Page 64 of The Scholar's Improper Wife

Ting-zhi’s breath hitched. The lazy amusement in his eyes deepened into an intensity that made her step back instinctively. The change was so unexpected it stole the protest from her lips.The mist between them seemed to thicken, pressing in like a second skin.

Then he moved.

One moment, he was standing there. The next, his hands were on her waist, pulling her against him with a force that knocked the air from her lungs. The heat of him seared through the layers of her robe, his fingers digging into the softness of her hips as he lifted her effortlessly, spinning her until the world blurred and her bottom hit something solid.

She was in his lap.

Yun-si gasped, her hands flying up to brace against his chest. The muscle beneath her palms was firm, his heartbeat a wild, erratic rhythm against her fingertips. “What—?”

He didn’t answer. His arms locked around her, one hand splaying across her back to hold her flush against him, the other tangling in the loose strands of her hair. “Wait!” She twisted, trying to break free, but his grip only tightened, His breath was hot against her temple, his lips already moving, pressing kisses to the corner of her eye, the shell of her ear, the top of her head.

Then she heard him whisper, very gently, very huskily, “Si-er, will you let me kiss you,please?” But how had she even heard him? His lips had been pressed to her hair, not her ear.

Then his mouth found hers.

And—

And it was better than she’d imagined.

His lips were warm, insistent, moving against hers with a gentleness that made her head spin. The taste of him was warm, like spiced wine in winter, and when his tongue brushed the seam of her lips, she parted them without thinking.

One hand cupped the back of her neck, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw, while the other slid down her spine, pressing her closer until there was no space left between them.

Then his fingers foundit.

Yun-si jerked back with a gasp. “What wasthat?!”

Ting-zhi didn’t even have the decency to look guilty. His eyes were dark, pupils blown wide, lips swollen from their kiss. “Your tail.”

“My what?”

She twisted in his lap, craning her neck to look—and froze.

There it was. Atail. White as fresh silk, bushy as a calligraphy brush, tipped with the faintest shimmer, like moonlight on water. She reached back, fingers trembling, and—fluff. Actual, ridiculousfluff.

Her hands flew to her head. Two pointed ears, soft as rabbit fur, twitched beneath her touch.

“I’m afox.”

“Mmm.” His voice was rough, his breath hot against her throat. “More accurately, afox vixen.”

She whipped back to glare at him. “This isyourdream.”

Ting-zhi’s arms were still locked around her, his dark eyes half-lidded, his breath coming in short, uneven bursts. “If it is, can we stop analyzing and go back to—”

“The fox vixen seducing the scholar,” she finished, shoving at his chest. “FromDreams of the Otherworld. You’re recreating yourownbook!”

“A dream,” he murmured, nuzzling the sensitive spot where her ear met her neck. His thumb brushed her lower lip, smudging the wetness there. “Just a dream, Si-er.”

Right. A dream.

Aspringdream.

Ting-zhi’s warm hands stroked down her tail again, slow and deliberate.

Yun-si’s entire body tensed up.

A shiver tore through her, violent and sweet, her spine arching before she could stop it. Her breath hitched, her lipsparting on a sound she didn’t recognize—something between a gasp and a whimper.