by Sarah Price
“Open your eyes,” he commanded softly.
“No,” she whispered.
“Princesa,” he said, his hand moving toward the zipper in the back of her dress. She heard it sing as he gently pulled it down to her waist. The dress was loose now, and she shivered, even though she wasn’t cold. She felt him hook his hands into the fabric and gently tug so that it fell down by her feet in a small puddle of blue-and-white satin. “Open now,” he breathed as he traced a line along her shoulder with his lips. “See how beautiful you are.”
“Alejandro.” She wanted to do what he asked, wanted to please him, but she couldn’t. “I . . . I just can’t.” She felt him turn her around again, and then his finger was under her chin, tilting her head just enough. Now that she was facing away from the mirror, she opened her eyes. “I’m scared,” she whispered, staring up at him.
“Don’t be,” he replied. His eyes gazed down at her, standing before him in a white lace bra and panties. She saw his jaw clench, the muscles twitching for just a moment, before he put his hand on the curve of her waist and pulled her close to him. “Dios mío,” he murmured to himself before he lowered his mouth onto hers, the past weeks of pent-up passion unleashing at last in a kiss that weakened her knees and caused her to collapse against him, her hands on his shoulders.
He pressed her back toward the bed, guiding her as she stepped backward while still in his arms. Gently, he pushed her so that she was sitting on the edge of the mattress, her big brown doe eyes staring up at him, frightened and excited at the same time. In one swift movement, he removed his sleeveless undershirt and tossed it on the floor, his eyes still holding her gaze. But her eyes flickered, just for a second, as she glanced down at the tattoos on his arms and chest.
“Tonight,” he said, walking toward her again. He pushed her back onto the bed, helping her move backward as he hovered over her. “Tonight I make you my queen, Princesa.” He chuckled softly as he saw the color flood to her cheeks. Reaching for her hand, he placed it on his chest. “Touch me here,” he said. “Feel my heart beat.”
She could.
“It beats for you. For us. For this moment. Forever.”
She felt the tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
“No tears,” he said, shaking his head. “Just enjoy this moment, Amanda. And may it shine forever.”
With the flickering glow of the candles illuminating the room, Alejandro took Amanda in his arms, his lips covering hers once again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him guide the way and show her how to love as husband and wife. And when the moment came, she realized that, indeed, she was lost in the moment, lost in his attention, and lost in the power of his love.
Chapter Twenty-One
She awoke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the bedroom. For a moment, as her eyes fluttered open, she didn’t remember where she was. It wasn’t the farm, and it wasn’t her bedroom. She blinked and tried to focus in the dim light from the crack in the curtains that covered the window.
“Buenas días, mi amor.”
When she heard his deep voice, tender and soft, she started to sit up, but realized that she wasn’t wearing anything. Clutching at the sheet, she covered herself and wiggled around in the direction of his voice. She saw him, sitting in the chair by the bed, sipping at his coffee while he stared over the edge of the mug, watching her with his deep blue eyes. He was already dressed in golden khaki slacks with a white long-sleeve shirt that was unbuttoned at his neck. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Seeing his tattoos on his arms reminded her. Her mind returned to the night before, hours spent in intimacy, and she sank back into the pillow, covering her head with the sheet.
He laughed.
She heard him set the mug on the nightstand and felt the mattress shift as he crawled into bed next to her. Before she could protest, his arms were wrapped around her and he was pulling her close against his body.
“Shy this morning, sí?” He was amused.
“Don’t tease me,” she whimpered softly, but she loved the feeling of his chest against her back and his arms holding her tight.
Another laugh. His good mood was embarrassing her even more, and she wished with all of her might that she could stay hidden under the sheet all day. But it wasn’t to be. He pulled at the sheet and tossed it aside. “I will tease you. I will look at you. And I will keep loving you,” he purred into her ear. “But not until you get up, get dressed, and get moving.”
She opened one eye and peeked at him, causing him to shake his head and smile. “To where?”
He ran his hand down her bare arm, pausing to brush it against her flat stomach. “I’d prefer to stay here all day with you like this in my bed, but, alas, that is not in the cards, Princesa.” He tickled her side playfully, and she tried to not laugh. “But you have a honeymoon ahead of you, and while I will have plenty of time to admire my wife’s beautiful body and shower it with love, that will not happen until we are on the boat and on our way to the islands.”
As he rolled off the bed and reached for the coffee mug, she sat up, clutching the sheet to hide her breasts. “Islands?”
“Sí.” He nodded. “I want to relax on warm beaches, dance at the marinas, and sleep under the stars.” He watched her covering herself and raised an eyebrow, amused at her modesty. “And make love to you again and again.”
She blushed, her heart beginning to race as the color rose to her cheeks. Averting her eyes, Amanda refused to look at him. “Stop, Alejandro! You are embarrassing me!”
“You weren’t saying that last night,” he teased, watching her from the side of the bed, his lips hovering over the steaming mug of coffee with a playful smirk on his face.
Flopping back onto the pillow, she covered her face with the sheet again, but when he started to laugh, she found herself joining him.
Two hours later, she was sitting in the shade of the overhang at the back of the boat, her legs tucked up under her as she rested her chin on her hand and watched the shores of Miami disappear.
My life, she thought. This is my life now.
Alejandro hadn’t been joking with her when, on that first day after picking her up from the farm, he had warned her that she would not only change but also live. She had changed, accepting the worldliness of Alejandro’s life. While she missed glimpses of her former life with the Amish, she was adapting to this new world.
“Princesa!”
She lifted her head and realized that Alejandro was calling her from inside the living quarters of the boat. She swung her legs down and quickly stood up, giving a stretch before she hurried in the direction of his voice. “Ja?”
He was standing in front of the large flat-screen television. He waved his hand for her to join him. “Come, come,” he said, his voice full of excitement. “I found a news story about us.” Putting his arm around her shoulders, he leaned over and kissed her head. “Um, you smell like coconut oil. ¡Deliciosa! I could gobble you up.” He nibbled at her skin and whispered, “Save that for later, sí?”
She laughed at him but turned her gaze to the television. Within the next two minutes, the commercials ended and the news program came back on, displaying a photograph of Amanda in her blue-and-white dress, with Alejandro in his tuxedo singing to her. Horrified to see herself on television, she buried her face against his shoulder and groaned, embarrassed by such attention.
“America’s most famous Amish girl is Amish no more,” the reporter started. “Last night at a party to announce their engagement, Viper surprised everyone by turning it into a wedding. After serenading his bride-to-be with his just-released song ‘Plain Fame,’ Viper and Amanda exchanged vows in front of over two hundred friends, family, and fellow artists in what has been reported as a most intimate and sophisticated ceremony. We wish Mr. and Mrs. Viper the best of luck as they head for their honeymoon aboard his private yacht before his Holiday Tour kicks o
ff.”
Alejandro laughed and clicked off the television. “¡Excelente!” He tossed the remote control onto a chair and turned around to hug Amanda. “Mr. and Mrs. Viper,” he sang. “I like the sound of that.”
“It sounds terrible,” she said, making a face before she shuddered and added, “Snakes.”
For the next hour, they sat at the back of the boat, sipping mimosas and eating cheese and grapes that were brought out to them. She liked the bubbly taste of the orange juice mixed with the champagne, despite the fact that there was alcohol in the drink. Just a little, he had said, to give it the bubbles. They talked about their wedding, the upcoming holidays, and even about the upcoming year. With a new album being released before Christmas, the following year would be busy with promotions, concerts, and events throughout many different countries.
She didn’t like the idea of flying so much, but from the look on his face, she knew that he expected her to travel with him.
“It’ll be good for you to see the world,” he said, plucking a plump red grape from the bowl and popping it into his mouth. “It’s the best education, to see the world.”
“I never had much use for education,” she admitted. Indeed, as with all Amish youth, she had only completed up to the eighth grade.
“I graduated high school,” he admitted. “Just not with my class. The streets were my education, but so was travel.” He sipped at his drink. “Just wait until you see the beauty of South America. You will be forever changed!”
At that statement, she laughed. “My goodness, Alejandro! I think I’ve been through enough change already for one lifetime, ja?”
“What’s wrong with you, Amanda?” Anna asked her sister as she pinned her apron over her dress. “Why don’t you want to go to the singing?”
Amanda stretched across the bed, her arm tossed over her forehead. She managed to shrug. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just don’t.”
Her sister turned to stare at Amanda, one hand on her hip and a scowl on her face. “You sure do seem to like spending more time at home than with friends these days. Something is different about you.”
Again, Amanda shrugged. She didn’t know how to tell her sister that she preferred the simplicity of being at home, helping her mother and daed, and just being alone. She had lost interest in the singings, especially after Joshua Esh had started courting Hannah. It wasn’t that she had truly cared for him. No, that wasn’t it. But she had watched the pairing up of couples and realized that everything seemed too orchestrated. So planned. So preordained. She didn’t want to live a life that was so constricted. She wanted to live life, period. To appreciate the beauty of nature, to think about the world, and to dream about what might be out there, waiting for her. She wasn’t made from a cookie-cutter mold. No, she realized, she was different and wanted something different. She just didn’t know what it was.
For the next five days, Amanda basked in Alejandro’s undivided attention. During the day, they would tour the different islands, somewhat unknown among the locals and other vacationers. In the afternoons, she would curl up with her books on the boat, escaping to the world of the past while Alejandro checked his e-mails or made any necessary calls. At night, he would take her back onto the islands, finding some local restaurant with fresh Caribbean lobster or a fancy dining facility at one of the larger hotels so that he could dance with her afterward.
She was even getting over her shyness with him when he approached her at night in the privacy of their bedroom. The look in his eyes as he reached for her, tenderly undressing her under the glow of the moon that shone through the small window, sent chills down her spine. It thrilled her to think that she could make Alejandro look at her in that way.
But her favorite time of the day was the nighttime. After he had made love to her, he would sleep with his arms wrapped protectively around her, their skin pressed against each other, and his breath caressing her ear as he slept. She would lie awake, listening to the gentle sound of his soft snores, and smile, clinging to his arm that was across her chest. There were moments when she wanted to cry . . . the joy was overwhelming.
“Do you see the bluebird?”
Amanda knelt next to her brother, pointing to the pretty bluebird as it fluttered by the bird box on the telephone pole near the road. “She’s beautiful, ja?”
Aaron nodded. “Ja, God’s creature.”
It was a ritual of theirs. Every spring, they would walk down to the end of the driveway on Friday evenings. The sun would be setting over the neighbor’s farm, the sky a soft golden orange. In the distance, a buggy might be heard rattling along the road or a mule might bray. But, otherwise, it was peaceful and quiet, a time for reflection and to look for the bluebird as she flew back to the box with straw or yarn in her mouth to make her nest.
There would come a time when the bluebird would leave, usually toward the end of summer. Amanda always wondered where she went and if her babies went with her. It broke her heart to think otherwise, so she chose to believe that they flew south for the winter, enjoying one another’s company until they returned north.
Those moments with Aaron were special, a time of joy and sharing that often brought tears to her eyes. Having just turned twelve, he was still enamored of nature and life, appreciating all of God’s creatures. She, on the other hand, was enamored of her little brother and loved seeing the world through his eyes.
As the sun continued to set over the field and the bluebird disappeared into the box for the last time that night, Amanda stood up and reached for her brother’s hand. Together, they walked back down the dusty lane toward the house.
“Good news, Princesa!”
She looked up as he breezed into the room. She was sitting on the sofa, crocheting a blanket. It was different shades of white and cream, and she was using a shell stitch. She knew that it didn’t get too cool in Miami, but she could picture herself curled up with the blanket at night during the winter months, perhaps seated outside and reading one of her books.
“Good news is right gut!” She smiled at him, loving the glow in his eyes. “Now, mayhaps you’ll share it with me?”
“The new song has hit number one, and there’s even talk of a Grammy!” He reached down for her hand and plucked her from the sofa, pulling her into his arms. “Your song!”
She laughed at his joy. “You mean your song.”
“Our song,” he whispered, nuzzling at her neck. “I think we should go out tonight to celebrate!”
Life was a constant celebration with Alejandro. Since their return from their tour of the islands, he had been more attentive and insisted that she accompany him everywhere. Even when his friends came over to work on songs—the men sitting around the table with Alejandro focused on the laptops before them, mixing the songs and adjusting the music levels—he wanted her in the room. She’d sit in a big chair, reading or crocheting, occasionally looking up when Alejandro asked her what she thought. She’d nod her head, not quite certain what he was asking her but knowing that it was the appropriate response.
“And tomorrow we leave for New York. Our first interview on television!” He laughed and set her back onto her feet. “The world wants to meet Mrs. Viper!”
Inwardly, she groaned. The thought of being on television was terrifying to her. For Alejandro, it was nothing to be interviewed by reporters or to perform in front of thousands of people. Amanda much preferred staying in the background.
“Friday morning, we have to get up early. Performing at the Today Show before our interview with The View,” he reminded her. “Don’t worry about packing. Lucinda has your outfits picked out, and they’ll be at the hotel.” He glanced down at his phone and shook his head. Someone was calling. She watched him as he answered the phone in Spanish, turning his back to her as he walked over to the window, his voice soft and low.
Rodriego glanced at Alejandro as he walked into the room. He
held a small white envelope in his hand. “Amanda,” he said. “This came in the mail today for you.”
She took the envelope, surprised to see the formal, loopy curves of handwriting on the front. Her mother. She felt her heart flutter and an immediate wave of dread flooded over her. She hadn’t heard from her parents since she had left. Indeed, each of her letters went unanswered. So when she had written that she was getting married to Alejandro, she never expected to hear back. Certainly they were heartbroken by her decision to leave her family, to leave with Alejandro, and to leave the Amish. However, she had to remind herself that they had been prepared to send her back to Ohio in order to stop the paparazzi from bothering their community.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she stared at the envelope. It wasn’t very large. Whatever was inside, whatever words waited for her, it certainly wasn’t more than one sheet of paper. After two months of silence, only one sheet?
He was watching her from the window and quickly ended his phone call. Pushing the phone into his pocket, he strode over to the sofa and knelt down before her. “Shouldn’t you open it before you judge the contents, Princesa?”
Her eyes flickered from the envelope to his face. With a slight frown, she nodded, acknowledging the wisdom of his words, which he had spoken after observing her expression and reading her mind. Sighing, she flipped over the envelope and slid her finger along the flap to open it. As she had suspected, a single sheet of paper fluttered out. She felt his hand on her knee and spared him a quick smile before she opened the piece of paper and began to read her mother’s words. They flew off the page with pieces of each sentence cutting through her like a dagger.
Received your last letter.
Disappointed in your decision.
Anna getting married in November.