Jordan's Desires [Brac Village 9] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Read online

  It was an innocent enough question. “A few years.” Bailey hadn’t bothered to turn around when he answered Jordan. He just kept staring out of the window, wishing he was out of the car already. Clenching his hands in his lap, Bailey reminded himself that he wasn’t interested in Jordan.

  He wasn’t interested in anyone. He just wanted to be left alone. Talking with Jordan only reminded Bailey of his heartache. Bailey could tell that if he hadn’t been hurt, hadn’t been screwed over, that he would be very interested in the stranger who seemed to rattle him.

  But he had been betrayed. He had been hurt. Jordan was nothing to him and Bailey needed to remember that.

  “Brac Village seems like a nice enough place to settle down.”

  Why did the guy insist on talking? Why couldn’t he leave Bailey alone? Couldn’t Jordan take a hint? Bailey knew that he was going to have to spell things out. He turned back toward Jordan. “Look, you seem like a nice enough guy. But I’m not interested.”

  The side of Jordan’s mouth twitched. “I wasn’t aware that talking about the town was a secret way of asking a guy out.”

  Bailey blinked at the man. He thought of the things Jordan had said to him since almost running into the man. He inwardly grimaced. Jordan hadn’t said one word about dating or being interested. Bailey had just made an utter fool of himself. Jordan was just being polite and Bailey had taken everything the wrong way, looking for things that weren’t there.

  “Sorry,” he said as he settled back.

  Could he have made himself look any more foolish? Bailey rubbed at his sternum, hating himself for jumping to conclusions. Jordan probably thought that Bailey was the biggest ego-centered man around.

  “People can be friendly without lascivious intent.”

  Bailey dipped his head. “I know.”

  Jordan turned his head and stared out the window, leaving Bailey sitting there feeling like an idiot. He wanted to reach out and press his hand into the man’s strong arm, telling Jordan that he was sorry. But Bailey didn’t do that. He left things alone instead.

  He would never see the man again so it didn’t matter that his first impression—and second—had sucked. Bailey would go on making a fool of himself and Jordan would go on being a nice guy once they parted, their paths never crossing again.

  “Here we go,” Reno said as he pulled into a driveway. This must be where Jordan lived. It was a small farmhouse, nicely painted and well-kept. There were two comfortable-looking chairs sitting on the front porch, a small table in between. Bailey spotted a few hanging plants, cinching the homey look.

  “Nice place,” Bailey said conversationally.

  Jordan gave him a tight smile as he slid from the back seat and thanked Reno for the ride. Did Bailey blame the guy? He had acted like a complete ass when all Jordan tried to do was be friendly. He would have deserved it if Jordan had turned around and told him to fuck off.

  But then again, Jordan was too nice of a guy to say that.

  Bailey watched Jordan disappear through the front door before Reno pulled away. A light came on in the front window and Bailey wondered—no, he didn’t care what Jordan was doing inside. He didn’t care about a damn thing except getting home and taking a nice hot shower.

  “Are you coming to Bear’s cookout Saturday?” Reno asked.

  “I don’t know.” Bailey gave Reno the same answer he’d given Travis. Although he liked the men he worked with, Bailey was still trying to pull his life together. Maybe an afternoon of hanging out with the guys would be good for him. “Yeah,” Bailey said.

  “Good,” Reno answered but didn’t say any more.

  Once Reno dropped him off, Bailey walked inside and dropped down on his couch. He needed to pull his head out of his ass and start living again. Before Harley, Bailey had enjoyed hanging out and having a good time. He had enjoyed laughing, being with friends, and sex. God, he missed sex. Since Harley, Bailey hadn’t done any of that.

  He was still resolute about no one having his heart again, but the least he could do was get back to his old self. Bailey was going to take Travis’s advice and get laid. This celibate shit was getting old.

  Bailey was only twenty-three, too young to shut down his sex life. Maybe he would go back to the Lucky Clover tomorrow and see if that stranger was still there. Feeling a hell of a lot better after his decision, Bailey headed toward the shower.

  * * * *

  Bailey stood on Bear’s back deck, drinking a beer. He had gone back to the Lucky Clover Thursday evening, but he hadn’t run into that stranger. He wasn’t even sure the guy would give him the time of day after the way Bailey had acted.

  “Glad to have you here,” Spencer, Bear’s boyfriend said as he joined Bailey. “I honestly thought you weren’t going to show.”

  Bailey didn’t think he’d make it either. Over the past year, the chief had invited the guys over a few times for a cookout and Bailey had declined each time. He was glad he didn’t pass this moment up. The guys from the station were here, along with Hawk and Johnny. Bailey had met the two a while back. It seemed Johnny and Spencer were good friends, and since Spencer hung out at the station, Johnny occasionally dropped by.

  There were a few people he didn’t know but had been introduced to. Blair and Kota were talking with Hawk, Randy and Priest were chatting with Bear. It was late evening, the sky warm and inviting. The sun was casting long shadows in the woods beyond the porch, telling Bailey it would be dark soon, but still perfect for friends to gather and have a good time.

  Bailey relaxed and enjoyed himself. Not even Travis’s occasional needling about Bailey dating bothered him. His day was going great…until Jordan walked through the door. He just shook his head and sighed.

  Figures.

  Tossing his empty bottle into the recycle bin, Bailey grabbed another beer from the cooler that was sitting on the back porch. He looked back through the kitchen window and Jordan’s sensual amber eyes locked onto Bailey. They held a gaze for a moment, and then Jordan looked away right before he began to talk to Reno.

  Bailey turned and dropped down into the chair, staring off into the forest. Bear really did have a nice place. It was secluded and homey. The chief came out and started messing with the grill as Bailey relaxed in his chair.

  “Having a good time?” Bear asked as he flipped the steaks.

  “Yeah,” Bailey answered before taking a long draft of his beer. He actually was having a nice time. It was tranquil on the back porch. He could spend the rest of the afternoon out here and be content.

  “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 f
or 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 feeling that if Bailey could have bailed from the car last night, he would have.

  Bear waved for Jordan to follow him. They walked down the steps on the side of the house and began to stride through the woods. He had no idea what the guy wanted.

  “I normally stay out of other people’s affairs, but I think you should know something.”

  Jordan listened as Bear told him about Bailey, Harley, and what had happened. The longer Bear talked, the angrier Jordan became. He didn’t like the fact that his mate had fallen in love with another man, but he couldn’t get mad over something that had taken place before meeting the fireman.

  But what Harley did to Bailey only told Jordan that his chances had just dropped very low for getting Bailey’s heart. The guy had been royally played and had even gone to counseling. If Jordan were a lesser man, he would walk away from the struggle he was about to face.

  But he was a black panther. Patience was something he had an abundance of. He was going to have to slowly gain Bailey’s trust and help the guy get over his wound. It sounded pretty damn simple in his mind, but he knew that was far from the truth.

  “And Harley hasn’t come back to Brac Village?”

  Bear gave a deep chuckle. “Fuck no. Would you defy Maverick?”

  Jordan had met the alpha of the local wolf pack. He could see what Bear meant. He just hoped Harley wasn’t stupid enough to return. The guy was probably somewhere else wreaking havoc on unsuspecting men. Scum like that never learned their lesson.

  But Bailey was his and Jordan would kill anyone who tried to come between them. “Thanks for giving me a heads up.”

  They walked back toward the house, Jordan no longer in a festive mood. “Would you be offended if I took off?”

  “Not at all,” Bear said. “It was nice meeting you, Jordan.”

  They shook and then Jordan let Rio know he was leaving. He wasn’t sure how he was going to befriend Bailey, but he had to try. He could tell last night in the car that his mate was hurting. He just hadn’t guessed that it was this deep.

  Jordan walked out of the front door and was stunned to see that Bailey hadn’t left. He was standing by his car, cursing.

  “Something wrong?”

  Bailey’s head snapped up at Jordan’s voice, his sage-green eyes growing dark. He could see the man’s defenses locking into place as he stared at Jordan. “My damn car won’t start.”

  Now there was something Jordan could fix. It made him inwardly smile to know that he was helping Bailey, even in this small way. He wanted to protect the man, take care of him, and shield Bailey from any more hurt.

  Fixing the man’s car was a start.

  “Pop the hood.” Jordan walked to the front of the car and waited while his mate reached inside and pulled the release lever. Once he had the hood secured, he called out, “Try and start it.”

  Bailey did as Jordan asked, and all he heard was a clicking sound. He immediately knew what was wrong. He’d dealt with this kind of problem too many times before. “Your alternator is shot.”

  Bailey stuck his head out of the car. Jordan held back the growl he wanted to emit at the sight of his mate’s bewilderment. Did the guy know how truly handsome he was? “My what?”

  Jordan grinned. The man looked totally confused. His cat was encouraging Jordan to go to Bailey, to rub his scent all over the man. If only he could. Bailey would no more let Jordan rub his scent all over that sexy fireman body then he would let Jordan fuck him. Too bad. He really was a fine-looking human. “Basically, you won’t be driving this car anywhere until you bring it into the shop for me to fix.”

  A veil of suspicion fell over Bailey’s handsome face. Jordan knew what the man was thinking and it pissed him off. His good humor was instantly snatched away by his mate’s wariness. He didn’t need to sabotage a damn thing in order to have more time with the firefighter. He wasn’t an underhanded man.

  He let the hood drop with a resounding thud as he began to walk to his truck. “Or not,” he said. He wasn’t going to stand there and convince the human tha
t he had nothing to do with his car not starting. Jordan was willing to help Bailey heal his broken heart, but he wasn’t about to be accused of being shady.

  His life had nearly been destroyed by such accusations and Jordan wasn’t willing to travel down that fucked-up road again. He had come to Brac Village to start over.

  End of story.

  Bailey climbed out of his car and closed the door, his expression guarded. “Would you mind giving me a ride home?”

  Keeping his appearance deceptively inscrutable, Jordan headed toward the driver’s side of his truck. “Hop in.”

  From the corner of his eye, Jordan watched Bailey grab some things from his car before walking over to Jordan’s truck. Hunger, need, protectiveness, and anger over what his mate had been through vied inside of him as Bailey buckled himself in. Those emotions twisted inside of him as he started the truck.

  “Thanks.” Bailey shook his head. “I don’t understand why it went out on me.”

  Jordan pulled away from Bear’s cabin. “Cars need constant maintenance.”

  “I guess.” Bailey turned, looking out the window. Jordan could practically feel the man pushing him away. His mate turned back to face him. “I forgot to give you directions.”

  Jordan listened to Bailey tell him how to get to his mate’s home, remaining silent. He had tried to converse with his mate twice and twice he had been shut down completely. Jordan wasn’t going to be shut down a third time. Bailey could initiate things this time. That didn’t mean Jordan didn’t want to be around his mate—far from the truth. But he wasn’t a glutton for punishment.

  Bailey just had no idea. Jordan wasn’t a chatty person. Trying to pull a conversation from his mate had been going above and beyond for him. Most kids in school got into trouble for talking too much. Jordan’s parents had to listen to the teachers complain about his muted participation.

  It wasn’t that he was shy. Jordan just believed in action instead of words. He had gotten straight A’s in school. He didn’t see what the big fuss was. His dad had told him that as long as he kept up his grades, he wasn’t too worried about Jordan’s preference for silence.