Page 50 of Havoc

I didn’t get the chance to reply because about ten steps into the tunnel, it turned pitch black. Only the pale beams of our phone lights cut through the darkness.

“This would make an amazing romantic getaway,” I joked.

He glanced over his shoulder, looking deadly serious. “No, Riley. It wouldn’t make an amazing anything.”

“Spoilsport. It could work. We just need a little cleanup, some fairy lights, rugs, maybe some blow-up furniture.”

He rolled his eyes, clearly amused. “You gonna make your own personal bat cave?”

At first, I didn’t get what he meant. Then he turned his light upward.

Dozens of bats were hanging upside down, wings folded tight to their bodies. A few stirred and began to flap their wings.

I panicked and turned to run, but Havoc’s arms wrapped around me from behind, holding me still. “Slow down, woman. They’re not waking up.”

“Thank God,” I muttered. “Whose dumb idea was it to go back here anyway? They could’ve attacked us, flown over us, dropped bat dung on our heads… or worse, we could’ve caught something.”

“Bats don’t usually attack people. Their dung’s called guano. And believe it or not, you’re more likely to give them a fatal disease than the other way around.”

Still shaken, I looked at him over my shoulder. “Whose side are you on anyway?”

He didn’t miss a beat. “Yours. Always, Riley.”

As we funneled back out to the main part of the cave, he glanced behind us. “I think there must be another exit back there somewhere. The bats get in and out through it. I’ve never seen any in this part of the cave.”

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves. His words, so casually spoken, echoed in my head.

Yours. Always.

It wasn’t just about bats or caves or even Slater anymore.

It was about safety, loyalty, and someone choosing me—for once, choosing me for real.

I leaned against the side of the cave and focused on slowing my breathing. He was right—there was no bat dung, no awful smell. Just cool air and a faint mist from the waterfall beyond. I turned off my phone’s flashlight and shoved it into my pocket.

Havoc pocketed his phone as he stepped towards me, concern carved into every line of his rugged face. “Are you okay? If I’d known you were that scared of bats, I wouldn’t have taken you back there.”

I reached for his hands, curling mine around his. His worry cut through me, and I wanted to ease it. I slid my hands up to his chest, then around his neck, gently tugging him down into another kiss.

I brushed my lips over his, teasing and slow, then deepened it when he opened to me. Our kiss felt indulgent, almost otherworldly here in the hidden cave with water cascading down outside like a curtain shielding us from the world. We were in our own pocket of peace—untouched, untouchable.

His hands slid down my arms, threading through my fingers. He brought my arms out to my sides, pinning them gently, playfully. His mouth moved to my neck, then down to my collarbone, scattering heat in his wake.

I felt his hard length press against my stomach, but I wasn’t worried. This wasn’t about sex. This was Havoc—grounded, respectful, in control. He was giving, not taking.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes met mine, filled with something deeper than desire. He tugged lightly at his bottom lip, then asked, “You ready for the next leg of our journey?”

I nodded, still breathless. “Yeah. Lead the way, handsome.”

As we squeezed out of the cave—miraculously staying dry—and started hiking up the gentle slope of the hill, I realized that for the first time in days, I wasn’t thinking about Slater. Not with Havoc by my side. Not here.

When we reached the top, the view stole the breath from my lungs. The river stretched out below us like a silver ribbon, and the forest shimmered in the light of the rising sun. Birds chirped softly in the canopy above, and everything felt so still. So safe.

“I can see why you love it here,” I murmured. “Thank you for bringing me. For sharing it with me.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers trailing a gentle path down my cheek. “Truth is, it’s only special now because you’re here to enjoy it with me. Compared to your beauty, all this pales.”

I blinked at him. “You know you sound like a poet sometimes?”

---