Finally AJ decided it was time for some peace and quiet. “Now I must ask you to all leave the palace. The family needs some privacy.”
Lani’s nose tickled a bit as Priia dusted the traditional pollen on her cheeks with a fat makeup brush.
“It makes you glow so nicely! We should all wear it every day.” Her mother-in-law beamed.
“I’m not sure the bees would appreciate that, but it does feel soft.” Just like her silk dress, an intricate weave of delicate colors and real gold thread. She’d worn a similar dress for her wedding to Vanu, but this time everything felt different, maybe because it wasn’t all strange and alarming like the first time. She knew everyone at the palace and it was already her home. The ceremony marked the happy change of welcoming AJ into her life.
The population of Rahiri swelled to almost double its usual numbers for the joint wedding and coronation. She rarely watched TV but now she made a special effort to avoid it. It was too bizarre to see herself cast in the “rags to riches to happiness” drama they all turned her life into. At least they were right about the last part.
“Where’s AJ?” All the fussing made her restless.
“He’s getting ready as well, sweetheart. You won’t see him again until the ceremony. It’s bad luck.”
Lani sighed. A hug from AJ would really calm her nerves right now. She wasn’t anxious about the marriage itself, or even becoming an official monarch, just ready to get all the official drama out of the way. Although the king usually did the speaking during the ceremony, AJ had suggested that she should say the words, too, to symbolize their equality as monarchs. Of course he was right and it was for the best, but what if she froze and forgot her words in front of all those people?
The sound of her phone made her jump. It took her a while to find it on the dressing table amongst all the lotions and potions. Even her own hand—nails and fingertips decorated with red berry juice—startled her as she reached for it. “Hello?”
“How’s my beautiful bride?” AJ’s low voice, relaxed as always, made warmth flood her tense muscles.
“Nervous but okay. How’s my handsome husband-to-be?”
“I’ll be better when we’re alone tonight.” His suggestive tone made desire and anticipation trickle through her. Which was funny, really, since they’d slept together every night since he came back. “And the crowns are off our heads again.”
“I know just how you feel.” What a relief to have a partner she could really talk to. “I feel like we’re participating in a costume party of some kind, not a real coronation.”
AJ chuckled. “It is a costume party, complete with crowns woven from rare orchids and real gold. All we really have to do is smile and look regal. You’ve had more practice than I have.”
“I wasn’t very good at it. I’ve always felt like a milkmaid who’d stumbled into the palace and been mistaken for a princess.”
“Easy to see how that could happen, with your looks.”
Lani laughed. “How do you always manage to make me smile?”
“Because you love me, so you laugh, even at my worst jokes.”
“I guess that must be it.” She sighed. Her chest felt so full. “I do love you. I never thought I’d know real love, especially after I realized I wouldn’t find it in my first marriage. What a surprise.”
“There’s really nothing better than a surprise when you least expect it—at least that was always my chief theory as a director.”
“I’m not sure the citizens of Rahiri will feel the same way.” She lifted a brow, then realized he couldn’t see it over the phone. “They might prefer easy predictability.”
“Then we’ll try not to declare too many wars or set off too many loud explosions. Your gentle spirit will be a moderating influence on me.”
“Maybe it will.” She smiled. It was so easy and fun to tease AJ. “Though some might say my spirit is less gentle now it has you encouraging it into mischief.”
“Mmm. I’m thinking about last night.” AJ’s throaty voice stirred heat deep inside her.
“We really should have saved our energy for today.” Lani glanced at her glamorously made-up and gold-pollen-dusted visage in the mirror.
“Then we’d be more nervous. Much better to burn off some adrenaline first.” AJ’s voice slid into her ear, soft and seductive. “And even fresh pollen can’t compete with the natural glow of a sexually satisfied woman.”
“You’re sending my thoughts in the wrong directions.” Her pupils were dilating and her cheeks flushing an embarrassed pink. “Perhaps we need to turn our discussion to Rahiri’s gross national product.”