Chapter 41:
Lanzhou (Part 1)

 

WITH SHEN ZECHUAN’S CLOTHES shoved out of the way, his skin spilled out like moonlight under Xiao Chiye’s hands, ice-cold to the touch. There were no soft caresses, only desperate need. Shen Zechuan was a pool of spring water, slipping through Xiao Chiye’s fingers and melting into the thick darkness of night. Xiao Chiye struggled to brace himself before the tidal wave of desire and saw Shen Zechuan watching him as he gasped for breath.

In those eyes was none of the heat of lust. They only reflected Xiao Chiye’s own absurd behavior.

Xiao Chiye felt a thrill cut through him like a blade. He rubbed at Shen Zechuan’s skin until it rippled hot and pink under his fingers. He dragged Shen Zechuan down from high in the clouds and bound him in the crooks of his arms, pressing hard against him as he put his mouth everywhere he could reach. Biting down on the back of Shen Zechuan’s neck was like taking a mouthful of the most intoxicating elixir.

The night had been soaked through, and now so too had the sheets; their tangled limbs dragged at the ruined bedclothes. Xiao Chiye’s thrusts were urgent; within them, he gradually grasped at joy. He was a quick study, surrendering himself in that soft bank of clouds, rising only to fall again. In silence, he pushed hard into Shen Zechuan, so hard Shen Zechuan strained for breath, even as his neck arched fearlessly under Xiao Chiye’s eyes.

Xiao Chiye kissed that neck and scooped up both of Shen Zechuan’s knees. He was no longer a hypocrite pretending to be immune to lust. He was an ordinary man who stormed the enemy’s den and went for the kill in the dark. He would make it impossible for Shen Zechuan to remember the Chashi Sinkhole; impossible for Shen Zechuan to forget this intense merging of bodies.

They had no lifesaving hopes to clutch at. This was a night of indulgence to break free of their misery. Pleasure blazed through their bodies like an inferno. Shen Zechuan reached out for the headboard, but Xiao Chiye dragged him back and locked him in his embrace.

“Go on, show me how feral you can be,” Xiao Chiye breathed into his ear. “You wanted me to go wild with abandon, yet you dare to run? Don’t you want to see which of us is more ruthless? I’m not afraid.”

Shen Zechuan’s cheek chafed against the sheets as he closed his eyes and gasped for breath. His expressions of pain, of being on the verge of collapse—on his face, all utterly captivated Xiao Chiye.

How did he blossom into such a tender sight?

Xiao Chiye took Shen Zechuan’s chin and lifted it to capture his lips, giving him no chance to rest or catch his breath. Shen Zechuan shuddered at his touch; in that moment, Xiao Chiye released everything into him.

While Shen Zechuan was still trembling from the aftershock of his own climax, Xiao Chiye turned him over and thrust desperately in once more.

The cold wind howled outside the window. Only the sounds of ragged breathing cut through the darkness as Xiao Chiye kissed Shen Zechuan again and again.

He didn’t want to surrender.

But he had already lost.