feel to make someone else happy.”

Max shook his head, “It took you long enough,” he said. “Since everything is going so well, I’m going to head out and meet Mary Beth for a moonlight swim.”

He quickly filled two plates with the food he’d spent most of the afternoon cooking, then carried them back out to the porch and set one down in front of Kira. “Oh, this smells wonderful, Simon,” she said. “I can’t believe you really made it yourself.”

“I do have a few hidden talents,” he said, sitting down across from her. “Go on, try it, I think it tastes as good as it looks.”

Kira picked up her fork and took a bite of the flaky fish, then let out a little moan, “Simon, this is delicious,” she said, then took another bite. “As good as anything I’ve had since I got here. I’m impressed.”

“I’m glad you like it,” he said, taking a bite of his own dinner. “I got the recipe from one of the chefs in the village, and I can’t take credit for how fresh the fish is, but I’m happy with the way it turned out.”

“Well, it’s wonderful,” Kira said, taking another bite. “And I’m going to enjoy every morsel. I can’t get fish like this at home.”

He was tempted to ask her where home was, but didn’twant to make their dinner seem like a date, so they ate in silence for a while, the sound of the ocean in the background. When her plate was empty, Kira sat back with a contented sigh, looked over at him, and then shook her head.

“I didn’t think you were capable of this,” she said. “I didn’t think you could even make your bed, let alone cook a gourmet meal.”

“I’m not completely helpless,” he said, stung by her words. “I have picked up a few things over the years.”

“I didn’t mean to insult you, Simon, but you have to admit with the way you’ve been acting……” Kira said, shrugging her shoulders. “And it’s pretty clear you come from money, I’m sure you live in a huge house with a full staff of servants, but I’m always happy to admit when I’m wrong.”

“You’re not completely wrong. My parents do have a huge mansion and a full staff, but I don’t live there, I never really did,” he said. “I have my own place, and although I do have someone come in to clean and do my shopping for me, I cook for myself and keep the place tidy. I’m not completely useless, Kira. Sometimes it just looks that way, I guess.”

She studied him for a second, “You act that way on purpose,” she finally said. “Why?”

Surprised by the turn in the conversation, he opened his mouth to give her the same answer he always gave his father when he asked the same thing. But nothing came out of his mouth. For the first time in years, the lies wouldn’t come, and he closed his mouth, a bit shocked. He’d never had a problem lying to a woman before, never been at a loss of words when it came to protecting himself, but with Kira, he couldn’t do it, couldn’t push her off with one of his usual speeches.

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