"I think I'll take that cup of coffee now," Lani murmured. She was finding it impossible to believe what she was hearing. "You've never said anything," she reminded Michi. "Never even given me a hint you thought Daniel cared about me."
"Of course I did, in spite of the fact that he absolutely forbade me to say one word. The first day we met, I told you he had difficulty controlling his temper where you're concerned." Michi poured two cups of coffee and returned to the couch. "I made a point of letting you know how distracted he's been lately, and only last week, after Elizabeth had so charitably shared her poison, I told you that something had happened seven years ago to make him end their affair. Did I have to hit you over the head with it before you got the message?"
Lani felt herself blush fiercely, and tried to cover up her embarrassment by sipping her coffee. "You know about that?" she asked weakly.
"Of course I do. I told you, Keith and Daniel and I were very close. He was so shaken by his reaction to you that he stopped seeing Elizabeth. Of course that was before we met Daniel—we started to work for Prescott & Thomas about the time your mother died. It was almost a year before he told us anything about you, and by then he was completely in love with you. He thought you were wonderful, taking care of Brian and Jonathan, and more mature at sixteen than most of the older girls he dated out here. All the same, you were giving him a terribly hard time, and he wasn't about to let you walk all over him." She smiled in that teasing way that Lani found wholly charming. "I should like to have seen some of those arguments! Believe me, if Daniel had had his way, you would have been a child bride at eighteen, whipped into shape and permanently subjugated!"
"I don't understand," Lani said, finally beginning to believe that Daniel might really care for her.
"Jonathan wouldn't hear of it. He felt you were too young, that if he permitted Daniel to marry you, you would be under his thumb for the rest of your life. He insisted that you needed more time to mature, to become independent. Keith and I agreed. Daniel was wrapped up in his career and we pointed out to him that he could use the next four years far more profitably by concentrating on business and waiting until you graduated from college."
By now, some of Lani's natural spirit was returning, and with it, a touch of pique at Daniel. "What about my feelings? Wasn't that rather arrogant, to assume I would be ripe for the plucking?"
Michi only laughed. "Jonathan promised him that when you graduated, he would coax you into moving back to Hawaii. Daniel knew you were physically attracted to him, and he decided that with the proper gentleness, patience, and consideration, you were bound to fall in love with him!"
"Gentleness, patience, and consideration? He was like a steam-roller, flattening every objection I raised!" Lani protested, then added thoughtfully, "Of course, I was totally impossible, too. I even had defenses for my defenses. I didn't want to admit how I felt, and it scared me"—her eyes dropped in embarrassment—"the shameless way I wanted him."
"He felt the same way about you for years," Michi teased. "But when Jonathan died, it changed everything. The terms of his will were Daniel's insurance policy—he knew you would never leave Brian. Still, you resisted every move he made, and he was so frustrated by it that sometimes his temper got the better of him and he simply exploded. In case you hadn't noticed, Lani, Daniel is a very emotional man." She permitted herself a mocking sigh. "If I have to sit through one more lunch or dinner with him, listening to him tell me that you're driving him insane, I may go insane. I have a hotel to run here. Speaking of which, we have a European prince and princess due in this afternoon, and a mainland bigshot next week. Do you suppose Daniel would mind if you skipped the honeymoon?"
"I don't think he would like that," Lani replied with a blush, "and I don't think I would either." Then she took Michi's hand and said, "I don't know how to thank you. You've done so much for both of us. I would be honored if you would be my matron of honor."
"Anything to get you two married!" Michi said with a twinkle in her eye.
Lani picked up Michi's visiting royalty from the airport at two o'clock that afternoon and took them for a drive around the Honolulu area, then settled them into their suite at the hotel. They would remain on Oahu until Friday, presaging a busy week for her.
When she got home Linda told her that Marilyn Prescott had invited her and Brian to dinner to discuss wedding arrangements. Daniel had informed his cousin that he wanted a traditional wedding with his family and friends present. Lani had envisioned a simpler, more private ceremony, but was happy to accede to his wishes. Nonetheless, she did ask defensively, "Do you think people will talk? I mean, it is rather… hasty." The spiteful face of Elizabeth Thomas flashed into her mind.
Marilyn's smile was reassuring. "On the contrary, we've all been expecting it. After all, Daniel has avoided serious involvements for years now, and it was obvious that he was waiting for someone. You were the logical young lady, and once we saw you two together, we began to wait for an announcement. One can hardly blame him for being in a hurry to marry you."
"About time you agreed," Richard added with a wicked glint in his eye. "I want my top executives working at peak efficiency, young lady. No wonder Daniel's been distracted, with you sleeping down the hall and your door firmly shut, I'll wager."
"Don't tease the girl, Richard," Marilyn scolded, taking Lani's arm and leading her to the staircase. "Come, Lani. I have something to show you."
"Something" turned out to be an exquisite Edwardian wedding dress, all delicate lace and seed pearls and yellowed silk. "It was originally worn by Daniel and Richard's grandmother Victoria. I'm saving it for my daughter Hope, but I know Daniel would be pleased if you would wear it."
For a fleeting moment Lani wanted to refuse. She had already accepted a ring owned by the frosty Victoria—must she wear her wedding gown too? But then she decided to lay the past to rest. "I'd be honored, Marilyn. It's beautiful," she said.
Before the evening was out, Tommy and Hope returned from a friend's house to offer their congratulations and help. "I had a feeling you'd wind up married to him," Tommy joked. "But I understand, if you couldn't have me, you decided to settle for second best."
Although Marilyn was handling most of the wedding details, there was still a great deal for Lani to do, and it filled her evenings. There were fittings for the antique gown, a shopping expedition with Michi to select a bridesmaid's dress, and decisions about food, flowers, photographs, the wording of the ceremony, and physical arrangements for the wedding.
Daniel phoned twice, but because of the six-hour time difference from New York Lani missed both calls. He left the same message with Linda each time: "Tell Lani I miss her."
Late Friday morning she took the prince and princess to the airport, breathing a grateful sigh of relief. She finally had a few hours of free time, and decided to reward herself with a relaxing afternoon spent sunning and swimming at the hotel pool. It took ages to unwind, but finally Lani was able to doze off in her lounge chair.
She was awakened by some sixth sense that told her someone was standing and staring down at her. Her eyes flickered open—and looked up at the last person in the world she wanted to see.
"Well, well. Fancy running into you here," Elizabeth Thomas said, her tone making it clear that the meeting was no accident at all. "I have to congratulate you, darling. For a little mainland nobody, you certainly have hooked yourself a big fish."
"I didn't hook him, Elizabeth," Lani answered coldly. "He happens to love me." Silently she told herself that the snobbish Miss Thomas took after all the wrong people in her family.
"Does he? I doubt it. Everyone's talking about how he carried you half naked out of Rob Bradley's house. And in Rob's robe, no less. It doesn't take much imagination to figure out what happened next, does it darling?" She paused, then said maliciously, "How clever of you to trap him that way. Daniel would decide to do the honorable thing and marry you. He never could tolerate gossip."
Lani was shocked to learn that
the incident appeared to be common knowledge, but told herself that Elizabeth must be putting a unique interpretation on it. "I nearly drowned," she retorted. "I was chilled, so Daniel got me the robe. As for honor, if that was Daniel's motive, he would have married you seven years ago, wouldn't he?"
Elizabeth turned on her heel and stormed off, her nose in the air. Earlier in the week, Mrs. Thomas had conveyed the family's regrets—they were leaving for a vacation on Sunday. Lani had been grateful at the time, and now she was doubly so.
Although Lani was proud of the way she had dispatched Elizabeth, the vicious tirade put doubts into her mind. She had only Michi's assurances that Daniel loved her, and that wasn't the same thing as hearing "I love you" from Daniel himself. Her common sense told her that Elizabeth blamed her for her own failed romance with Daniel and was simply lashing out to hurt her or even stop the wedding, and yet her accusation made a certain sense. Daniel could be marrying her to protect her reputation, and the only way she would learn the truth was to ask him. She nervously awaited his return on Sunday, vowing that as soon as they were alone she would tell him she loved him and hope to hear the same declaration from him. Only then would she feel confident about their marriage.
But Daniel didn't return on Sunday. He called that afternoon to say that he had been forced to include a stopover in California, but would be home on Monday, well before the two o'clock ceremony. His voice was tender, concluding with a husky, "I miss you, princess," but he spoke no words of love and neither did Lani. She wanted to tell him in person.
Early the next morning there was a second phone call. "The plane has engine trouble, Lani, but they're trying to fix it. They may bring in another plane. I'll be home as soon as I can, on another flight if necessary." This time his tone was clipped and angry, so that Lani felt obliged to comfort him, teasingly reminding him that they couldn't very well start without him so they would just have to wait until he appeared.
The Prescotts arrived at one o'clock, Michi and Rob Bradley coming shortly thereafter. Lani told them about the latest delay, and Richard immediately called the airline. The plane had taken off an hour behind schedule, developed engine trouble, and turned back to Los Angeles. It was now due in at 1:40. Tommy went off to the airport with Daniel's wedding attire so that he could change while they waited for the luggage to come through.
Elizabeth's poison was never far from Lani's thoughts, and she would have been a nervous bride even without such last-minute problems. By two o'clock she was stalking around her room in her wedding gown, unable to sit down for fear of creasing it. How could she marry a man who might not love her? But then, with so many people downstairs, how could she do anything else? She refused Michi's offer of brandy because she hadn't been able to eat so much as a piece of toast all day, and knew the liquor was more likely to make her sick than calm her down.
Tommy's car pulled into the driveway at 2:30, and moments later Lani heard music from the piano—her cue that the ceremony was about to begin. "It's all right, darling," Michi told her. "You'll feel better once it's over with."
Lani had asked Richard Prescott to give her away. He met her at the foot of the stairs, taking her firmly by the arm and leading her to the far end of the living room where Daniel, Robert Bradley and the minister stood waiting. By now, she was dizzy from hunger and apprehension, so that the ceremony passed in a haze. Somehow she made the right responses, Daniel's arm around her waist providing the necessary physical support. Afterward, he kissed her lightly on the mouth, and Michi was right. She did feel a little better, because his smile had been so tender.
The buffet lunch was served outside in the garden. With Daniel by her side, Lani was able to eat something, smile, and enjoy the reception. Everyone told her that she looked the picture of a radiant bride.
Eventually, Daniel drew her aside and told her to go upstairs and change, they had an inter-island flight to catch, to Kona on the Big Island. It was nearly seven when they arrived at the hotel, and Lani longed to be alone with Daniel in their suite. Airplanes and public dining halls were not the proper places for a declaration of love, but Daniel had eaten almost nothing at the reception and wanted to have dinner immediately.
Their conversation was a continuation of what they had discussed on the plane: Daniel's business trip to New York and Lani's week at home. It was a strangely impersonal discussion for a newly married couple, and Daniel's offhand manner only served to make her more nervous and unresponsive. They had known each other for fourteen years, she thought in panic, and yet they were treating each other like strangers. She couldn't wait to get out of the dining room.
She barely touched her food. After dinner, Daniel asked her if she wanted to go dancing. "One of the hotels down the road has a good band," he explained.
Lani's tautened nerves snapped violently. "Couldn't we just go upstairs and get it over with?" she blurted out miserably. Daniel's eyes turned steel-cold, his mouth neutral. "I didn't mean…"
"It's all right," he said. "I understand how you feel."
When they reached the two-room suite, Daniel opened the door to the sitting room and walked through, then turned around. "Come get me when you're ready. I'll change in here." He all but slammed the door behind him.
You're really making a mess of things, Lani told herself unhappily. She slowly walked to her suitcase and opened it up, her eyebrows lowering in puzzlement when she spotted the box inside. She opened it; a sheer white nightgown was nestled in the tissue paper, a diamond and ruby necklace on top of it. The card inside read, "To my dearest wife, Lani."
It wasn't "I love you," Lani thought with a smile, but. Daniel had obviously been thinking of her in New York, and that was encouraging. She held up the gown. It was an exquisitely sensual piece of froth, with lace over the breasts, criss-crossing in back but otherwise bare to the waist. The least she could do, Lani decided, was give Daniel a little encouragement of her own, no matter how edgy she felt.
She washed off her make-up, changed into the gown, turned out the lights and pulled back the covers of the bed. Then she opened the door and stepped into the sitting room.
Daniel was standing by the open sliding glass door to the balcony, dressed in a short terry robe, watching the sun set over the ocean. He didn't turn until Lani called out in a soft voice, "Thank you for the presents, Daniel. They're beautiful."
Then he swung around, the coldness in his eyes quickly replaced by a passionate, possessive look as his gaze traveled down her body. "Hele mai," he said huskily. "Come here."
Lani complied, adoring the fact that he had addressed her in Hawaiian. She found it blissfully romantic. Daniel stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders, and murmured into her ear, "It's a beautiful spot, isn't it?"
It was. Black lava from some long-past eruption had flowed down into the sea, creating swirls of rock which now provided a home for tiny reef fish. Their balcony hung out over these crystal tidal pools; to the left was a black sand beach, and to the right a small garden. The sun was low on the horizon, casting a shimmering orange trail onto the water. Daniel ran his hands lightly down Lani's arms, then up again to her shoulders, and she realized in amazement that he was trembling—just as she was.
Their mutual silence only added to the tension. Daniel was making no move to make love to her, and she sought to cover her nervousness with light teasing. "What's the matter, Daniel? Afraid of losing your innocence?"
He turned her in his arms, his eyes soft yet intense. "No," he said hoarsely. "Nervous about taking yours. Afraid of hurting you." He paused. "And heaven only knows, after last week, you have reason to be afraid. I'll be as gentle as I know how to be, but for a woman… the first time… sometimes it's painful. No matter how careful the man is."
Lani twined her arms around his neck, her eyes misty from this sweet confession. "Oh, Daniel," she whispered. "Aloha au ia oe." The words meant, I love you, and he needed no further encouragement, picking her up in his arms and carrying her to the bed. Lani felt a stab of disapp
ointment when he failed to repeat the phrase back to her, but within minutes it seemed supremely unimportant. He aroused her with a tender expertise, stroking her body as if it were precious to him, kissing her with a controlled passion so intensely sweet she felt he could only be telling her he loved her with actions rather than words.
And she responded without hesitation, her body flowing against his like the molten lava that had once burned its way down from the mountains, her hands reveling in their right to explore his muscled hardness. She soon ached for more intimate contact and Daniel quickly sensed it, removing her nightgown and his own robe, murmuring, "You're so beautiful, Lani…" and then covering her body with his own.
Pain gave way to mounting excitement. Lani's total universe consisted of Daniel… his body taking hers, his hands caressing her skin, his mouth demanding a total submissiveness that she briefly withheld, then yielded. And when she was utterly pliant, a prisoner of what he was making her feel, he suddenly withdrew.
Lani clutched at him in confusion. Her protest was cut off with a kiss, his mouth rougher now, his hands holding her face and one leg pinning her body, refusing to let her get close to him. She ached for his touch—to be possessed by his body—and when at last Daniel complied, he excited her even more wildly than he had the first time. She moaned, a hoarse, unbidden sound deep in her throat, and wanted to scream with frustration when he left her again.
"Daniel…"
"Shhh. It's all right," he whispered, mercilessly teasing her mouth, thwarting her attempt to come back into his arms.
Lani had never felt so totally helpless in her life… like a marionette, with Daniel pulling the strings. This ruthless domination seemed to have nothing to do with love, but he had aroused her so completely that she had no choice but to lie quiescent and let him do whatever he wished with her. When he again covered her body with his own and renewed his tantalizing conquest of her senses, she heard herself make the same moaning sounds as before, only now she couldn't stop.
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