“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.
They weren’t bad demands.
They were purely sexual.
His cock beat out a pulse at the thoughts now entering his mind. Damn. He needed to get a grip. Pulling his motorcycle in front of Sweet Delight, he cut the engine and stood. Reno tucked his helmet under his arm, heading into the bakery when he spotted the cop who had harassed him yesterday.
He stood by his cruiser as he gave Reno a smirk and a nod. He wasn’t sure what that was about. Had Baker called the cops on him again? There was only one way to find out. The thought spiked his anger as he walked inside, the aroma of baking bread once again surrounding him.
“Harass him when he gets off of work at five,” Kenway said from behind the counter, his blue eyes narrowing on Reno. “We’re backed up as it is.”
That wasn’t Reno’s problem. “He does take lunch breaks, doesn’t he?”
Kenway gave a heavy sigh as he nodded. “He can have forty-five minutes. But I really do need him back here.”
Reno could hear the sincerity in the buffalo’s tone. “I’ll have him back here on time.”
“Baker!” Kenway shouted.
Reno watched as his mate walked from the back room, his apron and face filled with what appeared to be flour. He smothered a grin at the state of his mate. The man was adorable.
“Reno is here to take you to lunch. Be back by one.”
Baker looked unsure as he gazed at Reno. It was almost as if the man hadn’t believed Reno this morning when he said he would be here for lunch. He had to quickly push the image of cornering his mate out of his mind. He didn’t care if he stood there with a hard-on. Hell, he didn’t care if he stood there naked.
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
