Reining Him In (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 5)

by Rachael Slate

  ***

  Price was having a great time. Hanging with the fox spirits was a blast, as always. True, they’d offered him a tray of girlie drinks instead of the single malt he’d requested, but that was beside the point. The ladies laughed at his jokes, falling over him—literally. They copped a feel whenever the opportunity arose, stroking his abs, and groping lower.

  Strangely enough, though, he wasn’t aroused. He enjoyed their company, but he didn’t lust after them.

  A pair of copper eyes haunted his mind. Their owner was so far off-limits, it was a bloody joke. Of course, the one woman he’d desire would be one who didn’t want him.

  Not for anything more than a feeding.

  He’d gotten close a few times, to letting her see past the rumors of his infamy to the real him. After her rejection, he was fucking glad he hadn’t.

  No, dammit. He stirred his drink, toying with the pink umbrella. He wasn’t glad. Now, he craved Daji more than ever.

  He sniffed. This cocktail smelled as sweet as she did.

  No, wait. The scent was hers. He jerked his head up, scanning. Where was she? Horse scented her, somewhere. No, there.

  He caught the flutter of her green skirts as she glided through the doors inside the palace.

  Away from me. She’d come looking for him, hadn’t she? Damned if he didn’t learn why.

  He slammed his glass onto the side table, swooshing the fuzzy pink liquid across his hand. Swiping his tongue across it, he sampled the cocktail. Hmm, not bad. “Sorry, ladies. I have a meeting I can’t miss. Rain check?”

  “No, Price, stay.” Three of them tugged on his arms, and well, that wasn’t his arm.

  “Sorry, can’t.” He brushed them off and chased after the Queen. Catching a glimpse of her turning the corner, he called her name and sprinted to her side. “Daji.”

  Her parted lips and round eyes indicated she seemed surprised to see him. But those depths narrowed and hardened, her fingers tapping on her crossed arms.

  Was jealousy thinning her pursed lips since she’d caught him mingling with her ladies?

  He grinned, hoping it was, so he could set her straight. “Was there something you wanted to discuss?” Like wrapping your lips around my cock?

  “No, and it seems you’re…busy.” Anger flashed across her features, tightening them.

  “I’m always available to service my Queen.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Even as she rejected him, her tongue swiped across her lips.

  “Are you sure? Because you’re looking kind of hungry to me.” He pointedly jerked his chin at her mouth, his hand dipping to cup himself.

  Her dilated gaze followed, but she shook herself. “You needn’t suffer any obligation toward me, Price. If you wish to fraternize with my subjects, you are free to do so.” She spun on her heel and stormed from him.

  Whoa. She was pissed. Fuck him if he didn’t set her straight.

  “Daji, wait.” He caught up to her again, this time seizing her chin and leveling his stare with hers. “I was only hanging with them. There’s nothing, nothing, going on between us.”

  She wrenched her chin from his grasp. “I don’t care if there is.”

  “Yeah, but I think you do.” He narrowed his eyes in challenge, feathering the tips of his fingers across her collarbone. In this tight bodice, her breasts rose and fell with each expansion of her chest.

  “You are free to have as many females as you wish feast upon you. I’ve placed no restraints on our agreement.”

  Huh, she was going for the low blows. “Is that what you think of me? An unrestrained manwhore?” He snorted. “Well, of everyone, you should know, Daji. People rarely match their reputations. There might be more to me than what the rumors say. Not that you’d care to find out.”

  Shaking his head, he stepped aside and stomped through the corridor.

  “Wait, Price.” Her heels clacked, echoing toward him. She placed a gentle hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. When I saw you with them, I questioned everything, and I was jealous.”

  He angled to face her. Her tone was strained, as though pulling the admission hadn’t been easy.

  “You wouldn’t be the first.” He shrugged and brushed his hand against hers. “Let’s get one thing straight.” He drew her face to his. “My body’s been called a buffet plenty of times, but the only one I’m inviting to dinner is you.”

  Price’s mouth was hot and demanding on hers. Daji parted her lips and surrendered to the plundering of his velvety tongue. Gods, but the man knew how to kiss. How to melt every fiber of her being into submission. Her will stood no chance against this inferno that blazed whenever he was near.

  Were his words truth? They didn’t sound like a line he’d spoken to a thousand other women. Only to me.

  Had she misjudged him? Yes. From their first encounter, she’d let her assumptions dictate their relationship. Which was what, precisely?

  Keeping Price at a distance had been the best plan. Deeming him shallow had ensured she’d never break his heart. Now, they treaded dangerous water and, she feared, both of them would drown before ever attaining solid ground.

  His declarations made everything worse. She pressed against the hard planes of his chest, halting their kiss. “We shouldn’t pursue this.”

  He cocked one brow. “What, Daji?” His hand clasping hers, he drew her fingers to the enormous bulge thickening the front of his pants. “This?”

  That irrepressible grin widened as she gasped and fought between fondling him and wrenching her hand aside.

  As though he read the struggle in her mind, he slid her hand upward, along his carved abs and rested their entwined fingers on his chest. “I like being with you, and I think you like being with me, too. Can’t we leave it at that?”

  No promises of a future. Well, she could handle that. Slowly, she nodded. “I do like being with you.”

  “Ha. I knew it.” He winked, and another shield around her heart melted. Perhaps he was right. If these were to be her last days alive, she wished to truly live.

  Living was a feat he’d mastered. She would benefit from a few lessons.

  “Come with me.” At his questioning brow, it was her turn to wink, and drag him toward the back of the palace, to the area snuggled against an enormous cliff. Facing a smooth marble wall, she spread her fingers across the stone.

  “What’s that?” Price shuffled his feet beside her.

  “This is what royalty does when we have a moment to ourselves. Only the Queen is permitted here.” She cast him a sideways glance from beneath her lashes. “And her Consort.”

  “Fuck yeah.” He rubbed his hands together.

  The stone shimmered, the marble becoming as translucent as glass, and Daji stepped through. Bushes of mist wafted around, like low-lying clouds. Warm humidity coated the floral-scented air.

  Behind her, Price sniffed and sighed.

  Time to see how brave she could be in his presence. Daji pressed forward through the clouds, toward the misty waterfall that stretched a hundred feet high, breaking through the opening to reveal the pale blue sky. This underground cavern was a sacred place to her people, who suspected the goddess frequented these pools. Not true, but a fun rumor.

  “Wow, guess the monarchy does have its perks, eh?”

  She strolled forward, unfastening the shoulder tie of her dress. The silk fell from her body, pooling at her feet. “This is a sacred place,” she murmured over her shoulder. “Clothes are not permitted.”

  “My kind of paradise.” His wide, appreciative stare sent shivers sparking across her skin, despite the humid air.

  Price shrugged his shirt above his head, flung it aside, then unbuckled and tugged down his pants as though he couldn’t get nude fast enough. He tore the leather thong from his hair, releasing his inky, shoulder-length locks.

  Smiling, she waded into the heated pool of water.

  “Ah, nature’s hot tub.” Price treaded in behind her.

  “Sort of. The miner
als in these hot springs are rumored to cure ailments, to prolong youth.”

  “Even better.” He pressed against her back, his lips trailing a scorching path of desire along her neck. “Hot.”

  “The water?”

  “No, you.” Gripping her chin, he angled her mouth for a kiss. His tongue danced with hers once before he pulled back. “You are gorgeous, Daji.” His blue eyes pierced her. “Smart, kind, strong. I’m not sure how you could ever dream anyone would compare to you.”

  His words fluttered across her heart, marking tiny impressions no amount of dark magic could ever eradicate.

  She swept her hand along the side of his cheek. His inky locks fell across his eyes, his masculine beauty stealing her breath. “And you are magnificent.”

  “Well, that’s a given.” He dipped forward to capture her lips again, brushing his against hers in a leisurely rhythm, as though they had all the time in the world.

  Too bad it wasn’t true.

  Yet he didn’t know about her curse, about the evil that would soon wrench her from his grasp, no matter how hard he held her in his strong arms.

  Better this way. Only one of them should have this beautiful moment marred by the stains of the past, and the threat of the future.

  ***

  Price growled against Daji’s sweet mouth. Maybe it was this souped-up water, or that his body was never under his control around her, but he was going to die of agony if he didn’t get release soon.

  When she’d stripped in front of him, he’d deemed himself the luckiest bastard in the world. Holding her in his arms, kissing her like the universe didn’t exist beyond these boundaries, was heaven.

  Daji sharing this place with him was a gesture he’d not missed. She was opening her world to him, letting him in. Trusting him.

  Hopefully, he’d live up to her trust.

  He shifted back, her taste lingering in his mouth. “Hungry?” Damn, that was desperation in his voice. He longed to feed her, hell yeah. To have her honeyed lips on him, her moans filling his ears.

  The warm water lapped around his waist, doing nothing to mask his obvious arousal, and pooling around Daji’s succulent breasts, bobbing those orbs and daring him to squeeze one.

  She raised one brow. “I’m not sure. Have I earned it yet?”

  “Hmm?” He tore his admiration off her lush chest. “Earned what?”

  She closed the distance between their bodies, slick skin sliding together, and pressed her hands on his shoulders, rising to whisper in his ear, “Your shaft.”

  Fuuucckkk. Her sultry purr sent a jolt of painful pleasure straight through him. At her request, his erection shot thick and hard. A buzz pulsed through his brain, draining it of blood. Somehow, he should be the one in control of this, yet his body? Completely at her whims.

  If he wasn’t careful, he would get used to this. Being the boy toy of an omnipotent Queen.

  He spotted several low, flat rocks along the cave side of the pool, and jerked his chin toward them. Fingers linked, they treaded to the other end, and he hopped onto the smooth rock ledge. She waded in the water, and his cock met her face in a perfect stare down.

  The corner of her mouth turned up, a flash of her porcelain fang. His rebellious hips rolled forward.

  My doing or hers?

  Who cares? He crossed his arms behind his head and rested against the rock wall, enjoying the show. She was the embodiment of every fantasy he’d ever dreamed about. The wet strands of her hair plastered to her nude body, like playing peek-a-boo with her supple flesh.

  She’d never laid her hands on him yet, and as those silken, clawed fingertips skimmed along his thighs, he bit deep on the groan in his chest. Might as well smack him with an electrified crop, his body was jerking and twitching and pulsing.

  Need her.

  She paused, her warm breath fanning, rippling shivers across his damp skin, and tilted her head at his lap. Like she wasn’t sure where to begin.

  He debated letting her go at it versus giving her direction. After learning her story, he was aware of her limited experience, but Daji was nothing if not fiercely determined.

  After a few beats, he relented, undulating his hips in front of her face. “Just grab it, Daji. Do what your nature tells you.”

  “Oh, ok.” She snatched his cock like a cat catching a fly, her clawed fingertips curling into his dick and squeezing the life from it.

  “Argh!” He hissed, jerking backward and slapping his hands on his thighs.

  She released him, pursing her lips. “Was that wrong?”

  “No, just, a tad more gentle.” He eased down, chuckling. Daji liked to play rough. Good thing he did too. “Try again.”

  Those fine brows arched in focused resolution, strategizing against his hard-on like it was an enemy to conquer. Tentatively, she extended one finger forward, along his rigid length. He sucked in air, holding it in his lungs.

  She lifted those full lashes to him. “Like this?”

  It was all he could do to give a shaky nod. Her touch on him was like stepping inside after being out in a blizzard. His frozen skin warmed, melting to life, tiny sparks of awareness flaring through his muscles, painful and soothing at the same time.

  Bolder, she stroked him again, rougher, her claws tracing the outline. He was about to suggest she wrap her lovely mouth around him, but she trailed her tongue in a line following her claw.

  Holy crap. Watching was too much. He jerked his head back, cracking it against the stone, and gripped the rock on either side of him. His ballocks swelled, the urge to release his jīng into Daji beaded sweat on his forehead. Despite his intentions, he wouldn’t last long enough to provide her a thorough lesson.

  Well, if this was to be a short event, it’d better be one hell of a fireworks display. Digging deep, he gathered his jīng energy into a bundle of dynamite Daji would set off at any moment.

  Her silky tongue flicked across the slit, drawing out his slick essence. He groaned, the ache in his balls ready to explode. A little longer.

  She hadn’t even gotten him in her mouth yet.

  Fuck. The image was so not helping.

  Her hand fisted around him in a tight snare as she drew him to her mouth and suctioned those soft lips around him. He had to sneak one glimpse. Prying one eye open, he peered down.

  Her lashes fluttered, as though his width filling her mouth for the first time was a decadence she almost couldn’t handle.

  Her throaty moan vibrated into him, making him dig his nails into the stones to keep from coming. He conjured non-erotic images to his mind, but the view of Daji’s plump lips wrapped around him pretty much eradicated everything he pictured. Those lips eased back, suctioning him off and popping the head from her mouth. The glide of her velvety tongue evoked a glistening bead to burst forth. She flicked out her tongue and swiped it up, licking her lips as though savoring him.

  “Well, what’s your verdict?” Hell, his voice had gone husky.

  Mischief sparked in her eyes. “I want more.”

  “Baby, you can have it all.” He rolled his hips forward, inviting her to take everything he had.

  Her grasp around him tightened as she guided him into her mouth, stuffing him as deep as she could manage. Warm, wet, and tight. Just how he liked it. She sucked on him, those sharp fangs grazing the sides and plucking small stings along his length.

  “Sweetheart, you keep that up, and you’re going to get more than you bargained for.” Already, his balls were crammed full of cum, waiting to shoot into her.

  Slowly, she leaned back, licking him. “Is that a promise?”

  ***

  Daji’s sex was ablaze. Her entire core throbbed, clenching in hunger. A thirst Price quenched.

  How he reposed, offering his body to feast upon, made her blood ring with power. Here was a male who balanced being at her mercy with being very much in control.

  His responses to her exploration urged her to let go, to lose herself in this man. He was like none of the other love
rs she’d had. The connection they shared stirred fanciful longings within her.

  If only.

  Enough. She regarded his stiff shaft, presented for her approval, and focused on what she could have.

  Not what she couldn’t.

  Daji closed her lips around his thickness, moaning low in her throat at his dark spice filling her mouth.

  “Fuck, Daji.” His head thrashed back and forth. “I can’t.”

  She noted the swell of his ballocks, the jīng pounding through him, and slid him from her mouth. “Then don’t. Feed me, Price.”

  At her command, he grunted, his hips thrusting forward. She pounced, sheathing him between her lips. A thick, silky spray shot from the tip, overfilling her mouth and spilling from her lips.

  He had so much, his release seemed never-ending. Concentrating on his jīng, she converted his energy into her fuel, the blue mist evaporating around her until his length stopped pulsing and spurting forth his essence.

  Where his orgasm halted, hers had just begun. His warmth burned through her body, straight to her core, and undulated through her. Cresting waves of ecstasy vibrated down to her toes, his sex muffling her scream. She dug her claws into his thighs and held on, her body a slave to the ripples freezing her muscles.

  They released their fierce hold on her, and she collapsed with her head in his lap, her body a limp mess.

  His shaft glistened beside her face, wet and sated, yet as her breath fanned across him, it lengthened, thickening once more.

  His fingers stroked through her hair, spiking her blood with renewed desire.

  She shifted forward, parting her lips, ready for just one more taste.

  A sharp spike of pain jabbed into the back of her mind.

  No. Him.

  As though jerking her by the hair, a force wrenched her backward. Howling, she plunged into the water.

  Hello, Daji.

  A shudder crept along her spine.

  Steeling her will, she opened her eyes and squinted at the watery image of Dì Xīn. How in hell had he done this? He must be close to clawing through Dìyù, to have mustered such strength.

  Above, a splash echoed. Price. No, she required a moment longer, to face her enemy and determine his next move. Slicing her arms through the water, she swam deeper, toward the great evil being.