Chapter Four

Zhi Hao had no doubt that his mischievous neighbor would visit. She had been on the wall watching him nearly every night since he arrived. He doubted one night's tumble would deter her for long. So it was that he was ready—already half-naked and exercising—when the plants above the wall began to rustle.

He moved in the flow of the steps, making sure to surreptitiously glance at the trees. Sure enough, his daring woman sat there, perched in the shadows to watch.

He kept working through his movements, allowing his grin to break through whenever his back was to her. And then he flowed into a set of punches, kicks, and jumps that had nothing to do with proper form and everything to do with impressing the girl who watched from atop the wall.

He ended right below her, leaping into position and freezing with his arms out.

When she did nothing, he looked up in mock surprise.

"Will you not fall into my arms tonight, angel?"

She snorted. "You know I am no angel."

"I know nothing of the sort. You did not give me your name." Though he had heard it. She was Song Ling Xin, the only daughter of the prominent family next door.

No fool, she slanted a hard look at him. "You heard my cousin call my name."

He smiled. "Will you drop into my arms Ling Xin?"

"No. I should not have done that yesterday, and I have been limping around all day as punishment."

He frowned. "Did your parents find out?" That could spell disaster for them both.

She shook her head. "I would not be talking to you now if they had." She glanced over her shoulder, then back at him. "And I should not be here now, so I will not drop down to talk to you."

"Very well," he said with a sad smile. "I suppose I shall have to climb up to you."

And so he did, using a conveniently placed stone to jump high enough on the wall to grab a tree branch. It was a delicate maneuver. He'd already tried it twice before now and had fallen on his ass each time. He'd only succeeded when he'd found and moved the rock.

This time he jumped, grabbed the branch, and then swung himself up beside her. And she looked appropriately impressed.

"Are you a spirit?" she asked. "It's like you flew up here."

"You know I am not. Spirits probably smell sweeter than I do."

She took a delicate sniff, then wrinkled her nose. "It is not so bad."

"I am pleased to hear it." And even more pleased when he saw how her gaze roved over his chest. She leaned in to press lightly against his arm.

He shifted his position such that his forearm fell just below her breast. Indeed, he felt the weight of it on his arm and saw Ling Xin's cheeks flush pink. But she did not move away.

"Was that you singing this afternoon? It was beautiful. It distracted me from the essay I was writing."

"That was Li Fei. She had planned to sing for the emperor. It is her talent."

"Planned?" he said. "She will not go to the selection for empress?"

She shook her head. "She was meant to. Indeed, we were to go to the selection together, but her father changed his mind. I do not know why."

"So you are the one meant for the Forbidden City."

It wasn't a question. In truth, it was never a question. From the moment she was born a girl, her father had planned to make her the next empress. Nevertheless, she nodded.

"My father thinks I am more likely to attract the emperor's notice. Li Fei is small and fairy-like. Very attractive in her own way, but he doesn't think the emperor wants a fairy in his bed."

He could tell by her tone that she didn't fully understand what she was saying. Most aristocratic girls were not educated in the basics of copulation. They were kept isolated from the one thing they would need to know to attract a man. He thought it an unwise choice, but he was not a father.

"And this is what you want?" He tried to phrase it as a question, but he already knew the answer. Even his own sisters spent nights dreaming of becoming the new Empress of China, but they could not attend the Feast of Fertility from which the new empress would be chosen. There wasn't enough money to fund both the girls and his education. There wasn't enough left over for clothing, much less the bribes or training needed to outfit the future empress.

Clearly all the Song family money was going to this woman. And how could he blame them?

She was beautiful with her sweet moon face, bright red lips, and the timbre in her voice made a man's balls tighten. It was only when he looked in her eyes that he saw the wild streak in her. Her eyes danced with delight at things that should not attract a well-behaved woman. Things like bantering with a man while standing on a wall or ogling a man doing his martial arts forms in the moonlight. And a well-behaved woman would never risk climbing a wall with a hurt foot.

Ling Xin was a woman who liked to take chances, and that might not attract an emperor, but it certainly called to him. Every part of his body yearned to do more than look at her in the shadows.

Meanwhile, her mind seemed to be elsewhere. "I want to bring my family honor," she said, her expression and her tone abruptly flat. "And it is a great honor to become empress."

Oh my. That was not an auspicious answer, especially when spoken in that empty tone. He turned to face her more squarely, and when she did not respond, he nudged her arm much as he might his eldest sister.

"What do you really want?"

She arched her brows at him. It was a perfect empress look of disdain, and he marveled at the power in it. It didn't affect him, of course. She had tumbled into his arms last night, so he knew she was no prim miss. But he did admire the expression.

And he matched it with one of his own.

It took a while. He expected her to break first because women were always weak around him, but she did not. In the end, he had to give her something more than his stern expression.

"Come now," he coaxed. "I can tell you don't mean it. I will make you a deal. I shall tell you my secret if you share one of yours."

Her expression shifted to wariness, but he already knew she would give in. She liked being daring and what was more daring than trading secrets with a stranger?

"You first," she said.

He nodded. He had expected no less. "I have two sisters who are eligible for the Feast of Fertility."

She gasped. "What are their names? I will—"

"They are not going, and I am not sad about that."

Her expression shifted to compassion. "Are they ill-formed? I am sorry."

She actually looked sad for him, and he had to stifle his laugh. "They are both considered beautiful women, but unlike your family, we do not have the money to outfit them."

"Oh," she said, her gaze going to the neatly folded pile of his clothing. He had set it there before he began his exercises. Even from here, she could likely tell that the fabric was expensive. Also, the embroidery was exquisite because it had been done by his own mother's hand.

"That is not my secret," he said. "My secret is that I am pleased we cannot afford to send them. Life in the Forbidden City is terrible. I would not wish that on anyone."

She gaped at him, her eyes widening in shock. And well she should. What he had just said could be considered treason. But the way she hunched her shoulders told him that she had already suspected as much.

"Have you ever been in the Forbidden City?" she asked.

"No, but my uncle is a eunuch there. He is the one who pushed my family to train me for the imperial exam. He paid most of Master Gao's fee. I have learned much from him about what it is like there."

She turned, her eyes wide and her expression open. "What did he say? You must tell me. I must be prepared for what is ahead."

That was very true. "What do you know?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Just that—"

"It is a great honor." He spoke the words for her because those were the words every proper girl said. And she obviously understood because her chin dipped in depressed agreement.

"It is a great honor," he continued, "if you are selected to become the empress. All the other candidates leave disgraced and their families are supposed to decry them as tainted."

"Not all!" she cried. "Some will become favored concubines."

"Only four will be favored. The rest will live in palaces alone, never seeing the emperor, never having the chance to bear him a child."

She looked at him, her eyes wide with hope and fear. "I'm sure that's not true," she said, though her tone told him she wondered.

"I know it is true," he countered. "Those selected will have a difficult life. Those disgraced will be lucky to marry at all. Better to never try."

"No!" she said firmly. "I am sure the unlucky girls will be accepted back into their families. It is no disgrace to be refused by the emperor. He can only select a few out of the whole country."

"Will your family take you back?" he asked, hoping her answer was yes.

She bit her lip. "They will not entertain the possibility, but I have spoken in secret to my aunt. She said I can live with them as Li Fei's adopted sister."

A good fate. Better than many. "Will you be able to marry?" Would she be able to escape the confines of the family compound to meet anyone?

Her smile was forced. "I hope so."

"I do, as well."

She was silent for a long while, then she spoke with renewed strength. "Do you not have faith in your sisters to attract the emperor's gaze? Are they not virtuous enough?"

He didn't want to answer this. It wasn't his place to enlighten her. Worse, if her family was adamant, there was nothing she could do to change her future. And yet, he could not stop himself.

"My sisters are wonderful women, virtuous and kind. And so I know they would be failures in the Forbidden City."

She jerked, obviously shocked by his statement. "But why?"

"Because virtue is not what attracts a man. And kindness will not help you in court."

She winced as she stared at her hands, but she said nothing.

"You cannot change this, can you?" he asked gently. "Your father insists?"

"He says I will become empress or I will be nothing. Not his daughter, not anyone he knows." She sighed. "He doesn't mean it so harshly. He thinks such words will motivate me to try harder, but I cannot work any harder than I am. I dance for hours every day, I study the Confucian virtues. I even write poetry, though I am terrible at it."

"And your father thinks that is what will catch the emperor's eye?"

"Certainly." She shrugged. "That and my beauty." She spoke without ego, her shrug dismissing the perfection of her face and body. And that humility was more attractive to him than the body of an angel.

He shook his head, daring to touch her arm. "Virtue is not what attracts a man. And for all that he is the King of Heaven, the emperor is still a man."

She opened her mouth to argue. Indeed, girls such as her were taught that the emperor was a kind of deity. But she had to know the truth if she was to have a chance where she was going. He was searching for a delicate way to suggest something scandalous when her mind leaped to it before he could voice it.

"What must I learn?" she asked.

She was so earnest in her expression, so beautiful a temptation, that he knew he wouldn't be able to resist. Only a worm would do what he was about to do, and he was a moral man.

No. He was a worm who pretended to be a moral man because he could not stop himself.

"I can teach you," he said slowly. "But it is not something you can tell anyone. If we are discovered, we will both be killed."

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, and well she should. This was a dangerous game, but it was also her only hope.

"Tell me," she commanded.

His blood surged at her tone. Only a woman reared to be an empress could sound so sexy as she ordered him to obey.

"Forgive my bluntness," he said, fighting a grin.

She nodded.

"The way to attract a man is to sensually delight him. Innocence is boring. You must understand what excites the emperor, and you must become that for him in all ways."

There. He had dropped the breadcrumb, but was she daring enough to pick it up?

"How do I learn that?"

He took a deep breath. How far did he dare tempt her? How much did she know?

He looked around and listened closely. There was no one around. His master was asleep.

"Will anyone come looking for you tonight?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Even Li Fei is asleep."

"Then I will show you the most basic of truths."

She nodded. "I will tell no one."

She'd best not or they would both die—him for corrupting her, her for being corrupted.

Nevertheless, how could he refuse her when she looked so beautiful and so eager.

He adjusted his position beside her on the wall, bracing one hand on a tree branch to prevent himself from falling. Then he smiled at her.

"Do you know anything of a man? Of what makes him interested in a woman? How she can excite him?"

Ling Xin bit her lip, looking adorably intrigued. "My mother says a man is attracted by goodness. My father says my dancing will entrance everyone."

"And what do you think?"

"That there is a great deal more to learn. Otherwise, every dancer and kind soul would be overrun by lustful men."

He laughed at that. She had a logical mind and a sense of humor. That appealed to him. "Do you know what happens when you are interested in a man?"

She nodded slowly and he saw her cheeks tinge red in the moonlight, but she didn't say anything. That was not a surprise. Girls were not taught much about their own bodies, so it was left to him to say it aloud.

"Does your heart beat faster? Is there heat in your belly?"

"Yes," she whispered, and he could see the truth of it in her breathless answer.

"It is the same for a man." He gently took hold of her hand and pressed it against his chest. "Do you not hear how my heart thrums at your nearness?"

She nodded. Then he carefully pushed her hand lower. Not far enough. Not to where he throbbed for her, but low enough that she could feel his heat.

"I desire you, Ling Xin." Then he did something daring. He reached out with his other hand and stroked her cheek. Her eyes had been on his belly, but now she looked into his face. "Do you feel how heavy your breasts feel? How your lips are dry and your mouth aches to be kissed?"

She bit her lower lip and nodded. Her eyes were wide, but not with fear. She was thrilled by what he told her, excited and hungry for more. How he wanted to show her, but he could not. It was too dangerous for them both.

So he released her and leaned back against the branches of the tree.

"That is arousal," he said. "That is what you must excite in the emperor."

She looked at him a long time. She lifted her hand and slowly stroked the side of her cheek where he had touched her. And then she straightened with a look of fierce determination.

"I am not completely ignorant," she said firmly. "I have brothers."

His brows went up. She wanted something specific from him, but he could not guess what. Fortunately, she was not evasive.

"I have heard about a man's jiji. I know that men take great pleasure in it, and that a woman must make it…stand up." She paused before she said the last two words, clearly not knowing what they meant. Then her gaze dropped to the thin fabric of his pants. "I want to see it. I want to know what that means." She flashed him a coy look. "Because the emperor has one, does he not? And I must know what it looks like and how to… how to…"

"Make it explode?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, and the relief in that one word shocked him.

"Have you been thinking about this for a while?"

She nodded.

"Ever since you saw me practice my kung fu?"

"Ever since I learned that an empress, above all things, must give the emperor a son. But whenever I asked how she was to do this, I was told that I would learn it when I was older. Well, I am older. It is less than a month before the Feast of Fertility, and still, no one will answer." Her voice took on a pleading note. "So will you show me, Ko Zhi Hao? Will you teach me how to be an empress?"

He thought her well on her way to being the female leader of China. She had the mind to understand where her knowledge was lacking and the boldness to demand answers. But what she asked for was…

Exciting.

Daring.

Absolutely not something he should do. And yet, as her eyes quietly begged him to agree, he found himself bending to her wishes. What man could refuse such earnest desire?

He took a deep breath and tried to slowly introduce her to what she wanted. "You have heard of a man's jiji. Do you know how he swells and explodes with seed?"

"Only that he does, and I shall be pregnant."

"He must explode inside you for that to happen."

Her eyes widened. "So your seed can explode now and I shall not get pregnant? And I can see it?"

His heart was beating nearly out of his throat. She had the eagerness of a child wanting to learn a new skill. But there was also a daring excitement that lighted her eyes and made his cock ache with hunger. She knew what she was doing was forbidden. They both did. And yet, she still demanded his help.

"I must see it!" she said. Then with more determination. "I must learn how to make it happen."

And so without another word, he took her hand and gently brought it to the ties of his short pants.

She was hesitant. But her fingers twitched with eagerness, and he knew she was as eager to learn as he was to teach. Still, he cautioned her.

"I will not touch you," he said. "I will not harm you, but you must choose this. I am risking much."

"I know," she said softly. "But I will not tell. You are helping me."

Was he? Debatable. Especially as his organ swelled to near bursting. But one look at her told him that she was equally aroused. Her breasts were high and pointed, and her lips were wet where she had licked them.

She wanted what he offered, and worm that he was, he intended to take full advantage of that. But she had to make the first move. He would not have her say he forced her.

"Release my pants and you will see my male dragon, full and eager because I am a man and you are beautiful."

She looked at him as if to gauge his truthfulness. He held his expression calm, but he could not hide the way his organ bobbed in hunger though she had yet to touch him.

"Are you lying to me?" she asked in a whisper.

"No." Then he arched a brow. "You can see the evidence yourself."

She rolled her eyes. "Not about that. I know that a dragon thickens." She looked hard into his eyes. "Do you lie about this being the way to the emperor's heart?"

"It is the way to the emperor's bed."

He could see the truth of that hit her, but he also guessed that she'd been looking for a reason to do what she really wanted.

She needed no more prompting. Her fingers fell to his pants, untying the rough cord with ease. The fabric tented over his erection. He was about to say something to encourage her to uncover him, but he needn't have worried.

She pulled down the fabric and smiled as his full dragon sprang up toward her.

Cold air hit his heated flesh, and he shuddered at the sensation. He prayed that he could keep himself calm long enough to enjoy what was coming. Meanwhile, she was studying him as if he were a Confucian text.

"The emperor will be like this?" she asked.

"No doubt he will be bigger, more impressive—"

"And shoot stars of golden light from his tip. Yes, I'm sure that's true." Her tone was thick with irony. "I believe he is a man just like you."

The emperor was a great deal more than Zhi Hao could ever be, simply because he was the emperor. But Zhi Hao didn't argue. He was more interested in what she would do next.

The answer surprised him. She approached him logically, asking for direction rather than grabbing him. That proved she was smart and that she could control her impulsive nature when she wanted.

"How do I touch it?" she asked. "Do I grip it with strength? Does it prefer caresses? How—"

"Every man is different, but I think variety is what entices most men."

She nodded, her focus very intent. Then she began to explore.

He saw no more hesitation in her, but a systematic discovery—with an excruciatingly light touch—of his length and girth. If felt like being caressed by lightning. Tingle and fire wherever she touched, lingering long after she'd moved on.

It took all of his strength to keep his breath even. And then she grew bolder.

She enfolded him in her grip, and he felt each finger wrap around him in a delightful sheath. Indeed, his eyes rolled back in his head and his buttocks tightened, naturally thrusting into her hand.

"This feels good?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "You like it completely covered?"

He nodded, trying to keep his sanity when pleasure wrapped around his organ.

"It is what a man feels when he is inside a woman and they make a child," he said. "He enters her and she squeezes him."

So she did exactly that, tightening her grip around him. He groaned in delight and thrust again.

"There is wetness here," she said, spreading her thumb across the crown.

His mind whited out at the sensation. And when he could think again, he saw that she was studying his face.

"Does this steal your thoughts?"

"Yes. When it is done right, a man cannot think at all."

"And the wetness?" she asked as she once again rolled her thumb over the crown.

He groaned, fighting to keep the sound inside. "That is the beginning—" he gasped. "—of my seed."

"The beginning? Not all?"

He nearly laughed at the insult. "Not all. Barely a start."

"Oh." She looked down and then back up at him. "What do I do next?"

His mind stuttered on the graphic images that flooded his brain. He wanted her tongue on his tip, he wanted her mouth encasing him, he wanted her on her back as he thrust inside her.

He said none of that because it was too sudden for her. And too much for him.

"What do you want?" he asked her, because he could not allow what he was thinking.

"I told you. I want to see you explode."

"An excellent idea," he quipped. Then he adjusted his position, leaning back against the tree. She released him as he moved and the changing sensation made his blood surge again. But he was not stable here and this position was awkward.

He abruptly lifted his leg up and over her head, leaving her sitting between his thighs. She hadn't been expecting it, so she released a muted cry as she ducked. But far from being afraid, she laughed.

"You could have hit me in the head!"

"Never."

"Hmmm," she returned. She was between his legs now, facing him squarely. She returned to his dragon, wrapping him in the tight silk of her hand.

"What should I do?" she asked.

Everything! But he could not say what thoughts flooded his mind. He had to go slow, though his blood and his hunger surged inside him.

"Hold me and watch," he said. "I shall do what a man does between a woman's thighs. Imagine your hand is your most private place."

She frowned. "My most private…?"

How he wanted to show her! How he wanted to touch her and make her feel what he did. Instead, he tried to explain with words.

"Do you tingle? Does the flesh between your thighs grow wet?"

Her eyes widened. "Yes!"

"Imagine me there." Which was exactly what he was thinking.

It would not take long. He was at the edge of release now.

He watched her expression as he moved, seeing her excited interest. In his mind's eye, he was kissing her breasts, running his tongue over her peaks before nipping at her until she cried out. He was spreading her legs and thrusting deep into her. And she was gripping his backside, moaning beneath him.

That should have been enough to have him exploding like an adolescent boy. It was not. Because he did not know her breasts yet, had not smelled the scent of her arousal, and he certainly was not privy to her intimate places.

What he saw was her tongue, slipping between the red folds of her lips. He felt the varying strength of her grip on him. And best of all, he saw it when she grinned up at him. There was power in her expression, a realization that he was at her mercy.

His hips were thrusting into her fist, his breath was a ragged pant, and his thighs quivered with need.

"Explode," she said. "Now."

There was such command in her tone that it shocked him. No young virgin should know how to order a man's release. And yet, she did. While he plowed into her fist, those two words tipped him over the edge.

He released with a fire so hot, lightning burst behind his eyes. And he kept pumping while her fist grew slick with his seed.

"Oh!" she whispered as she watched him erupt. "Now I understand."

Did she? Doubtful. But at least she was a little more prepared.

"How long does that go on?" she asked as he continued to pump.

"Not much longer," he panted.

Then his body gave way and he slumped back against the tree trunk, letting his gaze rove over her flushed face, her pointed nipples, and the sweet nectar he imagined between her thighs.

She smiled. "How soon can you do it again?"

He chuckled as his legs flopped open wide. "Fifteen minutes or so, but you will have to encourage it. Most men need to sleep for a bit."

"Oh." She frowned, clearly thinking hard. "Do I caress it again? Is that how—"

"No, you will have to do something else. It is too sensitive right now." Though the way she was studying him seemed to bring new life into his dragon. He did love an inquisitive mind.

"Then how?"

There were so many ways to answer that. So many things he wanted to do with her.

"You must get me to kiss you."

"What? How?"

No virginal outrage in those words. Just simple curiosity. And clear excitement at doing something so daring.

He let his head drop back as he savored her eagerness. "You must make we want to take you again," he explained. "And that begins with a kiss."

"But how do I make you want to kiss me?"

The better question was how could she stop him, but he didn't say that. He was too happy with her eagerness at the moment.

"Give me a moment to think," he said, drawing out the anticipation. Then he straightened up, seeing that there were things he had neglected.

They were both a mess. He used the edges of his pants to clean himself and her. It was crude, but he had nothing better. And while he cleaned her, he savored the refined length of her hands and the surprising strength in her fingers. He caressed her callouses, knowing that she was a refined lady who had no doubt spent years studying how to hold a brush in a way that made the most beautiful strokes.

She seemed to enjoy what he did, allowing it, despite the crudeness of the fabric.

Then she grew impatient. "How do I get the emperor to kiss me?" she pressed.

Bringing the emperor into the conversation killed the moment. He had been pretending that she wanted him.

"That is a complicated question," he said, stalling for time. "I cannot answer it—"

"You will tell me!" she said, and though there was command in her tone, there was also uncertainty. She sat in front of him with her hand wet and her cheeks flushed. She was aroused and unable to satisfy herself.

Sweet heaven, she was fascinating!

"Give me your other hand," he said. He began to rub it, using his fingers to knead into her palm. And as he worked, he pressed the back of his hand into her belly. He moved in slow circles and watched as she shifted uneasily on the wall. If the emperor did choose her, he would be a lucky man. She was ripe for erotic play, and so eager to learn.

"You must tell me," she said again as she pulled her hand back from him.

He grimaced, burning with jealousy.

"Ko Zhi Hao—" she began, but he interrupted her.

"I will kiss you if you ask. You need do nothing more tonight."

She frowned, clearly confused. "That's it?"

That was everything. She had to ask.

"That is all."

She leaned forward, her face flushed, her eyes bright in the moonlight.

"Please kiss me," she said. Her tone was breathless, her desire obvious.

"Have you ever been kissed before?"

Her eyes widened. "I could never."

Of course not. He would be her first.

"Then I shall go slow."

He leaned into her, letting their breaths mingle, and then he slowly pressed his mouth to hers.

Her lips were wet and supple. He moved gently across them, waiting until her mouth slipped open of its own accord. Then, when she did, he teased his tongue inside.

He felt her breath catch, and he waited until he could control his movements. His blood was roaring in his body, his dragon already leaping forward again.

When he finally allowed himself to slip inside, she was heaven itself. Her tongue darted forward to meet his, daring minx that she was. And as he pressed forward, she let her head drop back so he could plunder her mouth.

She tasted of hot lychee sweetness, and he would never again eat that fruit without thinking of this moment.

And then she tried to take control.

The way her tongue abruptly thrust against his shocked him. He'd thought her a shy virgin, but this was a boldness he hadn't expected. Her tongue twisted and teased his, and if they hadn't been perched on top of a rock wall, he might have risked it all to take her.

She was a wildcat.

And in that moment, he resolved that he would have her for his own.