Page 96 of Secrets & Sake
“Really? Who knows if he’s even alive?”
“Could you find out?”
He grimaces as he holds up a piece of egg, which I eat. “I could, yeah. Hate to ask anything of that bastard, but I’ll do it for you.” A smile softens his face. “I’ll do anything for you, you know?”
I grin. “Will you help me take a bath?”
His eyes light up. “Gladly.”
Steam rises from the tub when Raiden removes the lid keeping the water hot. The water looks perfect. I dip my toe in and moan as hot water heats my skin. Raiden gets in first and sits, water lapping at his tattoos. He combs his eyes up and down my body and offers me his hand. “Come on in.”
I climb into the tub. It’s huge, big enough for both of us to stretch out and for me to sprawl between his muscular thighs. I lean my head back against his chest, closing my eyes when he runs damp fingers through my hair and tickles my scalp.
I crane my neck back and his lips find mine, warm and damp. His cock twitches against my body as I turn to face him. Our kiss deepens, tongues tangling, teeth nipping at swollen lips. I’m hard in seconds. His scent goes straight to my cock, making my fangs lengthen. I wonder when I’ll shift for the first time, and if that’s something I should worry about.
When I kiss his neck, the overwhelming urge to bite down alarms me. I draw back, covering my mouth.
“What is it?” Raiden asks, panting.
“I want to bite you,” I blurt out, cheeks heating. “And I don’t mean in a sexy way. I mean, I may eat you.”
“Most mates bite the other to mark them as theirs, so everyone knows they’re taken. If they’re fated mates, then the marks won’t ever fade. Now that you’re a kitsune, you can feel the same pull as I do.” Smiling, he crooks his neck. “Want to mark me?”
More than anything. “Maybe,” I say, the rasp in my voice betraying how badly I want my teeth in him. I love the idea of everyone knowing this powerful man is mine. “Is that what you want?”
Raiden’s full lips sink into a frown.
“What?” I ask.
“What if I screw things up? Screw us up?” Raiden asks, his low voice full of uncertainty.
“You can’t.” I frame his face in my hands. “I promise you, you can’t.”
His throat bobs when he swallows, dark eyes blinking fast as he looks away. “What if, a few years from now, you decide I can’t be what you need? There’s a chance I’ll never be free of this life, or that I won’t be able to adjust to a normal life. If you… if you left me, I…” Blinking fast, he looks away. “I couldn’t come back from that.”
The agony in his voice makes my heart ache. I can tell we’ve got a long way to go before he’ll be ready to meet more milestones in our relationship. But it’s fine. I’ll wait as long as it takes because this man is worth waiting for. Leaning in, I kiss his forehead. “I won’t. I promise you, I won’t ever leave you. But if you’re not ready, we don’t have to mark each other. We can take things slow. Being with you, that’s enough.”
Raiden exhales slowly. “I want… There’s a lot of—” Scowling, he clamps his lips shut. I wait, stroking my thumb up and down his jaw. “I’m gonna screw this up.”
“Screw what up?” I challenge him, holding his gaze. “Come on. Talk to me.”
Raiden’s jaw tightens. “This. All of this. I don’t want to, but I will.”
“Well, maybe I won’t let you.” I stick out my chin with as much defiance as I can. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll help you.”
“I want to take things slow,” Raiden says, surprising me because that’s what I want, too. “Want to savor this.”
We have before, after he’d almost died from a hunter’s bullet. I still shiver remembering how sweet and tender he was, how he worshipped me.
“Me, too. You can do that. You’re good at it.”
Raiden doesn’t reply, restless fingers squeezing my ass. I’m about to speak when he suddenly says, “If I can’t tell you how I feel, then I want to show you. But I’m… it’s not what I’m used to.”
“I know,” I assure him.
Raiden wets his lips. “But I want to try.”
I nod eagerly, cock already stirring as my imagination runs wild. “You can do whatever you want.”