Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 2

Oberon did as he said. One thing about Oberon he knew he could count on— his determination for survival.
    The man in the blue suit hurried forward. Sam met him, stopped him. He heard the train whistle signal the train was about to depart. He shoved. The man went down. He'd managed to get one good punch in before the favor was returned. The two men struggled. Sam caught him in the eye with a right hook. Women screamed, men shouted, but they all gave way.
    Sam scrambled to his feet. So did the man in blue. Sam saw the train picking up speed. He launched himself toward the platform, shoving people out of his way. The man behind him grabbed at his coat. He slipped out of it. Car after car passed him. He launched himself toward the steps of almost the last car. He had to get there— Oberon couldn't do this alone. As he reached the top step, he turned. The man in blue was right behind him. He grabbed each side of the railing and then kicked out, catching the blue-suited man with both feet. The man in blue flew through the air and landed on his back on the wooden platform, rolled, and then lay still. Several men rushed to assist him. Sam, still holding tightly to the rail, bent over and tried to catch his breath. The side of his face burned and throbbed. Had he killed him?
    Sam glanced back. No. As the train picked up speed, he saw several men assist him to stand. At least Sam didn't have the blood of an investigator on his hands. In the scheme of what had been done, it wasn't much, but it was something. Slowly he turned and made his way through the cars to the parlor he'd purchased. He opened the door and stepped inside.
    He noticed Oberon in one of the plush red velvet seats, staring out the window, wig and cosmetics removed, sitting, legs crossed and seeming totally at ease. He turned toward Sam and smiled a welcoming smile. "Lovely. You accomplished whatever it was you needed to do?"
    Sam dropped into the seat across from him. He leaned forward on his thighs, head lowered. He dared not consider too closely Oberon's lack of real concern for Sam's safety. But then again, he shouldn't be surprised. In the end it was Oberon's safety that mattered, not Sam's. Sam was expendable. Tiredly, he lifted up and leaned back. "For now the danger is detoured. But we must remain on our guard."
    "Of course," Oberon said then turned to gaze out the window as though mesmerized by the passing scenery. "Of course."
    CHAPTER 10
    Sam awoke with a start. At first he wasn't quite certain where he was, but as the pain in his head and at his ribs throbbed through him, so did the memories return. He rubbed his eyes and glanced over to the door of the washroom as Oberon appeared in the doorway, half dressed— trousers, but no shirt or frock coat. His curly blond hair was damp, he had a white towel draped around his neck. Sam had to admit it was the best condition he'd seen him in for quite some time. In fact, it reminded him of their school days together.
    Oberon grinned at him. "It was refreshing earlier, when I removed the cosmetics. I wanted to see if it would feel the same a second time with no one to watch over me— to—"
    Sam held up a hand. "It's over. Don't think about it."
    "It will be hard to forget. Memories like that do not dim easily, especially when they have been ground into you time and time again." He strode forward and dropped to his knees in front of Sam. He ran his hands along Sam's thighs. "I've missed you, Sam. You can't imagine how much I've ached for you, locked away in there. The conjugals— they don't seem real somehow. They were all a part of that same drug-induced nightmare, where I'm performing because of duty, because of the correction I'd receive if I didn't perform adequately to their expectations. It wasn't for us. Not like that time on the boat in the south. Do you remember that? Sunbathing on the ship in the nude, the warm sun beating down on us. Making love."
    Sam stared into his eyes, so much of the warmth, adventure, and loving memory returned at Oberon's words. "Yes, I remember."
    Oberon leaned forward. He stroked the back of his hand lightly along Sam's face. "I'm afraid to kiss you. It will hurt."
    Sam smiled. "I'll bear it." This did feel fresh and new. None of the darkness that had tinged every encounter over the last five years. His cock engorged as his blood heated. Oberon kissed him and the past melted away. His hands moved to the fastenings of Sam's trousers. Peeled them back and then dug for