Island Love Songs: Seven Nights in ParadiseThe Wedding DanceOrchids and Bliss

by Kayla Perrin

  “I shouldn’t have suggested this. I’m sorry.”

  “Lawrence, I don’t understand.”

  “You do understand,” Lawrence said, and it hurt him to say so. “Nine months ago—” He stopped abruptly, exhaled sharply. “You made your choice.”

  “No!” Melanie said. And then she stepped toward him and placed her hand on his chest. “Lawrence, please. I think...I think it’s time we had a talk.”

  “Mel, I don’t—”

  “In your room, or mine,” she pressed on. When he said nothing, she continued in a lower voice, “A real talk, Lawrence.”

  On one hand, Lawrence wanted to walk away from Melanie the way one tore off a Band-Aid. Quickly, so there was as little pain as possible. But on the other hand, the way she was looking at him, with those wide, pleading eyes...it was hard to say no to her.

  And there was another reason he couldn’t say no. Because where Melanie was concerned, his heart seemed unable to give up hope.

  “All right,” he said, knowing that it would be now or never. “Let’s talk.”

  * * *

  A short while later, Melanie and Lawrence were alone in his bungalow on the beach. Shemar had been there when they had arrived, but after a short chat with Lawrence, he grabbed some snorkel gear and headed to the beach.

  Not before giving Melanie a look, though. The kind of look that told her just how he felt about what she’d done.

  “This is a gorgeous room,” Melanie said, trying to lighten the intensity of the mood. It was a stunning bure, larger than the one she was in, with a considerable patio that even boasted a private plunge pool. She looked around at the beauty of the patio, with the pristine beach as a backdrop. Shemar had disappeared down the beach. “I thought my room was special. But this...it’s magnificent.”

  “You said you wanted to talk.”

  Turning, Melanie faced Lawrence, who was standing just inside the patio doors. His arms were folded over his chest, which spoke volumes.

  “Yes.” Melanie started toward him, and then stepped past him into the next room. The sofa bed was open and unmade, and the king-size bed, while unmade, at least had the comforter pulled over it in a neater fashion. Melanie knew without having to ask that’s where Lawrence slept.

  And just looking at the large bed, and at this incredible room, situated in this magical island resort, she wished desperately that she and Lawrence were here together.

  She sighed softly and began to speak. “I look at this romantic place, and I can’t help thinking that we should be here together. Wishing that we were. I know it’s my fault that we’re not,” she pressed on when Lawrence opened his lips, as if to speak. “And I am sorry, Lawrence. I screwed up. I hurt you. Heck, seeing the way Shemar looked at me—with anger—was hard. I know what he’s thinking. He hasn’t forgotten that I hurt you, and he’s wondering if I’m going to do it again.”

  “Are you?” Lawrence asked.

  “You can’t possibly think that.”

  “I don’t know what to think. The first thing you did when you saw me was run.”

  “Are you forgetting yesterday?”

  Melanie saw Lawrence’s Adam’s apple rise.

  “And then there was yesterday. But that could have simply been the sex. Something familiar and easy for both of us.”

  “You’re wrong. That wasn’t what it was for me. I didn’t come to meet you this morning just because I want more hot sex.”

  “You say you look at this room and think we should be here together?” Lawrence began. “Well, it’s all I’ve been able to think about since I saw you again. That I want you in that bed with me.” He gestured to the king-size bed with a jerk of his head. “The two of us naked. Barely seeing what the island has to offer because we can’t get enough of each other.”

  His words caused Melanie to feel a sexual charge. “Really?”

  “But every time the thought comes to me, I remember that we should have had that. Would have had that. If you hadn’t thrown it away.”

  A moment ago, she’d been feeling a sexual charge. Now, her stomach fizzled.

  “Yesterday,” Lawrence began. “God knows I wanted yesterday. But the morning after, I find myself wondering what it means.”

  “It means something,” Melanie told him. “It wouldn’t have happened if it didn’t mean something.”

  “Given our history, how can you expect me to believe that?”

  Lawrence’s words stung. But he was right. What had she given him to go on that he could have faith in? They’d had wonderful sex before, yet she had still left him standing at the altar.

  “I want you back,” Melanie said, knowing that she had to lay her heart on the line. “Yesterday was about me wanting you in my life again. Let’s just say it’s become crystal clear that I made the biggest mistake of my life when I walked away from you.”

  Lawrence turned away from her and strolled into the living room. Melanie followed him, her heart tightening as though someone was squeezing the life out of it.

  “How can I trust you?” he asked.

  His voice had been soft, the question earnest. And it caused a surge of emotion within Melanie that she wasn’t prepared for. Because she truly felt a sense of fear. Fear that she had lost Lawrence forever.

  “I’ve changed,” she said softly. “Lawrence, this trip for me has been a life changer in a lot of ways. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone. I’ve faced some pretty big fears. And...” She paused, swallowed. “And I found you again.”

  “You had me. You didn’t want me.”

  “Yesterday, in the water, when you were with me, I’d never felt safer. I knew without a doubt that I could trust you with my life.”

  “But not with your heart,” Lawrence said, and she saw his jaw flinch. “And that’s what mattered most to me.”

  Melanie swayed as her eyes fluttered shut. Thinking about the fears that had sent her running always brought her pain. But she knew she would have to expose her vulnerabilities if she was going to have a chance of winning Lawrence back.

  “Lawrence,” she said, and already her eyes were filling with tears. “When my father left my mother, she became broken. I learned very early that love has the power to destroy. My mother hasn’t been the same since he left. Her smile used to light up an entire room. And when my father left, it was like a part of her died. I never realized how much that shaped me. When I saw my parents together, they looked happy. But my father ended up having an affair anyway. As much as I always wanted to get married myself one day, I guess a seed of fear and distrust was planted in my soul. I knew all too well that people could be happy together, and one partner could still devastate the other.”

  “Yeah. Tell me about it.”

  His comment had the effect of dousing her with cold water to wake her up. Until Lawrence uttered the words, she’d never seen him in the role of her mother in the story she was telling. She had always seen herself in that possible role, but she had actually become her father, hurting a man who truly loved her.

  “Then there was Richelle. Here she was, engaged to be married, and happy. Or so she thought. Then she learned of Vern’s affair. What he did affected me deeply. That seed of fear, the doubt...it started up again. Fiercely. Lawrence, all I could see on our wedding day was the huge risk of me being hurt...and I...suddenly I couldn’t take that risk. You think it didn’t hurt me to leave you? God, it was the hardest thing I’d ever done. But I convinced myself that the pain would be far greater down the road.”

  “You should have talked to me.”

  Tears spilled down Melanie’s cheeks. “Yes, I know. But I couldn’t. I knew what you would tell me. I knew you would tell me that you loved me. But Lawrence, I was frozen with fear inside.” She brushed at her tears. “The crazy thing is, I wanted to protect myself from pain. And I know n
ow how stupid a decision that was. Because the truth is, standing right here, knowing that you might tell me that you want nothing more to do with me again—you have to know how much my heart is hurting. And hurting mostly because I realize just how much I hurt you, something I never wanted to do. I love you, baby, but I also know that I have no right to tell you that. Not after what I did.”

  He wasn’t taking her in his arms. He wasn’t telling her that he forgave her. The agony was unlike anything Melanie had ever known.

  She wrapped her arms around her torso, turned toward the window and let her tears fall freely. She’d lost Lawrence, and she had no one to blame but herself.

  Suddenly, she felt arms encircling her waist from behind. She gasped as Lawrence’s hands pressed against her belly. Then, he was pressing the side of his face against hers and raising one hand to wipe at her tears.

  Relief flooded Melanie, and more tears fell. And as she cried, he kissed her cheek. Then he turned her in his arms and planted his mouth on hers.

  A heavenly sigh escaped her. The kiss was deep and slow and full of meaning.

  Melanie gripped the collar of his shirt and surrendered completely to him. It was amazing how much she had missed this. How much she would never tire of this.

  Finally, she eased back to catch her breath. “I love you, Lawrence. I love you.”

  He looked down at her, held her gaze a moment before speaking. “You love me?”

  “God, yes. My doubts...they weren’t about you. They were about me. And I’m sorry.” Another beat passed, and now Melanie was the one who needed an answer. “Do you still love me? Do we still have a chance?”

  Lawrence’s hand went to her face. He gently caressed it before speaking. “I’ve never stopped loving you.”

  She grinned, the warmest of feelings filling her entire body. “I’ll never hurt you again,” Melanie told him. “I promise.”

  “Then why don’t we get married? Right here, right now?”

  Melanie held her breath as she stared at him. “You want to get married here? To me? In Fiji?”

  “We were supposed to get married nine months ago. I want all with you, or nothing. And if you feel the same, let’s make it official.”

  A laugh bubbled in Melanie’s throat. She had never been so spontaneous.

  “But our families...” she began.

  “Will probably be relieved to hear the deed is done,” Lawrence said, and then smiled. “And this way, we wouldn’t have to endure anyone waging bets on whether or not the wedding was actually going to happen.”

  “Oh.” Melanie scowled playfully. Then she grew serious. “Lawrence, I leave in a couple days. Can we really pull this off?”

  “We can extend our trip, can’t we? If we do this, we’ll need a proper honeymoon, after all.”

  “You’re not joking, are you?”

  Lawrence shook his head. “Seriously, Mel. Why not?”

  Why not? This trip had already been about adventure, about facing fears. And here she was with the man she loved, and she knew she didn’t want to let him go again.

  Most importantly, she wanted him to know that she was totally committed. That she wouldn’t leave him standing at the altar again.

  “Yes,” she said. And she started to laugh with excitement. “Let’s get married!”

  Lawrence grinned from ear to ear before wrapping his arms tightly around her and bringing his mouth down onto hers. His warm tongue swept through her mouth with wide broad strokes, eliciting the greatest of pleasure. Then, with their lips still locked, he began to walk backward, leading her toward the king-size bed.

  His mouth moved from her lips to her neck, and Melanie’s body flooded with heat. His lips teased her skin, and then his teeth pulled the strap of her dress down one shoulder.

  “What about Shemar?” Melanie managed to ask on a rapturous moan. She didn’t want Lawrence to stop, but she also didn’t want them to be interrupted.

  “I told him to stay busy for at least a couple hours,” Lawrence supplied. He urged her backward onto the bed and lay beside her. His hand went to her thigh, where his fingers gently trilled her skin. “I didn’t get to make love to you properly at the beach.”

  “I beg to differ.”

  “Still, I like the idea of you being in my bed. No sand. Just you and me.”

  Melanie’s entire body flushed at his comment. “I like the sound of that. A lot.”

  He kissed her hotly, but briefly, then said, “Take off your clothes, baby.”

  Melanie eased up on the bed and began to strip out of her dress, while Lawrence shed his shirt and pants. Her eyes drank in the sight of his muscular body.

  Unclothed, they came together on the bed on their knees, their hands exploring while their tongues mated wildly. Lawrence stroked her nipples, making them harden. And then he lowered his face to her breast and drew a nipple deep into his mouth.

  Melanie’s body exploded with sensation. Lawrence pleasured her with his tongue and lips for a long time, not relenting until she was digging her fingers into his skin and moaning his name. Only then did he finally capture her lips with his again, settle himself onto her body and enter her with a slow delicious thrust.

  And as they made love, the energy between them was different than it had been on the private island. Yesterday had been as much about satisfying a carnal need as it had been about reconnecting.

  But today...this was about rebuilding the foundation of their relationship.

  This was about solidifying their unending love.

  Epilogue

  Days earlier, when Melanie had helped Richelle get ready for her wedding, she had never imagined that she, too, would marry the man of her dreams on this lushly beautiful island.

  And in the place where they had come together again, where it seemed as if fate had truly given them a second chance, it only seemed fitting.

  “You look gorgeous,” Richelle told her, tears filling her eyes as she spoke.

  “You think so?” Melanie asked.

  “Yes. I love the traditional wedding gown on you. You totally made the right choice!”

  Melanie checked her reflection in the mirror, amazed at how radiant she looked in the tapa costume. Unlike Richelle and Roy, Melanie and Lawrence had opted for a fully traditional Fijian wedding—which included the tapa wedding costumes for both the bride and the groom. They had been touched by the magic of Fiji, and for them, it was the right choice to make the spirit of Fiji a part of their wedding.

  “In so many ways, I love this dress much more than the one I designed for myself,” Melanie said. Hand painted by local women earlier today, it wasn’t the kind of dress she would ever have created for herself.

  And yet, it was absolutely perfect.

  “I’m just so happy for you,” Richelle said. As her matron of honor, she too was dressed in traditional Fijian wedding attire. “Who knew, when I had to beg you to agree to Fiji, that we would come here, and you would reconnect with Lawrence?” She beamed. “Now I’m married, and you’re getting married, too...and everything feels right.”

  Melanie nodded, joy washing over her. “I’m so glad my foolish actions didn’t cost me the man I love forever.”

  “He’s a keeper,” Richelle said.

  “That, he is.”

  “Oh, you hear that?” Richelle said. “The choir has begun to sing.” She gripped Melanie’s hand. “Are you ready?”

  Melanie drew in a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

  Richelle gave her a hug, then left the wedding bure to begin her walk down the aisle to the beach. Then, the warriors helped Melanie onto the raft.

  They lifted her into the air and carried her down to the beach. This was a small, quaint wedding. Other than Shemar, Lawrence’s best man, Richelle, and of course the minister, only Roy and s
ome of the hotel staff were in attendance as guests.

  But that didn’t matter to Melanie, because her eyes were only for Lawrence. He was beaming with love and pride as he took in the sight of her.

  When, at last, she was helped off the raft, he took her hand and whispered, “You’re beautiful, baby. Absolutely beautiful.”

  Melanie’s eyes misted. Nine months earlier, she should have married this wonderful man in a big church in Harlem, with all her friends and family present.

  And yet here, with the stunning beach backdrop, barefoot in the sand, this intimate wedding held much more appeal for her. Because she didn’t need the world to hear her proclaim her love for Lawrence. She needed only him.

  “Melanie Avery Watts, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” the minister asked.

  “I do.” Melanie smiled at the man she loved, tears of happiness finally falling down her cheeks. “I definitely do.”

  And minutes later, after they’d shared their personal vows and the minister pronounced them husband and wife, all Melanie could think, as Lawrence’s lips met hers for the first time as her husband’s, was that this was perfect.

  The perfect day. The perfect wedding.

  The perfect man.

  And the perfect start to the rest of their lives.

  * * * * *

  THE WEDDING DANCE

  Carmen Green

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 1

  The walls of Jay Smith’s office were covered with photos of him and every world-class athlete of the last ten years. Since joining CNN’s Atlanta office eleven years ago, he’d made it his business to become the Color Commentator to know. Athletes wanted to be interviewed by him. So why, in what could only be described as a professional man-cave, was he staring at a ballerina dancing on his computer screen?