Page 24 of The Jorogumo (The Sanctuary #2)

Haruto

Since I'd told Liam I'd ask him to marry me, he'd turned into something similar to a hyperactive teenager.

He got excited at the drop of a hat, he always had eyes on me like he expected me to go down on one knee—metaphorically, of course—at any moment, and he was absolutely insatiable in bed.

His constant desire was getting a little distracting, but I still wouldn't change this in any way.

It'd been three days since I told him I'd ask the question, and I didn't think he'd be able to take much more of it. Luckily for him, I planned to ask him the day after tomorrow.

We'd returned from dinner a few minutes ago, and were now curled up in bed, Liam's head in the crook of my shoulder as he watched the show playing on his tablet while I lay on my side. I'd gotten distracted by the way his hair gleamed in the light, and I had no idea what was going on.

Suddenly, Liam turned the tablet off, then sat up facing me, his knees pressing against my front. Liam's eyes roamed over me, darkening as his desire thickened.

Sometimes I was still surprised by how much I wanted his attraction, how comfortable I felt being the center of his attention.

"You know, I've never actually explored you properly in your true form. I want to know everything there is to know about you."

I blinked, a tad surprised by what he said. I thought he'd want my hands on him.

"Uh... you're welcome to."

He grinned, and I felt my cheeks heating up for some reason. Out of the two of us, he was usually the one to blush, but I had my moments too.

"Hmmm... I've seen you weaving your webs. Can I ask how you make the silk? Or is that a rude question?"

I shook my head, smiling softly. "You can ask me anything you want, Liam."

Gesturing toward my abdomen, I explained, "There are spinners or spinnerets at the back of my abdomen that create the silk threads from a mix of protein and magic stored in the bulb-like part, and then I use my back legs to weave it into patterns or shapes. I can use my front legs too for more complex patterns, but it's easier to use the back ones."

Liam nodded thoughtfully, reaching out to brush his fingers over the part where my pale, human-like skin melded into dark gray, then the black of my lower half.

"Can I?" Liam asked as his hand moved lower, and I nodded quickly. There was nothing sexual about his touch, despite his humming desire. Instead, he touched me like he was exploring me, like I was a piece of art, and I wanted him to know every inch of me, just like I was starting to know him.

"Oh wow. I felt it against my legs when we cuddled and stuff, but I didn't realize quite how fuzzy you are," he mumbled, a grin on his face as he ran his hand over my abdomen.

I chuckled softly, marveling at the look of wonder on his face, at the fact that it was for me. I was the one making him look like that.

His hand moved lower before coming up again, and he brushed his palm against the top of my front leg, giving me a questioning look. I nodded, and he smiled as he stroked his hand over my leg, making a sound of surprise.

"They look so sharp, almost metallic, but they're fuzzy too."

"It's an illusion of sorts," I explained, twisting my leg this way and that to show how the light reflected from the soft black hairs covering it.

"Wow. You're beautiful, Haruto," Liam murmured, and my cheeks heated up as he gazed into my eyes.

"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 of Sanctum 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 had promised 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.

He wrapped a hand around my linked wrists before pulling back, and I blinked, confused. I went to lower my arms, and couldn't. I glanced up, staring dumbly at the familiar silky white threads pinning my arms to the wall.

"Wha? How?"

Haruto grinned at my confusion, then winked. "Magic."

I'd known he could do that since he'd done something similar that first day, but I'd almost forgotten about it, even though he'd explained how it was a defense thing, so he wasn't only dependent on his strength in his human form.

I huffed out a laugh, then groaned as he unbuttoned my jeans and slid his hand into my boxers, wrapping it around my dick. His eyes bored into mine as he gave me a stroke, and I panted open-mouthed, already too close to the edge.

He must've felt it too, because his lips parted, and the tingling at the base of my spine receded as he absorbed some of my need. I loved it when he drove me crazy with his powers, when he spent hours pushing me closer and closer to the edge without letting me fall over.

We didn't have hours right now, so I pushed up into his hand. "Please, babe."

"Shh, I'll take care of you," he promised, his voice soft and calm and utterly unruffled. Sometimes, I really hated that tone of his.

I twisted my hands, knowing I wouldn't get out of his bindings but wanting to feel them against my skin anyway. I was completely at Haruto's mercy, and as much as I was dying to come, I loved it. I loved knowing that I'd only get to come when Haruto decided, that I had to take everything he gave me.

No one had ever treated me like Haruto did. When we were cuddling or doing something non-sexual together, or we were with our friends, he was sweet and soft and warm. And when we were like this, he was in control, dominant, and strong. I loved every facet of him, and I couldn't wait to marry him, to tie us together in every possible way.

"I love you," I panted as he slid his palm up and down my dick in slow, maddening strokes .

His eyes blazed at my words, and he leaned down, claiming my lips in a hard kiss. He bit my lower lip, making me jerk against him, and then pulled back. "I love you too."

I shuddered against him as he quickened his strokes, his other hand stroking up and down my arm, then my neck, then my chest. I could feel the warmth of his touch through my shirt, and I wished it wasn't there so I could feel him properly.

"Haruto," I keened as I felt my climax rushing close, and this time, he didn't stop it.

I slumped against him as I came, spilling into his fist and my underwear as I panted for breath, my arms straining against the wall as I lay against Haruto.

He reached up with his other hand to free me, and my arms tingled as I lowered them, my mind blissfully foggy and quiet.

I was distantly aware as Haruto placed me on a chair and walked over to the small bathroom, returning with a wet cloth he used to clean me up as much as he could.

After he'd returned, he tucked my clothes back in, then picked me up and settled me in his lap even though I was so much bigger than him.

I curled up into him as much as I could, and he made me sip some water, then started feeding me lunch. I felt steady enough to eat on my own, but I liked being fed by him, so I stayed right where I was, and the small voice in my head that always asked if I really needed that next bite stayed blissfully quiet.

Haruto fed me the whole meal with a soft smile on his face, and I fell deeper and deeper in love with him.