Page 3 of Patience
Eli sighed and nuzzled his face against Haruka’s chest. “Breakfast?”
He’d definitely been forgiven if Eli was asking for food. Their vacation was back on track.
“What kind do you want?”
Eli sat up and propped his elbows on Haruka’s chest. “Traditional Japanese breakfast, please!” His eyes sparkled in the morning light.
It was way more food than Eli usually ate for breakfast. Or all day—especially unprompted. Something about Haruka’s homeland brought out an entirely different side of Eli. He was confident and happy here.
Haruka loved it. If it were up to him, they would transfer schools right now and stay forever.
Before Eli could change his mind, Haruka ordered their breakfast.
They had enough time before the food came to get dressed, but not to play, so Haruka went into the bathroom to change in order to allow Eli to get dressed alone. He didn’t want to be tempted to change his mind about playing. Naked, sleepy Eli was devastating to his willpower.
They planned their day over a traditional breakfast laid out on a low, Japanese-style table.
Eli wanted to do everything in Kusatsu, including trying to ski. And if the yukata he was wearing hadn’t been showing off both of Eli’s collarbones and most of one shoulder, Haruka might have been able to say no right away.
“Have you ever skied before?” Haruka asked warily.
“Nope! This will be my first time.”
Which meant this might be the first time Haruka got to experience having a heart attack, but he was willing to risk it for Eli. There would be a lot of safety equipment involved, though.Allof the safety equipment.
For all the beauty Eli possessed, he had zero grace. Watching him try to ski was going to be an exercise in self-restraint.
“I’ll have my assistant set it up.” Haruka eyed the dishes in front of Eli. He’d only had one bite from each. “But you have to eat more first.”
Eli gave him a cheeky smile before balancing a single grain of rice on a chopstick and sticking it in his mouth.
“Brat.”
“Your brat.” Eli peered up at him through lowered lashes for far longer than necessary. He then proceeded to nibble daintily on a small square of tofu, acting as though he hadn’t just eye-fucked Haruka at the breakfast table.
How attached was Eli to skiing today?
“Very attached.”
Haruka raised an eyebrow. “Was I projecting?” He didn’t think he was. He’d gotten good at controlling exactly what he wanted Eli to know. Just because he no longer blocked Eli completely, didn’t mean he thought it was a good idea for his boyfriend to know everything.
“No, but I know that look. February break only lasts a week, and I want to make the most of our time here. I’m not spending it all in bed.”
“It doesn’t have to be in the bed.” There were plenty of places in their suite Haruka would be more than happy to defile Eli on—or against.
Eli put his chopsticks down and crawled around the table until he was pressed against Haruka. He stretched up until his lips were right against Haruka’s ear and put his arms around his neck. Eli’s yukata slid open a little more. Now his entire shoulder and upper arm were on display as well. “Don’t pout, love. I won’t neglect you.”
Eli let go and moved as though to go back to his side of the table. He didn’t get far. Haruka had him pinned to the tatami mat before he had a chance to make a sound.
There was an adorable scowl on Eli’s face, but the thrill racing through him was unmistakable. Haruka dipped his head and kissed the tempting, pouting mouth until Eli was gasping and his mind began to shimmer.
Haruka kept a piece of his mind separate—he couldn’t allow himself to lose control and take Eli on the floor of the common area. Room service could come in to check on them at any moment.
Haruka almost—almost—forgot himself but managed to pull back before the darkness inside him took over. He pulled away and pressed his forehead against Eli’s. “Don’t push me too far, chibisuke.”
Eli was far too fetching as he lay on the floor panting and disheveled. He had a new mark on his neck Haruka hadn’t been conscious of making, and his yukata was spread wide open. Maybe Haruka had lost a little control for a moment there.
“O-okay.” Eli collected himself—making himself only marginally more decent—and crawled back to his side of the table. It didn’t escape Haruka’s notice that the boy’s arms were shaking slightly as he went.
