than when he was man. As he prowled the area, led by his nose, he no longer counted time in minutes or in hours. Instead, the measured footsteps he took on the soft earth, the scent of a hare and the chase, these were his clock.
He hunted and he played, dancing with tree shadows, so in tune with the earth and his wolf he found joy in every breath.
And then, as he lazily contemplated returning to the tree stump where he’d left his human clothing, he heard the distant thump of wings and knew the dragon had returned.
Caution warred with fear. As wolf, he’d just devoured a rabbit. Would the dragon view a wolf as prey? Though his teeth were sharp and his claws swift, he knew if he were to go up against a beast of that size, he’d surely lose. So, once again, he crouched low to the ground, under a bush, and tried to make himself as small as possible.
The dragon flew low, scales glistening in the moonlight. Even as he held his breath, he couldn’t help but be filled with awe at the deadly beauty of this mystical creature.
He heard it land somewhere in the trees behind him. Curious, he crept in that direction, wanting to see what kind of person the dragon would change back into.
But either he moved too slowly or the beast changed with the speed of light. Long before he reached the center of the woods, he heard the throaty rumble of the Corvette’s engine.
Running full out, he headed toward the parking lot. His lope covered the ground effortlessly, but all he got for his effort was the sight of the taillights as the sports car drove away.
Back home, after her shape-shifting flight, Maria felt reborn. As she caught sight of herself in a mirror in the entryway, she beamed. Her skin glowed, her eyes gleamed and she appeared transported, as if she’d experienced some sort of holiness or miracle.
Becoming her dragon had a way of doing that to her. She’d flown far and low, skirting the waves at times, taking care to avoid shipping channels and any private boats. She’d visited a pod of about twelve whales, seen dolphins and sharks and watched shooting stars reflect across the endless stretch of water.
Her journey had felt sacred, reminding her that her very existence as a dragon could be considered miraculous. Which was why she could not afford to fail at her task.
This sobering thought made her shake her head. She would succeed. She’d be fine. And now, fortified by the hours she’d spent as a dragon, she could prepare for her time with Ryan without worry or fear.
After all, taking a day or two off to have a little fun could do no harm. Once all this was over, she’d go back to her focused search. She had to admit, she had some preconceived notions of how her life, once she found The One, would go. A handsome and fickle playboy who refused to settle down wasn’t one of them.
She sighed. Yet her attraction to him wouldn’t be denied. She probably just needed to get him out of her system. Then she could resume her oh-so-serious search for the father of her children and the rest of her life.
Monday came quickly. To her surprise, Ryan had made no further attempts to contact her after she’d accepted his invitation. Instead of leaving her car at the marina, she had Kathleen take her, swearing her receptionist to secrecy.
“I can’t believe you’re going to be with Ryan Howard,” the older woman said for maybe the third time. “In private, just the two of you, on a yacht.”
Yeah, about that. Maria hadn’t been sure what exactly to expect when Ryan invited her to spend a few days on his yacht. Yachts were different things to different people. For all she knew, he could pilot a perfectly restored 1960s sailboat. She’d been on one of those once and found it spectacularly beautiful. If she could, she’d live on the sea. She loved it more than land.
After they parked, Kathleen wanted to hang around to get a second look at Ryan. Firmly, Maria asked her to go home. “This is a fling,” she said. “Just fun. Don’t be making more of it than it is.”
Kathleen rolled her eyes. “A fling with Ryan Howard is something major, no matter what you think. And I really want to get a look at his boat.”
“No.” And Maria wouldn’t relent. The last thing she needed was Kathleen gushing and building this entire thing up to be something it wasn’t. “Ryan asked for privacy, and that’s what he’s going to get. Now thank you for giving me a ride, but please, go ahead and head back home.”
Though Kathleen grumbled, she did exactly that, though she backed out of her spot with excruciating slowness, no doubt hoping for a glimpse of Maria’s date before she left.
Maria waited until Kathleen’s minivan had disappeared before glancing again at the piece of paper where she’d written the slip number. As she walked out along the dock, she marveled at all the beautiful boats, looking for Ryan’s yacht. Even though any boat could technically be called a yacht, she figured something owned by a multibillionaire would be over the top, ostentatious and possibly gaudy.
Instead, when she reached his slip, she found herself pleasantly surprised. The sleek boat looked brand-new and was probably sixty-five feet long. Just small enough that he could captain it himself without a crew if he wanted, but not so small it couldn’t handle the ocean waves out in open water.
Though she seriously doubted that they’d be leaving the gulf.
“Lazzara LXS 64,” she read. A shiny thing of fiberglass beauty, with huge windows, she figured such a yacht would cost over two million dollars. With her inexplicable need to get closer to the water, boats were her weakness, her hobby, and she never missed a boat show if she could help it. She’d shopped them all, even the yachts like this that she couldn’t afford in a hundred years. That didn’t matter to her. She could always dream.
She’d always loved the sea and anything that got her closer to the waves made her happy. The salt spray, the seagulls, pelicans and, most of all, the whales and dolphins. She loved soaring over the vast expanse of water in her dragon form. Though smaller birds feared her, the huge whales flipped their massive tails at her in reproach or hello as she flew overhead.
As she approached, Ryan appeared from down inside the yacht. “Welcome.” The warmth of his smile started a slow burn inside her.
“This is nice,” she said, meaning it. “I’m assuming you don’t have to employ a crew.”
“No, that’s why I chose this one for this trip,” he told her. “I have a couple of boats, but on those I have to hire a captain and crew. I use those because when I entertain large groups of people I can’t be distracted by piloting the boat. But this time, it’s just going to be the two of us.”
“Even though you might be...distracted?” She couldn’t resist teasing him, loving the way heat instantly darkened his eyes.
“Even so.”
“As long as you’re sure we’ll be safe.” She let her smile widen, even as she raked her gaze boldly over him. “While I have no doubt you are a capable captain, since we’re getting this out of our systems, I plan to be more than a little distracting.”
Something intense flared between them. “No worries.” He sounded confident as he held out a hand. “Come aboard. Would you like a tour?”
She
