In a Chord (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Beth D. Carter

love,” Keaton murmured.
    Ash rather liked the way that endearment fell from his lips.

Chapter Nine
     
    The week progressed with them meeting and dating each day or night. And true to their word, if one of them couldn’t make it, then the other didn’t raise a stink. In fact, instead of feeling jealous if Ash was with Momo, Keaton felt sorry to miss out on seeing them. It was more a regret rather than feeling possessive or resentful.
    And though they didn’t hop into bed together, there were moments of tenderness, moments of kissing and heavy petting. They were working out the details of what it would be like to actually have a ménage together. Sometimes Momo would be sandwiched between them, gasping as each man laid claim to her. And sometimes Keaton would be the one receiving attention.
    Kissing Momo was different than kissing Ash. Momo was breathy and soft in all the places a woman should be soft. Ash was muscles and hard angles, taking charge in his own special way. Behind Ash’s blond angelic looks lurked a man who liked to spank, who liked to see Keaton squirm under him.
    Keaton had no idea when they were going to take things to the next level, but he liked they were actually taking their time to find out little things about each other. He knew practically everything about Ash, but he liked discovering that Momo didn’t mind the color pink in moderation, or that she didn’t know a lick of Japanese, even though she loved watching anime. Her favorite holiday was St. Patrick’s Day because everyone got sloshed on green beer, and her favorite food was buffalo chicken wings with bleu cheese dressing, not ranch.
    She hated smoking because it made her throat feel scratchy and didn’t mind asking smokers to blow their smoke the other way. And one day, she wanted children. That made Keaton pause. He hadn’t really thought of children, but he could see them as a large happy family. He could see her, belly gently round with either his or Ash’s child, and that made him pause again to contemplate their relationship even more.
    What if she did get pregnant with either his or Ash’s baby? Would it bother him to not know for sure whose child it was?
    What he discovered, after some deep soul searching, was that the idea of them having and becoming a family excited him. Of course, he didn’t want that now in his life. They were all in their early twenties. And especially not when he felt like Endymion was close to finding that golden ticket. But someday, yeah, someday would be pretty nice.
    “You ready to play?” Keaton asked her Saturday night as they made their way to The Black Tiger’s back entrance.
    “I’m excited and nervous at the same time,” she told him with a huge smile on her face. She was dressed in an electric blue top that fit her like a second skin, with a black and brown plaid miniskirt. She wore pink-and-black striped socks that hugged her thighs and calf-high black boots. Her hair was divided into two pigtails, hot pink stripes running through them. She was gorgeous and outrageous, and he loved her.
    Mike, Taylor, and Byron greeted them. Byron held out another envelope to Keaton and shrugged.
    Keaton groaned and tossed it without reading.
    “What’s that?” she asked.
    “Keaton has a huge fan,” Byron explained. “She scares me so I make sure to pass along the letters.”
    “She’s harmless,” Keaton assured her. “I’m sure just some young kid.”
    “Actually, she’s—”
    But before Byron could finish his statement, Mike rushed over to hug Momo.
    “I can’t wait till everyone hears you!” he gushed. “It’s going to be amazing.”
    “And there’s a scout tonight!”
    Byron’s excited cry made them all pause as they digested the information, and then they all spoke at once.
    “Are you shitting me?”
    “For real?”
    “Byron, you better not be yanking my chain!”
    “Holy hell, why’d you have to tell me? Now I’m nervous!”
    Keaton and Ash high-fived each other.