Page 2 of The Vanishing
And he’s naked—Stop. Sphere, Nino… God, he smells incredible—Shit. Sphere.
Like a balloon popping, Haruka releases his innate hold on their combined energy. The bright red-orange light of it glimmers and fades. Nino opens his amber eyes, apology set in his expression.
Before he can speak the words, Haruka closes the distance and kisses him. He slides his hand against Nino’s scalp, fingers threading and tangling into his thick hair. Haruka tilts his head, opening wider to coax Nino into letting him inside—to feel and taste him completely.
Kissing Nino is all-consuming, the force of it like being swept up into an effervescent, fiery tornado. When Nino’s mouth is on his, it’s as if Haruka becomes airborne, soaring across a red sky of heat and passion and losing his breath. Losing sense of himself and his rational mind.
He leans back, hands still laced in Nino’s hair as he drags him down toward the bed. He needs to feel the weight and heaviness of his body. Haruka unfolds his legs and gaps his thighs so Nino can rest in between. The moment Nino settles, their mouths connect in another burst of passion: tongues twisting and sliding, hungry and exploring. He kisses Haruka, ravenous, as if his sanity is at stake. As if the taste and feel of his mouth is Nino’s only solace in the face of total madness.
After pulling the belt of Haruka’s robe loose, Nino lifts, then moves his hand between their bodies to open and push the material aside. He reaches down, lightly caressing his fingertips along the center of Haruka’s belly. He grazes his navel and Haruka sighs, writhing from the prospect of Nino’s hand moving lower.
Nino raises his head from the kiss, his voice low. “I couldn’t concentrate… again.”
“I heard,” Haruka breathes.
“Maybe…” Nino dips to sprinkle kisses along Haruka’s jawline. “I can have tonight off? Because today is special.”
Haruka slides his hands up Nino’s firm back, caressing the smooth contours of elegant definition and muscle. “Is it?” he asks.
“I know we usually focus on centennial milestones in our culture, but… today is our one-year anniversary, tesoro.”
Tracing his fingertips along the shallow concave of Nino’s spine, Haruka grins. “Has it already been a year?”
“Mmhm. Asao kept your calendar clear for later tonight, right?”
“I believe so.”
“I’m making dinner for you,” Nino whispers, leaning down to rub their noses together. “The menu is a surprise—and I found the Merlot we had the night we first met. Remember? You walked into my bar and I forgot how to breathe when I saw you.”
The butterflies in Haruka’s stomach float and dance as he raises his chin to connect with Nino’s full lips. He kisses him twice before resting back down against the bed. “I do. I love it when you cook for me.”
“Look forward to it.” Nino beams, lifting on all fours. He looks at the nightstand just beside the bed. “Did you put the new bottle in my drawer or yours?”
“Yours.”
Nino leans past his head and Haruka admires the distinct lines of his torso, watching them move and stretch as he reaches to open the drawer. Nino’s body is exquisite, like a marble sculpture of a young Greek god but drenched in golden honey.
Nino stops, frozen. “You—There’s… a ring box in here.”
“Perhaps you should open it?”
For a moment, Nino remains still, his eyes shifting between Haruka’s face and the open drawer. He leans forward again to grab the small black box, then crawls backward, resting against his shins. Haruka sits upright to face him.
Nino focuses on the suede box, his shoulders rising and falling as he breathes. He’s trying to stay calm, but Haruka can feel the subdued joy radiating from within him. Nino flips the box open. The two handsome and polished bands that Haruka has chosen glisten in the dim light.
“Do you like them?” Haruka asks.
“I…” Nino takes a deep breath, running his fingers into the top of his hair. “Ilovethem. Haru, I—When I mentioned this to you, you didn’t seem interested.”
“I am interested in anything that pleases you,” Haruka says, taking the box from Nino’s hands. Wearing and exchanging rings this way is a human practice, something rarely done among bonded couples. Everything between vampires is organic—the biological pull and connection dominant over anything else, with no need for material frills or symbolism.
But if this is what makes his mate happy, then so be it.
He takes Nino’s band from its small holding space in the box. The black, shiny metal is cool to the touch and the intricate amber inlay mirrors his husband’s eyes. He grasps Nino’s left hand. “I realize that when we bonded a year ago, it was unexpected… My behavior at that time left much to be desired.”
Carefully, he guides the ring onto Nino’s finger. A perfect fit. “I… I do not express these sentimentalities well. But please know that you revived me—from a place of bitterness and loneliness. You have always been pure in your kindness toward me. And I… Perhaps I can never express how grateful I am to you. How much I love you.”
Haruka takes a deep breath, his heart in his throat. Speaking this way—candid and emotional—is difficult. He is unaccustomed to it, but wants to try being more open and straightforward like his mate. “Thank you for choosing me. For loving me,” he says, watching Nino and waiting.
