Page 19 of Accept Me (Fate’s Choice #4)

"I appreciate that," he said quietly, "but I don’t want to be a burden."

"You wouldn’t be. I earn plenty. I’ve got passive income from rental properties, big commercial ones.

There’s also a trust fund, and I still get paid from the military.

I used to be heavily into crypto, and I still do consulting for clients in that space.

So yeah, I can give us both a very comfortable life. "

Star looked at me for a while. I could tell he wanted to say something… but then he hesitated.

"You're… in the army?"

"Yes. I came back from my last mission overseas a year ago, and now I serve as a tactical advisor. So. You don’t have to worry about money."

"That’s… good to know." He made a little pause, looking to the side, his eyes pensive. "It’s nice to have the option to walk away if my job ever gets to be too much. And honestly, it’s customer support.

Frustrated clients dumping their crap on me about the company or the products…

It’s not something I want to do forever," he added, a little bitterly.

"You can quit your job anytime, if that’s what you wish. According to your Eternal contract, I am obligated to take care of you, anyway. And I want to take care of you, Star."

He looked at me again, and there was something there, some… intensity. I almost knew that hearing the phrase take care of you made his… emotions stir.

For a moment, I lost myself in the deep navy shade of his eyes.

It was such a rare color. So dark it looked almost black from a distance, like a starry night sky.

We were kind of trapped in this connection for a strange few seconds, just looking at each other.

Star’s heart sped up and mine matched his pace.

Wow, this was intense.

But before another, much naughtier AO call escaped me, he saved me.

"Back in that glass booth, I asked if you’d ever want kids," Star whispered, sounding breathless. "And I think… if I had them, I wouldn’t mind leaving this job behind. No regrets."

"Well, if that’s what you want, we can make it happen…" I said in a low voice that carried a promise. A promise of heat, rut, naked bodies, sweaty skin, rapid breathing, and ecstasy…

But Star seemingly ignored it, then continued, "Still, there’s something else I’d love to do. Something I’d call a passion project. Kind of a dream job."

He stopped there.

I was more than willing to dive deeper into the topic of making kids happen, but I gave myself a hard mental slap and just waited for him to go on.

But he didn’t.

He bit his lip and looked to the side. Some internal commotion was going on inside his body. Was he also kind of hooked on what I said?

"So… What’s your dream job?" I asked eventually, clearing my dry throat.

He still looked hesitant. Something in his face shifted a little, getting softer.

"It’s gonna sound dumb," he muttered quietly, chewing on his lip.

"Go ahead, Star. I’m not going to judge. And if there’s any way I can help make it happen, I want to hear about it."

He looked me in the eyes again and stayed quiet for a second.

"Can I tell you after work? Right now I need to place the order and get back to the clients."

I nodded.

"Of course. I usually unwind on the patio after work. I’d love it if you joined me."

"Okay."

Star leaned over the phone and placed a small grocery order.

He handed it back, and I paid.

"You finish at five, right? Maybe after that we can swim together and then have some coffee."

"If you’d like." He said it in his typical, neutral tone. "I don’t have swim trunks, though."

"I swim naked. But I can give you a pair of mine, if you prefer."

He stiffened a little. I saw it, the flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

Now I congratulated myself for resisting the urge to move things forward between us: Star wasn't ready. There was this uneasiness inside of him that needed time to melt away.

"I’ll bring you some shorts, no problem. I’ll wear mine too. Probably best for the first time," I said, keeping my voice light, and just walked out.

Even though Star used to work as an escort, he didn’t behave too forward, flirty, or provocative at all.

Going by the stereotypes, I might have assumed that such a job would give him a certain boldness and a sense of his own sexual attractiveness, something that could show through in everyday behavior, even unconsciously.

But no! He was just constantly… tense and cautious.

At this point, trying to read his reasons in detail through the incomplete Bond still wasn’t possible. I could sense the general mood, but the more specific explanation for his behavior was probably too complex or too nuanced. I’d just have to be patient.

◆◆◆

The next few hours at work dragged on.

I was stuck between crushing guilt over how turned on I was and this aching need to tell Star just how badly I desired him, even though we had just met!

Olaf’s face kept flashing through my mind like a neon exclamation mark, a painful reminder of the hellish year I’d spent mourning. But then it would dissolve into that same pink fog… and all I could hear was:

You’re fated mates, you idiot. There’s no greater force than that. Just give in, run to him, tell him, and fuck him—tonight.

My dick joined the choir, cheering me up, throbbing in my pants. It kept chipping away at the part of me that was still grieving, pushing it into the past and replacing it with lust.

Seriously?

Had I already forgotten the whole reason I decided not to tell him about our TM status? There was a good point to it, for fuck’s sake!

I wanted us to get to know each other first, in a healthy, grounded way, before diving headfirst into the wild, inevitable sex that came with the Pull and being fated mates in general.

Hello, Hunter! This voice again. Everybody knows that fated mates fuck like rabbits!

Sexually frustrated, I finished my work about ten minutes early, right around the time I heard the doorbell ring. It turned out it was a delivery guy with the groceries Star had ordered. I unloaded everything into the fridge, then headed back to my room and took a shower.

Afterward, I went into my bedroom to dig through the closet for a pair of swim trunks. Star was a lot smaller than me, so I picked one of the tie-front pairs so he could adjust the fit at the waist.

I put on a pair myself and walked over to Star’s door. I knocked softly since I could hear him talking to someone.

He opened the door with one headphone still in. "Yes, the offer’s valid for two more days. After that, the terms will change according to the price list…"

Without a word, I handed him the trunks and walked away, heading downstairs.

There, I hesitated for a moment, my eyes drifting toward the drinks cabinet, drawn to the whiskey bottle sitting there. Maybe getting a little drunk would actually help? Take the edge off my sex drive, blur it into a soft, fuzzy haze? No more constant hard-ons.

But I stopped myself just in time, made two iced lattes, popped them into a portable cooler, and headed out to the pool.

I slipped into the water and started swimming laps. About fifteen minutes passed before Star showed up.

He was wearing my swim trunks and a T-shirt, with his hair tied up in a high bun on top of his head.

I swam to the edge and propped myself up on my elbows against the pool wall.

"Do the shorts fit?" I asked.

"They do, once I tied them real tight."

I watched him for a moment. He stood there silently, like he was unsure whether to get in. Again, I could feel his energy, maybe even better than before; it was intensifying. He seemed… uncertain.

I waited to see what he’d do. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly grabbed the hem of his T-shirt, pulled it up, and took it off over his head.

My eyes locked onto his chest.

Star had a stunning body. Being around 5’11", with long, lean legs, full thighs, a narrow waist, defined abs, nice biceps, and a pleasant curve to his hips. His skin was smooth and pearly, and to my surprise, completely free of tattoos.

But what really caught my attention were his nipples. Large, puffy, and light pink. I was grateful the water hid my own body because I didn’t want him to see just how much I liked what I saw.

I really needed to keep it together, so I looked away and went back to swimming.

Star stepped into the pool slowly, adjusting to the cool water. Before long, he started swimming too. We moved in slow circles around the pool, both of us keeping a relaxed pace. I’m not sure how long it went on… probably a little over twenty minutes.

Eventually, I climbed out, grabbed a towel, and started drying off.

I didn’t bother covering up. I let Star look at me.

Even though I’d stopped hitting the gym as hard after Olaf was gone and had lost a decent amount of muscle mass, I still went at least three times a week, and my body held up well.

I had wiry strength, sinewy arms, defined muscles.

I ran every day. Sure, I drank, guilty as charged, but I still functioned fine and never overdid it.

Staying in shape was a habit I’d picked up in the army, and even before that, during my years in the police force.

My skin was fair too, a remnant of my younger days when my chestnut hair had had a lighter red tint. But I was used to the sun and spent a lot of time on the patio or swimming.

When Star came out of the water, I saw just how blindingly pale he really was, and the sun was unforgiving, despite it being after 5pm.

He walked toward the lounge chair, and I stood up right away to bring over the portable umbrella. I set it up beside the rattan lounger I’d placed there for him.

I noticed a subtle shift in his expression. The usual mask he wore had cracked a little. That small gesture seemed to mean something to him, like he hadn’t expected me to care whether he got sunburned.

He sat down, covering his chest with a towel. Interesting. After a minute or two, I opened the cooler and placed the iced latte next to him. He blinked a little, then mumbled a quiet "thank you".

We sat in silence for a bit. At one point, I caught him looking at my forearm. On the side of it, a narrow tattoo read:

Property of Olaf.

Star’s dark eyes seemed locked onto the words. I felt a subtle wave of emotion roll off him, but he pushed it back down fast. Maybe he decided it was just one of those old tattoos people get in high school, names of past crushes and all that.

"How was work?" I asked casually, stretching out more comfortably on my own rattan lounger.

In that position, my wet trunks clung tighter to my crotch, and I noticed his eyes flick down for a quick, inquisitive glance.

"Oh, fine, thanks. Lots of calls today. People complaining about the side effects of the suppressants—rashes, hot flashes, dizziness." He picked up the latte and took a small sip.

Did his heart just skip a beat? Hearing a heartbeat outdoors wasn’t as easy as inside, but I caught the quickened rhythm. Thump, thump…

"What’s it like working for a giant like Malden Pharmaceuticals? Your boss is probably the most hated man in the country."

Star raised his eyebrows just slightly, like the question surprised him, but he answered in a controlled tone.

"After picking up a public health major, I was hoping to work in medical facility administration one day. I didn’t plan on ending up in customer service at Malden Pharmaceuticals.

I know Blue is a really controversial figure, but the job pays well.

And for someone who’s only twenty-two and still pretty green, I can’t complain about the offer I got. "

"Fair enough."

We sat quietly again for a while, just watching the water.

"So," I said after a moment, circling back, "how about you tell me about your dream job?"

Star’s face stayed mostly unreadable, but I felt a trace of discomfort, maybe even embarrassment.

"Well… My dad didn’t move to the city until I was almost sixteen.

Before that, we lived in a small village, in my granddad’s house.

He was a great cook, worked in kitchens for years, and taught me a lot.

He had a big garden… I used to dream about having my own YouTube cooking channel one day.

I wanted to make videos outdoors, grilling on gas burners, filming under the open sky.

I spent so many hours with my granddad, preparing food side by side.

I know it sounds silly, but I really loved it.

Then he passed away unexpectedly, and the house didn’t go to my dad.

It ended up with one of his half-brothers, who didn’t have a good relationship with him.

I was crushed. Losing my granddad and being forced to move to the city was just…

a lot. Life in the city brought me nothing but tragedy. "

I looked at Star’s face.

His dark navy eyes met mine, uncertain, searching.