Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1)

by Rachael Slate

  A string of muttered swear words spewed from his mouth. “Fuck, yesss. I’m going to come. Inside your mouth. Now. Take me, all of me.”

  Despite his order, she was the one in command. With one last twisting pull, she wrenched her mouth off him and murmured, “Now who’s cornered?” Bolting out of his reach, she dashed away.

  Leaving him to fulfill his orgasm alone.

  ***

  Holy hell. One minute, Sheng was on the edge of the most intense orgasm of his life. The next, he’d lost every ounce of command. A second before his body spasmed out of control, he stopped his cock from spurting his cum without his permission. The orgasm he couldn’t prevent. So, as he fell back on his strict discipline, he forced the jīng—sexual energy—inward instead of ejaculating. By holding back his semen, he ensured the jīng stayed inside his body.

  Lucy. He gritted his teeth as images of releasing inside her brought him to the edge over and over again, his orgasm rippling through his body. Her mouth had been a decadence he’d never indulged in. But, fuck. She’d left him to enjoy this pleasure alone.

  Tease. Yeah, that’s what she was. She’d aimed to teach him a lesson about not being as weak as everyone depicted her.

  Lesson learned.

  Time to switch roles. She’d pay for this, the almost uncontrolled release of his jīng.

  He grunted as his cock stopped twitching and stuffed his unsated hard-on back into his pants. He hadn’t nearly had enough of her.

  Yet.

  Lucy would never stop surprising him, would she? He’d deemed her submissive, innocent, obedient.

  Tonight, she’d shown him the precise opposite of these things. Her handling of him had been anything but virginal. Her expert mouth and hands dominated his flesh. Her teasing retreat was the last straw.

  She hadn’t obeyed a single fucking command he’d given her.

  Now, he’d worship her for it.

  Tiger roused as Sheng sniffed the night air, searching for her floral scent. He loved nothing more than a good chase, and catching Lucy would be a sweet reward, indeed.

  Because it was his turn to play Master.

  She was a virgin. He had more experience than her, regardless of the exquisite manner in which she’d pleasured him. Sheng couldn’t wait to hear his name cry from her lips. To make her body shudder in ecstasy, giving her orgasm after orgasm without mercy.

  She’d just declared war; he’d never lost a battle.

  Tiger caught her scent as Sheng prowled through the maze of statues and scattered jungle plants. The perfume of her scent permeated the air. She hadn’t gone far.

  She wanted to be caught.

  He grinned until he spotted a delicate strip of pink lace strung over one of the statues. He seized the fabric. The silken material glided through his fingers.

  Lucy. He growled low in his chest, bringing the lace to his nose as he inhaled the fragrance of her arousal clinging to the slip of fabric she’d worn between her thighs.

  Tease.

  His semi-erect cock jolted back to a full hard-on, pulsing with need. Tiger’s night vision pierced the darkness, seeking her slender frame.

  There.

  Perched on the waist-high ledge of an inactive fountain, she awaited him.

  He stalked forward, deliberation in his every step. He calculated what he’d do to her, step by step, to make her his.

  Starting with tonight.

  He’d brand her so thoroughly, she’d never entertain anything but complete submission in his arms.

  He detected the increased rise and fall of her perky breasts and the racing of her pulse as he approached.

  Her eyes dilated and she fixed those remarkable eyes on him, nibbling her lower lip. “Did you enjoy that?”

  Her sultry voice caressed his skin, prickling awareness into every inch of him.

  He leaned in, grasping her chin between his finger and thumb. “You taunted the Tiger. Wanna know what happens when you do that?”

  Her pink lips parted, releasing a sound between a moan and squeak.

  “It means I get to take what I want,” he purred. “And I want you, Lucy. As mine.”

  He dangled her lacy thong in front of her face. She reached to snatch it, but he stuffed the thong in his back pocket. “It’s mine now. As are you.” His focus lingered on her mouth before dropping to the swell of her breasts.

  A shuddering breath passed her lips. As succulent as her mouth was, he hadn’t come here to kiss her. He had a point to make and it was far past time for him to stake his claim on her.

  “Are you? Are you mine?” He raised a brow, searching her eyes for confirmation that she craved him as desperately as he desired her.

  “Y-yes.”

  Her breathy assent was the sole encouragement he required. He dipped his head forward and tugged one tight peak of her breast between his teeth.

  She moaned, her toes digging into the dirt between them.

  He slid his hand downward, massaging her ass before diving between her legs. “Wanted to touch you here, make you scream,” he rasped. “Ever since I heard you come in the infirmary.”

  Her bare flesh greeted his fingers, hot and feverish. Slick with her essence.

  Ready for him.

  “Y-you heard me?” Any other time, her question probably would’ve come out accusatory but, here and now, she whimpered the words with breathy desire.

  “Hell yeah, I did. Took care of myself, too, but I wish we’d done it together.” He wasted no time caressing his fingers along her clit, the little bud swollen.

  A need he’d soon fulfill.

  Rubbing her clit with his thumb, he spread his fingers over her sex, tracing the edges of her opening. As he delved with tauntingly deeper circles, she mewled, squeezed her eyes shut, and threw back her head.

  “Eyes on me, Lucy.” He caressed her cheek. “You’re going to watch. You’re going to watch while I fuck you with my fingers and take you with my hand. Then you’ll always know I had you first. That you are mine.”

  Her eyes flew open as she gasped, her pants accelerating. “No one’s ever…”

  “Exactly.” He flashed a grin before nuzzling her neck. “Shh. I won’t hurt you.” He slipped one finger inside her, easing into her tight, clenched sheath. Damn. When they finally did make love, it would be far more comfortable for her if they took care of her barrier now. Plus, technically, they were still taking things slowly, right? Yet after the failed joining of their spirit animals this afternoon, he couldn’t repress his desperate need to seize some form of connection with Lucy, some way they would belong to each other. “Say yes, Lucy.”

  “Yes,” she whimpered, one hand wrapped around the back of his head, the other braced against his shoulder.

  “Yes what?” He lifted a brow while he lowered his other hand beneath her skirt, increasing the pressure as he rubbed her clit. She was so wet, so shaky, she had to be close.

  “Yes, please, yes, Sheng. Ahh…” Her words rushed out. She bucked against his hand, rubbing to reach orgasm.

  Fuck that. He slid his finger out. He would time this perfectly, just as she had for him.

  Little tease.

  Sheng waited until her nails dug into his shoulder in a wordless plea, before increasing the pressure again. He eased his finger back inside her and his control almost left him as her pussy clamped around him.

  “Fuck, you’re wet. Tell me you want me.”

  “I want you, Sheng.” Not a whisper of uncertainty in her throaty moan.

  Good enough for him.

  His gaze didn’t leave hers as he slipped a second finger inside, brushing against the resistance with care and precision. He didn’t wish to hurt her. With his fingers of his left hand inside her, he used his right to coax her back to the brink of ecstasy.

  She writhed in his arms, and he drew her against him, her breaths hot on his neck.

  Her teeth grazed his skin between his neck and collarbone, and he encouraged her, “That’s it, baby, sink your teeth into me
.”

  A love bite from Lucy would be a fucking trophy he’d flaunt.

  He thrust his fingers in and out, gently building a rhythm. The second the first spasm rocked through her, he scissored his fingers apart, ripping her barrier.

  She cried out, the sharp points of her teeth piercing his neck like he’d instructed her.

  Her small body exploded in his arms, and he continued to work her hard until her pleasure-filled cries faded to simpers. The sounds died on her lips, and she clung to him. Even as he removed his hands from beneath her skirt and wrapped his arms around her body, she didn’t make an attempt to retreat.

  Guess he’d cornered her, after all.

  A grin tugged at his mouth. He’d given a plethora of orgasms, but no one had ever responded to him as Lucy had. He’d wager she’d never experienced such an intense orgasm. His chest swelled, full of male pride.

  At last, she understood.

  She was his.

  Lucy buried her face in Sheng’s neck, her mind reeling from the intensity of her climax. She wasn’t a novice in the orgasm department, but she’d never experienced anything as consuming as what she’d just done with him. Between her thighs, her sex pulsed from the aftershocks of her explosive release. Instead of feeling spent, energy hummed throughout her body. As if the sparks between them had just begun to ignite.

  And there was a whole world of fireworks waiting to be set off.

  If foreplay with Sheng was this good, she couldn’t imagine actual sex. How would she ever recover from that?

  Strong arms wrapped around her. He scooped her up and carried her out of the garden. She rested her cheek against his chest as he headed back inside and brought her to his room.

  He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before depositing her on the bed and slipping inside the adjoining bathroom to return with a cloth. He wiped the warm, damp cloth between her thighs. The tenderness in his gesture tugged at her heart.

  She was no longer a virgin. Sort of.

  His half-claiming of her left her mind twisting over what that meant. Him choosing to take her this way screamed one thing.

  Possession.

  This experience hadn’t been about sleeping with her. It was about staking his claim on her. About making sure she knew she was his.

  Wordlessly, he tossed the cloth aside and sank onto the bed beside her, dragging the covers over them both.

  She stilled, waiting for him to make the next move. He didn’t proposition her with sex. Instead, he stretched on his side, hauling her back against his front, and nuzzled her neck.

  “Good night, Lucy,” he droned.

  Good night? She bit her tongue against demanding what he was doing. It was clear enough. While she might have expected sex, he had no intention of seducing her further tonight. Granted, she was a little sore and, with Sheng’s large, toasty body enveloping her, sleep beckoned her. Heart full of warm, fuzzy emotions, she snuggled in.

  His chest rumbled as he draped his leg over hers. Another gesture of control. She swallowed hard. She hadn’t taught him anything tonight. He’d accepted her pleasuring him and one-upped her by flaunting his mastery over her body.

  A mastery she just might consider surrendering to.

  ***

  Lucy tugged open her eyes and yawned. Bright sunlight streamed across her face, making her wince. “Uhn.” She smacked her hand across her eyes and groaned.

  “Lucy?” A deep male voice called, followed by heavy footsteps pounding toward her.

  Her temples pounded back.

  “Ack, quiet.” She cradled her head in her hands until the throbbing ceased.

  “Lucy.” The man called again. No, not man. Sheng.

  He claimed me last night. Her heart sputtered inside her chest.

  A furious blinking cleared her vision. Sheng frowned at her, concern etched into his handsome face.

  Huh?

  He rushed to her side, but paused a foot from her, a wariness in his stance while his dark gaze passed over her. “Are you all right?” As he posed the question, hesitation coated his tone.

  Did he have misgivings? She swallowed the stab of hurt in her chest. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d changed his mind about her.

  “Lucy?” He knelt beside the bed. Reaching toward her, he halted, but his hand surged forward to stroke her hair back from her forehead.

  “I’m fine.” Fighting to keep her voice from trembling, she shrugged off his hand. Why was he peering at her so strangely? Had she pressured him to do something he regretted?

  Damn him. He was as responsible as she for everything they’d done together. She flipped onto her stomach, unwilling to discuss it further. Rejection was bad enough when she was fully conscious.

  She blinked and focused on the sheets. White? Sheng’s were dark blue.

  Odd.

  She sniffed and inhaled jasmine. Strange, these sheets smelled like the ones in her apartment.

  She sat up. My. Apartment.

  What a way to reject a girl. He hadn’t even planned to wake up next to her. Lowlife bastard. Her fingers gripped her sheets, clutching them to her chest. A flash of bright red caught her eye, and she glanced at her nails. She didn’t recall painting them, but they glistened a blood-red crimson.

  Weirder.

  “Easy, Lucy.” Sheng addressed her as one did a wild animal. Out of the two of them, he was far more feral…wasn’t he?

  Why did he stare at her as though she’d sprouted a second head? She hadn’t, had she? Her hands whipped up to probe her face. Everything seemed normal…except, as she combed her fingers through her hair, the long locks extended past her fingertips, shimmering.

  Streaks of red? Gold too?

  What the hell? Had he highlighted her hair?

  “What have you done to me?” Clutching the sheet, she shot from the bed, backing against the wall. The entire room spun, a chorus of vibrant colors, scents, sounds, movement.

  Sheng had done something to her. She was…changed.

  ***

  Fear sprouted wildly from Lucy’s widened eyes.

  At least, Sheng was pretty sure she was Lucy. Beneath the honeyed overtone of this new scent, she smelled the same.

  Yet, the creature before him had morphed into something else.

  Her eyes, normally a solid, impenetrable gold, were outlined with an emerald hue. Thin highlights of red and gold streaked her brown hair and even her skin glistened. By the way her nostrils flared, he guessed her senses were heightened as well. He slowed his rapid pulse while affecting a demeanor of calm. Whatever this was, they’d figure it out. Together.

  “Lucy.” He approached her again, hands held open before him. “It’s okay. I’m not sure what happened, but there must be a logical explanation, yeah?” He purred the words, letting the low hum of his voice soothe her.

  It worked. Her breathing evened and her heart rate slowed. She worried her bottom lip while regarding him, trepidation in her eyes.

  “I’ve got you.” Closing the distance between them, he hauled her against his chest and enclosed his arms around her. He stroked her hair, murmuring reassurances.

  Last night, she’d been in his arms, hot and writhing, yet now more than the acute spark of lust commanded him. The instinct to protect her overwhelmed every other impulse.

  Lucy had undergone some kind of transformation.

  “What happened to me?” The small pleading of her voice fisted around his heart.

  “I’m not sure, baby, but I brought you here so the others wouldn’t see.”

  “Wouldn’t see what?” She shoved back from his arms. As he shook his head, she stormed into the bathroom.

  Her sharp gasp hit him a few seconds later.

  He bolted into the bathroom, halting a foot from her. “You’ve been asleep for a long time. It’s the afternoon now. I was afraid waking you would interfere with,” he waved his hand at her, “whatever this process is.”

  She probed her cheek, staring at her reflection as though she viewed a s
tranger. “What am I?”

  He crossed his arms, debating how much to reveal to her. “When you accept your spirit animal, it’s not uncommon to experience a heightened state of awareness. Physical changes can follow. Like increased muscle mass…” He drifted off. Ox had gained at least fifty pounds of muscle the day he’d joined with Tiger. Monkey had always been spritely, but she went from scaling rock walls to skyscrapers in one day. Fang’s features sharpened; his speed and agility honed to a blade’s edge.

  This transformation in front of him was like nothing he’d witnessed. Had Lucy finally accepted her spirit?

  Taking in her new appearance, he didn’t perceive Rabbit, not entirely.

  “Why is my hair red?” Peering at herself, she tilted her head. She examined her locks before directing her arched brow at him. “You don’t look too worried. Do you think I’m okay?”

  Worried? Hell yes, I am.

  Revealing his concern to Lucy would make her more anxious. “I’ve seen transitions like this before. When I accepted the Tiger, my body changed as well.” Just not as dramatically.

  “Red? Rabbits don’t have red fur.” Her nose twitched, a tell-tale sign of the Rabbit that eased his concern…until he recalled the darkness he’d glimpsed inside Lucy.

  When he’d fingered her pussy and broke through her barrier, what if he’d unleashed this “other” as well? Fuck. Did that account for the bizarre makeover she’d undergone?

  Collecting himself, he tucked a lock of streaked hair behind her ear. “We’ll go to the Matchmaker. She’ll have answers for you.” His lips hovered near hers, and the longing to claim her mouth surged through him. Those now-crimson lips parted in invitation, but he cleared his throat, shoving aside his lust.

  “Clean up and, after, we’ll leave.” He placed a chaste kiss upon the top of her head instead.

  ***

  A visit to the Matchmaker? Apparently that was Sheng’s go-to answer for everything. Meanwhile, the woman in the mirror continued to stare back at her, the smirk in her eyes declaring she wouldn’t give up any answers about what had happened so easily.

  Lucy shook away her concerns. No one regarded her from the mirror except herself. Searching, she sensed Rabbit and coaxed the spirit forward. The animal held no trace of fear. Whatever was happening to her, the spirit accepted these changes.