Page 7 of The Virgin's Chosen Dragon

Babie only hesitated for a second. “I’ll pay for everything, Eden. It won’t even make a dent in my allowance,” she said, shaking her head when she opened her mouth to protest. “Don’t try to talk me out of it. I want to do this; you deserve it. I can’t think of a better use of the money my parents keep throwing at me to make up for not being a part of my life.”

She was tempted but afraid that she’d already pushed things too far. “I don’t know, Barbie,” she finally said. “I know that there’s no way we’d get caught, but well…”

Her phone began to ring on the table next to the bed, and the sound made them both jump. “Now that’s a sound I haven’t missed,” she said, then sighed. “We shouldn’t have been talking about her.”

“Is it your mother?” Barbie asked, her eyes wide. “You’d better answer it.”

Taking a deep breath, she connected the call. “Hi, Mom,” she said, keeping her voice light. “I’m sorry I haven’t called.”

“You should be sorry. I’ve been worried sick. I never should have let you go on that trip,” her mother said. “I want you to pack your bags and come home right now.”

“Mom, you promised, remember,” she said. “I need this time off, I’m burned out. I have to have some time to decompress before I start medical school, even the doctor said so.”

“Well, I don’t know why you couldn’t have done that athome,” her mother said, a hard edge to her voice. “You never listen to me, Eden. I told you over and over that this was a mistake and that you would be miserable.”

“But I’m not miserable, I’m having a great time. The island is beautiful, it’s peaceful and quiet,” she said. “I’m not coming home, Mother, I’m staying for the whole summer, just like we agreed.”

There was a long pause. “Let me speak to your companion. I can’t remember her name,” her mother said, her voice cold. “Just put the woman on the phone. She must not be watching you close enough. You’ve never spoken that way to me before.”

She started to panic, and wondered for a second if she could disguise her voice, but a second later, Barbie grabbed the phone out of her hands. “Hello, this is Mabel,” she said. “I’m so pleased to finally get a chance to talk to you. Cell reception on the island is terrible. Eden has been trying to call you since we got here.”

“Oh, well……” her mother’s words trailed away. “Eden tells me that you’re having a good time.”

“Oh, my yes,” Barbie said. “You’ve raised a wonderful daughter, Mrs. Bishop. You should be very proud.”

“It’s Dr. Bishop,” her mother said curtly. “Eden is going to follow in my footsteps.”

“Oh, dear, I’m so sorry,” Barbie said, rolling her eyes. “Please forgive me, Dr. Bishop.”

“Yes, well, I suppose it’s okay this once,” her mother said. “Now, I have some concerns I believe we must discuss……”

Barbie held the phone away from her ear. “What’s that?” she asked. “I can’t hear you.”

She put the phone back up to her ear. “I still can’t hear you; I think our connection is going bad,” she yelled. “Hold on, let me go outside.”

Instead of heading for the door, Barbie stared at the phone for a few seconds, then hit the end button and disconnected the call. “There, that should buy you some time,” she said, then grinned at Eden. “I hope you don’t mind. I could hear every word she was saying.”

Overwhelmed for a second, she could only stare at Barbie, then reached out and gave her a big hug. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had,” she said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, but you do realize that you’re going to have to talk to her again, right?”

A big smile spread across Barbie’s face. “I’m looking forward to it. I always wanted to be an actress,” she said. Now let’s go spend some of my parents money, something I’m really good at.”

CHAPTER 5

***THEO***

“Well, I’m certainly glad this is entertaining to you,” he said, giving Max a dirty look. “I think I’m done with breakfast. I’ve lost my appetite.”

He was just about to get to his feet when a young woman walked up, Eden trailing after her. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” the woman said. “Eden and I were just wondering if it would be possible to arrange a shopping trip to the big island. We need a few more things for the summer, and the sooner, the better.”

Eden’s eyes met his across the table. a blush spread across her cheeks, and he knew that he had to say something. “Hi, Eden,” he said, smiling at her. “You look nice this morning.”

Max looked past Barbie, taking in the baggy shorts that hung down below Eden’s knees and the oversized long-sleeved shirt hanging from her narrow shoulders, then gave him a sideways glace full of confusion. “You ladies both look beautiful this morning, the island must agree with you,” Max finally said. “If it’s shopping you want, the summer market is the place to go. Just let me find a couple of the boys to go with you.”

“That would be great,” Barbie said, plopping into the chair next to Max, leaving Eden standing a few feet away from them. “Come over here and sit down, I’m sure Theo won’t mind.”

He saw mischief in the young woman’s eyes and knew that Eden had told her about the kiss. He felt the sting of embarrassment but pulled the chair next to him out. “Of course not, join us,” he said, smiling at her, telling himself that he could handle sitting next to her for a few minutes.

But as soon as she sat down, he got a whiff of her scent, something floral with spicy undertones, and his body came to life. He looked over at Max, who had an amused look on his face, then took a deep breath, thinking it would calm him. All it did was drive the scent of the woman sitting next to him further into his lungs. He clenched his teeth, not daring to say a word while Max made a phone call, then let out a long sigh of relief when he hung up, a smile on his face.

---