Читать книгу Propositioned By The Prince: The Prince's Pregnant Bride - Jennifer Lewis - Страница 9

AJ’s plane left for L.A. at six o’clock the following morning. He was not on it.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” His mom’s expression alternated between tears and smiles. “You don’t know how much it means to me to have you here. I couldn’t survive the loss of one son if I didn’t have another.”

AJ didn’t really follow her logic—or like it one bit—but he nodded. Apparently he had no resistance to female pleading and weeping. Hopefully in a few days his mom would calm down and he could make his escape.

“Have some papaya, sweetheart.” She pushed a platter laden with the shiny golden fruit toward him.

His stomach recoiled. “I’m not hungry.” The bright sunlight flooding the breakfast room contrasted strongly with his mood. Lani picked at her own breakfast on the other side of the big, polished table. He kept his eyes firmly off her. She had a very unsettling effect on him, and he didn’t need any more crazy things happening. Getting a door slammed in his kisser was quite enough.

His mom clapped her hands together, bracelets jangling. “We’re going to plan a party.”

Lani’s head shot up. He sneaked a glance at her, and saw her eyes wide with alarm.

“Isn’t this an odd time for a party?” AJ leaned back in his chair. “Especially after all the funeral events. Lani’s probably exhausted.”

Lani didn’t meet his gaze, just stared at her teacup.

“I think it’s important to show people that this is not an end for the Rahias, it’s a new beginning.” His mom’s crisp smile had firmly replaced her tears.

A sense of foreboding hummed in AJ’s gut. He strongly suspected that he played a key role in that “new beginning.” “I really can’t stay long, Mom. I have script meetings for my new movie.”

“You could do them via teleconferencing. We have it set up in the throne room.”

“It’s not the same.” He didn’t want to go anywhere near the blasted throne room. There really was a throne in there—an impossibly ancient piece of volcanic rock carved with mysterious markings—and he had a nasty feeling he’d end up on top of it if he wasn’t careful.

“Of course it is. And Lani and I can be your assistants, can’t we dear?” She shone her megawatt smile on Lani.

Who gulped, visibly. “Oh yes. I do enjoy your films.” Her voice was as flat as her expression.

“What do you like better, the violence or the sex?”

“There isn’t really that much of either.” She tilted her elegant head and her long mane of brown hair swung in front of one shoulder. “What makes your movies so good is that you use suspense and anticipation to keep the audience on their toes. Teenage boys probably think they saw all that stuff when they leave the theater, but really you kept their hearts pounding by making them think it was going to happen, or had just happened. It’s very clever.”

AJ’s mouth hung open for a second. “You really have watched them.”

“That’s why we installed the theater, dear.” His mother patted her lips with a napkin.

Lani’s eyes sparkled. She was clearly delighted to defy his expectations. Her bright gaze sent a shimmer of—something straight to his core.

Great. Just what he needed.

“We’re your biggest fans.” His mother patted his hand. “And we’ll have the party this Saturday.”

“How can you plan it so quickly?”

She smiled. “Easy, dear. No one turns down an invitation to the palace, and we have the most talented and creative staff in the Pacific.”

“There is that.” AJ winked at her. “You really are something, Mom. If a party will make you feel better, you go ahead and have one.”

“You will be there.”

“I’ll be there.” He didn’t hide the sigh of resignation in his voice. How could you argue with your own grieving mother? “Just don’t ask me to make any speeches.”

“Why don’t you two go pick some flowers? We’ll use them to decorate the ballroom.”

AJ raised an eyebrow. A flower-picking expedition? Clearly his mom had not given up on the idea of getting them together. “I’m sure the flowers are happier in the ground.”

“Nonsense. They bloom better if you pluck them from time to time. Don’t they, Lani?”

Lani smiled. “Some of them do. I’ll go get the shears and some jugs for them.” She didn’t look at AJ.

His mom’s lips curved into a smile. “Take good care of Lani, won’t you? Don’t let her strain herself.”

AJ glanced at Lani, who once again was looking away. No doubt she was quite capable of deciding just how much strain she could handle. His mom probably had visions of him carrying her up hills or lifting her delicately over puddles. Hopefully Lani wouldn’t expect him to, as he had no intention of going within five feet of her. She was dangerous.

They set off into the gardens, AJ carrying two metal jugs. Lani tucked a pair of shears into the pocket of her dress. It had rained overnight—as it usually did—and the leaves glistened with raindrops. A swallow darted around them as they headed toward the orchid forest down a narrow path of carved stones. Lani had removed her sandals and walked barefoot, Rahiian style. AJ kept his Skechers on, though he regretted it as they became increasingly sodden. “I’d forgotten how wet it is here.”

“That’s why they call it the rainforest.” Lani shot him a cheeky look. The unusual golden color of her eyes struck him and he snatched his gaze away.

“Soggy, is what I call it. Now, L.A. has my kind of climate. A nice dry desert.”

“With a decorative haze of smog.” Lani marched straight ahead, her pretty toes splayed on the mossy stones.

“Exactly. Who needs to see all those mountains anyway?

Hey, there’s a flower.” A delicate bloom peeked its head around the trunk of a tree.

“Lovely.” Lani stopped and walked up to it. “But it’s rather a rare orchid that only blooms every four years. I think we should leave it to enjoy its moment of glory here in this beautiful place. I’m not sure it would be happy in the ballroom.”

AJ snorted. “I’m not sure anyone’s ever happy in that ballroom, but they darn sure pretend to be. Why is Mom so good at getting what she wants? “

“She puts a lot of energy into everything she does. And she’s a very loving person.”

“Yes, she loves it when things go her way.”

“She’s always treated me like a daughter.”

“You are her daughter. In law, at least.”

“My mom runs a laundry and my dad is American. I’m hardly Rahiian aristocracy. She could have treated me quite differently.”

AJ shrugged. “So? Snobbery is not really a Rahiian thing. You’re probably more aware of it because of your years in America. Was it odd moving here from New Jersey? It must have been quite the lifestyle change.”

She laughed. “I missed my bike. And my friend Kathy. I loved the beaches and all the colorful birds.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. “And of course I missed my dad.”

“They got divorced?”

“Yup. My mom never really became Americanized. She refused to learn to drive, and she hated being out in crowded shops, so she tended to buy everything at the corner store.”

“If corner stores in New Jersey are anything like the ones in L.A., she was getting ripped off.”

“I’m sure. She didn’t like American clothes and wouldn’t cut her hair. At first my dad thought all those things were cute, but after a few years he got tired of her traditional attitudes and began pushing her to adapt.”

“But she didn’t.”

“She couldn’t. She’s very shy. She probably only married him in the first place because she was too timid to say no.” Lani bent down to smell a pretty white lily at the base of a tree.

“Or he swept her off her feet.”

“Probably some of that, too.” She walked ahead, veering from the path into a little tunnel through the undergrowth. “But after eight years he called it quits and packed her off back home.”

AJ ducked to avoid wet leaves brushing his hair. “Did Vanu sweep you off your feet?”

She flinched slightly, just a slight tic of her shoulders.

“It must be painful to think about him.”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t really like that. Vanu saw me in the marketplace one day. He liked the look of me, and your mom found out who I was and invited me to the palace. It was all very formal. The marriage proposal was delivered to our house—behind the laundry, of course—by his footman.”

“Not very romantic.” AJ watched her slender form, clad in its delicate floral pattern, stepping daintily through the forest.

“Not at all. I didn’t even know him at that point. We’d had about five minutes of conversation.”

“So why did you agree to marry him?”

She shrugged. “Everyone said I had to. There really wasn’t any question of not marrying him. My mom would never have forgiven me, for one thing, so I’d have spent the rest of my life in the laundry with her glaring at me.” She made a face.

“I see what you mean. Well, rest assured this time. Even my mom can’t force you and I to get married.”

She froze, then kept walking. For a second she wrapped her arms around herself like she was cold—impossible since it was already at least eighty-five degrees, even in the lush shade.

“Have I offended you?” He snatched a leaf from a nearby shrub, then wondered why he’d done it. He pressed the plump, succulent leaf between his fingers.

“Not at all. I admire your independent attitude.”

“You could always develop one yourself, you know.” He was tempted to reach out and prod her in the ribs, but pulled his hand back at the last second. Even the thought of touching her made his fingertips prickle with awareness.

She was silent for a moment. “No. I couldn’t let your mother down. She’s been too good to me. She’s lonely, you know, since your father died. She misses him very much. And now, losing Vanu…” She rubbed her arm, as if soothing goose bumps.

“She’s lucky to have you, Lani.”

“She’s expecting us to find some flowers. We’d better get to work.” Her wry glance made heat flash in his core. Didn’t mean anything really. She was stunning—anyone would be attracted to her. Seductive, almond-shaped eyes fringed with dark lashes, her perfect small nose, her finely cut, sensual mouth… then all that sleek, golden brown hair falling about her slim shoulders. If she weren’t his sister-in-law he’d want to put her in a movie.

“I guess we’d better find some it’s okay to cut. You lead the way.”

He followed her across a wide lawn surrounded by yellow hibiscus in full bloom, then down a little hill toward the nearby beach. He could smell the ocean in the air, crisp and salty and slightly fishy.

“These are my favorites.” She pointed to white petunias, scattered like confetti at their feet where the jungle faded into the beach.

AJ glanced at the Rahiian ocean for the first time in years. Bright turquoise, it stretched forever, the horizon punctuated only by the nearby island of Naluua—an emerald dot fringed with white, floating in the clear blue bowl of sea and sky. “Damn.”

Lani glanced up. “What?”

“I forgot the power of the sea.”

Humor sparkled in her golden eyes. “They say the ocean in California is stunning.”

“Not like this.” He kicked off his shoes and strode out onto the fine white sand. The silky texture wrapped around his toes like a familiar embrace. “And ours is always warm.” The beach wasn’t wide. He reached the water in less than twenty strides, then stood while a small wave swept in sea foam to cover his toes. “Ahhh, now that feels good.”

Lani laughed. A sweet, high, golden sound. It echoed and thrilled somewhere deep in his chest. He glanced at her, and basked in the warmth of her smile. It felt good to see her look happy, even if only for a moment. “Come on in.” He extended his hand.

He regretted the gesture instantly. Touching her was definitely a bad idea. His skin tingled and the hairs on his arm stood on end even at the prospect.

It was likely she felt the same way, as she walked gingerly across the sand and dipped her toes into the water a good ten feet away. She sighed as the water swept around her delicate ankles. “I haven’t done this in a long time. You take the water for granted when you live here.”

“I guess you have to be gone a while to appreciate it.” The sun warmed his face while the water lapped over his toes and his heels sank deeper into the soft sand. “Vanu and I used to spend hours down here, hunting for different shells and insects. It certainly is a good place for a kid to grow up.”

Lani’s smile vanished. AJ frowned. He shouldn’t have mentioned Vanu. She obviously missed him. Maybe her Vanu was very different from the one he remembered? Brothers often had adversarial relationships.

He tried to ignore the recoil in his gut as he thought of her in Vanu’s arms. Which was insane, since she was Vanu’s wife. And how could he feel jealous over a woman he didn’t have or even want?

The wind whipped Lani’s hair to one side, revealing her striking profile. Okay, maybe he did want her. But not in any way that was appropriate under the circumstances. She wasn’t some bubbly production assistant looking for a spot on the casting couch, or a cheeky starlet hoping for a bit part as well as some action.

Maybe that was part of the appeal. At least with Lani he knew she had absolutely no interest in scoring a part in one of his movies. Lately he’d found himself suspecting even the most seemingly sensible women of having ulterior motives for dating him. That’s just how it was in L.A. Everyone seemed to have an agenda.

Then again, maybe Lani had an agenda, too, but he hadn’t sniffed it out yet.

Lani snuck a sideways look at AJ. Proud head tilted to the horizon, he looked every bit like one of the ancient Rahiian carvings of The Old Ones. Which was funny, because until now, she’d have described him as a classic Hollywood bad boy. With his slicked-back dark hair, mischievous grin and wide, highly kissable mouth, he must have women chasing him through Beverly Hills. But now, in the strong light of the sun reflected off the ocean, she could see nothing but the classic planes of his face and the powerful body of an ancient warrior-god.

She blew out a breath. Was this really a useful line of thought?

Perhaps it was, since Priia was counting on her to convince AJ to marry her. She might as well find him attractive in that case. Guilt rippled over her like the seawater at her feet. She was supposed to trick him into marrying her so she could pass off her baby as his. Could she even live with herself if she did that?

She remembered his comment about this being a good place for a kid to grow up. She tried to imagine Vanu as a child, but couldn’t. The innocence and curiosity of childhood seemed totally at odds with Vanu’s harsh cynicism.

“Why did you leave Rahiri?” The question was blunt, but she wanted to know.

AJ looked out at the horizon, frowning. “Too small for me.”

“You wanted to live somewhere with more going on?” She dug her toes into the sand. If he did somehow get suckered into marrying her, he’d be bored within a week.

“Yes. And where I could figure out what I really wanted to do. Here my whole life was mapped out already—brother to the future king. I wanted more.”

“And you found it.” His life in L.A. must be exciting, fun. Rahiri was pleasant, but it was a peaceful place. No doubt he found it dull.

“I did.” He turned to her, his expression oddly determined. “I went to college, discovered film and the rest is history.” A wry grin lifted one corner of his mouth. “Okay, not exactly history, but cult film history, anyway. I enjoy my life.”

How could his mom expect him to give up the life he loved and move back here, where once again his life would be mapped out for him? Cold fear mingled with the guilt trickling through her. She didn’t want to be a party to spoiling AJ’s life.

“Was it hard to leave?”

“Not at all.” He turned a frank expression to her. “Vanu was the future king, and I was just the younger brother. I was a bit of a hell-raiser in my teens, too. I think everyone heaved a sigh of relief when I got on that plane to L.A.”

“I know your mom missed you.”

“And I missed her, but that doesn’t mean it would have been better for me to stay here. Aren’t we supposed to be finding flowers for her? “

“Yes.” Lani glanced back at the green growth at the edge of the beach. “We’re not doing a very good job. Honestly, I hate picking flowers. They look so much prettier and happier attached to their roots.”

“Then we won’t pick any. Let me guess, you think I’d be happier back here attached to my roots.” Lani froze. He asked the question casually, looking up the beach and even walking away from her. He wasn’t putting her on the spot.

Should she say the things her mother-in-law would want? That he’d be happy and content in the bosom of his family and helping the people of Rahiri?

She couldn’t. “I don’t know. If you love the life you have, it seems a shame to give it up.”

The soft lapping of the ocean softened the silence between them. He slowed and she caught up with him. Tension stiffened his broad shoulders, pulling them tight against his collarless pale cotton shirt.

She watched him closely. “Do you feel a sense of duty to Rahiri?”

That question was fair enough. The son of a king was born to a life of duty, even a younger son. It did no harm to remind him of that.

He turned to face her, brows lowered. “I didn’t, before. I was glad to leave all that to Vanu. There wasn’t room for two of us here. Now that he’s gone…” He turned to stare along the beach, where it rounded the corner of the cove and disappeared behind a clump of palm trees. “I don’t know. Maybe I do feel a few stirrings of something. It’s a shame you and Vanu didn’t have a child, then there’d be another heir and I’d be off the hook.”

Lani swallowed. She was glad he wasn’t looking at her, as her face involuntarily tightened. If she told him about the baby… She fought to stop her hand rising to her stomach.

The baby. Again, guilt cascaded through her. She’d hardly given a thought to the new life growing inside her. Terror and misgivings far outweighed any joy she should feel as a new mother.

She’d wanted a baby so badly, but that was before she understood how complicated, difficult and painful life could be, even when on the surface everything was smooth and appeared normal. Vanu had awakened her to a sinister undercurrent that could spoil even the happiest of circumstances.

Although he was gone, she could still feel its dark tides tugging at her, enveloping her in this mess of subterfuge and obligation that threatened to trap AJ into an unwanted marriage.

She did feel a sense of duty, though. There was no denying the obligation—the love—she felt for her mother-in-law. If only there was a solution that would make everyone happy.

A thought occurred to her. “The country needs an heir.” Her voice was low, soft, almost lost in the sound of the ocean and the rustling of leaves. “You could come back and rule… without marrying me.”

AJ turned to her. At first he was frowning, then his brow softened and he looked like he might smile. “I could take that personally.”

“I just want you to know that the two things don’t have to be linked.”

“According to tradition, they do.”

“Traditions can be updated. It’s the twenty-first century.” And perhaps the laws of succession could be adjusted to make AJ and his heirs successors, instead of her unborn baby.

She was grasping at straws and she knew it.

AJ glanced down at her hand, which had come to rest on her belly. She pulled it away like it burned. He looked at her curiously for a second, then turned and walked back up the beach, still carrying the two empty brass jugs. “Ninety days until the successor must be chosen.” His words carried on the breeze. “I haven’t counted but we can’t be too far off.”

Lani’s stomach clenched. “It’s been fifty-two days so far. Your mom is keeping count on an abacus.” This also meant she was fifty-two days into her pregnancy—soon she’d really start to show.

AJ shoved a hand through his hair. “I don’t know why, but I never thought I’d be in this position.” He turned to face her, squinting against the bright sun. “I’d left Rahiri behind, a collection of memories and familiar faces that I’d visit from time to time but never actually return to.” He blew out hard. “I don’t fit here anymore.”

Lani swallowed. “You have your own life. I understand that.” Though she was certain his mother and the island elders wouldn’t sympathize too readily. He was in a tough spot. At least she had the good luck of having absolutely no choice whatsoever. Her fate was tied to the royal dynasty, no matter what. “Only you can decide what to do.”

“How can I simply decide to marry my brother’s wife?” He finally put the two jugs—still empty—down in the sand and strode toward her. He picked up her hands and held them. “How can I take a woman I’ve barely met, and pledge my life to her?” He looked down at her hands, tiny in his. Already heat snapped between them in the warm morning air. AJ stiffened, perhaps also feeling the unsettling power. “I don’t know you.”

“Does anyone ever really know anyone else?” The cryptic reply rose to her lips. Her body shivered slightly. The proximity to his powerful chest seemed to stir something inside her.

“Perhaps not. We’re all works in progress, after all. Maybe lives can be cast, like a film, and then we take up our roles and see what we can make of them.” His dark eyes fixed on hers in a penetrating stare. “Do you think so, Lani?”

There was an edge to his voice that tightened the tension snapping through her. “Some would say you were cast in the role of royal son the day you were born.” That answer would be approved by her mother-in-law.

She wanted so badly not to say the wrong thing, to ruin everything for the family and for Rahiri. If it was her fate to marry a strange man who didn’t want her, then so be it. She could put up with almost anything after her years with Vanu. At least AJ seemed warm and kind.

And he was very handsome. Sun shone on the stern planes of his face as he looked down at her, confusion roiling in his narrowed eyes. His hands still held hers, tight, and heat was building between their entwined fingertips.

Lani tried to root herself firmly in the soft sand, to stay grounded no matter what might happen. Would he try to kiss her again? This time she must accept the kiss. That’s what everyone would want. Her lips pulsed in anticipation and heat bloomed deep in her belly.

AJ’s mouth, however, was set in a hard line, his brow furrowed. He dropped her hands and pulled back, then wiped his palms on his khaki pants. Lani’s arms fell to her sides, fingertips prickling at their sudden abandonment.

Relief trickled through her, along with the ever-present guilt and a thickening fear of what the future held for all of them.

“You know what? I think we should pick some flowers for the party,” AJ said gruffly. “At least we can manage not to disappoint my mom on that score.”

“Of course.” She tried to sound crisp and sensible. “I know a grove where we can fill both jugs without damaging the growing plants. Follow me.” She marched past him up the sand, then wondered if it was appropriate to command a royal son—a future king, perhaps—to follow her. Life was so confusing once you became entangled with centuries of tradition and expectation. A foolish girl, she’d had no idea what she was getting into. What she was getting her future children into.

She heard AJ’s steady footfalls behind her. He was too confident, too at home with himself to get upset by following a woman. What a refreshing change from Vanu, who would have spent the whole day needling her with the error of her ways. And AJ’s solid presence behind her was reassuring. Since Vanu disappeared she’d become afraid of being alone out here in the jungle. What if he suddenly reappeared, crueler than ever, to take his revenge on her for being happy that he’d vanished?

What would AJ think about that? That she was happy his brother was dead. Yet another secret she had to carry with her to the grave. The burden made her heavy on her feet.

Her hand had strayed to her belly again and she jerked it away. “Not much farther.” If only she could tell him about the baby. If he knew all the facts, they could really talk, and come to some decisions together. But it was her duty—her royal obligation—to remain silent.

They reached a shady grove where lush white lilies clustered around the trunks of trees. “We can cut these. They only bloom for a few days, and they reproduce like crazy.” She pulled the small shears from her pocket and cut a clump of stems. The full, pale blooms looked suddenly bereft, severed from their roots. She shoved them quickly into AJ’s offered jug.

“Lucky flowers to live such a carefree existence. And now they get to attend one of Mom’s royal balls.” His warm grin evaporated some of the gloom that had settled over her. “At least the party will keep her busy for a few days so she won’t be too sad.”

“She does love organizing things.” Lani smiled. “And she’s never happier than when surrounded by a thousand of her closest friends.”

“And I guess you and I can plaster smiles on our faces for an evening. Though you can imagine what they’ll all be thinking.”

Lani bit her lip. “Yes. I think I can.”

“They’ll be whispering—so, is that film-director son going to marry the widow?” He spoke in a funny, Rahiian busybody voice that made Lani laugh, despite the ball of dread that had settled firmly at the bottom of her stomach.

“They will. Most likely they’ll assume it, since you’re still here.”

“We could walk around scowling at each other, just to make things exciting and keep them guessing.” He shot her a wry smile.

Lani managed to smile back. They had every reason to keep guessing. She certainly was. Would AJ agree to marry her? Would he believe her “premature baby” was really his? Or would he take off back to L.A., leaving her to raise her child by herself?

Or was there another outcome, perhaps harsher than she could even imagine, that had not yet presented itself?