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as a way out, a way to get as far away from my father as I could, but it didn‟t work out that way. Although it was fascinating to read about, the culture isn‟t very open to someone like me, so I decided to stay here and study other stuff.”
    “Animal husbandry and cooking?” Gable suggested.
    “The cooking I already knew, and I perfected it on the road.
    Sometimes being a short-order cook pays better than being a farmhand or a supermarket grocery stacker.”
    “I‟m glad you decided to come work for me here,” Gable said softly. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark, but he was momentarily blinded by a flash of lightning when he felt Flynn‟s lips against his.
    “I‟m glad I came here too.”
    “I‟m….” Gable hesitated. “I‟m not very good at this… this….”
    “So you keep telling me.” Flynn cut him off. “I don‟t mind.” He moved closer to Gable and Gable could feel the heat radiating off Flynn‟s skin, yet their bodies barely touched. Only Flynn‟s hand lightly caressed Gable‟s jaw.
    Flynn kissed him again, the kiss light and non-intrusive. “We can get used to it together. Unless you want me to stop, and then you just have to tell me,” Flynn continued, paraphrasing the words Gable had used in the barn earlier.
    “Grant and I. We….” Gable didn‟t know how to tell Flynn or even if he wanted to tell Flynn about the nature of his relationship with Grant.

    FLYNN was relieved to hear that Gable was scared and unsure. Not that it was how he wanted Gable to feel, but it was nice to know they shared the feeling. It meant that, together, they could make it work.

    51

    Zahra Owens

    Hearing Gable talk about Grant felt good too. Gable never talked about himself, and even less about his past, but after Hunter‟s visit, Flynn had grown quite curious to learn about Gable‟s ex-lover.
    “Tell me about Grant?” Flynn asked softly.
    Gable shivered, as if he were cold.
    “I know,” Flynn suggested. “Why don‟t you turn around and I can keep you warm?”
    “You mean turn my back on you? While we‟re talking?” Flynn nodded. “Sometimes it‟s easier to talk that way.” Gable turned around quite hesitantly and Flynn gave him some time to get comfortable, knowing he would need to be careful of his leg. He put his hand on Gable‟s back and caressed his shoulder blade, then his shoulder.
    “Don‟t jump, okay?” Flynn asked gently before moving forward even more until he was spooning Gable. He placed his hand over Gable‟s stomach and pulled him closer to his chest, then felt Gable almost shiver with tension. “Relax, Gable. Nothing will happen unless you want it.”
    “I‟m not worried about your reactions; it‟s mine I might not be able to control,” Gable admitted, clearing his throat halfway through the sentence.
    Slowly Flynn moved his hand to Gable‟s stomach. Gable‟s T-shirt was still preventing Flynn‟s hand from making direct contact with Gable‟s skin, so their caress was intimate, but not too sexual. “I‟ll take care of you,” Flynn whispered in Gable‟s ear.
    Gable took a few cleansing breaths and Flynn slowly felt him relax in his arms. Somehow the silence between them was a little easier now, so when Gable eventually spoke, it almost startled Flynn.
    “Grant never slept in here.”
    Flynn was a little confused by Gable‟s confession, but he didn‟t want to bombard Gable with his questions. He hoped he would talk about it without being coaxed.

    52

    Clouds and Rain

    “We had sex. Lots of it. Everywhere you could think of, but never in a bed. Grant just… I guess it felt too permanent for him if he had to sleep with me too.”
    “Had to? I‟m sure he didn‟t have to. Now „want to‟ I understand.
    It‟s not like it‟s a chore.”
    Gable chuckled. “Grant was a big macho man. I can‟t recall the number of times I heard him boast about how many women he‟d had in town. When there were other people around, he would even do it in front