Her knees remained on a plush mattress and yet warm night air now caressed the bare skin of her arms. The trilling of crickets calling into the darkness surrounded her. Leaves rustled softly overhead. Bai Qian knew where she was without even looking… the heart of the peach tree forest. Ye Hua had brought them there, bed and all. 

The leaves above rustled again, in a different cadence this time. The ancient trees were greeting and welcoming her and Ye Hua; their magic filled the grove.  

Ye Hua’s gaze met and captured hers when Bai Qian opened her eyes. His hungry expression sent pleasant shivers running along her nerves. Her hands which had gripped his shoulders when they left Kunlun Temple loosened their hold and, almost without thought, Bai Qian trailed her finger tips down the hard planes of Ye Hua’s chest, exploring the feel of his lean muscles. They tensed at her touch. She stopped before reaching the ridges of his firm abdomen, unsure if she was doing something wrong.

He leaned forward and Ye Hua’s mouth brushed hers in a light kiss. Large hands caressed her back in encouraging strokes, their heat warming her skin beneath the silk of her nightdress. He pulled back to meet her eyes again. 

“Don’t stop,” he murmured. “You may touch me anywhere, Qian Qian. It feels good.”

Bai Qian nodded, blushing at his words, but still she hesitated. Nervousness skittered through her. She didn’t want to do anything wrong and disappoint him. “I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do,” she whispered. “I’ve never done… this before.”

“I’ll guide you. Explore all you want.” He kissed her gently, his tongue teasing hers when she opened for him. orHe trailed his lips along the line of her jaw. Bai Qian’s eyes slid closed as a riot of sensations rushed through her. His breath caressed her ear before his lips brushed against it as he spoke again. “Just enjoy yourself, Qian Qian.”

“Okay.” Her voice shook and she found it difficult to catch her breath. Ye Hua’s mouth was now trailing along the side of her neck. She tilted her head to give him better access. Every flick of his tongue against her skin made her feel more restless inside. Her hand continued its quest along his body, heading lower as she felt his bare stomach for the first time. He growled and nipped her shoulder when her fingers caressed the sensitive skin at his waistband. His tongue soothed the area and he growled again, the rumble lower in his chest this time.            

His possessive growl sent a jolt to her core and Bai Qian trembled, yearning for something unknown. She shifted on Ye Hua’s lap, gasping when she rubbed herself against his thigh. The press of his muscular leg against the private place between her legs felt good… very good. She blushed at the thought but she rocked on his thigh again, helpless to stop herself from seeking more pressure against that special spot; she drew in a deep breath at the unexpected need whipping through her.   

Ye Hua’s scent flooded her nose; it had changed in a subtle way. There was an enticing musky undertone to the familiar rain and lightning now. That difference awakened something powerful and ravenous inside Bai Qian. Tingles started to coalesce in the spot where her mound pressed against Ye Hua’s thigh and she rocked a third time, wanting more of the exhilarating feeling building inside her. She had never experienced anything like it. 

His lips captured hers in a hungry kiss. “I love the fragrance of your arousal. It drives me mad. I’ll never get enough of it,” Ye Hua murmured in between swipes of his tongue against hers, his words giving voice to her thoughts. His hands moved around her hips before he yanked the skirt of her nightdress out from under her, his fingers caressing the bare skin of her bottom before trailing along her waist as he settled her back on his lap. Then, he lifted her nightgown off of her with one fluid movement.

Bai Qian inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she filled her senses with nothing but him. The effect was instantaneous. She forgot about everything other than enjoying the wonderful sensations assailing her. Her already sensitive nipples tightened further. Ye Hua’s hand cupped one breast, his thumb circling her nipple as he pressed arousing kisses along her chest. She arched into his caresses, her head falling back as his mouth reached her other breast. His tongue laved the engorged peak before moving to the other one, every brush of his tongue against her nipples, every tweak from his thumb, was an exquisite ache.

The folds of her mound felt swollen and moist; she rocked against Ye Hua more vigorously, the tingling sensation gaining intensity within her core with her movements. The muscles of her channel clenched around nothing but air and Bai Qian whimpered at the emptiness. There was no time for her to wonder why she felt this way or to be embarrassed about the wet stain she was now leaving on his silk pants where she rubbed against his thigh. There was only one thing she could focus on and it was the building heat inside her. She needed something important and she needed it right now. 

“Ye Hua.” She moaned his name as she begged him for that elusive something she couldn’t define. “Please.”

He yanked her hips flush with his pelvis, wrapping his arms tight around her. A firm bulge pressed insistently against her folds now and Bai Qian grinded herself on it. She clung to his shoulders and Ye Hua groaned before reaching one hand down between their bodies.

“Qian Qian,” Ye Hua growled hoarsely, running his finger down her slit. He brushed against a bundle of nerves that sent a shot of ecstasy straight through Bai Qian. She whimpered and thrust her hips into his hand. A long finger parted her folds and slipped inside her core, touching her in a place that had never been touched before, touching her in ways she had never known existed. It was wonderful. Her muscles clenched around his finger in welcome as Ye Hua began moving it in and out of her in a rhythm that drove Bai Qian’s need even higher. She loved it and longed for more.

“Ye Hua,” she whimpered, panting in time with his finger. He inserted a second finger, stretching her further. Then a third. She gasped when his thumb firmly circled that engorged bundle of nerves sitting between her folds. After several strokes, the growing tingles of pleasure exploded inside Bai Qian and she threw her head back and cried out as she experienced a climax for the first time. 

When she came back to her senses and opened her eyes, Bai Qian found Ye Hua watching her intently. 

“You’re beautiful, Bai Qian, and so responsive,” he told her hoarsely before removing his fingers and thumb out from between her legs. She shivered as his withdrawal caressed her sensitive flesh, blushing as he placed one finger in his mouth and sucked off her essence. He repeated the action with his thumb. “You taste so good,” he whispered, brushing his lips against hers. “I want more of you.”

The dark intensity in Ye Hua’s eyes had become hypnotic when they locked with hers again. His gaze pulled Bai Qian in deeper and refused to let her go. It claimed her as his in a primal and unmistakable way. Bai Qian didn’t shy away from his possessive claim; she welcomed it. In that moment, nothing existed in her world but him. 

“I want all of you.”

Unable to find her voice, she nodded. Ye Hua kissed her with a growl and reversed their positions faster than the blink of an eye. Now she was the one under him as he sat back on his knees. Her eyes wandered down his chest and stomach, realizing that his touch had distracted her away from her earlier desire to explore his body. She lingered on the large bulge at his groin, the one that had felt so good to rub her mound against, intrigued to see more of it. The sight of it brought the restless feeling back upon her.

Bai Qian reached for Ye Hua’s waistband and untied the string with eager fingers but then she hesitated. She had gotten a brief glimpse of this part of men that made them very different from women once as a girl when she had stumbled upon some young men from the village bathing in the river running through Qing Qiu’s forest. The encounter had been an accident but her curiosity had urged her to sneak a peek before running away in embarrassment. She had a vague idea of what to expect though her memory didn’t quite seem to match the size of the bulge now hidden by Ye Hua’s pants.

Sensing Ye Hua’s urgency, Bai Qian finally freed his arousal from its confines. It was long and thick with a flared tip; it looked much different from what she remembered seeing as a girl. Her hand trembled as she brushed her fingers against it, exploring the smooth skin encompassing the swollen length of hard flesh. Drops of milky fluid leaked from the slit on the tip. Ye Hua groaned at her touch, his hips jerking as if burned. 

He pulled her hand away before she could satisfy her curiosity. She started to protest only to be distracted when a wave of Ye Hua’s magic caressed her body as his silk pants disappeared. She shivered, her nipples tightening to hard points once again as arousal swept through her.  

“Next time, Qian Qian,” he promised with a hoarse growl as he kissed her cheek before flashing her a wicked grin. 

Bai Qian’s eyes closed as his lips and tongue moved down her neck and chest, teasing her breasts and nipples once again before moving down the curve of her stomach. She gripped the sheets with both hands as his hands moved to hold her thighs in place as his nose skimmed over her mound. His breath brushed her sensitive skin and damp curls, igniting sparks of pleasure in the nub between her folds. Bai Qian trembled as she ached to feel that wondrous burst of rapture all over again. Only Ye Hua could give it to her.

Her fists tightened on the fabric when his tongue parted her folds and caressed her engorged flesh, sending a burst of fire running through her. Bucking against his grip, Bai Qian thrust her hips against Ye Hua’s face as his tongue circled her nub with firm sweeps. It was exquisite torture to feel his mouth on her, driving her higher with every swipe of his tongue. The pressure was building in her core all over again; her muscles clenched around that emptiness inside her, longing for his fingers to penetrate her again.

“Ye Hua,” she gasped, feeling on the verge of climax once again. Would it happen without his fingers inside her? She desperately needed it to happen. 

She whimpered in protest, panting, when he moved his mouth away from her. What was he doing? She was almost there. Then, he moved his swollen length to her folds instead, nudging the tip in between them to rub it against her distended nub. He shuddered, seeming to struggle for control, as she rubbed herself against him, seeking more stimulation. 

Their eyes locked right before he thrust himself inside her. 

A sudden sharp pain tore Bai Qian out of the moment when Ye Hua’s erection penetrated her. She felt something in her core give way to him and then he filled her completely, stretching her to the point of pain. She cried out again but it was not a sound of pleasure this time. Ye Hua froze, his breaths harsh and ragged next to her ear as he held himself perfectly still inside her. His skin was damp with sweat where she gripped his shoulders tightly, her nails digging into him in response to the pain.

He rumbled a soothing growl as a wave of his magic slid down between their joined bodies, filling her core. The pain eased, leaving behind nothing more than a pleasant fullness, and Bai Qian relaxed. Then Ye Hua’s magic found her nub and twirled around it, arousing her once again. She wriggled against him as his magic worked her. He groaned and finally moved, pulling himself out until only the tip of him remained inside her. Bai Qian started to protest his leaving but it turned into an excited gasp when he sank his way back into her, filling her once again.

Ye Hua repeated the action, slowly rocking himself back and forth into her. Bai Qain moaned when his hard flesh scraped against her nub every time he moved. 

“Move with me,” he ordered, voice a hoarse rasp as the pace of his hips quickened.

Clinging to him, Bai Qian arched her hips up to meet his the next time he thrust into her. 

“That’s it,” he panted, wrapping an arm around her back to hold her in place as he rocked into her with increasing force. Tingling pressure built up inside Bai Qian, centering around that little bundle of nerves Ye Hua continued to stroke with his length. 

Instinctively bending her knees so she could match him more equally, Bai Qian whimpered as she discovered he filled her body more completely when she opened herself to him in that way. Tightening her grip on his shoulders, her breath picked up as the tingles zipping through her grew more potent. Then she wrapped her legs around his waist, hugging him to her and opening for him even more. 

His control snapped when his erection sank into her to the hilt and Ye Hua started thrusting in earnest, the violent force of his hips rocking the frame of the bed. She could no longer match the pace of his hips so Bai Qian clung to him as he moved them both. She screamed as an orgasm ripped through her, her body clamping down on Ye Hua’s length hard as sparks shot down her every nerve.

Ye Hua kept going, growling deeply as he focused on driving her to the precipice one last time before he reached the edge himself. 

The waves of ecstasy from her recent climax were still cresting through her when Bai Qian felt the building tide of another. It was so intense she blacked out for a moment when she came again, her entire body tensing as jolts of rapture tore through her. Her voice was hoarse this time when she yelled. Ye Hua roared into the night as he thrust into her one last time.    

Hot fluid pulsed inside Bai Qian where her core gripped Ye Hua’s erection tightly. He shuddered, jerking his hips as another spurt of fluid escaped from him. His essence filled her before trickling out from where their bodies were still joined. Then he collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily as Bai Qian also struggled to catch her own breath. She welcomed his weight pressing her down into the mattress and she hugged him to her chest tightly. 

Aftershocks rippled through Bai Qian; her body trembled with them. A tired, sated feeling began to creep over her as her heart and breathing slowed down. She never would have believed something could feel as wonderful as what she had just shared with Ye Hua. She had discovered something deep and special with him and she cherished the bond between them, feeling a momentary sense of loss when he eased his body out of hers and reversed their positions until she rested on top of him.

Reaching to smooth damp hair away from her face, Ye Hua kissed her lips gently. Bai Qian returned the kiss before smiling, laying her cheek upon his chest.

“So that’s what happens after a kiss,” she mused without thinking, blushing as she realized she had spoken out loud. Maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say after such a momentous experience. She should have said something elegant or profound. Bai Qian lifted her head to look at Ye Hua to see his reaction to her words. He was grinning. 

“Yes,” Ye Hua answered, then laughed. “That’s what happens.”  Bai Qian giggled, her embarrassment gone.

The joyful sound of her laugh filled the grove, pleasing Ye Hua. Happiness radiated from Bai Qian in uplifting waves that he cherished. He was relieved she had enjoyed their lovemaking. He had avoided sex with virgins in the past for a variety of reasons but had heard more than once that women rarely experienced pleasure when with a man for the first time. So Ye Hua had tried to make it as painless as possible for Bai Qian, wanting her to enjoy the moment as much as he did. It seemed he had been successful and he was grateful for that. 

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Bai Qian continued shyly, her amusement fading. “I never imagined it would be so wonderful.” 

Ye Hua didn’t immediately respond as he searched for the best way to explain how he was feeling. He stroked her back slowly, caressing her smooth skin with his fingers. “Often, it is treated as nothing more than a physical release but it becomes something special when shared with the person you love. You taught me that tonight, Qian Qian.”

Did she understand what he was trying to tell her? While he had been with other women before, making love to Bai Qian had been an unexpectedly unique and fulfilling experience for Ye Hua, one he hoped they both could enjoy often.

Bai Qian pressed her lips against his chest, directly over his heart, and Ye Hua smiled. She seemed to understand. She shifted position and her breasts rubbed against him. Ye Hua tensed, remembering how perfectly their bodies had fit together. It was like they had been made for each other, a fanciful notion but one he believed wholeheartedly. He imagined exploring some of the other ways their bodies might join together, his length already yearning to become reacquainted with the tight embrace of her warm, clenching sheath.

But then Bai Qian yawned and Ye Hua chased his lustful thoughts away with a rueful sigh. There would be many more nights with her to come, many more opportunities for sharing intimate acts with her. And there was something he wanted to do for her before she fell asleep; an instinctive need he had to care for her. 

Easing out from under her, he gently moved Bai Qian onto her back on the mattress. She gave him a questioning look but didn’t say anything. Ye Hua summoned a soft cloth from his chamber in the Heavens and used his magic to douse it with warm water. He then wiped her face and neck with it before running it along both of her arms and across her chest, lingering on her breasts where her nipples were still red from the play of his mouth and tongue. She sighed and closed her eyes.

“That feels so good, Ye Hua,” Bai Qian murmured, her voice reminding him of a sleepy purr.

He smiled, rinsing the cloth with fresh water before swirling it over her stomach and hips then up and down one leg followed by the other. He saved the most sensitive part of her for last, gently easing the cloth up between her legs, washing away the traces of dried semen and blood from the skin of her inner thighs and swollen folds. She made that purring sound again as she relaxed further into the mattress.

Though Ye Hua had known she would likely bleed this first time, the sight of Bai Qian’s blood still bothered him a little. He looked away and his eyes landed on the spot where he had held Hu Mei the night before, when he had feared Bai Qian had disappeared on him for good. What would he have done if she had not come back to him? It was unthinkable, especially after the intimacy they had shared tonight, and Ye Hua turned his attention back to taking care of her instead. But the thought stuck with him as he finished his task and the cloth disappeared from his hand.

Opening drowsy eyes, Bai Qian watched him as he lay down on his side to face her. She scooted closer to him and turned on her side as well, reaching an arm around his shoulder. Hints of his suddenly somber mood must have been visible on his face because she frowned with worry as she inched herself even closer to him.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Qian asked quietly.

“You scared me last night, Bai Qian,” Ye Hua whispered, smoothing a lock of hair back behind her ear. He hadn’t intended to say anything but then decided she needed to know his feelings. He didn’t want to keep things from her. “When you hid inside Hu Mei. I couldn’t sense you anywhere. I feared you would never come back to me.”

“I know.” She sighed. “It was an instinctive reaction, one I’ve depended on for far too long. I won’t hide like that again. I.. I don’t want to ever hide like that again.”

“You promise?” Was it unfair of him to ask that of her? Ye Hua couldn’t stop himself from doing so even if it was. She was the most important part of his life now and she had created an emptiness inside him when she disappeared.

Bai Qian nodded. “I promise.” She kissed him before settling comfortably in her spot next to him. She continued to watch him, her eyes blinking wearily as drowsiness settled back over her. Finally, her eyes drifted closed and did not open again, her breaths becoming deep and steady as she slept. Should he move them back to Kunlun Mountain now? 

No. The black dragon protested the idea; he was waiting patiently for his fox and Ye Hua realized this night of passion in the peach grove was not over yet. Just as he was beginning to fade into sleep, Bai Qian’s form disappeared and Hu Mei appeared. She flashed her tails then parted them in a primal mating signal the black dragon was eager to answer. The great beast surged forward and followed his fox to the forest floor as Ye Hua allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

⇛ Next part: Ch 42: The Darkest of Spells

⇚ Previous part: Ch 40: A Heartfelt Request