by Blue Saffire
I was already completely taken with him. It is more than just finding a handsome man attractive. I’ve tried to make sense of my feelings for Wei. They’re so intense that they seem unreal. Then seeing him with the boys just makes me want him more. Too bad I messed it all up.
I don’t know what happened that night two weeks ago. One minute I was having the most intense orgasms I have ever had. Then the next thing I knew, that voice in the back of my head—that sounded a lot like Tasha—told me that I was doing it again.
I was allowing a man to use my body just to feel connected to him. In the end, he will prove to be no different from the others. And I will be left feeling like I always do, like trash.
However, this time had the added bonus of that deep emotional connection I have with Wei. All those thoughts added up and erupted out of me in ugly tears. Since then, Wei has kept his distance.
“Mr. Wei, can we come back next week too?” Mason asks.
Wei smiles before glancing at me. “If Brianna brings you, you may come.”
“Will you bring us, Bri?” Kyro pleads.
“Of course.”
“Yes!” Kyro cheers. “When Bri finally adopts us, we’ll be able to be here all the time,” he explains to Tyrie who’s busy doing backstrokes in the pool.
I hop out of the pool, grabbing my towel off the two-person size lounge chair. I dry off before wrapping myself in the towel. Wei isn’t swimming with us today.
He’s standing just far enough from the poolside to watch but not get wet. He has a glass of scotch in one hand and the other is stuffed in his pocket. He’s in his favorite attire again, the loose linen pants, sandals, and a simple short sleeved fitted T-shirt, and those gold cuffs that he never goes anywhere without.
“Hey,” I announce as I approach him. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to say yes to them coming over. If they’re too much, you can say no.”
His monolid dark brown eyes watch me for a second before he speaks. “Do you enjoy spending time with them here?”
“Well, of course, but you don’t have to keep letting them come over.”
He nods. “If you are happy, then that is all that matters.” See these are the things he says that make me fall for him.
“Wei,” I whisper his name and reach out for him. He immediately shrugs away from me.
“Excuse me,” he says before walking out.
***
The boys and I swam for most of the day. Mrs. Chen made fried mashi for dinner along with a cold vegetable dish. The boys enjoy trying new food and Mrs. Chen loves to watch them eat her cooking.
Once I got the boys down for bed, I met Wei outside in his garden for our nightly walk. The garden that is absolutely identical to the one in my dream that night. Even the sky is the same.
“Can I ask you a question?” I say as we pass the third dragon statue.
Wei grins over at me. “You just did, didn’t you?”
I laugh. “No, I mean, can I ask you a different question?”
“Yes.” We’re walking side by side, close enough that I can feel the heat coming off his body and smell that unique scent of his, but not touching.
“Why do you have such a fascination with dragons?”
Wei laughs, the sound doing funny things to my belly. “Why do you think I have a fascination with dragons?”
“Are you serious?” I laugh. “You have a giant tattoo of a dragon on your back. The windows in your office are all of dragons, and I’ve seen at least three dragon statues in your house, plus the three I just walked past.”
He chuckles. “You are right.” He steers me toward a bench under a tree and I sit. “I have a thing for dragons.” He sits beside me. “Did you know my name means mighty dragon?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, in fact I am named after a well-known dragon warrior. Would you like to hear his story?”
I nod. I love the time I spend with Wei. He’s so well versed on ancient Chinese culture. He knows it so well it’s like he lived it. Anytime he offers to tell me a story I always listen.
“Dragons where I am from were not like the creatures you know.”
“You mean to tell me they weren’t taking virgins and locking them in towers?” I laugh at the disgusted face he makes.
“Gods no. Dragons weren’t something people feared. They were leaders, saviors, and often time’s councilors. Longwei was all of these things, but he was also very powerful. He spent his time protecting and watching over the humans.”
“Seems like a boring job.”
“It had its days.” He teases. “Dragons found humans interesting. They were tiny creatures with these very short lives that they could barely maintain. The only thing that they did seem to have right was love.”
I want to tell Wei that sometimes people are crappy at that too, but I don’t ruin the story. “Could dragons not love?”
“No, it was not a known concept to them. They were capable of breeding and protecting their young, but even that was more nature than nurture. This is why Longwei found the human’s so interesting. He envied their love.”
Dang, me and this dragon have a lot in common. “So, what happened to him?”
“One day while out flying over the land, Longwei spotted a beautiful maiden in the fields. Just one look at her, he became fascinated with her beauty. He took human form just so he could woo her.
“However, he had no idea that she was already being courted by a young human male. The young man was in love with the maiden and had been since they were both children. The maiden, now finding herself the interest of two men, could not decide whom she would choose.”
“Wasn’t she in love with the human boy? Why wouldn’t she just choose him?”
He smiles, seemingly impressed by my question.
“She was, but Longwei had things the young man did not.”
“Money,” I say, rolling my eyes. This is pretty typical.
Wei laughs. “Yes, money and prestige. Since the maiden could not choose whom to marry, Longwei opted to buy her love.”
“Bad idea, Longwei.”
He nods agreeing. “Longwei gave the maiden a pearl from the deepest sea, silks from the rarest worm, and one scale from the mighty dragon warrior’s back.”
“Sneaky. I really hope the maiden was worth all the trouble.”
Wei shrugs. “I doubt it.”
I chuckle. “So, she chose Longwei, right?”
“Yes, she chose him. The next morning, Longwei and the maiden were married.”
“And the young man?”
“Discovered the two were married and flung himself off of a waterfall.” Gasping, I cover my mouth with my hands.
Wei continues on. “The tale doesn’t stop there. The young man was the nephew of a man named Renshu, who practiced dark arts. When Renshu discovered his nephew’s death he was furious. He placed a curse on Longwei and the maiden.”
“What was the curse?” I’m so caught up in this story, I’m sitting on the edge of the bench.
“For the maiden, he doomed her for an eternity of unrequited love. Every lifetime she lives, she will fall in love, but the love will never be returned. She is to forever relive the young man’s burden.
“And Longwei, well he got the worst of it. Renshu bound his powers and trapped him in a statue, just like the one in my office. He bound him to a life of servitude for the love he so desperately wanted.
“Because Longwei gave the maiden three gifts to win her over, he would forever have to offer his mate the same option. Every few years, a new mate is chosen. She will release Longwei from his statue and he has a limited time to make her fall in love with him while he grants her three wishes. On the third wish, he has to present her with his love or her wish. If she accepts the wish over him, he is forced back into his statue after granting her wish with nothing but a broken heart.”
“Has anyone ever chosen him?”
A look crosses Wei’s eyes. If I didn’t know any better, I wo
uld think it was sadness or maybe even loneliness.
“No, they have not. He has been sent back to his statue every time. However, the next time he is sent back to his tomb, he will remain there.”
“Whoa,” I say after letting the story sink in. “I feel so sorry for Longwei. All he wanted was to know love.” I shake my head. “No offense, but I don’t think I like that story. Everyone knows that stories should end in a happily ever after.”
He shrugs. “Maybe one day it will.” He winks at me and it has the same effect as it always does.
It’s then that I feel the first fat rain drop fall onto my face.
“Did you feel that?” I ask and look up at the sky. Drop after drop of rain falls down, then the sky opens up. I squeal. “Oh no.”
Wei grabs my hand and we both laugh as we try to make it to the Gazebo—which is a lot closer than the house—to get out of the rain.
“I’m drenched,” I say stepping under the cover of the shelter. The rain has my scrubs sticking to me, the dampness sending chills over my body.
“Come here. I will warm you up.”
I step into his open arms allowing his body heat and the feeling my body gets when I’m with him to knock the chill off. I bury my face in his chest. He always smells so good, like fresh air, man, and a little like campfire. He runs his hands up and down my arms and I warm instantly.
“You’re always so warm,” I admit.
His body vibrates as he chuckles. “At least I have one good use.”
I place my chin on his chest and look up in his face. My arms wrap around his back. “You have many uses.”
My breath catches in my throat at the way he stares down at me. That heat and need dancing in his eyes. Restraint is there too.
I imagine it’s because of what happened last time. I don’t blame him. I would be hesitant too.
Especially since I still haven’t managed to figure out how I feel about him—or rather how I should allow myself to feel about him. I have no idea why I’m so drawn to him or why being with him is so intense. However, I do know that right now I want to kiss him.
I want to feel that euphoric feeling I felt that night a few weeks ago. I lean up on my tiptoes closing the gap between his lips and mine. Right as my lips are close enough to brush his, Wei lets me go and steps away.
“We should get back. I don’t want you to get sick.”
He turns his back to me, stepping out into the rain and walks back to the house.
I’m hurt. You would think I would have learned my lesson from earlier when I tried to touch him, but I guess I didn’t. Wei is done with me.
It’s finally safe to say I don’t need to worry about my feelings for him, because he has made his feelings for me clear. I should be used to this. I gave him my body, not fully but close enough, and now he’s moved on.
“Because nobody will ever love you.” Tasha’s voice again. I’m reminded of Wei’s story. I understood Longwei’s desire to want to experience love. It’s all I’ve ever wanted too.
Once we make it back into the house, I dry my hair and change into my extra pair of dry scrubs. Then I check in on the boys. Mason is on the top bunk fast asleep, while Tyrie and Kyro are together on the bottom. I’ve watched these boys sleep for many years.
Often times getting little sleep myself because I needed to stay awake and watch over them. Never have they slept so peacefully. After the rough life we’ve all had, you tend to forget that they’re children.
Growing up in foster care with Tasha has stripped them of some of that youthfulness. Even Tyrie lacks that youthful glow that kids with his condition seem to have. Today, Wei has made them feel safe and secure.
“Are they all right?” his deep voice comes from behind me in the doorway. I glance over my shoulder and see that he has changed clothes. He’s in another pair of those loose pants he likes but no shirt.
“Yeah, they’re fine,” I say backing out of the room and closing the door. We walk together toward the borrowed room I have here whenever I work. “Thank you again for allowing them to come over. They don’t get many chances to play and just be kids.”
He nods his head.
“What did Kyro mean about you adopting them?”
I sigh, leave it to Kyro to get things mixed up.
“Remember I told you that I didn’t have any good memories of my foster mother?
He nods.
“Well, let’s just say, Tasha is big on tough love. Maybe more heavy on the tough than the love. She looks at fostering as a second income. She doesn’t really care about the kids, just the money and the benefits.”
“Has she ever hurt you or the boys?”
I laugh, but it’s humorless. “Often.”
Wei stiffens at my admittance, but I push forward. Other than the boys, he will be the first person I’ve told about my life in foster care. I never even told Scott.
“I used to be able to protect them. To offer them at least a little bit of safety. But I aged out of the system.
“Now I can only see them when she allows. I know the things I went through in that house, and thankfully they will never experience all that I did, but anytime they hurt, I feel like a failure. I took this job because I need a sufficient amount of income in order to gain custody of the boys. It’s just one thing on my checklist. I still have to get a place for them to live.”
I don’t realize I’m crying until Wei brushes a tear off my face. We are stopped in front of the door to my bedroom.
“Sounds like you could use a wish,” he says sadly.
I snort. “Wishes are for fairy tales. I live in reality.”
He steps closer to me, swallowing up the space that’s between us. “I want to offer you the world. Give you anything you want.” He stares down at me with those intense hooded eyes. “For the first time, I actually want you to ask.” The last part is said in a whisper, like he’s having the discussion with himself.
Wei wants me to ask him to solve my problem. I’m sure he has enough money to buy me out of this bind, but I don’t want a hand out. I don’t want him to feel obligated to help me. Right now, I want the one thing I know he can give me.
“Just kiss me,” I demand.
His eyes flash, for a brief second I think I see red. When I blink those dark browns are staring back at me. He places his lips to mine and once again that overwhelming feeling takes me over.
My body is falling and tingling, and I can’t seem to slow my heart down. It consumes me a lot faster this time, but instead of getting caught up in it and crying, I allow the feel of his long hair clutched in my hands to ground me. The warmth of his body and the thump of his heartbeat pressed so close to me also helps to soothe me and remind me that this is where I should be.
His tongue dances over mine. His kiss is just as possessive, just as dominating, as the first one we shared. I don’t remember opening the door or walking into the room, but the next thing I know, the soft plushness of the mattress is at my back. It seems when I’m with him, time disappears. Just like it did that night at the pool.
My legs widen and Wei fits snugly between them. Even though he’s a big guy, I barely feel his weight on top of me. He has one hand pressed to the bed holding him up while the other runs over my ribs underneath my scrubs. He pushes his hips forward and rocks into my center causing my already tingling body to erupt.
We both moan and then he pulls away from my lips to rest his forehead to mine, his towering height making him have to hunch slightly to accomplish this.
“This is your chance, Brianna. If you want me to stop, you must make it known now. I’m battling my urge to claim you.” His voice is raspy and his body tremors on top of mine.
I bite my lip, that intense feeling hits me again. Deep down, I know this is a big step. My issues with mixing love and sex are screaming warning bells. Even Tasha’s voice is in my head loud and clear reminding me that just because I give him my body, doesn’t mean he cares for me. And with the intense way I feel about him a
lready, that I need to pull back.
However, when he looks at me, the way he is now, I feel as if I’m meant to be his. So even if this will end just as badly as all the others, I want to take that risk with him. I want to live in this moment.
“Don’t stop,” I purr. “Take all of me.”
Something snaps behind his gaze. His lips seal to mine in a kiss that snatches my soul from my body. The way he kisses me, it’s like an animalistic need is released inside of him. The sound of my scrubs top ripping alerts me only seconds before the cool air brushes my heated skin.
Wei releases my lips only to press hot kisses on my jaw, down to my neck, before placing a kiss at the center of my chest. My bra snaps in half and I don’t even care that it’s one of my good ones.
His hot mouth latches onto my nipple and my back arches off the bed. As he ravages one peaked breast, his hand wraps around the other one, tugging and squeezing the sensitive flesh.
“Wei, don’t stop. Please.”
He answers my whimper with a moan and a flick of that incredible tongue over my nipple. My fingers find themselves in his hair. I want him to take out the braid. I want to feel the silky strands in my hand.
He finally releases my breast and leans up on his knees between my legs. That blistering gaze frees my temptress from her shy cage. I sit up, bringing my body near his. He doesn’t move, just continues to watch me.
I slip my ruined bra and top off my shoulders, neither of them capable of being pulled over my head. Once I am free of the shredded clothing, I toss them to the side. Grabbing my breasts, one in each hand, I squeeze, just like he had done.
Wei growls, a deep vibrating sound that makes my body pool more of its essence. He backs off the bed, standing right at the edge on the side of the bed. Still staring in my eyes, he places his hands at the waist of my bottoms.
With a tug, I lift my hips slightly and he pulls down my pants and panties at the same time, slipping them off. I don’t remember slipping out of my tennis shoes, but I don’t have them on when he pulls my legs out of the pants and drops them to the floor. I place my knees together, that shyness trying to creep back over me.