by Lynn Hagen
Baker’s eyes stared at Reno before lowering, going down the length of Reno’s body. They lingered at his erection before moving lower. The heated gaze made Reno move closer, loving that his mate appreciated what he was seeing.
“You look like you want to gobble me up.”
Baker’s cheeks filled with a pink blush as he sucked in his bottom lip. “You have a very nice body.”
“I have to stay in shape for my job.” He wasn’t sure why he had said that. He could have just thanked Baker for the compliment. Reno realized he was just as nervous about claiming Baker as his mate was.
He’d never been edgy when it came to sex. He’d had plenty of it—never boasting that he was an expert—but his heart never pounded as hard as it was now and his hands never shook. But they were as Reno showed Baker the lube. “We’re good.”
Reno inwardly rolled his eyes. Maybe he needed to shut up. Pressing his lips firmly together, Reno rejoined Baker. He tucked the bottle by Baker’s head before pressing his body over his mate’s, taking his lips in another unhurried kiss.
Baker warmed right back up to Reno’s touch, his hands gripping Reno’s shoulders as their tongues dueled. He reached for the bottle, grabbing it.
“Ow,” Baker cried as his hand flew to his head.
Reno realized he had pulled a few strands of Baker’s hair while grabbing the tube. What in the fuck was wrong with him tonight? He was acting like a teenager having awkward and fumbling sex for the first time. He didn’t understand what was going on, but Reno didn’t like it.
“Sorry,” he said lamely, wishing he could reverse what had just happened and avoid the embarrassment.
Baker chuckled. “Excited?”
His mate’s easy laugh had Reno grinning. He was so amped up about claiming the man that he wasn’t enjoying himself. He was all exposed nerves and clumsy moves. Once he knew why he was acting this way, Reno relaxed. “It isn’t every day I claim someone for my mate.”
Baker’s dark-blue eyes began to smolder as he gave a deep nod. “Shit,” Reno whispered under his breath, knowing he was about to lose—and maybe already had lost—himself in this gorgeous creature. Baker was about to become his life, his to protect and love, his lifelong companion. There was going to be no other for Reno.
Baker was it.
But he couldn’t find it in himself to regret a lonely love life that had consisted of random lovers. His coyote was panting, ready to settle down with this one human being.
And so was Reno. He still wasn’t sure why his beast didn’t want to stalk like his kind always did when finding their mate, but Reno wasn’t going to waste his time trying to figure it out. Baker was his and he was going to claim the man.
Reaching between his mate’s parted legs, Reno used two well-lubed fingers to spear inside Baker’s tight ass. Baker gasped, clenching his fingers tighter into Reno’s shoulders as he worked the flesh, stretching the muscle he was going to soon take.
Reno watched the volley of emotions that flickered across Baker’s face, the way his body tensed and then relaxed as he listened to the sounds falling from the man’s parted lips. Baker’s knees drew toward his chest, his legs falling to the sides as Reno inserted a third finger.
The image of Baker underneath him was seared into Reno’s mind as he pulled his hand back. He wanted to remember this moment, the moment when he claimed Baker for his own. With a growl Reno removed his fingers to a soft whine of distress that was quickly replaced by mewls of encouragement as the broad head of his erection was pushed up against Baker’s glistening and pulsating entrance.
Reno felt Baker’s body welcome him with a searing heat and slick tightness as he inched his cock inside. They both groaned at the same time.
He wanted to give his mate time to adjust to his invasion, but Reno couldn’t control his body. His hips began to thrust his cock hard inside Baker, the pleasure so damn good he wanted to howl from it.
Reno grabbed Baker’s legs, pushing them back as he rocked his body, his eyes going to where they were joined together, watching in amazement as Baker’s body sucked him in. “You feel so good.” Reno’s fingers gripped Baker’s legs tighter as he forced himself not to hurry, not to rush their first time.
Baker slipped one hand around Reno’s neck, the other still on his shoulder as he pulled Reno down for a kiss. Reno ravaged his mate’s mouth with the passion that was coursing through him.
Soon, his thrusts increased, met in kind by Baker. His mate spread his legs wider, inviting Reno to go faster. And he did. Reno was soon alternating between quick thrusts and slow, rhythmic moves. He was touching Baker anywhere his hands skimmed, pinching and teasing his mate’s nipples as he plunged his cock, and tongue, deeper.
Reno damn near lost it when Baker tightened his inner muscles around his cock. The vise-grip sensation made Reno pause as he shuddered.
“You like that?” Baker did it again, and then again. “You do, don’t you?”
“Fuck yeah,” Reno answered and then swatted his hand on Baker’s ass. “And I know you like that.”
Baker’s eyes rolled to the back of his skull, a small whimper escaping. Reno was utterly fascinated with the man. Baker was so responsive, letting Reno know with the noises—and expressions—that he loved everything Reno was doing to him. Grabbing Baker’s legs, Reno wrapped them around his waist as he moved his lips from Baker’s mouth to his neck, licking at the skin where he was going to sink his canines. His mate’s moans were growing louder, signaling his approaching release.
Reno gave one hard thrust, at the same time his teeth cut into Baker’s flesh. They sank deep as Reno grabbed Baker’s cock, feeling the erection pulsing in his hand as Baker cried out.
Reno’s eyes widened when he felt his body shatter like a thousand tiny shards of glass were raining down on him. And in that space inside of him, he felt Baker, really felt him, like deep within him. His mate’s presence danced around Reno, teasing him, laughing before racing toward Reno so their lives could meld together and become one.
Reno grunted as he moved faster, deeper, and harder in his mate’s body, prolonging Baker’s pleasure as he fought to find his own climax. Baker was writhing under him, clutching at Reno, pulling at his body. Reno released Baker’s cock, pounding into soft flesh, growling into Baker’s shoulder as his seed filled his mate’s ass.
Baker was his.
The mating dance was complete.
Chapter Eight
Baker smiled, feeling Reno watching him. The man was damned and determined to get this stalking thing right. He was nothing if not persistent. Baker didn’t think anything wrong with him, but arguing that point to Reno was like talking to a brick wall.
Letting his fingers touch the spines of the books, Baker walked down the aisle of the bookstore at a leisurely pace. At first, Baker had thought the man crazy for stalking him. Who in their right mind made that conscious decision?
But the more he got to know Reno, the more Baker saw a lost little boy inside the man. His mate was following the rules set down by generations in his pack that dictated what was supposed to happen in a mating dance. The dance was complete, but his mate was on some crazy kick about what should have happened. Baker thought Reno just enjoyed the damn game of stalking.
He also thought Reno’s belief that something was wrong with his coyote was ludicrous. No one could predict how someone fell in love. There were no set rules or guidelines, no boundaries, and no two couples were alike. His pack needed to teach their damn kids that lesson. Love did what it wanted to do and damn anyone else who tried to predict how it should act.
Grabbing a slim book from the shelf, Baker read the back cover, but his thoughts weren’t fully into what he was reading. It was split between the contents of the book and Reno. Okay, more of his mind was on Reno than what he held in his hand.
Placing the book back on the shelf, Baker strode toward the front of the store, waved bye to the man behind the counter, and pushed open the door to walk outside. Gazing up
toward the sky, he could see the fading sun and the onset of dusk. It was a beautiful night, magical, and Baker felt that magic wrap around him like a wondrous blanket.
He wanted to play Reno’s game.
It was a night that seemed to be filled with romance. Did he just think that? God, falling in love turned him into a poetic idiot. Baker shook his head at his random thoughts and strolled slowly down the street. Reno was still following. He could feel it in his very bones. The man was right when he said they had a bond. Baker couldn’t explain it, but he could feel the energy coming from his mate.
Reno wasn’t too far behind him.
Continuing to stroll slowly, he spotted a gazebo with a small patch of woods behind it.
Perfect.
Baker walked into the diner, deciding he needed something to drink as he stargazed. That and he was prolonging their game. He glanced over his shoulder, staring out of the big glass window, but he didn’t see anyone on the street.
But he knew Reno was there.
The knowledge made him feel flushed with a warmth that radiated throughout his body. He wanted to dance in place, whoop, and tell everyone in the diner he had one of the hottest mates on the planet.
But he curbed the urge, walking to the counter instead. No, he practically bounced over to it. The smells in the diner were alluring to his empty stomach. Braised meat, butter, garlic, all filled his lungs, but Baker was too wound up to eat.
“What’ll it be?” Keata asked as he walked over to Baker, a friendly smile on his smooth face.
“I’ll just take a smoothie today, Keata. Make it strawberry and kiwi.”
Baker tried his hardest to suppress the grin that seemed like it couldn’t be contained. His foot was tapping, and all he wanted to do was get back out there so Reno could continue his little game.
Their game.
“The bathroom is in the back.”
Baker frowned at Keata. “I don’t have to go.”
Keata’s dark eyes held Baker in place. “But you’re bouncing all around.”
Was he? Now that Keata had pointed it out, Baker realized his feet seemed not to be able to stay still. He paid for his smoothie and thanked Keata before damn near bursting back outside. Scanning the area, Baker still couldn’t spot Reno.
The man was good. Checking both ways for traffic, Baker crossed the street and headed toward the gazebo. He tried to calm his racing heartbeat as his nerves felt like they were being stretched. Baker wanted to shout for Reno to show himself, to kiss him once more.
But he just took a seat on the natural wood of the bench and sipped at his drink, his eyes sweeping over the town streets. Baker had been born and raised here. He remembered at one time when this place seemed almost like a ghost town. It was good to see how much it was prospering. He knew a lot of the families who called this place home, and it would do them a world of good to find jobs and make a better life for themselves.
His ears perked up when he heard a twig snap somewhere behind him. Baker remained casual, pretending he hadn’t heard it. He turned, giving the woods his back. A tingle shot down his spine when he felt heat scorching his backside.
“Someone so innocent shouldn’t be out here all by himself. There are predators waiting for foolish ones to prey on.”
The sound of Reno’s baritone voice sank into Baker. His body wasn’t unaffected. His cock began to fill with the arousal that coursed through him. “Who says I’m by myself?” Baker asked without turning around.
He felt warmth at his neck, a slow breath tickling across his skin. “I don’t see anyone else here but you.”
God, he was going to pass out from the excitement alone. If Reno had been a true stalker, someone with ill intent, Baker would have been long gone by now. But it was his mate, teasing him, playing a game that was turning them both on. “My mate is close by. You better watch out. He will eat you if you don’t stop bothering me.”
A finger traced the nape of Baker’s neck, making Baker’s breath stutter as he closed his eyes to let the feeling of pure sensuality wash over him. His drink was forgotten, and so was the world around him. Nothing registered in his mind except the man behind him.
“He sounds deadly.”
“He is.”
Baker’s back arched when he felt Reno’s hot lips touching his skin. A pulse of longing shot through him. His appetite was renewed, and all Baker wanted was for Reno to take him right here under the stars.
“Maybe I’ll do away with him and keep you for my own.” Teeth, long and sharp, scraped down his shoulder. Baker’s body swayed as he tilted his neck to the side, wanting more and inviting Reno to go further.
The man had awakened something inside Baker, a sexuality that demanded to be sated, a promise of unhindered passion that he now craved like a drug. He was no longer blasé about sex. He wanted to explore, to touch, to surrender himself to the strong power of Reno Davis, firefighter, coyote shifter, his mate.
Tossing the game to the wind, Baker reached behind him to grab Reno behind the neck, pulling the man closer, wanting to feel his mate bite him and show the world that Baker was his once more.
Strong hands skimmed up his stomach as Reno pressed his capacious chest into Baker’s back. His fingers curled into his jeans as one of Reno’s hands moved upward and then ran up his throat, his mouth so close to Baker’s face that he could smell cinnamon on his mate’s breath. He saw Reno’s canine teeth right before he sank them into Baker’s shoulder.
Pure liquid pleasure spread through his body like a fire out of control, making his cock explode in the fabric of his jeans as Baker shuddered and slumped into Reno.
“Now you belong to me, my innocent little human.”
A wobbly smile pulled at Baker’s mouth as he enjoyed the pleasure still coursing through him. “I’ll let my coyote know that.”
“What the hell are you doing?”
Baker shot up so fast that the top of his head slammed under Reno’s jaw. Pain exploded in his skull as he glanced at his father who was standing on the sidewalk, looking at Baker with such anger that he felt like he was sixteen all over again. Seeing his father standing there killed any lingering orgasmic feelings Baker had tingling through him.
Reno gave a low snarl behind him. His mate didn’t know this stranger was Baker’s dad. He advanced, taking lethal strides in his father’s direction.
“Reno, no.” Baker grabbed his mate’s arm, pulling him back. “It’s my dad.”
“Answer me,” his father said as he began to head Baker’s way. “I thought I taught you better than to act this way in public.”
Baker wanted to crawl under a rock as he watched his father approach. This was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life. He could just feel it. The expression on his dad’s face was murderous. “Explain yourself.”
Baker was grasping for words that were quickly eluding him. He was drawing a blank. What could he say? His father knew nothing about shifters, so he couldn’t tell him Reno was his mate. As far as his dad was concerned, it looked like Baker was just getting it on with some guy in the town gazebo.
That was exactly what he had been doing, but Baker knew no one was around. Reno was too careful and wouldn’t let anyone witness their intimacy. That was until his dad showed up.
“Dad, this is Reno.” Baker waved a hand at his mate’s chest. “My, uh, boyfriend.”
His dad gave Reno a withering glare as he raked his eyes over him. Baker had a feeling Reno came up short in his dad’s eyes. The man was not an easy person to please since Baker’s mother died. Accepting Reno wasn’t going to be in the cards.
“You think it’s all right to molest my son in public?”
“No, sir,” Reno answered. Baker could tell his mate was holding back and he appreciated the effort. Most grown men wouldn’t allow another to talk down to them that way. Reno was standing there taking it and Baker owed him big-time. “I was merely giving him a kiss to show your son how much I care about him.”
“T
hat looked like more than a kiss to me.”
“Dad,” Baker said, wishing he could cover his face and make the man go away. “Please.” He really didn’t have to answer to his father. Baker was a grown man. But even though his dad had changed, Baker still respected him.
He just hoped like hell they didn’t get into another one of their arguments that seemed to happen a lot lately. Not with Reno here to witness it.
His dad grunted and turned, but not before saying over his shoulder, “Stop acting like a harlot in public.” He strode away and Baker noticed his dad’s car parked by the diner.
Fuck! He wanted to shout his frustrations as he watched his father drive away in his battered old car. Was there anything he could do to make the man proud of him? Getting caught with Reno sure as shit hadn’t scored him any brownie points.
“Nice guy,” Reno commented, although Baker could hear the suppressed resentment in his tone. “A little uptight though.”
“You have no idea,” Baker muttered as he looked away, a pulse of anger skittering along his spine. He was going home where he could wallow in misery. Walking away, he had the urge to kick something. What had started out as a beautiful, playful evening had ended in a mood-killing funk for him. He just wanted to be left alone right now.
“I’ll walk you home.” Reno matched his strides as Baker walked with angry steps down the almost deserted street.
“I don’t need anyone to walk me home,” he bit out, feeling the fury mount at what his father had just done to him. “I just need some time to myself.”
Reno slowed, his expression inscrutable. “No problem.”
Baker turned to tell his mate he was just in a pissy mood from an unreasonable father, but Reno was nowhere in sight. Baker swore before he pinched his lips together. That was all he needed, an offended mate. Great. His night was ending with a bang.
With a heavy sigh, he turned back around and began to walk home. On the way, he let a slew of curse words fly from his mouth, uncaring if anyone heard him.
He rolled the thoughts over and over in his mind, trying to figure out a way to get his dad off of his back and Reno to forgive him for being mean to the guy. He should have reined in his emotions before he took them out on Reno. All his mate had been trying to do was be there for him.
