How to Tame a Dragon Ch. 08

"See you in a bit Jess!" Izzy called over her shoulder as Daniel led her away.

Daniel held her hand as they walked in silence. At one point they stopped to watch the waves, and as he put his arm across her shoulders, Izzy felt that this was probably the most romantic thing to have ever happened to her.

She gave a happy little sigh, and looked up at him with a big grin on her face. "Isn't this just marvellous?" she laughed.

He grinned down at her, thinking that anything would be marvellous with Izzy by his side. He leaned down to capture her lips with his, and she melted into him, her hands coming up to rest on his shoulders.

Their kiss began slow and languid, but turned into a heated passion very quickly.

The water lapping at their feet brought them back to reality.

"It's always something!" Daniel grumbled softly. He looked at Izzy with a wry smile. "I never thought that the day would come, when kissing a girl would be constantly interrupted by weather events!"

Izzy giggled and reached up to kiss him once on the mouth. "One day we'll get it right!" she promised him.

"Yes indeed Izzy... we will. And then you need to watch out."

The look he gave her set her heart beating erratically, and the blood rushing through her veins at a terrific rate. She prudently kept her mouth closed and didn't let the, 'oh Daniel' slip out.

He took her hand, and they walked the length of the beach at a great pace. By the time that they turned around to head back to the restaurant, Izzy felt like she had just run a marathon.

"Heavens – I'm out of condition!" she panted, as they arrived back.

Daniel looked down at her flushed damp face, and heaving chest. "Was I walking too fast for you?" he frowned in concern. "Why didn't you tell me to slow down?"

"I needed to push myself, and you weren't walking that fast." She smiled her reassurance. "If I could do something like this once or twice a week, I'd get fit really quick."

"Now that the evenings are starting to draw out, maybe you could take a walk around my gardens. They are fairly extensive and if you were to do a brisk walk for half an hour every day, that would build up you stamina very effectively."

The rest of the day went in a blur for Izzy, as they sat around chatting before and after they were joined by Jessie and Richard; and all too soon it was time for them to make their way home.

Daniel easily kept ahead of Richard, and they arrived back quite a bit before them. He pulled up outside of her little house, and walked her to her front door. "This is probably the last chance I'll get to do this for a couple of days..." he told her as he pulled her into his arms to kiss her passionately, and his hands moved down her body in an almost frenzied exploration.

"Daniel!" Izzy gasped her head going back as he nuzzled at her throat.

He pulled back his eyes flaring. "I want you Izzy," he growled at her. "I want you so much – that it's killing me."

The intensity of his look silenced her completely; she was totally inexperienced at dealing with a man filled with that kind of passion. She didn't know what to say or do...

"Richard and Jess will be back at any minute, so I am going to get the hell out of here, before I do something really stupid!" he ground out savagely as he spun on his heel and walked back up the drive.

Izzy stood watching as he climbed back into his car and moved it to behind the big house, where his garages were. She let herself into her little home then, and locked the door with a little shiver. She knew that it was only a matter of time before she and Daniel became lovers...

She just hoped that he would realise that she had never been with a man before, because she didn't know how to tell him.

The next day she spent with Jess. They pottered around her little house and took a walk around Daniel's gardens.

Richard and Daniel stayed away from them for the entire morning, and Izzy wondered if Jess had told Richard to keep his distance. As the day wore on and Jessie enthused about absolutely everything, Izzy became convinced that Jess was just biding her time before leaping on Izzy, to persuade her about something.

She was also certain that it would be something that she wouldn't like.

They sat down at her kitchen table to eat sandwiches, and share a pot of tea between them.

"Okay then Jess, spit it out," Izzy challenged suddenly.

Jessie gave her a slightly guilty look. "Have I been that obvious?" she asked not meeting Izzy's eye. "You need to come home." Jessie finally said in a rush.

"I beg your pardon?" Izzy tensed

"There's this job come up at Briskell's you know the biscuit factory?" Jessie looked questioningly at her.

"I know of it... yes," Izzy acknowledged noncommittally.

"Well they've got this vacancy come up in administration. It would be absolutely perfect for you."

"I'm not an administrator," Izzy said flatly.

"And you remember Cousin Andrew's friend Robert?"

Izzy just nodded.

"Well he's come to stay with Andrew for a couple of weeks, maybe longer. I remember that you used to have a real thing about him..." Jessie grinned encouragingly at her. "Any way he was asking about you the other day... Really wanted to know where you were and what you were doing, and..." she paused dramatically. "He asked if you were still single!"

Izzy sat waiting for the rush of excitement that she should have felt... nothing.

"Come on Izz!" Jessie prompted, "I know that you really liked him a lot."

"I was just a child Jess," Izzy said quietly, she narrowed her eyes slightly. "And he always enjoyed the ego trip; that my blind adoration sent him on."

"Yes, but like you said you were just a child; and you're not any more... Why don't you come and see him, spend some time with him? See if it can develop into something... more."

"I am not going to turn my back on everything that I've managed to build up here; just on the off chance!" Izzy protested.

"Okay okay!" Jessie tried to pacify. "But that's not the only reason that I came up this weekend..." again she paused for dramatic effect.

"Oh?"

"Richard and I just got engaged," she said demurely before looking up with a huge grin.

"Jess! That's wonderful!" Izzy exclaimed joyfully, she rushed around the table to hug her sister.

Jessie laughed. "Yes it is... rather," she said with a watery little laugh. "Any way..." she carried on a little bit more firmly. "We're having a bit of an engagement bash next Saturday, and you of course simply have to come."

Izzy tensed. "Where?" she asked suspiciously.

"Why, back home of course," Jessie said innocently. "It's got to be local enough for all the family to be able to attend."

"Sorry Jess," Izzy said apologetically. "I'm not sure how I'm going to get down there for the evening."

"It's all arranged!" Jessie said a little smugly. "While you were getting dressed yesterday morning, we told Daniel... and he said that he would drive you down; with him and bring you back afterwards."

"I'd love to come!" Izzy said her whole body trembling slightly in anticipation of an evening with Daniel as her escort.

"Excellent!" Jessie exclaimed. "Now then what shall we do this afternoon?" Jessie asked having gotten the important bits out of the way.

Izzy shrugged. "I've absolutely no idea," she admitted.

Jessie didn't answer her directly; instead she took out her mobile and called Richard.

"Hi, I've told her about the party; and she's agreed to come, she's really excited about it!" Jessie paused to listen for a moment. "Yep, I told her all about him..." again a pause. "Any way we're at a loose end now, and so we thought that we would come and invade Daniel's..." another pause. "See you in a bit!"

She closed her phone and put it away and then turned to look at Izzy.

"Shall we go then?" she asked.

Izzy tried to play it cool, but it was all she could do not to snatch up her jacket and run over to Daniel.

They walked together up to the main house, and Richard stood waiting at the door.

"Congratulations Richard!" Izzy smiled up at him.

She walked into the hall to find Daniel standing there with a face like thunder...

And that furious glare seemed to be aimed directly at her!