Sterling scooted over a sixteenth of an inch. “How about now?”
Riley groaned. This was going to be one long-ass ride. “I need you to move over by the door.”
“Why?”
“Because I need room to steer.” And he needed room away from his mate so his hard-on would go away. Having his mate sitting almost in his lap was playing havoc on his body, but toss in his mate’s scent and Riley was about to…what? Fuck the guy?
“Move over,” he grumbled.
Sterling audibly sighed as he unsnapped his seat belt.
Riley hit the brakes so fast that he had to sling his arm out to stop his mate from lurching forward into the windshield. “Why did you unsnap your seat belt? Don’t you know how dangerous it is to ride without one?”
“But you just told me to move over,” Sterling protested. “How can I move over if I’m strapped in?”
Riley ran a hand over his head and then pointed to the seat belt resting on the back of the truck seat. “Just put it on.”
Sterling eyed him warily as he scooted over and snapped his seat belt into place. “Is this better, Mr. Contradictor?”
“Mr. what—” Riley shook his head as he pulled the truck from the soft shoulder and started driving toward town again. He was not going to get into another debate with the man. Sterling was good for pulling Riley in and confusing the shit out of him.
Not today.
The skinny little guy could try and bait Riley all he wanted. Riley was not going to be pulled in. He just wasn’t. He refused. He needed all of his marbles intact. And that meant not letting Sterling—
“You’re passing the store,” Sterling said as he pointed toward the feedstore Riley was driving by.
“Shit,” he grunted as he hit the brakes, making the truck swerve slightly.
“Yeah, a seat belt is a good idea,” Sterling grumbled as he unsnapped his and slid out of the truck, slamming the door behind him.
“Where are you going?” Riley asked as he watched his mate walk around the front of his truck.
“I can walk the ten feet to the store. I’m not so sure you can drive it.” He turned, walking up onto the sidewalk and disappearing into the store.
Riley backed the truck up, and then parked it in the empty spot in front of the store. Pocketing his keys, Riley stepped into the feedstore and immediately growled. Sterling was laughing and talking with the man behind the counter like they were old friends. Sterling’s smile was so irresistibly devastating that Riley wanted to throw a blinder over the other man’s eyes so the stranger couldn’t witness the beautiful expression in them.
He marched over by the counter, pushing close to his mate without actually touching him, and stared indignantly at the man who had been flirting with Sterling and making his mate give him a smile that belonged solely to Riley.
The man tilted his head toward Riley, a friendly smile on his face. “How can I help you?”
By not flirting with my mate. “I have two orders to pick up.” And a cashier to knock the fuck out if the man didn’t stop ogling Sterling.
* * * *
Sterling could tell that Riley was ticked off. Maybe he had a chance with the bear after all. From the way Riley Lakeland had acted toward Sterling lately, he had thought the man didn’t want him. He had dodged Sterling at every turn, ignored him most of the time, and snapped at him when he did give Sterling the time of day.
The guy was a sourpuss and a gloomy man, but Sterling had been hoping that Riley would come around in his way of thinking and start to like him.
Since the first time Sterling laid eyes on Riley, he had been enamored. And then when Riley turned into a bear and protected Sterling? That was hot as hell.
Well, not the part where Riley turned into a bear, because thinking a bear was hot was gross, but when Riley turned back into a human and was buck-ass naked…
“Is there anything you need?” the man behind the counter asked Sterling. Oh, this man was so openly flirting that Sterling wanted to laugh at the scowl on Riley’s face.
Yeah, for Riley to notice me.
“Nope, I’m with him.” He chucked a thumb over his shoulder at the towering man behind him. Sterling knew men noticed him. Hell, even females flirted with him. He just was never comfortable with it.
“I have two orders for the Lakelands,” Riley said as he stole quick glances Sterling’s way. Gods, he could so get lost in those stormy grey eyes. Riley was this powerful, commanding, sexier-than-air man.
Wait, was air sexy?
Whatever.
The man was the total package, and Sterling wanted it all for himself. If only Sterling could get the stick out of Riley’s ass, they just might have a chance with each other. But he had a feeling the damn stick was lodged between the man’s butt cheeks like rebar in old cement, and it would take a miracle to pull it free.