Bride of the Moso Prince (18 page)

Nobul closed the door behind him.

“You ran fast.” He said, taking off his hat and placed it on the dressing table.

As he ran his fingers through his hair Sharon’s breath quicken.
”You followed me?”

“I escorted you from a distance.” His eyes flickered, “thought you might need help if you fell into the ditch.”

“That was very considerate of you,” her blood boiled at the smoky scent that he brought with him but she said coldly, wondering whether he had seen her stumble, “but I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

“Disappoint me?” He cupped her chin in his big hands, “indeed. Making love under the ditch can be exciting. The crickets chirp beside us, the toads jumping, and snakes crawling…You can moan as loud as you want, and it would be covered by the bullfrogs.”

He bent closer to her face, his lips brushed against her nose. Sharon felt melting away.

She struggled and tried to break away but he grabbed her by her wounded hand. She groaned with pain.

“What’s wrong?” He felt the roughness of her wound and took up her hand.

“What happened? You fell?” He looked worried.

“So you didn’t see it? What kind of escort was that?” She mocked.

“I saw you bending but didn’t think you fell. Dammit. How could anyone fall with such grace?”

She stopped herself from giggling. He looked at her skirt and saw the traces of mud. Unexpectedly he lifted her skirt. A big bruise on her right knee with tiny traces of blood.

“Heavens!” He exclaimed. “Does it hurt?”

“It’s not a big deal.” She said, feeling embarrassed.

He let go of her skirt and went out. When he returned, he was holding a basin of warm water and a towel in hand.

“Sit down,” he ordered.

Seeing no alternative, Sharon obeyed him and sat on the chair.

She was moved as he knelt in front of her in order to clean her hand with the damp towel. After than he pulled out a bottle of iodine and a cotton ball from the pocket of his jacket.

“It’s going to hurt a bit,” he said to her softly, sounding like a big nurse. She wanted to laugh but the contact of the iodine on her wound made her cringe instead.

He took up her hand again and softly blew air on it to soothe the burn. Then he repeated the process on her knee.

When he was done they heard the chattering of the tourists. Sharon jumped up from her chair and said softly, “The tourists are back.”

Nobul stood up, preventing her from moving away.

Lifting her chin, he said to her in a low and seductive voice, “I don’t give a damn to tourists.”

Once again made feverish by his hot breaths, it took Sharon a moment to think of a retort.

“I saw that.” She said, “and I wonder why you’re operating a hotel at all.”

“Only for nice guests, especially some beautiful, female tourist coming from abroad,” His voice was rasping, “someone who loves to swim in the lake and run in the fields.”

Sharon felt constricted. The sash was tight. Unconsciously she tugged at it.

“Let me help you.” He said as he pulled out the end of her sash.

“No.” she backed away, “I don’t need your help. I can manage it. Just leave me alone.” But he wouldn’t let go of the sash. “I will after I help you undo the sash.” She had no choice but turning slowly and nervously under his gaze. She hadn’t moved far when suddenly he pulled the sash and she fell into his arms.

“Let me go, you sly fox.” she struggled helplessly.

The corner of his mouth curled at her curse. “Calm down, you jumpy rabbit.” He said as he lifted
her
chin and bushed aside a strand of hair on her cheek.

Sharon felt her skin scorched by his fingers. She looked away in order not to go wild under  his hot gaze.

“Look at me.” He said coarsely.

             
She looked up unwillingly. The moment her eyes met his she burned by the fires in them. He bent towards her slowly, his breath warm and seductive.

She trembled as he covered his lips on hers. Oh no, not again, Sharon struggled and clamped her lips. She knew how delicious they wer
e and she knew once she tasted them
she
would want
more. But he teased
her
, first with his lips, then his tongue, and eventually his teeth.  His hot breath made its way to her cheeks and her ears, coaxing her… She put down her guard and let her lips open. Her tongue, which had a life of its own, met his eagerly. Instantly electric currents shot through her entire body.  She groaned at the overwhelming sensation, growing hungrier as his tongue dived deeper into her mouth. When he withdrew suddenly she was mad.

“I want to look at you.” He whispered, his eyes full of desire.

He ran his hands through her silky hair, picked up a strand and kissed it. Then, holding the back of her head, he kissed her eye lids, gently, moving down to her cheeks, her earlobes, and from there his lips traveled down to her throat. His hands cupped her breasts through the silk layer. Her nipples harden instantly as he rubbed them gently. Sharon trembled as he pinned her against the wall, framing her with his thighs, and reached for her buttons.

“Don’t!” Sharon pleaded.

“Why not?” He asked coarsely, “I want you, Snow. I want you the first time I saw you. I wanted to make love to you in the cave, in the lake, everywhere...”

She shivered at his coaxing words and did not resist as he fumbled with the intricate buttons over the collar.

“Damn these foolish old fashion knots.” He cursed, his fingers trembled, “I like your bathing suit better.”

            Sharon giggled and hoped half-heartedly that he would be discouraged. But he was determined. Moments later he won the battle and undid just enough buttons for him to flip open the front of the jacket. With an easy slip of hand he lifted her camisole and exposed her peach-like breasts. Sharon’s breath thickened in anticipation. As he bent and kissed the sensitive peak, she moaned. She felt the muscles of his thighs tightened as he pressed his lower body closely to hers. She felt his penis hardening and her body trembled at the imagination of its penetration. When his hand moved down to her inner thigh Sharon jerked. She wanted to say no, but instead her thighs parted and her pelvis tilted up. Nobul thrust his middle finger into the lacy panty and brushed her soft bush of hair, teasing her. Then he promptly reached the jewel hidden under layers of soft petals and made her moan and squirm. Sliding down, he groaned with pleasure as he encountered a well of feminine dew. Dipping his finger in that magic fluid, he rubbed the jeweled and watched his snowy princess on fire. He moaned too as he felt the heat of the flames in her eyes. Sharon wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. She needed to taste him, to feel him. He offered her his tongue, first in her mouth, then on her nipples, now glowing and burning, like tiny flower buds about to burst.

            “Come to me, prince!” She whispered in a thick voice.

            He stiffened at that seductive voice, and then kissed her. A hard, lingering kiss, a kiss that tried her patience and her sanity. And then, he let go of her.

Chapter 7

             
The tourists left early the next morning for Water Town, a sightseeing site on the opposite side of the lake. Sharon and Charlene had cereals for breakfast in Charlene’s room.  After that Sharon returned to her room to work on her project. The lake returned to its tranquility only after the last boat of tourists had left the shore.

             
By mid morning Shangari-la was absolutely quiet except the occasional quacking of geese and grunting of pigs. Even so, Sharon lifted her eyes frequently, from the notebook screen to the lake view through the glass door. Nobul’s boat hadn’t been in sight since early morning. He must have left for the island last night. That’s perfect, she thought, after what they had done last night, she was more afraid than ever to see him. She was angry at herself for so easily giving away to raw, physical attraction. Where was her dignity, and where was her brain? She was virtually virtue-less by Chinese standard. Letting a man touch her and arouse her like that, a man who she had known for only a few days, and worse, let him get away in the middle of the act like that, leaving her toss and turn all night in bed, imagining what would happen if he didn’t let go of her…

             
Feeling restless, she went to the balcony. She gazed far over the lake shimmering with gold, and her eyes fell on a particular green patch that she could easily identify as Empress Island. Her heart pounded at the thought of designing the museum. She’d been thinking about it and found it hard to resist. Perhaps she would come again in a few months. It surely could wait – couldn’t it? She thought wistfully.

             
Just then she heard an earth-shaking rumble of an engine and saw a helicopter hovering above the hotel, flying over the lake, and heading towards Empress Island. Moments later when it returned she heard the shouting of a boy nearby. It was Binma, held by his mother, waving to the sky.  Flying low, someone inside waved back. She felt at a loss when she realized that it was Nobul leaving for Lijiang for his business meeting. Covering her ears, her eyes followed the iron dragonfly vanishing into the distant sky. Binma had quieted down and was asking Namu questions about his uncle. “When will uncle come back?” he asked.

             
“In a couple of days.”

             
“When will he take us to the zoo again?”

             
“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him.”

             
Sharon dashed back to her desk and forced herself to work.  Then after two hours she realized that her flowchart just didn’t seem to flow, as she couldn’t think logically at all, she stopped and rubbed her temples. What was happening to her? If she could only concentrate she could finish her work by the end of the day. It was almost done. She shouldn’t let some mountain playboy to interfere her life. She shouldn’t let those hot lips and adept strokes to linger in her memory and stir her blood! She should definitely not give too much thought about an unsophisticated man who had spent most of his childhood catching fish and snakes, running barefoot in the mountains, digging potatoes in the fields… and become a self-made millionaire and a world famous artist over night. Well, not over night perhaps, and definitely without spilling sweats and blood…but it had nothing to do with her. Her business was to take Charlene out of here.  She slammed down the cover of her notebook with frustration
and walked to Charlene’s room.
             
“Charlene, darling,” she sank into the soft futon on the bamboo couch and started.
             

“Yes, Sharon dear?” Charlene was reading her interview notes and looked up unwillingly.

             
“Are you feeling better or worse?”

             
“Which one do you wish?”

             
“What a question! Of course I wish you better.”

             
“Then I am better.”

             
“Are you sure?”

             
“Yes. The dizzy spells are getting weaker and weaker. I didn’t even feel it this morning when I got up.”

             
“But you still don’t feel comfortable when you walked. And afraid of turning your head…” Sharon had been observing her sister over the days, and knew her symptoms well.

             
“You see? You don’t wish me better at all!” Charlene frowned and put the book down.

             
Sharon knew that gesture of her little sister well, and she got to the point quickly before they started to argue again.

             
“All right. To be honest with you, sister. I want to know whether you’ve decided to go home with me.”

             
“No, I’m not going to leave before August.” Charlene said without hesitation.

             
“You’ve been living here for ten months. What difference does two months make in your research?”

             
“A big difference! July and august are the busiest tourist season. I dislike tourists, but I’ll get to observe the impact tourism has on the villagers’ life.”

             
“Nothing good, I can tell you.” Sharon remembered what she had seen the day before.

             
“Maybe, but maybe not. I need to see it.”

             
Sharon sighed. “In that case, Charlene, there is no reason for me to stay. I should probably leave in a day or so.”

             
Charlene wasn’t happy to hear it. She said sulkily, “We haven’t been together for such a long time and you can’t even wait to leave.”

             
Sharon bit her lip. She wanted to stay with Charlene too. But she couldn’t imagine what would happen if she stayed even a day longer. “There is nothing for me to do. You’re being taken good care of.”