“Who knows what she wants,” she reminded him. “You know that about me. Well, I know I want you…as more than a shifu. More than a friend.”
As his silence stretched, some of her courage deserted her, and she dropped her eyes to her lap, to her nervously clasped hands.
“I’ve known since we kissed, even though I was too afraid to admit it. Too afraid that you didn’t feel the same way about me.” She drew a shuddering breath but couldn’t force herself to look up and find rejection staring back at her. “I know I’m not pretty or popular or what most gentlemen would consider attractive. But I am a lady who is true to her heart. I suppose what I’m trying to ask is…do you think you could want me? Want to be more than my friend?”
Twenty
She was killing him. Laying waste to his defenses and self-control. In his thirty-three years, Wei had never felt such a potent mix of admiration, tenderness, and desire.
He tipped her chin up, stared into her embarrassed eyes. The most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. Eyes that stripped away thoughts of honor and revenge, right and wrong. The shining light of her honesty illuminated the truth he’d tried to hide—from her and himself. The longing that he’d tried to stave off with kung fu, denial, and whatever he’d had at his disposal now washed over him in an overwhelming tide.
“Glory,” he said hoarsely. “I want you so damned badly.”
Her smile, one of surprise and relief, made his heart contract. He didn’t know how this enchanting young woman could doubt herself. All he knew was that her vulnerability laid him bare. Years of frustration, anger, and despair suddenly morphed into a yearning that was beyond lust. Beyond anything he’d ever felt for a woman. He held her face in his hands, sweeping his thumbs over her silky cheeks.
Then he kissed her.
Her lips were as warm and soft as he remembered, her taste even more intoxicating. He’d intended to kiss her with more finesse this time, but she slid her hands into his hair, pulling him closer, and her eagerness unleashed an ungovernable hunger. He began devouring her mouth, and she kissed him back with equal ardor. Dragging his lips over hers, he ran his tongue over her plump, rosy seam.
With a breathless sigh, she let him in, and he shook with lust at her sweet surrender. He plunged his tongue into her warmth, and she licked him back, shyly at first, then with growing boldness. A quick study at this like everything else. Recalling her abashed confession that he’d been the first man to kiss her, he felt a surge of pride and primal satisfaction. Her tongue moved with his, a wet, delicious dance that made his pulse race as if he’d been training for hours. She moaned, pressing herself against him, impatient as always.
He lowered her onto the cushions, taking his time with their kiss. Exploring her slick, sweet heat until she was wiggling beneath him. Her male garb made her femininity even more pronounced. He could feel the softness of her slender form, her delicate curves designed to fit against his hard edges.
He nuzzled her ear. “Patience, sweeting. We’re in no hurry.”
“Speak for yourself.”
He had to smile at her breathless words and wondrous eyes. Then he drew her earlobe into his mouth. Sucking and licking until she was clutching his shoulders, her sweet desperation causing his blood to rush. He tugged off her neckcloth and unbuttoned her waistcoat. He kissed the downy line of her throat, his mouth pooling at the scent of her orchid-fresh skin.
“What is the rush?” he murmured.
“You…you might change your mind. About wanting this. Wanting me.”
He jerked his head up and saw that she was in earnest.
“A lack of wanting has never been the problem, Glory.” Despite his pounding lust, he matched her serious tone because he didn’t want to leave her with any doubts. “I’ve always wanted you, but I tried to deny it. Because you belong to a different world. Because you deserve someone better than me. Because I should be focused on my—”
“You’re the only one I want,” she said adamantly. “And I won’t get in the way of your quest, I promise. We can work together.”
His throat tightened. For fifteen years, he’d walked a lonely path. To be offered such sweet and unconditional companionship now unraveled the vestiges of his self-control.
“I am done fighting my desire for you,” he said hoarsely.
Because he was. Done wasting his energy. Done trying to deny the word that had flashed in his head from their very first kiss: mine. It was something he’d never had, a woman who was truly and exclusively his. Yet from the start, Glory had pulled at his protective instincts, as if some part of him had known she belonged to him. Even if she was forbidden.
Right now, all that matters is that she’s mine.
Her lashes quivered. “I am so glad—”
Whatever else she meant to say was lost as he lay claim to her mouth.
If their first kiss had ignited the spark of passion in Glory, then their second one threw tinder on the flames. She’d never felt this desperate before. Like she was burning up with a fever yet needed more heat. And she knew the only cure for this condition was Wei.
Wei, the only man who’d ever made her feel this way.
Who, miracle of miracles, felt the same way about her.
Trembling with joy and desire, she gave herself over to his plundering kiss. She needed more, all, everything she could have of him. His touch sent need pulsing through her veins, making her skin itchy and hot. His lips skimmed over her nose, her jaw, into the open collar of her shirt. He kissed her throat, and she squirmed.
