Spots of colour blush his cheeks. The tips of his ears redden. He gazes at the ground.
‘Lady Jing found me annoying as well, at the start.’
I smile, remembering the first time I met Tony. ‘You weresoannoying.’
His face falls and I feel his hurt like a punch to the stomach. I replay the conversation.Just you and him? Lady Jing found me annoying as well, at the start. Oh.Oh.
I gently lift his chin, raise his gaze to mine. ‘I liked you from the moment I snorted up a gob of snot to spit at Horseyand you laughed.’ I press my lips to his. His scent envelopes me and every worry fades away as his lips move against mine.
‘That was my first morning in yin Shanghai,’ he murmurs.
‘Mmm,’ I say, continuing to kiss him. When the tension in him lessens, I pull back to make some space between us, but keep my arms around his neck.
‘As for Paris... I was going to ask you if you’d come with me. Big Wang doesn’t want me to go alone, so I suggested you, Gigi and Ah Lang should come too.’
Tony’s expression clears. ‘Big Wang wants us to go with you?’
‘It’s either you three, or he’s sending me with the North Wind Division. I’m sorry, it’s probably not what you’d planned for your visit.’
He shakes his head, relaxed now. ‘Paris is one of my favourite cities. I’d love to show you around.’
We head to the table by the window. I move my chair beside his. His smile widens until two dimples twinkle in his cheeks.
From inside his jacket, he pulls out a thick envelope. ‘Here, my precious flower.’ He says the last in a teasing tone.
‘My letter!’ I snatch the envelope, gasping happily at the thick wad of pages inside. I rip it open and immediately start reading.
‘Hey, I’m right here. Don’t you want to read that later?’
‘But I want to find out what happened with that conniving Li Ren from your office! Did he ever get found out for taking credit for someone else’s report?’
He laughs. ‘I can tell you myself.’
‘It’s not the same.’ I can’t help the pout. His turn of phrase, the beauty of his calligraphy – there’s a bold strength to the elegant precision in each brushstroke – when I read his letters it’s as if he’s honouring me with a glimpse into his very soul. It’s an intimacy which isn’t the same when we’re talking.
‘So impatient,’ he says, amusement in his tone. ‘I have to go see Big Wang in a bit, so save it for then, okay? Tell me about your week? What happened that Lord Aengus needs to return so quickly?’
I groan. ‘We’ll need food and baijiu. It’s a long story.’
He tucks a wayward strand of my hair behind my ear before pulling me into his arms. ‘I have all the time in the world to listen to you.’
I breathe in his comforting scent and listening to the reassuring rhythm of his heart as it dances with mine.
Eight
Gossip Girl
Tony and I have just finished a basket of xiaolongbao when Gigi sweeps into the tearoom at the Lake Heart Pavilion.
He immediately stands, slams his fist into his palm and bows low. ‘Ten thousand years of good health to the noble Lady Gi.’
‘Hey, you forgotmyten thousand years of good health!’ I say, miffed at the immediate blessing he offers her and not me.
He smirks, gifting me a single dimple in his left cheek.
Bowing low, his voice goes sultry. ‘Ten thousand years of good health to my heart, Lady Jing.’ When he rises, the look he gives me makes my brain judder and I can no longer hear my thoughts.
Lady Gi laughs, a bright tinkling sound. ‘Your face, Jing. You’re bright red! Close your mouth before any flies land in there.’ She turns to Tony and bows demurely. ‘This one of the Celestial Realms arrives before Mr Lee unharmed.’ She collapses into one of the remaining two chairs at our table. ‘Oof, I’m starving. I love visiting the Celestial mountains, but no one makes xiaolongbao like Old Zao. Jing, what is this about Lord Yang? Big Wang sent a message to my father. He said there was some kind of emergency and Ah Lang and I should come home to help you?’
