“This for instance,” Hayden said as he motioned to the plate of bacon that now only held a single strip of bacon. “Me making extra bacon and hiding it from you somewhere in the kitchen is a recent little game we’ve started up in the last four or so months. Yet you began looking for it as you have since we started the moment we set foot in the kitchen. I don’t think you consciously knew why you were scanning the room or had any idea what you were looking for but that’s exactly what you would look like on any other Saturday. My little Aka and his love of bacon transcends all it would seem.” Something in Hayden’s eyes and demeanor shifted for a moment, but before Clay’s brain could even start to ponder that, his mind latched on to something else.

“Aka?” Clay asked, confused yet again.

Hayden felt the wave of heat take over his body and for the first time in years he felt nervous around Clay. The pet name had slipped out before Hayden could even register he’d thought of it. For most of their relationship, especially once it had become intensely physical he’d called Clay Aka, which is Japanese for red. To Hayden, Clay was the epitome of what the word red stood for ... energy, power, strength ... agility.

Hayden had to mentally shake his head to keep that train of thought from going any further. Now was not the time nor the place to entertain such thoughts. From the onset of the intimacy between then every single encounter was damn near electric and the previous night had been no exception. His brain knew he needed to behave but he’d spent a larger part of the morning than he wanted to admit convincing his libido of that same fact.

“It’s a nickname I call you at times. In short it means red,” Hayden replied.

Clay’s face scrunched up as he tried to process this new bit of information as well as Hayden’s reaction. It shouldn’t shock him that a person he’s been with for over three years has a nickname for him. What he didn’t understand is why Hayden seemed so antsy about having said it. He knew the situation was far from ideal but it seemed to be more than that going on and Clay couldn’t begin to put his finger on it. Hoping to move past it, Clay asked, “Care to enlighten me as to what I call you?”

That flush was back in full force this time for Hayden and he had to turn around and pretend to be cleaning the already spotless counter. How in all the hells was he supposed to look at that innocent face and answer that? He’d never been able to lie to Clay and now was no exception even if he wanted nothing more than to have that ability for the next five minutes. The closest thing to panic he’s felt since Clay woke up without his recent memory took over Hayden and he couldn’t reply to save his soul.

“Hayden?” Clay asked, wondering why this was so hard for the other man to answer.

“Uh, baby most of the time,” Hayden attempted. He didn’t have to even meet the piercing green eyes that were boring into his back to know Clay hadn’t bought it.

Everything in Clay knew the man in front of him was lying to him; he just couldn’t figure out why. “Do I not have a nickname for you? Do you feel bad having to tell me that?”

Hayden thought he was going to combust, his body was so flushed. Memory lapsed Clay was always a little unsettling but this particular round on this particular subject was making him feel like a high school freshman standing in front of his crush. When in mixed company Clay simply called him Hayden ... well most of the time. Clay was always the bolder one of the two of them and he’d often just let one of the saucy names he had for Hayden fly, not caring who he made blush. But behind closed doors and when they were alone he’d never hesitate to call Hayden a number of things that Hayden loved ... but at the moment they all felt horribly uncomfortable to say.

“Hayden? Are you okay over there?”

In a way Hayden wasn’t but he didn’t see a way out of the situation so he’d just have to pick the lesser of the three evils. But was there such a thing between the names Daddy, Throbber, and Harden (a playoff of his actual name)? Daddy it is. And he just wanted to crawl in a hole.

Unable to look Clay in the face, Hayden mumbled, “Daddy.” as he continued to buff out the nonexistent stains on the counter.

Clay started for a moment before flushing a bit himself and chuckling. “Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Clay began as he put his elbows on the counter, leaned forward and rested his chin on the hands clasped together in front of him. “I can think of several other things a lot saucier than that to call you.”