“Haven’t seen you around here before,” the guy said as he grabbed a box from a shelf and began to construct the thing.
“Just transferred to the fire station,” Reno answered as he took in the way the guy’s muscles flexed as he worked. The shifter had one hell of an upper body.
“Name’s Kenway.” The man stuck out his hand after setting the box down.
Reno gazed at the hand for a moment and then gave it a firm shake. Kenway must have noticed his hesitancy. “Buffalo.”
“What?” Reno asked as he glanced up into the guy’s eyes. “What was that?”
Kenway leaned on the shiny counter, his arms seeming to double in size. “You’re trying to figure out what I am. I’m a buffalo shifter.”
Reno had never met a buffalo shifter before. He hadn’t even known they existed. He was a reserved man by nature, had always been that way. He used caution when meeting someone until he got to know them, and then he usually had a friend for life. Finding out Kenway was a large predator gave Reno pause. “Coyote,” he offered in return.
Kenway gave a nod as he stood straight. “So, did you want all the same or a variety?”
“What?” Reno asked. God, he was starting to sound daft even to himself. He was studying the man like he had never seen another human being in his life. He wasn’t sure what fascinated him so much about Kenway. His coyote was sizing the guy up, but Reno was wondering what he would look like in his shifted form.
“Donuts,” Kenway said as his eyes increased in intensity. Reno could tell the guy was getting irritated. He tore his stare away from the buffalo and glanced at the glass case.
“It doesn’t matter. They’re for the firehouse.” Reno wasn’t going to be eating them. He turned, glancing over the bakery, forcing himself not to outright gawk at the man. He tried his best to regain the cool composure he had before he realized Kenway was a shifter.
Pulling his hands from his jeans, Reno glanced at the shelf with the fresh breads. Now these he could eat all day long. Heated up with some butter…Reno would be in heaven. He grabbed two loaves, one French bread, the other plain white. His mother used to make fresh bread every Saturday when he was growing up. To smell the fresh loaves made him feel nostalgic. That reminded him, he needed to call her and let her know he had settled into Brac Village. She would worry about him if he didn’t. “I’ll take these as well.”
When Kenway didn’t say anything, Reno knew he had offended the guy. He wasn’t trying to be an outright prick, but he didn’t apologize either. It wasn’t every day he ran into a buffalo. Kenway couldn’t blame him for his curiosity.
“Here you go,” Kenway said as he set the box on the counter and rang everything up. Just as Reno dug into his back pocket for his wallet, another more subtle scent tickled his nose. It was too light to even make out, so he simply ignored it. Reno just wanted to get the donuts and head into work. However, just as he pulled his wallet free, the scent suddenly became stronger. Reno stilled as the sweet aroma invaded his nose, forcing its way in and making it impossible to ignore.
“Hey, Kenway,” a human said as he walked from the kitchen. “Ronny got that order ready.”
“Thanks,” Kenway called out.
Reno was still standing there statue-still, his eyes raking over the guy who had come up front. He took in the short brown hair that held just the slightest of curls at the top and felt his mouth go as dry as cotton.
Reno dug the money out, handed it to Kenway, and then grabbed the things on the counter, avoiding glancing at the human. He walked out of the store with a mumbled, “Thanks.” The average-height human who had stood there glancing back at him with eyes the color of dark blueberries had no idea what had just happened. Reno’s fingers ached to run over the smooth skin that had just the right amount of muscle tone. He wanted to know every inch of that perfect body and stare into those azure eyes. An ache panged in his bones and jolted down to his loins. Reno burned like the heat of the desert on a hot day. Despite all his wants and desires, he forced himself to leave the shop and the man behind.
Once he was clear of the bakery, Reno took in a deep breath, clearing the scent from his lungs. His fingers gripped the box so tight that he almost crushed it in his hands as he remembered the soft, edible lips.
Sweet baby Jesus.
He had to get his head together. He also had to calm his coyote. Reno was five seconds away from tossing the box to the ground, going back inside, and taking the human down right there on the floor of the bakery, claiming his mate. The urge was so strong that his legs were aching from locking his muscles into place.
Instead of following his urge, he ran a hand down his face as he tried to calm his body and mind. This was unreal. He needed to think. There was no way he was going to claim the human right there in front of everyone. Not only would people think him crazy, but he would probably be arrested for all kinds of things. Reno wouldn’t have given a shit, but he was pretty sure the human would not appreciate being suddenly ravaged by someone he didn’t know.
Securing the box and small bag of bread to his motorcycle, Reno pulled his helmet on and swung his leg over. He desperately tried not to glance back inside the bakery, but inside he wondered if the human was watching him, curious about his abrupt departure.
His
