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“That’s truly a shame. Someone as loyal, hardworking, goodhearted, and joyful deserves to be told it often. You’ve made my job easier and better, and somewhere along the line, you started doing the same for my life. So what I’m asking, Christian, is if you’ll do the same for my heart,” David said, voice petering off into a whisper.

It wouldn’t be easy, not by a long shot. Their relationship would have to be strictly controlled, locked away from the restof the world. At work, they could never once slip up, carefully watching what they said and did around one another, watchful for a wrong look or inappropriate comment. They would never be allowed to eat out together, go to the beach, or simply walk the streets hand in hand.

As long as they were in their positions, their entire relationship would have to be a secret. Yet, as much as Christian believed in living his life out in the open, he couldn’t ignore how much he wanted the man in front of him. David was a rock, something Christian could hold fast to and stay grounded. The man was true to his word, more kindhearted than he gave himself credit for, and more dedicated to his duty than anyone Christian had ever seen.

He was a skillful lover and a kind man. And he was asking Christian to be with him. Secret relationship or not, he knew what his heart wanted.

Christian bent forward, kissing him softly. “Yes, I will.”

EPILOGUE

One Year Later

David hummed as he marched down the path to his home. He’d stayed later in the office than he would have liked, but he had to make a few last-minute adjustments. His assistant was not the most adept and struggled under the job's demands. As such, David was forced to take on a great deal, which increased his already substantial workload.

However, it wasn’t all bad, as his work had been gradually reduced over the past few months. His gut feeling for Oscar Reyes had turned out to be on the money. The man had proven very good at the job once he’d gotten a handle on the full scope of his duties. David quickly found many responsibilities he’d taken over for Operations slipping back where they belonged and straight into Reyes’ capable hands.

David stopped at the gate, gazing up at his home with a frown. It wasn’t the first time in the past couple of months that he’d spent longer at work than usual. In truth, he could have dealt with everything the next day but chose to stay in the office.His house felt so lonely without Christian around to spend a few nights a week with him.

For almost a decade, David had loved the peace and quiet of his house. Then he’d begun dating Christian, and his home was filled with glorious noise three to four times a week. Christian loved music when he did just about anything and loved singing along. He was also fond of dancing to the music, whether or not he was clothed. Then there were constant conversations, with Christian always ready to fill the silence and talk to David about anything and everything, approaching every subject happily and excitedly. David’s peace had been shattered and replaced with something infinitely more valuable.

Life.

But now, Christian was gone. Studying law in Boston. It had been a hard decision for him, but inevitably, he’d decided a military career was not for him. The last week of Christian’s time at Fort Dale had been beautiful, filled with desperate lovemaking and bittersweet talks long into the night. Yet, he’d had to leave, flying out to move in with his sisters, who were overjoyed to have their brother around.

David sighed, swinging the gate open and walking up the front path. They still talked, of course, and video-called when they could. Messages were shot back and forth all day, some clean and some not. David had no problem sharing compromising pictures of himself with Christian, something the other man found both arousing and amusing, considering David’s history.

Unlocking the front door, he stepped inside, dropped his bag, and flipped on the light.

“Honey, I’m home,” he called into the empty space.

A head popped up from the darkness of the living room. “Hi, honey.”

David stumbled back, gripping the doorway. “Jesus Christ!”

Christian’s laughter echoed through the house. “Someone’s jumpy. Maybe you should cut down on the caffeine.”

David brought a hand to his furiously pounding heart. “Good Lord, Christian, you scared the sense out of me.”

“I can tell,” Christian said, flopping over the back of the couch with a devilish grin.

“You are aware I’m nearing fifty, right? You could give me a heart attack,” David accused as he stepped closer.

Christian looked up at him, frowning. “That’s not funny. And considering your ticker is still as good as ever, highly unlikely.”

“How did...which one was it?”

“Troy.”

David sighed. “I will be having a little talk with him.”

“Like hell you are. I have the goods on him.”

David raised a brow. “The goods?”

“Yep.”

“Oh goody, now you’re having clandestine talks with my medics.”