Chapter Eleven
The Grotto
Native Land
Wednesday
Afternoon
B ecause he wanted this moment to last Poe forever, he was taking a risk and showing him something different. He was pretty sure that he’d never experienced anything like this before.
Call it a hunch.
Because he’d scared him once before by taking him into the water, now, he wanted to erase that fear with something that would fill him with joy.
And he wanted to show him how great the water could be if you had faith.
Taking a leap with Poe in his arms, he knew how deep the middle of the grotto was.
As they hit with a splash, they went down, slowly sinking into the depths of the water.
The whole time, Poe had his eyes open, and it was dark down there. Only, it was when he felt Gamble’s mouth find his, that he opened for him, putting his faith in the man.
And it was worth it.
They kissed.
As they were on the bottom of the grotto, he wasn’t thinking about anything but the way their mouths and bodies were connected in the water.
He was holding onto the bigger, stronger man, and Gamble was keeping them down.
The man knew how to do afterglow, in his own way. Some people liked to cuddle.
This Marine liked to take a dip.
Well, sign Poe up. This time, he wasn’t scared in the least. He knew he was safe, and that Gamble had it under control.
Unfortunately though, all good things had to come to an end.
They were both running out of breath, and Gamble had to be cognizant that Poe couldn’t hold his for as long as he could.
So, slowly, they floated up.
Poe held on, and he was in the man’s arms as Gamble kicked them to the surface.
When they broke water, Gamble treaded, holding Poe in the circle of his arms.
That was when they broke that kiss.
“Jesus,” Poe whispered.
“You wanted an adventure,” Gamble said. “I hope that was a good one.”
He wanted to weep.
This was something he’d never forget. Who got to skinny dip in a cave grotto after really amazing sex?
God.
Poe was so damn happy that he didn’t have words to express it.
This moment…
It was better than anything he’d ever experienced in his whole life.
Staring into Gamble’s eyes, he was honest.
“I’ve never done that,” he admitted. “That made me want to be in the water more often,” he added.
Oh, he understood that.
Because he was starting to get hungry, and had exerted a lot of calories during sex, and would be burning more tonight, Gamble swam him to the side of the grotto to get Poe somewhere safe.
He kept him in the water since the cooler temperature was nice on their heated bodies.
“Stay right here,” he said. “I’m going to get us a snack,” he added. “Be right back.”
This whole thing was insanity, and Poe loved it. The man was something else.
Listening to Gamble, Poe didn’t move, holding onto the rock.
Jesus, this whole adventure was insane. Gamble was amazing, and not only was he thorough during sex, but he was considerate and amazing afterwards.
Who did something like this, and then hunted down food for them?
It was masculine and all kinds of sexy.
Why did Poe, suddenly, want to live in this cave forever with the man?
Damn.
He had it bad.
Instead of pondering when it would end, Poe focused on that underwater kiss.
It.
Was.
Hot.
Truth be told, Poe knew that he’d never forget it for as long as he lived. Not only was Gamble healed, but he was his old self.
And leaving him soon.
The second he thought it, his mood tanked.
God.
That hurt.
The odds were that he’d never experience any of this again with Gamble. This was his one chance with him, and before long, he’d be gone.
When Gamble came up, he was holding another fish in his hands, and this one was bigger.
Oh, and it was fighting.
So, he smacked it against a rock, and that round went to the Marine.
“Thanks, Fishy,” he said, tossing it up onto the stones so they could eat it.
But first, he wanted to be in the water with Poe. He was compelled to do something so that the man could be safe.
Diving under, he reached him, and wanted to teach him something.
“Do you trust me?” he asked, his body close to Poe’s against the rocks.
“You know I do. We wouldn’t have made love if I didn’t trust you.”
He had a very good point.
Gamble was realizing that he trusted the man so much more than he’d ever trusted anyone in his life. It was as if all the locked doors in him were now open.
“What is the plan?” Poe asked, seeing intent in his eyes.
“Lay back in the water.”
He lifted a brow.
“Without you holding me afloat? Mate, I’ll sink like a bucket of rocks,” he said, the British accent thick in his voice.
He laughed.
“Trust me, Poe. You let me go bare in you. This is nothing.”
He had a very good point. Poe didn’t have unprotected sex. That was dangerous, but here, he had.
That told him everything.
He was in love.
Oh, and a fool because his heart would be broken before he knew it.
As for trusting Gamble…
What did he have to lose?
It wasn’t like the man wasn’t right there.
“Okay,” he said, doing what he asked.
“Hold your breath,” he said, and Poe did.
He could feel his arms under him, supporting his body in the water.
“Now, just breathe naturally, and focus on keeping your face above water. Use your hands if you start to sink,” Gamble suggested.
The man did.
“What am I doing?” he asked.
Gamble told him.
“You’re staying afloat,” he said, swimming away from him.
Poe stared at the rock ceiling.
Holy shit!
He was staying afloat.
“You’re bloody kidding me. Floating is possible?” he asked.
Gamble swam around him proudly.
Now, Poe could save himself when Gamble wasn’t around.
That made his heart hurt.
Gamble wanted to be around, but…
God.
He wished he could erase so much from his past.
“Yep. You’re doing it,” he said. “Now, in case you fall in, you can get to the surface, and float to the top. You can stay afloat until help arrives or until you get to shallow water.”
Poe stared at the ceiling, and he was proud of himself.
“Are you the help that is going to come save me?” he asked.
The second he asked it, Poe knew.
“You’re teaching me for when you’re gone, aren’t you?” he asked.
It got quiet.
And Poe stopped floating.
As he began sinking, struggling to get back to the surface, he felt the arms around his waist, and being brought back up.
When he broke the water, Poe was saved again.
“Thank you.”
Gamble didn’t know what to say.
Why?
He was feeling guilty. He’d had sex with the man, unprotected sex, and now, he was making his plans to slip away as soon as Poe was safe.
“Poe.”
He stopped him.
“I get it. I knew that it was a one-night stand. Forget that I asked,” he said, embarrassed. “Can you please get me out of here?” he asked. “I want to be on dry land.”
Gamble got them to the edge, and he helped him out.
Poe walked over to his clothes, and suddenly he felt completely empty. In a way, he wished that he’d never brought him back to the surface.
Because he was going to hurt for the rest of his life, knowing he’d had love for a few minutes before it left him behind.
Because it didn’t fight for him.
He just didn’t understand why he wouldn’t fight for him, when Poe fought for three months for Gamble’s life.
From his spot by the grotto, Gamble saw the change, and how tense Poe’s body now was as he wouldn’t look at him.
Shit.
Only he could find a new miracle, and destroy it in a matter of an hour.
“What I want, and what is going to happen, Poe, are two very different things.”
He said nothing at first. It wasn’t lost on Poe that Gamble just handed him the same words he’d said to him that day when he saved him in the pond.
Was this his karma?
Had he hurt Gamble this much when he said it?
The big question for Poe was simple.
Why did life have to hurt so goddamn much?
Not only had he lost his twin, Hemmingway, but now, he’d lose the man he knew was his soulmate.
Instead of saying anything at first, Poe pulled on his clothes as tears filled his eyes.
“And I have no say in it?” he finally asked. “I don’t get to have any part in you walking away?”
Gamble tried to explain.
“What I’ve done in my past could hurt you. That’s a hard pill for me to swallow. I don’t want to go. I really don’t,” he began.
Only, Poe was angry now.
He spun, and Gamble actually jumped.
“So then don’t go! Then don’t walk away from me and leave me! I’m not taking on any more soldiers. I’m done saving people when I can’t even save me!” he raged.
Gamble had NEVER heard him raise his voice in three months.
Honestly, he didn’t think the man had a temper.
Now, he was flushed red, the thick British accent was out, and he was hella pissed.
At.
Him.
Then again, the ‘fuck and run’ was something to be angry about.
Only, Gamble heard something else in that sentence that was far more concerning.
“What do you mean you’re not taking on any more soldiers?” he asked.
Poe was honest.
“I broke the rules. I slept with a patient. As a doctor, I have to retire. I broke the law.”
Oh.
Hell.
No.
“I fired you,” Gamble said. “You weren’t my doctor anymore.”
He stared at him.
Did he really believe it was that easy?
“It doesn’t work like that. You are still my patient. My license is gone if it comes out, and I broke quite possibly the biggest rule.”
Gamble moved toward him.
“Why does it have to come out? I’m not saying anything, and no one will know. I’m a ghost. You can still help others. You can still do good work.”
Poe stared at him.
Why would he want to help others when he lost the one thing that he finally found?
Love.
“I’ll know, Gamble.”
Gamble knew Poe was an honorable man.
“So why would you sleep with me if it would cost you your career, Poe?”
He said nothing.
Gamble wasn’t accepting that.
“Tell me why.”
Poe moved away from him.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re leaving me behind. I’m not your problem. Maybe I’ll go back to the UK. Maybe I’ll travel a while. All I know is my time here as Doctor Poe Seville is done.”
Gamble was sickened by that.
This was bad.
Poe fixed the unfixable.
“You help so many soldiers who need you.”
Poe finished getting dressed.
“And yet, I’m perpetually left alone,” he admitted. “I can’t help me. I’m surrounded by trauma, and I’ve realized that my brother was right all of those years ago.”
Gamble was confused.
“About?”
Poe shared.
“He was the daring one. The pilot, the brave one who did his best to help people in foreign countries. He jumped out of planes, he skydived, he lived his life like each day was his last. Meanwhile, I locked myself away with books, hid behind them because I’m not brave. For once, I wanted to listen to Hemmingway. I wanted to live like I was brave. You were my only act of bravery.”
Gamble stared at him in utter shock.
“Me?”
He laughed.
“Yeah, you, Gamble. The gorgeous broken soldier I fell in love with, and risked it all for that one moment. You were worth it. That one moment we shared made it worth everything. That was my one adventurous act of bravery. I slept with a man who I knew was leaving. I gave a piece of me to a man who couldn’t love me. I believed I was strong enough to survive after the fact. I’m not.”
Gamble moved toward him.
“Poe.”
“Don’t,” he said. “You’ve made up your mind. You’re leaving because you’re afraid I’ll be hurt. Only, leaving hurts me in ways you don’t understand. Leaving breaks me, and for me, there’s no Poe to put me back together again.”
That hit him hard.
He didn’t think of it that way.
“You’ll hand me over, your words, not mine, and then you’ll ghost out of here. Leaving me to always wonder what I did wrong. I’ll forever wonder why I wasn’t enough.”
Gamble felt ill.
“Poe. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yes, I did, Gamble. I broke the rules. I fell in love with a patient, and I slept with him. Now, I have to suffer the consequences. I have to let you go, and know you’ll never come back for me. You’ll never chase me down because you’ll do what you believe is right for me, despite me telling you it’s all wrong.”
He reached for him, and let him touch him.
Why?
He wasn’t sure why.
Maybe it was because he’d miss it when he was gone, or because he was a masochist.
“The idea that you’ll die because of me is terrifying,” Gamble admitted. “That makes my blood go cold. I’m not leaving just to leave. I tried to get you to let me stay. I’m like Rufus. I got dropped here, and I lingered. I’m sure being here is a burden.”
How could he believe that?
“It has never been a burden. I’ve enjoyed every meal we’ve shared, every walk we’ve taken, and every second we’ve spent together. You’re a coward, Gamble. That’s the truth.”
That hit him hard.
That was one thing no one had ever called him before in his life. Oh, and he’d been called plenty.
Hero.
Bad guy.
Mistake.
Broken.
Only, that one word blew his mind.
“Pardon?”
He explained.
“You are too afraid to face loss again, that you’ll let me go to save you, not me. You fired me, and you fucked me, but you won’t stay to protect me. That’s a coward in my book. I fought to save you, and now, you’ll not stay and fight to save me,” he said, knowing cowardice personally.
After all, he was one, while his twin was a hero.
Those words caught Gamble completely off-guard all over again.
Jesus Christ.
Backing up, Gamble got his clothes, and got dressed. Then, he went to the dead fish, and he knew how the little bugger felt.
Cold and empty.
Cleaning it, he watched as Poe filled the water can, and lit the fire with the lighter that he’d left nearby.
The whole time, he had to think about what he’d said about him.
Was he right?
Was he running because he was that afraid, or was he running because he was doing the right thing?
Now, he wasn’t so sure.
Poe was pretty smart, and the man seemed so sure of himself.
Yeah, this was the problem when arguing with a therapist. He’d never have the answer to that. He’d been thoroughly mind fucked to get him back to whole again.
He might just have to put his faith in the man, knowing what he truly was like.
Fileting the fish, he got it ready to be cooked. As Poe made the fire, he watched him do that too.
They said not a single word to each other, and that told him one thing about Poe.
He.
Was.
Pissed.
When the water was done, he put it aside to cool down, and Gamble began cooking their afternoon snack. There was no eye contact.
Not a smile.
Finally, Gamble couldn’t take it anymore, and he had to break the ice.
“So that’s it? You stopped loving me all of the sudden because I angered you with trying to be logical?”
Poe looked over at him.
“I’ll never stop loving you. That’s the problem. Your logic is flawed, Marine. As a doctor, a scientist, I’m telling you that your hypothesis is not a passing one. You’re assuming I won’t stay alive if people came for you. You assumed I’m weak and the lesser man. You assumed that I can’t take care of myself. Worst of all, you assumed that by leaving, I’d stop loving you and would survive. You leaving would be crushing to my heart.”
Gamble stared.
Someone nailed that.
That was actually right.
Gamble had assumed all of that. It was beginning to seem like the man hadn’t been turning it around, but had been pointing out the truth from his perspective.
And it was the truth, period.
He was afraid.
“When in actuality, I’d fight tooth-and-nail to be with you. I gave up my career without a second thought when I broke that rule. I’m not weaker than you, Gamble, because I can’t swim, or kill a fish. I buried my twin. I said goodbye to my family and came to America as a gay man who knew no one here. I fought to become the foremost authority in soldier trauma. I can take care of myself when need be. Don’t mistake my gentleness as softness. I can fight when I need to fight. I’ve been doing it my whole life just to prove that I have a spot in this world.”
Gamble knew there was only one way to smooth this over, and that was the truth.
Here went everything.
He was honest about his feelings, like the man had taught him.
“I’m struggling.”
He glanced over, and once those words were said, the anger dissipated, and the therapist kicked in.
“Why?” he asked.
Gamble held nothing back from Poe, since he was the only person who had ever gotten him through the amount of trauma he’d been through.
This was trust.
This was love.
“Why would you fight to be with me? You’re a better man than I’ll ever be.”
Now, it was Poe’s turn to be surprised.
“Pardon?” he asked.
Gamble continued.
“Your father is a Duke, your mother is a Dutchess, and you’re wealthy, Poe. I’m just a Marine. What can I give you but a life of running? I’m a mercenary, Poe. What those men are doing…I do it all the time, or I did. Why would you want this?” he asked, pointing to himself. “When you could have so much more?”
He heard the pain, and the anguish of always feeling lost and alone.
From what he knew of the man, he’d been a loner for so long, and when he trusted Storm to be his person, she brutalized his heart and soul with betrayal of the worst kind.
Because of that, he went back to gentle.
The man needed it.
So, Poe swallowed his own pain for Gamble’s.
He stared into his eyes.
“Again, flawed theory, Gamble. That’s how you see you. I see you very differently. You’re an honorable Marine. You’ve served your country in ways mere mortals couldn’t. You’re a hero. Why wouldn’t I be thrilled to be with you? Why wouldn’t I want to be with someone who can survive in a cave? Mate, you pulled two fish out of a hole in the ground with your bare hands. Who does that?”
He sat there like what Poe was saying was all foreign. So, he continued.
“You could have given me a chance to prove myself to you, Gamble, but instead, you assumed. While my parents are the Duke and Dutchess of Gordon, I’m just Poe Seville. I love my horses more than money, and I would be lucky to be with you.”
Gamble was definitely struggling.
No one ever wanted to be with him. Most of the time, Storm barely wanted him near her.
To hear this…
It was difficult for him.
Poe wasn’t done.
“You’re smart, funny, and brave. Any person would be lucky to be chosen by you. I hope you find that person one day, and I hope that you remember these moments and think about me a little. I know I’ll never forget about you.”
His heart kicked.
Had he fucked this up so badly that the man was done with him? That he’d wrecked that slim, tiny chance?
“Poe.”
The man shut that down.
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to head out?” he asked. “You have a long trek a head of you. You have recon, and I’m holding you back.”
Gamble was curious.
“If I left and never came back to NOLA, what would you do”? he asked him. “What would you have done before we had this conversation?”
Poe didn’t hesitate.
That was the easiest answer for him.
“I’d try to find you. I’d be worried that you were out in the world alone, and hurting. I’d try to hunt you down, and be there for you. I’d leave it all behind for you. That’s what you do when you love someone. You don’t hurt that person, and kill yourself. You dig in, and you fight. You fight harder than you’ve ever fought before, and if it costs you your life, you died for love. That’s the noblest thing to die for in my opinion.”
Gamble closed his eyes.
Then, he went there. When he opened them back up, his mind was made up.
“I love you, Poe.”
When he said it, the man blinked, and it was clear that he was caught off-guard.
“You heard me. I fell in love with you. You fixed me, and I stopped seeing you as a man, but more as that comfortable place that keeps me safe.”
Well, he hadn’t been expecting that.
Anger?
Yes.
Him walking?
Yes.
This?
Never.
“Remember that morning about a month in, when it was my birthday?”
Poe did.
“Yes.”
How could he forget? He’d been lucky enough to be around to have that moment with him.
Birthdays were special.
“No one has ever known my birthday. I didn’t celebrate them anymore. As a Marine, you lose track of time and people. You kinda just exist. That morning, you made me pancakes and put sprinkles on them, and shoved a candle through them. That night, we had cake. It was a day I’ll never forget.”
Poe was honest.
“Why wouldn’t we celebrate? It was your birthday. That’s a big thing,” he admitted. “You only get one a year,” he added.
Was it big?
His sperm and egg donor didn’t think so. The Marines didn’t think so.
So Gamble didn’t think so.
“You gave me a present I kept. It’s in my ruck sack in my room.”
Poe wasn’t sure where this was going. He didn’t recall giving him a present.
Gamble explained.
“You got me a card, and you wrote in it. You told me that it was your absolute pleasure to be around me and to celebrate this special day with me. You told me that you hoped I’d be around for next year, when you could make me pancakes again.”
Poe just listened.
It was what he did best.
“I blew out that candle, and I knew one thing. I wished for that next birthday. In that moment, I wanted to stay with you. I wanted to rub down horses, and trip over Rufus. In that moment, I knew you’d save me, and I’d get better. I fell in love with you and your heart. I fell in love with how you slip back into that British accent when you’re irritated or surprised. I put all of me in your hands, and you didn’t disappoint me. You were the first person NOT to disappoint me.”
Poe listened.
“I don’t know what chases me, but I know that you’re a good man, and you’re why I’m alive today. I’ll fight,” he stated. “I’ll make the best decision for both of us because I want you to be happy.”
Poe didn’t like that.
That still sounded like a goodbye.
“So you’re still leaving?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know what’s chasing me. If it’s something I can get The Hunters to help me clear up, I’ll stay.”
“And if it’s not?” he asked, already knowing the answer to that.
Gamble stared into his eyes.
“Then run with me.”
He was surprised.
“Go on an adventure with me. If we have to leave, join me. I know I can’t give you much, but I’ll promise to always find you too if we get separated. I’ll always hunt you down because I’ll be worried about you being out there alone. Come with me, and we can figure this out as we go. I want that adventure with you,” he admitted.
Poe was surprised.
“You’d let me go with you?” he asked.
“The only reason I told you I’d leave is to protect you. I don’t want to go. I want to be with you. If you’d come looking for me anyway, then what’s the point of going without you? You’re tenacious, and stubborn,” he said. “I like that in my person.”
At the words, Poe had tears in his eyes.
Then, Gamble continued.
“BUT…”
That stopped him in his tracks.
“Oh, bloody shite, what?” he asked, expecting the worst.
“If we stay, don’t stop doing what you do. There are too many men and women like me who need you to be in their corner. We can help them together. That’s what The Hunters started out doing. All gave some, some gave all. Stay and help them. For me.”
He sat there.
“I know in your head you believe that you broke the rules, but you didn’t take advantage of me. I lied to stay longer. I was interested in you for a while. Keep doing good things. Keep fighting until you can’t fight anymore. Have you ever felt compelled to sleep with any other patients?” he asked.
He was horrified and sputtered.
It was very English of him.
And adorable.
“Absolutely not. You were my first and only. It was your eyes. I think you have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen in my life.”
That’s what he wanted to hear.
Well, the part about him being the only one. Most of the time, people gawked at his eyes.
He held out his hand.
“Then, I was the aberration. Will you cheat on me with another broken soldier?” he asked.
He wasn’t insane.
“Again, absolutely not. I would never hurt you like that,” he admitted. “I know how lucky I am to be part of your world,” he added. “I’ll fight to stay in it.”
That solved that.
“Then fight for more soldiers. That makes you my hero. That makes you their hero.”
It never occurred to him that he was someone’s hero. In that moment, he made up his mind.
“I’ll keep fighting until I can’t anymore. I’ll keep doing good, as long as you help me. I want a partnership, Gamble. I want my person.”
And that’s what Gamble wanted.
“And I need my emotional support Poe,” he stated.
Poe had never heard anything better in his whole life.
“I’ll be your emotional support Poe,” he repeated.
That was all he had to hear.
Gamble kissed him.
It was deep, it was warm, and it said everything that Gamble needed it to say.
He wouldn’t run.
He’d stay and fight.
As long as this man stayed and fought, too, then they could make a difference.
When he slowly broke the kiss, Gamble was feeling better, and he hoped Poe was too.
“Are we good?” he asked.
Poe nodded.
“We are good, Gamble,” he said, then, he handed him his fish. “Eat mine too,” he stated. “You need the calories. I’m going to be sitting my ass in the cavern of spiders while you’re out there. I don’t need the calories. I’ll be good.”
He took it.
“Are you sure?”
He touched his cheek.
“I need you to be strong so you can come back to me in our happy, spidery cave of fun. You’re likely going to have to save me all over again, but this time from my mental breakdown.”
He laughed.
Yeah, Gamble wanted to come back.
How could he not?
He made the mental note to bring back some things that Poe would enjoy. If he could breech the house, he would do just that.
What he needed was a gun.
Looking at his watch as he ate the fish, he knew he needed to get moving.
It would be easier moving in the light, and if the mercenaries were at the house, or the orchard, he’d be able to get around them.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay here?” Gamble asked. “I won’t be gone long.”
He pointed at the fire.
“We have enough wood. I’ll tell myself ghost stories about the people the spiders ate and that now haunt the cave,” he stated.
He snorted.
His dry British humor was exactly what Gamble needed to feel good.
Gamble reassured his man—because that was what he was.
“They aren’t going to hurt you unless you bother them,” he stated. “Thus, don’t touch the walls.”
He wouldn’t be touching the walls, the ceiling, or the floor if it was up to him.
Poe was going to stand in the middle of the room and try not to have the mother of all panic attacks.
“I’m sure I’ll be good,” Poe said, not believing any of that.
Only, he knew Gamble had to be careful and he didn’t want him to worry.
“You won’t forget I’m here, right?” he asked. “You will come back for me, Gamble?”
He was tying his boots.
“I’ll never forget about you, and I’ll always come for you,” he promised.
Only, he didn’t tell him that if he was captured, or killed that he wouldn’t get back. Hopefully, Poe would be smart enough to head out in a day or so.
Something told him if he mentioned that, the man would lose it.
Big.
Time.
Call it a hunch.
“Just stay here, don’t go in water, and don’t leave the cave without me.”
Oh, Poe could guarantee he wasn’t going swimming or exploring anytime soon.
As soon as he was ready, he pulled the knife from his pocket, and handed it to Poe.
“If anyone comes here, and says I’ve sent for you, don’t believe them.”
He nodded.
“If they do, ask them what our safe word is.”
Poe was scared.
Only, he tried to cover so Gamble wasn’t worried about him, and could focus.
Even though he was better, he was still trying to protect him the best he could.
“We get a safe word? Is that for during sex?” he joked, teasing him.
Gamble laughed.
Oh, well, that posed one hell of an interesting question, and one he’d love to delve deeper into when they had more time on their hands.
That time was NOT now.
“Don’t even get me started. We’ll discuss that when I get back. Ask them for our safe words.”
Poe nodded.
“What are they?” he asked.
That was a damn good question.
He thought back to his dream.
“The Cliffs of Dover.”
Poe was surprised.
What the hell?
That was his favorite place to be in Europe. How did the man randomly pull that out of the air?
“Got it, Poe?” he asked.
He reassured him.
“I understand, Gamble,” he stated.
The man gave him a kiss goodbye, holding him a little longer than he’d planned. Then, he set him free, and started toward the way out.
And when he was gone, Poe moved closer to the fire to tend to it.
He knew it was going to feel like forever for the man to get back.
Then it hit him.
What if he was captured and he never came back?
Oh, holy fuck.
Commence the freak out.
Poe Seville was alone in a cave, and he’d never considered that possibility until now.
Well, hell.