With Caution

the son of a bitch would go away for a long time. He’d never be able to hurt Remi again.

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    J.L. Langley

Chapter Thirteen
    Remi stepped just inside the kitchen door, blinking at the sunlight streaming in through the window over the sink. The smell of coffee and bacon filled his nose. Ahh…
    The first thing he registered after his eyes adjusted was Jake, ass encased in a pair of tight jeans, bent over getting things out of the refrigerator. Oh nice. He was wearing the clothes he had on yesterday. Remi made a mental note to clean out some space in his closet so Jake could bring extra clothes over if he wanted. Remi grinned, remembering last night.
    “How old is Rhys?” Sterling stood at the stove in a pair of shorts and a tank top. He was turned toward Jake with his bottom lip caught between his teeth and a spatula in his hand. Eggs dripped off the end of the spatula onto the white linoleum, but Sterling didn’t seem to notice.
    Remi yawned and started forward, but Jake beat him to it.
    “He’s twenty-six. Why don’t you set the table and I’ll scramble the eggs.” After taking the spatula from Sterling, Jake set it on the stove, grabbed a towel off the counter and wiped up the mess.
    Sterling leaned against the cabinets next to Jake. “He’s hairy. I’ve never seen an Apache with a beard.”
    “He isn’t Apache. His father was Cherokee and his mother is Scottish.”
    “Is he married?”
    “No.” Jake stood, handing the dirty towel to Sterling.
    Sterling took it and tossed it in the sink. “Girlfriend?”
    Jake chuckled and shook his head. “No, he doesn’t have a boyfriend either.”
    “So he is gay?”
    Jake turned to Sterling, pointing at him with the spatula. “Yes, he is. Why all the questions?”
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    With Caution
    “I was just curious. Can’t a guy ask questions anymore?”
    Going back to the stove, Jake groaned. He spotted Remi and smiled. “Morning.”
    “Shhh…don’t talk to him yet.” Sterling dug through the cupboard for a mug and headed to the coffeemaker. “He’s a real dickhead without his first cup.” He poured some coffee and brought it to Remi.
    Taking the mug, Remi scowled at his brother. He was not a dickhead without coffee.
    Sterling, the smartass, backed away making bowing motions.
    Jake chuckled and turned back to the eggs. “You better watch it, kid. If that’s true he’s liable to strangle you.”
    “Nah, ’cause I remembered to make the coffee in the first place.” After opening the cabinet, Sterling got three plates and began setting the small card table Remi used as a kitchen table.
    “Don’t push your luck. You made the coffee for yourself.” Taking a sip, Remi savored the strong brew. Ah.
    “I haven’t even had my cup yet.” Sterling went to the drawer and pulled out silverware.
    Jake turned around, his mouth hanging open. “Oh God. Sterling on caffeine?”
    Remi nodded. “Yeah, it’s not pretty, but I can’t seem to break him of the habit. Mom and Dirk have been letting him drink it since he was seven. I’ve, at least, gotten him down to one cup.”
    A phone rang. It wasn’t the house phone or Remi’s cell phone.
    Jake took his phone off his belt and looked at it. “Not mine. I forgot to turn mine back on apparently.” Pushing the button, he clipped the phone back to his belt and went back to filling the other plates.
    “Hey, that’s my phone.” Sterling ran toward his room.
    Remi groaned. What if that had rung when Sterling was with Dirk? “If he’s been giving his number out to his friends I’m going to kill him. I told him not to, it’s supposed to be for emergencies only.”

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    J.L. Langley
    With the pan held out in one hand, Jake grabbed Remi behind the neck with the other and kissed him on the lips. “How do you feel?”
    “Umm…” Remi kissed back. “Fine.”
    Jake grinned and let go of Remi. “Sterling questions everything. He’s been hounding me for info on Rhys for the last thirty minutes.”
    “Sorry, you should have woken me.” Why was Sterling so interested in Rhys? What else had Sterling been asking about?
    “Sorry? Why are you sorry?”
    “Sterling can be a little, er, talkative at times if you haven’t noticed.” Talkative was an understatement. Sterling was a motormouth.
    “I like Sterling. He doesn’t bother me in the least, pup.” Jake put the pan in the sink.
    After getting himself a glass, he poured