Page 11 of The Virgin's Chosen Dragon

His tongue invaded her mouth as his fingers found their way into her hair, pinning her up against his hard body, and the kiss suddenly turned demanding. She sensed that Theo wasn’t holding anything back, felt the power of the attraction between them, and thrills began to rush through her. When her nipples hardened against his chest, she let out a little gasp as a new and more intense kind of pleasure washed over her, leaving her legs wobbly, and a new longing slowly building deep inside her.

Brushing her hard nipples across his chest made them both moan, and Theo finally tore his lips away from hers with a groan, then stood looking down at her. “That was supposed to scare you,” he said, giving her a dirty look. “But I guess it didn’t work, and I want you even more.”

She looked up at him. “I trust you, Theo. You would never hurt me,” she said. “So, what comes next? I know there’s more to all of this than kissing.”

“Oh, no, you don’t,” he said, taking a few steps away from her. “We’re going to dinner, and we’re going to sit a long way away from each other. This isn’t going to work, missy, so you can just forget it.”

After studying him for a second, an idea popped into herhead. “Okay, that’s fine with me; I mean, if you don’t want to show me, I’m sure there’s someone else around here who would,” she said. “I’m sure there are lots of other single men on the island.”

She knew instantly that she’d hit her target. “You wouldn’t dare,” he said. “Not all guys are like me. They won’t all worry about…well…you know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t know what you mean, and that’s the problem,” she said. “I’m twenty-two years old, and I know nothing about sex, but I’m determined to figure it all out by the end of the summer. You can either help me or stand aside and let me find someone who will. It’s your choice.”

Her hands shook, and her legs were wobbly when she took the bucket from him then turned and walked away, shocked by what she’d just done, but not the least bit sorry. She’d never follow through with her threat, there was only one man on the island that she wanted, but Theo didn’t need to know that. She’d followed her instincts, and if she was lucky, they were right.

CHAPTER 7

***THEO***

Theo wasn’t sure if he was angry or jealous as he watched Eden walk away. Things had taken a turn he hadn’t expected, and he had no idea what he was going to do about it. He didn’t like being pushed, or blackmailed, or whatever it was that Eden had just done to him, and he was tempted to see if she’d follow through. The only problem was the rush of jealousy that filled him when he thought about her with another man, and he knew that he was stuck in a position he’d rather not be in.

Frustrated that no matter what he did, it wasn’t going to be the right choice, he grabbed his bucket and stomped back down the beach, cursing under his breath, not sure how he’d gotten himself tangled up in this mess. When he plunked his bucket down with the rest, Max took one look at him, shook his head, then pulled him away from the crowd.

“What’s wrong this time?” Max asked. “This was supposed to be fun.”

“It was until Eden told me that if I didn’t teach her about sex, she’d find someone who would,” he said, running hisfingers through his hair. “How the hell am I supposed to handle that?”

Max started laughing and didn’t stop for a long time. “Looks like the little vixen picked up more than just some new clothes over on the big island,” he finally said, wiping his eyes. “Maybe she’s not as innocent as you thought.”

“Oh, she’s innocent,” he said, shaking his head. “But she’s also very smart. She figured out exactly how to get to me and used it to her advantage.”

“It was a smart move, I’ll give her that,” Max said. “It was also a huge gamble. She can’t be that sure of herself.”

He was silent for a second, then let out a long sigh. “Well, there might have been a couple more kisses before we had that discussion,” he admitted. “The first one wasn’t my fault, she kissed me…but the second one…I was trying to prove to her that she couldn’t handle me. I guess it kind of backfired.”

“Kind of?” Max asked, then laughed. “This is even more fun than I thought it would be. So, what are you going to do?”

“I’m sure as hell not going to sleep with her,” he said, then let out a groan. “But I can’t stand by and let her do it with someone else.”

“Honestly, I don’t know why you’re still fighting this,” Max said, then held up his hand. “I know, you’re trying to be noble and all that, but at some point, you’re just being a stubborn fool. The woman wants you, Theo, and she is an adult, so why don’t you just give her what she wants?”

He hesitated, asking himself the same thing, but couldn’t come up with a good answer. “I don’t know, it just seems too important,” he finally said. “She’s waited this long; shouldn’t it mean more? I mean…oh, I don’t know what I mean.”

“Well, you’re going to have to figure it out soon,” Max said, looking back up the beach. “She’s not going to wait around for you forever.”

He followed Max’s gaze, his hands clenching at his sides when he saw Eden and Barbie laughing and flirting with a couple of other guests, and had to suppress a surge of jealousy. “I don’t exactly know when I lost control of this situation,” he said through clenched teeth. “But I think it’s about time I figured out how to get it back, I’m not going to let her blackmail me into having sex with her. I know we’d both be sorry.”

Max just shook his head. “All I can say is that I’m glad it’s you and not me,” he said. “Personally, I wouldn’t fight it anymore. I’d give her what she wants, not because she’s blackmailing you, but because you want her as much as she wants you.”

Max turned and walked away, shaking his head, and he stood there, wondering if he was right. He could just give in, let Eden have what she wanted. Just the thought made his body begin to throb with anticipation. It also made him feel like a first-class jerk. He’d be taking advantage of Eden’s innocence, taking something from her that she could never get back, and he didn’t want to be that guy.

He wasn’t sure why it had become so important to him, why he’d fixated on Eden’s inexperience, and chose not to think about it too deeply. It shouldn’t matter, he knew that, but it did, and he couldn’t change the way he felt. Spotting her on the other side of the fire, her face animated as she talked, he wished he could get past the fact that she was young and innocent, wished that he was the old Theo who would have just seen it as another conquest.

Eden had challenged him in a way that no woman ever had before, and it was too bad that he couldn’t see it through. He had a feeling she wouldn’t disappoint him. With a big sigh, he shrugged off the thought, knowing it would only torture him. He put a smile on his face and decided to letEden play her game. It would serve her right if she thought that he was calling her bluff, and he found a seat at the table between two couples, then sat back to watch the show.

Eden looked surprised when she saw where he was sitting, but quickly covered her disappointment. She smiled up at the man she was talking to and then let him lead her over to the table. But it was clear fairly quickly that Eden didn’t have any interest in the man, and he felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw the unhappy look on her face, even as he was fighting the urge to rescue her. When the food was gone, Eden got to her feet, and headed for the village, Barbie at her side, but not looking very happy about it.

He felt a little guilty as he watched them walk away, but he couldn’t let Eden get away with manipulating him, at least not completely. There was no way he was going to let another man put his hands on her, no matter what it took, which was another thing he was choosing not to think too deeply about. He’d do whatever it took to keep her from making a mistake with some jerk who wouldn’t appreciate the gift that he’d been given.

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