by Lynn Hagen
Brac Village 9
Jordan’s Desires
Bailey Fester has been burned by a lover he thought he could trust. Now jaded, Bailey refuses to let anyone in, including the dark and handsome stranger who keeps showing up in Bailey’s life. He isn’t ready to love again, and he definitely isn’t ready to give his heart away. But Jordan seems determined to show Bailey that he is there to stay.
Jordan Sommers is the new mechanic at Mark’s Garage. He knows he has his work cut out for him when he meets his mate and realizes that Bailey has been scorned. The guy is adamant about remaining friends, and shows up at the most inopportune moments. Bailey has already seen Jordan kill two men.
But when someone poisons Jordan and shoots at Bailey, Jordan is determined to keep Bailey safe while showing the man what love truly means. But will Bailey accept what Jordan has to offer, or will he turn Jordan away, too cynical to understand that giving his heart does not equal betrayal?
Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 35,393 words
JORDAN’S DESIRES
Brac Village 9
Lynn Hagen
EVERLASTING CLASSIC
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove
JORDAN’S DESIRES
Copyright © 2013 by Lynn Hagen
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-090-9
First E-book Publication: June 2013
Cover design by Siren Publishing
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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JORDAN’S DESIRES
Brac Village 9
LYNN HAGEN
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Bailey finished off his glass of beer and gave a subtle wave to the bartender for another. “I’m getting really sick and tired of seeing those campaign signs. Thank fuck the election will soon be over.”
Travis—Bailey’s fellow firefighter and friend—nodded as he lounged back in his chair. “Amen to that. If I see one more sign for Bart Fishman, I’m going to rip the damn thing down. He’s plastered those signs all over the county.”
Bailey gave a quick thanks to the bartender when his mug of beer was set down in front of him. “I’m voting for Maverick Brac. He’s been the mayor in Brac Village since forever and he’s doing a damn good job from what I’m told.” Bailey had only been living in the village for the past few years, but he had no complaints when it came to Maverick.
Travis turned toward him, wagging a finger at Bailey. “Have you noticed that the mayor hasn’t given one speech or put up one damn sign yet he’s winning by a landslide?”
“He doesn’t need to campaign. Everyone knows what he stands for. He donates not only his money but his time at the local rec center, has made it known that he is an advocate against violence with the resource center, has funded many of the new businesses in town, and he isn’t one of those stuck-up snobs. The guy is easy to talk to.” Bailey curled in his fingers after he had ticked off his list. “Besides, I don’t trust that Fishman fellow.”
Taking another drink of his beer, Bailey leaned to the side when some random guy pushed close to the bar, encroaching on his space. There was plenty of room so Bailey didn’t understand why the man was so close. When he looked over his shoulder, the guy smiled at him.
“Hi.”
Bailey turned around without saying a word. The stranger got his drink and walked away.
“Damn,” Travis said as he stared at the stranger walking away. “Could you have been any more frigid?”
“I’m not interested,” Bailey answered. He already had his heart torn out once and it had taken him a while to get over Harley Grouper. There was no way he was going to subject himself to that kind of pain again.
Leaning forward, Travis smacked Bailey’s knee good-naturedly. “There is only one way to get over a guy,” Travis said and then gave Bailey a knowing wink. “And I’m pretty sure you know where this is going.”
Even though it had almost been a year since Bailey ended things with Harley, he still wasn’t ready to date. Even a one-night stand didn’t interest him right now. “Can we leave my nonexistent love life alone?”
Travis sighed as he sat back. Everyone at the fire station had been giving small comments about how Bailey needed to move on and find somebody. None of them knew what he was going through or understood. He had undergone counseling at the resource center when it had first happened, but Bailey had convinced Taylor Tate that he was fine.
But he wasn’t fine.
“Are you going to the cookout at Bear’s house Saturday?”
Bailey shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“He invited a few people from town. You never know, you just might get lucky.” Travis held up his hands when Bailey glowered at him. “Okay, I’ll back off.”
Downing the rest of his drink, Bailey set the empty mug on the bar. “I’m heading home.”
Travis stood, grabbing Bailey’s arm. �
�Seriously, you can’t let one man ruin your love life. Harley was a work of art, we all know that. He fucked your head up, Bailey, but it’s time to give a decent guy a chance.”
“You offering?” Bailey asked jokingly, wanting this conversation over with. Travis was a good friend, but Bailey didn’t want to talk about Harley to anyone. The wound still hurt like hell.
“If you were my type, Harley wouldn’t have gotten near you,” Travis replied in an affectionate tone. “Just don’t keep closing yourself off. You just might let Mr. Right slip through your fingers.”
Easing his arm from Travis’s grip, Bailey nodded. “Good advice.”
“Advice you won’t take,” Travis said before Bailey walked from the Lucky Clover and into the night air. He wished everyone would leave him alone when it came to dating. He knew his friends cared or they wouldn’t be trying to help him through this. But Bailey needed to work things out on his own.
It didn’t matter who gave him advice. Until he was ready to move on, the words were lost on him. He pulled his keys from his pocket and swooned a little. Bailey sighed, knowing he’d had one too many beers to drive.
He considered asking Travis for a ride home, but Bailey didn’t want to hear any more lectures about being frigid. Hadn’t Reno said something about taking Baker to the diner for dinner? Maybe Bailey would hitch a ride home from his other fellow firefighter. Reno was the only person who hadn’t been pestering Bailey about his love life.
Turning away from his car, Bailey began to walk down the street. The diner wasn’t that from the bar. It was a nice, warm night anyway. The walk would help him clear his mind as well. Maybe Travis was right. Maybe Bailey needed to get laid. He wasn’t going to let his heart become vested in another man, but sex was just sex.
Bailey rubbed his sternum, feeling that familiar ache whenever he thought about Harley. He wished to god he had never met the guy. To have a person give him everything he could ever desire in a man and then rip that false dream away was something Bailey never wanted to experience again.
Fuck love and fuck committing himself to another. Sex was it for him, nothing more. He wasn’t going to allow himself to care for anyone else. If he didn’t care, he couldn’t be hurt again. It sounded very logical to him.
Bailey came up short when a pretty tall guy walked out of Mark’s Garage, the two nearly colliding. When the muscular stranger turned to look at him, Bailey almost gaped at the guy.
Wow…just…wow.
The stranger had smoldering amber eyes that took Bailey’s breath away. They were worldly and sharply intelligent. Bailey felt drawn to him in a way he’d never experienced before.
“Sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” The stranger stuck out his beefy hand. It looked like it could swallow Bailey’s whole. But Bailey was only half paying attention to the man’s hand. The voice was so rich, so deep that his insides quiver. It was cultured and smooth as the man gazed at him with a sparkle of merriment in those bedroom eyes. “I’m Jordan Sommers, the new mechanic here.”
Without thought, Bailey shook the man’s hand, shivering at the warmth that enveloped him as something passed in the air between them. “Bailey Fester, fireman.”
Jordan gave him a dazzling smile as he pulled his hand free. Bailey just couldn’t get over how large and handsome the man was. Fate was a cruel, cruel bitch because Bailey couldn’t get over how fascinated he was, either. “I’m new in town. Is there someplace I can go for dinner?”
Bailey felt a bit panicked when his heart leapt at the thought of going to dinner with Jordan. The man was not supposed to interest him. Hadn’t Bailey sworn off dating? Yeah, Jordan could be a one-night stand, but damn, the man was smoking hot! His fingers itched to reach out and touch the guy’s raven-colored hair, letting the shoulder-length black strands slip through his fingers. His teeth ached to take a nibble at the man’s jaw that held just a small amount of shadow from a beard. The stranger was ruggedly handsome.
“There’s a couple places to go,” Bailey answered as he blinked out of his semi-daze. “There’s The Pit, Lucky Clover, or the diner.”
“Have you eaten?” Jordan asked, the timbre in his voice vibrating inside Bailey. It was an invitation to seduction, pure and simple. Jordan’s voice was nothing short of liquid heat that could probably make Bailey orgasm if he listened to it long enough.
Bailey stopped himself from shuddering at the sound. He had to get out of there because his cock was reacting to this guy. He could just imagine having all that muscle wrapped around him. The guy was like a huge teddy bear and Bailey was not about to snuggle with him—no matter how tempting he was.
“Yep. Have a nice night.” He began to walk away. He knew he was being a prick, but he wasn’t about to get involved with someone else. Harley had trained him well in the art of broken hearts and Bailey wasn’t willing to have another lesson with this guy.
And Jordan was hot enough for Bailey to want more than just sex. The guy was well over six foot five, nicely built in all the right places—that he could see—and his attributes were stuff legends were made of. Bailey didn’t need the temptation. Hadn’t he already learned not to trust a good-looking face?
He put as much distance as he could between him and the striking man. Bailey knew that there were more than good looks that made up the man’s package. He wasn’t willing to find out if Jordan’s personality matched his amazing physique.
Pulling the door open to the diner, Bailey stepped in and spotted Reno and Baker just finishing up their dinner. Perfect. “Hey guys,” he said as he slid in next to Reno. “Mind giving me a ride home?”
Reno quirked a brow. “Had one too many?” he asked as he wiped his hands on a napkin.
“How do you know?”
“I can smell the beer on your breath.”
Bailey grabbed Reno’s cup of coffee, draining the mug. He winced. How had he forgotten that Reno liked a little coffee with his sugar? Bailey might as well have unscrewed the lid on the sugar container and taken a drink.
Baker chuckled. “Too sweet?”
“And then some,” Bailey said as he set the cup down. “I’m surprised you don’t have diabetes by now.”
“I can take you home,” Reno said as he polished off the rest of his food. “Although a buddy of mine wants me to pick his cousin up, so you’ll have company in the back seat.”
Bailey stood, moving out of the way as Reno pushed from the booth. His friend grabbed the check and took it to the counter to pay for his meal. Bailey and Baker headed toward the door.
He didn’t care about Rio picking up some friend’s cousin. The only thing Bailey wanted to do was go home and take a hot shower. It had been a long day and hanging out with Travis, listening to the man badger him about dating wasn’t a great way to end his night.
Leaning his head back and closing his eyes, Bailey relaxed as Reno drove. He didn’t even bother to open his eyes when his friend stopped. They must be picking up the cousin Reno had mentioned. He heard the back door open and close and then the car began to move again.
“We meet again.”
Bailey’s insides froze when he heard Jordan’s deep and alluring voice. Un-fucking believable. His night seemed to be getting better and better. He didn’t bother to open his eyes. Bailey chose to ignore the man. If he opened his eyes, he would only be reminded of Jordan’s amazing looks and huge-ass body.
“Are you always this standoffish?” Jordan asked quietly from beside him, his tone low and satiny.
“What’s today?” Bailey asked sarcastically.
“Wednesday,” Jordan answered and Bailey could hear the humor in the man’s tone. The guy had to know what Bailey was about to say. He didn’t know the man from Adam, but Jordan had looked like a fairly intelligent guy.
“Yep,” Bailey answered. “Wednesday through Tuesday.”
“But that’s all seven days,” Jordan said playfully.
“You catch on quick,” Bailey answered as he turned his head away from Jordan
, his eyes still shut. He didn’t want to have a conversation with Jordan. The guy’s voice melted him like hot butter and Bailey wasn’t going to allow the man to get to him.
“So young to be so jaded.”
Bailey shrugged uncaringly. Maybe he should have asked Travis for a ride home. He had thought Reno the safer choice, but fate decided to fuck with him again. Bailey hoped like hell that Jordan didn’t live too far. He didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary around this guy. He was five seconds away from telling Reno to pull over so he could walk home.
“Tell me, Bailey. Who broke your heart?”
Bailey gnashed his teeth together at the whispered tone, refusing to answer Jordan. The man was getting just a little too personal for his taste. If he didn’t talk about Harley to his friends, Bailey sure as hell wasn’t telling a stranger.
“The man was a complete idiot.”
Bailey snapped his head around, narrowing his eyes at Jordan. “Mind your damn business.”
Jordan didn’t seem the least bit put off. That alone pissed Bailey off to no end. Who the hell was this man anyway? He had no right to sit there and give Bailey his opinion.
Jordan’s amber eyes seemed to fill with fire as he studied Bailey in the backseat that was only lit by passing street lights. There was something intense about the way the mechanic was staring at him, studying him. He didn’t like that look because it made Bailey uncomfortable, as if Jordan could see right through him, to his very soul.
He looked away, unable to stand the man’s probing stare. It felt too damn intimate. They rode in silence for a few miles before Jordan spoke again. “How long have you lived here?”
