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