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Chapter 3
Aleki had attended more than his share of exclusive events, but the lengths Stella had gone to in transforming the wide green lawn at the back of his estate into a luxurious, yet intimate, reception area stole his breath as he surveyed it from his balcony. Silver floor-standing chandeliers marched in uniform succession on either side of one long white-clothed dinner table, throwing golden light over the guests as the muffled sound of laughter soared over the manicured hedges into the warm night. The lights of the nearest village twinkled in the inky beyond, only serving to highlight the joy in his own backyard.
Because of her.
Stella left in two days and as yet, he had not earned her forgiveness or her body. The turning hands of time clawed at his gut. He had been the perfect gentleman all week, even as desire burned in his loins to sweep her up into his arms and feel the hot press of her length against him every time their eyes met over the starched white linens of the breakfast table. He had joined her in the courtyard for breakfast each morning, asking about her job, their mutual friends, her work with a cancer charity. And each morning he dragged himself away with an aching cock and a deepened desire to relive their single night of pleasure. She avoided him the rest of the time - their work kept them apart during the day but in the evenings when he went looking for her Lani had informed him she had retired early to her room with a plate of grilled fish and vegetables.
A smile tugged at his lips. Smart thinking, little star. The electricity between them could generate enough power for the sound system she’d hired for tonight’s traditional island dance performance. But while he chased it, craved it, Stella was hiding from it. Aleki knew better than anyone that fear of facing a situation only escalated the stakes of the outcome.
Descending to the lawn, he snagged two glasses from the glittering champagne tower that rose like Aphrodite out of a sea of frangipani. Holding the coupes carefully, he made his way to the side of the blond wood dance floor constructed in the middle of the white hibiscus garden. A cool rush of air settled his nerves as he breathed in deeply, the familiar scent of the ocean calming the pulse which pounded at his wrist in time with the song pounding out of the nearby speakers.
Stella seemed unaware of his approach as she stood swaying gently under the pergola hidden to the side. He took a moment to study the way the moonlight cut shadows across her fine cheekbones, making her eyes appear luminous and catching the muted sparkle of her black sequin cocktail dress. The one-shouldered design was demure, emphasising the graceful length of her arms, while the hem hit below the knee, showcasing her toned calves. Yet, despite the dress’s attempts to cover her body, Aleki’s palms tingled at the thought of the lush curves hidden beneath the delicate fabric.
Swallowing around the nervous lump in his throat, he took three steps out of the shadows until he stood before Stella.
“To you.” He extended one of the glasses.
Her full lips, painted a rich ruby, lifted as she accepted the proffered champagne coupe.
“To me.” The clink of their toast echoed gently in Aleki’s ears as he raised the glass to his lips and gulped down a healthy swallow of the refreshingly dry vintage.
Stella followed suit, and Aleki’s blood stirred as an errant drop of champagne clung to her crimson bottom lip.
Unaware, she turned the full force of her wide eyes on him.
“What do you think of the wedding?”
“It’s beautiful, Stella.” His voice throbbed low with intensity, and he caught the glow of pride in her eyes as she smiled in response.
“I’ve never seen Mae and Luke so happy.” He gestured with his glass to where the newlyweds were shimmying to an upbeat number on the dance floor.
Stella beamed, and he couldn’t resist any longer.
“Dance with me.”
Her eyes widened and darted immediately to the left.
“I have to - the caterer -”
“Stella.” He waited until she looked at him directly again, her perfect white teeth worrying the soft pad of her lower lip.
“Dance with me.”
Hesitating slightly, she took the hand he offered and stepped out of the gazebo into the light of the dancefloor. As he escorted her onto the floor, the music changed and the first gentle strums of Tiki Taane’s ‘Always On My Mind’ floated across the garden.
Aleki felt one side of his mouth lift as the irony of dancing with Stella to a song he always associated with his time in New Zealand settled over him, as palpable as the acoustic reggae beat of the song itself.
Finding an unoccupied spot near the edge of the dancefloor, Aleki pulled her into his arms.
Finally.
The tension that had thrummed between his shoulder blades since opening his door to her on Sunday evening eased as his breath whooshed out in a glorious exhalation.
Nothing could compare to this. There was no match for the feel of Stella’s warm body pressed against him, for the smooth weight of her hand in his, the cool brush of her breath over his knuckles as he sandwiched their joined hands against his chest.
An intensely male pull of satisfaction at having the woman he wanted in his arms after almost a week of waiting tugged at his heart.
“Stella?” Gently, with infinite tenderness, he stroked the pad of this thumb across the back of her hand.
“Mmmm?”
“Can you feel that?” He pressed her palm against the hard expanse of his chest, above the rapid cadence of his heart.
Her fingertips fluttered over his flesh, rending a groan from his throat as her cautious exploration sparked a flurry of sensations sparking through him, alighting his senses.
“Yes.”
Was it his imagination, or was her voice breathier than normal?
“That’s what you do to me.” Leaning down, he placed his lips against the soft shell of her ear and whispered.
“You make me burn.”
Slowly she raised her gaze to meet him, the deep pools of her irises reflecting his own desire back to him.
“Aleki…” Her voice trailed off, and he took her silence as the opportunity it was.
“I never stopped wanting you, Stella. Even after all these years, nobody has ever affected me this way.”
He moved closer, pulling her against his chest and letting her feel the evidence of his yearning between them. The crisp scent of her perfume teased at his nostrils, mixing with the tang of the lagoon beyond the party.
“Wanting isn’t the issue, Aleki.”
“Then what is, fafine aulelei? Neither of us are seeking love, but here, in this moment, is passion not enough?”
Scarlet lips parted on an intake of breath, and he seized his chance. Tracing a finger softly along the elegant arch of her brow he felt her tremble. The rich playground of her mouth was within inches. Leaning down, he brushed his lips over hers, a fleeting touch that scorched through his entire being like an electric charge.
Lifting his head, despite the magnetic pull low in his gut to claim her mouth, her body, as his own, he exhaled deeply.
“There is nobody I have felt such passion for in all my years, fafine aulelei.”
Indecision warred in Stella’s gaze, and the desire he saw in its depth bolstered his confidence.
“Just once, Stella? Let me taste the stars.”
Aleki returned his mouth to hers and smiled against the rich nirvana of her lips as he felt her hesitation ebb. The tension drained from her body with every nip, every nibble as he feasted upon her. Adrenaline surged in his veins as Stella’s fingers tightened around the cage of his arms and she kissed him back with fervor. He plunged into the sweet heaven of her mouth, stroking her tongue with his in a rhythm born of desire. His hands bunched against the fabric cloaking her hips, grinding his pelvis against hers as though he could brand her with his need through the barrier of their clothes. She moaned softly and bucked against him, the press of her stomach firm against the raging column of his erection. Gods, yes. She rolled her hips again, rubbing and grinding, sending stars spinning behind his eyelids as the sensation raced over his cock and up his body, hot and tight and dizzying in its intensity. He wrenched his lips from her, harsh pants painting the air around them. A quick glance around confirmed that the song had ended, blending into an old school country number that had distracted all the other dancefloor inhabitants into an intensive sing-a-long in the middle of the floor. Nobody was watching them.
Aleki looked down at Stella, his eyes searching her face for any evidence of discomfort. He found none. The heat in her gaze was enough to melt glaciers. He flushed as it hit him square in the chest, radiating warmth down to the place where their bodies still pressed together. He ground slowly, just a little press of his hips against hers and saw affirmation in the hitch of her chest, the bite of her lip.
Mine again, after all this time.
“Come, little star,” he whispered in her ear. “We have some unfinished business to attend to.”
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