Page 14 of The Virgin's Chosen Dragon

She took a few more bites of food, waiting to see if he’d say more. “It doesn’t sound like you like your job very much,” she finally said. “It must not be very exciting.”

He was silent for a second, then looked over at her. “You know, we’re not that different when you get right down to it,” he finally said. “Only it’s not my mother holding me hostage; it’s my entire family. Heck, it might be my entire way of life that’s keeping me pinned in a place I don’t really want to be.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “I think you’re going to have to explain.”

“In my world, sons go into the family business no matter what that is. They marry acceptable women, add as much money as they can to the family fortune, then retire and let the next generation take over,” he said. “The people in my circle, as they like to call it, spend all their time trying to impress their friends, have affairs, and cheat on their taxes. All that money doesn’t do them a bit of good. They’re all miserable, but so busy trying to pretend that everything is perfect I’m not sure they even know how unhappy they are.”

“I guess money really doesn’t buy happiness,” she said, taking his empty plate and slipping into his arms. “What would make you happy?”

Theo was quiet for a second, then shook his head. “Would you believe that I’m thirty years old and I don’t know what I want to do with my life?” he said, then let out a long sigh. “I was hoping these two weeks away from everything wouldhelp me figure it out. So far, the only thing I’ve figured out is what I don’t want. I don’t want the life my parents have, and I don’t want to marry someone I don’t love because it would be good for business or my social standing. I want real connections with people who truly care about me.”

She looked up at him, understanding for the first time why he wouldn’t sleep with her. “That’s why you won’t…well, you know,” she said. “I didn’t really understand until now.”

“There was a time when I would have taken what you’re offering me without batting an eye, but I'm too old for that,” he said. “Somewhere along the way I grew up, so maybe my resistance isn’t just about you. Maybe I want it to mean something even if we never see each other again.”

“It would already mean something, Theo,” she said. “I wouldn’t have chased after you like I did if I thought you were going to hurt me. I trust you, don’t ask me why, it’s just something I feel deep inside. I’m not trying to rush you, I understand what you want, I’m just telling you that I chose you for a reason.”

“Aren’t we just the pair?” he asked, grinning down at her. “If you’d told me a week ago that I’d be sitting next to the most beautiful woman in the world and refusing to sleep with her, I would have called you crazy.”

“Well, your vacation isn’t over yet,” she said, grinning at him. “There’s still time to prove that you’re completely sane.”

“Woman, if you don’t stop propositioning me, I just might take you up on the offer,” he said. “But right now, I think we should go for a walk on the beach and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.”

“Darn, I almost had you,” she said, then stretched up and gave him a kiss. “You do know that I’m going to wear youdown eventually. I can be very stubborn when I want something.”

“I’ll take that as a warning,” he said. “And look forward to the battle.”

She laughed, then gave up and started helping him pack the food back into the basket, trying not to let her disappointment show. When they were finished, Theo got to his feet and held his hand out to her. She took it, enjoying the burst of electricity that shot up her arm. She looked up at him, wondering if he felt it, too. He just smiled at her and pulled her toward the water without a word, but a few seconds later, he leaned down and kissed her.

“I felt it, too,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “And a whole lot more than that, but we’re not going to discuss that right now.”

She opened her mouth to question him, then shut it again, sensing that he wouldn’t say more. “That was very mysterious,” she finally said. “Should I be worried?”

“Nope,” he said, giving her a kiss. “Not at all.”

CHAPTER 9

***THEO***

The sun had reached its zenith and begun to sink in the sky when Theo looked around and realized how far they’d walked down the beach. “We should probably head back soon,” he said, pulling Eden to a stop. “It’s going to start getting really hot in a little while.”

“It’s already hot. Let’s sit in the shade for a while before we go back,” she said, pointing to a tree a few thousand feet from the water. “Look, there’s a perfect little depression in the sand under that tree. It looks like a couch.”

“It does, if you use your imagination,” he said, grinning at her. “But what the heck, let’s go try it out.”

When they were sitting in the sandy depression, Eden turned to him and grinned. “It’s pretty comfortable, but there’s something missing,” she said. “We need some cushions or something.”

He looked around. “We’re fresh out of cushions,” he said, then jumped up. “But I have something that might help.”

After he’d broken off an armful of huge fern leaves, he helped Eden back to her feet, then laid them over the sand and stood back. “Ta-da, that should be nice and soft now,” hesaid. “Go on, give it a try.” Eden sank onto the leaves, then grinned at him. “It’s perfect,” she said holding her hand out to him. “Come and sit with me for a while.”

He sat down next to Eden, put his arm around her, and she snuggled up to him with a contented sigh. “I wish it could just be us; I wish we could get away from the rest of the world,” she said, closing her eyes. “I can just imagine it… no more expectations, no more worrying that you’re too old for me, just the two of us.”

Closing his own eyes, suddenly very sleepy, he shifted so they were both more comfortable. “Lost together on a deserted island,” he said. “I like the idea of that.”

“Hmmm, maybe not alone, there could be a tribe of local people,” she said, half asleep. “They could help us live off the land, show us how to fish and grow food, you know, stuff like that.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said, his mind already cloudy with sleep. “Where do I sign up?”

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