Heat Rising [Brac Village 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (5 page)

Spencer liked things clean as well, but heck, he didn’t see one speck of dust anywhere. He had an urge to lift his feet off the floor mat just so he wouldn’t dirty the dark-blue fabric with his shoes.

“I never did get to ask you,” Bear said as he pulled away from The Café and headed out of town. “What kind of shifter are you? No offense, but you smell a little like prey.”

Was that supposed to make him feel better? If anything, Spencer was ready to jump out of the truck. Steeling his spine, Spencer jutted his chin out proudly. “I’m an impala. And if you try to eat me, I’ll make sure I give you very bad indigestion.”

It was a lame threat, but the only one Spencer had to give. Bear was twice his size in height and girth. The man could shift and probably eat him whole.

“I said you
smell
like prey.” Bear winked at Spencer. “There’s only one part of your body that I want to taste.” The sexual innuendo was heavy in his mate’s tone. Aside from Bear being a very large man, Spencer was nervous because he had never been intimate with anybody before. He knew he was winding himself up, but he couldn’t stop himself from feeling the panic set in.

Maybe he could fake a headache.

“Relax, my little impala. You have nothing to fear. Mating is sacred to me. Nobody, including myself, is going to hurt you.” Bear seemed to relax as he drove down the long country road.

Spencer couldn’t say the same for himself. Even with Bear’s affirmation that he had nothing to worry about, Spencer was a tight bundle of nerves. This was it. He was going to be unvirginized, claimed, and stamped with ownership. How the hell was he supposed to relax with that knowledge?

“I’m one hell of a cook,” Bear stated in the quiet interior of the truck. “How do steaks on the grill sound to you?”

“It sounds great, only I’m not a big meat eater.” Spencer felt his body flush with heat at Bear’s wide grin. He wasn’t sure if the man had taken the contents of his statement as sexual or if it had reminded him that Spencer was prey.

“I’ll make sure your steak is small.”

Spencer could now see that Bear was just teasing him, trying to lighten the tension in the air between them. The guy began to talk about how he seasoned his steaks to perfection. The longer he talked the more his melodic voice lulled Spencer into relaxing. By the time they pulled up to Bear’s house, Spencer’s nerves were settled…somewhat.

“I usually like to marinate the steaks a day or two before I cook them, but since this visit is sudden, I’ll have to make do. They should still come out tasty.” Spencer followed Bear onto the porch and into his mate’s home. The place looked more like a small log cabin. The man had definitely picked a secluded place to live.

Spencer felt better already. His mate’s truck might be OCD worthy, but his house looked comfortable and lived in. It wasn’t how Spencer would have thought. The place wasn’t grandiose, befitting a grizzly bear shifter. It was small, cozy.

“I don’t need much room to live,” Bear stated. “I have plenty of room to run and that’s all that matters.”

The living room had an open floor plan. It flowed right into the kitchen. The walls and fixtures were all made of some sort of wood. There was a fireplace on the right side of the living room, a large couch in front of it. Spencer saw a handmade blanket draped over the back of the couch.

The kitchen consisted of appliances, counter space, and a table with two chairs. As sparsely as it was decorated, Bear had managed to pull off a homey feeling to the place. Spencer liked the house he lived in, but was envious of his mate’s. Although a lot smaller, it held a world of charm.

“Let me show you the back deck. I love sitting out there.”

Following Bear out of the kitchen door, Spencer was taken aback by the breathtaking view. He could see why his mate loved sitting out here. The property dropped off right behind the house, making the builder have to elevate the porch.

Off to the right was a set of steps that led down the side of the house. To the left a grill set off to the side along with two comfortable-looking chairs, a small table in between. The porch was covered, which was perfect for rainy days. “I love your house,” Spencer said as he placed his forearms on the railing and stared out over the terrain. There was a small brook below that Spencer would love to go investigate.

Bear leaned next to Spencer, his arms resting in the same position. “It’s peaceful out here. I grew up in a crowded city and hated every minute of it. I used to have to wait until full dark to go over to the city park and let my grizzly bear free. There was a small patch of woods that I had to make do with. I told myself that when I made it, I would find the biggest piece of land.”

“You definitely did that,” Spencer said. “I had plenty of room to run growing up. My biggest pitfall was making sure no predators were around. My brother Isaiah kept me safe.” Spencer once again felt the strong sense of loss. Isaiah had been everything a guy could want in a big brother.

Bear bumped shoulders with Spencer. “Sounds like a nice guy. I would love to meet him.”

Spencer swallowed around the tight knot in his throat. “He would’ve liked you.”

Bear straightened, his strong fingers stroking down Spencer’s back. “I’m sorry, Spencer. I didn’t know.”

Spencer refused to fall apart. He was enjoying his time with his mate. Although he loved Isaiah with all his heart, this was Spencer’s moment to spend with Bear. “I’m okay. I just get misty-eyed when I think about him. Can we change the subject?”

Bear gave Spencer a firm nod, his features softening to sympathy. “How about those steaks?”

“Do you need any help?” Spencer wandered into the house behind Bear. His mate grabbed what he needed for the grill as Spencer rummaged around the refrigerator. “Baked potatoes?” The man had all the fixings for what they would need.

Bear pressed a kiss to Spencer’s forehead. “That sounds great.” His mate walked outside, leaving Spencer standing there feeling confused. True to his word, Bear wasn’t making any moves on him.

Soon Spencer could smell the meat cooking. If the scent was anything to go by, Bear knew what he was doing. Spencer spotted bottled beer at the bottom of the refrigerator and grabbed two. Once he had the potatoes wrapped up in foil, he carried them, along with the beer, out to the back porch.

“You’re turning out to be a keeper,” Bear teased as he grabbed the foiled potatoes from Spencer and tossed them on the grill next to the steaks. He sat down in one of the two chairs, accepting the bottle Spencer was handing him.

Spencer took a seat in the other, unscrewing the cap on his bottle. “Do you do this all the time?” Taking a swallow of his beer, Spencer felt the cold sting hit the back of his throat. He wasn’t a big drinker, so every time he indulged he felt the effects almost immediately.

Remembering that bit of information about himself, Spencer decided to nurse the one bottle he had in his hand. There was no way he was going to embarrass himself once again. He had gotten wasted once before, and it hadn’t been a pretty sight.

Bear looked confused at Spencer’s question. “Grill or drink beer?”

Spencer chuckled. “Both.”

“I grill a lot. I drink once in a while. I never know when I’ll be called back to the station. An inebriated fire chief is never a good thing.” Bear took a long drink, his working throat muscles mesmerizing Spencer. When Bear’s smoky-grey eyes cut over to Spencer, he quickly lowered his. The man’s gaze was piercing, making Spencer feel flushed and heated. He was an idiot. As much as Bear promised to just
talk
, Spencer knew what was going to happen when he had agreed to come over.

He was just worried that his mate would become frustrated because Spencer wasn’t worldly or knowledgeable. So far Bear didn’t seem like the type of person. He hoped like hell that it stayed that way.

“Why don’t you come sit in my lap?” Bear patted his thick thigh, making Spencer’s gaze zero in on the man’s groin. “I promise to behave.”

Spencer highly doubted the man would behave. He wasn’t sure he wanted Bear to behave when he saw the two deep dimples appear on either side of his mate’s mouth. The man’s smoky-grey eyes were turning darker, reminding Spencer of mercury.

Strangling his bottle of beer, Spencer stood and closed the distance between them, sitting sideways on the man’s lap. Bear didn’t argue that Spencer hadn’t straddled him. His hand moved up Spencer’s back as he smiled at his mate. “See, I don’t bite.” The man said that with the tips of his canines showing.

Spencer took a long swig of his beer, his eyes darting out over the landscape. The sound of the meat sizzling and birds chirping could be heard, but all Spencer was focused on was the hard male beneath him. Bear’s hand slid up his back and then traveled back down. Each time the man’s hand reached the bottom of Spencer’s spine, it seemed to dip lower.

“Can I get a kiss?” Bear asked in a deep, sultry tone that had Spencer’s heart thumping wildly in his chest. Spencer leaned to the side as Bear’s hand slid up his back and cupped his head, pulling him closer.

Spencer’s eyelids fluttered closed as their lips met. The kiss wasn’t wild and heated like it had been in Bear’s office. It was slow, drugging, and made Spencer’s body feel as if it was coming to life. He felt small, shallow shivers slowly worked their way down his body until they intensified in his groin.

“Pull your leg over,” Bear whispered into his mouth as he set his beer aside, grabbing Spencer’s as well and setting it next to his. Now that both of his hands were free, Bear used them to slowly massage Spencer’s lower back.

Pressing his chest into Bear’s, Spencer tilted his head to the side and gave himself to his mate. He could feel the man’s hands slowly working their way around to the snap of Spencer’s jeans.

Spencer didn’t stop him. He wanted whatever was going to happen just as much as it seemed that Bear wanted it. Spencer’s hands trembled as he gripped his mate’s shoulders. He could feel himself getting lost in what Bear was doing to him.

And then his mate’s cell phone rang.

Bear was in a very foul mood as he pulled up to the scene. The only thing on his mind was the fact that Spencer was sitting at his house, enjoying a meal that they should have shared together. Even though it wasn’t his men’s fault, Bear wanted to kick every last one of their asses.

“Accelerant?” Bear asked as he approached Bailey, who was standing at the side of the fire truck in full gear. His helmet was removed, showing sweat that was running down the side of the man’s face. He saw Travis and Reno still standing by the burnt structure with hoses at full blast.

Bailey ruffled a hand through his hair, gazing at the house and then glancing up at Bear. “Until we get the final finding from the fire marshal, we won’t really know. But the house went up pretty damn quick. If I had to guess, I would say this is arson.”

Bailey was human, unable to detect the subtle scents shifters could easily identify. Bear was a shifter, his sense of smell superb. He walked over to the smoldering fire that Travis and Reno were still working to put out. Bear couldn’t wait for the new guys to start next week. This shorthanded shit was working on his nerves.

He needed to get closer in order to know for sure that it was gasoline that started the fire. As soon as he got halfway to the structure, Bear smelled water, smoke, burnt wood, and a subtle hint of gasoline. It wasn’t as strong as the last fire, but it was there. Bear knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had a pyromaniac on his hands.

Turning toward Bailey who had followed him, Bear said, “Get Felix on the radio and tell him to find out where in the fuck that fire marshal is. I need him out here pronto.” Although Bear already knew how the fire was started. But he couldn’t tell the cops that his nose was proof enough. He was going to have to let not only the police know they had a fire starter in town, but the alpha as well. The fire marshal’s report would help back his claim up.

So far the culprit was targeting empty homes, but Bear knew that it was only a matter of time before whoever was setting these fires went for something bigger. That was always the scenario. Burning these empty homes told Bear the guy was new at this.

But he wouldn’t stay new for long.

He helped the men extinguish the blaze, feeling weary by the time it was finally nothing but a charred pile of nothingness. Getting the blaze under control had taken longer because no one had seen the small barn behind the house until it was consumed with flames. Bear would love to get his hands on whoever was doing this.

He never saw why a person got a rush from starting a fire. He had seen the carnage and devastation a fire wrought. It made no sense to him how anyone in their right frame of mind could get excited about something as deadly as flames.

But then again, if someone got off on starting fires, they weren’t in their right frame of mind. After helping the guys clear the scene, Bear headed to the firehouse with the guys to write his report.

After directing the nonexistent traffic—no one was out this late, but it was still their job to make sure no one was around when the truck was backing up on the street, heading into the bay—Bear yawned, wrote his report, and then headed for the showers. He was hoping the water spray woke him because he was dead on his feet and still had to drive home.