Kissing Reno(Brac Village 3)(10)

Baker pressed his hands into Reno’s chest to push him away and found himself panting at the tight flesh beneath his fingers. God, he would really love to see the man without a shirt—no he wouldn’t. Damn it. Baker was supposed to be ignoring Reno, not lusting after him.

Baker cast Reno a dark scowl. “I’m contemplating how to get you to leave me alone.”

“Right,” Reno said with a wink, moving his body just a little closer. “Tell me you don’t want me.”

This time Baker managed to push on Reno’s chest. “Get away from me, Reno. I’m going to be late.”

Reno played with a strand of Baker’s hair, his look predatory and challenging. “I can give you a ride on my motorcycle.”

Fat chance. “No thanks.”

Reno pushed away from the wall, giving Baker room to move away. He took the opportunity quickly as he headed for the door.

“See you at lunch,” Reno called out as Baker hurried away. Gah, he really was losing it. Baker’s heart actually skipped a beat thinking about seeing Reno later. There was no way this game was thrilling him. Yes, Reno was gorgeous as sin. But the man didn’t play with a full deck. Baker didn’t need a man who thought stalking was equivalent to courtship.

But he had a feeling getting rid of Reno was going to be impossible.

Ya think? He’s your mate whether you choose to believe it or not. Get used to this.

Baker ground his teeth. Should he be thrilled, scared, angry, or committed? He wasn’t sure how he should feel. But one thing was very clear to him.

Reno wasn’t going away.

Honestly, he wanted to give in just to know what it would feel like to have such a powerful man as a lover. Baker was pretty certain Reno wouldn’t disappoint between the sheets. But Kenway had said Reno didn’t want an easy conquer. So no matter what Baker wanted, he had to let Reno chase him.

Resigning himself to playing Reno’s game, Baker walked past the feedstore, seeing the cop that had talked with Reno yesterday. He was standing there with another cop, presumably his partner, having a heated discussion.

Baker moved down the street quickly. He’d never had a run-in with the law and he didn’t want to start now. They didn’t know it was him who had called in the complaint yesterday. Baker had called anonymously. Still, he hurried toward work.

Being late was never a good thing, even if he had a cool boss. Baker could always tell Kenway that Reno had cornered him and the buffalo wouldn’t be mad he was late, but Baker quickened his steps. No matter the reason, it would still make him look like a slacker—at least in his own eyes.

And then Baker thought about his father. It hurt like a bitch to see the disappointment in the man’s eyes. It seemed nothing he did appeased the guy. Baker had all but given up trying to do things to make his father proud of him. He had thought once he got the job at the bakery that his dad would soften, but he hadn’t. His dad went from harping about a job to constantly telling Baker he better not fuck this up.

Baker had no idea why his father had started looking at him as a loser. He had graduated high school and tried finding work right after that. But jobs had been scarce in Brac Village and he didn’t have reliable transportation to go outside the village to look for work.

His father should have understood this. But instead, he had gotten so sour that Baker had scrounged the money together to get his own place. He barely could afford the apartment let alone the utilities. Internet and a cell phone were luxuries he couldn’t afford, and groceries were barely lining his cupboard and fridge.

Baker rushed into the shop, working his way around the customers, and headed toward the back. Kenway had been busy behind the counter, and Baker hoped the man hadn’t noticed he was two minutes late.

“Need you up front this morning,” Kenway called after him.

So much for going unnoticed.

Baker put his apron on as he walked back to the counter. When the bell above the door jingled, he saw the cop that had been standing by the feedstore walk in, his strides filled with arrogance as he glanced around. His eyes swept the room until they fell on Baker.

Anonymous or not, Baker had a feeling the guy knew he had called yesterday. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but the look told Baker he was now in the cop’s sights.





Chapter Four




Reno throttled down as he entered Brac Village on his motorcycle. He had spent the better part of an hour riding the back roads, trying his best to clear his mind of images that were barraging him, almost making him go to the bakery and take his mate right there, in front of everyone.

It seemed the longer the dance continued, the harder it was to stay away from Baker and those sweet kissable lips he possessed. Not only was his coyote exhilarated at the chase, but Reno was trying to give the man time to get used to him, his presence, and the demands he would put on his mate.