The aching in Leander’s balls was almost unbearable, and Leander thrust his hips, driving himself into Xi’s tight grip.His orgasm crashed through him, overwhelming him until he was gasping and arching and struggling to reform the pieces of reality that had shattered.Salty bitterness spilled across his lips, and Leander pulled away, coughing before he collapsed onto his back.
His arm was still under Xi, and one of Xi’s legs was now between his so they were tangled and sweaty.
“I have a very sexy husband,” Xi said.
Leander chuckled.“You have an idiot for a husband.The Nies had a wedding feast, and I couldn’t figure out I was confirming the marriage, which is still not as bad as Heng who didn’t show up for his own wedding feast.”The words came slowly as Leander was still breathing hard.He blinding reached for Xi, catching a hand and bringing it to his lips so he could kiss the palm.
“If we ever lose our minds and decide to invite several hundred drunk idiots to celebrate our marriage,” Xi said, “I promise to show up.”
Leander chuckled.“I don’t.I never want to get that drunk again.Just...just tell me you want this marriage.”Leander hated how desperate he sounded.
Xi rolled onto one elbow and stared down at Leander.“I want this marriage more than anything else in my whole life,” he said.Looking up in his eyes, Leander even believed it.He held his hand up, tangling their fingers before he pulled Xi closer for a kiss.
Whatever life brought, they’d face it together.
Chapter Twenty Eight
“Are you ready?”Xiasked as he appeared in the door of their bedroom.
“No,” Leander said.He would never be ready for a family dinner, but since he had been cast in the role of daughter-in-law...or divorced and remarried daughter-in-law, he felt he had to.He smoothed his hands over his round-necked robes, blue silk with a phoenix embroidered along the sleeve on the side where the phoenix had marked him.Xi’s robes were silk and similar in cut, but the embroidery on his was a subtle vine on his hem.
Leander envied him for having a simpler style, but most of Leander’s clothing these days showed up with phoenix embroidery.He would save himself the curse of embellished clothing, only he still hadn’t figured out the trick of using magic to wash clothing, so servants had to take care of that detail, and Mother Huiling controlled the servants.
Xi stepped into their cramped bedroom.“We could claim illness.With the pill master gone, no one would waste a healing pill on a cold.”
“Mother Huiling might,” Leander said.Even when he’d still had a mother, he’d never had someone mother him to the extent Mother Huiling did.
Xi grinned.“She might.Heng said you’re her favorite son.”
That did not make Leander happy.“Eldest brother Zhiyuan should hold that spot, even if Mother Huiling is angry that Heng is pursuing the path of celestial immortality, and I still think it’s stupid to call it immortality when he won’t be technically immortal.”
“If he succeeds in cultivating that well, he’ll be close enough.I still have trouble believing how powerful Chinese magic is.”
“There are trade-offs for that power,” Leander said.He would rather have his power over plants than any pathway to eternal unaging.Or visiting higher dimensions.Or flying.Okay, Chinese magic had a few advantages.
“Dad!”Shanlin shouted as he ran into their apartment.“Grandmother Huiling made char siu pork!”He appeared at the door, his robe in disarray and leaves in his hair.
