Page 262 of Assassin

That was easy.

“The latter. I don’t want to hurt you.”

That was the last thing he wanted. This man was all that stood between him and death. Honestly, he had made more progress with him in the last day than he had in weeks.

Poe reassured him.

“Mr. Holloway…I have bad news for you. I enjoyed it. I watched the video of the room, and I was as much into it as you were. You didn’t sexually assault me.”

He was honest.

“I shouldn’t have touched you. I woke up with your dick in my hand and…”

Poe let him talk.

“My dick was so close to being in you. I could have taken you. I can’t be trusted.”

Poe kept him talking.

“How did you feel? Were you scared?” he asked.

He shook his head.

“I was upset that I took away your choice. I lost my choice and free will when Storm did me dirty. I don’t want to be anyone’s Storm.”

Poe understood.

“Well, you are definitely not ‘my Storm’. You can stop worrying about that. As I said, I liked it a lot. I was scared in the dream because I can lose my license to practice psychology if I have sex with a patient. Other than that, trust me. I wanted you in my dream.”

He didn’t understand this.

“Why? I’m a mess.”

Poe was honest.

“I don’t see you broken. I see you whole. I know you’ll get better. We all have a type, and clearly, you’re mine. Can it happen again? No. I’m your doctor. Am I going to condemn this moment we shared? Absolutely not. You’re a very sexy man, and what happened, happened. I’m just glad I didn’t hurt you.”

Gamble was confused as fuck.

He didn’t understand a lot lately. His heart, brain, and emotions were all scrambled.

In his dream, he felt free.

He was rolling around with Poe, and they were smiling. For the first time in weeks, he felt happy and whole.

With a man.

The sex felt invigorating, and he wasn’t focused on what he’d lost, but what he was being given. The whole time, he felt safe.

Poe was honest.

“Going forward, I can’t allow myself into that situation. My attraction to you can’t be allowed out. I’m here to help you, not to take advantage of you, Gamble. So if you feel like I’m keeping you at arm’s length, it’s because I can’t make that kind of relationship with a patient.”

Gamble said nothing.

“I have to protect you at all costs, and I will.”

Suddenly, Gamble didn’t feel like he wanted to hear this. Now, he felt alone again. What he wanted was to be safe. This man made him feel safe.