Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1) (6 page)

She plucked the card from him as though careful to ensure her fingers didn’t graze his. Her brow arched in question. “It’s blank.”

He flashed her a smile. “If that’s what you think, I have more to teach you than I thought.”

He left her to ponder his words. His card wasn’t blank, but he couldn’t make someone see a truth they didn’t want to. He’d hoped his efforts tonight would help earn her trust…for when he asked for the bigger leaps of faith.

If Lucy found herself in denial about the writing on his card, it’d be a hell of a long ride getting her to accept her Rabbit.

And his Tiger.

***

Lucy poured a cup of coffee, stirring in milk and sugar. Although the alarm beside her bed had gone off at seven, she’d slapped the snooze button a few times. The clock now read eleven. She covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a yawn, then chugged her coffee. The cold shower she’d just taken hadn’t woke her up. Hopefully, the double shot of espresso in her latte would.

Even though she’d read the best way to combat jet lag was to adapt as quickly as possible to the new time zone, she’d never experienced this heaviness in her limbs. Add in the bizarre events of yesterday, and her body simply called it quits.

Lucy plopped onto a chair at the table facing the terrace, Sheng’s business card twisted in her fingers. She’d stared at it for an hour last night before falling asleep.

This morning, she’d stuck the card under a light bulb in case he’d written in lemon juice. Alas, no, the card was still blank.

Tapping the edge on the table, she stared into the maze of jungle. Was he outside, meditating like before? Part of her considered venturing onto the terrace to check, but she’d promised her uncle she’d join him for lunch today. He’d be coming down soon to meet her.

Before arriving in Malaysia, she’d planned on inquiring about a position at his school—new job, new life, new world.

Her shoulders hunched and she slumped forward, face buried in her arms. That was what her dad wanted for her, right? The whole reason behind her coming here? Or so she’d believed, until she’d dug further into his correspondence with her uncle. Most of it made no sense. They’d argued about something they’d called the dragon, which she interpreted as a code word for a business project.

Worse were the warnings in her uncle’s earlier letters. He’d claimed something bad was going to happen and her father should relocate his family to Malaysia.

How in the hell had her uncle known the Red Death would overturn the world five years later? A hunch, or maybe a fortune teller’s prediction that had unfortunately been proven true?

Her life in California was over. She had a new one, here. If nothing else, at least she was with family.

Her gaze flicked to the fifty-inch flat screen television, but she didn’t have the guts to switch it on. The last time she’d watched television, she’d gaped in horror at the escalating death tolls. Whenever she closed her eyes, her mind still burned with the picture of a world map. Like a weather satellite image indicating a hurricane, the colored sections displayed the spread of the virus. North America, South America, then across to Europe, and down to Africa. The authorities had estimated the Red Death wiped out as much as a third of the population in each major city it hit.

She didn’t want to imagine what the news today would show. Instead, she tilted her head toward the kitchen window where the buzz of traffic indicated a city continuing to thrive, untouched by the Red Death. Life droned on as normal as ever.

Did she pursue normalcy, too?

After last night, she wasn’t so sure teaching would fulfill the compulsion for purpose eating away at her.

Smuggling vaccines had.

A knock at her door invaded her musings. She hopped out of her seat and padded to greet her visitor.

“
Shūshu
.” She smiled as she swung the door open.

“Lucy. I trust you slept well? Do you have everything you require?”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.” She dipped her head, her gaze darting to Sheng’s door. Was he home? Was he listening?

“Are you ready,
sayang
?”

She forced a smile at her uncle’s continued use of the term of endearment. “I’ll grab my purse.” After snatching it up, she accepted her uncle’s arm and strolled with him to the elevators.

They took a private car to an elegant restaurant serving
Nonya
cuisine—a blend of Chinese and traditional Malay. During the ride, she noted the driver was
not
Sheng.

Which left bodyguard or stalker.

Once inside, the waiter led them to a table in the back. Appraising the elegant dark hardwood and silk décor, she brushed her fingers through her hair and smoothed down the pink lace dress she wore, grateful she’d dressed accordingly and thankful her uncle had stuffed her closet full of designer clothes.

He ordered for them. After the waitress deposited their food in the middle of the table for sharing, Lucy bent forward, allowing the savory steam to waft over her. Aromatic curry spices complemented the herbal tones, making her mouth water. It’d been a long time since she’d eaten anything ethnic. The rations she’d subsisted on for the past year had been bland, tasteless portions meant more for survival than enjoyment.

She smiled at her uncle and spoke the customary words for him, as her elder, to eat first. “
Shūshu, chī fàn.
”

“Ah, so your father taught you our traditions.” The corners of his eyes crinkled in approval as he piled food onto his plate.

“Some.” She shrugged, not wanting to delve into how westernized her dad had really been.

After adding some rice and chicken curry to her plate, she searched for an appropriate topic of conversation. It was too soon to jump into asking for a job, and bringing up her dad made her chest ache. They ate in silence for a few minutes before her mouth settled on a topic without first consulting her brain.

“Ah, I met my neighbor.” Sheng’s warning about divulging the events of last night to her uncle rang through her mind. She tensed as she studied him for any hint of a reaction.

Xiaodan cleared his throat, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “Li Sheng is a good man, but I suggest you stay away from him,
sayang
.”

She dropped her spoon onto her plate. Why would her uncle tell her to steer clear of a good man? She opened her mouth to ask, but his brows shot up as he focused on something behind her.

Or rather…some
one
.

Her body fired in awareness. She didn’t need to turn to detect whose steps prowled toward her.

“
Nĭ hăo
,
Xiānshēng
Yeoh.” Without waiting for a response to his formal greeting or for her uncle to invite him, Sheng slipped into the chair beside hers.

His pale-blue dress shirt hung open at the neck and the sleeves were rolled to his elbows, revealing those sculpted muscles she’d ogled yesterday. The soft color contrasted with his bronzed skin, and the longest pieces of his jet-black hair curled around his collar.

“
Nĭ hăo
, Lucy.”

He didn’t glance at her and he didn’t have to. Her entire body responded to his murmured greeting as though he’d claimed her in a passionate embrace.

Returning her attention to her half-empty plate, she mumbled a soft greeting.

He shifted in his seat, causing his leg to press against hers in a possessive gesture beneath the table. His heat permeated her body, firing upward from the contact and settling into her core.

He carried on a conversation with her uncle, but she was too distracted to decipher the Mandarin words. Sheng dropped his hand and the haze amplified. His fingers glided across her thigh before tightening in a dominating squeeze. A second later, his grip eased, fingertips resting along the lacy hem of her dress, mid-thigh. The skin where they made contact above the fabric blazed; below shivered in anticipation. His fingers skimmed beneath the hem, stroking her inner thigh.

She gripped her spoon like a lifeline. He honestly wasn’t going there, was he? Getting her off in front of her uncle?

Except his fingers didn’t climb higher. He just kept stroking, caressing with possessive intent. Like he aimed to unnerve her.

Success.

Her uncle had asked her a question. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to come up with a noncommittal response. Sheng twisted toward her, a wicked glint in his eyes. Oh, yeah. This was payback for the way she’d fondled his abs on the bike yesterday.

“I…ah.” Damn, her voice came out breathy. Xiaodan wouldn’t guess what Sheng was up to under the table, would he?

“I’d be happy to show Lucy around the island today.” Sheng grinned, one brow cocked in victory.

She bristled at his arrogance and answered her uncle. “No, really. I’m fine on my own. I wouldn’t want to cause Sheng any inconvenience.”

“Ah, yes, indeed,” her uncle agreed, bobbing his head.

“No worries.” The pads of Sheng’s fingers inched higher. “It would be my
pleasure
.”

She held her breath as his mouth purred the word. The power play between her uncle and Sheng left her mystified, and where she fit in remained the greatest perplexity.

Xiaodan didn’t care for her to be involved with Sheng, and the alpha male beside her seemed intent on doing just that.

His fingers continued to stroke her skin as though his simple touch would coax her compliance. What arrogance.

She hopped to her feet, effectively jerking his hand from her thigh. “Thank you for the offer.” She let the curtness in her tone seep through. “But I’m a little tired. I’ll stay in today.” Strolling around Sheng to embrace her uncle, she ignored the pounding of her heart. “
Shūshu
, thank you for lunch.” Refusing Sheng’s request set her nerves on edge, but shooting him down had been a necessary move.

“Of course,
sayang
. I have business to attend to in the city, but my car will take you home.”

She kissed his cheek and spun toward the restaurant’s front doors.

Sheng whipped out his hand and clasped her arm, rising next to her as she passed him. “Allow me to escort you, then.”

She cast off his hand. “I’m fine on my own, thank you. If I require your assistance, I have your card.” After tilting her chin at him in dismissal, she headed for the door.

***

Sheng stared at those curvy hips swaying back and forth, the tight pink lace hugging everywhere his hands yearned to be.

Damn, she got under his skin. Bad. He ought to let her walk away.

Yet that would be letting her win.

He cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders. This match wasn’t over, because he hadn’t yet won. Rabbit might be enjoying this dance, but the spirit would submit. They always did. Tiger was stronger. His
Kongsi
knew it. Lucy
must
sense it.

Just a matter of time.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t run out of that commodity.

Tiger leapt out at Xiaodan, taking pleasure in his squirming. “Tell your driver to wait.”

Withdrawing his phone from his jacket pocket, Xiaodan complied.

Sheng pounced on him the second Lucy’s uncle finished texting. “A Dragon, eh? Who do you think you’re fucking with?”

The old man’s eyes widened in genuine shock. “What do you mean?”

Sheng clenched his jaw, grating, “Lucy doesn’t carry the Dragon. She’s the damn
Rabbit
.”

Xiaodan’s mouth opened and closed like a fish thrown out of water. The prick fingered the collar of his starched shirt while he sputtered, “I assumed, well…that is, I believed—”

“Yeah, save it.” He leaned forward and glared, permitting Tiger’s glinting eyes to peek through. “For the Council.” He cast Xiaodan a sneer before striding to the exit. Aside from Sheng’s disappointment, this dumbass’s blunder was the Council’s problem, not his.

Outside, he waved at the driver of Lucy’s car to unlock the doors, opened the back door opposite hers, and plopped down beside her.

“What are you doing?” Her immediate accusation didn’t mask the bright flush of pink tingeing her cheeks.

He lifted a shoulder. “We live in the same building. I’m hitching a ride.”

“Shouldn’t you be in the driver’s seat, then?” One elegant brow slanted at him as if in assessment. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be? A job, perhaps?”

“I’m working right now.” He leaned back and smirked.

“Really? What line of work are you in besides smuggling? Stalking newcomers?” Her sarcastic tone made the chase that much sweeter. Tiger paced to the edge of Sheng’s control.

“Nah.” He winked. “Just you.”

She frowned. “Did my uncle hire you as my bodyguard?

“Your uncle might not like it, but he doesn’t have a choice. You’re mine, Lucy.”

Her eyelids fluttered. “I’m not—”

He pressed a finger to those soft lips, cutting her off. “Think this is his car? His condominium? He wouldn’t have anything if not for me, for our
Kongsi
. Mostly, if not for you.” Gently, he lifted his finger from her lips, fighting the urge to lick off her taste.

“I don’t understand.”

He shifted forward, opened the partition, and gave the driver new directions. After sliding the partition shut, he reclined and studied Lucy. She had no idea of the world she’d stepped into. Of her role in it.

“Are you going to elaborate or just leave me hanging?”

“You’ll see soon enough.” He smiled at the scowl on her face. “Patience,
xiǎo tùzi guāi guāi
.”

She glared at him, clearly interpreting his reference to the nursery rhyme “Well-behaved Little Rabbit.” Crossing her arms, she faced the window, giving him a fine view of her bare back.

Lace was the worst possible fabric she could have chosen. Tiger urged him to seize the delicate threadwork between his teeth and tear it to pieces. Sheng smothered the urge with a cough into his fist and regarded the view from his window instead.

Within a few minutes, they arrived at the Hai San
Kongsi
. In the reflection of Lucy’s window, her lips parted as she peered at the carved out mountainside.

Kek Lok Si had once been a Buddhist temple, bursting with commercial shops and tourists. Two decades ago, the Hai San had set up residency here—pouring half a billion dollars into restorations and improvements—and now the temple housed their private association. Over a century and a half old, the plethora of temple structures rose out of the mountainside, combining every style of pagoda from Chinese to Thai to Burmese.