Chapter Twenty-Two

Zhi Hao's mind came back to him slowly. His body was sated, but the scent and feel of Ling Xin beside him roused him better than strong tea. He had rolled off her and gathered her against him, but already her heat was making his dragon swell.

So sweet.

And she was his.

"I cannot believe you are here," he whispered.

"I cannot believe people don't do that every second of every day."

He grinned, his pride swelling along with his dragon. "I shall try to keep you satisfied."

"And I shall serve you and your children forever."

He smiled. Were those their wedding vows? It felt like it. But there were details to figure out before they could have the ceremony for real. And an exam to pass as well.

"First, tell me how do you feel? That was your first time. Are you hurt?"

She blinked as she adjusted to face him directly. "I feel wonderful." Then she began to move against him, pulsing with her hips while his dragon roared in his mind.

"Wait!" he gasped. "We must talk. Why did you decide to give up your chance at being empress for me?"

"There was no assurance that I would be selected," she said as she propped herself up on one elbow. "But even if I was, that is not the life I want."

He couldn't believe it.

"Still, it is a lot to give up," he said.

She idly traced his chest, teasing his body until his dragon was bobbing with desire.

"I have heard my father speak of the emperor many times. He says that the man is a spoiled child who hasn't learned how to rule effectively. Worse, he has never been taught to listen."

Ling Xin pressed a finger to her lips, warning him not to repeat her words.

"He would not have said that out loud."

"He did. But only at home, and only when he was livid after some decision that made everyone's life difficult." She shrugged, causing her breasts to bob and his gaze to shift. "But the bigger problem, according to my father, is the emperor's lack of decisiveness. The bureaucracy at court is stifling."

Zhi Hao leaned forward to press kisses to her forehead. "I have heard that is true," he said against her skin.

"So why would I want to live in that place? Why would I want to marry a foolish boy who never listens?"

"But that is the court side of the Forbidden City. The private side will be—"

"Different?" She scoffed. "It will be worse."

He couldn't deny it. So many women fighting over one man could get ugly. He dropped his forehead to hers. "But what am I compared to the emperor?"

"You are smart, you know how to listen, and…" She reached down to stroke his dragon. "You love me."

He did. And because he loved her, because he could not get enough of her, he gently urged her up onto her knees. And from there, he guided her to straddle him.

She slid down onto him, her sigh of delight flowing from her into him.

"I like this," she said, as he began to thrust gently upward. "I think it is in the Pillow Book, too."

It probably was.

"There are other things in the book," she murmured as she began to ride him. "Things Li Fei didn't believe would be pleasurable."

He arched his brows.

She grinned down at him. "I think she's wrong."

Then she leaned forward, and he couldn't stop himself. Without willing it, his hands went to her breasts. He grinned, thinking of all the different positions they would explore.

"I want to try them all," she said. "Every page."

His tempo was speeding up. She was keeping his movements shallow, though she began to squeeze him every time he tweaked her nipples. And her skin was flushed rose gold in the candlelight.

"I must honor your father's wishes," he said, wishing he didn't need to say these words. "I must honor your wishes," he continued as his thrust grew stronger. "And I want to honor my own."

She grinned. "So much honor. What will you do?"

He didn't know. And he was fast losing interest in the question.

She was moving more on top of him. Her breasts gave him such delight, but his hands moved between her thighs to where they joined, he inside her.

He adjusted his hand, letting his thumb settle at the base of his dragon. He let her set the tempo. He let her bear down or not. And he enjoyed every second.

She understood her body better now. She knew the feelings of ecstasy and knew the way to reach it. Still, it delighted him to see her movements slow. She ground down on him to please herself. And then she decided when to go faster while his eyes rolled back in his head. Such pleasure from one woman!

She alternated, slow and fast, grinding and pistoning, until he was as frenzied as she was. When he could stand it no more, he flexed his thumb against her pearl.

She cried out in shock, and he thrust hard.

Heaven!

*

He left herbefore dawn. His body ached, but his mind was clear. He would pass this exam if his life depended upon it. Because it did.

He could not take care of her if he didn't pass. He could not face her father if he did not pass. He could not face her every day knowing he had ruined her if he did not pass.

And so he sat for his exam—three days and two nights in an empty cell—and he prayed she would be waiting for him when he was done. He'd given all that was left of his money to the innkeeper to pay for her room. And he'd given her all his food—meant to sustain him during the exam—so that she need not leave.

He didn't want to think about the dangers she would face, a sheltered girl in Peking alone for three days. He left her a note, begging her to stay in the room. And then he could think of her no more.

All his mind, body, and soul set itself to the task of passing the imperial exam.