Chapter Five #6
Only, surprisingly, Ethan stopped him.
“No. I told you because I don’t want secrets. I want a relationship we are both invested in. I know voyeurism is my kink, so I felt obligated to tell you.”
Gene was honest.
“Baby, I don’t care if the whole world watches me bone my man. I won the hot-Native-man lottery. I’m okay that he got the peepshow of his life. I’ll do it again.”
Ethan laughed.
“Ah, now you know why I’m hot for Daddy.”
Gene tucked his hair behind his ears again.
“That being said, this is Callen’s home, and we just disrespected it. So, we are not staying here tonight.”
Ethan understood that.
What he hadn’t expected came next.
“I want off the reservation,” Gene stated. “We’ll stay in Damascus and get our flights home tomorrow. You being here is a bad idea.”
Oh, he was aware.
He was haunted.
And hunted.
“You won’t get any arguments from me.”
Good.
That was the last thing he needed after the last two days. It had been a rough-ass week.
That was for damn sure.
Gene wanted to make sure of one thing.
“Are you going to be okay at dinner?” Gene asked. “After that?” he inquired, pointing at the window.
Deep down, he expected his man to freak the fuck out. Gene was his first gay experience, and there was always a piece of him that worried he’d come to his senses and see that he was dating down.
Only, that didn’t happen.
Ethan shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m good with it. Callen and I…it’s complicated,” he admitted, knowing no truer words had ever been spoken.
That was for damn sure.
And that was the truest thing he’d ever said.
“Okay, EJ. Go shower. We’ll call and get the one rental picked up, and then head to your grandfather’s home,” he offered, not telling him what the older man had said about getting him out of here.
While he wanted open and honest talk between them, he also knew how prickly Ethan got when it came to his family.
Tonight was going to be stressful.
Without.
A.
Doubt.
At his suggestion, Ethan got out of his lap.
“And don’t let that cum escape,” Gene stated. “We’re not forgetting who owns you,” he stated.
Ethan kissed him, and did what he asked because ultimately, Gene was right.
He needed to be owned.
“I love you,” Ethan said, again, heading toward the bathroom.
When he was gone, Gene got up, zipped up, and headed to the front door.
He suspected there was a reason he hadn’t heard a truck engine.
So, Gene took a gamble.
When he exited the cabin, he saw a Native man, Ethan’s brother, standing by his truck as the flurries continued.
“Hey,” Callen said. “I came to check on my brother. I see you beat me to it.”
Gene nodded.
Heading his way, he held out his hand since they’d never been formally introduced.
“I’m Gene.”
Callen shook it.
“So, you’re the man who made my brother go gay. Never saw that coming. You win the award for most surprising thing ever to happen on this shithole reservation. There are going to be women everywhere pissed about that.”
Gene had bad news for everyone who thought Ethan would ever be going back to the ladies.
Not.
Happening.
“Once you go Gene, you never go back,” he joked, keeping it light. “Ethan saw you through the window. Are you okay?” he asked, realizing he said that a lot to both brothers.
For some reason, Callen found that one question amusing.
Was he?
No.
Not even close.
Callen was struggling with a lot at that moment. He’d only stayed because if he went to Timothy’s stirred up, the man would be up his ass.
Then up Ethan’s.
So, instead, he was standing there fully expecting Kaya Cheek to jump out of the trees to make an attack on his cabin to get to Ethan.
Boy…
She would have been shocked as shit.
“Yeah, I’m good. I just didn’t want to bother both of you as you fornicated on my couch.”
Yeah, about that.
“I’m sorry we funked up your furniture. I’ll replace it if you’d like. If it’s any consolation, my ass wasn’t rawdogging it. I kept my clothes on to give you a little respect.”
Callen appreciated that. From what he saw so far, it appeared Ethan was in a good relationship and had not broken up with the man.
So that couldn’t be why he came back here.
That was the big mystery.
“That couch has seen worse. Besides, I owed him one. I fucked his girlfriend, so…no worries about it. I am worried about Ethan. Is he going to be okay?” he asked. “He showed up early this morning and was in a bad way.”
Oh, he bet.
Gene reassured him.
“He will be. We’re going home tomorrow.”
Yeah, he figured.
Honestly, it was for the best. With Kaya circling, Wyler drinking again, and Timothy meddling…this place would make Ethan go insane.
God knew he wanted to lose his ever-loving mind on a daily basis being here.
“Good. Keep him as far from here as possible. I see a change in him,” he admitted. “You’re giving him his life back. That’s all I want for him. I want Ethan to survive this. One of us has to.”
Gene could hear the love in his voice.
And the pain.
So, he opted to help the man out. Ethan had told him many times how before he was taken by CPS, he and Callen would always be together so they could protect each other from bullies, the world, and their family.
Yeah, he owed him one.
“He loves you,” he admitted. “He thinks about you often, and he talks about you.”
Callen laughed.
“Plotting my death?”
Gene shared. Hopefully, one day, Ethan would forgive himself enough that he could find his way back to Callen. It was crystal clear that they were two peas in a very bad-situation pod.
“No. I have brothers,” Gene shared. “If I called them, they wouldn’t come. If you called Ethan, he’d show up in a heartbeat. Take that kernel of knowledge how you will. What you think you know about him doesn’t not make it the truth.”
He looked over and there were tears in Callen’s brown eyes.
“Please take care of him. Get him the fuck out of this cesspool. I love him more than he’ll ever know. Please don’t tell him I told you to take him out of here. He’d think it’s for other reasons. He’s suspicious as fuck.”
Oh, Gene knew.
Since Timothy told him the same thing, he was beginning to think it wasn’t a coincidence.
This place was dangerous to his man’s heart.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get him out.”
Callen stopped leaning on his truck and kept talking. If this man was going to be his brother’s person, he needed him to be well-aware of this place.
“I’m serious about you getting him out of here.
Unfortunately, the Shaman is always right, and he said this place will lure him back.
If you love him, like I think you do, don’t let him return.
Let him forget about me, and this place.
For the record, I didn’t sleep with his girlfriend because I wanted her. ”
He said nothing.
But Callen did.
“There’s nothing here for him. I don’t want to have to break him again so he never returns.”
Gene was surprised by the last part.
“Please. I’ll always show up for him, but I won’t call him back here. Someone has to save Ethan’s soul. I dropped the ball. You can’t.”
With that, he moved to get into his truck.
As he started it up, he rolled down his window.
“The Shaman wants us at his place for six. Be prepared to be mind fucked. It’s what he does best. After that, run,” he said right before backing up from his own driveway to leave Gene standing there.
The whole time, he watched him escape because that was definitely what he was doing.
And Gene had one thought.
Yeah, that was both the weirdest and most terrifying conversation he’d had.
It was clear that they couldn’t come back here.
It felt like Ethan’s soul depended on it.