Luther's jaw gaped for a second, then he barked out a laugh. "Oh, sweetheart. That was terrible!"
"Still, you laughed," Deke pointed out, grinning. He appreciated that Luther didn't have a problem with his humor. Then, a thought occurred. "Um, am I allowed to say stuff like that now? What if-" He paused and glanced around, then whispered, "What if Stephani walked into the room?"
As if on cue, Stephani strolled into the room, her head tilted and nose in the air. "I've had Sex Ed," she stated breezily. "And I go to a public school. I'm pretty sure there isn't much you could say that I haven't heard before." She hopped up onto a barstool and leaned against the counter. She tilted her head and lifted one brow imperiously. "Don't you remember being a sixteen year old boy? Gay or straight, ya'll are perverts."
"Steph!" Luther growled, scowling.
Deke snorted and shrugged. "She's right." Taking a chance, he peered through his lashes and held Luther's gaze as he stated, "Maybe your very fine nearly two hundred year old ass is just too old to remember."
Luther's jaw sagged open. His jaw gaped in obvious shock. For two seconds, silence reined in the kitchen, then Stephani burst out laughing. Luther growled, his eyes narrowed to slits.
"You did not just call me old!"
"At least he thinks your ass is sexy," Stephani crowed. She held out her hand in a fist. "Nice one."
Deke winked at Luther before bumping the young shifter's fist with his own. Glancing furtively at his lover, Deke hoped the other man hadn't truly taken offense. When Luther discreetly winked, relief filled him.
Returning his focus to Stephani, Deke watched her cock her head and stare at him. She swept her gaze over Deke, seeming to assess him. "So, you and my dad, huh?"
Deke risked another glance toward Luther. The shifter turned away and opened the refrigerator. No help there. Returning his focus to Stephani, Deke shrugged. "It would seem so."
"How'd you meet?" Stephani asked. "You in town for vacation or something?"
Swallowing hard, Deke really didn't want to talk about why he'd ended up in town. "Or something," he mumbled. Clearing his throat, he turned to Luther and asked, "So, you want me to whip up something to go with those steaks? Something other than eggs, a baked potato, or mac and cheese, anyway?"
Luther turned to face him, his mouth open, but whatever expression was on his face-or hell, maybe Deke's scent gave him away-caused him to smile. "You can cook?"
"Very well," Deke admitted. "I've been cooking for me and-" He paused and cleared his throat, then finished, "Well, my exes have never complained." No, Michael had loved Deke's cooking. It was other areas of their relationship that had completely sucked.
Not interested in discussing that, yet, Deke rounded the kitchen counter and opened the pantry. "You guys allergic to anything?"
"No," Luther replied softly, drawing the word out. "I'll go turn on the grill to heat, then prep the meat." He started past him, then paused. Completely unselfconscious, Luther leaned over and pecked a kiss to Deke's cheek before whispering, "There's a story there. I hope someday you'll trust me enough to tell it."
Luther straightened and headed out of the kitchen. "Stephani, do you know if Leo is coming over?" he asked as he passed her.
"I don't know," Stephani replied, staring down at her phone, thumbs moving swiftly.
"Set four plates, just in case," Luther ordered.
"Okay," she replied without looking up from the device.
Deke's brows shot up and he looked at Luther, amusement filling him. Was that normal for teenagers? He just managed to hold in his snicker at Luther's closed eyes and God help me expression.
"I'll be right back to flavor the steaks," Luther grumbled, turning away.
As soon as the sliding glass door closed behind Luther, Stephani looked up from her phone and snickered. "I only do that to him because it drives him nuts," she stated, moving around Deke in the kitchen to the cupboard. "So, you love him?"
Gaping, Deke nearly dropped the cucumber he'd just pulled from the refrigerator. "Uh. I'm not-" He felt his face heat. Sighing, he placed the cucumber on the counter and turned to the girl. "Look. I'm still getting to know your dad. Maybe someday I'll love him, but right now-" Deke shrugged. "I just want to know he's not gonna try to change me and that he'll accept me for me."
Stephani twirled a loose strand of blond hair around her finger for a few seconds, just staring. Then, she nodded. "Don't hurt my dad, Deke," Stephani ordered, pulling plates from the cupboard and heading toward the dining room table.
"I'll do my best not to," Deke murmured, trying to figure out how he'd gotten into this situation in the first place.
"Cool. Then you should tell him about whatever's bothering you," Stephani added. "We can both smell how upset and nervous you are about something."
Frowning, Deke pulled a knife from the block on the counter and aggressively started cutting the cucumber. He shook his head, unable to come up with a reply. It wasn't like he wanted to fight with the girl.
"Sore point. Got it," Stephani chatted on as if Deke had replied. The sound of plates clicking onto the table filled the silence for a few seconds. Then, she crossed to the counter and leaned across it. "So, now that I know dad obviously doesn't have a problem with same sex relationships-" She paused, her brow crinkling. "I mean, seeing friends or your alpha or whatever doing it is one thing, right? But your own kid?"
Deke's head snapped up. Pain shot through his finger and he hissed, yanking his attention back to what he was doing. Seeing the blood welling up from his forefinger, he jerked it away from the food.
"Shit," he hissed. He stuck his finger in his mouth and sucked on it for a second, then turned around and went to the sink. Running his finger under a stream of water, he glanced over his shoulder. "Are you practicing your coming out speech?" he asked. "Because your timing kinda sucks. Next time, make sure no one is wielding a sharp object. You never know if they're gonna take it badly," he added bitterly.
"Huh," Stephani responded. "Point taken. You okay?"
"Deke?" Luther called from near the sliding glass door. "You okay? How come I smell your blood?"
Turning from the sink, Deke held up his finger. "Sorry. Cut my finger on a knife," he admitted.
"Geez, sweetheart," Luther called, striding toward him.
"Here," Stephani offered, holding out a box and a paper towel. "There's Neosporin inside with band aids."
Deke took the towel first, drying his hand. He glanced around, wondering where she'd gotten the supplies, since he couldn't remember her leaving the kitchen. Spotting an open drawer underneath the microwave, he figured he had his answer.
Luther took the box while Deke still dried his hand. Opening it, he pulled out a bandage and the Neosporin. "Let me see," he urged softly.
Holding out his hand, Deke watched in silence as Luther inspected the cut, then played doctor. "I'm fine. Ya know?" he murmured, even as he appreciated how nice it was to be taken care of by a lover.
"I'm sure, Deke," Luther responded. "It's not deep, but we're not mated yet and scenting your blood freaked me out as much as it turned me-" He snapped his jaw shut, his face taking on an interestingly rosy hue.
Deke smiled, squeezing Luther's hand where he still held him. "Thanks," he whispered.
Clearing his throat, Luther nodded, then released him and stepped back. As he washed his hands, he asked, "So, how do you like your steak?"
"Medium rare," Deke replied. While Luther had his back turned, Deke lifted a brow at Stephani, who shifted her weight from foot to foot and nibbled her lower lip. Deke tilted his head toward her father and sent his second brow up beside the first.
Stephani huffed. "Dad, it's my fault Deke cut himself."
"Oh?" Luther asked, pulling seasonings from the pantry.
Deke washed the knife, then returned to cutting just as Luther moved to the refrigerator and pulled out the steaks. He set them on the counter where he'd spread out the seasonings. He watched Luther turn his back to the counter, prop his elbows on it, and give his full attention to his daughter.
Twisting her hands together, Stephani's tension seemed almost palpable. She swallowed once, then blurted out, "You know how I always tell you that Peggy is my best friend?"