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  She gulped. “Who else?” Her heart was beating faster. It was so strange having this discussion. It shouldn’t be. She didn’t really know any other way of life. Other than the fact that her parents had lived in a monogamous relationship, she had no other models. Anything could be normal to her. After three months, she was far more accustomed to seeing polyamorous unions, especially among the younger crowd.

  He smiled. “Well, every man who is single and under forty in the compound for starters. Who wouldn’t be interested in you? But more specifically, don’t tell me you aren’t aware that Tarin Gelman hunts you down as often as I do.”

  Her cheeks heated again. He did. Tarin hadn’t been quite as blatant as Kester yet, but he did join her at meals sometimes and lingered longer than necessary to talk to her.

  Kester grinned. “You did know.”

  “Maybe. So now what? It’s not like when we arrived and Layla got snatched up by four men who were living as a family unit already. Tarin certainly doesn’t live with you two, Stuart and he have some sort of history that keeps them from exchanging civil discourse, and you and Stuart hardly speak to each other. Where does that leave me? What the heck am I supposed to do? There’s no way in the world I would let myself get passed around among three men in three separate relationships.” She cringed.

  “And no one would ask that of you. If you’re interested in all three of us, just say the word, and I’ll talk to Tarin and Stu. It shouldn’t be your problem. The three of us will work it out.”

  She eyed him skeptically again. It was too complicated to continue thinking about. “Can we stop talking about two other men who aren’t here?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Good. Kiss me.”

  He flinched. “You want me to kiss you?”

  “Yep.” She scooted closer.

  “Ariel…”

  “What? I thought you just said you like me.”

  “I do. A lot. But I don’t want to rush you.” She wondered if he had any idea how tightly he was gripping her fingers.

  “You’re not rushing me. I just asked you to kiss me. It’s a simple task. Are you up to the challenge?” She lifted a brow, shocked by her boldness.

  He stared at her, inhaling deeply. “You’re sure?”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, yes. But if you don’t want to…”

  He released her fingers and cupped her face with both hands, holding her gaze for several seconds before bringing his lips to hers.

  Ariel’s chest pounded as he closed the distance, and she sighed into his mouth the moment his lips touched hers. Soft. Gentle. Caring.

  One of his hands slid to the back of her neck and angled her to one side so he could deepen the kiss, his tongue stroking along the seam of her lips until she parted for him on instinct.

  She closed her eyes and reached for him, her hands coming to his waist and easing up his torso. It may have been a bold move on her part, but she wasn’t sorry. Being kissed was amazing.

  “What the fuck?” A door snicked shut behind them, and Ariel jerked her head to the side at the same time as Kester. She hadn’t heard the door open. She’d been in her own world.

  But it most certainly had opened and closed. Stuart stood just inside, his broad shoulders seemingly broader than ever, his hands fisted at his sides, his brow furrowed. He was pissed.

  Chapter 2

  “Hey, Stu. I thought you were doing a pickup,” Kester stated without flinching.

  Stuart glanced from Kester to Ariel and back. “Seriously?”

  Ariel refused to let him get to her. He could stuff his overprotective parent routine where the sun don’t shine.

  Stuart looked like he was going to punch something, or someone.

  “Seriously?” he repeated louder, his gaze on Kester. “I’m gone a few hours and you bring a girl to the apartment. Do you not realize how inappropriate this is?” He waved a hand back and forth between them.

  Enough. Ariel jumped to her feet and planted her hands on her hips. “I am not a girl, Stuart. I’m a grown woman. I’m old enough to make my own decisions, thank you very much. There’s nothing inappropriate about me spending time with Kester, and I’m insulted by your implication.”

  His brow furrowed. A vein bulged out on his forehead. “Implication? I don’t need to imply anything. I can see with my own eyes. The two of you alone in my apartment, making out on my couch like you’re in high school.”

  Kester stood next to Ariel. He set a hand on her back. “Don’t be an asshole, Stu. This is my apartment too.”

  Ariel was fuming. “I’ve never been to high school, but apparently I missed out if you spent your time there kissing.” She marched around the couch to face Stuart head-on. “Look, I don’t know what your problem is with me, but I’m tired of it. You can stop treating me like I’m twelve any day now.”

  “Fine. Then stop acting like you’re twelve, Ariel.” He crossed his arms, his legs planted wide. “Make better choices. What would people think if they found out you were sneaking off to be alone with men?”

  “Watch it, Stu… You’re crossing so many lines right now.” Kester came to Ariel’s side.

  Ariel tried to stand taller, but at five-two it was tough to look tall next to these men who were both over six foot. “No one is sneaking anywhere, Stuart. And the only thing anyone would think if they saw me with Kester or any other man is that I like him. If I want to spend time alone with him, that’s my prerogative. If I want to kiss him in the living room he shares with you, also my prerogative. If I want to have sex with Kester right now in your apartment, I can also do that. Because. I’m. Not. Twelve,” she shouted through gritted teeth, fisting her hands and leaning into him.

  Stuart lifted a hand and ran it through his messy brown hair in need of a cut. Or maybe it was sexy this way and she just wished he would cut it so he’d be less attractive. Right now she wanted to slap him and then drag Kester into his bedroom, slam the door, and get naked with him just to piss Stuart off further.

  Kester didn’t say another word, which she appreciated. This was her battle. She needed to have this out with Stuart.

  Suddenly, she spun toward Kester and glared at him. “Please tell me you didn’t set me up. If you knew Stuart was going to come home tonight, and you brought me here to get under his skin, I will never speak to you again.”

  Stuart smirked, out loud. If that was a thing. She didn’t need to look at him to know it.

  Kester’s eyes went wide and he held up both hands in defeat. “I didn’t know. I swear. Tell her.” He jerked his gaze to Stuart. “Tell her you were supposed to be gone tonight. Why are you back, anyway?”

  Stuart smirked again and stepped around them, heading for the kitchen area to grab a water off the counter. He untwisted the top and drank about a third of it. “Hmm. Maybe it would be more fun if I let her think you set this up.”

  “Don’t be a dick,” Kester responded.

  Stuart lifted one brow. “But that’s my specialty. Being a dick. I bet I can get her to stomp out of here and stop talking to you. All I have to do is confirm what she’s suggesting. I feel so powerful.” He took another drink of water.

  Ariel had never been so angry in her life.

  Kester seethed. “Do you think if you chase her off, she’ll skip on home to the Schamas’ place like a good little girl and stop talking to boys? Do you think your only competition is me? I’ve got news for you, big guy, every unattached male living in this compound has their eye on her, starting with Tarin Gelman. You gonna stomp over to his place next and tell him to keep his hands to himself?”

  Ariel took a step away from Kester and leaned against the wall. Her head was spinning.

  Kester stepped closer to Stuart and set his hands on the back of the couch, leaning forward. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just admit you’re chasing everyone off because you like her too? We can all work with that. But this grumpy keep-your-hands-off-my-girl routine is annoying and getting old. Bow out and mind your own business or
toss your hat into the ring.”

  Ariel glanced back and forth between the two men. Kester had shown all his cards and then some. She held her breath, waiting to see how Stuart would respond.

  When he didn’t speak for several moments, Ariel decided to. “I had a father, Stu. For nineteen years. He was amazing. One of the best. He loved me to pieces, and he raised me to know my own mind. He would not disapprove of anything that happened between me and Kester tonight. We talked. We held hands. Kester was a total gentleman at every moment. It was my idea to ask him to kiss me. And I’m not sorry. Don’t you dare imply that I’m some kind of slut who can’t keep her pants on and needs you to police everyone she speaks to. It’s insulting. You’re not my father. I don’t need another one. I don’t want another one. I’m a grown woman. I can and will decide when I have sex and with whom.”

  Stuart finally ran a hand down his face in exhaustion. His shoulders dropped. “You’re right. I’ll butt out of it.” He turned around, shuffled into his room, and shut the door.

  Ariel sucked in a breath. That hadn’t been the way she’d seen this confrontation ending. Not with Stu leaving the room in defeat. Shutting the door basically in her face.

  Kester turned around and slowly came to Ariel. He reached out a hand when he was a few feet away, giving her the option to take it or not. Always a gentleman.

  She accepted and closed the gap between them to let him pull her into his arms. He held her tight, her head tucked against his chest, his chin resting on her hair. “I’m sorry, honey.”

  She tipped her head back. “Not your fault.”

  He winced. “It kinda was. I didn’t have to antagonize him. That’s on me.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t know he was coming back.”

  “I didn’t. I promise.”

  She sighed. “Part of me wants to go into your room and shut the door just to infuriate him.”

  Kester chuckled, running his hands up and down her arms. “Tempting. But no.”

  She gave him a fake pout. “You’re no fun.”

  “If I took you into my room, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you, and you’re not ready for that. Plus, you have shit to work out.”

  “What shit?”

  He nodded toward Stu’s door. “That shit.”

  “Seems to me like he just shut the door on whatever it was, literally.”

  Kester shook his head. “Something’s up with him. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve never seen him acting like this. All I know is that it has to do with you, and I’d bet the paycheck I’ve never gotten that he’s crazy about you and in denial for some reason.”

  Ariel smirked. “So, you’re saying usually when he likes a woman, he doesn’t growl at her for three months and chase other men away?”

  “Nope. What I’m saying is that I’ve never known Stu to like a woman. Never. Not since I met him two years ago. I don’t get the impression he’s dated a single woman in the five years he’s been living here.”

  Ariel gasped. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. You probably need to talk to him. Maybe not tonight, but soon.”

  Ariel eased out of Kester’s arms and took a step back, rubbing her temples. “I think I’d rather have that tooth extraction you suggested earlier.”

  He chuckled and leaned against the back of the couch. “I’m going to walk you home now.”

  When she opened her mouth to protest, he held up a hand to stop her. “I’m going to take you back to the Schamas’ because you have a lot to think about and I don’t have a right to take things between us any further by myself. As much as I’d love to claim you as my own and keep you to myself, that would be selfish. People would growl at me for the rest of my life every time they passed me in the hallway.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Let them growl.”

  “I would if I thought it was what you wanted. But I know better. You have feelings for Stu that need to be resolved one way or the other. You also have feelings for Tarin, and I know they’re reciprocated. In this new world in this society we live in, men don’t swoop in and get all possessive over a woman.”

  She swallowed. “Doesn’t that bother you? Knowing you’ll be sharing?”

  He shrugged. “Not really. Not anymore. It may have seemed odd when I was younger and first started witnessing loving polyamorous relationships, but it’s the rational solution to a very real problem. You’ve seen what happens when men start claiming women for themselves, forcing them into sexual and reproductive slavery. They end up killing each other while also hurting and killing women. It’s a vicious cycle that never ends.”

  “No one is going to kill anyone among The Wanderers,” she pointed out, almost as a question.

  He shook his head. “No. Definitely not. And there are monogamous relationships among our people too. Like I said, if I thought that was what you wanted, I wouldn’t hesitate to make you fully mine and tell everyone else to bug off. But it’s not. You’re sweet and kind and fun and smart, and you have a lot of love to share. I can and will share a relationship with you. I can and will wait until everyone is on the same page too. I won’t take what isn’t completely mine prematurely.”

  She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him again. “You’re a good man, Kes.”

  He slid his palm up her back and threaded his fingers in her hair, his dark eyes smiling down at her. “I try to be. Now, let’s get out of here before I lose my resolve and kiss the sense out of you.”

  “Surely kissing is acceptable. You don’t mean to tell me you aren’t going to touch me in any way until Tarin is onboard and Stu pulls his head out of his butt. I might die of old age waiting.”

  Kester chuckled. “I’ll talk to Tarin. I told you I would.”

  “You also told me you’d talk to Stu,” she pointed out, teasing.

  “And I meant it. I will. But I think you’re going to have to face him also. I think there’s a skeleton or two in his closet, and you’re probably the only one who might be able to break the door down.”

  She sighed. “Okay, but only because you’re right. I like him and I’m attracted to him, and I hate to see him hurting.”

  “You have a sweet soul, Ariel. I mean it. If you decide to enter into a relationship with me, I’ll be over the moon and bend over backward to make sure you have everything you want and need in life, including giving you the space to have relationships with other men too. I’d be honored and humbled to say you’re mine, even if I share you with others.”

  “I think you’re just as amazing, Kes. Every time I’m with you, I feel more and more drawn to you. Thank you for…everything. It means the world to me that you treat me with more respect than I’m asking for. And that you’re willing to stand up for me.”

  “Always.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead before reaching for the door and leading her into the hallway. When they reached the Schamas’ apartment—the family who had graciously taken her in when she’d arrived with Layla—she gave Kester one last brief hug in the hallway and then entered the family unit.

  She was grateful no one was in the living space. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. And she made her way to her own room and shut herself off from the others, climbing into bed and staring at the ceiling. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind.

  She hadn’t heard a single sound coming from Stuart’s door after he’d barricaded himself in his room. She’d hated walking away, and a part of her had wanted to pound on the door and insist he talk to her. But they’d both needed to cool down. She was still steaming from his insinuations, and she knew he was probably beating himself up for the way he’d treated her.

  Tonight hadn’t been the right time. She would find him later. Besides, he wasn’t the only other man she needed to confront. Kester was right. Tarin was also courting her. She and Tarin hadn’t discussed it in so many words, but she wasn’t blind. And she liked him too.

  It was a bit awkward living in a world where she was altering her mindset on what constituted a
relationship. She’d been raised in a two-parent home. Not many of those existed anymore. They weren’t practical.

  Ariel wasn’t sure what the current statistics showed, but she knew only about one in seven or eight people was female. Maintaining a society in which only monogamous relationships were permitted wasn’t feasible. Years of attempting to preserve that standard had led to the crumbling of society.

  People weren’t meant to be alone all their lives. It spelled disaster. It had led to kidnappings and rapes and arranged marriages. Rich people buying females for their sons. Richer people stepping in at the last second and paying a higher fee.

  Militant groups hunted constantly for women who were hiding, finding and bringing them in. Forcing them to breed with groups of men they’d never met and didn’t choose. Even one faction of the government—what was known as The Republic—believed in a doctrine in which women had no rights and shouldn’t be permitted to choose who they married, presumably for the “good” of society. Good for some men maybe. That would never be good for any woman.

  Society had been on a progressive path for several decades before the decline in female births began. It was gradual at first, slowly leading to unrest over the years. By the time Layla and Ariel were born, the world was no longer a safe place to raise a girl, let alone two of them.

  Their parents had made the right choice when they’d left society and moved off the grid. Ariel had led a relatively carefree, happy life for nineteen years. Right up until the day militants had discovered them and killed both her parents. It was sheer luck that Ariel and Layla had been away from the cabin picking herbs when they heard the gunshot that killed their father.

  Thank God their parents had taught them how to survive, and more importantly, how to shoot. It saved their lives. Ariel and Layla had shot both the militants, felling them at the same time. It was too late for their mother, however. She’d been stabbed while they were interrogating her in search of her daughters. She died in Ariel’s and Layla’s arms.

  There’d been no time to grieve. Not for the next two weeks while Ariel and Layla made their way west in search of their mother’s best friend and midwife, Julie Imes, when The Wanderers found them.