Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Monique. . .are you coming out?
My fingers tapped restlessly against my thigh.
I badly ached to be near Monique.
It was as if my life depended on it.
I swore the air changed whenever she was near—charged with electricity.
Every moment away from Monique felt like an eternity.
Is she almost done? And more important. . .is she dressed in blue?
Against my will, my mind wandered to the earlier moment in the shower. Steam rose and clung to every smooth inch of her body. And dear God those dark brown nipples called out to me like teasing magnets, begging my mouth to come and devour them. I’d been so fucking mad, but even then, I craved to run my hands all over her wet curves, to feel her warmth and her softness against my skin.
Stop.
I shook my head, doing my best to clear my thoughts.
This was not the time for that type of distraction. I needed to focus on my sister and the ultimate task at hand.
Still, my heartbeats raced at the mere thought of her coming out of the tent.
Focus on something else.
I checked my left.
Over there, stood another quartet of men. They were gathered around a finely crafted sedan chair, its polished wood, gold inlays, and embroidered panels glowed softly in the lantern light.
In ancient times, this sort of chair had been used to carry royal women of high stature. Due to that, my father always had my mother carried in it for special events.
Currently, my mother’s old chair rested on the ground with the men stationed at its poles.
I turned to my right.
A large group headed our way made up of six men and three women. The men donned embroidered blue robes and the women had on flowing silky blue dresses. They continued, and their animated conversations filled the air, punctuated by bursts of laughter and the occasional light-hearted tease.
It was clear that this event was the highlight of their evening.
At least, my people are getting a much-needed break.
I pursed my lips.
This feast may not be a horrible idea after all.
Another group strolled by.
This time several women turned to look in my direction. Their eyes widened momentarily, then they quickly looked away.
A few of their cheeks tinted.
Others nervously giggled and stole more glances in my direction.
Duck broke his silence. “Seems you’re the belle of the ball tonight, Lei.”
I looked at him.
He smirked. “It’s true. We should have put a little crown on your head.”
My eyes were subconsciously drawn back to the tent, hoping for any sign of Monique.
Yet another group approached. This time, both men and women blatantly stole glances, their steps faltering as if caught off guard by my presence.
Duck chuckled again. “Apparently, it’s not only the ladies you’re impressing tonight.”
Frustration rose within me.
“Can’t say I blame them.” Duck shrugged. “You do have that whole mysterious emperor vibe going on tonight.”
I sighed.
“Tell me this, cousin.” Duck leaned my way. “With all these women looking at you. . .doesn’t that make you hard just a little?”
“Instead of bruising your arm, I should have cracked your jaw.”
“Unfortunatly for you, I can still speak with a cracked jaw.”
“Are you sure?” I eyed him. “Because I’m willing to test it.”
“But we wouldn’t want to get your spiffy new outfit dirty.”
“That’s enough. Lei has already kept Master Wu’s tent busy with Rowe Street Mob’s mangled bodies. We don’t need any more injuries today.” Chen let out an exasperated breath. “Perhaps, I should go check on Monique and see—”
“No.” I gritted my teeth. “You’ve done enough tonight. Give her time.”
Chen frowned. “I have done enough?”
Hu stopped fumbling with the ridiculous sword and watched us.
“Yes.” I nodded. “You have done enough.”
Chen tilted forward and grabbed Duck’s attention. “You were there. Did I touch any of Rowe Street Mob?”
Duck shook his head. “You did not.”
Chen gestured to Hu. “Did I not try to stop Lei from breaking Silent Sal’s legs?”
Hu cleared his throat. “I actually will not be involved in this very complicated situation.”
I scowled at Chen. “You should not have allowed Rowe Street Mob to come up and you should have never let Monique think that she could wear white in the first place—”
“I told you that I pleaded with her to rethink this. However, she believed—for some insane reason—that she could talk to you in a rational manner.”
Duck chuckled.
I glared at him.
He stopped and turned back to the tent.
Tension gathered in my shoulders.
Growing even more impatient to be next to her, I stared at the tent’s entrance as if I could, will her to come out.
Chen shook his head. “With the way Flashy Freddie screamed. . .So loud, I thought Marcelo might have heard him all the way in Paradise.”
Duck snorted.
“At least, Lei perfectly executed an Azure Dragon’s Spiral.” Hu shrugged. “And the Golden Phoenix on top of Piggy’s back was damn good. I thought the poor man’s spine cracked in the center.”