Bear leaned on the frame of the door and hitched his thumbs into his pants pockets, his legs slightly bent, at a semi-wide stance. He looked relaxed. “Anything I should be worried about?”
Reno wasn’t sure why he had been worried in the first place. Bear was one of those men who didn’t like to talk about feelings and all that other crap—straight to the point. What needed to be done and what he could do to help, that was all he wanted to know.
“Nothing yet,” he answered honestly. Not only was Reno puzzled over his behavior and deviation from the mating dance, the pesky cop was on his mind as well. “But I’ll send you a memo if things change.”
Bear gave Reno one of his deep laughs. “You do that. Until then, try getting the rest of the truck finished.”
Reno gave a nod as he turned back around. He noticed the one shiny area he had been meticulously wiping. Gah, his mind was not into this right now. It was scattered all over the place.
“Hey,” Travis said as he stuck his head into the bay. “Someone’s here to see you.”
Reno frowned as he tossed his cleaning rag aside and headed for the door. Before he could reach it, Baker appeared. His hands were clasped in front of him as he gazed everywhere but at Reno. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”
Yes he did. The man may be standing there biting his beautiful lip, looking uncertain, but he had intentionally sought Reno out. His coyote was confused, but Reno just smiled. “No intrusion.”
Baker stepped into the bay and Reno watched his mate closely, glad he was here, but wondering what made him come. He didn’t say a word, waiting to see what Baker was going to say.
“I’ve never been in a fire station before.”
“Care for a tour?”
Baker bounced forward on his toes as his eyes seemed to glow. “You can do that?”
Reno wasn’t sure what had gotten into the man. Baker was usually surly and always had a smart-ass comeback. He didn’t trust this new side he was seeing. “Yeah,” he answered slowly. “I can do that.”
Leading the way out of the bay, Reno showed him around. They visited the kitchen, the media area—which was in the same room with just a small divider—then led him down the hallway lined with red metal lockers. “This is the shower room,” he said as he opened the door and showed him where the men took their showers.
He saved the bunk room for last. There were six beds in the room—if one could even call them beds. They had plain wooden frames and a thick mattress, a small nightstand sat on the side of each. There was a door at one end and windows on either side.
“You sleep here?”
“Sometimes my shift is forty-eight hours. I sleep in here on that rotation.” Reno sat down the on bed closest to the door by the hallway, pulling Baker down beside him. “Tell me what brings you here.”
When Baker’s eyes flickered to the open door, Reno got up and shut it, making sure it was locked. He rejoined his mate on the bed. “Better?”
If anything, Baker looked tenser now than when the door was open. “I figured we should get to know each other since we’re mates. I wanted to invite you to dinner.”
His mate’s words were echoing his thoughts from earlier. It was on the tip of Reno’s tongue to ask Baker over for dinner, but he couldn’t get the words past his lips. It just didn’t seem right. Reno knew he was supposed to be pursuing his mate, not inviting him over for dinner. Maybe he needed to call his dad and find out if something was wrong with his coyote.
But until then…
Leaning to the side, Reno nuzzled his face into his mate’s neck, giving a low growl of approval when he smelled the familiarity of Baker. He could feel his heart beating faster and his blood heating up just from pressing his lips into his mate’s soft skin. His insides were vibrating in anticipation of kissing his mate once more. There was no way Baker was getting out of here until Reno at least tasted those beauties.
Reaching his arm around Baker, Reno pulled him closer. This was the first time they were alone, no crowd, no one to stop them. The temperature in the room seemed to climb a few degrees as he touched and explored Baker’s sculpted frame.
God, he wanted to feel Baker touching him in the same way. Reno grabbed his mate’s hand and led it to his back, coaxing the man to touch him.
“W–Won’t you get into trouble?” Baker asked as his fingers curled into Reno’s shirt, giving the fabric a light tug.
In that moment, Reno had clarity of why Baker had shown up. His mate had been hoping for this. Baker wanted Reno to touch him, to kiss him. The knowledge that his mate wanted him just as much as Reno wanted the human propelled him forward. Baker’s back hit the bed as Reno crawled over him, trapping the man underneath him and showing his dominance. “No. The chief knows we are in the middle of our mating dance. He won’t interfere.” And if anyone else bothered them, Reno was going to rip their fucking heads off.
Reno pressed his body into Baker’s, his erection firm as it touched Baker’s upper thigh. He wanted the man to know exactly how he affected Reno. His skin felt tight and achy as he stared down at eyes darker than sapphire. They intensified, and the dark lashes that ringed the blazing fire only made them look even more spectacular. Dipping his head, Reno captured the lips he had been dying to taste since his
