Ken Jin was tall and muscular, of twenty-eight or twenty-nine years, and had lush black hair pulled back into the most perfect queue. His face was nicely formed, his shoulders were broad, and he had a generous... Well, all his physical attributes were built along generous lines. Still, she had no idea that Chinese men—even young healthy ones—were so largely endowed. Or perhaps, she was simply uninformed. After all, her only real experience with men's organs came from assisting her brother with his bath. Perhaps Ken Jin was normal and her brother abnormal. It would stand to reason.
"You shouldn't scratch there either," William said loudly, doing just that. "It makes it worse."
Ken Jin nodded formally to Charlotte's brother. With his trousers back in place, the only indications of anything untoward were the dark flush to his cheeks and the expanding circle of crimson on his tented pants.
"One of your needles has drawn blood," she said, once again proving that she was an utter failure at keeping her attention fixed where it ought to be—on her brother and not on the bleeding servant. So she tried again. "Come along, William. Ken Jin will join us in the library." Assuming he didn't bleed to death first.
"But Nanny said he would take us to the park," William wheedled.
Charlotte nodded. "Yes, yes, of course, dearling, but the park is outside, you know, and we can't get there by staying here."
William blinked in his uncomprehending way, then abruptly turned back to Ken Jin. "Why do you have needles in your stomach?" he asked.
Charlotte sighed. Sometimes her brother could fixate on the most inappropriate topics. It didn't help matters that she was desperately curious to know the answer as well.
Ken Jin bowed again, no doubt driving the needles deeper. "It is a form of medicine, Master Will," he responded in his low, smooth voice.
"Yes, William," Charlotte agreed. "A Chinese form of medicine. Now let us—"
"I want to see," William interrupted. Then, to her horror, her nearly six-foot-tall brother lumbered forward, his hands going for Ken Jin's pants.
"That is quite enough!" Charlotte cried in her best disciplinarian voice. William stopped his advance, thank God. "Into the library, young man. Now!"
Another long moment went by as the boy hovered, obviously undecided. Then Ken Jin spoke, his manner extremely pleasant. "I should be happy to take you to the park, Master William, but you must let me don the appropriate shoes."
Charlotte's brother frowned at Ken Jin's bare feet. They were nice feet, Charlotte noticed, and wasn't that an odd thing to think about a servant's feet? But they were nice: The skin was smooth and not hairy, the toes long and well shaped. They were masculine without being a coolie's hoary feet.
"All right," William finally said, spinning on his heel and abruptly dashing out of the room. Charlotte felt her lips curve into a soft smile. Truly, her brother was a sweet boy even if he was sixteen and slow.
She turned back to Ken Jin. "Thank you for your assistance—"
"My shoes," he interrupted, his voice uncharacteristically tight. "Please, Miss Charlotte, let me put on my shoes."
She frowned, abruptly realizing that she wasn't looking at his feet but at the dark bloodstains on his pants. There were three circles now, exactly above the three needles, and the tenting fabric wasn't quite so pronounced.
"Miss Charlotte?"
"Shoes. Yes, of course," she babbled. "I'll see you in the library, then?" She didn't know why she was lingering. She couldn't truly ask Ken Jin why he had stuck needles into his... She ought to be going. And yet...
"Ken Jin..."
The muscles of his jaw bulged as he clenched his teeth. "Yes, Miss Charlotte?"
"Do you require any bandages or salves?"
"No, Miss Charlotte."
She swallowed. Of course he didn't. Ken Jin was the most self-sufficient man she'd ever met. "Well then," she snapped, abruptly bringing her thoughts back to order. "I shall just wait for you in the library. After you... um..."
"After I don my shoes, Miss Charlotte."
"Yes. Your shoes." And with that, she spun around and fled.
Burning Tigress
The Way of The Tigress
Book Four
by
Jade Lee
~
To purchase
Burning Tigress
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit Jade Lee's eBook Discovery Author Page
~
Discover more with
eBookDiscovery.com
JADE LEE has two passions (well, except for her family, but that's a given). She loves dreaming up stories and playing racquetball, not always in that order. When her pro-racquetball career ended with a pair of very bad knees, she turned her attention to writing. An author of more than 30 romance novels, she's decided that life can be full of joy without ever getting up from her chair.
A USA Today Bestseller, Jade has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. Now an author of more than 30 romance novels, she finally gets to play in the best girl-heaven place of all: a Bridal Salon! In her new series, four women find love as they dress the most beautiful brides in England. Look for the first books in Feb/March 2012 with Engaged in Wickedness, an e-book novella, and Wedded in Scandal, a Berkley Sensation novel.
And don't forget KATHY LYONS! She's Jade's lighter, contemporary half. Kathy writes for Harlequin Blaze. She loves the faster pace of category books and that her humor can really let fly. She leaves the dark, tortured love stories to Jade.
If you're wondering where Katherine Greyle comes in, she's Jade's first persona. Sweet, funny, and with a love of all things regency, Katherine started publishing back in the 1900s. (She won't say how long ago!) But never fear, the romantic soul is the same whether it's Jade, Katherine, or Kathy!
So if you love that special feeling when two people just fit, then email her through her website www.jadeleeauthor.com . She's also on social media at Facebook - JadeLeeBooks and Twitter – JadeLeeAuthor
Other Titles by
Jade Lee
Devil's Bargain
The Dragon Earl
Wicked Surrender
Wicked Seduction
~
Bridal Favors Series
~~~***~~~
Engaged in Wickedness, a novella
Wedded in Scandal
Engaged in Passion, a novella
Wedded in Sin
~
Tigress Series
(in series order)
~~~***~~~
White Tigress
Hungry Tigress
Desperate Tigress
Burning Tigress
Cornered Tigress
Tempted Tigress
~
Blaze
~~~***~~~
The Tao of Sex
Getting Physical
~
Crimson City
~~~***~~~
Seduced by Crimson
School Bites
~
Fantasy
~~~***~~~
Dragonborn
Dragonbound
Also available as an eBook bundle
~
Anthologies
~~~***~~~
Winter Heat
~
Novellas
~~~***~~~
Kung Fu Shoes
~
Short Story
~~~***~~~
The Time
~
Titles by Jade Lee writing as
Kathy Lyons
Under His Spell
Office Ups and Downs
In Good Hands
~
Titles by Jade Lee writing as
Katherine Greyle
Oracle
Rules for a Lady
Major Wyclyff's Campa
ign
Miss Woodley's Experiment
Playing with Matches anthology
No Place for a Lady
Almost an Angel
By Fate's Hand anthology
Table of Contents
Cover
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Excerpt from HUNGRY TIGRESS – The Way of The Tigress, Book 2
Excerpt from DESPERATE TIGRESS – The Way of The Tigress, Book 3
Excerpt from BURNING TIGRESS – The Way of The Tigress, Book 4
Meet the Author
Titles by Jade Lee