Chapter 57: [55] Golden Hours*
A/N: Wisteria here to let you know the danmachi book is now released! Please if you are interested, read it and let me know your thoughts!
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[With Momo]
I stood by the window, watching Yoichi examine the blue suite. His fingers trailed over dark wood furniture as he took in the space. The afternoon sun painted golden squares on the plush carpet, warming the room despite its size. A king bed dominated one wall while floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the estate gardens.
"The bathroom's through there," I said, setting a leather overnight bag on a nearby chair. "Sebastian packed some essentials."
"Of course he did." Yoichi picked up the bag. "Does anything get past him?"
"Not in this house." I smoothed invisible wrinkles from my dress, trying to calm my nerves. "Though I suspect that's by design."
"Your mother's?"
"Among others." I drifted to the windows, avoiding his gaze. "The staff here have... opinions about how things should be run."
"Including your love life?"
Heat crept up my neck. "Apparently."
"Good to know." The bag clicked open behind me. "Though I have to wonder what constitutes 'essentials' in this house."
"Knowing Sebastian?" I kept my eyes on the garden, afraid of what I might see if I turned around. "Everything you could possibly need, plus three things you didn't know you wanted."
A low whistle made me turn. "That accurate?"
I caught a glimpse of silk before he closed the bag. "What did he pack?"
"Nothing scandalous." His lips twitched. "Yet."
"That's not reassuring."
"No?" He headed for the bathroom. "Want to check for yourself?"
"I..." The invitation hung between us, tempting and dangerous. "Should probably let you settle in."
"Probably." He paused in the doorway. "Though you're welcome to stay."
"Yoichi..."
"Just to talk." Steam curled from the bathroom as the shower started. "Unless you had other ideas?"
I grabbed a decorative pillow, throwing it at his head. He caught it easily, his reflexes as quick as ever.
"Tease," I accused, trying to ignore the way my heart raced.
"Always." He tossed the pillow back. "Though you make it too easy."
"I do not."
"No?" He shrugged off his jacket, and I found myself staring at the way the fabric moved across his shoulders. "So you weren't thinking about joining me?"
"I..." All rational thought fled as he loosened his tie. "That's not..."
"Not what?" His fingers stilled. "Fair?"
I gripped the pillow tighter, using it as a shield. "You know it isn't."
"Then maybe you should leave."
"Maybe I should."
Neither of us moved.
Steam continued curling through the doorway, carrying the scent of expensive soap. I found myself counting the buttons on his shirt, a nervous habit I thought I'd outgrown.
One, two, three...
"Momo."
"Mm?"
"You're staring."
"Oh." I hugged the pillow closer, embarrassed at being caught. "Sorry."
"Don't be." He turned toward the bathroom. "Though if you're staying, close the door."
My heart stuttered. "I didn't say I was staying."
"No?" Water drummed against tile. "Door's still open."
"I..." I looked at the hall, then back at him. At the way his shirt pulled across his shoulders. At the knowing smile on his lips.
Four, five, six...
Before I could overthink it, I reached back and closed the door. The click echoed in the sudden silence.
His smile widened. "Brave girl."
"Shut up." I set the pillow aside, trying to regain some composure. "This is your fault."
"My fault?" Steam dampened his collar, and I found myself staring at the way it clung to his skin. "I'm not the one counting buttons."
"You noticed that?"
"I notice everything about you." He stepped closer, and I fought the urge to back away. "Including how you bite your lip when you're overthinking."
I released my lip quickly, unaware I'd been doing it. "I do not."
"No?" Another step. "What about when you play with your hair during tests?"
"That's..." I tucked a strand behind my ear, catching myself mid-gesture. "That's different."
"Or how you tap your fingers when you're nervous?" He caught my hand. "Like now?"
My fingers stilled in his grasp. "You're terrible."
"I know." He lifted my hand to his lips. "Want me to stop?"
Yes. No. Maybe. "I don't know."
"Yes, you do." His breath ghosted over my knuckles. "You always know exactly what you want."
"That's not..."
"True?" His lips brushed my skin. "Then why are you here?"
The question hung between us, heavy with possibility. Steam turned the air thick, or maybe that was just the way he was looking at me, like I was a puzzle he couldn't wait to solve.
"I..." Words failed as his lips found my wrist. "You're supposed to be showering."
"Am I?" His teeth grazed my pulse point, sending shivers down my spine. "Seems like a waste."
"Of what?"
"Of this." He tugged me closer, and I went willingly. "Of you finally being honest."
"I'm always honest."
"No." His free hand found my waist. "You're always correct. There's a difference."
"Is there?"
"Mm." His nose brushed my jaw. "Want me to show you?"
Yes. "The water's getting cold."
"Let it." His mouth hovered near mine. "Unless you're planning to join me?"
I shouldn't. I really, really shouldn't.
But his skin was warm through his shirt, and his eyes held promises I wanted to explore, and for once in my life I was tired of doing the correct thing.
"Maybe." I caught his collar, rising on my toes. "If you ask nicely."
His laugh vibrated against my lips. "Please?"
The word undid me.
I kissed him like I'd wanted to in the library, before Sebastian interrupted. Before propriety reasserted itself. Before my brain could remind me of all the reasons this was a terrible idea.
His hands tightened on my waist as I pressed closer, abandoning restraint in favor of discovery. Of learning the way he tasted, the sounds he made when I tugged his hair, the heat of his skin as I worked his buttons free.
Seven, eight, nine...
"Momo." My name came out rough as I reached the last button. "We should..."
"Stop?" I pushed his shirt open, running my hands over warm skin. "Is that what you want?"
"God no." He caught my wrists. "But if you keep doing that..."
"What?" I flexed against his grip. "Afraid of losing control?"
"Always." He pressed my hands to his chest. "Especially with you."
"Good." I felt his heart racing under my palm. "Then we're even."
"Even?" His thumb traced circles on my wrist. "How so?"
"Because you make me crazy too."
He groaned, releasing my hands to cup my face. The kiss turned desperate, filled with all the words we couldn't say. Wouldn't say. Not yet.
Not when this was still so new. So fragile. So likely to shatter if we examined it too closely.
Steam curled around us as clothing hit the floor. As barriers fell away. As correctness gave way to honesty in its purest form.
The water was getting colder.
Neither of us noticed.
[With Yoichi]
The steam clung to my skin as Momo's hands explored my chest, her touch hesitant but curious. I could feel her pulse racing where my fingers wrapped around her wrist, the rapid thrum of her heartbeat betraying her calm exterior. She was trying so hard to play it cool, to act like this wasn't her first time, but I knew better. I'd known from the moment she stepped into the bathroom, her cheeks flushed and her eyes darting everywhere but at me.
"You're shaking," I murmured, my lips brushing against her temple. Her hair was damp from the steam, strands sticking to her flushed skin. "You don't have to pretend with me, Momo."
"I'm not pretending," she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. Her fingers paused on the last button of my shirt, her nails skimming the edge of my waistband. "I just... I don't know what I'm doing."
"That's okay," I knew exactly what I was doing. I'd done this before, but not with her. Never with her. And that made all the difference. "We'll figure it out together."
She looked up at me then, her dark eyes searching mine for something—reassurance, maybe, or permission. I gave her both with a kiss, slow and deliberate, letting her set the pace. Her lips were soft, tentative at first, but when I didn't pull away, she deepened the kiss, her hands sliding up my chest to grip my shoulders.
Her inexperience was endearing, the way she fumbled with my shirt, the way her breath hitched when I traced the curve of her spine. But there was something else there too, something raw and hungry that she didn't know how to articulate. It was in the way she pressed closer, the way her fingers dug into my skin like she was afraid I'd disappear if she let go.
"Yoichi," she whispered against my lips, her voice trembling. "I don't want to mess this up."
"You won't," I promised, my hands sliding down to her waist. "Just trust me, okay?"
She nodded, her eyes wide and trusting, and something in my chest tightened. I didn't deserve that look, not when I was about to take something from her that she could never get back. But I wanted it. God, I wanted it. And I didn't care about the consequences.
I stepped back, giving her space to breathe, and shrugged off my undershirt. Her eyes followed the movement, her gaze lingering on the scars that crisscrossed my chest from the fight with the Nomu.
"Your turn," I said, reaching for the hem of her dress. She froze, her hands flying to cover mine.
"Wait," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Can we... can we go to the bed?"
I nodded, taking her hand and leading her out of the bathroom. The cool air hit my skin, a sharp contrast to the humid heat of the shower, and Momo shivered beside me. I grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around her shoulders, letting her take it from there.
The bed was massive, the kind of thing you'd expect in a house like this, with crisp white sheets and too many pillows. Momo hesitated at the edge, her fingers clutching the towel like a lifeline.
"You're overthinking again," I said, sitting down beside her. "What's going on in that brilliant mind of yours?"
She laughed, a nervous, breathless sound that made my chest ache. "I'm just... I've never done this before. What if I'm bad at it?"
"You're not going to be bad at it," I said, brushing a damp strand of hair from her face. "It's not a test, Momo. There's no right or wrong way to do this. It's just... us."
She bit her lip, her eyes darting to the floor. "What if I don't... you know... like it?"
"Then we stop," I said, my voice firm. "No questions, no arguments. But I think you'll like it."
Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away, but I could see the curiosity in her eyes. She wanted this, even if she didn't know how to say it. And I wanted her to want it, not because she felt like she had to, but because she trusted me enough to let go.
"Come here," I said, tugging the towel from her shoulders. She let it fall, her hands trembling as she reached for the zipper of her dress. I stopped her, my fingers covering hers. "Let me."
She nodded, her breath catching as I slowly pulled the zipper down. The dress slipped from her shoulders, pooling at her feet, and she stood there in nothing but her underwear, her arms crossed over her chest.
"You're beautiful," I said, because it was true. She was. And not just in the obvious ways, like her perfect posture or the way her hair caught the light. She was beautiful in the way she carried herself, in the way she looked at me like I was the only person in the world.
"Stop," she said, her voice muffled by her hands. "You're going to make me blush."
"You already are," I said, pulling her hands away from her face. "And it's adorable."
She groaned, hiding her face in my shoulder, and I laughed, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Relax, Momo. It's just me."
"It's not just you," she said, her voice muffled. "It's... everything. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
"You don't have to do anything," I said, my hands sliding down her back. "Just feel."
She shivered as my fingers traced the curve of her spine, her breath hitching when I reached the clasp of her bra. I unhooked it slowly, giving her time to stop me if she wanted to, but she didn't. She just stood there, her chest rising and falling with each shaky breath, her eyes fixed on mine.
The bra fell away, and her hands flew to cover herself, but I caught them, lacing my fingers through hers. "Don't," I said, my voice soft. "You don't have to hide from me."
She nodded, her eyes closing as I leaned in to kiss her. This time, there was no hesitation, no uncertainty. Just the two of us, lost in the moment.
I guided her onto the bed, my hands gentle but firm as I laid her down. She was trembling, her skin warm and soft under my touch, and I took my time, exploring every inch of her with my lips and hands. She was so responsive, every touch, every kiss drawing a reaction from her, and I reveled in it, in the way she gasped when I nipped at her collarbone, the way her back arched when I cupped her breast.
"Yoichi," she breathed, her hands tangling in my hair. "That feels... amazing."
"Good," I said, my lips trailing down her stomach. "Because we're just getting started."
Her breath hitched as I reached the waistband of her panties, and I paused, looking up at her. "Still okay?"
She nodded, her eyes wide and trusting, and I hooked my fingers under the elastic, pulling them down her legs. She was bare underneath, her skin flushed and her thighs trembling as I spread them apart.
"You're so wet," I said. "You've been thinking about this, haven't you?"
She nodded, her cheeks flaming, and I kissed the inside of her thigh, savoring the way she shuddered under my touch. "Good girl," I murmured, my breath hot against her skin. "Let me take care of you."
Her hips bucked as I pressed a kiss to her core, her hands flying to grip the sheets. "Yoichi, I—"
"Shh," I said, my tongue darting out to taste her. "Just feel."
She moaned, her back arching off the bed, and I smiled against her skin, my hands gripping her hips to hold her still. She was so sensitive, every touch, every lick drawing a reaction from her, and I took my time, exploring her with my tongue until she was writhing beneath me, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Yoichi, please," she begged, her hands tangling in my hair. "I can't—"
"You can," I said, my voice firm. "Just let go."
Her thighs clenched around my head as she came, her back arching and her breath catching in her throat. I didn't stop until she was boneless and trembling, her hands falling away from my hair as she collapsed back onto the bed.
"Wow," she said, her voice breathless. "That was... wow."
I chuckled, pressing a kiss to her thigh before climbing up to lie beside her. "You okay?"
She nodded, her eyes half-lidded and her lips curved in a lazy smile. "Better than okay."
"Good," I said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Because we're not done yet."
Her eyes widened, and I laughed, pulling her into my arms. "Relax, Momo. I've got you."
She sighed, her head resting on my chest, and I held her close, savoring the feel of her skin against mine. This wasn't just sex. It was something more, something deeper, and I wasn't ready to let it go.
Not yet.