Kissing Reno [Brac Village 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Lynn Hagen

  But he was pretty damn sure Baker would run if he spotted the hard erection in his pants. If Baker had been coyote, an erection would have been not only accepted, but expected. But his mate was human. Reno didn’t care what species the man was. A mate only came once in a lifetime, and Reno wasn’t going to turn away because Baker wasn’t of his kind.

  “Give me a minute,” Baker said, astonishment still clinging to his azure-blue eyes as he walked back into the kitchen. Reno shifted his weight to his other foot, waiting on Baker to return. One thing Reno noticed as he stood there was the fact that the high noon sunlight wasn’t making him sweat as he stood in its rays. The brightness covered him where he stood, but it was like the UV rays couldn’t penetrate the glass.

  Before he could analyze the glass any further, Baker walked out of the kitchen. The apron was gone and the flour was nowhere to be seen on his face. He had washed his face. That small act pleased Reno. “Ready?”

  Baker looked over at Kenway, and that alone irritated the shit out of him. His mate didn’t need permission from anyone to be with him. He wanted to punch the buffalo in his face just on GP.

  “Where are we going?” Baker asked.

  He gritted his teeth. “The Pit, why?”

  A spark of stubbornness entered Baker’s eyes. “Just wanted to let my boss know where my stalker was whisking me off to. That way, if I disappear, the cops know where to look.”

  As much as it angered him that his mate would think Reno a monster, a smile tugged at his lip at his mate’s feigned resignation that he was going to walk out and never be seen again. His mate was playing with him.

  His coyote smiled.

  Reno cast a glance at Kenway, seeing the smirk on the man’s face. “I’ll bring him back semi-unmolested,” he said to the buffalo, playing along with Baker.

  His mate’s eyes widened, but he walked out of the shop. Stopping at his motorcycle, Reno dug out the extra helmet he had stored in there earlier. He wasn’t sure if Baker would agree to lunch, but in hopes that the guy wouldn’t put up a protest, he had grabbed the smaller helmet.

  He now handed it to his mate.

  “Why can’t we walk?” Baker asked as he stared at the helmet Reno was holding out to him. “It isn’t that far.”

  “Because I feel like riding.” And he wanted to feel his mate pressed at his back. He kept that desire to himself. Reno tried to look as guiltless as he could, but he knew he didn’t pull the look off when Baker scowled at him. The man was just too damn perceptive. That was a good quality to possess, but not when Reno was trying to play innocent.

  “You are just trying to get me onto your bike so you can ride me to an undisclosed location.” Reno would have thought the man joking if not for the deep furrow of his dark-brown brows.

  “And if I am?” Reno asked, tiring of his mate’s suspicions. He knew he was a stranger to Baker and under any other circumstance, his wariness would be commended. But Reno hated that the uncertainty was aimed at him. Okay, so he was stalking the man. Maybe that should give Baker pause, but they were mates, damn it. Reno had to remind himself that Baker was human. Although he was pretty sure the man felt the pull, not being a shifter, he wouldn’t understand the feeling in his gut to be with Reno.

  “I’m bailing if you go any other place but The Pit.” Baker grabbed the helmet and strapped it into place. It was a perfect fit. Reno strapped his into place and then straddled his hog, straightening the beast so Baker could climb on.

  When the human’s hands touched his shoulders, Reno shivered in pleasure. He wanted those hands to touch him in lower, more intimate places. He also wanted those beautiful lips to suck—gah, he had to stop thinking like that or they wouldn’t make it to The Pit. Not only was it getting harder to keep his hands to himself, he was getting harder, period. This was going to be one torturous-ass ride for him.

  Baker tapped him on the shoulder. “Are you an expert rider or should I be saying a prayer?”

  “Smart-ass,” Reno grumbled as he started his motorcycle and backed it out of the parking space. “You’ll know the answer if your brains are all over the ground.”

  “So graphic,” Baker said with a feigned shiver. “You are joking, right?”

  Reno smiled to himself as he pulled away. Baker’s hands went from his shoulders to his waist, hugging him tightly as he drove down Main Street. He could feel the heat from Baker soaking into his back and it was a welcome feeling—although it wasn’t helping his erection in the least.

  Reno was usually a loner, someone who took pleasure in his solitude. But that was a thing of the past since finding Baker. He thought he would buck at the idea of giving up his privacy, but instead, it didn’t bother him at all. Reno was enjoying having Baker on the back of his hog.

  He was also enjoying those arms wrapped around him in such a tight hold. This was the first time anyone had ever ridden on the motorcycle with him. Cutting the corner, Reno sped up just a bit. He could feel Baker’s arms tightening harder around him, and his knees were locking into place as well.

  “Don’t you dare try and show off,” Baker warned through the Bluetooth built into the helmets. Reno could hear the apprehension tight in the guy’s voice.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Yes he would, but Reno wasn’t sure if his mate would make good on his threat and jump. He was good, but trying to drive a motorcycle and catch a jumping human was too much even for him to handle at the same time.

  They pulled into the barbeque place in one piece, just as Reno had expected. As soon as he stopped, Baker was dismounting. It was as if the guy couldn’t get away from him fast enough. The heat instantly left his back when Baker had his feet on solid ground. The helmet came off and Baker handed it to him.

  Reno accepted it and stored the helmet, along with his, in the side saddles. He was tempted to throw an arm over Baker’s shoulder to let everyone know the human was his, but from the quick strides, his mate made it very clear he didn’t want to be touched.

  This was going to be harder than he first anticipated. Reno had never had anyone almost run to get away from him. It was disconcerting. He was almost offended.

  Entering the restaurant, Reno gazed around the room to find his mate sitting at a back booth. Without hesitation, Reno joined him. “Are you a scared little rabbit?”

  He knew the question caught his mate off guard by the lowering of his dark-brown brows. “No,” he slowly answered. “I’m not even sure what that means.”

  “Then stop running from me.” Reno scooted into the booth.

  Baker gave him a droll stare. “Weren’t you the one who said this was a cat and mouse game?”

  “When I’m hunting you. Right now we’re spending time together. You don’t have to let the wind whip behind you as you race to get away from me.”

  “You are one confusing-ass man. Next time give me a handbook.”

  Reno chuckled. He liked his mate’s wit. He was scared shitless, yet he refused to let Reno see it. He admired that. Hell, it turned him on. But there wasn’t going to be a next time. The mating dance only happened once. Sliding his foot forward, Reno knocked his knee gently into Baker’s under the table. “Lighten up, sourpuss.”

  “You are truly bent, my friend.” Baker reached for the menu sitting at the end of the table by the wall.

  “How so?”

  Baker set the menu down. “You come into the bakery, order donuts, and then call from work to tell my boss the hunt is on. My dumb ass falls for it. I end up sitting in a café for an hour, go home to look out of the window every five seconds to find you sitting on the front steps. You show up out of nowhere sometimes, kiss me like I’m the very air you breathe, corner me in the foyer of my apartment building, and then show up to take me to lunch. The list may be out of order, but that is truly a twisted way to get to know a guy.”

  “Don’t forget about the cops.”

  Baker had the decency to blush as he averted his eyes and a tight little smile formed on his lips. “You had that one com
ing.”

  Reno wasn’t sure why he was so fascinated with his mate’s mouth. He remembered the kiss that he had taken. It was supposed to be a tool to entice his mate. It wasn’t supposed to backfire on him.

  But it had.

  His eyes kept sliding back to his mate’s full, luscious lips as Baker spoke, a burn in his groin sending fire through his blood as he thought about kissing him again. Never before had kissing been on his mind so heavily.

  “Speaking of which,” Baker went on as Reno practically ripped his eyes away from the man’s mouth, “I saw that cop in the bakery this morning. Did you mention to him who had made the phone call?”

  Reno’s eyes snapped up. “No.” He had seen the cop outside the bakery on his way in to pick up Baker for lunch. What in the hell was going on? Something tickled the back of his mind, warning him to keep an eye on Officer Johnson.

  Settling back in his booth, Reno shook his head. “Just told them I had taken a seat to rest. I didn’t say a word about you.”

  Baker chewed on his bottom lip and Reno wished the man was teasing something else—like his cock. Reno could resist no longer. He had been very patient and now he wanted his reward. Sliding from his booth with an unhurried move, he slipped in beside Baker.

  “What are you—” Reno dipped his head down, covering Baker’s lips with his. He could tell he had taken his mate by surprise because his kiss was nothing more than a gentle pressure, so light, it felt like a feather was dancing across his lips, sending a chill down his spine.

  The urge to take his mate, to claim him, once more surfaced and Reno had to fight tooth and nail not to lift Baker up and lay him on the table to do just that. Baker’s soft, tender lips opened for Reno and he pushed forward, with his tongue and his body, trapping his mate against the wall as he closed his eyes and breathed in the warm, manly scent of his mate, his tongue gently probing Baker’s mouth.

  His tongue danced with Baker’s before his teeth nipped tenderly at his mate’s bottom lip. He was savoring the succulent velvet of his mouth and inhaling the purest scent of his mate. Never in his life had he tasted anything so wonderful, so addictive.

  His mate was warm and inviting. Reno left Baker’s lips and trailed a path with his mouth down his mate’s neck. He nuzzled into Baker, knowing his whiskers were scraping sensitive flesh, adding more pleasure to what he was already giving to the man.

  What he wouldn’t give to throw the table out of his way and let Baker straddle his lap. Reno wanted to bury his cock deep inside his mate’s body as Baker rode Reno’s shaft to completion.

  He was hard, needy, and his cock hurt so fucking badly that, for the first time since leaving adolescence, he thought he was going to erupt in his pants. Reno let his hand fall to Baker’s lap and felt that his mate was just as hard as he was.

  The knowledge both thrilled him and made the urge to claim nearly drive him over the edge of sanity into a vast land of pure, sweet, unhindered sex.

  Using the palm of his hand, he gave Baker the pressure he needed as his mate hitched his hips, driving his erection into the palm of Reno’s hand. The moan that escaped Baker’s lips was quickly swallowed by Reno. He didn’t want anyone else to hear the sensual sounds his mate was making. He felt greedy and possessive. Having sex in public places never bothered him before, but the thought of anyone knowing just how much Baker burned for him made Reno move in closer, blocking anyone from seeing the flush in his mate’s cheeks and the breathless pants falling from his lips.

  “Are you going to order or turn my family-oriented restaurant into a brothel?”

  Reno growled, feeling his claws slipping free at the man who stood behind him, invading their privacy and interrupting such an erotic moment with Baker.

  His mate’s eyes flew open as Baker began to push at Reno’s chest. The spell was broken. Life had come crashing down around them as Baker pushed even harder.

  With a disgusted sigh, Reno moved away.

  Chapter Five

  What in the hell had he been doing? Baker grabbed the menu and tried his best to read it, but his concentration was shredded. One kiss from Reno and Baker had lost the ability to think. He sat there so hard that he gave going to the bathroom to relieve himself serious thought.

  He muttered the first thing he spotted on the menu and then set it down, refusing to look Reno’s way. Kissing Reno was like kissing a live electrical wire. Those lips had the ability to short-circuit his brain. Heat scorched his body as the guy taking their orders gave Baker a disapproving glance before walking away.

  “You asshole!” Baker said low but heatedly.

  “What did I do wrong?” Reno asked, but Baker could see the spark of mischievousness in Reno’s brown eyes. The bastard.

  “Why didn’t you just throw me up on the table and have sex with me?”

  Reno leaned forward, his jaw tight. “Don’t tempt me. I’m this close”—his index and thumb were barely separated—“from fucking you anywhere I can get you. The table will do just fine.”

  “Like hell.” Baker stood. He could tell that Reno was dead serious and Baker was leaving before the coyote delivered on his threat. He knew going out to lunch had been a bad idea. The guy was mentally screwed up, and Baker shouldn’t have expected anything less than what Reno had just shown him.

  “Sit down,” Reno huffed as he grabbed Baker’s arm and pulled. “I’ll behave.”

  “That’s like a scorpion promising not to sting,” Baker countered as he flopped back down on the booth seat. “I seriously think it’s in your nature to act like an ass.”

  Reno became quiet. Baker wondered why, but didn’t ask. They remained that way until their food arrived, but Reno still didn’t speak a word. He sat there quietly and ate. The guy wouldn’t even look Baker’s way. Why in the hell did Baker feel bad? He hadn’t done anything wrong.

  Baker felt guilty, just like when the cops had questioned Reno. He wanted to make things better between them. He was also questioning his sanity. As Baker stole glances at Reno, he would swear the man looked hurt and just a tad pissed off.

  Baker pushed his food around on his plate, no longer hungry. Reno was his damn stalker, and Baker felt bad for hurting the man’s feelings. It didn’t make one lick of sense to him, but that was how he was feeling.

  Like crap.

  Reno got up from the table and walked over to the counter. It looked like he was paying their bill. Glancing at the table, Baker could see that Reno hadn’t even finished his lunch. It was barely touched.

  “Ready?” Reno asked when he walked back over, his expression inscrutable.

  Baker pushed from the booth and followed him out to the parking lot. He felt compelled to say something, anything to stop Reno from being mad at him. “I’m sorry.” The two words would cover anything he might have said to offend Reno.

  The shifter gave a tight nod, but still wouldn’t say anything. Baker grabbed him by the arm and pulled until Reno turned. “I was embarrassed. I felt like my dad was chastising me when that guy said something to us about going hot and heavy in his restaurant. What do you want me to say?”

  Baker took a step back when Reno balled his hands into fists. The guy looked mad enough to punch something—namely Baker.

  “We’re mates. What we do is no one’s concern but ours.”

  “It is if we are in their place of business,” Baker said.

  Reno spun around, letting lose a litany of curse words. “I am a coyote, Baker. The subspecies I belong to goes through something sacred called the mating dance. You might think me an ass, but I’m only acting on what nature made me. I’m sorry if it embarrasses or frightens you, but that’s who I am.”

  Baker felt the lashes of Reno’s words like a whip. They cut deep as he stood there gazing up into espresso eyes. “And I’m human, Reno. Did you expect me to just say, ‘Hey, okay, you need to stalk me and publicly molest me? That’s fine.’ I’ve never had anyone act this way toward me and it’s a little overwhelming.” Baker shook his head. “No,
it’s a lot overwhelming.”

  Reno opened his mouth, but no words came out. Not when they both noticed the cop car pulling into the lot and stopping right in front of them.

  There was only one cop, and it was the same one that had been in front of Baker’s apartment, and at Sweet Delight. What was this guy’s problem?

  “Causing trouble?”

  Baker wasn’t sure who he was talking to. The cop was looking between them both.

  “No,” Reno answered, moving a step closer to Baker. He wasn’t sure why Reno was doing that, but admittedly, it made Baker feel better knowing Reno was right next to him.

  “No problems,” Baker answered nervously. Reno took another small step and Baker realized he was now standing slightly behind the coyote.

  “It seems like a dispute to me,” the cop said, walking closer, his eyes narrowed at Reno.

  “We’re not fighting,” Baker said quickly. “We just had lunch and were headed back to work.”

  The cop raked his eyes from Reno’s head, down to his booted feet. He looked like he was itching to bust Reno with something. Baker could feel his palms getting wet as he stood there, wondering what the cop was going to do.

  “I suggest you both get back to work.” Turning, the cop walked back to his car. Neither said a word until he got in and drove away.

  “What was that about?” Baker asked Reno. “He came into the bakery this morning, eyeing me like I was stealing something.”

  “I’m not sure,” Reno said, still staring in the direction the cop had driven away. “But I don’t trust him.” The man turned, glancing down at Baker. “But let me know if he comes back around you.”

  Baker numbly nodded. “I really am sorry if I hurt your feelings.”

  Reno gave him a half-cocked smile as he bent down and placed a quick kiss on Baker’s lips. “I’m not out to hurt you, Baker. You are my mate. I would rather die than lay a hand on you in anger or insanity. It’s the mating dance that is driving me to act like this.”