Chapter Seven #2
“That’s for sure, Gamble. Thank God you woke up in time to get down here.”
Now, it was time for him to explain why that was the case. Here went everything.
“I had a dream.”
Poe sat there.
“You did?” he asked a little confused on how that had anything to do with it.
Gamble began explaining from the beginning.
“I heard a noise in my dream, and I came downstairs and saw a shadow lurking outside the window. It was Diablo. He needed me.”
Poe let him talk.
“So I chased the shadow and went out, and he wasn’t alone.”
That hung there.
Honestly, Poe was confused as to where Gamble was taking this.
“Well? Who was there?”
Gamble just said it to get it over with and off of his chest. He was pretty sure relationships needed honesty in order to function long-term. This was going to matter in the grand scheme of things.
Hopefully, Poe didn’t think he was insane.
“It was your brother.”
Poe paused.
“Wait. You dreamed about my brother?” he asked, caught off guard by that fact.
He nodded.
“We had a whole conversation.”
Someone was under duress, that was for sure, and now, Poe felt horrible that his man was having to deal with this after just starting to get back on his feet from his own issues.
So, he did what he could.
“I’m sorry, Mate. All of this has seeped into your subconscious and is affecting you too. I wish I never came back here.”
Only, Gamble believed it was real, and the fact that Hemmingway had awoken him in time told him that maybe, just maybe, ghosts did exist.
It felt…genuine.
“He told me to tell you that he was sorry about all of this, and that you wouldn’t believe me when I told you that I saw him.”
Poe shrugged.
“There is nothing past life but death,” he said. “It’s not that I don’t believe you had the dream, I do. I’ve dreamt about him too.”
Well, here went the one thing Hemmingway told him that he guaranteed would make Poe believe.
“Who is Sparky, and why did Hemmingway see him after death?” he asked, watching the man’s reaction to figure this out.
Poe went pale.
“What?” he asked, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard.
“He told me you wouldn’t believe it, and to bring up Sparky and that he was there. Who is Sparky?” he asked again.
That was all he had to say.
Poe got up, and began pacing.
The whole time, Gamble watched him. His mate looked distressed, and he figured it had everything to do with the realization that there was no possible way he’d know that name unless Hemmingway had told him.
Finally, he stopped moving and glanced over at Gamble.
“How did you really hear that name?” Poe asked, questioning everything in that moment.
“I told you. Your brother led me to his grave. We talked, he approves of me, by the way, and that he knew you’ve been gay your whole life. He said to tell you about Sparky, and then warned me that you were in danger. That’s what woke me up. Had I not, we would have been taken or dead.”
Poe was speechless.
For the life of him, he couldn’t wrap his head around this.
What the hell?
How the hell?
“I can’t believe this. There’s something after death?” he asked. “Really?”
Gamble shrugged.
“Well, your brother is haunting my head, so I’m going to say yes, Poe. Again, who is Sparky?”
Poe owed him an explanation. Poe didn’t know if it was because Gamble was here, or if it was because he was Native American, or what, but he needed to be honest with him.
“Sparky was my hamster. I had one as a child. Only, his name wasn’t Sparky. It was Reginald.”
Gamble didn’t say anything.
Now, he was still confused.
Poe continued.
“One day, he got out of his cage because I left his little door open. We found him eventually when he chewed through wires to a lamp in the study. Hemmingway called him Sparky to make me not be so sad and to be funny. He told me he took himself out because he was a daredevil hamster.”
Gamble just stared at him and let the man put two and two together in his own head.
Yeah, Poe was ‘shooketh’.
There was NO way Gamble would know that. Only two people did.
Him.
And.
Hemmingway.
“I don’t understand how my brother told you that, Gamble. I don’t know how to process that.”
Clearly.
“Then that should tell you everything you need to know about what is after life, Poe. Something is there since Hemmingway told me that. I’m not a mind reader.”
He was aware.
Now, he had questions.
“And he was okay?” he asked, believing that Gamble would never lie to him.
He nodded.
“He was. Your brother told me that he’s always around,” he admitted. “I couldn’t get him to tell me where the crypto key was since we ran out of time, but he told me he died for King and cross, and then the shit went down here. I’m annoyed that I woke up too soon.”
Well, that sucked.
“You both are so similar, but he is a little bulkier and his voice is deeper. When you both smile, you get those crinkles around your eyes, and a dimple. Each one of you has one on the opposite cheek.”
That hit him hard.
That was more information that Gamble wouldn’t know unless he had contact with his brother. The man he loved had nailed it. They both have opposite dimples.
Now, Poe had tears in his eyes.
This changed everything he thought about life and death. One day, he might see his twin again, and his parents.
“And he’s really okay?” he asked again. “Like really?”
What he needed was reassurance, and Gamble understood that.
“He is.”
Poe sat down, and there was such a weight off his shoulders.
“I worried after I heard he was murdered. It’s one thing to die in the military, but murder…”
He understood.
“Honestly, Baby, he didn’t say he suffered, and he wasn’t angry. He was worried about you. That was his main concern. He said your parents were around.”
Poe began laughing outrageously.
“What?” Gamble asked. “What’s funny?”
He told him.
“I was thinking about how my parents got quite the view of us in the bath,” he said, grinning. “It was spectacular.”
Oh, that it was.
Gamble could see some of the shadows gone from Poe’s eyes, and that made him happy.
Only, now, he had to get this under control before someone got hurt—mainly Poe. Von Donore would be gunning for him since he escaped.
“I need a favor,” Gamble said.
That made him pause.
“What?” he asked.
Truthfully, Gamble wasn’t one hundred percent sure how this was going to come across. He hoped not bossy.
“I need you to stick with me for the rest of today and without any exceptions. I’d handcuff you to my side if people wouldn’t talk.”
Poe laughed.
“I mean, I can get into handcuffs if you’re talking about some fun,” he joked.
Gamble lifted his chin and stared into his eyes.
“Don’t get me started. I’ll absolutely go there with you. Think about yesterday.”
Oh, he was.
Gamble reiterated.
“I mean like by my side in case someone here is helping Von Donore. Since they seem to be making their moves after dark, we should be safe at the party. You know all the people that are coming here, right?” he asked again, just to make sure their bases were covered.
He nodded.
They were family friends.
“They are other nobility, and family friends who my mother and father cherished. No one will be getting in the gate without being on a list,” he said. “I have security for the gate for later today. I was worried about the media.”
That helped.
A.
LOT.
“Then we can stay to celebrate your parent’s lives, but right after the cocktail hour, we’re out of here. I’ve already texted Elizabeth. The horses will be leaving after we do. She’s getting them back to New Orleans, and to a secure place.”
Finding out there would be security on the gate made Gamble so much calmer.
“Promise me, Poe. By. My. Side.”
Oh, well, his sexy Marine had nothing to worry about. He was sticking close.
“Okay, I can do that. I’ll be your shadow.”
That was all he had to hear. Gamble looked at his watch, and he had business to attend—private business.
“I have to handle something. It’s important. Before anyone gets here, can you take Rufus up to the room and lock the door—just in case?”
Poe wasn’t sure why, but he figured Gamble knew best when it came to things like this.
“Will you be okay without me? I have a mean swing and can back you up if need be,” he stated.
Gamble didn’t want him swinging at anyone. He wanted him safely tucked away—until Von was done.
“Let me swing. You just put minds back together. That’s your thing. I’ll be the brawn for this mess. You be the brain for our lives.”
He winked at him.
“I love you, Gamble. Be safe,” he said, giving him a soft kiss on his mouth, because he felt the need to be connected to the man.
Just.
In.
Case.
Picking up Rufus, Poe headed upstairs, and Gamble knew what he needed to do.
Someone had to get engaged. There was no way he was putting this off, so while he could, it was time to get that handled too.
If something was going to happen to one of them, then he wanted this memory where they had that very personal moment and connection.
Not that he’d let anything happen to Poe.
OVER HIS DEAD BODY.
* * * Poe & Gamble * * *
Forty-Five Minutes
Later
Waiting wasn’t his favorite thing, and normally, Poe was very patient. You had to be when you were putting people’s minds back together again.
Only, now, that wasn’t the case.
Poe wasn’t sure where Gamble had gone, but he was getting antsy.
The man was MIA, and to be honest, that scared him. What could possibly take this long to handle?
Now, his mind was running amuck.
Were the animals in danger?
Was Gamble?
When he was just about to go find him, a folded piece of paper flew under the door, floating through the air and landing not far from Poe.
What was this?
If this was a message from his brother, he was freaking the fuck out.
Bending over, he picked it up, and when he opened it, he saw it was Gamble’s handwriting.
Thank God.
‘You are cordially invited to a picnic breakfast. Go get on your horse, before the staff gets here, and tell Honey to find Diablo. See you there.
Sir Arthur Doyle.’
The ‘Sir’ part made him laugh.
How could it not? The man was amusing most of the time, but his humor…
It kept Poe smiling.
Yeah, he was stupid in love with this nut, and he honestly didn’t believe that he’d be heading anywhere alone. Gamble would definitely be following him.
Call it a hunch.
He was super protective, and Poe liked that. Now, he had his answer as to what the man had been up to, and he liked the outcome.
A picnic?
Sign him up.
Getting ready, Poe told Rufus to stay, which wasn’t really necessary.
The dog was on the bed, tangled up in the blankets like the lump he was.
Silly dog.
Putting on his riding gear, he headed down, not sure if they were taking a long ride or a short ride. Either way, he liked spending a morning out on the dewy grass, riding his horse.
When he got to the stable, Diablo was gone, and Honey was already saddled up.
There was another note tacked to the stall door. So, Poe opened it.
‘If you feel like you’re being watched and followed, that’s just me. I’m not crazy enough to let you make this trek alone. You’re being followed by a Marine. Diablo was put in place earlier. I’ll see you soon, my one and only.
Gamble.’
His heart thumped out of control.
That love…
It was something he never expected to find, and now that he had, he couldn’t wait to be with this man for the rest of his life. Gamble Holloway was a very romantic guy, and he was lucky to have him.
Well, this was quite an adventure.
Tucking the note away, so he could keep it forever to remember this moment, he was ready to go.
As he and Honey rode out, the sun was just coming up, and they had some time before the staff began arriving. As he was riding, he did feel like he was being watched.
Gamble would be near.
His body just knew when his lover was lurking. So, Poe made a game of it, trying to find his man.
And he couldn’t.
Someone was good at hide-and-seek.
As for today, and the stress this afternoon with the wake, Poe was still looking forward to it.
Why?
Because he had to keep living. If his brother was around, his parents were too, and maybe, just maybe, he didn’t lose them.
Tonight, though, he was going to start life again.
Poe was looking forward to introducing the other Dukes and Duchesses to his man.
Why?
Well, one, he was proud of the person he was going to be with for the rest of his life.
Oh, and two, he didn’t want the women hovering over him like he was the next eligible bachelor because he wasn’t.
That wasn’t his thing.
That had been Hemmingway’s.
As Honey followed the scent of Diablo, they were in uncharted territory. This was part of the property furthest from the castle.
There was no doubt Gamble picked it for a reason. It was on high ground where the upper pasture was.
This place brought back memories. He and Hemmingway had been to this pasture in his youth, but no one came up here anymore.
It was chest high weeds, and you couldn't see around the area.
His soldier was good at recon, apparently.
When Honey saw Diablo, grazing in the field, she made a beeline toward him.
And Poe searched for his man.
He’d still not appeared, but Diablo alone told the tale. He was somewhere.
Stroking Honey’s neck, he warned her.
“If you let that scoundrel knock you up, you’d better not have a wild horse. Diablo would be a shit father. He’ll love you and leave you.”
That amused Poe.
Honestly, he’d love to have more horses running around his farm, if they ever got back there.
ALIVE.
As for Honey, that warning would fall on deaf ears anyway, since horses had to be horses.
Jumping off of Honey, Poe looked around, and he couldn’t see his man anywhere.
He hoped this wasn’t a scavenger hunt, unless his Marine was naked at the end, and then sign him up.
“My love! Where are you?” he called.
It took a second, and finally, Gamble gave up his location.
Off in the distance, a stick with a napkin tied to it went up in the air, showing him where Gamble was hiding.
Poe found that amusing.
Someone had tucked himself into the weeds. That was a very Marine thing to do.
Heading that way, he climbed over the pasture wall, and navigated the weeds. They were wet, but they let him pass without much fight.
They also hid his path which explained why Gamble had chosen it.
Clearly.
When he finally breached the weeds, Poe saw that Gamble had flattened down a whole area.
In the middle of it, there was a blanket, and a picnic basket.
Someone really meant a picnic.
This was absolutely sweet of him.
“Oh, wow,” Poe said, as Gamble laid the flag down, and held out his hand to him.
Of course, Poe took it.
“Gamble!”
The man grinned.
“I wanted to do something fun, but it’s dangerous out in the open. So we are having breakfast at dawn in the weeds.”
As he moved closer, Poe noticed that Gamble’s illegal gun was not far from him.
Just.
In.
Case.
Well, while he was a law-abiding man, he was more than fine with Gamble protecting them any way possible. Maybe America had rubbed off on him.
None of that mattered now.
That his man had planned this…
It was really sweet.
“I love a picnic,” he said. “Did we have a basket?” he asked, pointing at the one the man had found.
He laughed.
“Actually, I located it in that pantry off of the kitchen. It’s bigger than a corner store, Poe. Really? How much food do you need?”
He laughed.
“When there were two teenage boys here, who had friends over, it was always empty. Now, it’s not nearly as full of snacks on stock up day. My brother had a hollow leg, and he’d eat nonstop.”
Gamble remembered being a teen boy.
Only, there had been no pantry.
He knew that if they had kids, at least they’d be fed and have something in their life to give them stability. They’d never want for anything.
That was also another reason why he felt secure with them having children.
“We should probably fill the house with some little ones,” Poe suggested.
Gamble grinned.
“Doctor, are you hinting?” he asked.
Only, what he said next made Gamble laugh because he wasn’t expecting it.
“Do I have to write it on my forehead, Gamble? Really?” he asked. “Am I hinting? I can’t make it more clear that I want you to propose to me, other than proposing to you first!”
Yeah, he loved this man. Poe made his heart feel light.
If he’d just wait a few minutes…
He’d get his proposal.
Now, though, Gamble changed the subject.
“I managed to pull together some food for us in that pantry of yours. Care to join me, Duke of Gordon? Happy Coronation Day to you.”
He laughed.
“It’s just a piece of paper.”
Was it?
Gamble didn’t believe that for a second.
“I don’t think it is. It’s your history. I did a little research,” he said, reaching for the bottle of champagne and uncorking it.
The top flew off, and Gamble poured some into glasses for them.
“You did?” he asked.
The Marine shared what he’d learned.
“That Gordon isn’t your last name. In sixteen eighty-four, the Marquess of Huntly created the title. Gordon is the territory. I was not aware of that since we kicked your asses in seventeen seventy-six.”
That little poke made him laugh.
“For the record, Mate, I have dual citizenship, and I went to college in the States. I know what happened, Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
Gamble winked at him.
While Poe loved that he’d researched, he was well aware of the family history.
His father was a history fan.
“My great-great-great grandfather liked the territory since it was where he was from, so he took Gordon, but he also wanted to use Seville too. He stuck them together. My official name is Duke Poe William Seville of Gordon.”
God.
That was so sexy.
Maybe it was the accent, or how he said it, but Gamble was so attracted to this man.
It was kind of sexy that he was smart too. In all of his life, he never expected to be in love with anyone over his social class as a Marine, but a doctor too?
It was crazy.
Gamble kept sharing what he’d researched. He wanted Poe to know he was fully invested in their relationship, and his past mattered.
“Did you know half of the Scottish clan moved to America in the nineteen twenties? That you’re ancestors were actually Scottish?”
He nodded.
“That is one of the ONLY reasons I was able to get my mother to let me go to university there,” he said, clinking his champagne glass off of Gamble’s. “She feared the things she saw on the news about the wildness of America. I, on the other hand, craved that adventure.”
Poe still did.
With Gamble.
Together, they both sipped the champagne.
“I could have been American by birth had one of my ancestors been born there,” Poe admitted. “But alas, I just had to get my citizenship the old-fashioned way. I had to take a test.”
“Oh, no. So you’re not interested in marrying some sexy Marine for a green card? So I missed that boat?” he asked, hinting at what was coming.
Only, someone wasn’t getting it.
Poe laughed.
“I mean, I’d marry you for your citizenship if that’s your kink, Mate, but you’re going to be surprised when we never have to be interviewed by Homeland Security. Then again, you’re trouble, Sir Arthur Doyle, so who knows what agency may come knocking?”
That was the truth.
The FBI was always around The Hunters.
“Damn,” he said, pulling out the food. “Here, I wanted a mail order groom.”
He was amused.
“Oh, and you’d pick me?” he asked. “If you were flipping through the catalog ‘Gay Nobility R’Us’, I’d be the one you chose?”
Gamble grinned.
“Hell, yeah,” he said. “You’re sexy, smart, and I’m attracted to you.”
Poe hoped that never changed. He knew he was his first gay experience, and that was why he kept hinting at marrying him.
He wanted Gamble to ask. Since this was new to him, he had to be sure. Poe already was.
This man was meant to be his.
“Question,” Poe said.
Gamble sipped his champagne just waiting for his moment to ask the man to marry him.
“Yes?”
“You saw my brother,” he began.
Immediately knowing where this was going, Gamble cut him off.
“I wasn’t attracted to him. I was aware that he looked like you, but it’s you, Poe. It’s your heart, your sense of humor, and your bottomless compassion. My heart fell in love with the man you are. I wouldn’t have been attracted to Hemmingway had he still been here. You would always be my first pick, and I could distinguish between the both of you.”
“Well, I hope so. He’s a corpse by now.”
He snorted.
“I meant if he wasn’t. Even if you were both side-by-side and in the same clothes, I’d know you in a heartbeat. I’ve seen you naked, and I’ve tasted your skin. I mean, it would be awkward if I licked both of you to figure out who was who,” he joked.
It was Poe’s turn to be amused.
“That’s a new kink I’ve never heard of before,” he said, amused by the man.
Gamble touched his man’s cheek, and ran his thumb over his lower lip with absolute reverence. There was no way he could ever love anyone else.
“I’d know you because you are my soulmate.”
As soon as he said that, Poe’s heart raced.
“And you’re mine,” he admitted.
For Gamble, that was damn good to hear. This was the most amazing journey, and he didn’t want to be on it with anyone else but Poe.
It was time to make that journey happen.
Out of the picnic basket, Gamble made a bowl of beautiful strawberries appear, and then, Gamble pulled out a canister of whipped cream.
“Squirty cream, my liege?” he teased.
He actually laughed.
“You’re going to call it that forever, aren’t you?” he inquired.
Oh, there was no doubt there.
“Absolutely.”
He put some on a strawberry, and fed it to Poe. When the man grabbed his hand, and licked some whipped cream off of his finger, the heat in the weeds went up.
Holy shit.
This man…
He got him wild. How could he not believe that if he was flipping through that catalog, he wouldn’t choose him?
From his baby blue eyes to his full lips...
Gamble was smitten.
He was in love.
“Sorry, but you seemed to have some on your finger. My bad,” Poe admitted, knowing exactly what he’d done since he wanted Gamble focused on him.
All.
Of.
Him.
Because this was a picnic, and their proposal moment, Gamble grabbed another strawberry, and with it, he palmed the gold band he’d bought Poe.
When he dropped the strawberry into his champagne, the man never noticed the ring fell beneath it.
“A little snack at the bottom of the glass,” he offered, knowing that by the time he reached the bottom, there would be a surprise.
Poe grinned.
“Are you trying to get me tipsy?” he asked. “Because keep going. There’s nothing I like more than making out with a Marine in some weeds while drunk on champagne.”
That made him curious, and a little jealous all at once.
“Oh, you’ve done this before?” Gamble asked.
He was honest.
“No. No one’s wanted me like this. You’re the first. I’ve had boyfriends, and dates, but I’ve never had this. I’ve never had a soulmate.”
Gamble understood.
He knew what ‘this’ was.
It.
Was.
Love.
To show him, Gamble found his mouth, and blew Poe’s mind. The kiss was deep, dangerous, and he felt it to his toes. When Gamble finally broke that mating of mouths, he had his lower lip in between his teeth.
They both felt it.
“Fuck, but I’m horny,” Poe whispered. “You’re killing me. All I’m thinking about is sex.”
It made Gamble laugh.
That was a good thing in his world. To be honest, that was all he was thinking about too.
In this moment, how could he not?
“Stay that way. Let’s have some food first, and then, maybe, if you play your cards right, Doctor, I’ll get you naked here in the weeds.”
He wanted that.
He wanted him.
Gamble brought out some cheese, crackers, and grapes. There were hard boiled eggs, some meats, and more fruit.
He moved closer to Poe, and he was feeding him grapes. In between, he’d kiss him, and then sip champagne. It was the best seduction Poe had ever experienced in his whole entire life.
Everything else fell away, and all he was thinking about was them.
Yeah, he wasn’t letting this man go.
EVER.
“I was thinking,” Gamble admitted.
That had Poe’s attention.
“About?” he asked, hoping it was about having sex because holy shit! He had Gamble on the mind. In fact, he was running naked through his fantasies.
“About us.”
Poe sipped his drink, and the strawberry touched his lips. He opened his mouth, and caught it out of the glass.
“What specifically?” Poe asked, as Gamble squirted some cream into his mouth to go along with the strawberry.
Not that cream.
Oh, but he wished a Marine would.
Someone was looking rather sexy in a flannel shirt, jeans, and boots. On top of that, he smelled so goddamn good too.
“Where we’ll live,” Gamble admitted.
Poe considered it.
“Well, we have an estate here, and we have my house there, so we have two continents covered.”
Gamble clued him in.
“I also have a place in the city,” he admitted. “It’s my hidey-hole. The only other person who knew about it was Storm. She couldn’t be there because it was too chaotic. I was thinking that we can split time when we go back and all of this settles down. It’s not far from your office.”
He lifted a brow.
“Really?” he asked. “Where is it?”
When he told him, he grinned.
“Well, you can walk me to work and buy me a coffee on our way there when we stay in town. Once we have kids, we can come back here. I’ll retire anytime you want.”
He was honest.
That was the last thing he wanted.
“You have to work.”
Poe lifted a brow.
“My bank account says otherwise. I was wealthy before, Gamble, but now…we don’t ever have to work. Our kids don’t have to work, and their kids won’t have to work. That’s kinda the thing about being nobility. It’s generational wealth.”
He touched his face.
No.
It wasn’t about the money.
It was about so much more.
“You promised me that you would keep working. In that Grotto, you promised me. I need you to help people like me. You’re just not allowed to fall in love with them or have sex with them. Then, I have to kill people, and I will.”
He laughed.
“Mate, I’ve seen about a hundred soldiers before you, and I only slept with two.”
What the hell?
“Kidding,” he said, when Gamble nearly choked on champagne. “You’re it. You’re the ONLY person in the world I’d leave my practice for, and that should tell you everything. If you’re worried…”
He was honest.
“I am. I don’t want to lose you. I’ve lost too much in my life, Poe, and I know when something is perfect. This is absolute perfection, and I know I’ll never have this with anyone else but my soulmate.”
Poe had a simple solution.
“Then put a ring on it, Mate. I don’t cheat, and I’d never have an affair on my husband.”
Gamble was amused.
“Poe, I’m trying.”
He looked confused.
“You’re trying?”
It appeared it was time to be blunt since the man before him wasn’t getting that this WAS the proposal.
All of this was his way of asking for his hand in marriage.
He needed to make sure the man understood that.
It was time.
“Look in your glass, Poe,” he said, finally having to tell him since he stopped drinking the champagne.
When Poe did, he saw something in there. He kicked back the last of the liquid, and dumped the ring out into his hand.
And then he got it.
Holy shit!
The whole time, Gamble was doing the actual deed to get Poe to marry him.
Now, his heart was really thumping in his chest.
Gamble lifted his chin and stared into his eyes.
“Marry me, Poe.”
Oh, holy shit.
This was the best day of Poe’s whole life.
Bar.
None.