“I’m fine,” Camden said. “No nightmares last night.” Like me, he’d been having nightmares nearly every night. “Brad never complains when I wake him up, but I feel bad.” He ran a hand through his golden hair, and I swore it practically glowed in the artificial light. No one should look that good, but he did. “I’ve been talking to an Amorian therapist.”
“You have?” I asked.
He nodded. “Klars offered it, and why wouldn’t I take him up on his offer? I need help processing everything.”
“Yeah, but…” I trailed off. Therapy had never beenmything.
Camden frowned, crossing his arms. “There’s nothing wrong with therapy.”
“I didn’t say there was,” I snapped.
“I heard a tone. I need help and I refuse to be ashamed of it.”
“And I’m not shaming you. I didn’t say anything.”
“Seriously,” Pierce said, “both of you need to calm the fuck down. Vince, you were shaming. Own it. Think about why you are, then work on it. Camden, drop the attitude. We’re all in this together.”
I glanced at Pierce, but she was staring at the table.
Camden scooted closer. “Are you alright?”
“Perfectly,” she replied. “I’m not allowed to call you two out on your bullshit?”
She was, and did so frequently; I just hadn’t expected it to be so harsh, anymore than Camden had.
He moved even closer. “You look upset.”
Pierce sighed, running a fair hand through her red curls. “Me and Bimwoxcol have been sleeping together.”
“Okay,” I said. She was getting some, good for her.
“She’s also sleeping with other people,” Pierce said.
Camden asked, “What? How could she do that to you?”
“Didn’t she tell you that in the permission discussion?” I asked. Drakcol talked about everything. There was no way Bimwoxcol would start fucking Pierce without telling her about the other people.
Pierce nodded. “Of course she did.”
Camden raised his eyebrows. Hewasn’tsleeping with a drakcol apparently.
“I just didn’t expect it to bother me,” Pierce continued, waving a hand. “I’ve never had a casual relationship before, but after everything, I thought it would be nice. I wanted my needs met without even a hint of pressure, and she’s nice and caring, and most of all, safe.”
“Did you talk to her? Drakcol are pretty open about discussing everything.” I mean, Don was. I assumed it was fairly normal, especially from what Seth had said.
“Yeah, she doesn’t want a serious relationship either.” Pierce looked away, eyes growing moist. “I thought I was the same, but I’ve really started to care about her. I want more. I want to be the only person she’s with.” A tear slipped down her freckled cheek.
Panic, sheer male panic, grew under my skin and curled in my stomach. I hated when anyone cried, but when a woman did, it bothered me on a different level. You would think being gay would take that away, but nope. I glanced at Camden and he had the same deer in headlights look as me.
She started laughing wetly and wiped her cheeks. “God, you guys are useless.”
“Tears and comforting people aren’t my thing. Can I interest you in a sarcastic remark?” I offered.
“No thanks.” Pierce took a deep breath. “It’s fine. I should’ve known this was what was going to happen. Bimwoxcol warned me she was sleeping with other people and intended on continuing those relationships. Deep down, I thought I would be different, which isn’t fair to her. She’s allowed to sleep with whoever she wants.”
Camden patted her shoulder awkwardly. “Cry it out, I guess.”
My heart raced, and my mind whipped to my own situation. Don currently wasn’t sleeping with anyone else besides me, but he hadn’t said he wouldn’t either. We were friends with benefits. It was wrong to try and make this exclusive, but damnit, that was what I wanted.
