Page 26 of The Jorogumo

Nodding, he settled back into the swing, pulling me with him until we were on our backs with our legs hanging over the side, hands still clasped.

"No penetration," he said softly, eyes on the ceiling as he spoke, as if he didn't want to see my reaction, as if he was afraid of it. "It's not possible in this form anyway, but even if I took a human form, it's not something I wish to do."

"It's a take-it-or-leave-it thing for me anyway," I said with a shrug. I'd topped most of the time I had penetrative sex with someone because it was expected of me, and the few times I'd bottomed, it hadn't been good anyway. It'd felt like the man I was with was punishing me for being bigger and stronger than him, and it'd left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. I'd wanted to be taken care of, not punished. I hadn't done it again.

"I would like to pleasure you, to make you come with my hands and my mouth."

"And that wouldn't make you feel uncomfortable? I don't want to do anything that only one of us enjoys."

Haruto glanced over at me then, a soft smile on his face. Reaching over, he cupped my jaw in his hand, his eyes gazing right into my soul. Fuck, he was so beautiful. "I will enjoy it. Not the same way you will, of course. But I will consume your desire, and it will give me power. And making my mate feel pleasure will satisfy me to no end."

"Consuming my desire will enable you to take a human form, right?" I asked, and he nodded. I wondered what he would look like. Stunning, I bet. "But you wouldn't want reciprocation for anything sexual?" He nodded again, and I hummed thoughtfully. "I can still express my feelings in other ways, right? Like hugs, cuddles, kisses? You don't mind those?"

Haruto gave me big, brown eyes, staring at me like he'd never seen me before. He didn't say a word, and when he was silent for a whole minute, I prodded gently. "Haruto?"

He blinked rapidly, then swallowed hard. "Yeah, yeah, I'd like that."

Smiling, I closed the distance between us and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I want to know more about the fated mates thing, but for now, I'd really like it if you kissed me some more."

Haruto still looked a little stunned, but he reacted quickly, pressing his lips to mine and pulling me into a kiss I wouldn't forget anytime soon.

Ten

Haruto

We didn't go pastkissing that day, and after spending a few more hours with me where I told him everything he wanted to know about fated mates, Liam left just before dinner after he'd drawn a promise from me that I'd visit his store the next day.

After walking him to the Sanctuary door—it made more sense for him to leave on his own, even though I wanted to draw out our time together as much as I could—I headed back to the Forest area, and immediately walked into an ambush. Thankfully, it was just Dustin, Khush, and Keoni, so there was a chance I'd survive it.

"So? Did you tell him?" Dustin demanded, leaning against his mate, whose tail was wrapped around his middle, supporting him.

"Look at him. He most certainly did," Khush teased, his yellow-brown eyes roaming over my face. I reached up, blushingwhen I realized my hair was all over the place. Running my fingers through the short strands, I tried to get them into order.

I knew the only way to get them to stop bothering me was to tell the truth, so I sighed loudly before saying, "Yes, I told him. He reacted very well—"

"We can see that," Khush cut in, eyes twinkling, and I huffed before continuing like he hadn't said anything at all.

"—and we talked about it for a while—"

"Oh, I bet you did."

"—and I'm gonna see him again tomorrow. One minute for questions and then I'm going home to decompress."

"How was the kiss?" Keoni asked eagerly, and since he wasn't teasing, I answered honestly.

"It was amazing. Intense."

Keoni looked amazed at this answer, and considering the kid hadn't had his first kiss yet—he'd grown up in the Sanctuary surrounded by people who saw him as a little brother, and as of yet wasn't able to visit the human world—I understood his fascination.

"He really took everything well? The mates thing and your sexuality as well?" Dustin asked, and I nodded.

"He asked a lot of questions about my limits, but he didn't seem disappointed by any of them."

"That's great. I mean, I expected as much since he's your mate, but still. I'm glad you two are figuring it out."

"Yeah, man, we're really happy for you," Khush said, his teasing smirk morphing into something softer.

"Thank you."

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