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“Yes.” Stella dragged the word out slowly. “But we’re engaged because we’re having a baby. The baby isn’t here yet and won’t be for months.”
“You wish to cease all contact until you’ve finished delivering?” She could hear the teasing tone under the mock-seriousness.
“I’m just surprised, that’s all. I’ve never woken up next to you. It’s strange.”
Aleki’s mouth pursed, unhappiness clear in the downward tilt of his lips.
“Perhaps you should move into my room.”
Stella’s breath caught in her chest, a quick skip of hope that was doused as soon as he spoke again.
“It would be the most convenient solution for our circumstances.”
The meaning of his statement landed squarely on her silly notions. It’s not you he wants. It’s your body.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Maybe once we’re married. Or even when the baby arrives. Right now I still need my own space.”
Aleki’s brow furrowed as she spoke, an adorable crease that she smoothed out with her thumb. The sun-warmed velvet of his skin was nothing but temptation and Stella almost groaned for holding back the need that twisted through her to take his lips with her own. But she’d already shown too much of herself last night. The fact that he hadn’t bolted from her bed before the sun rose was a miracle in itself. Any sign of neediness now outside of the demands of the pregnancy would only be to open herself up to hurt.
“So,” she sang brightly, slipping out from under the covers. “What are your plans for today?”
Aleki ran his hand over his unshaven jaw, the light rasp sending electricity shooting straight to her nipples. Stella headed for her suitcase, ignoring the ache and praying he hadn’t noticed them tightening under her tank.
“I have a council meeting with all the village leaders this morning. I will inform them of our engagement and take stock of their responses. There may be some resistance to such a sudden announcement, but it will be better to identify any problems now. Are you free this afternoon?”
Stella looked up from her crouched position by her luggage, a bundle of clothes in her arms.
“I arrived yesterday. What could I possibly be doing this afternoon?”
Aleki’s smile was sly. “Fafine aulelei, for all I know you could have already organised plans for a rally promoting turtle conservation efforts. I would put nothing past you. But as it happens, I do believe Lani has organised some lessons for you to help you learn some of the language and culture of the island.”
“She has?” Gratitude flooded Stella. “That’s so kind. I started researching the night I found out about the pregnancy, but so many sites just discuss the Pacific Islands in general and each island has such a specific culture. I don’t want to get anything wrong.” She hesitated slightly, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip as she stared at the future king in her bed. “I don’t want to embarrass you.”
“Never,” Aleki replied blithely, though she noticed the way his eyes slid from hers before he swung out of bed. He strode towards her, sleek and powerful, then ruined the effect entirely by patting her on the shoulder like she was his geriatric aunt.
“Will you meet me in the foyer at two? I’d like to show you something.”
Stella nodded mutely, trying to ignore the buzz of nerves vibrating through her from a goddamned shoulder pat. Unaffected, Aleki smiled at her cheerfully, and wandered out of the room, naked except for his underwear.
Sitting back on the tiles, Stella concentrated on breathing, dragging air in and holding it for a moment before exhaling.
In and out. In and out. In and out.
She was no stranger to sleepovers, but waking up next to a man wasn’t usually fraught with so many expectations. Like meeting later in the day. Moving into their space. Marrying them and having their baby.
Stella had assumed that her past experience with friends of the beneficial variety would be an advantage. Keeping action and emotion separate was child’s play for her, but something about Aleki drew down into her and twisted her insides uncomfortably. She’d lied to him last night. Realising Aleki’s true identity after their first night of passion had been a shock, but nothing compared to the pain that had sliced through her when she woke to an empty apartment. She’d gone to Mae’s, who had cheerily informed her that her lover had left the country before she’d even awoken. Mortification had flooded her, hot and tight, squeezing through her organs and settling heavy in the base of her throat. It was that shame that had prevented her from divulging to Mae the changed nature of her relationship with Aleki. Who wanted to admit that their first time ended with their partner putting an ocean between them? Stella knew well enough what it was like to be a disappointment - her father’s face had glowed with evidence of it every time she asked to take gymnastics instead of rugby and he was reminded of the son she would never be. Having Mae and Luke see her painted in that light, even by proxy, was unthinkable.
Keep it together, Warren.Her inner voice bolstered her. You know how to do this. Sex is for fun and emotions are for animal videos on the Internet. Don’t get confused just because you’re in it for the long run.
Her inner pep talk was interrupted by a knock at the door. Lani poked her head in and smiled.
“Stella? His Highness asked that your breakfast be delivered.”
Stella scrambled up from the floor, letting her clothes fall in favour of snagging her robe out of her suitcase.
“Of course, Lani. Thank you so much.” She belted the thin satin around her waist as the other woman bustled in and set the tray down on the small table in the sitting area. Beyond the glass doors, the lush lawns ran down to the cliffs and the sea glittered like a jewel in the distance. Stella crossed the room and sank one of the low armchairs by the glass-topped table. Her gaze caught on the roses she’d noticed yesterday.
“I love those flowers, Lani. Do they grow well here on the island?”
“Nope.” Lani shot a glance at Stella from beneath her strong brows. “Too much humidity. Roses have to be imported.”
Stella raised a brow. “Aleki imports roses just for decor?” The extravagance didn’t match with his focus on supporting local businesses.
“He does now,” Lani grinned, her lips stretching wide around straight, white teeth. “Called me three days ago and insisted on having a standing order set up with a New Zealand supplier.”
“Oh?” Stella’s curiosity grew. “Which supplier?”
“Aotearoa Roses.”
Delight trickled through Stella. “They’re wonderful! They supply my friend Bethany. She has a shop down the street from me and I recommend all my clients to her if they haven’t selected a florist.”
“Fancy that.” Lani’s smile widened further.
“Yes. Actually, when he was in New Zealand, Aleki asked me who I would suggest for flowers…” Stella’s voice drifted off as realisation dawned. The twittering of birdsong outside drifted in through the filmy curtains and swirled around the silence of the room.
Lani reached out and patted her hand gently.
“I’ll be back in an hour and we can talk about a programme to go over royal etiquette, alright?”
“Okay,” Stella replied quietly. “Thank you, Lani.”
The other woman left, and Stella looked at the breakfast tray on the table next to the vase of lavender roses. A chia cup, a fresh fruit platter and a pot of what smelt like English Breakfast tea next to a perfect china teacup and saucer. Aleki had sent up the exact breakfast she’d selected every morning they’d eaten together before the wedding. Her heart clenched with an unfamiliar and unwelcome pulse of tenderness.
Shit.
