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AJ’s hands roamed over her, stroking her waist and breasts as he rose up to meet her. Her eyes opened to see his dark gaze blazing just over hers. “Much better.” His wicked grin only stirred the fevered passion pounding through her.
“Enter me, please.” She craved him inside her, ached for him.
He chuckled. “You make yourself sound like Aladdin’s cave.” His words rasped hotly at her neck as he lowered himself over her. “I can’t wait to come in, but I don’t know the magic word.”
Quivering with excitement, Lani lifted herself to meet him. “Please.”
“That’s an easy one to remember.” He layered hot kisses on her face and neck. “Please may I come in?”
“Yes, yes,” Lani gasped, almost shouting at the way he tortured her. She tilted her hips to him, begging with her body. She could feel his heartbeat through his skin, strong and insistent, like her own. His musky, male scent only added to her torment. She could tell he was every bit as aroused as she. Was he going to torture her forever?
He entered her very, very slowly. First with his fingers, probing her slick depths. When he decided she was ready—and oh, was she ready—he probed her with the tip of his member. A tiny cry fled her lips as anticipation got the better of her.
She pushed her fingers into his back, unconsciously urging him on. Warmth and pleasure filled her as he slid inside her and his chest lowered over hers. His throaty moan filled her ear as he started to move. She arched against him, taking him deeper, welcoming him into her body and into her life.
I love you. She got an urge to say it, but something held her back.
It was too soon for love; the circumstances were too strange and pressured. She didn’t want to seem too demanding, as if she expected him to love her back.
And maybe it was just sheer madness, the delicious thrills cascading through her as AJ moved inside her.
AJ pulled her upright until they were in a sitting position, legs interlaced, facing each other, with him still buried deep. A perfect position for kissing.
AJ licked her lips, and she returned the gesture, tasting his smile, then enjoying the slight roughness of his cheeks. She could feel him inside her, slight movements, subtle throbs, letting her feel his arousal and the deep connection between them.
When kissing—and barely moving—threatened to drive her completely over the edge, AJ lay back until she was sitting on top of him. Alarm flashed through her. She was supposed to be in control, and she had no idea what to do.
“Anything,” he murmured, as if in answer to her question. “Whatever feels good.”
She trailed her finger along the middle of his chest, eyes half-open to enjoy the view. She wriggled a little, and felt him move inside her. A smile spread across her face and his at the same time. “This definitely feels good.”
Eyes closed again, she gently rocked back and forth, amazed at the new points of pleasure this position awakened. She found herself moving faster and higher, experimenting with rhythms to take herself right to the next peak, and then pulling back. Beneath her, AJ groaned, his hands stroking her skin, teasing her.
“Let go,” AJ urged her.
Could she? Something inside her kept holding her back. She’d never experienced this kind of arousal before. She could tell she was close to the brink of something big, and it scared her.
“It’ll feel good, I promise.” AJ’s soft voice penetrated her thoughts.
Living at the palace she’d grown used to being “on duty” all the time. Always polite and prepared and ready for anything—even the worst Vanu could dish out. “Letting go” was no longer in her vocabulary. She had been too busy shoring herself up.
A bird chirped overhead and a warm breeze caressed her skin. She’d almost forgotten they were deep in the jungle. Apparently she’d let go quite a lot already!
She quickened the pace, and AJ encouraged her with his roving hands. Hot spots of excitement seemed to become even more sensitive and the tension inside her built and grew until she felt white-hot all over.
Something in her brain told her to slow down, but her body urged her to keep going—and she obeyed, moving with more and more urgency until suddenly everything seemed to explode into a million pieces, showering stars down over them where they lay on the jungle floor.
She collapsed onto the solid expanse of AJ’s chest. His breathing labored, he wrapped his arms around her and held her in his soft embrace while the shower of stars gradually drifted down and settled around them, leaving her tingling and warm in all sorts of unexpected places.
“See what I mean?” AJ said after a while.
She nodded, not quite able to form words. She’d never imagined that sex could be like that. Her previous experiences had been so stilted, so fraught with tension, that she honestly hadn’t enjoyed them at all—though she’d certainly pretended to. Vanu had made no such pretense.
With AJ everything was completely, utterly and gloriously different. At least she thought it was. “Did you enjoy it, too?” Her voice sounded a little shaky.
AJ’s chest rumbled with laughter. “What do you think?” His dark eyes glittered with humor.
“I don’t seem to be able to think at all right now.”
“Good.”
AJ loved the feel of her in his arms. Completely relaxed, Lani sprawled over him like he was a giant mattress. It was intriguing that such a fiery vixen lived beneath that placid exterior. Well, he might have guessed, after the way she practically kissed his face off that first time.
“What are you laughing about?” Her voice tinkled in his ear. She sounded happy, which filled him with joy.
“At how my life is filled with surprises. In a good way.” He stroked her hair.
Who’d have ever imagined him planning to settle back in Rahiri? In truth, Vanu had been the reason he’d left. The future king, Vanu had been cherished and encouraged and adored. Intelligent and charming when he wanted to be, he’d wrapped his parents around his long and surprisingly strong fingers.
AJ could remember the cruel grip of those fingers all too well, though often as not Vanu used words with more brutal force. He employed his considerable genius in coming up with ways to make AJ look guilty of something, meaning that AJ was nearly always in trouble, even when he did manage to keep a lid on his admittedly rambunctious nature.
But now Vanu was gone. And with the happy result that he’d left a lovely wife in dire need of a new husband. Vanu must have turned on the charm with Lani. She had probably never gotten a glimpse of his dark side. Why spoil her memories? He decided to keep his to himself.
“Only seven months until our baby arrives.” He spoke softly, stroking Lani’s cheek.
She started slightly. “It seems so soon.”
“Tell me about it.” He was still trying to wrap his mind around the idea of being a father. He’d decided that the baby would be his in every way. Well, every way that mattered, and that’s how he intended to approach the situation. “Do you have a nickname for him or her already? One of my producers used to call hers Jellybean while she was pregnant.”
Lani laughed. “I don’t. I guess I should come up with something.” She gazed skyward for a minute, her golden eyes thoughtful. “Puaiti.”
“Little flower. But what if it’s a boy?”
“Why can’t a boy be a flower, too?” She raised a slim brow.
“Good point. Why should girls get all the nice-smelling pretty stuff? How’s little Puaiti feeling? “
Lani closed her eyes for a minute and rested her fingers on her stomach, as if listening. “I’m not hearing any complaints.”
“Do you feel any kicking yet?”
“No. I don’t think that happens for a few more weeks. I don’t really feel different at all. Well, except when I feel ill.” She paused and looked right at him. “You know something? Ever since I told you about the baby, I haven’t felt ill at all.”
“Maybe Puaiti realized she’d have to make you sick or you wouldn’t realize she was there.”
“Quite possible. And she’d have been right.” She frowned. “But why are you calling Puaiti a she? She could be a he.”
He shrugged. “We’ll just have to use both.”
“Would you like to find out the gender before the birth?”
AJ stroked Lani’s cheek. “I don’t know that I would. I’m getting used to being surprised, and I find I like it. Do you have a preference for a girl or boy?”
Lani shook her head. A sweet smile played about her lips. “Either will be wonderful. I’ve wanted a child for so long, and your mom is going to love having a grandchild to spoil.”
A crashing sound in the undergrowth nearby made them sit up. “What was that?” AJ peered through the leaves. He’d been gone a long time, but he didn’t remember any forest animals big enough to make that much sound.
“I don’t know.” Lani grabbed her dress. “We’d better get dressed.”
AJ tugged his shirt and pants on, then helped rewind Lani’s rather wrinkled sash around her still-slim waist. He continued to hear a rustling sound in the distance.
“Was that a voice?” whispered Lani, eyes wide with alarm.
AJ strained his ears. It was hard to distinguish sounds above the low hum of the jungle, all the insects and birds and the rustling leaves. Then again, he did hear a voice. “It’s a man. Speaking English.” Why would someone be way out here? “Maybe the journalists have started wandering about looking for scandal.”
“If they find us they might well have it.” Lani smoothed her dress with anxious fingers. “We’re not married yet.”
“We’d better head back to the passageway.” He took Lani’s hand and led her back up toward the waterfall. He didn’t want her being harassed by some bozo out for a picture and quick buck.
They set off up a steep hill. At the top, he heard the voice again, and turned to peer through the trees. It was impossible to see anyone through the dense leaf canopy, but then he heard quite clearly: “They say he went out late at night on a boat.”
AJ froze. The were talking about Vanu. Could they be looking for the body?
Lani didn’t seem to have heard. She was distracted, adjusting her sandal.
“But what if he didn’t get on a boat? What if he came out here and got lost? “
An icy finger of dread slid down AJ’s back. He didn’t want Lani to get wind of their idle speculation. “Are you okay?”
“Great.” She smiled brightly. He led her farther up the hill until the roar of water cloaked out all other sounds. Still, an odd sense of unease nagged at him. Suddenly all these curious strangers were trudging through their jungles and making footprints on the beaches. What if they did find something?
And what if it was something none of them expected at all?
Seven (#ulink_268b5693-ed3b-5417-b75d-74a3b8a124f0)
“Thank heavens you’re back!” Priia stood up from the plush armchair surrounded by her embroidery tools. Servants had whisked AJ and Lani to her study as soon as they’d been spotted back in the palace hallways. The servants slipped out, closing the door behind them.
AJ’s heart thumped. Something was wrong but no one would tell him what. “What’s going on?”
“We just got a phone call that a reporter found Vanu’s boat.”
Lani froze. “Where is it?”
Priia dabbed at her eyes with an already moist handkerchief. “On the tiny atoll to the northwest. The one they call Egg Island.”
AJ shoved a hand through his hair. “Did they find Vanu?”
His mom shook her head. “So far there’s been no sign of him.”
AJ shot a glance at Lani. Her hands were trembling and one of them flew to her mouth.
“So he could be alive.” AJ managed to force out the words.
“Yes. It’s possible.” Priia sniffed. “The atoll is small but very densely wooded. There’s plenty of food there for someone to survive.”
Dread crawled over AJ like a poisonous spider. Could Vanu be hidden somewhere in the forest?
Lani had begun to weep. Probably with joy that her once-dead husband might still be alive. AJ sucked in a ragged breath as a bitter taste filled his mouth. “We need to send out a search party.”
“They’re getting ready to leave. The fire department and the lifeboat service are all involved. And of course the journalists.” She pressed her handkerchief to her face. “It seems too much to hope for, but maybe he’s about to come back to us.”
Lani approached Priia and put her arms around her. AJ’s heart swelled at her generous gesture. Caring and thoughtful as well as lovely, Lani was far too good to be wasted on Vanu. Anger roiled in his chest along with savage jealously. Could Vanu return from the grave and snatch Lani from his arms?
Yes. That was exactly the kind of party trick Vanu would take great pleasure in.
“Didn’t they search Egg Island when he disappeared?” He couldn’t understand how Vanu’s boat could appear like a horrible vision after all this time.
Priia looked up. “It’s a dense forest, with many natural caves. The boat had drifted into a cavern that’s hidden at high tide.” She let out a sob. “It will be hard to find him if he’s still alive, but we must keep positive.”
A knock on the door startled them all. “Come in,” said Priia, shakily.
The head footman entered, head slightly bowed. “The reporters, they’re anxious for a statement.”
“Oh, goodness.” Priia waved her handkerchief. “AJ, could you go tell them something?”
“Like what? We don’t know any more than they do. Less, probably.”
The head footman seemed to shrink a bit, and stared at the floor. “They want to know how this affects the wedding plans.”
Lani let out a little gasp, then hid her face.
The dark reality of the situation settled over AJ like an executioner’s hood. “It’s off. Lani can’t consider remarrying while her husband might be alive.” His words came out cold and hard.
And what about the baby he’d grown to think of as his? Vanu would claim the child as well. It was his, after all, just like Lani.
AJ suppressed a curse. Only a brief while ago he and Lani had lain, wrapped in each other, surrounded by the warm embrace of the jungle, looking forward to a joyous future together with their new family.
Now he saw that future evaporating like a jungle mist.
“Did they find any signs that he survived?” AJ questioned the footman.
“They found footprints leading up out of the cave. So it seems he did walk away from it.”
Lani whimpered and tears rolled down her cheeks. AJ tried to suppress the ugly surge of anger that rose in him at the sight. She was obviously distressed and hopeful that Vanu was still alive.
Yes, it hurt. Especially since he’d felt a deep connection with her during their lovemaking. Of course that was probably his body talking rather than his brain. “I’ll go join the search party. Just stay away from the press until we know more.” He turned and marched from the room, unable to even look at Lani.
AJ cursed himself for being drawn into this nightmare. How had he gone from wanting to leave at the earliest opportunity to hating the fact that he’d have to leave?
