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“Don’t get her started, I beg you.” AJ leaned back in his chair. “One thing at a time. The possibilities do seem pretty limitless right now, though, don’t they?”
Media swarmed the palace, first the local TV stations and then the entertainment shows from L.A. and beyond, all intrigued by the Hollywood playboy about to become king.
At first Priia tried to fob them off with bright announcements of her own and warnings that the happy couple were “busy,” but by the afternoon, it was obvious that a press conference was in order and they scheduled it for the following morning. Priia suggested Lani wear a pretty, pale-yellow dress with shimmering embroidery. She attempted to deck AJ out in a colorful ceremonial tunic, but he managed to mollify her by wearing an Armani suit.
“What a stunning couple!” she exclaimed. “Of course they all want pictures, and they must have them.”
“I’ll bet they’re also looking for some dirt to dish,” murmured AJ. Lani had tried to ignore the same dark thought. Happy news didn’t sell nearly as well as disaster.
“Just hold your chin high and remember the proud history of our island.” Priia stroked her tall son’s cheek.
“Thanks for the advice, Mom.” AJ shot Lani a mischievous glance. Lani had noticed that AJ usually gave his mom lip service, then did whatever he wanted.
“And Lani, if they ask you too much, tell them you’re still mourning. Don’t let them upset you.”
Lani gulped. Hopefully AJ would do most of the talking.
Priia’s main assistant put her head around the door. “They’re waiting for you on the veranda. I served them tea and coconut stars just as you suggested.”
“Wonderful.” Priia clapped her hands. “Then they’ll all be in a good mood. Come on, my dears. Let’s give them a glimpse of Rahiri’s gorgeous new royal family.”
They stepped out on the veranda, and Lani froze when she saw how many people had gathered. At least fifty, many of them with cameras pressed to their faces. Voices began chattering, reporters reeling off live commentary, as she and AJ took their seats under some very hot, rapidly erected lights.
Microphones thrust toward them. “AJ, how does it feel to marry your brother’s wife?”
Lani blanched. AJ leaned back in his chair, confident and relaxed. “I don’t know. We’re not married yet.”
“You’re leaving a lot of broken-hearted women behind in L.A.,” quipped one rather flamboyant reporter. “Do you feel you’re ready to settle down?” “Absolutely.”
“I can see why,” declared a bold female reporter. “Your fiancée is stunning.” She pointed her mike right at Lani. “How do you feel about taking a new husband when you’ve barely had a chance to mourn the first one?”
Lani cleared her throat. “It’s traditional.”
“But surely, in the twenty-first century, some traditions seem a little barbaric.”
AJ grasped her hand firmly. “No one is forcing Lani and me into this marriage. We’re both pleased to hold our family together in the way chosen by our ancestors.”
“Give us a kiss, then!” coaxed an older male reporter with a British accent.
Lani shrank into her chair. Could they really expect them to put on a show for the cameras?
“Please don’t offend my bride’s royal dignity.” AJ managed a tone that was both formal and jesting. “And give us a chance to get the relationship off the ground at our own speed.”
“There must be pressure on you to produce an heir to the throne, since your brother didn’t.”
Lani gulped. It was hard to resist pointing out there was one on the way already.
“None whatsoever. We’re young and strong and will be here for a long time to come.” His cheery retort soothed her.
“Lani, is it disturbing to you that Vanu’s body has never been found?” A young female reporter thrust a microphone at her.
She stiffened. “I’ve accepted the fact that it may never be found. We all searched long and hard for his boat, but found no sign of it. The ocean is deep and keeps many secrets.”
She could never let anyone know the deadly secret that she was relieved Vanu was gone.
Reporters clustered around the palace all day, hoping to snap a candid shot of the couple. AJ’s celebrity status had turned the story into a hot property, and the internet buzzed with speculation and innuendo about the arranged marriage. Once pictures of Lani hit the media, revealing that she was not only royal but also strikingly beautiful, interest only grew.
Lani peeped out behind the closed wooden shutters. “Do you think we’ll ever be able to go outside again without being photographed?”
“They’ll lose interest eventually.” AJ spoke while thumbing a message on his BlackBerry. “Something more dramatic will happen.”
“What are you going to do about the movie you’re supposed to edit in a couple of weeks?” There were so many things they still hadn’t talked about. Did AJ think he could continue his Hollywood career and rule Rahiri at the same time?
“The editor can start work without me. He has the script and storyboard with my notes, and of course we can videoconference. As things progress we’ll make new plans. I signed up for the job and I don’t shirk a commitment.”
“Which is why you’re still here.” She looked up, suddenly shy. AJ appeared so strong, invincible, even. But how much of this whole experience had he not thought through yet? He was obviously trying hard to do the right thing. But what if he wasn’t ready to give up the thrills and excitement of his life in L.A.?
She couldn’t help thinking about those “broken-hearted” beauties he’d left behind. Who was he texting? Already a little thread of jealousy twisted inside her. She rose to her feet and paced along the wall of shuttered windows.
AJ looked up. “I’m restless, too. Let’s go out for a walk.”
“With the entire press corps following us?”
He rose to his feet, tall and handsome in a white shirt and loose linen pants. “We’ll ditch ‘em.” He winked at her. “Follow me.”
He took her hand and led her along the corridors toward the east wing. “Aren’t we heading right for them?”
“Yes, but they won’t see us.” He opened a door that she’d always assumed was some kind of closet, and stepped into the darkness. Her hand tingled in his as she stepped in after him. “Look out, there are some stairs.” She followed him down, her heart pounding louder as they went farther down the strange staircase.
“Is there a light?” she whispered, wondering when the staircase would end.
“I don’t think so.” He squeezed her hand. “But we’re nearly there.”
“Where?”
AJ chuckled. “Nowhere.”
The stairs ended, and stone clapped against the bottoms of her sandals. “What is this place?” Tiny points of light overhead—like cracks in the ceiling—illuminated a large room. The temperature was cool, a good twenty degrees lower than the midday warmth of the palace.
“Your guess is as good as mine. No one’s used it in years. Vanu and I used to sneak out of the palace this way.”
Cold fear trickled through her and she glanced over her shoulder. She could easily picture Vanu haunting a dim, subterranean space like this.
If he was even dead. The reporter’s question from earlier nagged at her brain. Yes, it did unsettle her that they hadn’t found a body. How could it not? Sometimes it seemed he was everywhere, his cold, wheedling voice in her head, criticizing everything she did.
She squeezed AJ’s strong, warm hand. “Where does it bring you out?”
“You won’t believe me if I tell you.” Their shoes clicked along over the stone tiles as they headed farther and farther from the palace. The room narrowed again into a passageway, and Lani was alarmed by a roaring sound that grew louder as they walked.
She glanced up at AJ and saw his amused grin in the scant light from above. The thin strands of light became fainter until the corridor was almost pitch-black and the roar overhead boomed like the New York City subway. If AJ wasn’t boldly leading the way, she’d have turned and run back to the palace long ago. They rounded a corner and a shaft of golden light broke through the chink between two doors. AJ pushed the doors open and led them out into blinding sun.
As her eyes adjusted, Lani realized the roar of sound was the crashing of a waterfall. They now stood directly behind the flow of water as it cascaded down the hillside.
Lani stared at the wall of water. Tiny droplets splashed her face and arms. “It’s beautiful.” She had to shout to make herself heard. “I’ve only ever seen it from above.”
“Let’s go somewhere quieter,” murmured AJ in her ear. His hot breath on her skin made her shiver. Still holding her hand, he led her along a ledge of rock only a foot wide, then down a vine-covered hillside. The quiet rustle of the forest gradually replaced the rush of water over rock.
“Now I can breathe.” AJ stretched and turned his face to the sun, which shone down through the trees. “I don’t like living in a fishbowl.”
“I’d think you’d be used to it, living in L.A.”
“There you expect it when you’re out and about, but they don’t follow me home. I’m not that interesting.” He grinned.
“You’re apparently interesting enough to justify big travel budgets for all those journalists.”
“It’s not every day a B-movie director becomes king.” He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek. The soft touch of his thumb made her shiver with pleasure. “And marries his brother’s wife.”
She tensed at his words. “And they don’t even know about the baby. That would be quite a story.”
“One more reason to keep it our secret. Everyone should be allowed some secrets.” His fingers trailed down her back and his face hovered close. The scent of his skin, masculine and seductive, filled her senses. His lips met hers slowly, a soft collision, then they melted together.
Heat flooded through her as the kiss deepened. Her hands fisted in the soft cotton of AJ’s shirt. She probably shouldn’t be feeling desire, given the strange circumstances, but it pounded through her like a drum. Maybe all the years of pent-up longing, all the rejections and slights and hurts of her first marriage, had left her with a deep hunger.
She pressed herself against AJ, feeling her body mold to his hard chest. He groaned and his hands roamed down to cup her backside. He grew hard against her as arousal leaped between them like electric current.
“I am very attracted to you,” she whispered when their lips pulled apart.
AJ laughed. “I can tell.” He pressed another kiss to her moist lips. “And I like it when you’re really hot for me, not just trying to push me into bed to carry out a complicated plan.”
Lani blushed. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. This is making up for it.” Her nipple thickened under his palm. “Come a bit farther into the jungle. If things haven’t changed too much, there’s a peaceful spot I remember.”
He led her through a semi-tangle of vines and spiky palms until they reached a huge fig tree. Its enormous violin-shaped leaves shaded out the hot sun; underneath them grew a lush carpet of soft moss dotted with tiny white flowers. AJ gestured for her to sit down.
She lowered herself onto the cushioned surface and AJ joined her. “What a perfect place.” Gnarled branches curved over them like protective arms.
“I used to sneak off and come here. I’d sit up in the tree, tucked away behind the leaves. No one ever found my hiding place.” He nibbled her earlobe softly. Lani almost jumped at the sensation of his hot breath on her ear. “But I think I’ve found a hot spot on you.”
She giggled. Then gasped when he did it again. Little flashes of sensation darted through her body. “How did you do that?”
“You mean this?” He trailed the tip of his tongue along her neck, just below her ear. She shuddered at the sudden surge of heat deep in her belly.
“That, too,” she breathed. “What’s going on?”
A grin spread across AJ’s sensual mouth. “It’s called arousal.” His brow furrowed. “This is new to you?”
“Completely.” She’d never known anything like the pulsing heat that pounded in unexpected parts of her. He must be surprised that a married woman would be so… ignorant. “It wasn’t like that before. It was very… official.” She swallowed. What an odd way to describe her own sex life. Still, better than the truth—that it was virtually nonexistent and that “perfunctory” might be a better description. Vanu had never spent a single second touching her body just for pleasure.
Her train of thought went off the rails as AJ’s hot mouth tracked down her neck. She writhed against him, enjoying the strange feelings that trickled right to her toes. He’d unbuttoned the back of her dress and now slid his hands inside it. When his fingertips touched her belly, her muscles contracted, making her buck against him.
“You’re very sensitive.” His deep chuckle rumbled against her skin. “Very responsive.” Still behind her, he pushed her dress over her shoulders and it fell to her hips. He plucked at the thick embroidered sash that wrapped around her waist as part of the ceremonial dress for the press shoot—and served to hide her pregnancy. The silken folds pulled away and her dress fell about her thighs.
“How thoughtful of you to bring a blanket,” murmured AJ. He spread the pretty blue and yellow cloth on the soft moss in front of them. “Our national dress does have its benefits. And here I was thinking it outdated and silly.”
Lani laughed. “I guess the ancestors knew more than we realize.” She lay on the silky fabric, stretching herself out in the dappled shade of the tree. Oddly, she didn’t feel at all self-conscious, or even particularly naked. There was something accepting and easy about AJ that made her feel comfortable with him.
If she could be considered “comfortable” with so many different sensations and emotions pulsing and leaping through her body.
AJ’s fingertips trailed along the inside of her thigh, stirring little rivulets of excitement beneath her skin. She let out a ragged sigh, which AJ met with a mischievous grin.
Suddenly she wanted to feel his body with her fingers. She unbuttoned his shirt and slid her hand inside. His skin was hot, the muscle hard and unyielding. She dragged her fingernails gently over his chest, down toward his waist. AJ flinched, his eyes half-closed, as she drew near the button on his pants. A smile crept across her mouth as she saw the evidence of his arousal pressing against his zipper. She let her fingers wander lower until her knuckles brushed his erection.
Judging from his languorous smile, AJ enjoyed her attentions. Encouraged by his sultry stare, she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. They stripped off his clothes and underwear together, until they both lay naked on the embroidered blanket of Lani’s colorful sash.
Shimmering droplets of sunlight snuck through the canopy to paint warm patterns on their skin. The peculiar fragrance of the jungle—thick, rich and almost honeyed—mingled with AJ’s raw, masculine scent to create an intoxicating cocktail of arousal.
His thickly muscled body was a feast for the eyes. Lani eased herself closer to him until their chests bumped gently, then she let her fingers caress the rough skin of his thighs and the flat expanse of his belly. A mix of excitement, exhilaration and embarrassment stung her fingertips every time she drew near his erection. When at last she plucked up the courage to touch him, and to enjoy the feel of all that rigid passion in her hand, she almost cried out with relief.
Her fingertips vibrated with excitement as she let them explore the long, hard shape, and she drew in a long breath. She’d never actually touched that body part before. Vanu would never have given her the chance to play with him.
AJ leaned in and whispered, “I’m not even inside you yet and you’re already breathless.”
“Look who’s talking,” she teased. He jumped and jerked under her touch, muscles flexing as she caressed his skin. Desire rolled between them like a jungle mist, licking their skin and heating their blood.
On the one hand, Lani craved the feeling of him inside her. On the other, she loved the anticipation, the tension of the wait. She stroked his inner thigh with her forefinger and enjoyed the ragged groan that slipped from his chest. “You’re killing me.”
“But softly,” she whispered, breathing her words into the hot skin of his neck before nibbling his ear the way he’d done with hers. His tortured response only heightened her pleasure. His skin tasted salty and delicious, and she let her tongue explore the chiseled line of his jaw, then probe between his lips.
Their kiss grew deep as they pressed their bodies together. AJ’s hardness jutted into Lani’s side and for a second she felt a twinge of apprehension. He was so…
big. So unlike Vanu. What if she couldn’t handle him? What if it hurt?
“What is going through your mind?”
She cracked open her eyes to find AJ’s fixed on her. An expression of amusement brightened his face.
“Uh, nothing.”
“That’s what I’d hoped for, but expressions keep fluttering across your face like a flock of birds.”
“I guess I’m just nervous.” She bit her lip. “I’m not… experienced. I don’t want to let you down.”
“Let me down?” AJ laughed. “About the only way you could do that is by standing up and getting dressed. Now stop worrying.” He feigned a stern frown. “In fact, I’m going to do my best to wipe all thoughts from your mind.”
In an instant his mouth was between her legs. Lani gasped with shock as he sucked—quite hard—and caused her body to jerk as a sweet, sharp thrill ricocheted through her. He flicked his tongue back and forth over her sensitive spot, which made her muscles convulse and twitch in a way that was downright alarming. She writhed on the soft fabric of her sash, grasping first at the silky fabric and the ground beneath, then at AJ’s head and shoulders as he drove her further and further into a mysterious world of intense sensation and shocking pleasure.
She cried out as a fierce ripple of sensation jolted her. Waves of heat rolled through her, emerging from her mouth as moans. She realized her fingers were fisted in his thick hair, and she pulled them loose, then groped for him as another alarming tidal wave surged through her.
