Page 16 of Ride the Lightning
“I haven’t said anything,” Jonah replied.
“You didn’t have to. I can see the storm brewing in your eyes and feel the tension rolling off you in waves. I know what you need,” Kendall said. “I’ll fix you right up.”
Kendall put the beverages back in the refrigerator and removed the brand-new bottle of bourbon and two tumblers from the cabinet beside it. “On the rocks or straight up?” he asked, setting the booze and glasses on the counter.
Jonah smiled. “I’ll take the first one straight up and add ice later to pace myself.”
“Same,” Kendall said, pouring a generous amount in both glasses. He picked up one drink and gave the other to Jonah. “I propose a toast.”
Jonah didn’t feel like he had a single thing to celebrate but kept his mouth shut as he held his glass in the air.
“To our fabulousness and the dumb fucks who don’t deserve us,” Kendall said.Uh-oh. Before he could ask questions, Kendall clicked his glass against Jonah’s and said, “Cheers.” Then he knocked back half the drink like a rum-guzzling pirate.
“Cheers,” Jonah repeated, but unlike Kendall, he sipped the fine liquor. “God, that goes down so smoothly.”
“That’s whathesaid,” Kendall teased, winking playfully at Jonah. When he followed it with a giggle-snort, Jonah knew Kendall was already feeling the alcohol.Lightweight. “I need ice.”
“Yes, you do,” Jonah said, taking the glass from Kendall and adding ice to his drink for him.
“Let’s set up a buffet on the coffee table,” Kendall suggested. “We can eat a little bit of everything.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Jonah retrieved plates from the cabinet, and Kendall pulled open a drawer and removed two forks. Then they each grabbed as many containers as they could carry before making a second trip.
“Looks like we’re eating our emotions tonight,” Jonah said, surveying the bounty.
Kendall hiccupped, then giggled. “And drinking.”
“Cheers to that too,” Jonah said, clinking his glass against Kendall’s before taking a longer drink.
Their conversation stalled as they dished food onto plates and began eating. The lull in conversation allowed Jonah’s mind to wander, and the path inevitably led him to his intern. He pictured Avery’s enthralled expression while working out some of the kinks with Jonah’s microchip design. He’d been so caught up in his work, Avery hadn’t noticed Jonah watching him. Avery’s tongue had darted out to lick his lower lip when he got close to figuring a problem out, or he’d chewed on his pencil when he felt frustrated. Jonah wanted Avery’s tongue and teeth all over his body. He recalled the way Avery’s long fingers danced over the keyboard and wanted to feel those nimble digits pushing all Jonah’s buttons. And the gasp he’d made when he saw Jonah’s tattoo?Fuck me.He would hear the sound during his fantasies for sure.
“What’s troubling you?” Kendall asked, startling Jonah back to the present. “Is Trexler being a douche again?”
Jonah chuckled. “Still, not again. I’d say he’s acting extra douchey.” He poured them another drink and decided to skip the ice for the second round too.
He told Kendall everything, starting with the brutal meetings from the previous day and ending with Malcolm insisting Jonah discuss the Ison investigation with Trexler. He left out the parts about Avery spilling coffee on him or the moment they shared in the restroom afterward. Jonah would unpack that later when he was alone.
“You win the prize for the shittiest thirty-six hours,” Kendall said softly. “I’m so sorry to hear about Marla, Jonah. It’s a beautiful thing you’re trying to do for her, and I know you’ll get justice for Earl in the process.”
“Thanks,” he said awkwardly. It amazed Jonah how much easier it was for him to accept criticism over praise.
A full stomach and two potent drinks were making Jonah feel drowsy. Kendall poured a third drink for them both, and Jonah knew he wasn’t the only one struggling with demons. “What’s wrong? Whose ass do I need to kick for hurting you?”
Kendall snorted. “Mine. I should’ve ignored Travis’s text messages. I knew he didn’t want to meet for dinner to talk about old times, or at least it wasn’t his only motivation.”
“Is this the guy from last night?” Jonah asked.
“And this morning,” Kendall said with a wry smile.
Jonah shot him the middle finger just like he had in his text. “Old times?” he asked. “How long have you known this Travis putz?”
“Oh, about sixteen years,” Kendall replied casually.
Jonah turned his head too quickly and the room spun a little. He waited until he only saw one Kendall instead of two before he spoke. “Sixteen years?”
“Mmmhmm,” Kendall said. “That’s when his father married my mother. I was nine and Travis was eleven.”