“Would you mind refilling the cooler?” Bear asked.
“No problem,” Bailey said as he set his beer bottle down and hopped up from his chair. “Where’s the stash?”
“Spencer will show you.”
Bailey walked inside and spotted Spencer talking to Johnny, Blair, and Randy. All four were laughing and chatting. Bailey weaved through the crowded kitchen until he made it over to Spencer. If Bear was going to keep hosting cookouts, the guy needed a bigger place.
“Hey, Spence. Bear wants me to refill the cooler.”
“You’ll have to get the extra drinks from the back of his truck.”
Bailey nodded and headed toward the front door. Once he was at the truck, he began to lift the cases of beer from the bed of the truck. He spotted Jordan on the front porch talking to someone Bailey had never met before.
The stranger was just as good-looking as Jordan. Bailey tried not to stare. He wasn’t interested. No, not at all. He stacked the four cases on the ground, knowing he was going to have to make a couple trips. Not all of it was beer. There was a case of orange soda and a case of bottled tea.
Bailey grabbed two cases and headed toward the front door. He could feel Jordan watching him but the man didn’t say a word. And here Bailey thought he would never see the guy again. This made for an awkward situation, considering how much of an ass he had made of himself last night.
Unloading the first two cases into the cooler, Bailey went back for the other two. This time when he stepped outside, he noticed another guy had joined Jordan and the stranger. The newcomer had boyish good looks, was slim, and was cuddled into the first stranger.
He grabbed the other two cases he had left on the ground by the truck, swearing that he felt the people on the porch watching him. When he turned to head back inside, he knew he had been right. All three sets of eyes were on him.
Bailey gave a polite smile as he walked past the three. Jordan had probably told the other two what an ass Bailey was. Since he now knew that Jordan was friends with some of the guys at the station, maybe Bailey needed to extend an olive branch.
Once he had the cooler fully packed, Bailey tossed out the empty cartons. He sat back down in his seat and grabbed his beer from the ground. No one was on the back porch. Bear was now inside talking with everyone.
Just as he began to indulge in his moment of solitude, Jordan stepped onto the back porch. Bailey thought the man was going into the cooler, but the mechanic walked past the cooler and dropped into the chair next to Bailey.
God, this is awkward.
Jordan didn’t say anything. He just sat there. Bailey wasn’t sure if he should strike up a conversation or leave well enough alone. The guy’s thick frame filled his seat and then some as he gazed into the forest. Bailey continually snuck covert peaks at the arrestingly handsome guy.
Now that they were in broad daylight, Bailey noticed a few tattoos on the man’s left upper arm.
He groaned.
Could Jordan be any more delicious or tempting? Bailey needed to get out of there. Even though he was on the back porch, there didn’t seem to be enough air. He smiled politely at Jordan as he got up and walked inside. He was going to make his excuses to Bear and then bail the hell out of here.
Even though he was going to stop being an ass toward Jordan, that didn’t mean Bailey was capable of handling the guy right now. Jordan was like a quiet rainstorm, lulling and peaceful to be around.
If Bailey wasn’t very careful, Jordan would have him. And that was the last thing Bailey needed.
Chapter Two
Jordan watched his mate run from him. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment. Someone had crushed Bailey’s heart and the only thing Jordan could do was be patient and slowly work his way into Bailey’s life.
“I just saw your mate take off,” Rio said. His cousin took a seat next to him, Fire—Rio’s mate—sitting on Rio’s lap. “You told me it was bad, but now that I’ve seen what you’re talking about…damn. What are you going to do?”
If only Jordan knew. Bailey had a steel wall built around him—impenetrable. The human’s body language practically screamed fuck off. He could see that he was in for a rough ride. “Be patient,” he answered honestly. “That’s all I can do.”
He had no choice. Pushing Bailey would do more harm than good. The man wasn’t ready and Jordan wasn’t going to force the guy to be with him. As much as Jordan wanted to touch his mate, kiss him, and hold him, he was going to have to approach this slowly. Taking his time wasn’t a problem. Jordan just hoped he wasn’t wasting it. Bailey was as unreachable right now as the stars.
“Whoa,” Bear said as he walked onto the back porch, his eyes locking with Jordan’s. “Did I hear you correctly? Bailey is your mate?”
Jordan nodded. He really didn’t know the bear shifter all that well. Jordan had only moved to Brac Village about two months ago and was still getting to know everyone. The guys at the fire station seemed like a pretty nice group of men. The firefighters seemed open and friendly—all except Bailey, the one man Jordan desired the most.
Bear sighed deeply as he ran a hand over his head. Jordan could tell the man had something on his mind and his gut told him he wasn’t going to like what the bear shifter had to say. “Claiming him isn’t going to be easy.”
No shit. Jordan had already figured that much out by the frigid way Bailey acted toward him. He had a
