Page 4 of With the Stars

Eventually, Minho lifted his head and moved back, tucked his dick back in his jeans and grabbed some napkins. Cleaning Peter, he noticed him tense. “Tender?”

“A little. It wasn’t on my bingo card to have anal sex with a man today. Didn’t think it was something that would ever happen.”

Minho reached a hand out and helped Peter sit up, then steadied him when he stood. Watching him pull his clothing up and fasten his jeans, Minho ran a hand along Peter’s arm. Peter wet his lips and lifted his eyes to Minho’s before searching the floor for his shoes. Pushing his feet in them, Peter shook his head once then faced Minho.

“I wanted to wait.” Minho half smiled. “I wanted to talk with you more, hear about your life. Diane, Sammy, and Rex.” His own intense reaction surprised Minho, and he wasn’t a man to be easily surprised, but that night had been nothing but surprises.

“You know so much about me, and I literally only know a couple of things about you. Your name, your species, and that we’re mates. Are we mates now?”

“We haven’t mated, no. I need to bite you and drink your blood while having sex.”

“That’s… interesting to know.” Peter straightened his clothes. “I need to tidy and lock up for the night.”

“I can help you, if that’s okay with you. I’d like to help you.”

Peter side-eyed him, sucked his lips in, then nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate the offer.”

Minho wanted to ask what Peter was thinking about, but he knew to give the man time and space. Picking up the few odd items left on the tables, Minho carried them to the back area and placed them next to the sink. Peter picked up the spray and cloth and cleaned the tables as Minho walked in with a broom and did the floors.

Once the floors were mopped and the till dealt with, Minho followed Peter out of the shop, pulling his hood up to cover his face. It was dark, but there was a camera nearby, and he wasn’t ready for Gray or Key’s questions, because he knew one of them would spot him with Peter.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, Peter shuffled his feet, then exhaled. “What now?”

“Want to get something to eat? We should talk.”

“We should have talked before we had sex.” Peter smiled then stared up the street. “There’s a Greek place not far from here.”

“Sounds good. Will the kids be okay?” He didn’t want to take Peter away from his children. The love he had for them was evident. Minho had watched them grow, mature, seen Peter with them, and knew they’d formed a tight bond after Diane’s death. They’d been close before as a family, but now there was nothing they wouldn’t do to help the other.

“I’ll message them and let them know. Sammy isn’t coming home from college this weekend, so it’s just me and Rex.”

“Rex is in his final year of high school. Is he planning on going to college as well?” Minho pushed his hands into his pockets, walking alongside Peter.

“Surprised you don’t know.” Peter flashed a smile at him. “He’s undecided. He isn’t quite himself at the moment and he won’t talk to me about it.”

“I thought you were all close.”

“We are, but for some reason, he’s behaving like this. I’m not sure why, either. He isn’t telling me, but he’s eighteen now, so entitled to his privacy.”

“I’m sure when he’s ready, he will talk to you. Not that I know all about it. I don’t have children.”

“You don’t want them?”

Minho didn’t immediately answer. He’d considered children at one point. He’d been with a female vampire for over fifty years, but it hadn’t happened for them. When she’d met her mate, Minho had willingly stepped aside, and she now had a child of her own, one Minho saw regularly. “I was involved for a long time, but it never happened for us.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Being a parent is a wonderful experience. It has its challenges but I wouldn’t want a life without them in it. They give me more than I give them.”

“I’m sure they don’t think that way. I’ve seen you together.”

“How long have you been watching me?”

“Since the moment I saw you.”

Peter slowed to a stop and grabbed Minho’s arm. “That’s almost thirty years. I remember the carnival. We’d just married, like you said, and you don’t look old enough to have known me for thirty years. I’m almost fifty and you’re what? Early thirties, if that.”

“I’m almost three hundred.” Minho shrugged. “We age slower.”

“How old?” Peter stepped back and looked him up and down. “Are you kidding me?”

---