Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 3

arm wrapped around his waist and his fingers loosely entwined with Jude's. And he didn't want to move.
    He still had trouble believing any of this had happened. The idea of Ethan being gay might've crossed his mind in college a few times, but he'd dismissed it as wishful thinking and forgotten it over the years. Ethan had hidden it ruthlessly. Jude couldn't blame him after hearing what he'd been through as a teen, and the depths of his mother's hatred on top of that. His heart broke for the man.
    Last night, though, Ethan had let it all go, if only for a little while. And he was an incredible lover. No one had ever made Jude laugh during sex—or made him come without extra stimulation. His body had responded to Ethan's passion with an intensity that scared the hell out of him.
    It was different with Ethan. He knew him. He loved him...and he'd never understood just how much, until now.
    But there was a huge, glaring problem. The real world was out there waiting, with Ethan's crippling and justifiable fears, and Jude's desperate need for someone he could truly be with, who wouldn't treat him like a dirty secret. The longer he'd been with Mike, the more used and soiled he'd felt. Toward the end, he'd been ashamed to be himself. He just couldn't take any more humiliation.
    Once they left this mountain, there was no chance for him and Ethan.
    He didn't want to think about that right now. But as he lay there trying not to, a distant sound rose from somewhere outside the tent, mocking his efforts—an engine. A loud one. There was a vehicle on the road.
    Jude cursed under his breath and extricated himself from Ethan as gently as possible. At least it was daylight, so they couldn't miss the tree in the road. He'd make arrangements with whoever was outside before he broke the news.
    He half hoped the new arrival would refuse to give them a lift, and just head back down to call a tow truck. At least he'd have a little more time with Ethan that way.
    When he emerged from the tent, he realized why the engine had been so loud. There was more than one. Three pickup trucks had converged in a loose knot on the road, and from the sounds, there were more on the way up. A few guys had gotten out and were poking around Jude's truck, probably checking to see if anyone had been hurt.
    Disappointment sank into him. A convoy had plenty of room for two more.
    "Hey," Jude called as he approached, waving to make sure they saw him. "That's my truck," he said. "No one's in there, so it's okay..."
    He trailed off as the truck's occupants circled around and converged on him, and ice formed in the pit of his stomach. These guys seemed familiar. In fact, they looked a hell of a lot like Mike's cousins.
    "Your truck, huh?" One of them, wearing a gray Budweiser t-shirt and a battered blue ball cap, stepped up with a slick grin. "Well, then. You must be the guy we're lookin' for."
    Before Jude could react, his arms were seized from behind. He immediately tried to wrench away. It didn't work—there were two of them holding him. Big ones. "What the hell's going on?" he said to the guy in the blue cap.
    Another engine swelled and stopped, leaving an eerie silence behind. A dozen or so men, five pickups, and Jude recognized the last one to arrive. "Son of a bitch," he said as Mike climbed out and strode toward the group, blanketed in manic fury.
    "Hi, Jude." Mike stopped in front of him and flashed a wicked smile. "Why didn't you tell me you were taking this little trip? I had to get it out of your secretary, or whatever she is. She didn't want to tell me where you were going, but I convinced her."
    Nikki. Jude bared his teeth. "If you hurt her, Mike, I'm going to—"
    "You're not gonna do shit. Besides, she's fine." Mike grinned. "Can't say the same for you, though." With that, he drew back and drove a fist into Jude's jaw.
    Pain exploded in his head, and he tasted blood. When the stars cleared from his vision, he tried again to break loose from the brutes, but they held fast.
    Mike grabbed his chin and forced his head up. "I've wanted to do that for a long time now," he said. "Was it good for you?"
    Jude glared at him. "You done?"
    "Not even close."
    The others had gathered around Mike. Most of them were grinning. A few had baseball bats. It was downright uncanny, the resemblance to the story Ethan had told him about the old man in his town.
    He had a sinking feeling that his story was going to end the same way.
    ****
    Ethan had woken when Jude left