He laughed at that. She had a logical mind and a sense of humor. That appealed to him. “Do you know what happens when you are interested in a man?”
She nodded slowly and he saw her cheeks tinge red in the moonlight, but she didn’t say anything. That was not a surprise. Girls were not taught much about their own bodies, so it was left to him to say it aloud.
“Does your heart beat faster? Is there heat in your belly?”
“Yes,” she whispered, and he could see the truth of it in her breathless answer.
“It is the same for a man.” He gently took hold of her hand and pressed it against his chest. “Do you not hear how my heart thrums at your nearness?”
She nodded. Then he carefully pushed her hand lower. Not far enough. Not to where he throbbed for her, but low enough that she could feel his heat.
“I desire you, Ling Xin.” Then he did something daring. He reached out with his other hand and stroked her cheek. Her eyes had been on his belly, but now she looked into his face. “Do you feel how heavy your breasts feel? How your lips are dry and your mouth aches to be kissed?”
She bit her lower lip and nodded. Her eyes were wide, but not with fear. She was thrilled by what he told her, excited and hungry for more. How he wanted to show her, but he could not. It was too dangerous for them both.
So he released her and leaned back against the branches of the tree.
“That is arousal,” he said. “That is what you must excite in the emperor.”
She looked at him a long time. She lifted her hand and slowly stroked the side of her cheek where he had touched her. And then she straightened with a look of fierce determination.
“I am not completely ignorant,” she said firmly. “I have brothers.”
His brows went up. She wanted something specific from him, but he could not guess what. Fortunately, she was not evasive.
“I have heard about a man’s jiji. I know that men take great pleasure in it, and that a woman must make it…stand up.” She paused before she said the last two words, clearly not knowing what they meant. Then her gaze dropped to the thin fabric of his pants. “I want to see it. I want to know what that means.” She flashed him a coy look. “Because the emperor has one, does he not? And I must know what it looks like and how to… how to…”
“Make it explode?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed, and the relief in that one word shocked him.
“Have you been thinking about this for a while?”
She nodded.
“Ever since you saw me practice my kung fu?”
“Ever since I learned that an empress, above all things, must give the emperor a son. But whenever I asked how she was to do this, I was told that I would learn it when I was older. Well, I am older. It is less than a month before the Feast of Fertility, and still, no one will answer.” Her voice took on a pleading note. “So will you show me, Ko Zhi Hao? Will you teach me how to be an empress?”
He thought her well on her way to being the female leader of China. She had the mind to understand where her knowledge was lacking and the boldness to demand answers. But what she asked for was…
Exciting.
Daring.
Absolutely not something he should do. And yet, as her eyes quietly begged him to agree, he found himself bending to her wishes. What man could refuse such earnest desire?
He took a deep breath and tried to slowly introduce her to what she wanted. “You have heard of a man’s jiji. Do you know how he swells and explodes with seed?”
“Only that he does, and I shall be pregnant.”
“He must explode inside you for that to happen.”
Her eyes widened. “So your seed can explode now and I shall not get pregnant? And I can see it?”
His heart was beating nearly out of his throat. She had the eagerness of a child wanting to learn a new skill. But there was also a daring excitement that lighted her eyes and made his cock ache with hunger. She knew what she was doing was forbidden. They both did. And yet, she still demanded his help.
“I must see it!” she said. Then with more determination. “I must learn how to make it happen.”