Page 68 of Secrets & Sake

But I can’t, in good conscience, do nothing about these missing people. Someone is keeping innocent people locked up somewhere, and soon, whoever it is will sacrifice them all in a sick ritual. I’ve got to figure out who it is and stop them, but I can’t do it alone.

I’m not ready to be open with Raiden about my investigation into the gang. Evidence for said investigation is in the dresser beside the bed we’re curled up in. I hate keeping such a huge secret from him, but I’m terrified he’ll be angry, or even worse, hurt by my secrets. That’s the last thing I want, but I’ve got to come clean eventually.

Noises in the kitchen make me lift my head off the pillow. Raiden’s in the kitchen in nothing but his underwear, cracking eggs and stirring them in a bowl. My stomach growls fiercely, so I get out of bed and grab a robe.

“Making something?” I ask, coming up behind him and hugging him around the waist.

He shrugs and leans back against me. “Just eggs. You seriously need to go grocery shopping. How the hell do you survive when I’m not around to feed you?”

I pepper kisses over his tattooed shoulder.

“Come over for dinner tonight. I’ll cook.”

“You know I can feed myself, don’t you?”

“Then act like it,” he grumbles, pouring the eggs into the hot pan and scrambling them. The eggs cook slowly. “You still working on your photo book?”

“Y-yes.” I almost didn’t understand his question. “Why?”

“Namikawa called while you were sleeping. He’s holding a meeting and wants to talk about what happened yesterday. He’d like you there to take photos of the meeting. Something about showing our professional side or whatever.”

“What time is the meeting?”

“We have time to have breakfast before we head over. Until then…” Raiden turns around and folds me into his arms, holding me to his chest. I melt against him, lose myself in his strong arms and the heat of all that bare skin against mine.

Something’s shifted between us. My feelings have changed, but I think his have, too. There was a wall between us before, but after last night, that wall got torn down.

“About last night,” I murmur against his warm, bare skin.

Those big, warm arms squeeze me tight.

There’s a lot I want to say, but standing in my kitchen with him, his arms around me, early morning sunshine warm on our skin… everything I could say circles back to how much I’m coming to love him. I can’t go there.

Despite how affectionate he is and the way he opened himself up to me last night, there’s a part of me that’s scared that I’m alone in my feelings.

Every time I try to imagine the possibility of him loving me back, all I can wonder is why he’d care for me when my own family shunned me.

“What’s wrong?” Raiden asks against my neck, still lavishing kisses over my skin.

“I…” My breath hitches, heart skipping. “There’s something I haven’t told you. About my last relationship.” Maybe if I finally get this off my chest, he can help alleviate these doubts that continue to plague me.

“Just a sec.” Raiden takes the eggs off the stove and plates them. We carry our breakfast to the sofa and sit, his shoulder touching mine. The eggs are good, soft and creamy, but I only pick at them in my nerves.

“What is it?” The weight of Raiden’s warm hand runs up and down my leg.

I blow out a breath and stare down at my plate. “So… I’ve only really dated one person before you.”

Raiden glowers.

“Jealous,” I tease, unable to hold back my smile.

“Who was he?” Raiden stabs his egg.

“Takahiro.” Just saying his name makes something in my chest twinge, even though it’s been five years since I last saw him. “We got together in our last year of high school, back when I was still thinking about joining my family’s business.”

The moment I locked eyes with him, I’d been smitten. I was sure he was the most handsome man I’d ever seen. One day, he’d asked me to take photos for an article he was writing for the school paper.

At the time, I’d been uncertain about pursuing photography and journalism, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to spend time with him. After I shot pictures for his article, he’d invited me out for dinner as a thanks—and kissed me before we’d gone separate ways at the train station.

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