by Lynn Hagen
Bailey was kind of feeling like his old self. Who knew one bout of sex would help wash away Harley? The only problem with what had taken place was the fact that Bailey was starting to develop feelings for Jordan.
He was torn between giving in to what Jordan wanted and protecting his heart. He never wanted to feel that kind of pain again.
Bailey had told Bear that he would give this a try, and that’s what he was going to do. He just wasn’t going to let his heart go until he was one hundred percent positive that Jordan wasn’t going to crush him.
They had a dinner date tonight and Bailey was looking forward to it. He just hoped Jordan didn’t kill anyone before they had a chance to eat this time. Just in case, Bailey headed toward the kitchen to grab some lunch.
“I have to know,” Travis said as he followed Bailey. “How did that mountainous man talk you into letting him claim you?”
“Don’t start, Travis. I’m just getting to know him. Jordan and I are only friends. Don’t even think about needling me as far as mating is concerned. I’m not ready for that.”
Travis cleared his throat but didn’t say any more. Bailey was surprised that his friend wasn’t all over him about letting Jordan mate with him. In the past year, Travis had tried his best to pull Bailey out of his depression. The guy should be talking nonstop about Jordan being Bailey’s mate.
The man’s quietness was a little off-putting but Bailey let it go. He had other things to think about besides Travis’s muteness. Like Jordan. It was as if some kind of switch had been flipped on inside of him. Bailey couldn’t get the handsome and muscular man off of his mind. All he kept thinking about was how he had run his hands through Jordan’s hair or the way Jordan had kissed and touched him.
Bailey’s body ached for the black panther. It was insane. They had only had sex one time, yet Bailey couldn’t stop thinking about it—thinking about Jordan. Gah, he was a mess. Bailey was starting to think that no matter how much he fought his attraction, he was going to fall hard for Jordan.
And the implications of that terrified the hell out of him.
Bailey, lost in his chaotic thoughts, almost dropped the jar of mayonnaise in his hand when the warning bell went off. He looked at the jar then at the meat and cheese piled on his sandwich.
“There goes lunch,” Bailey grumbled to himself as he put the mayonnaise away and then wrapped up his sandwich and stuck it in the fridge. At this rate, he was going to wither away to nothing.
He could see the other firefighters snapping on their turnout gear and grabbing their jackets. Bailey did the same. He grabbed his gear then ran to the fire truck, jumping on as it started to drive out of the station house.
He hadn’t been a firefighter all that long but he enjoyed his job. He liked knowing that he might be saving someone’s life or at least saving their possessions for them. Strangely enough, in most cases, it was the thing that would mean nothing to a burglar that usually meant the most to those that lost them. He couldn’t imagine losing every memory he had of his family due to a fire.
When the truck careened around a corner, Bailey started to slide forward out of his seat. Training took over and he grabbed the oh shit bar and held on for dear life. He liked fighting fires. He wasn’t so keen on riding in the fire truck at breakneck speeds.
Bailey was the first to jump down when the truck came to a halt. He stood there for a moment, totally confused. There was no smoke, no flames, nothing.
“What the hell is going on?” Reno asked, looking just as confused as Bailey. The house stood in complete silence, not a lick of flame or a puff of smoke in sight. Bailey scratched his head, trying to figure out what was going on when he heard something whizz past his head.
“Get down!” Bear shouted.
Bailey didn’t understand what was going on. Travis grabbed him and both men dropped to the ground. He heard another whizz and then a ping. It finally registered that someone was shooting at them.
Bailey covered his head, feeling the panic rise up inside of him. He had no clue why anyone would be shooting at them. He cringed, trying to crawl backward under the truck as the bullets kept coming.
“Why are we being shot at?” Bailey asked in a shrill tone.
“Fuck if I know,” Travis answered. “I haven’t slept with anyone’s husband…lately.”
Bailey gaped at Travis. “Are you serious?”
Travis shrugged.
Great, just great. Bailey was going to die because Travis was a horndog. That’s exactly what he wanted on his tombstone too. Just so everyone knew what an idiot Travis was. “You sleep with married men?”
“Never said I was perfect.”
Bailey wanted to punch the guy. He was already dealing with enough crap. He didn’t need to add Travis’s sordid life to the mix. He was half-tempted to throw his friend from under the truck and let the shooter have him.
Sirens could be heard far off and Bailey prayed the cops made it here in time. Bear must have called them. Bailey kept his head protected as shouting sounded all around him. He wasn’t a chicken by nature, but he knew a bullet was a bullet.
If he was hit by one of those, dead was dead.
The cop cars pulled up and chaos broke out. Bear warned Travis and Bailey to stay under the truck until the police gave the all clear. Bailey wasn’t going to argue with that. Thank fuck he wasn’t in full gear or he would have never fit under the truck in the first place.
After what felt like eons, Bear finally called for them to come out. Bailey scooted on his belly until he was clear, and then got to his feet. “Who was it?” he asked as he brushed a hand over his head, cursing when he saw how badly his hand was shaking.
“They haven’t found anyone,” Bear informed them. “We’re going to head back to the station while the cops do their job.”
Bailey was taken aback at Bear’s growl. One of the cops scowled at Bear and the chief flipped the cop off. “Fuckers think they can talk to me any way they want to.”
“I can haul you in!” the cop shouted at Bear.
“Try it,” Bear shouted back. “Just because you have a badge doesn’t mean you are god.”
Bailey climbed into the truck, ready to get out of there. He was shaking and needed time to himself to compose his nerves.
Bear stopped arguing and drove them back to the station. As soon as Bailey climbed from the truck and stripped his gear off, Jordan came rushing into the bay. He wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but Jordan pulled Bailey into his arms, crushing him with a tight hug before the man began to rub himself all over Bailey. A heated blush crept across his face when his fellow firefighters snickered.
“What are you doing?” Bailey hissed.
“Are you hurt?” Jordan asked as he continued to rub his body over Bailey’s. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that the man was marking him with his scent.
“No,” he answered. “Just a bit shaken up.”
“Get a room,” Flint shouted.
Bailey ignored the man as he pulled Jordan to the other side of the fire truck. Before he could say another word, Jordan planted a kiss on his lips that made Bailey’s cock ramrod straight. Jordan pushed Bailey’s back into the fire truck, inserting his knee between Bailey’s legs.
“Not here,” Bailey moaned, but made no move to stop Jordan. “Are you nuts?”
“Just worried,” Jordan said as he kissed Bailey along his jaw. “Did they catch the shooter?”
Bailey tilted his head to the side, giving Jordan plenty of room to explore with his tongue. “How did you know about the shooter?”
“Word travels fast.”
Apparently. It hadn’t even been thirty minutes and Jordan had found out. Bailey dropped his jacket to the cement floor as he wrapped his arms around Jordan’s neck. “Are you going to fuck me right here in the bay?”
Jordan purred. It was the sexiest damn sound Bailey had ever heard. It rumbled up Jordan’s chest, vibrating against Bailey. He wanted to hear it again. The g
uy’s hands were all over Bailey, touching him everywhere.
He’d never had anyone this happy to see him. He felt another part of his wall crumble as Jordan kissed and nuzzled his neck.
“I need to put things away,” Bailey insisted as he halfheartedly pushed at Jordan’s chest.
“They can wait,” Jordan said as he nuzzled a particularly sensitive spot under Bailey’s chin. “I can’t.”
Bailey felt Jordan’s tongue swipe over the tender skin right under his ear and melted into a puddle of goo. “Okay.”
He couldn’t believe he was doing this at work but he was slowly losing the will to care. The feeling of Jordan’s body pressed up against his, the man’s tongue licking over his skin, Jordan’s knee between his thighs—it was becoming more important than getting caught in a compromising position.
Jordan’s tongue stroked over the sensitive spot on Bailey’s shoulder where the man had bitten him the night before, and that was all it took. Bailey keened as his body went ramrod stiff, his cock thickening, aching so much it was close to pain, and he exploded.
“That’s it, sweetheart. Come for me.” Jordan’s sexy purr gave sound to the pleasure sweeping through Bailey’s body, adding to it and making it seem even more exotic. Of course, the way the man was humping his hips against him might have done it too.
Bailey’s mind was fogging, filled with ecstasy, but not hazy enough that he couldn’t figure out that he had come and Jordan had not. And the man needed to desperately if the steel pipe pressing against him was any clue.
Bailey reached down and palmed Jordan’s cock, squeezing it with his fingers. His eyes lifted to watch the pleasure moving across Jordan’s face in vivid detail. Had he ever seen a more stunning sight? Had anyone ever looked at him like he was the answer to all of their prayers?
Was this what it meant to be the center of someone’s universe?
Jordan’s lip suddenly curled back, a low growl emanating from somewhere deep inside of the man. His body stiffened until he looked like he was a statue made of marble. Bailey tightened his hand around the hard cock in Jordan’s pants and watched the man toss his head back and roar. Hot liquid saturated the front of Jordan’s pants, wetting Bailey’s hands through the thin denim material.
Bailey felt like a king.
He had done this. He had brought this gorgeous, lethal man so much pleasure that he came in his pants from a simple touch—in the middle of a firehouse. Bailey felt his face heat up as he realized what they had just done and where. Anyone could have walked around the side of the fire truck and seen them. And there was no way anyone could have misunderstood exactly what they were doing.
Bailey was so embarrassed.
“Don’t,” Jordan said vehemently as he grabbed Bailey’s jaw with his fingers. “Don’t ever be embarrassed by what is between us. I’m not.”
Bailey swallowed hard, some of his embarrassment fading under the weight of Jordan’s scrutiny. “You’re not?”
“I’d shout it to the world if you’d allowed me to.”
Bailey’s face flushed again but this time it wasn’t because he was embarrassed. Harley hadn’t exactly hidden their relationship but he hadn’t shouted it to the world either. Jordan seemed to want everyone to know that they were seeing each other.
They were seeing each other, weren’t they?
Bailey wasn’t sure.
He cocked his head to one side as he tried to read the strange emotion in Jordan’s amber eyes. “Are we dating?”
Jordan’s wide grin was sensuous and filled with promise that Bailey didn’t fully understand. “For now.”
What in the hell did that mean? Bailey let it go. He didn’t want to ruin this moment. He was still riding his high of making Jordan—a strong predator from what Bailey had learned so far—come in his pants.
“Are you done yet?”
Bailey jumped at Reno’s voice, trying to push Jordan off of him, but the guy kept a steel grip on him. Jordan wasn’t letting Bailey go just yet.
“Almost,” Jordan called out, and then tucking his fingers under Bailey’s chin, he lifted Bailey’s head, feathering a kiss over Bailey’s lips. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, my sweet Bailey.”
Bailey rolled his eyes. “I’ll try not to get shot at by a maniac again.” Like he could help it. He didn’t even know who the shooter was or why they had rained bullets at the firefighters.
Jordan nipped his lower lip. “Smart ass.”
Bailey groaned and then shoved harder at Jordan’s chest. “I really do need to get things put away.” And he needed to get cleaned up. His pants were sticky now. As if reading his mind, Jordan ran his knuckles over Bailey’s soft cock.
“I’ll be back for you later.”
“Dinner, right.” Bailey cleared his throat, feeling the awkwardness of what they had just done set in. Jordan gave a low chuckle as he kissed Bailey’s nose.
“You are so adorable when you blush.”
Bailey swatted at Jordan. “Go back to work while I change my clothes.”
The man’s rich laughter rang out in the bay as he gave Bailey one last kiss before walking away. Bailey just stood there for a moment, watching Jordan’s sweet backside and then he headed around the truck, every one of his fellow firefighters standing there grinning at him.
“Perverts.”
“It’s just good to see you happy again,” Flint replied. “You’re a handsome man when you smile.”
“Better not let Jordan hear you say that,” Reno warned. “The guy might just be a mechanic, but I have a feeling he’s pretty lethal when it comes to Bailey.”
Bailey ignored the men as he headed toward the showers. He didn’t know why everyone assumed that Jordan was so possessive of him. They were just friends right now. Okay, friends with benefits. Although Bailey truly enjoyed what he and Jordan had going, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that Jordan was that head over heels for him.
For fuck’s sake, they barely knew each other.
Bailey liked Jordan, a lot. But everyone made it sound as though Jordan would kill someone over him. That was ludicrous.
Bailey took a quick shower and changed, heading into the media room. Travis and Flint were in there, arguing over the remote. He solved their argument by snagging the remote out of Flint’s hand and dropping down in one of the chairs.
“What did you do that for?” Flint asked.
“Because I could,” Bailey answered, wiggling his eyebrows.
Travis laughed. “The old Bailey is back. It’s about damn time.”
Bailey thought so too. It felt good to shrug the blanket of depression and smile again. And as much as he would deny it if anybody said so, Bailey knew he owed it all to Jordan.
Chapter Six
“So, are you going to come over to my place?” Jordan asked as he finished off his meal. He had taken Bailey to the Lucky Clover for dinner and was now ready for dessert. Bailey being the dessert of course.
He had been terrified when Mark had come out into the bay and told Jordan about the shooting. Jordan never wanted to experience that level of fear again in his life. Even though Bailey had no clue that they were mated, the human had to feel their bond growing deeper.
He did.
Bailey shrugged nonchalantly but Jordan could see the spark of desire in his mate’s sage-green eyes. The man was more than interested. Jordan just couldn’t understand why Bailey was playing hard to get.
“I was thinking about just going home and crashing tonight,” Bailey said as he stabbed at his mashed potatoes.
Jordan sat his cloth napkin on the table and leaned forward, entwining his fingers together as he gazed at his mate. “Is that right?” It seemed Bailey wanted to tease and Jordan had no problem playing along.
“Yep.” Bailey shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
Jordan sat back, feigning indifference. “You could end your night that way. But don’t complain when you wake up in the middle of the night and I’m sliding i
nto your bed, naked.”
Bailey choked, covering his mouth as he stared wide-eyed at Jordan. “You would break into my house?”
Jordan gave the man a devilish smile. “Sweetheart, I would break in Fort Knox if you decided to sleep there.”
Wiping his mouth, Bailey chuckled. “I would really like to see that.”
The man seriously thought Jordan was playing. He wasn’t. Their bond was deepening and Jordan couldn’t stand to think of spending a night away from his mate. He knew he had to confess what he had done to Bailey.
The man deserved to know.
Jordan just wasn’t ready to be shot again. He had lost control, unintentionally mating Bailey, but he was pretty sure that his mate didn’t want to hear that. Bailey was still feeling Jordan out. If the human only knew how much Jordan desired him, wanted him, needed him.
The hunger was almost maddening.
“So are you coming home with me or am I breaking into your house?” Jordan took a sip of his wine as he waited on his mate to answer him.
“Somehow I have a feeling you would do just that,” Bailey stated as he set his fork down. “Since I don’t have to work tomorrow, I guess I can spend all night with you.”
Jordan grinned at the way Bailey made it sound so blasé. As if it were a true hardship. But Jordan knew better. He could practically smell the lust shimmering off of Bailey. He raised his hand for the check. Jordan wasn’t going to deny that he was just as hard for his mate.
The human was coming to mean the world to him. He just wished Bailey felt the same way. He knew it would take time, but knowing this was one-sided was frustrating as hell.
Jordan paid the bill and then walked with Bailey out of the restaurant.
“Thanks for dinner,” Bailey said as they walked to Jordan’s truck. “It was delicious.”
Jordan turned and cupped Bailey’s cheek. “Trust me, sweetheart. It was all my pleasure.” It still amazed Jordan how much larger he was than Bailey. His hand practically covered one side of Bailey’s face. “And I plan on getting my dessert.” He wiggled his brows.