Free Line of Fire by Simone Anderson

meant.
    “To be honest, I won’t come out for a fuck-buddy.”
    Hayden’s body tensed, and he pushed Christian away. The man only saw them as fuck-buddies? Thoughts raced through his head. He wasn’t even worthy of boyfriend status. At least he could get out before he got in to deep and had ended up in love with Christian.
    “Stop, I said a fuck-buddy .”
    “Yeah, I heard you.”
    “Then let me finish,” Christian said. “I don’t consider you a fuck-buddy. I’m not in the habit of spending entire weekends and going on real dates with that kind of man. I am interested in you, in getting to know you more.”
    “Boyfriends?” Hayden asked, feeling the better portion of his anger slip away.
    Christian took a deep breath and pulled him back into his arms, hugging him tight. “Yes. But I’m not the sharing type. Not with boyfriends.”
    “Exclusive?”
    Christian nodded. “Yes. I may not be ready to make an ever-lasting commitment, but I know I want to see you. Often.”
    Hayden pulled back slightly. “I’d like that.” With one hand on Christian’s back and one on his neck, Hayden plundered his lover’s mouth.

 
     
     
    Chapter Seven
     
    Hayden took a deep breath and grabbed his gear from the seat beside him. It had been harder than he’d thought it would be to stay away from Christian. They’d been ‘dating’ almost two months. Christian’s injury had healed swiftly and without any complications, and he’d been cleared to return to duty. At first, Hayden had been thrilled, but in order not to give Christian away he couldn’t touch his boyfriend or even look at him more than was absolutely necessary. They had yet to go out on what could be considered a real date. They met at Hell’s Dune, had a beer and played a game of pool before going back to either his house or Christian’s. The routine was getting old and more and more he felt like a dirty secret. Something he was coming to resent. Christian’s reasons had been valid, but the promise of real dates had gone unfulfilled.
    “You look like you lost your best friend,” Brian said walking up to him outside the weapons range.
    “Not hardly, you’re standing right here,” Hayden laughed, shaking his head.
    “Yeah, but something’s bothering you.”
    Hayden shrugged, unwilling to lie to Brian, but not willing to go into details about his relationship with Christian.
    “I assume this is about the toy,” Brian said leaning against Hayden’s truck.
    “It’s a plausible assumption.”
    “So, what’s the problem? Things bad in bed?”
    “No, and I’m so not going to talk to you about my sex life,” Hayden answered.
    “Okay, so if it’s not in bed it must be the R part.”
    “The what part?” Hayden asked, looking at his watch.
    “The relationship part. You know the stuff most men hate talking about. The stuff beyond dating.”
    “Don’t get me started on dating,” Hayden ground out slamming open the back of his vehicle and retrieving his weapons.
    “He—you two haven’t been on a date yet?”
    “No.”
    “Dinner? Movie? Sex on the beach?”
    “Nope, none of the above or any of things you’ve done outside the bedroom with Alexa.”
    “I’m planning on taking her to dinner and movie tonight. There’s some new movie out with Oceane Phillips and Dante Van Der Hoff in it. Guns. Explosions. Implied sex. Gratuitous partial nudity on both parts. Why don’t you two join us? You two can neck in the crowded, pitch black theater.”
    “I don’t know. I can ask,” Hayden replied. A double date. It might take the pressure off Christian. He hoped. Hayden set his gear at his feet and pulled out his cell phone, sending a text message to his boyfriend. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he grabbed his gear and followed Brian into the range. A day at the range was what he needed today.
    “So, what did he say?” Brian asked as they stowed their gear, before heading to the mess hall for lunch before returning to the