The Prince’s Pregnant Bride Page 6

  Lani watched, heart pounding. How did AJ manage to sound so perfectly like one of the wise men of the region? You’d never guess he’d been gone for more than a decade. He seemed to carry the cadence and rhythm of the ancient stories in his blood—his royal blood—and why wouldn’t he, descended as he was from a long line of kings?

  The fierce nut of pride inside her grew and she found herself pressing hot palms together in her lap. Any woman should be proud to have a man like AJ as her husband, even if he wasn’t royal. She could feel a hum of excitement, almost like a wave of heat, rising in the room. Everyone could feel it. She glanced around and saw eyes glowing, cheeks brightening, as AJ carried them all on a tide of emotion. His words echoed like drumbeats around the room, their meaning less important than the man who spoke them and the spell he wove with his powerful voice.

  He paused, looked up at the high-beamed ceiling, then started to walk. At first Lani thought he was simply returning to his seat. Disappointment that his performance was over warred with relief that no permanent commitments had been made or broken.

  But then he stopped. He turned to his mother—seated only about two feet from Lani—and bowed deeply. Feeling something about to happen, Lani stiffened.

  “I am proud—” AJ’s voice boomed through the packed ballroom “—to take up the staff of tradition, and assume the role of king as my father and brother have done before me.”

  Lani gasped. Everything dimmed a bit and she grasped the arm of her chair to keep a grip on reality.

  “And I am pleased to take Lani Rahia as my wife, according to royal custom.” His eyes fixed on hers as the last breath fled her lungs. Unable to govern her features into anything but terror-stricken panic, she sat frozen as every eye in the room turned to her.

  The faces blurred and she found herself gasping for breath. She felt Priia’s soft hand on her arm. “I’m so happy, my daughter.” Priia’s tear-filled voice penetrated her foggy consciousness. “What a great day this is for Rahiri and for all of us.”

  Lani tried to say something, but her mouth wouldn’t move. How could AJ do this without even consulting her?

  Because he was the king, and she was no one. A royal widow, rather like a recently vacated crown, free for the taking and passing on.

  Anger prickled through her, battling with the fear. The New Jersey upbringing and the freedoms she’d learned to take for granted challenged the quiet acceptance she’d tried so hard to school in herself.

  And AJ had no idea she was pregnant. She felt angry that he hadn’t even asked her opinion about the marriage. How would he feel if he knew she carried his brother’s child?

  If she went along with Priia’s plan, he’d never find out. He might suspect something, might wonder at the “premature” baby in such perfect health. He might notice features or traits that fitted his brother better than himself—but he’d never know for sure.

  This was one small but deadly advantage women had always had over men. They didn’t really know if they were the father of a child. Only the woman held that secret.

  “Lani, are you okay?” Priia’s voice penetrated the thick fog of her thoughts. “Have some water.” She felt a glass pressed to her lips, and she struggled to swallow the cool fluid.

  “I…I think so” was all she could manage. She brushed a droplet from her lips, glad that at least she’d managed not to cry. Alarm snapped through her as she saw AJ, climbing the stairs on the dais, moving toward her.

  “Stand up, dear,” whispered her mother-in-law. She rose shakily to her feet, patting her dress and hoping its creases didn’t show any hint of a belly. Every eye in the room felt like a laser searchlight ready to reveal all her fears and misgivings—or were they hopes and dreams?

  Majestic in his carriage and bearing, AJ stood in front of her and took her hand. Her fingers trembled in his and heat flushed over her. “Will you take me as your husband?”

  Their eyes met—locked onto each other—as he asked the question. It wasn’t traditional to ask. He’d done that out of consideration for her.

  Or had he? Since she could hardly say no, here amidst the gathered throng of royal admirers.

  “I will.” Her voice sounded so quiet, so meek, even in the deadly hush of the ballroom. She wondered if AJ would smile, but he didn’t. His face, like hers, seemed frozen into a kind of noble mask. Two people acting out roles history had determined for them, and in which emotion and personal opinion played no role.

  A cheer rose from the crowd, echoing off the high ceiling and bouncing around the room. Glasses lifted and people began to stamp their feet on the floor, a customary display of enthusiasm.

  “Both of you, walk around the room.” Priia’s urgent whisper penetrated her consciousness.

  AJ’s arm slipped inside Lani’s and drew her down the three stairs to the ballroom floor. The skin of her arm felt hot and feverish against the dark fabric of his jacket. She tried to keep her steps steady, and school her face into an expression of quiet happiness.

  AJ’s arm felt rigid, tense. He marched with slow dignity, not his usual relaxed gait. No doubt becoming king would turn him into a different person—it already was. Would he become a hard, cold man like Vanu once the wedding vows were sealed?

  Cold terror crept through her, tightening her muscles. The stamping feet and calling voices created a blanket of sound that seemed to suck the air from the room and leave her gasping. So much expectation, so many hopes and dreams, and the nation’s future hidden in the darkness of her own belly. The pressure weighed on her like a thundercloud and she felt her head becoming light. “I think I’m going to faint,” she managed, head tilted toward AJ’s powerful jaw.

  Her rasped whisper was lost in the roar of the crowd. AJ marched on, oblivious, his face set in a grim smile. Perhaps he’d forgotten she was even there?

  The faces started to swirl together, a hot mix of colors with flashes of blackness. Her ankles wobbled and the floor seemed to tilt. She dug her nails into his arm, looking for purchase, and he glanced down.

  “I—I don’t feel well,” she stammered, blinking.

  Alarm filled his eyes. “We’ll go outside for some air. There’s a door over here.” He led her past some tables of excited guests, to a side door. Before he left, he turned and bowed. “Please stay and enjoy yourselves.”

  Seeing that he and Lani were about to leave the room together, the crowd went wild. Perhaps they assumed some kind of romantic action was about to take place. A wave of nausea rose in Lani’s throat at the thought that she’d soon be all alone with AJ.

  Her future husband.

  Outside the door, the cool night air hit her face like a welcome slap. She sucked in a breath and pulled her arm from AJ’s, then wondered if she was even allowed to do that.

  The lamplight cast AJ’s face into shadow, and for a second he looked menacing, unreadable. She didn’t know this man but was expected to spend her life with him and sleep in his bed, whether she wanted to or not.

  Panic flashed through her and spurred her feet into action. The corridor blurred as she found herself running headlong toward the garden. She didn’t know why she was running, only that she had to move—to act on the fierce instinct to flee that reverberated through her whole body.

  “Lani, where are you going?” AJ’s voice rang after her, and sped her steps. She heard his heels on the stone, marching at first, then jogging along behind her.

  Where am I going? The question echoed around her mind as she ran, sandals slapping on the smooth tiles.

  There’s nowhere to go. The corridor led down to the manicured part of the garden, with a fishpond and perches for the wild birds that ornamented the trees. But its fringes descended into the thick, dense jungle that cloaked the island in its tight embrace. There was no escape.

  The stone tiles gave way to grass, cool and damp in the evening dew. She ran a few steps, then felt a strong arm catch her around the waist, almost knocking the breath from her lungs. The baby! If he knew about it he�
��d never have grabbed her there. But he couldn’t know.

  She wriggled, instinctively trying to free herself, but his grip was too strong. He wrapped his other arm around her, holding her from behind. “Lani, stop running. We need to talk.” Her nerve endings snapped with the desire to run on, but she knew it was hopeless. “I know you’re scared but we’re in this together.”

  His deep voice reverberated in her ear, oddly soothing. But she didn’t want to say anything. What else could she say but I’m pregnant. Yet she’d sworn to keep the baby a secret.

  “I didn’t intend to spring the whole thing on you. It took me by surprise as well.” He turned her in his arms until she stood facing him, no longer pressed against him, but with a couple of inches of warm air between them.

  She tried to ignore the strange sensations in her breasts and belly, the odd pulses of desire that only worsened the strange situation. “I thought you were going back to L.A.”

  That’s what she’d hoped for, though she hadn’t dared admit it to herself until just now—when the possibility was gone.

  He frowned, features angular in the cool moonlight. “I did, too.” He drew in a long breath. “But tonight, surrounded by all those people, the air thick with our island’s past and heavy with its future, I knew my place is here. I couldn’t shirk my responsibility and still live with myself.”

  Lani nodded. Again that little kernel of pride throbbed inside her. AJ truly was a man of honor. “Rahiri is lucky to have you,” she managed. The words sounded hollow, empty. Shame he wasn’t so lucky to have her, a woman who intended to keep a huge thing secret from him for the rest of her life. If she told him, though, he wouldn’t be king. She’d break Priia’s already suffering heart and put the entire burden of the monarchy’s future on herself and her unborn baby. And she’d still be expected to marry again.

  AJ’s frown deepened. “I’ll do my best to be a good husband to you.”

  He softened his grasp on her arms. He’d been literally holding her in place—preventing her from running off again—and perhaps he realized the grip was at odds with his soothing words.

  Lani wobbled slightly on her feet. “I’ll do my best to be a good wife.” Her words hung in the still night air, the lie echoing off tree trunks and winding itself around them like a vine.

  How could she be a good wife if she deceived him about the paternity of the child he’d raise?

  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…passion. 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 anticipation 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 passion 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 passion?

  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 passages 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 glass 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 glass 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 reassuring 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 shimmering fabric of her evening dress.

  AJ cocked his head. “Then why do you look so damned unhappy about it?”

  “I am happy, really.” She reached out to him and wrapped her arms stiffly around him. The goose bumps 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 shivering, 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 circumstances.

  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 circumstances like this.