Chapter 276: Don’t Need To Stop

Jingwei kissed her with one hand at her waist and the other against her cheek.

Zhiyi caught the front of his shirt when he drew her closer, her fingers tightening in the fabric as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss.

She had enjoyed their wedding, especially seeing Hanchuan standing beside Jingwei during the ceremony.

Dinner had been good, even though she had eaten less than usual, and she had liked sitting between them afterward.

Even the photographs had become pleasant once everyone stopped asking her to smile just as she was trying to listen to someone.

All in all, it had been a perfect day.

The only thing she hadn’t expected was to become so nervous the moment she went upstairs.

She had known what tonight meant before the wedding and had even asked Hanchuan whether Jingwei would be disappointed if she didn’t know what to do. They might have been having sex during the past four years, but that didn’t mean she was overly experienced either.

Not to mention, Hanchuan was the only man she had ever slept with before tonight.

But Hanchuan had assured her that Jingwei wasn’t marrying her because he expected her to be some sort of sex kitten for him.

And the fact that he smiled as her faced turned bright red from that nickname meant she was going to have to pay him back later.

Everything made perfect sense when Hanchuan was patiently sitting beside her, explaining it all, but now Jingwei was kissing her, she couldn’t decide whether her hands belonged where she had put them.

When she loosened her grip, he covered one hand with his own and brought it back against his chest.

"You don’t have to let go," Jingwei murmured, brushing his mouth against her cheek. "I like having you hold on to me."

Zhiyi looked at the wrinkles beneath her fingers. "I might ruin your shirt. You’ve hardly had a chance to wear it."

"I’ll take my chances," Jingwei replied, smiling as he drew her close again.

His amusement warmed her cheeks, and she tucked her face against his shoulder.

He slipped both arms around her without trying to make her look up, giving her a moment to listen to the rain against the windows and stop thinking about what she should do next.

"I’ve wanted to kiss you like that since you came downstairs this morning," Jingwei admitted, pressing his lips to her hair. "You looked at me, and I nearly forgot everything I’d written."

"I’m glad you remembered," Zhiyi said, smoothing his shirt where she had caught it. "I liked hearing what you wanted to tell me."

Jingwei eased back to look at her, and the warmth in his face made it difficult to keep looking at him.

She knew he had meant his promises. He had always been careful about what he told her he would do, and Hanchuan wouldn’t have encouraged their marriage if he hadn’t trusted him.

"I had Zeyu adjust it before the ceremony," Jingwei told her, letting her turn it between her fingers. "It was a little loose, and I didn’t want to lose it before you’d finished putting it on me."

Zhiyi smiled as she turned his hand toward the lamp. She had been so busy trying to remember her promises that morning that she hadn’t wondered where he had found a wedding band.

"When did you get it?" Zhiyi asked, looking up at him. "You already had it when we started planning the wedding."

"I’ve had it for a while," Jingwei admitted. He moved closer, his knee resting against hers as he watched her examine the plain gold band. "Long before the Flood. I didn’t tell anyone because I hadn’t asked you yet."

Her fingers stopped moving. Zhiyi thought of the small case he had set on the dresser, trying to picture him packing it among his things while she had been checking their supplies and worrying about the move.

"You brought it with you, hoping we’d get married?" Zhiyi asked. Her voice had grown quieter, and she kept her eyes on his hand while she waited for his answer.

"That was the idea," Jingwei replied, brushing her hair away from her cheek. "I kept thinking about asking you. Then I’d find a reason to wait, and the ring would go back in the drawer."

Zhiyi leaned into his touch, remembering all the evenings she had sat beside him without knowing what he wanted to say.

She had liked being there and assumed he understood that, even when she spent most of the time reading.

"I didn’t know you’d been thinking about it for so long," Zhiyi said, finally looking at him.

"I wasn’t giving you much to go on," Jingwei replied with a small smile.

He drew her closer and kissed her forehead, keeping his hand against her cheek afterward. "But you know now, and I got to wear it home with you."

Zhiyi looked down at the ring again.

She had put it on his finger that morning, but knowing he had kept it through the move made her want to hold his hand a little longer.

She brought it into her lap, smiling when he threaded his fingers between hers.

"I liked seeing it on you at dinner," Zhiyi admitted. Her cheeks warmed as she looked back at him. "I kept looking whenever you reached for something."

"I noticed," Jingwei murmured, leaning closer. "You made it very difficult to pay attention to anyone else."

He kissed her before she could grow more embarrassed, and she settled against him with their hands still joined in her lap. They remained together until a change in the wind sent the rain harder against the glass.

They remained together until a change in the wind sent the rain harder against the glass. Zhiyi turned toward the sound, but Jingwei caught her hand and kissed her fingers before leading her to the bed.

"Come and sit with me," Jingwei said, waiting while she gathered her dress out of the way.

The mattress dipped when he joined her, and she leaned against him as his arm settled around her shoulders. He didn’t immediately kiss her again. Instead, he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb while they watched the rain running down the dark window.

"Hanchuan’s taking the first watch," Jingwei told her. "He’s told Shichen and Zeyu to leave us alone until morning unless something needs us."

Zhiyi lifted her head from his shoulder. "He’s been awake since early this morning. He’ll need to sleep too."

"Qinghe’s already promised to make sure he does," Jingwei replied, keeping her hand in his.

She relaxed a little, although she suspected Hanchuan would object if Qinghe tried to send him to bed while there was still something outside he wanted to watch. Hanchuan had told her to enjoy tonight, and she knew he meant it.

That morning, after helping her fasten the bracelet Jingwei had given her, he had kissed her forehead and reminded her that she didn’t need to spend her wedding worrying about him.

She had asked whether he would be lonely. Hanchuan had smiled, tucked her hair behind her ear, and told her that one night wouldn’t undo several years of marriage.

She had understood his answer, but she had still checked on him twice during dinner.

Jingwei lifted her hand to his mouth, drawing her attention back to him.

"He wanted us to have tonight," Jingwei said gently. "Let him look after things downstairs for a while."

Zhiyi was considering whether to explain that being concerned about Hanchuan didn’t mean she doubted him when Jingwei leaned closer. His hand settled against the side of her neck as he kissed her, and she forgot the explanation before she had worked out how to begin it.

She knew his hands and the familiar smell of his clothes. He had kissed her before, held her during quiet evenings, and drawn her close when they found a moment to themselves.

Tonight, there was no meal waiting downstairs and no one sitting nearby who might interrupt with a question. He had brought her here to stay, and she became very aware of that when his mouth moved from hers to the place below her ear.

Zhiyi startled and caught his sleeve. Jingwei lifted his head at once, watching her face.

"You surprised me," Zhiyi explained before he could ask, shaking her head as her hair slipped across his hand. "You don’t need to stop."