Page 37 of Praising Haru

“Just a wonderful morning?”

“I’ve had an amazing time since the moment I met you last night.”

He leans closer, slipping his tongue into my mouth. Without breaking the kiss, I sit on his lap, sandwiching the book between us. I clasp my hands at his nape, and he holds my hips.

When the kiss ends, I nuzzle his nose. “You have to go.”

“I’ll call you.”

“I’m still expecting daily text messages.”

“You’ll get them, beautiful.”

My heart flutters. I stand and hold my hand out to help him up. Not that he needs it. He takes it, stroking his thumb over mine as he stands. He kisses me again, and then we part to put our shoes on. I grab my jacket.

“Can I give you a lift home?” he asks.

“I’m pretty sure that’s going to be out of your way. I’ll get the bus.”

“At least let me drop you off in town at the bus station.”

I press my hand over my heart. “My knight in shining armour.”

“More like a friend in a Ford.”

I clutch my stomach as I laugh. “That’ll do. I won’t say no to a lift to town. Thank you.”

“Are you going to go home like that?” Kyle gestures to the too-big clothes I’m wearing.

“Is it okay if I borrow your clothes? I’ll wash them and bring them back.”

“Of course it is. But they’re obviously not yours.”

“Oh! Are you worried about me doing a walk of shame?” I push onto my tiptoes so I can peck his lips. “Trust me. I’m not ashamed of anything we did last night. Or this morning.” I drop onto the soles of my feet and waggle my brows. “I’m proud to be seen in public, wearing your clothes.”

He kisses me. “I’ll put your clothes in a bag. Wait here.”

While he does that, I use an app on my phone to find and download the audiobook ofNeuromancerso I can listen to more of it on the bus. I’ve never heard of the narrator, but I know one thing for sure, his voice won’t be as easy on the ears as Kyle’s.

CHAPTER8

KYLE

I drop Haru at the bus station and spend a little too long watching him walk away, wearing my clothes. I can’t fathom how sexy it is. As I drive to my parents’ house, I keep metaphorically pinching myself. From the moment I saw Haru in that fucking gorgeous fishnet top, everything seemed almost dreamlike and not quite real. But it is real. We slept together. Not once but twice, and we’ve agreed to keep seeing each other until Haru inevitably gets another job and moves back to London.

“You seem distracted,” Mum says as she serves dinner.

She makes the best roast potatoes. They’re crisp and crunchy on the outside but light and fluffy on the inside. They’re divine when paired with her melt-in-the-mouth roast beef and rich, meaty gravy, which she makes from scratch.

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s great.” I can’t stop thinking about Haru lying on my bed, moaning and whimpering as I praised and fucked him. It was amazing to hold him in my arms all night. I hardly ever spend the whole night with a guy. I rarely want to. I smile as I recall how he sat with his feet in my lap, listening as I read my favourite book to him. And then there was the moment he called me Sir this morning. Fuck. Was it the title or how he said it that made me shiver and feel like I owned the moon?

“Who is he?” Dad asks.

“Huh?”

He waves his fork as though tracing a circle around my face. “You look sappy. So either you’re daydreaming about a guy, or you’re constipated.”