Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1) by Rachael Slate Page B

tightening in his balls, he stalked her movements. She’d climbed down to the pond’s edge and was attempting to pet one of the turtles.
    Pet him? He chuckled. The large, ancient turtle, Áo , groaned at the frivolous affection.
    “What?” She glared at Sheng, one hand on her hip, the other stroking the turtle’s shell.
    “Oh, nothing. By all means, pet the turtle.” He waved his hand toward the animal. “Let me ask you this, Lucy. What do you see when you look at him?”
    Her scrutiny darted between him and the turtle. “A turtle.”
    And… He’d just proven he was the master. She, the student. Only when she accepted the world she belonged to would she perceive the turtle’s true form. Smugness crept into his tone. “Let me know when that changes, okay?” He winked, chuckling again as she scowled.
    “Time to go. The others are waiting.” He paced a few steps back, then shot forward and leapt across the pond, landing in a crouch beside her.
    She gaped at him. “How did you do that?”
    Ignoring her question and those penetrating golden eyes, he rose and led the way through the next set of escalating tunnels. They stepped back out into daylight, onto the middle grounds of the temple. The stone walls echoed her gasp. He’d memorized every inch of this place, but viewing it again through her perspective renewed his appreciation for its beauty. The bright red rooftops of the dozens of connected buildings contrasted starkly against the pale stone. He smiled as Lucy strolled right through a narrow circular doorway while he had to duck.
    As she continued to swivel her head left and right, observing the enormous statues of Buddha and the myriad shrines, he lured her through one of the main prayer halls.
    “Fancy a ride?” He arched one brow and swept his arm toward the lift.
    “Um, is it safe?” She balked at the inclined lift, constructed of golden metal and glass, and more than a few decades old.
    “Well, we can take the stairs.” He pointed to the side of the small gauge train tracks. The steep stairway climbed beyond their view. At this altitude, it would be a difficult cardio workout for anyone not accustomed.
    “Yeah, no.” Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she wrinkled her nose.
    “You’re safe with me.” Refusing to register the curling warmth inside his gut at his declaration, he nudged her onto the lift. He pressed a few buttons and the motor hummed for a minute. She cast him a tentative, quirked brow. The motor jerked, and she lost her balance, tumbling backward into his awaiting arms. Instead of releasing her, he drew her soft, warm body against his, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
    “Afraid of heights?”
    “A touch.”
    Using Tiger’s hearing, he picked up on the increase of her pulse. Did her heart rate accelerate because of him or this unstable contraption?
    Damn, he hoped it was him.
    To test his theory, he unwound his hands, sliding the flats of his palms down her torso, skimming the edges of her breasts and coming to rest below her waist, clamping onto her hips. He wanted to draw her farther back, to grind her lush ass against his front so she could feel the erection he was having a damn hard time beating back. Clenching his jaw, he awaited the perfect moment to do so.
    Her hands gripped the railing in front of them until they’d ascended about halfway.
    As she relaxed, he tested her boundaries further, massaging his thumbs into her soft curves.
    Come out, Little Rabbit.
    His senses prickled; Tiger paced to the edge. Damn, she had one stubborn spirit. Hell, he’d thought he’d had a rough time with Ox, who defined the word “stubborn.”
    He’d been wrong, so wrong.
    Did Rabbit hide because the spirit feared the predatory Tiger? Or had Lucy’s defensive skills combined with Rabbit’s, making them both tenacious as hell?
    The lift screeched to a halt, ending his experiment. He released her, climbed out first, and hoisted her onto the ground.
    They passed by another