Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1) (29 page)

“Nah, we’ll just hang.”

“Okay, but…are you sure?”

Tiger chuffed into the phone and Sheng hung up, wishing it had been Ox who’d answered. Kassian would never coddle him. At least his family knew he and Lucy were safe and that was what mattered.

His body tensed as he pictured her sleeping in his bed. What was she dreaming about? Could he top her fantasies?

He’d soon find out.

***

Dad? Lucy searched the mists for the retreating figure calling her name.
I’m right here,
she cried, but her voice was soundless.

She broke into a sprint and caught up with him. He spun as she placed her hand on his arm.

His warm brown gaze caressed her with love. She choked back a sob, hot tears slipping down her cheeks.

“Don’t cry, my little Rabbit.” He brushed aside her tears and cupped her face. “I can’t let her die alone. I wouldn’t have passed this burden onto you, Luce, but I can’t carry it anymore. You must find the one who can.” He bent forward and a warm vapor hissed out of his mouth, enveloping her…

Lucy bolted upright, chest heaving. The sheet clutched in her white-knuckled fists, she surveyed the bright room. Sunlight streamed in through the window on her left. Sweat plastered her hair and her thin clothing to her skin, but she shivered.

The dream seemed so real. Her dad had looked and sounded exactly as she remembered him.

Shrugging out of bed, she padded into the adjoining bathroom and rinsed away the remainder of her tremors in the rainfall shower. People often dreamed of loved ones they’d lost, right? Yet, this felt different, as though whatever her dad had asked her to do, she hadn’t done it yet.

An uneasy incompleteness churned her gut. Had her dad given her the Dragon? Was he a Spirit Thief? Was she one, too? Why hadn’t he told her…about any of this? What he was, what she was, what he expected her to do with the Dragon…

Sighing, she stepped out of the shower and combed her hair.

The feminine products in Sheng’s bathroom should have concerned her, except she recognized the body wash as the same one Mei used in the women’s showers at Kek Lok Si. She’d bet the brush was hers too. As well as the clothes draped over the dresser, waiting for Lucy to put them on.

Sheng. He’d thought of everything, hadn’t he? Taking care of her, offering a tenderness and compassion she hadn’t received in so long. With him, she was no longer alone in the world.

She’d lost her family, but gained a new one. Because that’s what she was to Sheng, Kassian, Fang, and Mei. Family. Warmth bloomed in her heart and eased the pain of grief. Her parents might not be with her, but they were together and that was what counted.

As she strolled out of the bathroom, a cool breeze of resolve drifted over her. Whatever came next, she was ready.

Stepping to the window, she peered outside. From her vantage point in the trees, the turquoise ocean stretched for miles until it faded into the horizon. An even more beautiful sight greeted her as she dropped her survey to the terrace below.

Sheng occupied the stone-tiled square terrace, performing his
qìgōng
physical meditation.

In. The. Nude.

Every honed, masculine muscle flexed to perfection as he moved with effortless grace, sweeping his arm across his body, dipping his head, or raising his leg to extend it in front of him. Each movement so focused, so intense. At first the poses looked simple, until she noticed the sheen of sweat glistening off his body. The complicated actions required immense strength and concentration.

Amazing how Sheng who bristled with energy also commanded it so well, stilling his body to the extreme.

The tattoo of the Tiger gracing his back shifted as he switched positions, making it appear alive. She nibbled her lip and gawked at him. He was gorgeous. A piece of living, breathing art. Lethal. Graceful.
Dangerous as hell
still applied, for sure, but she no longer experienced even an ounce of trepidation in his presence. He wielded his strength to protect her.

She smiled down at him, enjoying the play of the dawn’s rays across his bronzed flesh. His back was turned to her, but that didn’t make the view any less tantalizing. The man owned his sexy, wide shoulders, which gave way to a broad expanse of muscle, tapering to his waist.
Oh my
. The journey of her perusal titillated her further from there. The rounded, firm muscles of his ass were exquisite, and those long thick thighs screamed their power.

She licked her lips, recalling how good he’d tasted. Her thighs squeezed together as pulses of longing shot through her core.

She desired him. Badly.

Now that he had her here, on this secluded island, the question was…

Did he crave her just as much?

Chapter 23

Sheng lifted his head, his concentration broken as he detected the presence of another. Watching. Waiting.

Wanting.

Fuck, yeah. Lucy was awake. Not a coincidence he meditated where she could see him. The grin tugging at his lips faded. He didn’t care for the way the Matchmaker’s final words to him echoed in his mind.

Oh, and Li? Don’t touch Lucy
again
until we figure this out.

Her words confirmed she’d put two and two together about how the Dragon had been unleashed, but screw her command. The Matchmaker didn’t know a damn thing—certainly not the feelings he had for Lucy.

Lucy wasn’t like any other woman he’d been with and well he knew it. Once he joined his body with hers, there wouldn’t be any going back. No one else for him.

His emotions went beyond the labels of love and lust. To claim such would be like saying he’d fallen in love. How could he fall, when he’d always been there, at the bottom of that pit, waiting to catch her? No beginning and no end. Maybe they’d been lovers in a past life because it sure as hell felt that way to him. Like they’d always been together.

Damn, but the Matchmaker sucked at her profession. She hadn’t picked up on this attachment, this devotion he carried for Lucy.

He cocked his head at the breathy intake emanating from the window above. Now that he’d put on a show, seducing her mind with his version of foreplay, it was time for his turn.

He finished the last pose, extended his arm in front of him, and bowed his head. Swiping the towel from the lawn chair to his right, he made his way along the path. He didn’t pass Lucy and his room was empty when he arrived. Shrugging off her absenteeism, he showered and wrapped the towel around his hips.

Hiding, was she?

Good, because Tiger loved to hunt.

He stalked the halls, poking his head into each cabin, sniffing the air for any trace of her delicate floral scent. After the first few huts proved empty, he headed to the main cottage. Yep, her scent was stronger here, making his mouth water and his cock harden. He caught a flash of light-brown hair vanishing into the kitchen and followed her soft scuffling.

Caught you.
She peered inside the open refrigerator and her ass wriggled in the air as she hummed. Approaching her from behind, he squeezed her plush flesh. Her feminine gasp tightened his bollocks. She whirled around, straight into his arms. He wasted no time in slanting his mouth over hers, swallowing her surprise.

“Lucy,” he murmured against her lips, his senses soaking in everything about her. The clean scent of her skin, the cling of her damp hair, the silk of the dress she wore. Every inch of her sang through his blood, a luscious indulgence.

She kissed him back, moaning into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her nails scraping his scalp. He drew her in, hands roaming over her dress, slipping the ties loose.

Dark lashes fanned across her cheeks, her face angled to the floor as he peeled open her dress, stripping her. A low growl rumbled within his chest. She didn’t wear any undergarments. The rosy peaks of her breasts puckered before him. She pressed her legs together, concealing the “v” between her thighs.

“No. Don’t hide from me.” He lifted her chin and forced her gaze to his. “You are beautiful. And mine.” He slid the dress from her shoulders and yanked off his towel, letting his raging hard-on speak for itself. “See how much I crave you? How badly I’ve always wanted you? Don’t be shy with me, baby.”

Her lips parted on a puff of air and her eyes dilated, darkening with lust. Gliding her hands from his shoulders, she skimmed her fingertips down his abs to claim a firm grip on his cock. She wrung her hands along his length and reached around with one hand to grab his ass, digging her nails into the muscle.

He groaned, rocking his hips and driving himself into her hand. “Fuck yeah, Lucy. Just like before.”

A blush rushed into her cheeks. “I, we, don’t have any—”

He pressed his finger to her lips. “Don’t need any. I’ve never had sex with anyone without a condom.”

“I might get—”

“Not fucking likely.” He smirked at the pinching of her brows. “I never ejaculate.”

Her frown deepened. “That doesn’t mean—”

“Trust me, sweetheart, I don’t release anything. Not a drop, unless I permit it.”

“Before, though—”

He chuckled at her endless spring of questions. “Nope. You made me come, all right, so fucking hard. But I don’t release any
jīng
energy, any cum, that easily. Not for anyone. Not even you, Lucy.” The image of him getting off in the infirmary sprang into his mind. Okay, that was a one-time lapse. After learning how strongly his body responded to Lucy, he’d latched on to his control to ensure he wouldn’t be caught off guard twice.

“Oh.” Her wide eyes declared she didn’t buy it, but she would soon. The practice of having an orgasm without ejaculating enabled him to climax multiple times. However, he’d make damn sure once he was done making love to her and they tallied up the orgasms, she’d come out on top.

He sank to his knees, parted her thighs, and licked away the last of her protests with teasing flicks across her clit. After a few seductive strokes, she came—hard and fast—against his tongue. He pressed another claiming kiss to her pussy then pushed up from his thighs to tower over her once more.

“I’m going to fuck you so hard, Lucy, until you scream my name.” He swept her into his arms and carried her to the living room. His hut was too far away. Besides, they were alone. He laid her on the sofa and stretched his body atop hers. First, he kissed her good and thoroughly, making love to her with his mouth, thrusting his tongue into her velvety softness and grazing her lips with his teeth.

She clutched at his shoulder, moaning into his kisses. “Sheng, I want you.”

He’d be happy to kiss her for a few hours, but this little vixen was a demanding one. Sliding his hand between them, he groaned at how wet she was. Fuck yeah, she was ready. Every muscle in his body clenched, anticipation and arousal shooting through him. Sheng had told her the truth. He’d never had unprotected sex, and that his first time would be with Lucy made it that much more intense.

Special.

He shifted to lie on his side behind her, angling her body half onto her back, half onto her right side so she lay partially turned away from him. Lifting her left leg, he hooked it back around his hip, exposing her sex. His cock was thick and rigid, eager to penetrate her. He gritted his teeth as the impatience spread through his veins, shooting into a nigh unbearable yearning. He’d never desired any woman more.

Her rapid heartbeat thrummed in his ears. Teasing her nipple with his teeth, he elicited another moan from her lips. Lifting his head, he claimed her mouth once before gazing into her eyes. He didn’t speak, because there weren’t words for this moment. In his eyes, he hoped she saw the passion raging through him.

Fisting his cock, he poised it at her entrance and eased forward. He pushed past the tightness constricting the head of his shaft and guided himself deeper. It was so fucking good to be inside a woman—
her
—without the abrasive rub of latex. Her softness, her wetness, lured him in.

She let out airy moans as he delved forward, retreating a little each time her pussy pulsed around him.

“Easy,” he murmured against her ear, coaxing her to relax and welcome him. With his cock partially inside her, his hand was free to massage her clit and stroke he did, until her inner muscles released their tension. Her earlier orgasm helped with the stretching, but her sweet sex gripped him like a glove.

“Greedy little pussy.” He nipped her ear, inching forward. “More?”

“Y-e-s…”

His cock ached to be buried in her welcoming softness, but he refused to end this moment. Lucy meant so much more to him than sex. She meant…everything to him. His pulse quickened at the conclusion, but there it was.

Falling for her broke every one of the Matchmaker’s rules.

But, hell, he was good with that.

***

Lucy trembled with a need so fierce, she feared she might shatter. Right here, in Sheng’s arms, while he plundered her body with a masterful yet tender expertise.

His lips nipped her skin, sending a trail of delightful shivers along her neck and collarbone. His free hand roamed her curves, gripping her hip and then cupping her breasts. His thumb rolled her nipple and elicited more of her wanton cries.