“We keep getting weird looks,” Kieran muttered.

Cole snickered. “Probably because none of them have seen this happen before.”

Kieran glanced at the group of men who were trying, and failing, to not look obvious as they spied on Kieran and Cole. “Is this because we’re both guys, or because I’m still technically a member of the retreat?”

Cole shrugged. “Probably a bit of both. I remember all too well how the guys in my neighborhood were about being gay. I’d like to see one of them say something, though, and let them see what happens.”

Kieran chuckled. “Going to sic Artemis on them?”

“Hell no. I’ll kick their asses myself, and then send Artemis after them. They need to learn to mind their own business anyway. You were upgraded to being a Senior Member already, so they can look the other way,” Cole said, glaring at the group of nosy men.

“I’m a what now?” Kieran asked in surprise.

Cole looked up at him. “Senior Member. You were given the rank after…well, you know. That whole ‘you are not allowed to bang the members of the camp’ rule doesn’t apply to Senior Members.”

“So, we’re not going to have Artemis come swooping out of nowhere and start yelling at us?” Kieran asked glancing around.

Cole snickered. “If she comes swooping out of anywhere, it’s going to be to tell us to keep it PG.”

“What? We’re supposed to behave ourselves here, too? What is this, a private school?” Kieran asked grumpily.

Cole leaned his head back onto Kieran’s shoulder. “I’m sure she’d mean while other people are watching. I told you, our kind aren’t exactly known for their restraint, so she doesn’t expect us to be celibate.”

Kieran had been half-joking when he’d complained, but the serious part stirred excitement in him just hearing Cole talk about something more. There were times when he made those half-jokes that he worried Cole would think he had poor intentions. The feeling was always alleviated moments later, when Cole would give him a knowing smile, or fire back with something to tease Kieran. It didn’t seem to matter if Kieran was voicing his opinion on politics or sex; Cole always seemed to understand exactly what he meant.

He was completely happy with how things were developing between him and Cole. Within the course of a week, they’d begun spending even more time around one another. Kieran had expected Cole would be reserved about being so close to Kieran, and about showing affection. He’d been pleasantly surprised when, after only a day or two, Cole stopped looking wary or tense when Kieran drew close. It had been less than a week since their heart-to-heart and Kieran’s attack on Cole, and the two of them had begun touching far more often than Kieran was used to.

Which was exactly why he and Cole were sitting at the base of a tree near the clearing used for group social time. They weren’t in the thick of things, but the others wouldn’t have to look far to find them. Cole sat between Kieran’s outstretched legs, his back to Kieran’s chest, relaxed as Kieran held him close. Kieran couldn’t remember the last time he’d just held anyone, and he definitely knew he’d never enjoyed it as much as he did with Cole. There was something about the way the man fit against him so perfectly, and how soothing the press of his body was, that cast aside any confusion on Kieran’s part.

“I guess I should take comfort in the fact I’m able to do stuff like this with you at all. Even better, I know I don’t have to behave myself or risk Artemis ripping me a new one,” Kieran said with a chuckle.

Cole kissed the bottom of Kieran’s chin. “Says the man who, apart from that one incident, has been a perfect gentleman. One might wonder if you were really one of us to begin with.”

Kieran frowned. “I don’t want to push you into anything more. I’ve had plenty of sex in my lifetime, Cole, but I’ve never enjoyed just being with someone as much as I have with you. If that means having to wait till later to tear your clothes off completely, then I’ll happily wait.”

Cole chuckled, the sound coming from low in his throat. “Tear my clothes off? Is that what you think about at night?”

Kieran groaned. “Is it really a good idea to discuss what I think about when I’m alone at night, after having been around you, and touching you all day long?”

Cole grinned. “I think that would be a great conversation.”

“I think you just like teasing me to get a rise out of me,” Kieran accused.

Cole shrugged. “Some sort of rise, maybe.”

Kieran felt his cock stir and he frowned at Cole. “You make it so difficult to behave when you start talking like that.”

Cole kissed his jaw. “You know, it’s…honestly very sweet that you’re trying to make yourself behave. I’ve never had anyone try to ease back, when it’s obvious they want something more with me. It’s different.”

“I’m that obvious, huh?” Kieran asked dryly.

“Kieran, you’ve been semi-hard the entire time we’ve been sitting here, and you went rock hard when I barely started talking dirty. So yeah, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess you want to be doing something a little more than just cuddling,” Cole said with a laugh.

Kieran sighed in exasperation at his own body. There was no point trying to refute Cole, since the obvious strain on his jeans would have proven him a liar anyway. Just like Cole, trying to restrain himself to make sure he didn’t push things too far was a new experience for Kieran. He’d never wanted someone as much as he wanted Cole, and felt he should restrain himself.

Cole reached up to cup Kieran’s face gently. “You don’t have to be a perfect gentleman with me all the time, you know. I’m not some delicate flower that needs someone to coddle me and make sure I’ve been romanced for weeks on end in order to put out.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable after I jumped you that one time,” Kieran told him softly.

Cole led one of Kieran’s hands further down until it lay across Cole’s groin. “Does this feel like I’m at all in doubt as to what I want?”

Kieran’s fingers slid over the outline of Cole’s cock, hard beneath his pants. “Fucking hell, Cole.”

Cole laughed. “You think you’re the only one who gets horny when we start touching each other? Newsflash, Kieran: you’re hot.”

Kieran chuckled, bending down so his lips brushed over Cole’s. “You have such a way with words sometimes.”

Cole tilted his head back as he turned to face Kieran better. “Is that a problem?”

Kieran kissed him, letting his hunger for Cole’s body slip into the kiss as he held Cole tighter against him. His lips worked against Cole’s, opening them so his tongue could explore Cole’s mouth. A light whimper escaped from Cole, and the sound seemed to dive straight down to Kieran’s groin. The almost weak and plaintive noise coming from Cole had the immediate effect of making Kieran’s jeans even more uncomfortable than they’d been before.

“They’re going to see,” Kieran finally managed to mumble, trying to get control of himself.

“Only because they’re too nosy to mind their own damn business,” Cole replied, his hand resting against Kieran’s crotch.

Kieran eyed him. “And I’m getting the distinct feeling you don’t give a shit what they see.”

Cole reached up with his other hand and brushed some of Kieran’s hair from his forehead. “With the way you’re looking at me right now, I don’t think I’d care if they were standing around us. Damn, you have one hell of an intense look when you get turned on.”

Kieran ducked his head. “I had an ex who said it was scary sometimes. Like I was hunting him.”

“Were you?” Cole asked.

Kieran chuckled nervously. “You know, it’s funny you should say that. At the time, I thought it was a really accurate way of describing how I approached sleeping with him and others. When I had the time to go out and find someone to sleep with, it always felt like I was on the prowl. I never wanted to say that out loud, so it was jarring to hear someone else say it so bluntly. He was the first person I ever admitted feeling like that to when it came to sex, and he, uh, wasn’t a fan of me telling him.”

Cole bent so he could catch Kieran’s gaze. “Well, screw him, because I think it’s hot as hell. Do you know how many people I’ve had look at me with such intensity before?”

“You? I hope everyone you were ever with,” Kieran said with a laugh.

Cole blinked, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Sometimes, when you’re so blunt, the stuff you say can be so absurdly sweet. But you’re wrong. No one has stared at me as intensely as you do. It’s one of the first things I noticed about you: your intensity. The day I kissed you, that intensity was, well, it was the kind that makes you want to throw yourself into the other person’s arms without stopping to think about how it might turn out. I was just…God, it scared the shit out of me. I wanted to run away, and I wanted to stay right where I was. Even now, I feel a little worried when I see it, not because I think you’re going to hurt me or whatever scared your ex, but because…well, because of how much I want to like it.”

Kieran glanced up in surprise. “Because you want to like it? Isn’t that the same reason you gave for not wanting to do anything with me in the first place?”

Cole chuckled. “I guess you could say I have a traceable pattern in my life. I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to being interested in guys, romantically speaking, anyway. You’re…well, you’re the kind of guy I could easily see myself wanting more than what we have going on.”

Kieran blinked. “Really?”

“Tristan would say I have a tendency to catch feelings pretty quick, and well, maybe others would say it too, if you asked. Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I just know that when I feel something for someone, I tend to just…dive in. I’ve gotten really attached in the past and with Lance, I let myself believe I’d finally found the one I could be myself with. I get attached, and you’re not exactly the type who’s going to tolerate my needy ass,” Cole said with a light, fake-sounding laugh.

Kieran shook his head vehemently. “No, that’s not it at all. I didn’t mean to sound surprised because it bothered me. I sounded surprised because I’ve been thinking the same thing. I was worried that I’ve been too forward with you, and I might go too far. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to push anything sexual on you again too soon. I insisted on trying more than friendship between us, because trying for more seemed like way too much to ask of you. I sure as hell didn’t want to admit that I thought I was feeling more than I probably should have.”

It was Cole’s turn to look surprised. “You’ve been holding back because you…like me?”

“And you’ve been holding back because you wanted to give yourself permission to like me, to tell yourself it was okay,” Kieran said with a short laugh.

Cole snickered, covering his face. “God, we’re a pair, aren’t we?”

“Oh, just two guys with enough emotional hang ups to both want more from each other, but too scared of saying it for fear of driving the other away, and worrying privately the other doesn’t want the same thing. There’s absolutely nothing unhealthy about that,” Kieran said with a laugh.

Cole twisted around so he was facing Kieran completely and kissed him soundly. “Thank you.”

Kieran tilted his head with a puzzled expression. “For what?”

“For being you. You were so willing to pin me down and make me explain myself, that I realized I didn’t have a good reason for saying no anymore. My fear shouldn’t have prevented me from giving us a chance. But you, you just had to go for more, and you were right. Just like you were the one who brought up this little snag on our part. You like to drag shit out into the open and force it to be dealt with,” Cole explained with a smile.

“I guess it just…felt like it should be said, once I realized how much it was bothering you. I get why you were worried, but it just felt to me like my feelings were getting too strong too quickly,” Kieran said with an embarrassed shrug.

Cole shrugged. “We were getting to know each other before that, so I think the emotions were just piggybacking off of that. Or maybe we’re both just stupidly romantic and prone to getting attached quickly.”

“Something I would have never said about myself before I met you,” Kieran chuckled.

“Again with those blunt statements being absurdly sweet sometimes,” Cole said with a laugh.

Tristan’s head suddenly popped around the trunk of a nearby tree. “I do hope I’m not interrupting anything of the sweet or sexy variety.”

Kieran groaned, glaring at Tristan. “You know damn well you were, and that’s why you’re grinning like a jackass.”

Cole glanced over his shoulder. “Tristan, could you please not creep up on us when we’re having alone time? I know you like to get your rocks off by watching people, but don’t include me in your kinks.”

Tristan wrinkled his nose. “I don’t watch people do the dirty without their permission, so thanks. And I’m not interrupting you so I can get my rocks off on it, Artemis wants you.”

Cole sighed. “This is supposed to be my break, dammit.”

“Look, she wants to talk to you. It’s not like you’re going to be gone long. You know the woman can’t stay in one place for long anyway,” Tristan shrugged.

Cole stood up, giving Kieran a kiss before starting to walk away. “Fine. Just try not to make too much of a nuisance of yourself while I’m gone. I mean it, Trist.”

Tristan waved at his retreating back. “I’m always a good boy. You know me!”

Kieran waited until Cole was out of sight before eyeing Tristan suspiciously. “Alright, what are you up to?”

Tristan looked at him innocently. “Whatever do you mean?”

Kieran narrowed his eyes. “That’s the least convincing expression I’ve ever seen on your face.”

Tristan rolled his eyes. “You two are the most suspicious people I’ve ever met.”

“Alright, well, if you’re not going to get to the point, then I’m going to go talk to some people I actually like,” Kieran told him as he stood up.

Tristan raised a hand. “Wait, before you go stomping off, how serious is this thing between you and Cole?”

“What? Come to make more jokes you think are insanely witty? I’m not playing your games, Tristan,” Kieran scoffed as he moved to walk around him.

Tristan butted himself closer to Kieran, pushing him against the tree with a grim expression. “Good, because I’m not playing games with you. Now, how serious are things between you and Cole?”

Kieran looked at him, and saw no trace of humor or sarcasm in his face. “We’ve only been doing what we’ve been doing for a week now. It’s not like I’m preparing to propose to him.”

“Fine. Now, how serious do you think it’s going to get?” Tristan asked.

Kieran opened his mouth, shut it, then opened it again. “I haven’t been thinking that far ahead. We’re just trying things out between us and discovering what we want from one another.”

“And if he wants something serious?” Tristan asked.

Kieran grunted. “We’ve both enjoyed what we’ve been doing so far, so if that continues, then I can’t see myself objecting to wanting something more. I don’t know, Tristan, and I can’t exactly give you a direct answer. I also don’t like or trust you enough to tell you what’s going on in my head. Now, let go of me and leave me alone.”

Tristan released his hold, holding a finger up to Kieran in warning. “If you’re not going to get serious with him, then you need to tell him. Get your rocks off and move on, or whatever it is you’re after with him. I mean it.”

“You threatening me, Tristan?” Kieran growled.

Tristan snorted. “Look, you got that earlier punch for free because I deserved it. But if you think you can get away with breaking Cole’s heart because you’re horny or bored, then don’t think you’re going to walk away from this without a mark. You might be bigger than me, Kieran, but I know how to fight a lot better than your lawyer ass does, and I’ll break your face if you fuck him over. You got me?”

Kieran stared for a moment and then smiled. “And there’s the heart Cole was swearing up and down existed in you. I guess I shouldn’t have doubted his judgment; he hasn’t been wrong yet.”

Tristan’s anger faded and he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, except for when it comes to men, then all that sense and wisdom goes right out the window.”

Kieran stepped around Tristan with a nod. “I’m not Lance. I do care about him a great deal, and if something more is going to happen between us, I’ll do my best to do right by him.”

Tristan sighed. “I hope you mean that. I really do. I don’t want to see him go through that again. And I’m even starting to like you a little, so I’d hate to be forced to hurt you. It’d be one big mess, and I think we’d all prefer to avoid that.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Kieran said.

“Good,” Tristan grunted.

It was then that Cole’s loud, furious shout cut across the air. “Tristan!”

Tristan winced. “Shit.”

Kieran glanced in the direction of Cole’s voice and then back at Tristan. “Tell me Artemis actually did want to see him.”

“I just wanted an excuse to make him detach from your side for long enough,” Tristan told him as he backed away.

Kieran listened to Cole’s heavy steps as they approached. “Well, if you want a head start…”

Tristan didn’t need to be told twice, leaving Kieran to laugh as he disappeared into the woods at the sound of Cole’s heavy approach.