Page 20 of The Virgin's Chosen Dragon

***Eden***

Eden wiped the sweat from her forehead, then looked down at herself with a sigh but followed Rose down the trail, doing her best to keep up. The basket on her arm was heavy, filled to the top with ripe fruit. She’d been proud of herself at first for finding so much, but now she almost wished she hadn’t been so successful. When the village came into view, she let out a sigh of relief, but the women barely stopped to rest before picking up a fresh set of baskets and heading down another trail.

“Where are we going now?” she asked, trying to keep up with Rose. “I hope it’s not far. I’m a little tired, I’m not usedto this much activity. I mostly sit around and study all the time.”

“Why?” Rose asked, looking over at her. “Are you smart?”

“I guess, a little,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “My mother wants me to be a doctor, and that takes a lot of studying.”

“Doctor good,” Rose said. “But you’re not happy.”

“That’s not really what I want to do,” she said. “I want to be a teacher, I love kids, they’re so……I don’t know, adorable.”

Rose laughed. “Then be a teacher,” she said. “Do want you want.”

She said it so simply, as if it was the only thing that made sense. Eden paused a second and watched her new friend walk away, wishing that real life was that easy. “Hey, you didn’t tell me where we’re going,” she called, catching up again. “I don’t suppose it has anything to do with clean water and some kind of a bath.”

Rose looked over her shoulder at her, then back down the trail and pointed. “Ocean is a big bath,” she said. “We get clean there.”

They got to the shore only a few minutes later, and she stopped, surprised to see the men wading waist-deep in the water, their spears held above their heads, ready to strike. Scanning the beach for Theo, she spotted him and stood watching, her body responding instantly to the sight of him bare-chested in the water, his muscles rippling as he brought the weapon down. He pulled it back up with a big silver fish wiggling on the end of the spear, a smile of triumph on his face, and this time it was more than just her body responding to him.

A little breathless, sure that she was starting to fall forTheo, she followed the other women down to the water, surprised and a bit disappointed when they didn’t climb right into the waves but started up the beach instead. A few minutes later, it became obvious why they’d kept going when the land curved sharply, leading them to a small protected bay of water. The women all began stripping off their dresses, then plunged into the water, calling out to each other as they splashed around happily.

“Are you coming?” Rose asked, slipping her dress over her head. “Water feel good, men can’t see us, you’re safe.”

She looked down at her swimsuit, then over at the woman, then took a deep breath, her cheeks flaming, and took it off. Running down to the water with Rose, she resisted the urge to cover herself up, but completely forgot her discomfort when she hit the water and it swallowed her up. Sighing with relief as the cool liquid slowly pulled the heat from her skin, she stood neck-deep for a long time, enjoying the sensation of being completely naked.

A splash followed by a giggle made her open her eyes. “I told you it was nice,” Rose said, then splashed her again. “Come and play.”

When they finally climbed out of the water and lay down on the warm sand of the beach to dry off, it was late afternoon. Letting out a sigh of happiness, Eden wondered what Theo was doing right then, if he was still spearing fish or headed back to camp with the rest of the men. The man made her feel something she’d never felt before, and now it wasn’t just physical. She knew that she was falling in love with him. It both scared and thrilled her, and she hoped that he felt the same way.

Being stranded here had changed things, taken away all the inhibitions they’d felt at home. Here, their true feelings, and only their feelings, mattered. Even if Theo didn’t loveher, she was going to make the most of every minute they had together and etch it all very clearly in her mind so that years from now, the memories would still be as fresh as they were today.

One by one, the women began to rise from the sand and put on clean clothes, but she remained where she was, the thought of putting on her dirty swimming suit a bit revolting. But Rose came to her rescue once again with a dress she presented to Eden shyly, with a question in her eyes.

“Oh, Rose, thank you, it’s lovely,” she said, slipping it over her head. “How do I look?”

Rose smiled at her, then held up a finger. “I’ll be right back,” she said, then ran over to the basket she’d carried down to the water and came back with a comb carved out of wood. “Let me help with your hair.”

When Rose was finished, her hair hung in shining waves down her back, and she reached up to twist it back up on her head, but Rose shook her head. With nimble fingers, she braided a few sections of hair next to her face, then pulled them back and secured them with a little piece of twine. She stood back, then a big smile spread across her face, and she nodded enthusiastically.

“Now, you look perfect,” Rose finally said. “Your man will want you for sure.”

She felt herself blushing. “I hope so,” she said. “I want him too.”

Rose giggled, “You should get married,” she said, a wise look on her face. “Don’t let him get away.”

She laughed, “I don’t know how Theo would feel about that,” she said. “But I’ll have to ask him.”

“Good,” Rose said, nodding her head again. “Theo belongs with Eden.”

CHAPTER 12

***THEO***

When he climbed out of the water, his basket full of fish, Theo looked up the beach where the women had disappeared, thinking about going to find Eden. But Peter shook his head. “The women bathe, they need privacy,” he said. “We go back to the village with our fish.”

Disappointed, he followed Peter back up the trail to the village, added his basket to the pile in the building they used as a kitchen, then started to go back to his hut. Peter stopped him again. “You’ve earned this,” he said, handing him a loincloth. “You are one of us, at least for now. You’ve proven yourself.”

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