“We can pick a date, of course,” she said in a rush. “And I…I’m sorry you’ve had to wait for my sake. I never meant to imply that our love was sordid—”
“You didn’t.” He shook his head.
“But I know I am asking a lot—”
“Glory, my reaction has to do with me, not you.” He raked a hand through his hair. “It has to do with Chun…with how I felt during the affair.”
Glory stilled, listening.
“Our relationship consisted of sneaking around. I would see her in public, but I could never lay claim to her. We could only be together in the shadows, never in the light, and it made me feel like…like a dirty secret.”
“Oh, Wei. I’m so sorry.” Glory’s eyes welled at the realization that she’d unintentionally aggravated an old wound. “You do know that I am proud to be yours? And I want the world to know it. If it weren’t for my papa’s bill—”
He placed a finger on her lips. “I understand. Truly, I do. Your loyalty to those you love is one of your finest qualities.” His mouth crooked ruefully. “I am just impatient to publicly claim your affections.”
She came to a decision. “How about four weeks from today? That should give Papa sufficient time to launch his bill…and even if he hasn’t, we will go forward. I know that seems like forever, but—”
“Four weeks it is.”
Wei’s gaze was bright…with relief, she realized, and remorse panged.
“I will count the days, my love,” he said.
He took the bracelet from her, and they both watched as he slid it onto her wrist. A symbol of their commitment and love.
He kissed her tenderly on the forehead. “I cannot wait for the day when you can wear my mother’s bracelet in public.”
“I shall do it with pride,” she promised. “I saw you chatting with Papa tonight. How did it go?”
Wei’s expression turned somber. “Not that well, I’m afraid. It was my fault for offending Rothwell. His attitude toward opium users was patronizing, and I could not remain silent.”
“Especially not with Hadleigh there,” she said with understanding.
Wei gave a gruff nod, and his loyalty to his friends made her love him even more.
“We can think of the next four weeks as an opportunity then,” she said. “We’ll arrange for you to spend time with my family. Once Papa gets to know you, he will give his approval for our marriage.”
“Are you certain?” Wei’s question was stark. “I am a foreigner and neither titled nor rich. I cannot give you the things that someone like Winslow—”
“You are the only one I want,” she said. “And you are not a foreigner to me, Wei: you are home.”
His smile was raw and real, warming his eyes. “All right, little tigress. I should go before anyone catches us. But before I do, I will leave you with a lesson for this eve.”
“What sort of lesson?” she asked.
Bending his head, he kissed her throat, and she shivered as his lips coasted upward. When he suckled her earlobe, she moaned, her nerve endings pulsing.
His breath caressed her ear. “Are your pretty nipples tingling beneath your dress?”
She gave a bashful nod.
“And your pussy…is it wet?”
She bit her lip, nodding again.
“Tonight, when you are alone in your bed, I want you to pretend that I am there with you. That your hands are mine, moving over your body. That I am the one touching your breasts, pinching those lovely stiff buds. That I am the one petting your cunny. Rubbing your pearl until you come apart with bliss.”
Zounds. She might have come a little then and there. She found this wicked side of Wei utterly irresistible, probably because it was such a contrast to his reserve. Only she knew this part of him, her future husband.
