With Caution

so well, keeping that from Remi, not wanting to scare him off. Shit, maybe that was the problem. Maybe he should have told Remi upfront. Remi could have been getting used to the idea. Oh hell , Jake didn’t know anymore. The constant what if’s and should I’s where Remi was concerned were all starting to run together.
    “So back off. Let him come to you. Keep working on the case, but keep it professional.” Rhys took his beer from the bartender. “Thanks.”
    “Spoken like a man without a mate.”
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    “Just trying to help, asshole. If you’re gonna be pissy, I’ll go wait for the guys somewhere else.”
    “Sorry. You’re probably right. What else can I do? But it sucks. The whole situation sucks.”
    “Hey, Jake. Rhys.”
    Jake turned as Dago clapped him on the back and slid onto the barstool beside him.
    “Hey, man. How’s it going?” Jake slugged his friend’s shoulder.
    Diego, or Dago as his friends called him, was part Italian, part Latino. He was also pack. Dago and Jake had been friends in school and hunted together since they’d both shifted for the first time. Dago was normally a happy, outgoing guy, unless you got that Latino temper riled.
    Dago’s brown eyes twinkled and a smile crept across his face, making the dimple in his right cheek pop out. “Not bad. So tell me, when are we going to get to meet him?
    He’s important enough to ditch us for, we should meet him, huh, Rhys?” He glanced around Jake, meeting Rhys’ gaze.
    Jake groaned. “No clue. He’s not speaking to me at the moment.”
    Dago hissed out a breath. “Shit. Sorry, man.”
    Jake shrugged. “How about you? What have you been up to? You still seeing that guy?” He’d been so busy hanging out with Remi, he hadn’t seen his friends in over a week. Which was pretty uncommon. Not only did they all hunt together on the night of a full moon, but they usually raised hell together on the weekends too. He wondered what Remi would think of his friends.
    Rhys’ phone rang, drawing their attention. He snagged it from his belt and flipped it open. “Hello?”
    Jake turned back to Dago.
    Motioning to the bartender, Dago smiled. “Coors,” he told the bartender before focusing on Jake. “Yeah. I’ve seen him four times in the past week.”
    Ah damn. The guy in question was human. Jake frowned. “You gotta be careful with that shit, man. What if you get carried away? Or shift during a scene?”

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    J.L. Langley
    “Yeah, I know, I know.” Dago sighed. “I’ve been careful. So far, I’ve kept control over myself. I haven’t even stayed all night.” He didn’t sound exactly happy about it.
    Frankly, Jake couldn’t blame him. He’d never much cared about spending an entire night with any lover, but with Remi… Jake wondered briefly if Dago’s new top could be his mate. Nah, probably not, Dago would know. Jake had known the instant he’d gotten close to Remi.
    “Well shit. That was Gadget, he’s not going to make it.” Rhys flipped his phone shut with a snap. “You gonna hang around, Jake?”
    What else did he have to do? Sit and brood over Remi? The situation wasn’t going to change anytime soon. Then again, he wasn’t likely to quit thinking about Remi anytime soon either. “Yeah. Go get us a table. I’ll kick your ass at nine ball before I head out.”
    Dago bumped his side. “Cheer up, man. Things will work out. Why don’t you meet us here tomorrow night? The whole gang will be here. It will take your mind off things.”
    Jake got up, taking his scotch with him. He’d been neglecting his friends. “Yeah, I’ll come tomorrow. You think about what I said though. Lots of bad shit can happen if someone finds out what you are.”
    “Yeah, I know, man.” Dago walked next to him, headed toward the pool table Rhys had confiscated.
    Jake knew the feeling, his own love life wasn’t exactly looking very promising lately.

    * * *

    After dropping off Sterling at home, Remi pulled into his apartment complex and parked under the awning. He climbed from his bike with his mind still whirling over Jake being his mate. If he really thought about it, like Chay said, it didn’t bother him all that much. That got to him most.
    Remi took off his helmet on the way up the stairs and fumbled with his keys.
    Emotion and common sense still warred within him, but he found himself pushing it 64
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