Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 3

anywhere."
    Nodding slowly, he tucked the phone back in place. "So what do we do?"
    "Wait until morning."
    "Oh, great plan."
    "You got a better one?"
    Ethan shook himself and fought the panic that fueled his anger. He'd expected to spend a few nights in close quarters—but not this close. No way either of them could sleep behind the front seat. There was room for two passengers back there, but the seats were tiny, fold-down models. Just a couple squares of padded vinyl hinged together. "Sorry," he said abruptly, and let out a breath. "Guess I'm just a little bummed about crashing into a tree and all."
    "Yeah. Me, too." Jude cast a slanted smile. "I've got something to cheer us up, though. Hang tight." He popped the door open and jumped out into the rain, then slammed it shut.
    "The hell?" Ethan watched him sprint toward the back of the truck, hunched against the downpour, and lost sight of him in the blackness. After a minute, he heard and felt the tailgate bang closed.
    Jude reappeared grinning. He climbed back into the cab, tossed a damp, battered black canvas backpack into Ethan's lap and switched on the interior light. "Have a look in there."
    Ethan stared at him. The rain had washed the blood from his forehead, and the cut didn't look too bad. But damn, the wet look suited him. His black, shoulder-length hair, usually straight, had formed damp, sleek tendrils that framed his face. Droplets of water beaded on smooth skin and firm lips that Ethan suddenly wanted, more than anything, to kiss, to taste the rain on that sensual mouth and feel the heat against him.
    "You look hungry."
    The words shook him from his fantasies, and Ethan had to remind himself firmly that Jude had meant food. "Well, we did skip lunch," he said in an approximation of normalcy. "Is there something to eat in here?"
    "That, and a nice kick to go with it." Still grinning, Jude stripped off his soaked shirt.
    Ethan swallowed a groan, barely resisting the impulse to shove a knuckle or two in his mouth. "Sounds awesome," he said, forcing his concentration onto the bag. He unzipped the main compartment, and the first thing he spotted was the long neck of a bottle. That had to be the kick. He pulled it out and smiled—Johnnie Walker Red. The whiskey of choice for both of them.
    "What's a vacation without our friend Johnnie, right?" Jude nodded at the bag. "There's a couple of tumblers in there, too. Oh, and grab me a shirt?"
    "Sure." Keeping his gaze as averted as possible, he grabbed something dark that turned out to be a T-shirt and handed it over. When Jude tugged it on, he relaxed a little and started looking for the tumblers. A drink sounded really good right about now. He found one right away and put it in the drink holder. As he sifted through the bag's contents, mostly clothes, his fingers brushed something solid and cool, so he grabbed it.
    It was a handgun.
    "Since when do code monkeys carry guns?" He couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. In all the years he'd known Jude, he never thought of him as the arms-bearing type.
    "That's code gorilla to you, designer boy." Jude offered a neutral shrug. "There's bears and stuff up here," he said. "Don't worry about it. Let's drink."
    "Yeah, all right." Ethan shoved the gun back into the bag and managed to find the other tumbler. He wasn't getting the whole story here. For now, though, he wouldn't push. The day had sucked enough already.
    Jude opened the bottle and poured them both a more than generous dose. Too much, really. He picked up his glass, and when Ethan followed suit, he said, "To freedom."
    "Freedom." They clinked glasses, and Ethan tossed back half the contents. Jude simply drained his without stopping for breath. After a moment's hesitation, Ethan polished the drink off, and didn't protest when Jude filled both glasses back up.
    It was going to be a very long night.
    ****
    "Hey. I'm out." Ethan gave a lopsided smile and thrust his empty glass out, almost knocking over the little battery-powered lantern on the dash. Despite the fact that the truck was wrecked, Jude hadn't wanted to kill the battery with the interior lights. "How 'bout a refill?"
    Jude almost refused. Ethan had never been able to hold his liquor well—more than once, he'd had to practically carry the man home after a night out. But Ethan's drunkenly earnest expression was irresistible. And besides, it wasn't like either of them was driving anywhere tonight.
    He poured out half a glass for Ethan, considered