Chapter 427: Stay
The blanket shifted beneath my knees as Zhenlan settled me more securely across his lap.
His hands stayed at my waist, a firm, steady pressure that held me there while I adjusted without putting pressure on my calf. Even now, with his breathing rough and his body hard beneath me, he still noticed which leg hurt. He was still attuned to my wants and needs and not just his own.
That should not have been all that attractive of a trait in a man.
Unfortunately, it was.
I slid my hand from his chest to his shoulder, feeling the muscle tighten under my palm. Zhenlan had always looked controlled, even when lightning covered his skin or half a street collapsed around him. Sitting this close made it easier to see how much effort went into that calm face.
His jaw tightened when my fingers moved along his neck. The wind passing through the clearing changed with him, lifting the loose ends of my hair and stirring the leaves around us.
I looked toward the plants. "You’re making them nosy."
Zhenlan followed my eyes. The baby vine had raised both heads again, while several larger leaves leaned over the edge of the clearing.
His wind pushed them back.
They returned immediately.
I laughed and pressed my forehead against his. "They don’t respect you."
"They listen when it matters."
"This matters," I purred, my voice dropping low.
"Not to them," he scoffed softly. His answer came against my mouth as he kissed me again, pulling my thoughts firmly back to him.
His hand moved up my side beneath my shirt, slow enough that I felt every inch of his palm. I shifted closer, and the swing behind us creaked when a gust of wind set it moving.
Zhenlan’s fingers spread across my back. He held me firmly, but there was still enough room for me to move away if I wanted.
I didn’t.
Instead, I traced the shape of his collarbone through his shirt, then hooked my fingers beneath the neckline. The fabric stretched enough for me to see the top of his chest.
There were older scars there that I had noticed before without studying. Thin white lines crossed beneath his collarbone, with one thicker mark disappearing under his shirt. I touched the edge of it.
Zhenlan went still.
I expected him to move my hand or explain where it came from. He only watched me while I followed the scar as far as the fabric allowed.
"You got this before?" I asked.
"Yes."
That was all he gave me, and it was enough. I leaned down and pressed my mouth against the part I could reach.
His hand closed around the back of my neck.
The wind hit the leaves hard enough to make the whole clearing rustle.
I smiled against his skin. Apparently, scars worked better than rolling my hips.
That was useful information.
When I lifted my head, Zhenlan looked less calm than before. His eyes had darkened, and his fingers stayed tangled in my hair as though he no longer trusted himself to let go.
I kissed him again before he could rebuild any of that control.
He answered by pulling me closer until there was no space between us.
My knees settled on either side of his legs. His hands slipped beneath the bottom of my tank top and spread across my back, hot against my skin. He watched my face as his fingers moved higher, learning which touches made me lean closer without asking me to explain any of it.
I kissed him again and put more of my weight against him.
His body hardened beneath mine.
The calm look he wore around everyone else cracked for a second, and I felt it in the way his hands grabbed my hips.
I liked that far too much.
I rolled against him once and watched his head fall back against the tree.
His fingers pressed into me hard enough that I would probably have marks later, but he didn’t move me again. He stayed there breathing through whatever I had just done while I looked at him.
"You did that on purpose," he said, his voice rough against the quiet garden.
I smiled, raised an eyebrow in challenge, and moved again.
That ended his attempt to behave.
Zhenlan pulled me down and kissed me hard enough that I had to catch his shoulders. One hand remained firm on my hip while the other moved up my back beneath my shirt. His mouth opened against mine, and the last of the lazy afternoon disappeared beneath the heat spreading through me.
I stopped caring about dinner.
His fingers reached the edge of my bra and paused.
He didn’t pull away or ask me to explain what I wanted. His hand simply stayed there while he watched me, giving me enough time to stop him.
I pushed closer.
Zhenlan’s hand moved beneath the fabric.
A small breath escaped me when his palm closed around my breast. His mouth left mine and travelled along my jaw, then down the side of my neck while his thumb moved slowly over sensitive skin.
My fingers tightened in his hair.
The sun had almost disappeared behind the trees, but the garden remained warm. Leaves gathered around the clearing, filling the spaces between the flowers until I could no longer see the path leading back to the house.
Zhenlan lifted my shirt higher, then stopped with the fabric gathered beneath my arms.
His breathing was heavier now, and there was nothing calm about the way he looked at me.
He glanced once toward the hidden path before bringing his eyes back to mine.
His hands stayed against my bare waist as he asked whether I wanted to stay here or go inside.
The bedroom was close. There was a proper mattress, fewer insects, and no baby vine trying to watch from beneath the edge of the blanket.
But I didn’t want to leave.
I wanted the tree, the swing, and the little piece of garden Zhenlan had made for me. My plants already surrounded the clearing, and the others knew better than to come looking.
I curled my fingers into his hair and pulled his mouth back toward mine.
"Stay."