Kissing Reno(Brac Village 3)(7)

Nicely shaped. Very bitable.

“Hey,” Travis said as he dropped down next to Reno. “Hear you found your mate.”

Reno growled at Bear’s big mouth. “Does everyone know or did Bear post it up by the reception area?”

Travis grinned. “Nah, he just put a memo out.”

Reno gaped at his fellow firefighter.

“Just kidding,” Travis said, the big grin still in place. “Chief just told me I might be picking up your slack.”

Reno wanted to strangle the bear shifter, but was thankful at the same time that he wouldn’t have to explain to Travis why he was disappearing. He had to remember that he was no longer in a big city. People in small towns tended to gossip and were close knit. He loved and hated that fact at the same time. Reno had no family, so the camaraderie he had found here was new, refreshing, but the nosiness, not so much. He was a private man who liked his life to stay his, not the front-page news.

“Oh, stop right there,” Travis said when Reno paused on a channel. “I love the cooking channel. You can find some damn good recipes on there.”

Reno tossed Travis the remote. “Have fun.”

“Where you going?” Travis asked.

Out of my mind. “Need some air.”

Travis gave him a strange look and then smiled. “Good luck with your air.”

Reno had only planned on walking while clearing his mind and getting his raging hormones under control. What he hadn’t expected was to find himself back at Baker’s. It seemed his coyote had a mind of its own.

Tonight Reno was going to let Baker get his rest and let the knowledge that he was about to be hunted be absorbed by the man’s mind, picking up the hunt in the morning.

Again, his coyote seemed to have a mind of its own.

It was panting to see Baker once more, even if it was just a glimpse. Reno knew knocking on his mate’s door would only freak the guy out. There was no way he could see Baker tonight.

After about ten minutes of sitting on the front step, Reno saw a cop car pull up to the curb. He wasn’t sure if they were just checking him out or if—did his mate call the cops on him? Looking over his shoulder at the window that belonged to Baker, Reno saw the blinds slip back into place.

His fury exploded inside of him. His mate had called the cops on him! Reno was both pissed the fuck off and impressed. Well, his coyote was beaming with approval that his mate wasn’t an easy catch. God, he was so deranged.

Both cops stepped out of the car, slowly approaching him like they had all the time in the world. Reno stood, dusting his ass off as he eyed both men. He hated cops more than he disliked wolves. “Evening,” he said, although it was only around three in the afternoon.

“We got a complaint that someone was hanging around out front who didn’t live here,” the cop to his right said. “You live here?”

Damn, they were fast. Where Reno had come from, the cops would have taken five hours to respond to a nonthreatening call.

If they had showed up at all.

It seemed Brac Village took every call seriously. “No, I was tired and decided to rest.”

“This is private property you’re resting your ass on.”

Reno took an automatic disliking to—he glanced at the name on the badge—Officer Johnson. The cop seemed full of himself, like he was a badass just because he wore a badge and carried a gun. Reno had met a few men like Johnson. They were always just this side of the law. He wouldn’t be surprised if the guy was dirty.

“I didn’t know that,” Reno lied. “I’ll be on my way.”

The cop put his hand up, the palm touching Reno’s chest. He barely managed to pull in the growl that threatened to erupt. He didn’t like anyone touching him, especially when all he had been doing was sitting on a step. “Let me see some ID.”

Reno locked eyes with the pompous asshole and then reached for his wallet. He pulled it free and dug his driver’s license out. He handed it to the cop.

“You look familiar,” Johnson’s partner said. “Where have I seen you before?”

“Probably a mug shot photo,” Johnson said as he scanned Reno’s license and then used the radio attached to his side to call in Reno’s information.

He really didn’t like this cop. “Firehouse,” Reno answered the second cop.

“Hey, Johnson, he’s a fireman. Let him go.”

Johnson didn’t look impressed. He took a few steps away from Reno as he waited for dispatch to come back with his information. They wouldn’t find anything. Reno was clean. It just pissed him off that Johnson was taking this so seriously.

What a fucking prick.

His partner gave Reno an apologetic shrug.