19. Bound by Desire
Chapter nineteen
Bound by Desire
Monique
Inside Lotus Blossom, a few staff members moved gracefully through the hall and living room, their careful hands tending to every corner. Some polished the wooden surfaces until they gleamed. Others arranged fresh flowers in delicate vases, ensuring each space held a touch of elegance.
The scent of citrus and jasmine wafted through the air, mingling with the hum of their soft conversations.
Meanwhile, Lei looked around taking it all in.
Now. . .we’re alone.
I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Ever since I declared that I would be his Mountain Mistress, a small part of me worried that I might have overstepped.
Was it too much?
Was Lei truly ready for this?
“Interesting.” Lei let go of my waist and his gaze swept over the surroundings.
The door shut behind us.
“The staff is preparing the house.” Lei looked at two members further down the hallway, polishing the floor. “No. They’re doing more than that. Hmmm. What are you plotting now, Father?”
I blinked.
Lei turned to the living room. “And. . .he’s changed everything. Even more interesting.”
Shock hit me. “He changed stuff?”
Lei nodded. “The furniture is new and different, which is perfect.”
I spotted the photo album in the living room. “Here’s the album. Let me show you—”
“Not now. I believe you about my mother and Mrs. KiKi. Even more, I was there for some of those moments. I remember them all too well. I just wish I knew that the woman I was escorting around with my mother, was the mother of my future Mountain Mistress.”
My heart warmed.
“I haven’t been here. . .in a long time. . .I just want to. . .see it with you.”
I whispered, “Okay.”
Silent, he guided us along the living room, then we left, and he led us toward the staircase.
That railing is really going to be difficult to get used to.
It was such an exquisite masterpiece that I had to look at it again as we approached.
The dragon’s head—fierce and majestic—crowned the railing. Its mouth was open in a silent roar, as if ready to breathe fire. The dragon’s body coiled and twisted. Its scales shimmered. Its eyes, inlaid with jewels, glinted with a life of their own.
I put my view back on Lei. “Why do you think it is perfect that Leo changed the furniture?”
“Because I wasn’t sure about how I felt with fucking you on furniture from my childhood.”
“Lei. . .” I smirked. “Who said that you were going to get to fuck me here? Because, I didn’t?”
Lei’s lips curled into a seductive smile, sending shivers down my spine.
“Hmmm.” He moved in closer, the heady aroma of his cologne enveloping me. “And who said I needed permission?”
“I did.”
“Moni. . .” His words dripped with desire. “You are all mine.”
My heart raced. “You still should ask.”
“Let me show you why I don’t need to.” Fast, he closed the tiny distance between us, until there was barely an inch of space.
It was always so disconcerting how quick he could move.
His breath slipped along my skin, warm and intoxicating, sending shivers down my spine. Our gazes locked, and in that instant, the house and staff ceased to exist.
It was just him and me, lost in a moment that felt both eternal and fleeting.
Lei raised his hand to my chin, and his touch was feather-light, yet it set my heart racing.
“Mountain Mistress in Training.” His fingers traced a path along my jaw, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake.
Time stood still.
He gently tilted my face up to his, and those eyes darkened with an intensity that took my breath away.
The air between us crackled.
The closeness, the heat, and the undeniable pull between us—it was overwhelming and all-consuming.
In that moment, I knew I was his, and he was mine, bound together by a love that defied reason and ignited every part of my soul.
Or was I losing my mind?
Was I just so caught up in him and the magic of the East?
Lust rode his voice. “How many times have I told you that this pussy is mine?”
“Saying it. . .doesn’t make it official,” I teased, but my voice trembled as he traced his finger along my jawline.
“I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you today. You were stunning in front of all those news cameras. Strong and smart. Compassionate and so fucking gorgeous.”
“I’m glad you didn’t get mad that I did the speech.”
“You were right to talk to them, and even more correct that I needed to say something too.”
Pride swelled in my chest. I shouldn’t have been so happy that he was pleased. The independent woman part of me wanted to resist the craving for his validation.
But still. . .I loved it.
A silly smile spread across my face as I savored every flavor of his delight.
“Moni. . .” His gaze grew intense. “You forced me to be a better Mountain Master today. In that small moment, you showed me that I should care more about my people and. . .truly consider my power over them.”
“You should.” I swallowed. “People died last night. More could die in the future if you aren’t more careful.”
“I promise to be more careful.” He tilted forward and brushed his lips against mine, igniting a fire within me that only he could tame.
Damn.
I took a step back, trying to regain some control over the situation.
There was still a lot more to get Lei to understand today. First, he had to free his aunts from the palace dungeon. Second, I needed to get him on board with tomorrow’s tea ceremony.
Focus, girl. Then, we can get some dick.
He closed the distance again, and put his fingers right back on my chin. “Why did you move?”
“Because we need to talk.”
“About what?”
“So. . .” I tried to sound stern. “There are things we have to take care of first.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, his hand came up to cup the side of my face, his thumb tracing the line of my cheekbone. “And what is that?”
I sighed, letting my gaze flicker down to his lips. They were full, and looked so inviting in that moment. . .But no. I had to stay focused. “Your aunts. . .they’re still locked away.”
Something stirred in Lei’s eyes at that statement, horniness or annoyance. Maybe, it was both. “You will be happy to hear that I decided to shorten their time.”
“Okay.”
“It will be twenty days, instead of thirty.”
I moved his hand from my face. “You mean zero days. Right?”
“No. I don’t.”
“Lei, they did nothing wrong—”
“Tell me this. How was I on the mountain?”
“What?”
“When we were on Mount Utopia, how was I when it came to you? A little possessive?”
“Not a little. You were insanely possessive.”
“And that was way before I pushed my cock inside of you. Right?”
“Yes, but—”
“You thought that after I got your pussy,” He leaned his head to the side. “That I was going to be calm when you were concerned?”
“I want you to let your aunts go.”
Sighing, he backed up and slowly crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “If I let my aunts go, we would need some clear rules first.”
“Rules?”
“Yes.”
“Fine, Lei. Let me hear your rules.”
“First, never leave the Palace without telling me.”
I blinked. “I didn’t even know I was leaving—”
“Exactly. Which brings us to rule number two, don’t go in the Palace’s secret tunnels without me.”
“Well. . .I already learned that rule from your aunts.”
“I bet you learned that while you were in the tunnels.”
“Maybe.”
He grinned.
“Rules or not, let them go. They were a big help today—”
“They were a big fucking problem.”
“I loved the ladies-in-waiting that your aunts chose.”
He frowned then nodded his head as if he were being forced to do so. “Fine. The ladies-in-waiting were an excellent pick. That’s why I took ten days off.”
“You’re going to take more than that off.”
“Am I?”
“Yes. Especially, if you think you’re getting any pussy today.”
He quirked his brows. “Oh, is that so?”
“Yes.”
Lowering his arms, he stepped closer, his eyes twinkling with mischief and something darker, something that made my heart pound in my chest. “You would deny my cock, in order to save my aunts?”
“Yes,” I tried to sound assertive, but my voice trembled with anticipation. “I also have other conditions.”
“Before we get to these other conditions, tell me something.”
“O-kay?”
“What does being pussy whipped mean?”
I blinked and tried not to laugh. “Lei, where are you going with this?”
He didn’t laugh with me. Instead, his face went neutral. “What are the signs?”
This was not the direction I expected our conversation to take.
I let out a long breath. “Did someone say you were pussy whipped?”
His eyes took on this dangerous, yet seductive glint. “Please, answer the question.”
“Alright. Fine. Being pussy whipped means that a man is submissive or yielding to a woman because of his sexual desire for her.”
“And the signs?”
“Well. . .I guess it’s. . .being overly eager to please her, prioritizing her happiness and desires above his own, doing whatever she says—”
“Do I act that way with you?”
“No. I would say you are overbearing, controlling, and pretty damn stubborn when it comes to me. The very opposite of being pussy whipped.”
He chuckled, and his hand found its way back to my face, cradling it tenderly as he looked deep into my eyes. “But then. . .why do I desperately want to submit to everything you want right now? Why do I feel. . .bound to you. . .by desire? By love? By passion. . .forever.”
His words hung in the air between us like an intimate secret.
“Because. . .” I smirked. “You’re finally realizing that I am smart and always right.”
“Aww. That’s what it is?”
“Yes.”
He slipped his fingers down to my neck. “I have another question.”
“Go ahead.”
“When we were in the car and you were going back and forth with Chen, did you want me to jump in?”
I blinked.
Somehow he caught me off guard yet again.
I swallowed. “No, I didn’t want you to jump in. I had it.”
“And if you ever think you don’t have control of the situation and need me to jump in, will you give me a signal?”
“What sort of signal?”
“Place your hand over your heart and look at me.” In that moment, Lei did just that. He moved his hand from my neck, slipped those fingers further down, and rested it over my pounding heart.
Next, he stared at me with so much intensity, I melted. “This is our signal.”
“And will you do the same, Lei?”
“I will.”
“You do that, and. . .I’ll come to the rescue. I may not know how to fight but—”
“You would always find a way to save me. You’re strong and smart.”
I blushed.
He kept his hand over my heart. “What you said in the car. . .those statements. . .they took us to a very different place.”
“What statements?”
“You promised to be my Mountain Mistress, represent the East, and do your best.”
“I did.”
“That puts you in a special position with me.”
I eyed him. “Tell me more.”
Lei moved his hand from me and pointed to the carved dragon hand railing. “When my father took you on his tour, did he tell you the story about the Dragon’s Three Wishes?”
Curious, I shook my head. “No, he didn’t. What’s the story?”
Lei smiled. “This dragon is based on that story. It’s a tale my mother used to tell me when I was little.”
“And how does that relate to your aunts being free.”
“Oh, it completely relates.”
I eyed him. “Then, tell me the story.”