With Caution

by J. L. Langley

  Remi smiled back and almost reached for Jake before he caught himself. “Hey, Jake.” Oh damn, Jake smelled good. Would he ever be able to be around Jake and have it not affect him? In a way, he hoped not. He loved how Jake made him feel.

  “Glad I ran into you. I wanted to talk to you about something. You got a few minutes?” Jake extended his hand to Baker. “Jacob Romero.”

  “Ted Baker. Nice to meet you.” Baker looked at Remi. “I’m going to go ahead and start getting stuff, catch up when you get done talking.” Baker pushed the cart off toward the next aisle.

  Remi nodded. “Thanks.”

  “Listen, I forgot to ask you before you rushed off today. Will you come to dinner with me at Gadget’s place tomorrow? I didn’t want to say anything in front of Matt, but Gadget wants you to meet his youngest, Eddie. He’s pretty bad off. I told Gadget not to get his hopes up, pup. So no worries if nothing happens.”

  After seeing the cut on Keaton’s hand disappear, Remi wasn’t at all sure what he could and couldn’t do, but he was positive there was something to the healing. “It won’t hurt to try. I wish there was someone who knew more about it. This weird healing stuff I mean.”

  “I’ll talk to Carter and see if he knows anything. The way omegas and their powers are kept secret, he may not, but—” Jake shrugged. “Who knows? You okay? You smell agitated all of a sudden.”

  “Oh, just wishing I knew more about it. I wanna help the kid.”

  “Remington?”

  Mom? Remi turned.

  His mother stood a few yards away behind a blue grocery cart. Damn, the harsh fluorescent store lighting made her wrinkles stand out. Age and life had not been kind to her. She was only fifty, but she seemed much older. Her light brown hair had recently been dyed, covering the gray, but the lines and bruises on her face couldn’t be disguised by the makeup. The haunted look in her pale green eyes never disappeared anymore. Even the slight twinkle in them when she had first seen Remi didn’t last but a second. “I thought it was you, honey. How are you?” She hugged him. “I never see you anymore, except to drop Sterling off.” Drawing back, she kissed his cheek and looked him over. Her eyes widened when she glanced past him and spotted Jake.

  “Mom, this is Jake. Jake, this—”

  “Karen Lassiter, Remi’s mother.” As she reached out to shake hands with Jake, Remi noticed the dark bruises around her wrist. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jake. Sterling has told me all about you.” Frowning, she darted a glance at Remi. “Your father doesn’t…” She trailed off, biting her lip.

  “Doesn’t want me hanging out with Jake, yes I know, Sterling told me.”

  His mom blushed. “It’s not that, dear, it’s—”

  “It’s okay, Mom, I don’t have any secrets from Jake. He knows all about Dirk.”

  “Remington,” she snapped, giving him the look. The one that said she was disappointed in him.

  Remi snarled before he could stop himself. He was tired of her games, tired of feeling sorry for her. Let her be disappointed. He’d kept her secret far too long. If she was embarrassed or ashamed by her husband, it was her own damn fault. How many times had he begged her to leave?

  “Mrs. Lassiter—” Jake shot Remi a disbelieving look.

  “No, no. It’s all right. Remington is right.” She waved Jake away and caught Remi’s hands. “I worry, is all. I—” Squeezing Remi’s hands, she averted her gaze and swallowed hard. When she looked back she was smiling, but tears rimmed her eyes.

  Fuck. Remorse gnawed at Remi. He shouldn’t feel guilty, but damn it, he hated hurting her. “Mom, I’m sorry.”

  “No, you don’t need to be sorry. Listen. I have something you need. Maybe you can come by the house sometime next week? You can come inside the next time you come get Sterling, okay?”

  “Okay, Mom, I’ll come in next time.” Remi kissed her cheek, feeling more like an ass. She obviously missed him and he avoided her whenever possible because she made him uncomfortable.

  She kissed him back. “I love you, Remington. I know you don’t believe it, but I do.”

  Remi opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. How could he deny it?

  Patting his cheek, she smiled and turned toward Jake, dabbing away a tear. “It was nice to meet you, Jake.”

  “Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Lassiter.” Jake hugged her and watched her walk off.

  “Okay, that was weird.” Staring at her back, Remi tried to shake off the odd feeling. It was like she was trying to warn him, or was she giving him her blessing to go against Dirk’s wishes? He didn’t know, but something felt wrong. Normally, she would have pleaded with him to behave and not give Dirk any reason to be angry with him. “Sorry you had to see that, Jake.”

  Jake touched his arm, rubbing it briefly before stepping away. “If you want to talk, you know where I’m at. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow as soon as I get off work.” Remi shook his head. Why did his mom always affect him that way? He was torn between being pissed at her and pitying her. Why didn’t he have a happy, healthy, loving damn family?

  Halfway across the store, he looked over his shoulder. Jake was staring after him.

  Smiling, Jake waved and mouthed the word, “Tomorrow.”

  Remi nodded and grinned back. He did have a happy, loving family, just not the one he was born with.

  * * *

  Jake leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Matt was playing solitaire on his computer and from the sound of it Rhys was next door getting ready to leave. Almost five o’clock. Jake wasn’t in any hurry, he still had two hours until Remi got off work.

  There were ups and downs to Remi being a fireman. Remi had a lot of time off, but the days he did work he worked twenty-four-hour shifts. That sucked. And tonight as soon as Remi got to Jake’s house they had to turn around and leave to go to Gadget’s for dinner. He wouldn’t get Remi alone until probably ten or eleven o’clock.

  “I got an appointment with Caspari the day after tomorrow.”

  Opening his eyes, Jake spotted Rhys leaning against his doorframe. “Couldn’t you get one sooner?”

  “He’s out of town until tomorrow evening.”

  “You believe that? Or you think he’s still avoiding you?”

  “He’s in Kansas City, I checked it out. He didn’t seem too keen on talking to me about the case, but I reminded him of a favor he owes me.”

  Jake could imagine how the conversation had gone. He grinned. Caspari didn’t stand a chance, poor fucker. “Good, I’m anxious to get something going. I met Remi’s mom yesterday.”

  “Yeah?” Scratching his chin, Rhys glanced behind him at Matt, then shut the door and took a seat in front of Jake’s desk.

  “Yeah. It was fucked up, man. Really fucked up. Remi seemed resentful of her.”

  “Can you blame him?”

  Jake thought about it for a moment. He supposed he could understand it, it just wasn’t what he’d expected. Remi was the protective type. He bent over backward to keep Sterling safe. Hell, he had fussed over their pack the night of the challenge. Jake shrugged. “Guess I was surprised. He’s normally pretty understanding, good at empathizing with people. He’s got a big heart.”

  “Yeah, he does. But he also doesn’t seem the type to stick his neck out for someone over and over when they won’t help themselves.”

  That was true. Funny, but now Jake could see Remi protected and cared for people because he wanted to, not because he felt like he had to. He’d sat in Rhys’ office yesterday upset because he couldn’t remember more. Because he wanted to help, he wanted Dirk gone. Remi hated what his father had done, he hated his father, but Remi hadn’t let it ruin his life. He’d done what he had to cope and he didn’t feel sorry for himself and he hadn’t let it destroy who he was. More to the point, he’d raised a well-adjusted kid despite his parents, a kid who wasn’t even his responsibility. “Yeah he is. You think he’ll be able to help Eddie?”

 
; Rhys stood. “Don’t know. Would be nice if he can.”

  “Yeah it would.”

  Stretching, Rhys headed toward the door. “Get the fuck out of here and go home and wait for your mate.”

  “My mate doesn’t get off work for another—”

  Something thudded against the door to Jake’s office. “Sir, you can’t barge in here like this.” Matt sounded more nervous than agitated.

  Rhys’ face hardened and his posture stiffened as he reached for the doorknob.

  Inhaling, Jake came to his feet. He didn’t recognize the other person’s scent but Matt was afraid.

  Opening the door, Rhys caught Matt as he fell into the office. “Can I help you?” Rhys’ voice was a low, menacing rumble as he maneuvered Matt into Jake’s office behind him.

  “I want to see Jake Romero.”

  Dirk Lassiter. Jake knew the voice. He’d heard it over and over in his head after hearing the man talk to Remi the other day out behind Remi’s apartment complex.

  Matt held up his hands. “I’m sorry, I tried to tell him we were closed for the day, Jake.”

  Pushing Rhys out of the way, Jake stepped into the doorway. “What can I do for you, Mr. Lassiter?”

  Lassiter stood inside the main office, right outside Jake’s door, in his tan police uniform. He was about Remi’s size, but broader, more built. The smell of anger surrounded the man. If you could ignore the nasty gleam in his eye, he wasn’t a bad-looking man. However, his looks didn’t compare to either of his sons, even though there was a slight resemblance in the face. Especially around the eyes and brow line, but Remi’s face was softer and less angular, as was Sterling’s.

  Odd. Anger and alcohol were the only things Jake could smell on him. Most men, gun or not, would be a little intimidated facing two men bigger than themselves, but then maybe it was the alcohol giving him courage.

  Lassiter looked Jake up and down, then took in Rhys as well. His eyes narrowed on Jake. “I heard my son hired you.”

  “You heard wrong, Mr. Lassiter. Your son and I are friends, we hang out sometimes.”

  Lassiter snorted. “That’s not what I heard.” Glancing over Jake’s shoulder, he jabbed a finger in Rhys’ direction. “And you can tell your boy here if I hear about him poking around in my business asking any more questions he’s going to be looking down the wrong end of my police revolver.”

  “Are you threatening me?” Rhys asked in a cold, flat voice.

  Having heard that voice before, Jake knew it never boded well. He held a hand up without looking at Rhys, and raised a brow at Lassiter. “Mr. Lassiter, I don’t know what you’re talking—”

  Stepping closer, Dirk got in Jake’s face.

  Rhys’ hand landed on Jake’s shoulder, and he stepped to the side, positioning himself where he had a clean shot at Lassiter.

  Shit, this could get ugly in a hurry. “Rhys…” Jake put his newfound power behind the warning, but it didn’t seem to work.

  Rhys stepped closer to Lassiter. “If you have nothing to hide, Mr. Lassiter, I’m sure there won’t be any problems.” There was no mistaking the malice behind the calm and steady voice.

  “Damned right there won’t be any problems. I’ll have your licenses revoked. I suggest you drop your investigation.” Lassiter glared at them both one last time and turned to leave. When he got the door open he pointed at Jake. “And you stay the hell away from my son. I don’t need you stirring shit up.” He let go of the door, got in his squad car and left.

  “I’m sorry, Jake.” Matt came out of the office behind them, more jittery than normal. The kid’s hands were shaking and his eyes were wide.

  Jake squeezed his shoulder. “It’s all right, Matt. Why don’t you go ahead and go home.”

  “You hurt?” Rhys grumbled.

  Face blanching, Matt shook his head.

  Jake waved Matt away. “I’ll see you tonight. Drive carefully.”

  Nodding, Matt hurried to the door, peeked out, and looked both ways before opening it fully.

  “Matt.” Jake put power behind his voice, wishing Remi were here to calm the boy. If it didn’t work, he was going to drive the kid home.

  “Yes, sir?” Matt blinked at him.

  “It’s okay. Calm down.” He gave the kid a smile.

  Taking a deep breath, Matt seemed to relax then he grinned. “See you in a few, Jake.”

  Hmmm, the voice worked on Matt fine, but not on Rhys. Jake turned around, catching his beta’s gaze. “We need to get something on that son of a bitch, fast. Do whatever you have to do to get your ex-boss to spill what he knows.”

  Still glowering, Rhys dipped his chin in recognition, then he shook his head, the corner of his lips twitching. “I can’t believe you tried to use your voice on me.”

  “My voice?” Jake grinned. “Yeah, it doesn’t work on you, does it? I don’t think it works on Remi either. Damn it.” Which was kind of scary. Remi and Rhys were the only two who would really challenge him on anything. They were the ones most likely to fight for Jake, even if Jake didn’t want them to.

  Rhys snorted. “Of course not. Remi is your omega and I’m your beta, it’s our job to take care of you.”

  “You have it backward. I’m supposed to take care of the pack, including you and Remi.” Jake went into his office and closed his computer down and got ready to leave, knowing Remi would see things exactly like Rhys. What was he going to do with the two of them?

  Turning off the office lights, Rhys opened the door and waited for Jake to exit so he could lock it behind them.

  Jake extracted his keys from his pocket and stepped out the door.

  “If you try to use your voice on me again, I’m going to kick your ass.”

  Great. Jake smiled and headed toward his Tahoe. “Yeah, well let’s hope you’re not about to get yours kicked when I use it.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Closing his front door, Remi made sure it was locked and jogged down the stairs. Oh, man, he’d been dying to see Jake all day. Running into him at the grocery store had only whetted his appetite, so to speak. He’d gotten to where he either saw or called Jake every day. When had that happened?

  Remi opened the door to Jake’s SUV and tossed his bag in the backseat. “Hey.” Leaning across the seat, he kissed Jake. “I missed you today.”

  Jake sat there staring at him with a stunned expression on his face.

  Chuckling, Remi climbed into the seat and shut the door. “What?”

  “I never thought you’d be like this.” Jake reached behind Remi’s head and maneuvered him closer. His lips brushed across Remi’s softly, then he stared into Remi’s eyes. “Maybe I should have seen it, you’re naturally affectionate.”

  Remi started to move back, but Jake stopped him, almost as if he couldn’t help himself. He threaded his fingers through Remi’s hair and pressed their lips back together.

  Opening up his mouth and resting his hands on Jake’s chest, Remi melted. He loved the way Jake’s lips tasted and felt. The way Jake took over. Moaning, he let Jake know how much he enjoyed this.

  Jake traced Remi’s lips with his tongue. Catching Remi’s bottom lip between his teeth, he nipped. He kissed Remi’s cheek before dropping his head to Remi’s shoulder and nuzzling his neck.

  Remi’s fangs elongated without warning. Arousal rushed through him and his cock went rock hard at the thought of Jake biting him. Oh God, he could feel Jake’s teeth, knew they’d shifted. Squirming closer, he pressed his neck into Jake’s face. “Please, sir.” That felt so natural to say, which was sort of strange. He’d never have thought… No that wasn’t true, he’d always enjoyed taking a less aggressive role with lovers. But Jake was the only one who actually saw it and acted on it.

  “Shh…” Jake slid his hands out of Remi’s hair.

  Whimpering at the loss, Remi closed his eyes and sat back.

  Jake brushed his knuckles over Remi’s cheek and relaxed into his own seat.

  It had only been about two days since they
’d fucked, but it felt like forever. Remi’s nipples got hard remembering the last time, the clamps. He’d always liked sex, but with Jake it was mind blowing. Remi craved him. Last night he’d lain in his bed fantasizing about Jake. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about Jake. Finally, he’d gotten up and gone to the bathroom to jerk off so he could get some sleep. Even then, his mind hadn’t let go of his mate. He’d imagined Jake there with him, holding him, kissing him, telling him what to do.

  “How was work?”

  Okay, that was weird. Now Jake was reading his mind. Remi chuckled and glanced over, noticing Jake sitting straight and tall in his seat. His eyes were still closed, like he was trying to regain composure too. “Long. I kept thinking about you.”

  Jake groaned.

  They sat there for several minutes. Neither of them said a word, but Remi was even more aware of Jake’s presence. He could smell Jake’s arousal. Oh wow, he could tell the difference. Jake smelled…muskier, warmer, kind of spicy. He probably tasted wonderful right now. Shit. “Hey, Jake.”

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s not working.”

  “What’s not working?”

  “Trying to ignore each other to get our minds off of fucking. I’m sitting here wondering how you taste right now.”

  Jake half laughed, half groaned. “Remi?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Shut up and put your seat belt on.” Jake started the engine.

  “Okay.” As Jake put the SUV in gear and began backing out, Remi reached for his belt. He got it buckled and Jake slammed on his brakes, making Remi bounce against the seat.

  “Son of a bitch. Where the hell did he come from?”

  Huh? Adjusting the belt, Remi looked out the back.

  A scraggly old man walked past the parking lot. He glanced up at them, then kept going, slow as you please.

  “Beats me. Sure have been a lot of them around here lately. I hate to sound like an old fart, but I’m beginning to agree with my neighbor, Mr. Morris. The neighborhood is going to hell in a handbasket.”

  Jake chuckled and got them moving again. “Well, if you promise not to run children off the lawn and complain about the newspaper not making it all the way to the porch, you can move in with me.”