Chapter 277: Don’t Be Shy

Jingwei kissed Zhiyi’s cheek and drew her closer, letting her settle before his mouth returned to her jaw.

She closed her eyes as he kissed the side of her neck again, then heard the small sound she made and tightened her fingers around his sleeve.

Jingwei paused with his lips against her skin. When he looked up, there was a smile on his face that made hers grow hot.

"I didn’t know you liked that," Jingwei murmured, brushing her cheek with his thumb.

Zhiyi hummed, her face turning bright red as she nodded her head.

His quiet laugh was followed by a kiss to her forehead, and he gathered her against his chest without asking her to explain anything else.

Zhiyi hid her face against his shoulder while he stroked her hair.

She could understand the floodwater models after enough time with the figures, but she had no idea how to prepare for something her own body hadn’t bothered to warn her about.

Jingwei let her stay there until she began to relax. Eventually, the seam beneath her arm pulled tightly enough to distract her, and she shifted, trying to free the fabric without moving away from him.

"The dress is uncomfortable now," Zhiyi explained when he looked down at her hand. "It wasn’t doing this while I was standing."

"Then let me help you out of it," Jingwei said, rising from the bed.

Her cheeks warmed again, and his affectionate smile suggested that he had noticed.

"Turn a little for me," Jingwei said, gathering the hair she had missed when she moved it over her shoulder.

Zhiyi shifted on the mattress while he loosened the hooks and lowered the zipper. His knuckles brushed her back, and she straightened before she could stop herself. He moved his hand away immediately.

"Did I catch your skin?" Jingwei asked, leaning around enough to see her face.

"Your fingers are cold," Zhiyi told him, glancing over her shoulder. "You could wash them in warm water."

Jingwei looked down at his hands, then toward the bed with a smile. "I was going to warm them under the blanket, but yours would probably be quicker."

When she shyly nodded again, Jingwei kissed the top of her head and guided her toward the bed, settling beside her once she was beneath the blanket.

He offered his arm, and she moved into it, resting her cheek against his shoulder. She knew how to do this.

Jingwei brushed another countless kiss against her forehead when she began folding the blanket’s edge between her fingers.

She looked up at him in the lamplight, trying to find a way to explain without making him think she wanted to leave.

"I don’t know what I’m supposed to do tonight," Zhiyi admitted. "I know I don’t have to do anything I don’t want, but I’ve only ever been with Hanchuan. He usually knows what I want before I do."

Jingwei listened while she struggled with the edge of the blanket. His hand stayed against her back, and he didn’t interrupt when she tried to explain the part that bothered her most.

"Sometimes I still don’t know how he worked it out afterward," Zhiyi continued. "I don’t think I could tell you."

"He’s had years to get to know you that way," Jingwei said, gently freeing her hand from the blanket. "You don’t have to explain everything to me before I’ve had a chance to find out for myself."

She watched him turn her hand between his, relieved by the answer but unsure whether she had understood all of it.

He seemed to notice the uncertainty in her face because he brushed his thumb along her cheek and moved closer.

"I want to kiss you, and I want you here with me," Jingwei told her. "You don’t have to teach me how to be your husband tonight."

Zhiyi smiled a little, and he leaned in before she could find another part of the evening to worry about.

This time, she reached for him without deciding where her hands ought to go, catching his shirt as his arm drew her nearer.

When she became flustered, he let her turn against his shoulder.

He held her there, stroking her bare back until she lifted her head, then kissed her again.

Slowly but surely, his hand moved to her waist, and she didn’t pull away from his touch.

The warmth of his palm spread over her skin, and she found herself leaning into the touch rather than wondering what it meant.

Jingwei’s thumb traced a gentle arc along her side, and she made a soft sound against his lips. He drew back just enough to look at her, his expression questioning.

"Is this all right?" he asked.

Zhiyi nodded, then realized he might want more than that. "Yes. I like it."

His smile returned, and he kissed her again, deeper now. His hand stayed where it was, patient and warm, until she shifted closer on her own. Only then did he let it drift upward, following the curve of her ribs.

She had expected to feel nervous when they reached this point, but Jingwei’s careful attention made it easier to notice what her body wanted instead of what she thought she should be doing.

When his fingers brushed the underside of her breast, she inhaled sharply and felt him pause.

"Too much?" Jingwei murmured against her mouth.

"No," Zhiyi said quickly. "It’s—you can keep going."

He made a low sound of approval and kissed her jaw, then her neck, finding the spot that had made her react earlier.

This time she didn’t try to hide the small noise she made, and his hand cupped her breast properly, his thumb moving over the peak until it hardened beneath his hand.

Zhiyi’s fingers tightened in his shirt.

The sensation was different from what she was used to—Jingwei’s touch was broader, more deliberate, and she couldn’t predict what he would do next.

That uncertainty should have bothered her, but instead it made everything feel more immediate, as though her body had decided to pay attention in a way it usually didn’t.

He continued to explore her body slowly, learning the shape of her, and she found herself arching into his touch without meaning to.

"You’re so responsive," Jingwei said softly, his breath warm against her throat. "I love watching you react to me."

Zhiyi’s face heated, but she didn’t look away when he lifted his head. His eyes were dark in the lamplight, and the way he looked at her made something low in her belly tighten with want.

"Can I take this off?" he asked, his fingers catching the hem of his own shirt.

She nodded, then helped him ease it over his head. When he was finally as naked as she was, his gaze moved over her slowly, appreciative, and when he bent to kiss her collarbone, she let her head fall back.

His mouth traveled lower, and when he took her nipple between his lips, she gasped.

The sensation was more intense than she’d expected, pleasure sparking through her as his tongue circled the sensitive peak. Her hands found his hair, and she held him there without thinking, her breath coming faster.

Jingwei gave equal attention to her other breast, his hand replacing his mouth on the first so she wouldn’t lose the feeling entirely.

By the time he lifted his head, Zhiyi was trembling, her body humming with a need she couldn’t quite name.

"What do you want?" Jingwei asked, his voice rougher than before.

Zhiyi struggled to find words. "I don’t know. More."

"More of this?" He rolled her nipple gently between his fingers, and she nodded quickly. "Or more of me?"

She understood what he was asking, and the directness of it made her face burn even as her body responded with a fresh wave of heat. "Both. I want—I want you."

Jingwei kissed her deeply, his hand sliding down her stomach to rest at the waistband of her sleep pants. "Tell me if you need me to slow down."

"I will," Zhiyi promised, though she wasn’t sure she would want him to.

He eased back so he could look at her better. "You’re beautiful," Jingwei said, his hand settling on her bare thigh. "I’ve wanted this for so long."

She hummed in agreement and let her hands explore his body, tracing the lines of his chest and stomach, feeling the way his muscles tensed beneath her fingers.

When she grew brave enough to wrap her hand around his cock, he groaned and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Like this?" Zhiyi asked, stroking him slowly.

"Exactly like that," Jingwei managed, his hips moving slightly into her touch. "You’re going to undo me."

She liked the way he responded to her, the proof that she could affect him the way he affected her. But after a moment, he caught her wrist gently and guided her hand away.

"If you keep doing that, this will be over too quickly," he said with a rueful smile. "And I want to take care of you first."

Before she could ask what he meant, his hand slid between her thighs.

Zhiyi’s breath hitched as his fingers found her, exploring carefully. She was already wet, and the ease with which he touched her made her face burn with embarrassment and arousal both.

"Don’t be shy," Jingwei murmured, kissing her temple. "I love that you want this."