With Caution

and stood as Jake stepped into the kitchen. Jake cocked a brow, looking Remi up and down. “Everything okay?”
    Remi’s stomach plummeted under the scrutiny. He had to get Jake out of here so he could think. “Uh, yeah. It was just my mom calling to make sure I had Sterling.” How the hell was he going to explain his actions? Remi set the cordless phone down on the counter, knowing any excuse he offered was going to sound lame as hell, but he had to try. He wanted to just forget this. “Listen, Jake, I’m so—”
    Jake shook his head. “Nothing to be sorry about.” He frowned and lifted his hand.
    For a brief moment Remi thought Jake was going to reach out to him, but Jake threaded his fingers through his hair and let out a deep breath. “You’ve had a hell of a day. I should probably go.”
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    A jolt of disappointment—no, relief—rushed through Remi. Jake had just given him a way out. Discovering Sterling’s bruises had fried his brain. Yeah, that’s it. His kissing Jake was due to stress, and he was out of his mind with worry. A niggling in the back of his head said that wasn’t right, that he’d been attracted to Jake from the instant he’d met him, but Remi shook it off. It was anxiety, it had to be. “Yeah.”

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    J.L. Langley

Chapter Four
    Matt Mahihkan barely let Jake get all the way in the office before he started hounding him. “Come on, Jake. Give me a chance. I’m good with a gun.”
    Jake growled and pushed past the pup. Matt was eighteen years old and dying to be something he considered cooler than the office manager he was.
    “No. You’re not getting a gun. You’re here to run the office. And for the hundredth time, we don’t shoot people.” Jake had had this same damn conversation every morning since hiring the kid.
    “Rhys shoots people,” Matt whispered and darted a glance toward Rhys’ office. He leaned against the doorframe between Jake’s office and the reception area.
    Jake sat and shuffled through the messages on his desk, trying his best to ignore the kid. The next time Rhys suggested they hire pack, he was going to fire the man, best friend or not. “Matt, go get me some coffee.”
    Matt threw his hands in the air, let out a long suffering sigh and stalked off.
    For the first time Jake noticed the pup’s clothes, a pale pink polo shirt with thin yellow stripes, a pair of khakis, pink socks and black leather loafers. Jake cocked his head and blinked, not sure he was seeing correctly.
    Rhys came around the corner with a coffee cup in hand, grumbling under his breath.
    “I haven’t shot anyone…this week.” He scowled, showing off the small scar on his forehead, and glanced back at Matt. Shaking his head, he continued into Jake’s office.
    His limp was more pronounced than usual. “We need to come up with a fucking dress code now?”
    “Apparently.” Jake knew better than to question the man about his leg, but he wondered what Rhys had done to make it act up. He resigned himself to keeping an eye on Rhys. If it seemed like the old injury was bothering Rhys too much, Jake would browbeat his friend into taking something for the pain.
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    “Wait until I see Gadget. I’m going to give him all sorts of shit. Does he know his oldest boy is dressing like a fucking yuppie?” Setting his cup on Jake’s desk, Rhys eased into the chair opposite Jake. His leg was stiff enough that he ended up more or less falling into the seat. Picking his coffee back up, he took a sip. “You been up all night or something?”
    Jake shrugged. He’d tossed and turned all night but hell if he would tell Rhys. At around two in the morning he’d gotten up to do some work on a case, though he couldn’t think of anything but Remi’s blushing apology. Jake never should have let Remi off so easily, except it’d been hard not to when Remi had reeked of unease. The man had so much to deal with Jake hadn’t felt right about pressuring him. Now he was beginning to wonder if he’d made the right decision.
    Then there was Sterling ducking back around the corner. Had Sterling seen them kissing on the couch? How was Remi going to react when he found out what Sterling saw?
    Jake wavered between wanting the phone to ring and praying it wouldn’t. He was pretty sure Remi would try to act like the kiss hadn’t happened, and that was the last thing Jake wanted to do.
    “Hey,