Chapter 181: A willing Prey

Ru Yi felt a mixture of dread and thrill shoot up at her spine at Lieyin’s words. Not that she was surprised...she’d witnessed Lieyin’s intensity many times in the past. But to be at the other end of it was a first.

She gulped.

"Stop scaring her," Yexue mused, washing Ru Yi’s back with her palm. "Go find someone else to play with."

Something wicked shone in Lieyin’s eyes. "Why find someone else when I have her..." she walked slowly to the tub, eyes trained on Ru Yi. "I’m sure it was her plan to seduce all three of us long before any of this."

Ru Yi’s eyes widened, feeling Yexue’s hand on her back immediately freeze. "I didn’t plan for any of this to happen." She glared at Lieyin. It was hard to tell whether the second sister liked or hated her.

"Lieyin..." There was a warning in Yexue’s voice that wasn’t there before.

There was a glint in Lieyin’s eyes when she raised her hands. "Fine, I need to know what Qingyue is up to anyway." She left, shutting the door gently after her.

Ru Yi sighed, feeling Yexue’s palm continue its movement on her back.

"Did you like that?" Yexue asked.

"Like what?"

Yexue answered by tracing the curve of Ru Yi’s waist.

Oh.

Ru Yi lowered her head as she answered. "I liked it." Her inner thighs were still tender from Lieyin’s bruising grip, not that she was surprised she was that type of lover.

Yexue had Ru Yi relax against the tub before grabbing a cloth from the table. She dipped the cloth into the water and wrung it out.

"Why?" she asked, gently working the cloth through Ru Yi’s hair.

Ru Yi thought about the answer for a while. "Because...I’ve never been wanted by anyone before. Whether it was my family or..." My first love. "No one has ever wanted me to stay."

Yexue continued cleaning her hair.

"When Qingyue lets me be in control, when Lieyin gets angry because she’s worried about me...when you become jealous whenever someone gets too close..."

Ru Yi laughed softly. "It makes me feel like I matter."

Yexue’s expression softened. "You do matter."

Ru Yi turned slightly to look at Yexue over her shoulders. "You make it sound so simple."

"No, it isn’t."

"You’re just possessive."

"I don’t remember admitting that," Yexue replied with a small smile but it faded when Ru Yi continued speaking.

"I know you said you were okay with me being with your sisters." Ru Yi hesitated. "But I still wonder if you’re only accepting it because you don’t want any more fights with your sisters. Are you doing this because you don’t want to lose them?"

Yexue took a slow breath before answering. "I spent so long believing that if I didn’t truly fall in love with someone, then I’d never have to worry about losing them. But then you came along, and you made me want something I wasn’t prepared to share with anyone."

Yexue gave a small, embarrassed laugh. "I hate seeing you with my sisters. I hate how easily you could make them soften when they had spent years building walls around themselves."

Ru Yi’s smile was faint and sad. "You’re jealous."

"Very."

Yexue’s honesty caught her off guard.

"But I realized something." Yexue reached out and gently brushed a wet strand of hair away from Ru Yi’s face. "My sisters are happy, and you are happy."

She looked directly into Ru Yi’s eyes. "If being with you makes them happy, then I don’t want to be the person who takes that away from them."

Ru Yi’s chest tightened. "But?"

Yexue’s expression became vulnerable in a way that made the younger woman’s heart hurt. "I can bear it as long as you love me more."

Ru Yi’s eyes widened, her heart hammering away beneath her chest. "Yexue..."

"I know it’s childish." Yexue looked down at the water. "I know I can’t ask you to choose between us. I know they love you too, and I know you love them. But I don’t think I can pretend I don’t want to be special to you."

Ru Yi raised her hands, putting her palms on either side of Yexue’s face. "I don’t know how I’m supposed to measure love," she admitted. "I don’t know if I can tell you that I love you more than the others..."

Yexue’s expression fell.

"But I can tell you that I never want to lose you, Yexue. And I don’t want any of you to feel like you have to give me up just because I love the others too."

That wasn’t the reassurance Yexue was looking for.

Ru Yi could read the immediate disappointment on her face. "Yexue..."

Instead of answering Yexue started to get up, but Ru Yi wrapped a hand around her neck and pulled her back.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Ru Yi asked, eyes dropping down to Yexue’s lips. "You’re not done washing me yet."

"I—"

Ru Yi slammed her lips against Yexue’s, swallowing the moan immediately slipped out. She turned in the tub, pulling Yexue flush against her naked wet body.

"Mine..." The word slipped from Ru Yi’s lips in a low possessive murmur, urgency growing with every passing second.

They struggled to catch their breath but neither was willing to let go, their mouths moving in perfect symphony as they savored every stolen breath.

Ru Yi needed her to understand that she didn’t love anyone more or less. She was all theirs...equally. A low groan rumbled from deep within Yexue when Ru Yi grabbed the hair at the back of her head, pulling, like she was coaxing her into staying.

Yexue steadied herself by placing both palms over Ru Yi’s bare breasts, squeezing when Ru Yi bit down on her lower lip.

"Heavens..." Ru Yi muttered, proceeding to pull Yexue completely into the tub. "I can never have enough of you."

"Good," Yexue muttered, immediately working on her robe. "Because I will never let you walk away from me."