”“You know kids, I had been expecting you to show up at our door saying you had eloped and were quitting school.”We exchanged some smiles.“You...haven’t, had you, I need to be at the wedding, as does Maggie. Your fathers may be carrying loaded shot guns like they did in the olden days.”“That was only when the girl was pregnant, to make sure the guy didn’t hop on his horse and head out of town, Mother. You explained that to me when we watched SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS on TV when I was maybe. His military training kicked in and he made a swift recce. Nothing could be ascertained, for after the brightness of the rest of the house this room lay in semi-darkness. Other than a peculiar musky smell that was unknown to him, but oddly enticing, he had no information. Moving slowly he entered the room. Panic seized him, it was a trap! Desperately he fought the swaddling cloth that held him, suddenly it parted. He was in hell, surely this was hell.Daphne woke, for a moment she was unaware of. Awareness of the texture of those lips, the warmth ... the flow of ... love?Some time later, they were still kissing, but on the sofa by the stove, and their hands were roaming. Much later, their hands stilled, Helen was relaxed and leaning into Geoff’s embrace.“Madness...” she whispered.“I believe that’s what love is,” Geoff murmured quietly. “I’ve heard that, though this is the first time I’ve experienced it.”“You love me?” Plaintively.“I love you.”“Oh, Geoff...” she sighed. “It’s madness.. This story starts off slow but I promise there will be sex at some point.I would just like to introduce you to the main characters and universe first.The year is 2347. Humanity has spread across many nearby star systems, colonizing and terraforming where possible. Many planets with existing ecosystems and flourishing life are found but regrettably no other sentient species have been identified.Jake is a wanderer. The son of a rich man, he could do anything his heart desired. Since he was a boy.