With Caution

was a psychopath. Why did his mom put up with that? Why did she subject Sterling to it?
    Nodding, Sterling reclined on his hands in the middle of Remi’s living room floor.
    “He asked her what you were up to and why you were hanging out at a dive like that.
    That’s how the whole thing started, then he started going on about how worthless she was.” Sterling darted a glance at Jake then back to Remi before looking down, embarrassed.
    Jake bent forward on the couch, resting his forearms on his knees. “How did he know you went to the bar?”
    Remi shrugged. That he didn’t want to think about. He was going to have to be more careful. He’d been sure no one at the bar would know him. He’d been wrong.
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    With Caution

Chapter Twelve
    “Sterling is right. You’re more like a father to him.”
    Remi blinked. Father? He’d never thought about it, but he supposed he was, more than Dirk ever was to either of them. He hadn’t purposely tried to do that, it just sort of came natural.
    Shrugging, he finished covering Sterling and looked across the bed at Jake. “He said that?”
    Jake brushed the hair off Sterling’s forehead and grinned. “Yeah, he did. He’s right, too, you take very good care of him.” He jerked his head to the side, indicating the door.
    “Come on.”
    Remi closed the door behind them and followed Jake into the living room. “Thanks for getting him away from that mess.”
    “You don’t have to thank me. I would have gone and gotten him regardless.” Jake cleared away the plates from the coffee table where they’d eaten dinner and took them to the kitchen.
    Remi smiled. That much was true. Jake seemed to make a habit of protecting those weaker than him. Grabbing the empty coke and beer cans, Remi trailed behind his mate.
    “Well, thank you anyway. You helped me take his mind off Dirk and my mom fighting.”
    “I didn’t actually let him kick my ass at video games for his amusement.”
    “Yeah, the kid is a shark. I never actually let him beat me either.” After tossing the cans in the trash, Remi turned, intent on helping Jake wash dishes, but he got sidetracked by the breadth of Jake’s shoulders. He appeared so damn big in Remi’s tiny kitchen. God, it was sexy how big he was, how powerful. It felt great to finally give in to his attraction.
    Remi trailed his fingers across Jake’s back, feeling the muscles tense and relax under the black T-shirt. He laid his cheek between Jake’s shoulder blades and wrapped his arms around Jake’s waist. He inhaled deeply, taking in his mate’s soft, musky scent.

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    J.L. Langley
    “Jesus, Remi, don’t start that yet.”
    “Start what, I was just—”
    “Moaning and nuzzling?”
    He’d moaned? Remi grinned and let go. “Yeah.” He got a dishtowel and dried the plates as Jake handed them to him, then put them in the cabinet. When he put the last plate away, Jake drew him close, kissing him.
    Remi’s brain melted. How could he have ever fought this? The connection between them felt as natural as breathing.
    Without breaking their kiss, Jake maneuvered them toward the living room. With his hands on Remi’s ass, he walked backward, pulling Remi along. They ended up bumping into the kitchen counter and the wall and an end table before they broke apart laughing.
    From the end of the couch Jake retrieved the throw-over saddlebags he’d brought in off his motorcycle. “Get your ass in the bedroom before we kill each other or demolish the furniture.”
    “You started it that time.” Remi jumped out of the way of the swat aimed at his butt and hightailed it into the bedroom. He loved the sexy growl Jake got when he was playing.
    Sitting in his computer chair, Remi took off his shoes and socks, while Jake closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed to do the same.
    After Jake got his boots off, he opened the motorcycle side bags he’d brought in with him. He set his cell phone on the nightstand and laid the bags next to the bed. “Come here.”
    Remi walked over to the bed and started to kneel, but Jake stopped him, pulling Remi to stand between his legs. Slowly, Jake unbuttoned Remi’s blue shirt. “You really do want this, don’t you?”
    “Yes.” Oh God, yes. He’d been longing for Jake the entire day. Over and over he replayed last night at the pack meeting in his head. The way Jake had taken him, demanding Remi give in, made him hard just thinking about