Signs of Life (17 page)

“They’ve done a good job at the cabin,” Jeremy murmured. “I’ve watched you, and you’re good with them, good about getting them to do stuff they don’t want to do.”

“It’s not me as much as it is Loren,” Kai said drily. “They’re afraid of the POPO. And he likes it that way.” He chuckled.

There was a short silence, and then Jeremy asked, “Are you lovers?”

Kai was taken aback. “Uh—”

“Kai, I’m sorry,” Jeremy said ruefully. “It’s not my business. I told you no strings, and obviously that doesn’t mean I expect any sort of exclusivity. Forget I asked.”

“No, it’s okay,” Kai said. “Loren is my best friend, and yes, we sleep together occasionally. It’s never been serious between us.” Kai took a deep breath. “He’s not out, not at work or in his personal life, so it never
can
be. I won’t go back into the closet for anyone, not even him.”

“Would you be with him if he were out, then?” Jeremy asked.

“Maybe. I don’t know,” Kai said honestly. “We’ve been through some shit together, and I love him, but there’s a lot that wouldn’t work between us.”

Jeremy didn’t say anything else, and Kai took a chance, saying huskily, “All I can think about these days anyway is you.”

Jeremy’s breath caught, and then he whispered, “Same.”

Kai smiled in satisfaction, murmuring, “Okay, I need to go and finish up some grading, but I’ll see you Saturday. We probably won’t be there all that long, but we’ll do what we can.”

They hung up, Kai enjoying the reluctance in Jeremy’s voice at saying good-bye, feeling warmth spread through him. He tried to tamp it down, but he couldn’t deny he was looking forward to Saturday more than he’d looked forward to anything in a long time.

LUCKILY THE
week flew by. Kai’s science class was going to start a unit that involved dissecting frogs, and since there was no way in
hell
he would give scalpels to those kids, he enlisted Shauna’s help. The day before the lesson, she spent two hours after school painstakingly cutting open each formaldehyde-soaked frog and removing its organs, laying them carefully next to the body so the kids could study them the next day. It wasn’t 100 percent ideal in terms of learning the in situ anatomy of the frog, but it was better than nothing.

Kai sat at his desk and graded papers, laughing at Shauna’s occasional exclamations of disgust and teasing her with “Some nurse
you’ll
be if you get grossed out by frog guts!”

She threw him such a dirty look he pretended to brush dust off his shoulders, making her grin, the smile lighting up her face. Kai was gratified to see it. Shauna had been very subdued lately, and he was worried. She turned in her missing papers, saying Dante had been sick and she hadn’t had time to do them before they were due. Kai suspected sadly she was killing herself trying to make sure an ill, miserable Dante didn’t cry and disturb that asshole she and her mother were living with.

The frog lesson went well, all of the kids engaged in learning for once, and Kai enjoyed the banter and enthusiasm they showed even as they pretended to gag and throw frog hearts at each other.

Then that Wednesday night was his first after-school self-defense class. Loren arrived with four off-duty female cops, and Kai had enlisted three of his female Krav Maga students, including Elise. All of the women and girls who initially signed up for the class were in attendance except for Shauna, the one Kai worried needed it most. She’d told him her mama got called in to work early, and there was no one to watch Dante.

The group sat around in a circle, and Kai talked to them about the principles of self-defense: incapacitate and escape. He and Loren demonstrated a few of the moves, then he and Elise did, and the women were all wide-eyed with wonder. One of the off-duty cops took them through a series of stretching and calisthenics to get them warmed up, and then the rest of the hour flew by as they started learning the first basic moves. Everyone was exhausted, sweaty, and sore when they were done, but they were chattering excitedly amongst themselves as they gathered their things in preparation for leaving, and all of the women assured Kai they would be back the next week.

He and Loren high-fived each other, grinned, and said their good-byes. Kai made sure everything was cleaned up and the facilities staff knew they were done with the room before heading out to his Jeep and home.

When he checked his mail, there was a white envelope from the lab his health insurance used for testing, and after he opened it and looked at the results, he impulsively texted Jeremy,
Labs came back, all clear!

A few minutes went by and then his phone chimed with the response,
Good. You won’t be able to walk on Sunday, hope you know that.

ON SATURDAY
morning they met the boys at the school as usual about 8:30 a.m. The rain was coming down in sheets, the wind blowing. They loaded up the van and headed out to Jeremy’s, but Kai didn’t have any clue what they would do once they got there. No way could they work outside in these conditions, but he didn’t want to just not show up without making some effort. Loren drove slowly and cautiously, and when they pulled up in Jeremy’s driveway, he shut the engine off and they all just sat there for a few minutes, staring dispiritedly out at the driving rain. To their credit none of the boys made verbal complaints, knowing they would fall on deaf ears. They’d learned to suck it up and deal.

Suddenly one of the boys pointed out the windshield. “Hey, there’s Mr. Speer. He’s waving at us.”

Kai peered through the windshield again and saw Jeremy was indeed beckoning to them from the shelter of his porch. The group of them piled out of the van and, slipping and sliding in the wet leaves and mud, made their way over to him. He had the front door standing open behind him, and the interior of the cabin glowed with light, warm and inviting.

“Come in,” Jeremy said. “I have an alternative for everyone today.” The boys, at Loren’s direction, kicked off their wet and muddy shoes, leaving them just outside the front door. Dripping jackets and sweatshirts were hung on the coatrack, and then the group of them stood in awed silence, looking up at the vaulted ceilings of the cabin, taking in the oversized leather furniture, the huge flat-screen TV that was mounted on the wall.

“Wow,” Luke whispered. “This looks like something out of a magazine.”

Jeremy gave him a slight smile, then turned and led them up the wide staircase to the second floor, where he motioned them into one of the bedrooms. It was empty of furniture, with drop cloths spread over the floor, outlet and light switch plates removed, and painters’ tape covering the edges and molding. Large cans of paint, brushes, rollers, and every sort of painting utensil Kai could think of was in a neat pile in the middle of the good-sized room.

“I need this room and two other bedrooms about this size painted. Primer first, then paint. Take care not to slop it on the molding or doorframes, okay? I know accidents happen but I think you all can do a good job.”

Kai felt warmth spread through him as he looked around at the beautifully painted room. He’d eat his wet socks if Jeremy really needed these rooms redone, but the fact he had made sure the boys had busywork for this cold and rainy day so they wouldn’t lose their opportunity for hours—

Jeremy picked up a stack of coveralls that were draped over a stepstool and handed them to Loren. “I figured the boys shouldn’t ruin their clothes with paint; it doesn’t wash out as easily as mud.” Unspoken was the acknowledgment that these kids’ wardrobes probably weren’t all that plentiful to begin with, and Jeremy continued, “They can keep these and use them when we move over to the other building.”

He showed everyone where the hall bathroom was, and then said, “I’ve closed the doors to my bedroom and my study downstairs. Those rooms are off-limits. Other than that feel free to go down to the kitchen and get a drink, and when it’s time for lunch, I’ll have a platter of sandwiches and some chips ready. I expect you all to work hard and I want a good report from Mr. Daniels and Officer Smith at the end of the day.”

Jeremy smiled and headed off downstairs, and the boys started chattering excitedly and with relief at not having to work outside. Loren handed out the coveralls and had everyone start pulling them on over their clothes, then set to work prying open cans of paint and giving general painting instructions.

Kai motioned toward the stairs, indicating his desire to go talk to Jeremy, and Loren rolled his eyes and nodded with a smirk. Kai flipped him off discreetly and followed Jeremy down the stairs, finding him in the kitchen stacking bottles of water in the fridge.

“Thank you,” Kai said quietly, leaning his hip against the counter, his arms casually folded. Jeremy finished with the water and turned to face Kai, mirroring his pose.

“You’re welcome,” he said, his lips quirked up in a half smile. “I know how important it is that the boys get their hours, and I’m not ready to start them over at the other place for a while. If the weather is still shitty next Saturday, they can clean out the attic for me. I haven’t wanted to tackle that yet, and there’s a lot of dirt and old birds’ nests up there, squirrel droppings.”

“Oh, they’ll fucking love that,” Kai said drily, then took a half step closer to Jeremy, stretching his hand out to toy with the belt loop of Jeremy’s jeans. “I want to kiss you so bad,” he breathed.

Jeremy leaned forward and barely grazed Kai’s lips with his, then pulled back. “Like that?” he teased, his gray eyes glowing with silver heat.

Kai let go of Jeremy’s belt loop and slid his fingers into Jeremy’s hair, pulling his mouth to his, nipping at his lips and teasing him with his tongue until Jeremy opened to Kai with a soft groan. Jeremy’s mouth was hot and wet as he kissed Kai slowly, deeply, almost leisurely. His restraint was driving Kai out of his mind, and he moaned, tightening his fingers in Jeremy’s hair.

Jeremy had been resting his hands lightly on Kai’s hips, and he reached around and palmed Kai’s ass, pulling their groins together. Kai arched into him, his arms wrapping tightly around Jeremy’s neck as the kiss grew more heated. Rough breathing and the lush sounds of lips meeting and parting over and over filled the kitchen, and suddenly a burst of laughter from the rooms upstairs made them break apart slowly, reluctantly.

“If I didn’t have a bunch of kids upstairs, I’d be dropping to my knees right about now,” Kai murmured in Jeremy’s ear, letting one hand graze the front of his pants, giving him a rough caress and a squeeze.

Jeremy growled and hooked one arm around Kai’s waist, pulling him flush against him, his lips hot at Kai’s ear as he whispered, “You frickin’ little tease. You’ll pay for that tonight.”

Kai feathered his lips across Jeremy’s temple as he whispered back, “God, I hope so.” He pushed Jeremy away slowly, drifting his hand down Jeremy’s arm and briefly tangling their fingers together before pulling completely away. “Lock yourself in your study all day, or else I can’t promise to keep my hands off you,” he warned, only half joking.

Kai backed toward the stairs, grimacing as he tried to adjust his raging erection in his jeans, loving the way Jeremy avidly watched him. Kai bit his lip and ran his palm suggestively over his aching cock, emphasizing its shape, and Jeremy growled again and took a step toward him, sending Kai hurrying toward the stairs and the cockblock of punk kids and the knowing smirk of his best friend.

Despite Kai’s sexual frustration, the day passed quickly. He and Loren each took two boys and a room, and by the time they broke for lunch about noon, two of the rooms were half-done and looking good. Kai was proud of Luke and Craig, who had worked steadily but carefully, not goofing off, only taking breaks for a bottle of water and the bathroom. Kai and Loren took turns keeping watch over the water forays and bathroom breaks, and they were both pleased to see all four boys respected the fact they were in Jeremy’s home, and no one abused the privilege of being inside.

Jeremy had a huge platter of deli sandwiches, chips, and fruit set out for when they broke for lunch, and the boys loaded up paper plates and went to sprawl on the covered front porch, watching the rain drip from the eaves. It was cold but they didn’t seem to mind, laughing and joking easily.

Kai and Loren watched them from inside, sitting at the kitchen island where they could see everyone through the large bay window next to the front door. Jeremy made a brief appearance to fill his own plate and grab a bottle of water, grazing his hand across Kai’s lower back surreptitiously as he passed behind him, dipping his fingers briefly under the hem of Kai’s T-shirt to run the callused tips across Kai’s sensitive skin. Kai shivered and sucked in a breath, letting his eyes go heavy-lidded as he watched Jeremy walk back to the study and shut the door.

“Jesus Christ,” Loren exclaimed in disgust. “The sexual tension is so thick in here I could cut it with a goddamn knife. Would you two just fuck already and get it out of your systems?”

“That’s the plan,” Kai retorted under his breath. “And I can’t fucking wait.”

Loren looked appraisingly toward Jeremy’s closed study door, cocking his head to the side as if he could actually see him through it as he said, “Nah, too stringy for me. You can have him.”

“What?” Kai gasped in mock outrage. “Too ‘stringy’? Says the guy who likes twinks who look like they’d blow away in a hard breeze.”

Loren licked his lips suggestively. “Young, dumb, and full of come, just how I like ’em.” Kai snorted, and Loren leaned in close. “But I can always make an exception for my sexy
cholo
,” he growled, and Kai rolled his eyes, throwing his wadded-up napkin in Loren’s face, spoiling the come-hither look he was going for. Loren grinned and took a huge bite of his sandwich, chewing with his mouth purposely open and making Kai grimace.

“What are you, twelve?” he complained but with a smile. Loren could always make him laugh, and despite the fact they were intimate on occasion, their relationship felt more like that of siblings a lot of the time. They squabbled every now and then, sometimes not speaking for weeks at a time, but Kai knew that Loren always had his back, always. He’d been there for him in ways no one else ever had or ever would, and he’d helped him pick up the shattered pieces of his life and put them back together. Kai wouldn’t be where he was now, not by a long shot, if it weren’t for Loren.