Arima (Haruki Arima Duet, #2)

by Laine Watson

  “Please follow me.” The well-dressed gentleman guides us through the quarters of the long, spacious hallways. He tells us things about the property, and Haru smiles down at me as we walk through the halls, each room, or chamber more perfect than the next. The graceful aging of this large, high-ceiling building makes my heart smile.

  This is perfect, spacious, and beautiful? When are we going to get to the library part? I imagine this must have been a mansion that got turned into a library because it’s so beautiful. Maybe it used to be a beautiful library, and now, it’s something else.

  After making my own assumptions, we stop in a a grand pillared room; the floor and ceiling are mosaic textures of soft white and cream colors.

  This is exactly where I want to marry Haru.

  There is a winding staircase right outside the opening of the room from maybe twenty feet back. I stare up the stairs with twinkling eyes.

  “Do you love it?” Haru asks me.

  I turn to him and innocently ask, “Is this where the library used to be?”

  “Heh.” He smiles at me.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Our guide asks, a look of confusion on his face. “Library? This is no library miss, this is the Iroshima Castle.”

  “Huh?” My chest tightens. “C-castle?”

  “Weren’t you listening at all?”

  “Guarantee she wasn’t.” Darby shakes her head.

  “What happened to the library?” I ask, looking from Haru to Darby.

  Darby shrugs. “He wanted to have it here.”

  “Why?”

  “Do you not like it?” Haru asks.

  “I—I love it. I just... What happened?”

  Haru sighs.

  “I’ll give you a moment,” the guide says, excusing himself. “Please, feel free to rest in the foyer.”

  Haru takes my hand, and we leave Hayden and Darby near the winding staircase. He leads me down the hall to a plush red sofa near the wall and sits me down.

  “Why aren’t you saying anything? Why are you being all mysterious and stuff?”

  “Okay, princess. I’ve kept you waiting long enough.” Haru stares me in my eyes. “I’m sorry we lied to you. The library is in Akari. When Darby told me about the library, I wasn’t satisfied. Sorry. I know you don’t like flashy things. I knew you’d never agree to be married in a castle.”

  “A castle, Haru? Is this about money? A grand gesture. I told you a long time ago, I just want you to love me. I love it, but we don’t have to.”

  “We do have to. This is more than just a castle, and it’s more than spending money. This is actually a part of my family history.”

  “What?”

  “This city isn’t very old in the way of cities in Japan, less than five hundred years old. My grandfather’s father’s father fell in love with a shrine maiden—whatever that is. Of course, I knew none of this stuff—not until recently—even though my mom told me about it when I was younger. That’s another great thing about being close to them, I get to talk to them. I’m rarely on the phone, I don’t really use it for anything but business or for a means to an end.”

  “That is true, we haven’t really had any meaningful conversations over the phone.”

  “Yeah, so being there, sitting in the kitchen while Max and Dad hang out in the garage, you out doing whatever you do on Saturdays.”

  “Go grocery shopping.”

  “Right. Dad’s not a talkative person. My mom, on the other hand, is a chatterbox. She has so many stories.” He laughs thoughtfully. “I feel bad when she asks me if I remember something and I say no. I’ve been listening lately. That’s how we got here.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Haru inhales sharply and exhales. “My family... we’ve never been the talking-about-our-feelings type, but I am trying. I hope you can tell.”

  “I can.” I smile, sweetly.

  “Long story short, my great-grandfather to the whatever-power didn’t have a job. He became a servant at this castle, and two generations later, our family wasn’t in Japan anymore. My grandfather was the last Japanese citizen in our family. He tried to tell us stuff but...” Haru nods as he trails off. “And actually, the day you chose for the wedding is my grandmother’s birthday.”

  “What?” I grimaced.

  “Yeah, freaked me out too. I was telling my mom about the wedding and the date, and she almost started crying. I think it means a lot to her, even if it is a coincidence.”

  “That’s so crazy. This is going to sound even crazier but, my name is Summer, and your name means Spring. I was thinking maybe that was a sign that we were destined to be together or something. I know that sounds silly.”

  “I don’t know what it means, but I know I want to enjoy my life. I want to be happy.”

  “I want that too.”

  “I was a really good son until I was a horrible son. These last couple of years, I’ve been trying to make up for all the shitty things I’ve done to my family, to other people. I completely abandoned them; when my grandmother was sick, I didn’t visit, and I never went back for years. I regret it now. I didn’t get to spend any time with my grandmother or grandfather or mom and dad. I don’t want Max to grow up thinking family isn’t important.”

  I affectionately smile at Haru. “You never talked about any of that stuff.”

  “Because I didn’t care. It wasn’t important to me. By the time I met you, both my grandparents were already gone and the damage was done. I was trying to do something right for Max’s sake, which is why I wanted the promotion. If I did nothing right other than let him know never to abandon his family or tell him not to be like me, at least he’d have that.”

  “Haru, you’re a good man. You were just lost.”

  “I was lost. Now I have some sort of direction. Maybe to make up for some of the shitty stuff I’ve done to my parents, like falling off the face of the earth for years, I’ll bring my parents here and let ’em spout off crap to me and Max. I know it must have been hard for my mom and dad. Grandpa forbade my dad from marrying my mom.”

  “W—why would it have been hard? I mean, I get parents not wanting people to be together, but he would have come around.”

  “Even though technically my dad is a Japanese-American, my grandparents didn’t exactly support their relationship until they ran away together.”

  “What? You’re not making sense.”

  “Even though my dad was born in the states, my grandparents didn’t want him to marry an American woman.”

  “What?” The reason seems unfathomable.

  “Eventually, they accepted them and let them get married, but the damage was already done. My parents didn’t force me to be close to family, so I never considered how important it was. I know you and your mom aren’t close, and you don’t really have any other family, so I want us to be different. I want Max to have all good memories of his grandparents, of his mother and father, and know he has a place he can always call home.”

  “Haru...” He melts my heart even more. My melting stops as I freak out unjustifiably. “Oh my God, are your parents okay with us getting married? Are they going to forbid you from marrying me because I’m black?”

  Haru laughs. “I think if they were, they would have already said something, and you and my mom wouldn’t have the relationship you do.”

  I close my eyes, sighing in relief.

  “Plus, we’re both American, I’m just Japanese-American and you’re a Black American. At the end of the day, who cares? I love you. Even if it were otherwise, I’d still love you because you’re you and no one can keep us apart.”

  “You know what, you’re right.” I sigh, confidently. “We have a lot of differences. We’re six or seven years apart. We have different cultures, you have a kid, I kind of still act like a kid sometime. Somehow though, we’ve managed to make it work.”

  “Summer, I’d marry you even if the world told me not to.” He kisses me. “I love you, and my parents are grateful to you, mostly f
or helping me see the important things in life.”

  “You and Max are the important things in my life.”

  “Yeah, and you’re my everything. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too. Don’t feel so bad, Haru. Your parents are very proud of you, I know it. You finished school; you have a good job, and you’re Max’s hero. I think we’d be fine with two kids. We can teach them all about both cultures.”

  “Yeah, we can. Those are important things. The most important is you. I want you to know, even though your mom is how she is, our family is important to me. My grandparents came around, maybe one day she will too.”

  I smile. “I hope so.”

  Chapter Nineteen: I Want to Touch You

  After having dinner with Darby and Hayden, we are finally back at our suit. We walk into our suite, and Haru slowly closes the door. I wait for him at the edge of the room, my eyes stuck to him. A tingle in my upper back dances across my shoulder blades. My lips pout, blood rushing to them. They tremble a bit, and I sink my teeth into my bottom lip and suck it a little.

  The closer he gets, the more I calm myself.

  He passes me into the hall. My feet are firm on the wooden floor. My whole-body burns, except my fingers—they’re ice cold. I try to ignore my chattering teeth; it makes no sense. I’m burning up inside; what is this sensation?

  He slides open our bedroom door, puts his wallet on the nightstand, and turns toward me. “You want to get in the hot tub?” he asks, unbuttoning his shirt as I make my way to the room.

  “Y-yeah,” I say, my cheeks warming even more. I’ve never experienced this kind of feeling in my life. I make my way to the room, sliding my shoes off on the marble floor, just as Haru did.

  “You okay, princess?” Haru asks, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as I glance up at him; his eyes are on me.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You were quiet at dinner. You sure?”

  My ears pop; my fingers dance in anticipation. When I breathe, my chest caves in. “I—I’m great. Just...” I stumble over my words; I don’t want to say anything that would give away my current state. “Meet me there?” I say, gracing his arm with the tips of my fingers.

  Haru nods.

  A heavy sigh flows through me as I head toward the hot tub. My hands slowly scale the golden banisters leading up to the jacuzzi. I don’t turn on the jets, but I sprinkle the red rose petals in the water. Playing with the light switches and dials, I turn all the lights on low to resemble a candlelit room.

  Haru approaches.

  I stand straight, my tongue caught in my throat. His hair flows as he walks toward me, chest bare. The muscles in his legs contract every time he takes a step. All the sounds become clouded. If he’s speaking to me, I don’t hear it. All I can hear are my breaths.

  My heart races faster than it ever has, the beats overlapping each other. There goes my chest again, it aches from being so hollow—from being so tense. The tattoos on his arms seem to glow in the dimly lit room. As he comes up the stairs, I can’t move. Even his trunks look sexy. Their basic black ones, but they look so good on him.

  He eases down into the water. “What are you doing, princess? Get in.”

  My skin warms itself. I keep in these unsolicited moans, and my shoulders shimmy slowly. I want Haru so bad. My body can take no more; it longs to be touched.

  Without warning, I pull my shirt over my head, revealing my nude lace bra. I stare at Haru as I undo it in the back. His arrogant smirk offers little solace to how I feel. He throws his arms across the top of the tub, staring at me as he bites his bottom lip slowly. Weakened, I bat my eyes and shimmy off my skirt. I slip my thumbs down in the sides of my underwear.

  “Wait.” Haru stops me, sliding through the water over to me. “Let me do it.”

  I slip my hands out of my lace underwear and leave it to Haru.

  “Come down here.” He tells me and guides my hand, my body follows.

  I sit on the surface of the tub and slip into the water, Haru slowly caressing my body.

  He towers over me, his hair a little wet at the ends. He kneels, surrendering himself to me, cupping my face in his hands. A tiny yelp escapes my mouth.

  “You’re trembling.” He glances up at me, the heat from his body hypnotizing me. His perfect lips surround my nipple, suckling it as his hands lie flat on the marble behind me.

  My head gently falls back. I want Haru to do whatever he wants to me.

  “Stop holding back. You think I can’t tell you’re turned on?” he says in between nibbles and sucks.

  Just keep going.

  He moves to the other side. His hair tickles every place it falls and drags itself across my body. His hand slides past my neck as he grips the back of it, pulling my head forward. He keeps pulling until our lips touch. On impact, my tongue reaches out of my mouth right into his. Haru’s hands grip my hips, sitting me on the marble. His hands gently travel upward to the sides of my body. His fingertips are warm on my skin.

  The taste of his tongue on mine is intoxicating. I slide mine across his, inhaling his juices—I want it all.

  “You’re still trembling, princess,” he whispers heavily in my ear as he nibbles on my earlobe. I pull him in front of me, taking his lips back. My hands scale his muscles near his ribcage, feeling every indentation, even the raised skin from the tattoo on his right side. With my eyes closed, I hear his heavy pants and slightly low yelps.

  Once again, he takes his lips from mine, pulling my knees forward, which causes me to steady myself. His lips slide down my center from my neck to my navel, all the while, his tongue fluttering downward.

  Our low eyes lock as I lean back, and he shimmies my panties off slowly. They are dripping wet, and he puts them in his mouth. Slowly sucking them before he discards them in the water.

  “Mmm...” He moans deeply.

  My mouth waters as I shudder, my legs closing on his face.

  He kisses my thighs and opens them up wide. I run my fingers through his hair. He pushes me back into a lying position and gently squeezes my nipples. I quietly moan as he pushes my legs open even wider.

  His large fingers glide across my flower. His lips kiss it a few times, his saliva warming me up. As he envelops my folds, electric waves shock through my legs, and I push myself further into his face.

  He pushes back, going deeper inside. The tip of his nose, engulfed by my flower. His tongue so far in, I can’t help but moan loudly. It travels upward and downward, over and over, stopping at my pink pearl to consume up my juices. He sends his togue into a vibrating frenzy, then he vacuums me up until I am quivering and screaming. My hands cover my eyes as Haru pulls my thighs and wraps his arms around my waist, angling my ass in the air.

  My legs spread as far as they can go, and my head spins. He holds me tightly as his tongue eases inside and out of me. He pushes his face deep into my flower, rubbing it as he slurps up everything I have. I want to taste him; he tastes me so often. He sets my bottom down gently.

  I sit up quickly, his face glistening with my juices.

  “I’m not done,” he whispers strongly and pulls me close. He flips me over, so I’m on my hands and knees and my ass in his hands. I stare down at the floor, where my hands are, trying to catch my breath. I want to jump in the water with him, but he’s in control, so I’m at his mercy. As he pulls me closer, the sensation of his tongue inside of me again makes my knees wobble, my legs quiver, and my arms. I can’t hold myself up.

  I crash completely once his fingers propel inside of me, and he uses his lips to vacuum up my pearl. He’s in control—I can do nothing but moan and cry as my juices ooze out into his mouth, my body contracting as I try to pull away from him.

  I pant when he finally lets me go. I turn around quickly, hopping down in the water with a splash.

  I drop to my knees, the water meeting me at my chin.

  Without warning, I pull his trunks down, revealing him to me. Starting at the base of Haru’s erection, I glide my tongu
e to the tip and shove Haru in my mouth. I can’t stand it anymore; I have to have him deep in my mouth—deep inside of me. As if second nature, I drag my hands and my lips back and forth until it feels good to me. Haru’s smoothness, his wrinkles, the smell of it, the taste—all of it in my mouth. I want it. I devour up Haru’s manhood as he has my essence, so many times.

  Haru yelps as he clumsily holds himself up, his fists balled against the marble. I’m not letting go. The way he feels in my mouth is heaven—every jump of his, every shuddering low moan and earnest groan. His hands rub sloppily over my face, my ears, and he grabs onto my hair. It’s almost painful, but even more arousing. Haru’s breaths are heavy, almost panting. My mouth waters as my tongue fiddles about him. He grows harder.

  Though he isn’t at my flower, my juices are dripping like water the more I suck.

  His teeth chatter, he lets out a quivering moan as he tenses up his legs, and another high-pitched yelp escapes his lips. He pushes me away.

  I breathe heavily, stricken with a need to have Haru inside of me.

  “Princess,” Haru says, breathless. “You don’t just do shit like that.”

  “I want it. Now!” I demand, out of control, my breaths deep and hollowing.

  “Okay.” He turns me around to face away from him, preparing to enter me from behind.

  I spin around and fight him, punching him with my fists in his chest.

  “No, no!”

  “Why? You like this. You love it.”

  “I don’t want to. I want to touch you. Stop! I want to touch you!” I breathe heavily between whimpers, my nostrils flared, fists beside me.

  Haru’s eyes open wide.

  He approaches me, and his hand grabs my neck. I jump on him, wrapping my legs and arms around him. As we kiss, his hair is in my face, on my arms, sticking to my body. Our tongues intertwine.

  My organs could fall out of me, right into the water; I’m so open. As we kiss, Haru carries me out of the hot tub and down the stairs. I whimper and moan, trying to hold more of him in my hands than they can grasp.

  What’s wrong with me? I want to scream. I want more.