Page 70 of Secrets & Sake

A happy laugh escapes me, and I slip my arms around his shoulders. My stomach growls, and Raiden chuckles despite my embarrassment.

“You’re gonna need me to feed you.”

“Yes, please.”

Raiden’s grinning. “Can do.” I cuddle against his chest while he feeds me bits of egg, stopping only to give himself a few bites. “You’re really okay?” he asks, eyeing me cautiously.

“Yeah.” And I mean it. Something so heavy has been lifted from my chest, like I’ve set myself free. “Come with me to meet my family this evening.”

His eyes widen. “What? They’re in town? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I need time to get my temper under wraps.”

I glare at him until he feeds me more egg with a grumpy expression on his face. “I was going to, but then you showed up on my doorstep and collapsed into my arms.”

“I did not.”

I’m quiet as I chew, trying to put my thoughts into order. “Seeing them again will be hard. But I want to show them what I’ve accomplished. And I’d love to show you off as my… boyfriend. If that’s what we are.”

Raiden is oddly still. I chance a glance up and find his lips parted in surprise.

“You’re my boyfriend?”

“I was asking you.”

Raiden blinks rapidly, as if I’ve stunned him. “I don’t know. I’ve never been anybody’s boyfriend before.”

Heat rushing up my neck, I meet his gaze. “Raiden Noboru, you make me happy. Will you be my boyfriend?”

Raiden looks down, but not before I glimpse a pleased smile. “Oh. That’s… that’s good.”

“Well? Will you?”

Raiden sets the plate on the coffee table, then tucks his head beneath my chin, arms winding around me to hold me close. “You sure about this? I won’t share. If we do this, you’ll be mine exclusively.”

I snort. “Uh. Yeah. That’s kind of the whole point of being someone’s boyfriend, isn’t it? I’m sure, baby. I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”

Joy breaks across Raiden’s face, unreserved and bright. “Yeah, Sunshine. I’ll be your boyfriend.”

Warmed by his body, happy to the depths of my soul, I smile into his hair.

“You make me happy, too,” he whispers, and those precious words heal my heart and break it all at once.

Chapter 20

After breakfast, Hiro and I hit the road, driving out of the city and into the countryside.

It’s nice to get away from the city, to be alone with Hiro on the open road.

With Hiro beside me and Tokyo behind us, I’m in limbo between my dangerous life in Tokyo and the freedom I never knew I could have, just out of reach.

Someday, this job is going to be the death of me. Yesterday proved that. It’s a reality I thought I’ve resigned myself to.

So why does the idea now make me sick to my stomach?

The thread glows around my finger, warm and full of life. I think of him, of my mate. My boyfriend.

How he opened up to me.

How he trusted me to comfort and support him.

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