Page 67 of The Jorogumo

"Thank you," I whispered, unable to deny his compliment in the face of his honesty.

Liam took his time exploring every inch of me, asking questions about old scars, random marks, what I could feel—"can you feel my touch with the same intensity as you do on your human skin?"—and I answered every one of them.

No one had ever known me as well as Liam did, and I wondered what my life would be like if I had refused to go to his store when Dustin first asked me.

Would I still be hiding out in my house, reading my comics and refusing to mingle because I didn't think I could? Because I thought it would take far too much trouble and effort?

Thankfully, I never had to find out. Because I had Liam now, and I wasn't ever going to let him go.

When he'd had his fill, Liam settled beside me, his arm and leg thrown over me under his soft blanket, and I pulled him close, keeping him safe and warm as he drifted off to sleep.

I was grateful to Fate for leading me to Liam, for showing me how good a relationship could be when you built it with someone who understood you, accepted you, and made you want to do and be better.

Pressing a kiss on Liam's forehead, I buried my nose in his hair, breathing in his scent as I waited for sleep to find me.

Tomorrow, I'd talk to Draven about his progress, and the day after that, I'd ask Liam to marry me.

The more I'd researched about human weddings, the more I wanted to marry Liam. I'd originally wanted to simply because I'd known it would make Liam happy. But now? Now I wanted to make promises to him in front of our friends, our family. I wanted to put my ring on his finger, kiss him, and call him my husband.

Liam

Knowing your boyfriend was going to propose to you but not knowing when sucked. I was on edge all the time. I didn't think I'd ever been as excited about anything before in my life.

Still, I tried to focus on the task at hand, which was signing the papers so I would become the full and sole owner ofSanctum for Geeks. While Haruto was paying for half of it, he'd refused to have his name on the deed—he said he wasn't sure his ID was good enough, but I had a feeling that was just an excuse—so I was the only one who needed to sign. Haruto hadpromised to bring lunch over so we could celebrate since he couldn't be here for the signing.

I took a deep breath, then scrawled my name on the necessary line after reading the deed. Then I signed on the next page, and the next.

When I was done, Mrs. Warner gave me a tight hug, her eyes shining with happiness as she patted my cheek.

"Thank you, sweetie. I have no doubt you'll take great care of this place."

Overwhelmed by her faith in me, I swallowed hard, then gave her a smile. "I'll do my best."

"I'll visit—as a customer—the next time I'm in town."

We hugged again, and then she and the lawyer left, leaving me with a copy of the deed. It was only because of her trust in me that the whole thing had happened so smoothly, and I carefully tucked away the papers before returning to my spot behind the counter.

As promised, Haruto arrived with lunch, and I switched the signs, locked the door, and followed him to the back office.

Placing our food on the table, Haruto turned to me and gave me a tight hug. "Congratulations, Liam."

"Thank you," I murmured as I hugged him back. "And thank you for the loan."

He insisted that it wasn't a loan, and that I didn't need to pay him back, and I still hadn't decided how I felt about that. On one hand, his support made me feel so damned happy. He'd pushed me, helped me overcome my fears so I could buy this place, and that on its own was more than enough. I knew he had a shit-ton of money—he'd made some good investments in his 'younger days'—but I still felt guilty about taking it. Maybe that would change with time.

Pulling back, Haruto claimed my lips, kissing me deeply as his arms stayed wrapped around my middle. I kissed him back, fisting the front of his shirt as I pulled him closer, until there was no space between us.

We parted with a gasp, though I wasn't sure which one of us the gasp came from. I was hard, like I usually was when Haruto touched me.

Instead of ignoring it and turning to our lunch, Haruto pulled me close again, dragging me into a deep kiss as he pushed me back until I was flush against the wall.

Sliding his tongue into my mouth, he clamped his hands under my thighs and pulled me up. I scrambled to steady myself, wrapping my legs around his hips in a death grip as I groaned into his mouth. Fuck, he was so damned strong.

Anyone who looked at us would wonder how a man like Haruto could pick up someone twice his bulk, but they wouldn't know my mate at all.

Haruto pulled back from the kiss, making me whine as I forced my eyes open. He smirked at me, licking his lips as his eyes roamed over me. He might not experience lust the same way I did, but he sure knew how to drive me crazy.

"Hands above your head, link your wrists," he murmured, and I blinked. It took my lust-addled brain a minute, and then I scrambled to raise my arms.

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