“I am not...” she said again, her mind replaying what she had done and said. What had she done? He had felt so wonderful, and she had been swept away on her own fantasy.
“I am sorry, my sweet, but we have to go. The doctor will be here soon.”
Ji Yue pulled her legs together and curled her feet beneath her. What had they done? He finished dressing, then he dropped to his knees before her. He held her hands and gazed into her face. She focused on him. She saw the dark center of his eyes and the loving curves of his cheeks. Even the length of his nose was beautiful.
“Listen to me please. I have made reservations for us. There is a boat that will take us away at first light, but we cannot be caught here. Not now...” He glanced ruefully at the blood-stained cloth on the pallet. “I was so afraid for you, Ji Yue. I did not think and then you were here, so willing in my arms. This was not smartly done, but...” He shrugged. “It is done. We must leave.”
“I am no longer a virgin!” she gasped. “I have shamed myself and my family!”
He stilled. She did not think he even breathed. She didn’t care. She was still reeling from what she only now began to understand.
“You planned this! You have us running away from here! You planned all of this! Even those other men?”
His eyes widened in shock. “Never!”
Of course not. She knew that. Damn, her head was thick. She couldn’t think clearly. “You have a boat?”
He nodded. “This is not how I wanted it. I thought to talk to you.” He frowned. “We did talk! You chose me!”
“I did,” she whispered. “I want you. I love you! But...” A tear fell on her hand, and she realized that she was crying. “My mother will commit suicide in shame!”
His face was pale, his jaw tense. “Ji Yue...” he began, but there were no words. Not now with her heart pounding and her mind reeling.
Then there was a clump outside. Bo Tao could do no more than stand before the door was pushed open and the women’s doctor stomped inside. Her gait was weary, and her shoulders sagged, but her gaze was sharp as she looked from Bo Tao to Ji Yue and then to the wadded, bloody cloth. With a grimace, she spun and pushed the door shut. When she turned back to Bo Tao, her mouth was pressed into a thin tight line.
“It was not her fault,” he said.
The doctor rolled her eyes. “In China, it is always the woman’s fault. And now she will be killed.”
