Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1) Read online

  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.

  He made every second of her abstinence worth it, taking his time seducing her into the world of lovemaking. His thickness stretched her, but the slight discomfort gave way to an erotic rush. Between her thighs, she grew wetter by the second, the slickness aiding his cock in sliding deeper.

  Oh, yes, deeper. Filling every inch of her as he enveloped her.

  Sheng gripped her knee, hooking her leg higher on his hip. “Touch me. I want you to feel me as I claim you.”

  Helpless to disobey such an erotic command, she dropped her hand to where their bodies joined. A good few inches of him didn’t yet penetrate her, but not for long.

  “That’s it baby. Take me in, all of me.” His British accent heightened, revealing how on edge he was. He rocked his hips back and bucked forward, slamming into her in one determined thrust.

  Lucy peered along her shoulder to catch a glimpse of Sheng’s eyes glinting a pale blue-gray, reminding her of the ferocious beast inside him. She shivered and slid her lids shut.

  Sheng’s feral grunts sang in her ears. Positioning her leg back up beside her body, knee drawn to her chest, he rammed his cock inside her in quick, rapid thrusts, before his body drew up tight.

  “Fuck yes, Lucy.” He roared her name, his firm, heavy weight throbbing inside her. His chest heaved against her as he stilled, his head collapsing next to hers.

  She waited for him to pull out, for his fullness to deflate, but he remained rock hard. Maybe his boasts were true.

  “Mmm, Lucy.” He nuzzled her neck and his free hand stroked her clit again.

  She opened her legs to him, spreading her thighs, but he had another plan in mind. He slid out from behind her, twisted around, and suctioned his mouth over her sex.

  Sheng’s full erection dangled in her face, the most tempting carrot she’d ever beheld, and she lifted her mouth to suck him in. He rewarded her with long, hard flicks against her clit, his tongue and lips exploring every inch he’d claimed with his cock.

  She returned the exploration, gripping him in both her hands and moaning at the taste of them combined. Maybe he’d told the truth because, no matter how hard she licked and probed the slit of his cock, he didn’t give up a single salty bead.

  His weight centered above her, he braced himself on both his elbows. Her gentle exploration of him didn’t last long. Sheng was a man who embraced anything but submission, and controlled his pleasure through guiding her. He dipp
ed his hips down, forcing more of himself into her mouth while his tongue speared her core.

  The position rendered her helpless—the thickness of his cock in her mouth, the firm grip of his lips on her sex. It seduced not only her body, but her mind. This was the lesson from Sheng—to surrender control to him.

  To trust in him and reap the benefits of that trust.

  Affection, pleasure…

  Love?

  Did more exist between them than the reward of joining their bodies? She ached to believe it. The hope that she might have a future with Sheng blossomed inside her chest.

  Held back by only one thing.

  That damned Dragon.

  Another shattering orgasm fractured her body, cutting off her musings. Inside her mouth, his flesh throbbed, and he groaned against her sex, the vibrations setting off more fireworks inside her.

  Again, not a drop of his essence spilled into her mouth, though he’d clearly fallen off the edge of a climax.

  His body shuddering, Sheng crawled from between her legs, slipping in behind her again. Steel arms wrapped around her, turning her to face him and hauling her front against his muscled chest.

  A euphoric haze settled over her and she snuggled against him, flipping one thigh across his hips. The hard plane of his chest proved the perfect surface to nestle her cheek. They lay still, wrapped in each other’s arms as the minutes ticked by, uncounted in this dream of bliss.

  Sheng drew lazy circles across her back and she murmured in contentment. Never had she been so at ease with anyone. This went beyond the spirits they shared, deeper into her soul. As though this man had once belonged to her.

  The question remained…did he belong to her now?

  ***

  Sheng heaved a sigh of gratification as Lucy drifted into the dream world. His body continued to ache for her, but this…this trust of her sleeping in his arms, he reveled in. None of the women he’d been with had ever stayed to sleep next to him, let alone in his arms. Everything about Lucy drew a fierce protective instinct out of him. If he could, he’d keep her here forever, stowed away from the hazards of the world.

  The trust she’d placed in him served as a sharp reminder. He didn’t covet her for the spirit she carried or the gift. More was at work than the disquiet of the Tiger.

  Lucy was not just the Rabbit, or the Dragon, or a possible Shèhúnzéi.

  She was his.

  Her softness yielded to him, molding to every inch of his body as though they’d been fashioned as one. Could she be the love of one of his past lives? Possibly. Although that didn’t change how he cared for her in this one. This connection, this bond between them, pulsed through him with energy of its own. Severing his ties to her would be like cutting off his hand. Lucy was as much a part of his body, of his soul, as any other piece of him.

  She moaned in her sleep, and his cock jerked in response. It was well into the afternoon and naptime was over.

  He nudged her awake with playful kisses along her hairline, his hand dipping down to stroke between her thighs. Her silken flesh welcomed his fingers as he slipped inside her wetness.

  Her eyes flashed open. Her breasts rose and fell in heavy pants while she arched into his hand.

  “Do you admit it?” He quirked a brow at her, at how fast she’d turned needy.

  “Admit what?” Her sluggish sleepy voice rasped.

  “That you’re my licentious little Rabbit?” He chuckled and nipped her ear. “Or maybe, my licentious little Dragon?”

  “I don’t—oh!” A moan escaped her as her greedy sex clenched around his thrusting fingers.

  His cock throbbed in response and, for the first time ever, he hungered to come all over a woman, inside and out. Releasing his jīng over every inch of her. Not doing so would take every ounce of control he possessed but, even if it killed him, he’d not ejaculate inside her. Definitely not without protection.

  “Damn, woman, you’re going to test every limit of mine, aren’t you?” He shook his head, seeking the discipline that faded more each time he reached for it.

  “I want to watch you come,” she murmured, skimming her hand along his cock. Thick lashes lifted, revealing the will of a seductress.

  Damn. He was screwed. Or rather, he was about to be.

  “It must have taken a lot of orgasms to learn to be able to control that.” She licked her lips and shifted to bend her glistening mouth to the tip of his cock. Her pink tongue swiped, flicking across her lips first and then the slit of his shaft.

  He groaned at the control that slipped further every time she moistened her lips.

  “One time, Sheng. Let me taste you.”

  “Fuck.” His abs clenched and sweat beaded across his forehead.

  Her pretty little mouth descended upon him, swooping onto his cock and sucking him in.

  “Never given it up.” His muscles tensed as he struggled to overcome his will. Jīng was lost through semen for men and menstrual blood for women. Ejaculating too frequently or without controlling the emission of semen wasted jīng energy. That was why he’d never done it with another person. He needed to be in absolute control when he did, to direct the jīng energy from his body. When performed properly, ejaculation wouldn’t leave him with a loss of strength.

  She lifted her lashes, tugging his hard-on out of her mouth with a loud pop as though sucking on a fucking lollipop. Her soft breasts pillowed his legs. The wetness between her thighs slicked his left calf. His gaze traveled along her nude body, soaking in her perfection.

  She cupped his balls and squeezed gently. “Just once. You can’t be in control all the time. Let go. With me.”

  The memory of shaming himself in front of the Matchmaker surfaced in his brain, but Lucy wasn’t anything like that witch. True, he’d been driven to this lifestyle by more than humiliation—the elevated energy and virility were bloody priceless—but Lucy had a point.

  It wasn’t as though he hadn’t ejaculated in years, just not with any woman. He only did it on his terms.

  Except that one time in the infirmary closet.

  Here she was, asking him to share something with her that he hadn’t with anyone else.

  “I don’t share my jīng with anyone. Ah, fuck.” He groaned as she snaked her nail up and down his length.

  “Don’t you want to?” she murmured and flicked her pink tongue across him, licking him again. The passion between them burned. Sizzled. Scorched. Left him gasping for air.

  “Hell, yeah, I do.” He groaned as she drew him into her mouth along with his last ounce of resistance. His balls drew up tight to his body. Intense pressure tingled in the base of his spine.

  His hips bucked upward, slamming his cock into her mouth as hot, thick cum shot out of the tip. He didn’t stop thrusting into her mouth until the last drop squeezed from him. Lucy swallowed every bead, sucking on him as though she’d never enjoyed anything more. The orgasm topped every one he’d ever had.

  Every. Fucking. One.

  Once he finished, his entire body spent, his head crashed back against the sofa pillows. His muscles iced as he drifted into a state of sated bliss. After a minute, the haze faded and his body surged with renewed strength. Vitality. Damn. He’d read during the union of lovemaking, a man could actually convert his spent jīng into qì—life-force energy—but he’d never tested the theory. Never trusted anyone else to test it with him.

  Until Lucy. His heart warmed inside his chest. Hell, by just being Lucy, she’d snapped his chains of control and proven him wrong. Giving himself to her wasn’t a loss.

  It was a gain.

  “Thank you.” Lucy pressed a kiss to his stomach before crawling back into his arms.

  He cleared his tight throat and winked. “No, thank you, little Dragon.”

  After Sheng drifted off, Lucy half-slept for a few hours before she snuck out of his grasp. Instead of being sated, she burned with energy.

  Was it Sheng’s jīng? Or perhaps the knowledge she’d never be the same?

 
The hunky male sleeping on the couch held her future in his hands. One word from him could make her heart soar.

  Or shatter.

  Heading to their hut, she wandered into the bathroom. He’d called her “Dragon.” She stepped into the shower and frowned at the glop of shampoo she squirted onto her palm.

  His eagerness was justified. She didn’t fault him for being excited to discover the Tiger’s yang. She’d be thrilled too, if the nagging burning in her mind would dissipate. Instead, it grew stronger. Her dream of her father haunted her consciousness, more like a memory than a dream. What was she supposed to do with the Dragon?

  Deep down, she guessed why he hadn’t told her. Her father had been the one to set her on a bicycle for the first time and give her a push. He’d taught her it was okay to fall down—and how to get right back up. To never be afraid of making mistakes.

  She just hoped she didn’t make one now. One that would doom the fate of humanity.

  He seemed certain she would figure it out, but no path materialized in her mind.

  Other than staying with Sheng.

  She smiled as she rinsed her hair, the lathered bubbles sliding over every inch of her well-loved body. Stepping out of the stall, she dried and dressed, this time in capris and a tank top. She snatched a chunk of coconut from the kitchen before heading down onto the terrace where Sheng had meditated earlier.

  Clearing her mind might help bring clarity to her next actions. Humid air enveloped her and she grimaced. Moonlight cascaded around her as she wandered down the path. It had to be sometime in the middle of the night.

  After munching on the coconut, she slumped onto the warm stones, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes. Opening her mind, she sought the peaceful calm surrounding the Rabbit as Mei had taught her.

  Rabbit awakened, hopping to her. In her mind, she stroked the animal until they fused together in a blissful state of awareness.

  Once Rabbit calmed, she dug further, searching for the presence of the Dragon.

  The opposite of the Rabbit’s timidity, Dragon surged forward, spreading its leathery wings and hovering above the two of them. She bade it to land and Dragon complied. Rabbit bowed its head in deference. Ah, Rabbit was submissive, Dragon dominant.