Page 48 of The Jorogumo

Even without his unique 'diet,' I knew Haruto was the only one who could drive me crazy and make me feel loved all at the same time, the only one who could turn me into a moaning, writhing mess.

I wanted to feel embarrassed, but I could almost feel the satisfaction wafting off of my boyfriend, mymate. How could I be embarrassed when we'd both enjoyed it so damned much?

"Thank you," I said after another few minutes of silence, and Haruto gave me a full-body squeeze as he glanced at me, tilting my head so he could look into my eyes.

"You have nothing to thank me for. If anyone should be saying thank you, it's me, for that delicious meal."

I chuckled, rolling my eyes at him. I liked that I could feed him, give him something no one else could. I got as much satisfaction from it as he did from making me come.

"Well, you're very welcome."

Haruto grinned, then leaned forward to kiss my nose.

"I love you, Liam," he said softly, and I blinked. He'd implied as much on our call, but hearing the actual words was somehow much, much different.

I swallowed hard as my heart swelled, suddenly feeling too big for my chest. How could this possibly be real? How did I find someone as amazing as Haruto?

"I—I love you too, Haruto. So much," I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper. It struck me then that he was the first person to say those words to me. The first person I'd said those words to.

My parents hadn't been what you'd call 'emotionally available,' and I couldn't remember one instance where they'd told me they loved me, or even that they were proud of me. My relationships tended to end way before we reached the love mark. At least before Haruto.

Haruto hugged me tightly, pushing away all those unhappy thoughts as he pressed his lips to mine in a whisper-soft kiss.

"How about this? Tomorrow, close the store early, and we'll go out on a date."

I blinked, then glanced up at him. "A date? In my world?"

Haruto nodded, smiling softly. "You've seen a lot of mine. It's only fair that I see more of yours."

"Okay. Do you want to plan or—"

"Yes, I'll plan," he said, cutting me off in his excitement, and I grinned. I'd happily go anywhere he wanted to.

"Sounds good. I'll close at five?"

"Perfect. I'll come to the store."

I nodded, excitement fizzing through me at the thought of going on a date with Haruto in the human world. Not that I hadn't enjoyed our dates here, but in the human world, Icould focus all my attention on Haruto instead of our curious surroundings like I had at the Sanctuary.

Tucking my face into the crook of his neck, I pressed a kiss there. Haruto hummed softly, rubbing my back as he spoke. "You should sleep. You have to wake up early to open the store."

Murmuring an agreement, I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to fill my lungs with his scent. With him wrapped around me and his heart beating steadily under my palm, I drifted off to sleep.

Eighteen

Liam

The bell above thedoor jingled five minutes before I was going to close, and I bit back a scowl.

Focused on what I was doing, I glanced up enough to see jeans-clad legs. "Take a look around. Let me know if you need any help."

Instead of walking toward the shelves, the footsteps came up to the counter, and I sighed.

Usually, I was a very friendly guy, but not when my very hot boyfriend was coming to take me out on a date. Still, I pasted on a smile and glanced up, only to freeze.

I stared dumbly up at the man standing before me, then leaned over the counter to peek down at his legs. Yep, legs. Two, very human legs.

I leaned back and gazed up at Haruto, stunned.

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