Silence stretched between them, allowing the ghosts of Xue’s screams to echo in his mind. Desperately struggling to refill his lungs, he forced himself to block them out. They faded into the background, but they were there.
Even after twenty-five years, they were still there. They would always be there.
Cong barely registered when Tara got up and sat next to him, but when her knee touched him, it was a reminder that he wasn’t in the past. “Did she die?” Tara asked, her voice laced with sorrow for a woman she had never met.
Shaking his head, Cong leaned back and closed his eyes, trying not to choke on the words. “No. They found her later. The current had washed her up on the banks further down. She was breathing, although barely.”
Tara placed a hand on his knee. “What about you?”
In the darkness of his closed eyes, Cong let out a long sigh. “I clung to the tree for what seemed liked hours, but eventually my hands got tired, and I fell back into the water. Later, I found myself washed up not far from where Xue lay.”
“What happened next?”
Cong blew out a steadying breath and ran one hand through his short jet-black hair but kept his eyes shut. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t want Tara to see his eyes fill with tears. “Xue’s family found us, and we were rushed to the local hospital about twenty miles away. I woke up later that night. My grandmother had fallen asleep in a chair by my bed, and the moment I woke, so did she. She told me how we had been found and rushed to the hospital.”
“Did you suffer any injuries?”
Cong shook his head and finally opened his eyes. “Not really. Scratches and bruises mostly. My throat and lungs hurt, and my entire body was exhausted, but ultimately, I was fine. They kept me in the hospital for a few days to make sure nothing was serious, then let me go home.”
“And Xue?”
Cong knew what she was going to say, but still, Tara’s words hit him full force like a slap in the face, forcing him back to reality. “Xue was another story. Somewhere between the tree and where she had washed up, her body struck a rock. When she woke up the next day, they found she had fractured several vertebrae. She was paralysed from the waist down. She hasn’t walked since.”
A knot formed in Cong’s throat as those words flooded back to him, how his grandmother had looked as she told him. After that, it was a blur of screaming and crying and denial. He could still remember rushing to Xue’s bed, shaking her, demanding she get up and walk and prove everyone wrong. How the doctor had grabbed him from behind and dragged him away as he screamed, tears pouring down his cheeks, commanding her to sit up.
But she never did.
“I’m so sorry, Cong,” Tara told him in a breathless whisper. “What a terrible thing for you both to go through. And at such a young age, too.”
Cong wiped the single hot tear that slid over the edge of his eye before it could roll down his cheek. A muscle flexed in his jawline, and he gulped in a shaky breath. “It was worse for Xue. She loved to run and then she couldn’t even walk. All because of me,” he whispered, the sadness thick in his words.
Tara’s mouth dropped open, and an incredulous look spread across her face. “It wasn’t because of you. It was an accident. A horrible one, yes, but it wasn’t your fault, Cong.”
“If I had just been able to get a better grip on that fucking tree, then I could have pulled her up. If I hadn’t kicked her in the chest, then she’d be OK,” Cong gritted out between clenched teeth, his fists balled together so hard he felt his knuckles turning white.
Tara reached up and placed a finger under his chin, forcing him to look at her. For a moment, he thought he would see nothing but condemnation in them, the way Xue’s parents had always looked at him since the accident, but there wasn’t. Only compassion and sympathy. “You don’t know that,” she told him in a firm tone. “Even if you had managed to get a better grip, it doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t have slipped out of your grasp and fell back into the water. And your kick was an accident, Cong. You didn’t do it on purpose. Xue was your friend.”
“But it still happened,” he whispered, a ghost of sad smile haunting his mouth. “Xue was never the same afterwards. She had always been the quiet one out of us, but after she got out of the hospital, she withdrew from the village. The only people she wanted to talk to were her family and me. But every time I went to her house, her mother hated it. She blamed me for what happened to her daughter, and I agreed with her.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Tara repeated firmly, taking his hand in hers and squeezing. “Did Xue blame you?”
Cong shook his head. “Never. Not once in all these years has she ever blamed me. Just said it was an accident and how we need to get on with our lives.”
Tara smiled. “Xue sounds like an incredible woman.”
Cong nodded. “She is amazing. She had countless surgeries on her spine as we grew up, each one to attempt to repair the damage, but nothing has ever helped. The medical bills were expensive but some of the hospitals helped to raise the funds. When we were fifteen, she told her mother she didn’t want any more surgeries. By that point, she’d had enough. After several arguments, her mother finally relented, and she didn’t have anymore. Not that they could afford to do it at that point. It costs thousands for major surgery, and they had nothing to spare.”
Cong met her gaze, his eyes hard. “It was at that point I vowed I would do everything I could to make sure Xue and her family would never go without ever again. I started researching where the best place would be to make money and finally settled on Macau. There was money to be made here, I knew it, big money. All I had to do was get here, and get my feet through the door. After I turned sixteen, I packed my stuff and wrote two letters – one for my grandparents, and the other for Xue. I told them both she was my responsibility, and I would make enough money to look after her for the rest of her life, or I’d die trying to.
“So, I hitch-hiked and rode the train down to Macau, and found a job in a small office. Lied about my age, of course, but no one cared as long as the work got done. I slowly worked my way up. Every month, I sent money back to my grandparents and Xue’s family. I saved every last yuan I could; I slept on the floors, ate the cheapest food I could find, and learned everything from everyone. By the time I was nineteen, I had started my own company. Within a year, I made my first million. I sent back nearly seventy percent of that to the village. But getting that money changed me, Tara. I had to become ruthless, so that I could look after Xue and the rest of the village. Nothing mattered apart from them. It has been the only thing guiding me. I swear I’ve never done anything illegal, but I won’t lie to you, I’ve done a few morally wrong things in the past. But whatever I set out to achieve, I did, and I didn’t care who got in my way.”
Tara met his eyes, but she didn’t look away in repulsion. Instead, he found nothing but understanding in her jade green eyes. She offered him a small but genuine smile and grasped his band. “You were trying to make things right by her, Cong.”
“I still am. Each month, I send back money to my family and hers. I pay for the best medical insurance in China, and anything extra I cover. A few years after I set up the company, I purchased a house near the hospital she attends in Guangzhou, but she refuses to move there permanently even though it would be better for her. She loves the village, and like my grandparents, hers would never leave.”
“So, what was the phone call about? Why did that upset you?” Tara asked.
A low sound emanated from deep within his throat. “Xue has been having some medical issues. There’s an infection in her spine and it’s getting worse. She needs more surgery, but the infection needs to be controlled first. I’m trying to get the best specialists to help her, but the reports say it doesn’t look good.”
The world tightened around him as the words poured out of his mouth; he didn’t want to admit the truth, but it had to be said. If the infection didn’t get under control, Xue was going to die, and it tore hi
s guts to shreds.
Tara wrapped her arms around him, and Cong rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing in her comforting scent. She was like a warm blanket on the coldest of days when the entire world was out to get you. “Cong,” she said, her breath hot against his neck. “I know you may not believe me, but I think you are the most honourable man I have ever met. You’ve done everything in your life to help your friend and her family after a terrible accident. One that you didn’t cause. You’ve dedicated your entire life to helping her. I bet that’s also why you wanted to sponsor that disabled children’s wing at the hospital. Am I right?”
“Yes,” he whispered into her hair. “I can’t help Xue, not really, but I wanted to make a difference for anyone else who needs it.”
Tara pulled back and locked gazes with him, brushing his hair from his eyes. “And you have, Cong. More than you realise. It’s what makes me crazy about you.”
Cong reached up and took her hand in his, planting a soft kiss on her palm. A flood of emotions threatened to rise and drown him in them. He threw away all caution. “Langzai¸ I know it’s been only a short time since we’ve met, but in these last few weeks, I have never felt this way about anyone else. Never in my life have I truly loved a woman. Not until I met you. You came into my world like a refreshing breeze, sweeping away everything that doesn’t truly matter. I love you, Tara. There will never be another woman in my life that will ever mean as much as you do. I know the situation with Ruomei didn’t look good, but I swear on everything in this world, I wasn’t going to sleep with her. I only want you. Will you stay and give us a chance?”
A gasp permeated the air. Green eyes met his, and Cong could see emotions flittering behind them as Tara opened her mouth. “What do you mean, stay?”
Slowly, Cong’s hands trailed up her arms, not noticing the cold drying cloth beneath his fingers, and cupped her delicate heart-shaped face between them. Her scent was flooding his senses, and he was sinking fast. “I want you to stay in Macau. Don’t go to Hong Kong. Stay here, with me. I don’t want you to go back to England. I need you here, Tara. Stay. To live in a world without you is not to live at all. I’ll be dead, even if I am still drawing breath.”
Tara inhaled deeply, and the silence stretched between them for what seemed like an eternity to him. “Promise me you’ll never lie, Cong. If you want me to stay, then you can’t hold anything back. Lies are the one thing I hate more than anything in this world. Even if a million women show up naked at your office, you must tell me. Honesty is worth more to me than flowers, dresses, or jewellery. It’s the one thing I won’t forgive.”
Cong brought his head closer to hers, their foreheads touching. “I promise,” he whispered, his voice wavering with anticipation.
“Then I’ll stay,” she breathed.
At her words, Cong’s mind raced and jumbled with thoughts that tumbled all over each other, but all he could focus on was the fact that she had agreed to stay. “My beautiful Tara, you don’t know how happy you have made me.”
When their lips were only a whisper apart, he could feel his whole body begin to tremble. Slowly, he leaned in and gently touched his mouth to hers, a slow caress of the lips, as the world melted away.
Epilogue
Tara stood on the balcony, watching the fireworks dance across the night sky. The brilliant vermillion, the gold and acid green sparks resembling flowers exploding at high speed. Never in her entire life had she imagined that she would be here now, oohing and ahhing along with the crowds below.
Spring Festival in Macau was turning out to be more magical than what she could ever imagine. Startled gasps rang from the streets below, and Tara felt a warmth blossom over her stomach at the sounds of the children squealing in delight as another explosion burst across the velvet darkness of the night sky.
Suddenly, a glass appeared in front of her. Smiling, Tara took it gratefully and turned towards that intoxicating scent of caramel and sea salt. A slow lingering warmth seeped through her entire body as he took his time studying her face, as though he wanted to etch the image of her features in his mind permanently.
“San nin fai lok,” he told her, raising his glass, and offering her a wide grin.
“Happy New Year,” Tara smiled, clinking her glass with his before taking a sip of the champagne. The bubbles felt like crystalline pearls on her tongue, bursting with acidulous flavours that stood out against a rich, velvety background of ripe fruit and exotic wood interwoven with the fragrance of white flowers. For some reason, every time she drank champagne, it reminded her of Cong.
Cong took her hand in his and drew her closer. “I love seeing you in that dress,” he whispered, his voice thick with adoration.
Tara couldn’t help but smile. She was wearing the gold dress he had surprised her with months ago; it was her favourite, too, and every time she wore it she felt beautiful, although it was now getting too cold to wear it without a jacket.
Resting her head against his shoulder, Tara stared up at the sky and sighed. “It’s so beautiful here. I don’t ever want to leave.”
Cong chuckled lightly and squeezed her side with his hand. “I was hoping you would say that.”
A mystified look fell over her features. “Why is that?”
Releasing her side, he set both their glasses down on the railing. Turning back to her, Cong reached inside his jacket. When Tara glanced down, she saw a small velvet box cradled in his palm. Slowly, he opened it, revealing the biggest diamond she had ever seen, encircled by shimmering jade. Heartbeat accelerating and gasping in surprise, she glanced up at Cong, her mouth open and her eyes prickling with tears.
Cong just continued to grin, but she could detect the hint of anxiousness around his eyes. “Tara, will you marry me?”
Without hesitation, Tara flung herself into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck. Bringing her lips to his, she kissed him passionately, tasting the salt from her tears as they trickled down her cheeks. Pulling back, they both laughed as he slipped the ring onto her finger.
“Why me? Out of everyone, why me?” she whispered.
Cong stared down at her, his eyes unable to hide the love he felt for her. Warm fingers brushed over her face. “There could never be anyone but you, Tara. You’ve intoxicated me.”
The End.
From the Author
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Books from L S Slayford
Silver Moon Series
Temptation of the Wolf: Book 1
Temptation of the Dhampir: Book 2
Temptation of the Moon: Book 3 (Coming soon)
Memories: A Journey of My Heart
Upcoming Releases:
War of Prayers
Temptation Unbound
Hong Kong Dreams
Succubus Dreams
Read on to read the first chapter of my paranormal romance Temptation of the Wolf in the Silver Moon Series (Book One)
Chapter One
The heat weighed down upon Luna’s shoulders, almost as much as the situation she found herself in. The plane ride from Paris to Virginia had been fine, albeit boring, but once the plane had touched down at Dullas airport, the heat was just stifling.
Hurrying to the carousel to collect her luggage, Luna’s thoughts were still running at light speed. She couldn’t remember much of her short time in America before being sent to boarding school in France at six years old. Yes, she was American but in many ways Luna felt more European. Despite the circumstances that brought her back to her native country, it was going to be a strange and emotional experience for certain.
After clea
ring customs Luna came out to the arrivals hall. She cranked her head around searching for someone. Where was he?
“Looking for me, beautiful?”
Turning her head to the left, Luna saw the one person who could make her laugh out loud and throw her hands up in despair at the same time.
“Why are you always sneaking up on me?” Luna smiled. Michael hadn’t changed since the last time she saw him. His honey blonde hair was shining with a luminosity that even Luna’s stylist friend would envy, and his bright blue eyes were always warm and inviting.
“It gives me practice when I go out searching for hot girls to hang out with”, he winked cheekily.
Luna snorted. “Hang out? You? Don’t make me laugh. You never just ‘hang out’, you find girls to sleep with”.
“Can’t hide anything from you, can I?”
“No, not at all”, Luna laughed as she set her suitcases down. “Well, are you going to give your baby sister a hug or what?”
Chuckling softly, Michael took one step forward and embraced his sister. She wasn’t that much smaller than he was and Luna always found it comforting when he hugged her like this. They were separated by an entire ocean, a different time zone, and even lifestyles, but at the end of the day Michael was her family and things always felt right with family.
Michael pulled away and picked up her suitcases. “Come on, let’s get out of here. Don’t know if you remember but we’ve got an hour’s drive to go until we reach home”.
Luna suppressed a sigh. “No, I don’t really remember much before I was shipped overseas”.
Intoxication Page 15
