The Prince's Pregnant Bride Part 6

Lani's golden eyes shone with anxiety-and why wouldn't they? AJ's chest tightened. This poor girl had no say in her own fate. Of course she could refuse him, but she was far too polite and kind for that. He could have offered to take the crown but refused to marry Lani, but for some reason he knew marrying her was the right thing to do.

Maybe it was that first kiss?

In the kiss all pretense had fallen away. All the tension had evaporated and there was nothing left but...pa.s.sion. Could that happen again now that they were pledged to each other for life?

Lani's chin tilted high as she met his gaze. She looked so earnest, determined to meet her fate bravely. Everything seemed so awkward.

His synapses tingled as he contemplated kissing her. Perhaps that would cut through all the layers of ceremony and nerves and antic.i.p.ation and jump-start the connection he'd felt between them that first night. "I have an idea."

Dark lashes lowered, she looked coyly away, like a young girl who'd never been kissed. But he knew better. Somewhere beneath that demure surface lurked a smoldering cauldron of pa.s.sion that he ached to taste again.

"What?" she murmured, daring to glance up.

He replied by lowering his face to hers. He did it slowly, to give her a chance to react and respond in her own time. At first she flinched slightly, as if to dodge him, then she seemed to steel herself and tilted her lips to his.

Their lips met like opposing magnets coming together, pulled by an unseen force. A shock wave of desire crashed through AJ as Lani's mouth opened to greet his. Her body softened and he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close. Heat gathered between them and his skin hummed with awareness of her body. His fingers itched to tug at the embroidered fabric of her dress and pull it away to reveal smooth, golden skin.

Her mouth tasted like warm honey, delicious and inviting. He deepened the kiss, trailing his fingers down her spine. Lani kissed him back, tongue reaching for his, her arms wrapped around his waist and her slim body straining against him.

But something was different.

Her actions lacked the sense of raw abandon he remembered from their first kiss. No breathless moans pierced the night air. Her fingertips pressed into the muscles of his back, but with a forced quality, not the fevered intensity he remembered.

He pulled away slowly. Lani's eyes opened, and he noted their look of curious alarm. Did she wonder if she'd put on a good enough show of pa.s.sion?

AJ fought the urge to frown. It didn't help that they were out here in the dark garden, while all the guests still drank and talked inside. "Let's go somewhere more comfortable." Then they could talk in private and get more used to their new situation.

"Okay." She blinked. Quiet and accommodating as usual. Would he ever know what went on in her mind, behind that polite smile?

He took her arm and they walked down the corridor. "We won't be missed at the party. They'll have more fun talking about us if we're not there." He shot her a smile.

"Yes." Her arm felt rigid in his.

AJ led her through the lamplit pa.s.sages of the private quarters of the palace and into his private sitting room. It adjoined the bedroom; no one would come to disturb them here. The guests would stay until dawn, then stumble drunkenly to their chauffeured cars.

Priia had redecorated the room in his absence, in a simple, masculine style that he rather liked. No doubt now he'd be expected to move into the royal bedchamber, but there was no way he'd spend the night in a room where Lani had once slept with Vanu.

He gestured to a low chaise covered in soft leather. Lani perched stiffly on the edge of it.

"Would you like some wine?" He gestured to the stocked bar in one corner.

"No, thanks. I'm fine." Her rushed response surprised him. He moved to the cabinet and poured a gla.s.s for himself. He sat next to Lani on the sofa, each of them upright, formal, painfully separate. Even his favorite vintage tasted slightly bitter on his tongue.

What had he got himself into?

He set his gla.s.s down. "You don't have to marry me, you know."

Lani's gaze snapped to meet his. "But of course I want to." The gleam of panic in her eyes warred with her rea.s.suring words.

"I know my mom has probably put a lot of pressure on you, and now I've piled on some more by publicly declaring I'd marry you, but I don't intend to force you into anything. If you want to call it off, just say the word."

He braced himself for her response. Her rejection.

The events of tonight had lit a fire inside him-a fire of warm ancient traditions and comforting rituals, and he'd committed to keeping that fire alive. The prospect of spending his life with the beautiful Lani had suddenly seemed to be one of the sweeter benefits of taking up the role his country expected of him.

Even now, her golden gaze sent a charge of electricity snaking through him, and his fingertips ached to roam over her soft skin.

But not if she didn't want him. He had more than enough women after him back in L.A. There was no reason on earth good enough to force a woman into bed with him if she didn't want to be there.

"I don't want to call it off." Lani's words came out in a staccato rhythm. "I want to get married as soon as possible." She wiped her palms on the s.h.i.+mmering fabric of her evening dress.

AJ c.o.c.ked his head. "Then why do you look so d.a.m.ned unhappy about it?"

"I am happy, really." She reached out to him and wrapped her arms stiffly around him. The goose b.u.mps on her arms rasped his skin.

"You have a funny way of showing it." Still, the hopeful gesture warmed his heart. He turned and put his arm around her. Only to find that she was s.h.i.+vering, her whole body tense and rigid.

He raised a thumb to her cheek and stroked it. "You need to relax."

"I know. I'm just...excited."

Panicked, more like. Maybe she was afraid he'd want to make love to her tonight? "We don't have to rush into anything."

"Oh, but we should. Everyone is expecting it." Something flashed in her eyes, panic, or calculation, he couldn't tell which. Curiosity unfurled in him like a flame.

He tilted his head and held her gaze. "You think they expect us to sleep together?"

"Probably, yes." She nodded.

He lifted a brow. Heat flared in his groin. "Do you think we should?"

Her cheek heated under his thumb. "Yes, I do." Her voice was low, breathy.

AJ blinked. He'd not expected that answer. In fact he'd had no intention of doing more than kiss her for now. But maybe she wanted to get such a big milestone out of the way? Or to make sure he was a considerate lover before she committed the rest of her life to him? There were many possible explanations, under the bizarre circ.u.mstances.

And since he was a healthy male, any one of them would do. He rose from the sofa, and took her hand. "Then I guess we'd better go into the bedroom."

Five.

Lani followed AJ, her hand in his. She could do this. It was best for Rahiri, and for the family. AJ would be king, his mom would be happy, and her child would be free to grow to adulthood before taking on the responsibilities and pressures of the monarchy.

AJ turned to her on the threshold and took both her hands in his. "Are you sure?"

She hesitated. He was truly a thoughtful man, one who deserved a better woman than she. But if Priia's plan was to succeed she must...do the deed with him at the earliest opportunity.

Do the deed. Even the phrase suggested a crime, but she couldn't really call it "making love" under circ.u.mstances like this. Even the phrase suggested a crime, but she couldn't really call it "making love" under circ.u.mstances like this.

Making love. She'd never done that with Vanu, either. No love had existed between them, though she'd certainly tried hard to find some in the first few months-before she'd realized Vanu had no love lurking anywhere inside him.

AJ stroked her cheek again, which made her s.h.i.+ver slightly. A warm s.h.i.+ver of pleasure. His touch was gentle, encouraging, his big hands sensitive. Lani lifted her own fingers and gingerly caressed his s.h.i.+rtfront. Thick muscle rose to greet her fingertips through the crisp, black surface.

He had a sensational body. She'd seen him swimming in the lagoon one morning while she was on her way to breakfast. Her heart had almost stopped beating at the sight of his broad shoulders gleaming in the morning sun while water licked over his st.u.r.dy, bronzed physique.

Desire rose inside her, trickling up from her core. She could do this. And enjoy it.

AJ's hands reached for the sash at her waist and pulled carefully at the elaborate knot. She helped him get it undone and the thick strip of silk fell to the floor at her feet. He stroked her back, then put his hands on either side of her waist, caressing her through her dress.

Her breath caught. What if he felt her belly and noticed it was no longer flat? It wasn't very round, but in the last couple of days there was a noticeable b.u.mp.

Guilt forked through her and she plucked at the b.u.t.tons of his s.h.i.+rt. Better to get on with things and get him so wrapped up in the act that he didn't notice anything strange about her body.

And he thought she was so nice. nice.

Her heart hammered wildly as she pulled his black tunic away from his skin, revealing his smooth, strong chest. Her nipples tightened, straining against her bra, and her insides seemed to twist into a knot. Was this excitement okay for the baby? She knew s.e.x was supposed to be fine during pregnancy, but somehow it seemed wrong to feel pleasure under the circ.u.mstances.

AJ's dark eyes met hers as she glanced up at his face. He smiled. "I think I might be the luckiest man alive."

Lani swallowed. No, the luckiest man alive would have a wife who was honest and open, not one who needed to have s.e.x with him as soon as possible so it would look like her child was his.

She dropped her gaze to the b.u.t.ton on his pants, and worked at it. Her fingers sprang away as if stung when she noticed the thick, hard arousal hiding beneath the zipper.

AJ laughed. "As you can see, I'm quite attracted to you."

She managed to smile. "And I to you." An understatement. Her insides pulsed with arousal and somewhere deep inside her ached in a way she'd never felt before.

AJ unfastened her dress-a single hook held the whole thing together-and pulled it carefully away from her skin.

The warm night air caressed her, but as she stood there, naked before him, an ache of longing opened inside her. A deep, cold loneliness that craved something-s.e.x, love, companions.h.i.+p-all the things that had never come together in her life before.

Now this kind and handsome man offered her all those things and more.

Tears sprang to her eyes and a sob tore from her throat.

"What's the matter?" AJ moved his hands from her waist to her shoulders, where he held her steady. He frowned, no doubt getting irritated by her hot-and-cold behavior. "Is being my wife such an awful fate?"

Another sob shook her from head to toe. "I can't do this." Tears fell from her cheeks and dripped onto her bare b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

"Then you won't. We'll get dressed. I'm not going to push you into anything."

Lani froze. "But we have to." The shrill sound of her own voice startled her.

AJ frowned and shoved a hand through his hair. "Why?"

"Because I'm already pregnant."

Her words rang in the air like the clash of a ceremonial gong. AJ frowned, trying to process the information. "You're carrying Vanu's baby." His gaze dropped to her stomach, then her hands flew to cover it.

She nodded, eyes filled with tears.

A horrible, cold sensation settled over AJ. Just when he'd finally committed himself to this new life, when he'd chosen to marry Lani, and was looking forward to sharing his life with her...his brother's long, strong and deadly arm reached out to him from beyond the grave.

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

Lani shuddered. "I didn't know until a few days ago. Then I took a test, and..." She looked down, apparently unable to meet his gaze.

AJ stared at her. He couldn't understand the secrecy. His mom was so anxious for them to marry, to keep the family together in the traditional way. Maybe they'd decided he'd be less likely to marry her if he knew she was carrying Vanu's baby.

"So you thought you'd marry me and pretend the child is mine?"

"I didn't want to..." She swallowed. Lani looked like she wanted to say more, but couldn't.

"But my mom put you up to it."

She nodded. "She said it would be better because then you would be the next in line to the throne, and not the baby."

AJ spun away and blew out a curse. "I can't believe you women cooked this up. I've never been hungry for the throne. I'd have been quite happy to leave and let your child rule Rahiri."

"I think that's what your mom was afraid of. She wants you here."

He knew. Her obvious happiness at having him back home had been a source of guilt and torment to him-until he'd decided to stay.

"What about you?" He peered at her through narrowed eyes. "You don't need to marry me. Either way your child will inherit the throne."

"My child's not even born yet."

"Your child's not even showing yet." AJ's eyes raked over her belly. "And at this point I'm not even sure whether to believe you now. Get dressed."

The command startled her into action and she picked her dress up off the floor and pulled it back on. AJ b.u.t.toned his pants and turned away. If she really was pregnant and wanted to pretend it was his, no wonder she'd been so anxious to have s.e.x right away. Desire had nothing to do with it.

Revulsion and anger flashed through him. She'd seemed so sweet and innocent-now he knew she was anything but. Lovely Lani had schemed to lure him into a lifetime of deception.

He'd never wanted to come back here. His gut instincts had told him to leave as soon as possible. If anything the instinct had become even stronger after his explosive kiss with Lani. He should have known her pretty facade hid a dangerous and deceptive core. What kind of woman would kiss another man when her husband was barely gone?

He peered at her, hating her beauty and the mix of fear and alarm in her wide, golden eyes.

He turned from her and strode across the room. He should never have promised to stay. It went against everything he wanted from his own life. He loved his film career and his group of friends in L.A. He had no interest in getting married and settling down into some routine existence.

But the ancient ceremonial drumbeats had stirred something lying dormant in his blood. They'd kicked his heart into a primal rhythm and drawn him back into the mysterious and powerful pull these islands exerted over anyone who'd lived here. The magic of the lush jungle and the bright, clear ocean formed a paradise of beauty that could entice any man, much like a stunning woman.