Line of Fire, the third part of the At The Ready Anthology with
Emma Hillman and
Katie Blu is now available at
Resplendence Publishing!
Blurb:
Christian Williams has lived with his secret his whole life
and he’s not ready to give it up, he’s especially not ready to face the
consequences.
Consequences
be damned, Hayden Medema is tired of living a lie. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is dead
and gays are serving openly in the rest of the military, the Navy SEALs should
be no different.
After
coming face to face at a gay bar in a different city and a whirlwind weekend of
sex, Christian and Hayden along with fourteen other SEALs are sent on what
appears to be another routine mission, until someone learns their secret and
everything goes horribly wrong.
Excerpt:
Christian Williams pulled into the parking lot of
Diversions, turned off his car and stretched. The hour drive from base to one
of the city’s five gay bars had helped him relax. They were gearing up for
several months of intense training and the scene here was just what he needed.
He knew the gay bar close to the base was a hit with both the civilians and
military guys. Still hadn’t told anyone other than his dive buddy, Jason
Morganstern, that he’d preferred men to women for as long as he could remember,
so going there wasn’t a possibility. SEALs weren’t gay, just ask anyone. He
also had no desire to be a daddy, which he was certain many of the younger guys
wanted. He’d been surprised to learn Jason was also gay. Jason was picky, he
wanted a boy in the bedroom and a partner outside of it. Christian had no such
desires. He wanted a partner who gave as good as he took and, more importantly,
could deal with life in the Navy.
Withdrawing his driver’s license and sixty dollars, he
tossed his wallet in the glove compartment. Keys in hand and several condoms
and a small bottle of lube in the pocket of his jeans, Christian locked the
door of his Jeep Grand Cherokee and made his way across the mostly full parking
lot. After showing his ID to the bouncer and paying the cover charge, he strode
through two sets of double doors and was immediately hit by the loud music.
Surveying his surroundings, he automatically noted the exits, potential
partners, problem areas and the people and places to avoid.
The dance floor and the bar were crowded. Men in snug tee
shirts and even tighter jeans filled the room. This was one of his favorite
places to play and hunt. There was little doubt in his mind that he’d find a
partner or two tonight with the same needs. Tonight he wasn’t looking for a
life partner, tonight was about no strings attached sex. A quick fuck. Hard.
Fast. Sweaty. All male. The US military may finally be okay with gays serving
openly, but several of his teammates were less than accepting. A couple of them
had gone as far as making threats during several rounds of pool and more than a
few beers at Hell’s Dune, the SEALs favorite bar. It was run by a grizzled
former SEAL known only as Brick. Decent food and decent beer were great unless
you were looking for bed companions. Those, he wouldn’t find at Hell’s
Dune.
Taking a deep breath, he inhaled the scent of men and
relaxed. He knew the bartenders and a couple of the bouncers by name, but no
one knew he was the military, let alone that he was a SEAL, so he could be himself.
Almost. Christian made his way to the bar and ordered a beer before he turned
and watched the crowd. Most of the patrons tonight appeared to be college age,
but he’d already seen one or two potential partners.
“Hey baby,” a tall, lithe
twenty-something with big blue eyes and dark hair said, squeezing in next to
him at the bar. “Has anyone told you that you give new meaning to the phrase
tall, gorgeous and yummy?”
Christian rolled his eyes, praying the man hadn’t been
talking to him.
“Let there be a God and tell me you’re not here with
anyone,” the younger man purred, trailing his fingers over Christian’s arm.
His cock stirred at the promise the man wanted to deliver.
It’d been too long since he’d fucked someone and even longer since he’d been in
any sort of relationship where tender touches and caresses were normal. Looking
down at the man, Christian shook his head.
“Sorry kid, I’m not interested.” He gave the guy points for
approaching him, but the younger man wasn’t his type, and Christian wasn’t willing
to act like he was. The man was cute, but Christian could probably snap him in
half if he wanted. He needed to let loose, not worrying about whether his
partner could handle it.
“Aw, don’t be like that. I’ll show you a real good time.”
The man’s hand slid over his stomach and started working his shirt out.
“Back off,” Christian snarled, pushing past the other man
and ignoring the whimper of protest. Stomping across the building, he looked
for another vantage point.
Christian sighed. As though he’d needed any more proof on
how long it had been since he’d been here. At one point in time, despite the
low profile he preferred to keep, the young twenty-somethings, at least the
regulars, kept their distance.
A firm ass clad in tight denim caught his attention. The
other man danced at the edge of the dance-floor with a group of men. Taking a
long drink from his beer, Christian set it on the table, knowing and not caring
that it would be gone and the table taken over by others before he reached his
quarry. He was two feet from his destination when the dancer turned and faced
him. Christian stopped and stared.
“Medema! What the hell are you doing here?” Christian asked
as the music was interrupted by the DJ announcing a slow song.
“Same thing you are, looking for a good time tonight,”
Hayden replied and took a step forward.
Sparkling blue eyes peered out at him as Christian looked
the man up and down as though he hadn’t seen him before, hadn’t seen him in
little more than swim trunks. Short brown hair topped the long, lean frame.
Hayden Medema matched him in height, but with more of a swimmer’s build, the
man wasn’t nearly as wide. Still, Christian had seen him carry a fallen comrade
fifty yards to safety. As long as he’d known the man, Christian had never
guessed he was gay.
“I—” Christian began, at a loss for words. Dressed in snug
blue jeans and a white-fitted polo-style shirt, the other man was gorgeous.
“I didn’t expect to see you in a gay bar.” Hayden smiled,
stepping into Christian’s personal space. “I’m certainly glad you’re not in
denial.”
Christian swallowed and shook his head, willing his blood to
continue flowing to his brain. “Nope, not in denial. Just extremely cautious.
It’s not like we have the most gay-friendly job or employer. Or even co-workers.”
“Agreed,” Hayden shrugged, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t
have a little bit of fun together now and then.” Hayden’s fingers trailed
slowly up Christian’s abdomen and over his nipples. Gasping, Christian let out
a full body shiver as the sensations went straight to his cock. It hardened and
strained against his jeans. “Very nice,” Hayden said stepping closer and
pressing into him. “Come home with me,” Hayden whispered, flicking his tongue
across the sensitive part of Christian’s ear.
That
experience proved to be of good use to me when I started to write my Calling
the Shots series, in which Isaac, a reluctant Dominant takes up his role to
please his lover, but soon discovers he enjoys what he does a lot more than he
ever thought possible. 
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