Foxfire (Nine Tails, 1) (15 page)

Masaki turned to Hiro, their arms
still linked. “Are you ready?”

Hiro nodded, leaning over to kiss
Masaki. “Yep.”

Masaki laughed as they walked behind
Inari, his eight brothers and many of their allies all there
watching and waiting. In his mind, he compared Hiro now, walking
with his head held high, to the nervous, scared young man Akira had
brought to him less than a month ago. The man walking beside him
was more handsome not because of any physical change but rather
because he was finally happy, with himself and with his life.
Masaki smiled, overjoyed to have Hiro walk so proudly and happily
at his side.

Epilogue

One Month Later

Masaki turned his head and scanned the
garden when he felt a presence. He soon realized that it was Hiro
and wondered why his young lover was sneaking around and hiding
amongst the flowers. He set his book aside and waited as he
pretended to look up at the stars, but he soon heard an “ouch” and
some soft swearing, so he got up to investigate. He found Hiro
crouched beneath a large bunch of balloons, tugging on something.
Masaki knelt, which made Hiro go still and look up.

“
Hey,” Hiro
said.

“
Hi. Need
help?”

Hiro moved the hand holding the
balloons behind his back, as if he believed that would hide them,
and Masaki tried not to laugh. “Caught my jeans on part of the
railing here.”

Masaki eyed the edge of the flowerbed
and saw that one of the rods had pierced through Hiro’s jeans. He
freed the material and then looked up at the balloons. Now, Masaki
was the one who went still, staring up.

Hiro held ten foil balloons of varying
colors, all shaped like hearts. One was larger than the others, and
it bore the words “I Love You”. At Hiro’s side sat a basket
containing a bottle of wine, two glasses, some strawberries, and
what looked like a jar of chocolate sauce. A large blanket was
tucked in behind all of these items.

“
I was trying to surprise
you. Set up a little picnic out here and, uh…” Hiro trailed off,
his face turning pink.

“
Tell me you love me,”
Masaki finished for him.

Hiro let the balloons go, the weight
at the end of their strings settling by the basket, and stood up.
“Yeah.”

Masaki cupped his face gently. “I
already know you love me, Hiro, but hearing you say it would be
wonderful, no matter the circumstances.”

“
You knew? Because I
stayed? Let Inari bless our union?”

Masaki shook his head. “No. Because
you do things for me every day. You watch me. You try to make me
happy. Your drawings of me capture more than just what I look
like.” He brushed their lips together. “And you reach for me in
your sleep. Gaze into my eyes as we make love. I can see
it.”

Hiro’s face had gone completely red
now, and Masaki chuckled before kissing him more thoroughly. “Those
things make me very happy. Don’t you feel how much I love you
without me saying it?”

Hiro nodded, and he brought his arms
up over Masaki’s shoulder and wrapped them around his neck. “I feel
it all the time. It’s one of the reasons that I … I love
you.”

Masaki didn’t give Hiro even one
second to doubt how happy he was to hear those words. He swept Hiro
into his arms, magically whisking them into the house, along with
the balloons and basket. Hiro gasped as he was kissed to the point
of suffocation, and then he laughed between gasps when he was
released. Masaki snapped his fingers, freeing the balloons and
willing them to hover over the bed. Then he knelt and took up the
chocolate sauce.

“
Now, what plans did you
have for this?” Masaki asked.

Hiro sucked on his lower lip and
smiled. “I was counting on you to have some ideas.”

Masaki tossed the jar to the bed and
began stripping Hiro’s clothes off. “Oh, I have ideas. Lots of
them.”

Hiro watched Masaki, letting himself
be undressed, but then he stopped Masaki from kneeling, taking both
of his hands. “I’m glad you made that request, glad I was brought
here. It had to be fate. I couldn’t imagine this working out
happily otherwise, and I couldn’t see myself this happy with anyone
else.”

Masaki pulled Hiro close and let his
hands roam up and down the young man’s back. “You’re very romantic
tonight. Any reason?”

“
Just want you to be
happy. I know this has changed your life drastically.”

Masaki kissed his forehead. “For the
better, of course.” He lifted Hiro up and tossed him onto the bed,
laughing as he undressed and took in the startled look on his
lover’s face. Once naked, he crawled onto the bed and took up the
jar of chocolate. “Now, I think I know where this needs to go…” And
he proceeded with his plan, enjoying every sigh and shiver as he
slowly spread the chocolate around and then teasingly licked every
bit of it up.

The End

Also by Yuki Edo

The Professor’s Golden
Tiger

Home in His
Heart

Stay up to Date with
Yuki’s New Releases

http://www.twistederoticapublishing.com/yuki-edo-mm/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Japan, Yuki grew up being
shipped back and forth between her mother in California and her
father in Georgia while spending the occasional summer in Tokyo
with her grandparents. She resides in Encino, California and helps
her mother and stepfather plan weddings. She has been writing since
she was six, and after over two decades she is finally ready to
share with someone besides her twin brother.

Twisted Erotica
Publishing

www.twistederoticapublishing.com