Nyree pushed aside the instant turmoil that occurred as she imagined Tawera with another woman.Slippery slope.“You must miss them.Manu should’ve replied to my email by now.I’ll check after we eat.I’d better get those vegetables before Keith delivers them in person, and you need to hide.”
There, that was better.She hadn’t offered a hint of the jealous shrew.
Once Nyree returned, her inner chaos almost had her grabbing Tawera for a repeat of earlier.It was his delicious scent.It did things to her.“I need a shower,” she muttered and strode to the bathroom without looking back.
The moonlust… For the first time since the sex with Tawera had happened, Nyree allowed herself to pull up memories.Awe-inspiring and so unlike her interactions with Ari.The bedroom problems she and Ari had suffered hadn’t been her fault.
She wasn’t a terrible lover.
At least, Tawera hadn’t complained.
And she had to stop thinking about sex with Ari or with Tawera.She yanked at the shower tap and jumped under the stream of water before it warmed.Four minutes later, she was out and drying herself.She dressed rapidly and walked out to join Tawera, her armor firmly in place.
When she powered up her tablet, Tawera turned to her with eagerness.
“Can I push the buttons to make the letters come through?”
“Emails,” she said as she shunted the tablet across the table.
His forehead scrunched into concentration lines as he tapped in her password and the correct apps to pull through her email.He looked so cute, despite the tattoos that made most people take two steps backward to avoid contact with him.He was a good man, a kind one, yet a fierce warrior lurked beneath his skin.
“You have new letters,” he said.“Emails.”
“Who are they from?”At first, he’d stumbled over words, but he was a fast learner.
“You have one from Manu, your cousin.”
“Do you remember how to open the email?”
“Yes.”Eagerness flashed in him, making her want to laugh.
“Open it for me and read it aloud while I start dinner preparations.”
He frowned.“Is it not private?”
“I wrote to Manu for answers.They are to help both of us.”
Tawera nodded.“Dear Nyree,” he began.“The contents of your email came as a tremendous surprise.I confided with Hone and his father, and they started an investigation.Your new friend came from a part of the world where the local missionaries kept excellent records, which has helped us considerably.Tawera’s sudden disappearance caused consternation amongst his tribe and the local missionaries, and one minister wrote about him in his diary.He disappeared on the eve of his wedding to a woman called Aroha, and the last person to see him was his half-brother, Rawiri.”
Tawera paused, his low growl filling the lounge.“Because he tricked me and trapped me inside the rock.”
“I know.”Nyree patted his shoulder.“At least you’re out now that we’ve broken the curse, and you can start living.What else does he say?”
“Rawiri told everyone he’d completed the tattoo for Tawera, and they’d parted.Tawera had gone to meet with friends while Rawiri said he’d strolled to the waterfront to see the new sailing ship that had arrived in port.”Tawera lifted his head to glance at her, anger digging into his features and hardening his jaw.“He spoke the truth.He walked to the port, but he took me with him and sold me to a sailor who worked on that ship.”
“What else does Manu say?”
“The locals continued their search for several months.Tawera’s disappearance was a mystery that shocked everyone because of his popularity.Eventually, Rawiri married Aroha, and they had three sons.”
Tawera released a grunt.“Your friend says he hasn’t had time to trace the family tree.Rawiri died in a drowning accident when awakaoverturned.Aroha lived with her youngest son and his wife until her death at ninety-two.”
“She married your brother.That’s terrible,” Nyree said.“Even though hundreds of years have passed, it must seem like yesterday to you.”
“I still can’t believe Rawiri did this,” Tawera muttered.
“He was jealous of you and coveted what you had.”
“Rawiri asked Aroha’s father if he could court her but later assured me he was fine when he learned Aroha and I were close and had been for some time.”
