A week after my lion sighting, Sasha and I walked hand in hand through the Houston Zoo on a breezy Saturday afternoon. Wherever we went, appreciative eyes followed her. She looked amazing in her low-rise jeans and floral lace top, hair wild and free against her shoulders, a mane of silky curls and wispy white-gold spirals.

“Wanna check out the lions? They’re up ahead.” I pointed out the trail sign.

“Are they your favorite?”

“I guess you could say that. Plus, I thought…” My voice trailed off, and I rubbed my neck with my free hand.

“Thought what?” When I didn’t reply, she nudged me with a hip and pressed. “C’mon, you can tell me.”

“It sounds crazy, but when I was out hunting, I swear I saw a lioness.”

“You mean, like, a mountain lion?”

I shook my head. “No, I mean an actual lioness. A pale one, too, almost albino. No idea what she was doing loose in that forest, but she was there.”

“So, I’m guessing you didn’t…” Sasha’s voice trailed off, and she looked up at me, curiosity brimming in her blue eyes.

“What? Shoot at her?” I snorted and gave another shake of my head. “Of course not. I mean, if she had charged me, I would have defended myself, but there was no harm in watching her for a while.”

“That must have been scary for you.”

I thought back to the encounter and the thrill of sighting a wild animal far from her native habitat. “Yes and no,” I answered. “Would you think I was nuts if I told you it was sort of exciting? And beautiful to see her move?”

Sasha shook her head. “Where I come from, the slaughter of a lion isn’t a big deal. They’re dangerous, and they can kill a human within seconds.”

“Isn’t that pretty rare though? Like shark attacks here?”

Sasha’s smile widened, transforming her thoughtful features into pure angelic radiance. Her warming expression glowed. “Yes, very much like that.” Her arm curled around my bicep, introducing the soft curve of her breast to my arm. “Lions are my favorite creatures, and it hurts me sometimes to see them locked away at the zoo. Just the same, I always go to look at them to be reminded of home and other memories.”

A casual stroll led us along a paved lane in the African Forest exhibit, weaving between sections of native flora until we eventually reached the lion habitat. For a better view of them, we descended a stairwell into a lower level. Two females looked over then approached us.

Both lionesses in the exhibit rubbed their faces against the glass, while their majestic male counterpart ambled over at a lazy pace behind them. The large feline nudged the smaller two away. At first, he sniffed the glass and fixed his golden gaze on my girl. I’d never seen the lions so interested in their daily visitors before. My little sister would have gotten a kick out of it.

As I reached for my iPhone to take a photo, the lion bared his fangs, growled, and lunged at me. His large paws struck the transparent barrier between us.

“Whoa!” I stumbled back, losing my balance until Sasha caught me around the arm.

“Uh, I think I pissed him off. Let’s go check out the bears,” she said. Her fingers slipped in mine before she dragged me up the steps and into the brightly lit walking path.

“You pissed him off? Baby, he roared at me.”

“He probably took me as a threat to the females—oh look! Ice cream!” With our fingers laced, she dashed in her heels toward a kiosk and jumped in line. From lions to ice cream in seconds. I shook my head.

“The prices are robbery here.”

“Put your wallet away. You already bought our tickets in. Let me treat you to something, Esteban. Which flavor do you want?”

I surrendered and shoved my wallet back into my pocket. “Cookies and cream.”

We settled beneath a shaded table, an assortment of snacks between us. She fed me a spoonful of her strawberry then wound a tuft of blue cotton candy around her finger.

“I never had fun like this when I was a child. My mother struggled to give me everything, even to come here to America,” she confided. “I guess because I didn’t have much of a childhood, I like to go places like this as an adult. Does that make sense?”

“I can understand that. My parents grew up poor, too. When Pops started the family business, he and eight friends lived in a one-bedroom apartment. Then he met my mother while visiting Puerto Rico, they had me, and she left the island to move to Texas.

“So, you were born in Puerto Rico?”

I nodded. “My grandfather got his start in America as a laborer, but he was a real penny pincher. A good man, but cheap as fuck. Anyway, Abuelito knew a great investment when he saw it. He bought up a bunch of land in Texas, and when my dad started the company, he gave a large chunk of it to him and a loan to get the business off the ground. That’s why most of my family lives in the area.”

“I’m trying to decide if it’s nice or torture to live down the block from your parents.”

My grin widened. “A little bit of both. Your family not close by?”

“Not really. My folks live in California, and my brother is in Japan teaching English. We try to all get together once a year, but it usually ends up being almost every other year. Busy schedules and all that. Trying to figure out times and dates for so many people, well, you probably know all about that.”

“I do, yeah. But I have six siblings and three times as many cousins. It’s just the four of you then?”

“Sort of…”

“Oh? That sounds mysterious.”

“So, okay, we need to have a talk about something important, but I don’t know where to begin,” Sasha said. She twisted a coil of hair around her index finger and fidgeted. “And I’ve met a lot of guys who aren’t okay with this, surprisingly. Or if they are okay with it, they have their own ulterior motives and turn creepy.”

“Baby, just tell me what’s up. Your big secret is beginning to worry me.”

She bit her lower lip and avoided eye contact, trepidation churning a minor rift between us. “It’s… really personal,” she whispered. “And I’m worried you’ll judge me, or that this is going to be a deal breaker.”

Was she really a man?

Why the hell was that the first thought to come to mind?

Because I’d never met a woman with the kinds of interests she had.

Did it matter if she wasn’t born a woman? She was one now.

The thoughts raced through my head, evolving with each ridiculous query. I’d never considered dating a transgender woman before, nor did I know if I could. I wanted a big family full of kids like the home where my parents raised me.

I could adopt.

Was I willing to accept her, flaws and all? A woman I didn’t know, who may have hidden a large secret from me? Maybe she has kids. Maybe she’s hiding kids from me and the reason we haven’t met up often isn’t because of work. Maybe she’s got a litter of babies by some other man. I imagined her leaving our date to return to an unsuspecting husband, some douche she escapes for fleeting moments of happiness.

Or a single mom. Maybe someone’s watching her kids and she’s waiting to find out if I’m some kind of fucking psycho eager to get my hands on a child.

“Nah. Whatever it is, I’m not going to judge you, chica. Now what is it?”

“My housemates aren’t only housemates.”

“Yeah?”

“We’re together. The three of us are all lovers, and we’ve been this way for a while.”

Lovers. The word ignited a hundred creative images in my head. All three girls naked under dimmed lights, twined over silk sheets, scissoring, grinding, fingering, and doing every other act red-blooded, heterosexual males enjoyed watching in porn videos. Once the fantasy died, anger and indignation remained.

“And what about this? Us? What the hell was the point of all this if you have girlfriends of your own already?”

“Esteban—”

“Did you get off on leading me on?”

“No, it’s not like that all.”

My stomach twisted. “Then what’s it the fuck like? Am I an experiment or something? A dare?” I rose to my feet, the taste for ice cream and sweets gone.

“Esteban, please. I really like you, and I’d like to see where this goes between us, take that next step, but with full honesty.”

“I’m not sure I understand, Sasha. You want to date me but keep your girlfriends, too?”

“No! Please, just give me a second to explain. Please sit down.”

I should have walked away. My pounding heart and rising anger told me to walk before something regrettable left my mouth. The grief in her expression and tears shining in her eyes gave me a reason to pause despite the onlookers slowing their steps to stare. I ignored the passing couple and reclaimed my seat, drawn to listen to her a moment longer.

“It’s not an experiment. We all want you.”

I blinked. The drum beat inside my chest thundered like the hooves of a dozen racehorses galloping down the circuit. “Excuse me?”

“I know this sounds crazy, but I had this feeling you’d be open and willing to hear me out.”

---

I waited to watch the man of my dreams walk away. All my life, I held fond memories of Mom and Dad, rare fated mates who should have had their lifetime together. At the time, there’d been one other lioness in their pride.

She’d given her life to protect us when the new alpha tried to murder the cubs who didn’t belong to him, guarding Mum’s back as we escaped. We only knew Iminathi had died because my mother felt the death over the pride link.

Finding Esteban was a longshot, a once-in-a-lifetime miracle rarely given to any shifter. Swallowing the sour taste in my mouth, I waited for his judgment.

“What kind of game is this?” he asked, voice low and dangerous with restrained anger. I couldn’t have picked a shittier place, but nerves had guided my actions. Esteban was a healthy, warm shade of sun-toasted brown, a tan attained during a Texas summer. Despite it, angry color had overwhelmed his cheeks. His silent fury unsettled me more than potential outspoken judgments.

He’s one of those guys. The quieter he becomes, the angrier he is. My father had been one of those guys, and those fleeting memories I had of him, I remembered his silence was more damning than any verbal admonishments. I’d hated nothing more than upsetting my dad.

“No game, I swear. Nandi, Isisa, and I are a package deal. After you left the other night, they were so happy, Esteban. But they were also afraid you’d think we were…” My voice trailed.

“Freaks?” he suggested after an awkward pause. “It’s not the strangest thing I’ve heard. You’re all adults. But if you have each other, why do you need me? What was the point of involving me?”

“Because we want different things we can’t give each other. Nandi wants a child someday.”

Esteban shrugged. “Inseminate her.”

“A child with a father.”

“So, you want me to fuck your girlfriend and knock her up? Is that the plan? Con a guy into paying child support for eighteen years?”

The tears in my eyes threatened to fall. Through willpower, I held them at bay and shook my head. “No. We’re not after a sperm donor. We want a companion. Someone who loves us all as we are.”

“I’m not a Latter-Day Saint. I don’t know the first thing about polygamy, and if you didn’t notice, the law frowns on that one-man-to-multiple-women thing.”

“I know you aren’t.” I swallowed down the sour taste in my mouth. “Neither are we. What we are, is three women who find you very attractive mentally and physically. Three women who will give you back 100 percent of what you give to us.”

“Sasha, I don’t know…”

I wiped my face with the back of my hand and rose from my seat, finding my dignity. “If you think you can handle three of us, then we’re yours. If you’re man enough to handle us.” Impulse spat the words out before I could control myself. And then I couldn’t take them back. Insulting his manhood had been petty. An apology rested on the tip of my tongue.

Esteban stood. The muscles in his arms tensed, and his jaw clenched. I held my ground and met his gaze in silence. If we were over, then it was done. I couldn’t take back the fun we had, the way he made me feel, or the joy experienced when my girls confessed to feeling identical connections.

If we didn’t have an audience before for our tense conversation, we did now. His lips bruised mine, and he crushed me tight in an unforgiving embrace. Clutched to the hard outline of Esteban’s body, I felt his every inch, every defined muscle, each angle, and the heat of him radiating through his clothes.

“Don’t ever question if I’m man enough for something again,” he whispered against my lips. I practically melted against him.

“I won’t.”

We kissed again, gentler but no less intense. I curled my fingers around his nape and peered into his eyes when he drew back. “I’ll give it a try, Sasha. No promises.”

“That’s all I’m asking. What we’re asking.”

“What what now then? You take me home and the three of you jump on me like a bunch of cats in heat?”

He had no idea how close to the truth his words were.

---

We didn’t go back to my place. Instead, we headed to his.

Esteban had a large home in a nice neighborhood that had plenty of space between neighbors. His particular lot was practically a forest, the house set back far enough away from the road that it was effectively hidden behind a line of thick maple and oak trees. In another month, the color would be gorgeous. Then he’d have a yard littered with an abundance of crimson leaves.

The idea of leaping into a colorful pile of fallen foliage in my feline shape sounded positively blissful, leading me to wonder if his backyard was private enough to attempt the endeavor. Russ and Ian both had the guaranteed privacy, but they didn’t have maple trees.

The inside was as spacious as the exterior. After parking in the triple garage, he led the way into the house. The garage entry led into the kitchen and the cozy space put me at instant ease.

Pale yellow walls provided the perfect canvas for cream cabinetry, accented in teal, with stainless steel appliances, marble countertops, and terracotta tiled floor.

Paned windows over the sink allowed in the light from the setting sun. Two prisms hung down in the light, casting rainbows across the room.

“My youngest sister put those up,” Esteban said, catching me staring at them. He set our leftover dinner on the counter. Along the way home, we’d stopped at a Vietnamese dine-in for phở.

“They’re pretty. I like it.”

And then there were the dogs I’d heard about but never seen. An enormous crate had been pushed against the wall, one puppy brindle and brown eyed, the other white with big blue eyes. Their tails wagged wildly, mouths open and pink tongues lolling. A few squeaker toys covered one side of the crate along with a blanket.

“They’re adorable, Esteban.”

“Thanks. The white one is Rambo. The brindle is Ripley.”

“You named them after action movie heroes?”

He grinned. “Why not? Your roomie named your dog after a Disney character.”

I blinked a few times. “You remembered his name?”

Chuckling, he leaned down and released the latch on the cage. The dogs tumbled out, falling over themselves to have his attention. They kept distance from me and hid behind Esteban’s legs until I crouched and offered a hand. Ripley ventured closer first, sniffed my fingers, and piddled on the tile.

Shit.

“Uh. Crap. I suppose I should have let them out first before initiating an introduction. Sorry. Let me take them out into the yard.”

Poor pups. I hadn’t meant to scare them. Esteban let them out in a large, fenced-in yard and filled their water dish from the hose. After a few short rounds of fetch, he made his way back inside and closed the door behind him.

“There, they’ll have fun out there for a while. Can I get you anything? Water? Beer? Something stronger?”

“Water’s fine.” After a whole day walking around, I needed it. Beer might have made the upcoming conversation easier to bear, but I wanted a clear head.

“All right. Go on in and make yourself comfortable. Pick out a movie if you want.”

A wide archway led into the living area. I passed by a large dining table that looked too pretty to have gotten much use and down two steps into the living room. Colorful rugs spread out across the dark hardwood floors, and matching pillows added artful splashes of needed color against the charcoal gray sectional dominating the space. His flat-screen television hung on the wall over an entertainment cabinet packed with Blu-ray cases and a PS4.

“Whatcha in the mood for?” I called out.

“Anything’s fine by me,” he replied.

Anything, huh? I skimmed my finger across the various titles and pulled out a horror parody that I never tired of watching. By the time I popped it in, he had come out with our drinks and a little bowl filled with lemon and lime wedges.

“Great pick.” He grinned and set the drinks on the coffee table.

Oh yeah, he’s a keeper. As if there’d been any doubt.

We settled on the couch together to watch the movie, cradled by deep cushions covered in velvety microfiber. When I moved close enough to set my head on his shoulder, he curled his arm around my waist and drew me against him.

“Tell me about the other two. What do they like?”

“Well…” I circled my index finger over his pec, pleased with how firm his chest felt beneath the pressure, even through his shirt. His work had sculpted him into masculine perfection, every muscle cut like marble. “Isisa is always working, so she likes to kick back in her free time. She’s pretty hopeless in the kitchen and has this infatuation with fine wines.”

“And Nandi?”

“I’ve already told you this, I think, but she’s our little homebody, always on her laptop writing her books and drinking overpriced tea. Or a small glass of Amaretto. She stresses out easy, and she’s worried about her weight, so we don’t pressure her into going outside.”

“What’s wrong with her weight?”

“Absolutely nothing, but try telling her that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he murmured, his gaze going distant a moment. When he snapped back to, he looked down at me and smiled. “So, the things we talk about won’t necessarily interest them, because you’re all different.”

“Right,” I confirmed.

“Good to know. Are you sure they’re into me?”

“Trust me. After our first date out, you were all they talked about for the rest of the night until I fell asleep.”

“They barely met me.”

“Exactly. They interrogated me relentlessly.”

He chuckled. “That bad, huh?”

“You made quite the impression.” Enough to stagger all three of us, but I didn’t think telling him that would help. More likely scare him off.

“So how long has it been since you three, uh, had a guy around for any long-term thing?”

“Nobody since we broke up with Taylor. That was almost eight years ago, give or take.”

He let out a long whistle. “Wow. Mind if I ask what happened there?”

The question ripped the scab off a long-healed wound, bringing back painful memories. “It… We were too different and…”

Tell him, my wiser self urged.

But what if it scares him off?

Then he isn’t worthy of us. Any of us.

“Hey, you don’t have to tell me,” he said in a gentle voice.

“No, it’s okay. I had a miscarriage, and the relationship didn’t survive it. We always found a way to blame each other for unrelated things after that. And… I was petty. Losing the baby made me into someone I didn’t want to become, and our friendship meant more than romance, so we parted ways before things got ugly.”

Esteban’s arms tightened around me. He kissed the top of my head. “Sasha, I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

“Don’t be. It was a long time ago. Taylor was great through it all. He’s married now, to a wonderful woman we all love very much. Jada is great. I mean, truly meant for him. It all worked out in the end.”

“And you girls still have each other.”

“We do, yeah.” I tilted my head to gaze up at him. “I love them.”

“You know, sometimes I wonder if I’m gonna wake up to find this is a dream. Or if I’m gonna walk into your place and discover I’m not some lucky bastard inheriting a harem because I’m on some candid camera show.”

A harem? While snorting back laughter, I wiggled onto my knees to set him straight and tickled him. “Nah, no jokes, no dreams, and while you are lucky, we are not a harem. We’re all equal.”

“Even better.” Esteban tugged me onto his lap and cupped a generous handful of my ass. His touch seared through the denim, and fantasies of having his fingers against bare skin flit through my overactive imagination. How long had it been since I’d have a man?

“I should warn you though, you’re gonna have your hands full.”

“I think I can handle the job.”

I grinned. “Good.”