Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

against his skin. "Will you tell the Empress what you saw?"
    "I should. I made an oath to the Empress. It is by my oath that my people are cared for and my parents are fed. Should I violate my oath and forfeit my honor?" His finger played with the soft skin of Chien's inner thigh, but he did not move further up. "Perhaps if you could convince me."
    "General— Bao," Chien corrected when he saw the annoyed slash of Bao's brow, "I poured nothing into his drink."
    "I am not stupid enough to believe that." His hand tightened for a moment on Chien's wrist, a quick hurt before he returned to the soft, short kisses that covered every part of his face but his mouth. "Why do you find it so difficult to tell me the truth?"
    "Because this might be the end, and I do not wish to waste precious time."
    Bao was angry at his statement, he could tell in the way the kisses turned into nips. Tiny sparks of pain along his neck. "Will it be worth the price? Your plan?"
    His vengeance was worth everything. His vengeance was the only thing he had left that was truly his. "I do not wish to speak of this."
    Bao sat up, fingers under his chin to make Chien look into his eyes, "There will come a time when you will not be able to avoid my questions."
    "There will come a time when you will see the answer for yourself."
    The nips moved downward toward his chest. Bao's fingers moving upward to encircle his erection in a loose grip. "Then if I can have nothing else, I will have you cry out my name."
    Chien might have argued, but Bao's hand tightened, and he could not deny that the sound that left his throat was dangerously close to a whimper. "I find I do not have the patience tonight to be gentle with you." Yet contrary to his words, his hand brushed softly against Chien's cheek, "You may keep your secrets tonight, my prince. And I shall not say a word to the Empress."
    "What of your loyalty?"
    Bao did not respond, instead reaching for the bottle of oil kept beside Chien's bed for this very purpose. Anger made his movements rough, but he still took his time preparing Chien. Even angry he would not hurt him, and Chien wondered what sort of idiot it took not to trust this man. He had already committed himself down this path though. Too far to contemplate turning back. So he dug his fingers into Bao's shoulders, urging him to hurry, to do something. He could only hope that he might leave a bruise, some kind mark that, for a short time, Bao had been his.
    There was a desperation to his movements. This might be the last time and he wanted to take it slow at the very same time he wanted to be greedy and take it all as quickly as he could. There were no more of the soft butterfly kisses, only the relentless push of Bao's erection inside of him. Only when he was seated fully inside did he lean down to take Chien's lips in a possessive kiss. The shift in position made Chien arch under him, torn between wanting to get further away from the intense pleasure and allowing himself to drown in it. Bao did not give him a choice however. His right hand tightened on Chien's waist in a way Chien knew would leave marks later.
    It seemed no matter how tightly Chien clung there was no way he would keep Bao with him. It would be so much easier if he could explain it, if he could put into words why the Empress could not be allowed to live. All of this darkness had begun with pointless death and it seemed that would be the only way it would end.
    He would have been content to have it last forever, to stay on that precipice of intense pleasure. But it was not possible. He came not with a shout, but with a choked whimper. He lay there pliantly in the aftermath, trying and failing to catch his breath as Bao finished, his mouth worrying the skin just above Chien's pulse. He made scarcely a sound when he came and not for the first time, Chien sincerely regretted the secrecy their affair required. In the aftermath, he could feel the gentle breeze bringing him cruelly back to reality.
    "I will not tell the Empress." Bao's hoarse voice broke the silence, and though Chien knew he ought to be applauding his victory, he felt nothing but guilt. Bao was not built for this sort of deception. It would weigh heavily upon him. Bao was built for far more courageous deeds than Chien would ever accomplish.
    "What would make you happy, Bao?"
    Bao's mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally found his words. "It is a useless exercise to dream." He started to stand, but Chien yanked