Chapter 234: Punishment Gone Wrong** (One)
Chapter 234: Punishment Gone Wrong** (One)
"You need to be punished for being so heartless..."
Xiang Ling felt her entire body reacting to these words. The wild side of her was already shamelessly picturing how the man would punish her. But all those wild thoughts disappeared from her brain with Zhe Yuan’s next words.
"Let me help you take a relaxing bath."
A bath? Xiang Ling stared at him in confusion. The man closed the remaining space between their bodies and turned her around to make her back face him. One of his hands reached out for her head and he immeditely started the said bath by sliding his fingers through her wet locks.
Despite her unhappiness, a soft moan still escaped Xiang Ling’s lips as Zhe Yuan ran his fingers through her thick, silky hair. What she didn’t know was that this tiny sound went mercilessly straight to the man’s already hard member. His body tightened in response, his fingers stilled on her scalp while he swallowed and fought for breath that suddenly came at a premium.
"Are you all right?" Xiang Ling asked, shifting until her eyes met his, sending another jolt of need through Zhe Yuan’s core.
No.No, he wasn’t all right. He was one breath away from pouncing. He shook his head—only to find Xiang Ling’s palms on either side of his face, her lips so close to his skin that he could feel their heat.
His heart stuttered a beat then pounded so hard that the impact against his head and member drowned out the world. She genuinely looked clueless about her impact on him.
"Ah Yuan, what is it?" Xiang Ling’s hands slid from his cheeks to the top of his shoulders, each friction between their skins spurring the Mer Crown Prince’s desire.
Zhe Yuan shuddered again, this time more violently, and caught Xiang Ling’s wrist. "It would be better if you just enjoyed my services, Stardust," he said hoarsely. "I will not be able to keep myself in check if you start . . . reciprocating."
Xiang Ling frowned at his words. "Do you have to?" she asked slowly, "Keep yourself in check?"
"Yes," Zhe Yuan responded in a firm voice. "Since this is supposed to be your punishment." Only he knew that he was the actual one who was getting punished by his actions.
Xiang Ling’s shoulders fell and she didn’t try to hide her unhappiness.
"It isn’t because I don’t want you. On the contrary, I want you too greatly." Zhe Yuan confessed when he noticed the sad look on her face.
"Then let me explore you." Xiang Ling said while closing the small gap between their bodies. " Let me touch you, discover what makes you—"
"There is very little secret as to what makes me hard, Stardust. You standing in front of me is enough to drive me insane. But tonight is all about you receiving your punishment. "
Her gaze darkened at his words. "Are you sure you can keep yourself under control-"
Zhe Yuan caught her hand before it could reach its pulsing target, and pulled both of her slender wrists into one hold. The night was quickly heading to where he initially planned. But his plan had changed.
"Let’s make a deal," he said, his breath hitching. "You keep your hands to yourself and I’ll make it worth your while tonight."
Xiang Ling’s eyes glazed over slightly, her thighs tensing at his offer. Holding her gaze, Zhe Yuan released her wrists and pulled loose the knots of her nightgown before brushing it down her shoulders. He moved slowly, savoring every touch as if life, not cloth, hung in the balance.
With the dress gone, he brushed his hands down her sides as soon as they were bare. His action caused her breath to catch in her throat while her face heated as the round swells of her breasts tumbled free. Her nipples, pink and all but begging for Zhe Yuan’s mouth, stiffened with their sudden taste of air.
Zhe Yuan brushed his hands down Xiang Ling’s supple skin, tracing his fingers along her collarbone, her sides, her hips, his gaze drinking in every shift in her expressions. The way she bit her lips, or the way her eyes drifted close.
With each passing minute, he was realizing just how hard it was going for him to keep himself under control. The fact that she craved him equally, wasn’t helping him much either.
"Ah Yuan, let’s make tonight about us," Xiang Ling whispered as she opened her eyes and looked straight into his deep purple ones.
"No." Zhe Yuan denied within a second, all the while turning Xiang Ling safely sideways. With one arm around her waist, keeping her that way, he used his other hand to open her thighs and stroked his fingers firmly along her folds, back and forth, back and forth, until she clenched with need.
"I told you I would make it worth your while," he purred into her ear, his hand halting its progression. "Now, will you behave if I let you go?"
She gasped, wriggling against his hold, her core seeking the pressure of his fingers again.
"Will you behave?" He asked while biting softly along Xiang Ling’s neck in emphasis. In possession. The woman gasped softly at each new nip, her core growing slicker despite the water, her weight shifting desperately in his hold. He circled her opening, felt it clenching with desire, and knew—savored knowing—that he could make her scream in frustration in a heartbeat just by moving away, only to bring her to the verge of release again with a scrape of a nail along her swollen nub.
"Will you behave?" he demanded again, moving his fingers in a slow, torturous circle that closed in on her apex.
Xiang Ling’s fingernails raked his shoulder. "Stop talking already, Ah Yuan." She demanded while looking up at his face from above her shoulder.
"No jumping on me," he ordered, punctuating the rule with a flick of his fingers against her pulsing bud. "No wandering hands. And no testing my control over my instincts." He pressed his lips to her ear. "I promise you, there is very little left to test there."