Tiger's Quest (13 page)

When I got home late that night from my date, I taped a note onto Ren’s side of our connecting door.

Once he drew

With one long kiss my whole soul thro’

My lips, as sunlight drinketh dew.

—
Alfred Lord Tennyson

Ren hadn’t kissed me in three weeks, and I thought I was weakening more than he was. I’d tried everything I could think of and still hadn’t gotten so much as a nibble on my baited lip. I had nothing to show for my weeks of effort. I now owned an entire collection of lipsticks and glosses and had tried every single one of them to no effect.

In wushu, he pulled another note out of his bag, read through it, and raised an eyebrow in my direction. This one was the most over-the-top one that I’d given him, and I’d purposely saved it for last. It was my last-ditch effort.

Give me a kiss, and to that kiss a score;

Then to that twenty, add a hundred more:

A thousand to that hundred: so kiss on,

To make that thousand up a million.

Treble that million, and when that is done,

Let’s kiss afresh, as when we first begun.

—
Robert Herrick

Ren didn’t say anything, but he looked at me with smoldering, intense eyes. I boldly returned his gaze and felt a hot, sizzling link spark up between us. It connected us and burned a hole through my middle even though we were on opposite sides of the room. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him, and he appeared to be suffering with the same affliction.

Suddenly, Li announced that we were going to be doing take-downs again, which he had avoided since his first session with Ren. This time, Li and Ren were going to demonstrate the moves to the rest of us. Li instructed us to all sit back against the wall. Ren reluctantly broke eye contact with me and moved up to face his opponent.

The two men circled each other. Li made the first move, a backward roundhouse to show off and move in closer, but Ren gracefully blocked it. Li shifted his weight to one leg and swept behind Ren’s knee then threw a punch at Ren’s chest. Ren shifted to the right so Li’s sweep missed and used his palm to block the punch. Li used an elaborate corkscrew maneuver next, placed one hand on the floor, and attacked with a scissor kick. Ren grabbed Li’s foot and twisted, bringing Li down hard on his stomach. Li rolled away angrily and returned a series of punches. Ren blocked him high, low, and even backward, effectively neutralizing Li’s attacks.

Li realized he was getting nowhere. He faked a punch to grab Ren’s arm and yanked hard so he could do a backward kick to the face, but Ren pulled him off balance, and Li fell to the mat again. He did a kick-up and turned to face Ren, and they circled again.

“Do you really want to continue this?” Ren said. “You’ve proved you’re a good fighter.”

“I’m not trying to prove anything.” He grinned. “I just wanted to stop you from ogling my girl.” He shot off a quick double punch to Ren’s chest. Ren simply grabbed Li’s wrists and twisted them outward. Li howled and stepped away. He came back with a front kick to Ren’s face.

Ren grabbed his heel. “She hasn’t decided yet whose girl she is.” He lifted his arms and threw Li, flipping him upside down. “But, if I were a betting man, I wouldn’t be giving you very good odds.”

I gasped in outrage and embarrassment. Ren turned to look at me. Seeing he was distracted, Li grabbed Ren’s arms from behind and pushed up, a move that immobilized most people. Without missing a beat, Ren ran up a wall with Li still holding his arms and flipped over him in the air.

When he landed, he flicked his wrists, effectively reversing their positions. Li’s elbows were now pointed in the air while Ren pushed down slightly. When Li gasped in pain, Ren quickly let him go. Li spun out and tried sweeping Ren’s legs again, but Ren leapt over them, twisted, and pinned Li easily.

Jennifer looked at me nervously and grabbed my hand. Li was enraged. He wiped his mouth and spat out, “You let me worry about my odds.” He spun and kicked, making contact with Ren’s chest. The impact caused both of them to take a few steps back. Li taunted, “At least I didn’t give her up and walk away.”

The moves were too fast for me to discern now. I saw punches, arm-blocks, step-back twists, side kicks, foot play, and kick blocks.

At one point, Ren ran at Li and did a complicated aerial somersault in tucked position, double twisted, and flipped over Li entirely in the air. As he was coming down, he placed his hand on Li’s back and used his momentum to push Li flat on his face on the mat. The class started clapping and cheering.

Ren pressed his hand against Li’s back, holding him immobile, and growled quietly, “No. But you
will
. She’s
mine
.”

Ren let him up, and Li became a raging bull after that, going after Ren with everything he had. Sweat was pouring down his face, and he was breathing hard. He attacked even more viciously than he had before, and Ren stepped up his game a little too. Li was finally getting in some punches. I was mortified that they were fighting over
me
.
Publicly
. At the same time, I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

Li was a force to be reckoned with. He was obviously highly skilled. However, there was still a world of difference between him and Ren. It was almost like they were moving at two different speeds.

I watched Ren fight. In fact, it would have been impossible for me to look away. Each move was a beautiful study in form. I found myself entranced by the calculated control and power he displayed. He was simply magnificent. A fighter worthy of the tiger he often was.

I was furious that he had the audacity to claim me as his in front of everyone. Yet, at the same time, I was secretly thrilled that he wanted me that fiercely. He really was a warrior-angel.
My warrior-angel
, I thought possessively.

After about fifteen minutes of fighting hard and getting nowhere, Li, panting forcefully, dismissed the class.

I tried to talk with him, but he waved me off and grabbed a towel to cover his head.

Li didn’t call or ask me out on any dates the next week. After wushu class on Friday, Li asked to speak with me and told Ren he would drive me home. Ren nodded and left quietly. They’d been oddly civil to each other since the fight.

Li sat down and patted the mat next to him. “Kelsey, I need to ask you something, and I want you to answer honestly.”

“Okay.”

“Why did you leave Ren?”

I shifted uncomfortably. “I left him because . . . we’re not right for each other.”

“What do you mean?”

I stayed silent for a moment, and then replied, “There are a couple of reasons. The main one is that . . . it’s difficult to explain. First of all, he’s gorgeous, and I’m . . . not. He’s also very wealthy. In fact, he comes from royalty. He’s from a different culture and background, and he hasn’t dated much and—”

“But, Kelsey, the two of us are also from different cultures and backgrounds, and that didn’t bother you. Does his family not like you?”

“No. His parents are gone. His brother likes me.” I twisted my hands in my lap. “I guess it boils down to me thinking that he’s going to wake up and figure out I’m not a princess. I think he’ll be disappointed if he chooses me. It’s just a matter of time before he realizes that and leaves me for someone else, someone better.”

Li turned toward me, his face incredulous. “So you’re telling me that the reason you left him was because you thought
he
was too good for
you
?”

“Basically, yes. He would have trapped himself with me and been unhappy.”

“Does he ever
act
unhappy around you?”

“No.”

Li said reflectively, “Kelsey, as much as it kills me to say this, Ren strikes me as a very careful, thoughtful person. During our fight, I used every dirty trick and skill at my disposal, and he barely hit me back. He clearly had the advantage. His skills are beyond anything I’ve seen before. It’s like he studied with all of the old masters.”

He probably did.

“But, during the fight, he actually
took
hits so that I wouldn’t get hurt. That shows not only incredible skill, but amazing forethought.”

I shrugged. “I already knew he was a good fighter.”

“No, you don’t understand my point. To hone skill like that, to fight like that, takes discipline. He could have smashed me into the floor, but he didn’t.” He laughed ironically. “Half the time, he wasn’t even watching me! He was watching you, concerned about your reaction. He wasn’t even paying attention to the guy who was seriously trying to kill him.”

“What are you trying to say, Li?”

“I’m trying to say that the man is desperately in love with you. It’s obvious to me and to everyone else. If
you
love
him
, you have to tell him. Your fears about him leaving you don’t fit with his personality. Like I said, he’s the type of man who makes decisions and sticks by them. There’s nothing about him that makes me think he’s anything less than sincere.”

“But—”

Li took my hands in his and looked into my eyes. “
Kelsey
. He only sees
you
.”

I looked down at my hands.

“And as far as you not being good enough for him, it’s actually the opposite. He isn’t good enough for you.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“No. No, I’m not. You’re amazing and sweet and pretty, and he’d be lucky to have you.”

“Li, why are you
doing
this?”

“Because . . . I genuinely like the guy. I respect him. And, because I can see that your feelings for him are much stronger than your feelings for me. You’re happier with him.”

“I’m happy with you too.”

“Yes, but it’s not the same. Go home to him, Kelsey. You obviously love him. Tell him that. Give him a chance.” He sniggered quietly. “But don’t forget to tell him that I was the bigger man who walked away.” He reached over and wrapped me in a bear hug. “I’ll miss you, Kelsey.”

Something in me clicked, and my perspective suddenly changed. It was time to let Li go. It wasn’t fair to continue to put him through this. My heart would never belong to him; deep down, I’d known that for a while. I’d been using him as an emotional crutch. My whole relationship with him had become an excuse so I could postpone facing Ren. Whether I ended up with Ren or not, I knew this had to be the end for Li and me.

Emotional, I hugged him back. “I’ll miss you too. You’ve been good to me and good for me. I won’t forget you. Tell the guys thanks for teaching me to play.”

“Sure thing. Come on.” He stood and helped me up, kissing my cheek softly. “Let’s get you home. And, Kelsey?”

“Yes?”

“If he ever
does
leave you, tell him I’ll come looking for him.”

I laughed forlornly. “I’m sorry I put you through this, Li.”

He shrugged. “You’re worth it. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I’d forced your hand when he showed up, you would have chosen him anyway. At least this way, I got to hang around a little bit longer.”

“It wasn’t fair to you.”

“Didn’t somebody say that all’s fair in love and war? This was a little bit of love mixed in with a little bit of war. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

I took his hand in both of mine and squeezed. “You’re going to make some woman very happy someday, Li. And I hope that someday finds you soon.”

“Well if you happen to have a twin sister somewhere, send her my way.”

I laughed, but I felt like crying.

Li drove me home. We were both silent, and I thought about what he had said. He was right. Ren
was
a careful, thoughtful person. He’d had centuries to think about what he wanted. For some reason, he wanted me. I knew deep down that he loved me and would never leave me. I also knew that if I
had
chosen someone else, he would’ve always been around to take care of me if I needed him.

My feelings for
him
were never in question. Li was right. I should tell him. Tell him that I’d made my choice.

I’d been deliberately trying to seduce the man for several weeks, and now that I was finally going to get what I wanted . . . I was nervous. My resolve wobbled. I felt suddenly vulnerable, fragile. My thoughts were incoherent and scattered.
What should I say?

When he stopped the car, Li encouraged me one more time. “Tell him, Kelsey.” He hugged me briefly and then drove off.

I stood outside Ren’s door for too many minutes thinking about what I was going to say.

The door opened, and Ren came out to stand beside me. His feet were bare, and he was still wearing his muscle shirt and white pants from wushu. He looked earnestly at my face and sighed unhappily. “Tell me what, Kells?”

In a stilted voice, I said, “Heard that, did you?”

“Yes.” His face was tight, cautious. I suddenly realized that he thought I was going to choose
Li
.

He ran a hand through his hair. “What would you like to tell me?”

“I’d like to tell you that I’ve made my choice.”

“I figured that.”

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, but he remained stiff and unyielding. I stood up on my tiptoes to get closer. He sighed, reached down to put his arms around me, and picked me up. He held my body snugly against his rock-solid chest while my feet hovered several inches in the air. I spoke softly in his ear, “I choose you.”

He froze . . . then drew his head back to look at my face, “So then, Li—”

“Is out of the picture.”

He flashed me a brilliant smile that lit up the dark night. “So then we—”

“Can be together.”

I pulled his head closer and kissed him softly. He broke away to study my face in surprise and then locked me tightly in his arms and kissed me back. His was no soft, sweet kiss. It was a hot, melty, smoldering one.

There are many different types of kisses. There’s a passionate kiss of farewell—like the kind Rhett gave Scarlett when he went off to war. The kiss of I-can’t-really-be-with-you-but-I-want-to-be—like with Superman and Lois Lane. There’s the first kiss—one that is gentle and hesitant, warm and vulnerable. Then there’s the kiss of possession—which was how Ren kissed me now.