Page 18 of Ride the Lightning

“Furthermore, you couldn’t have gotten it up last night even if Avery paraded around in front of you buck-ass naked.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Jonah said dryly.

“You know what today is?” Kendall asked cheerfully.

Jonah had to think, which was unbelievably painful.How much bourbon did I drink?“Um, Wednesday?”

“Yes, actually,” Kendall said. “More importantly, it’s the day you take the bull by the horns or the intern by the balls, and make shit happen. Plus, you’re going to get justice for Earl and Marla.”

Jonah groaned as the events from the past few days began to crystalize and take shape in his muddled brain. He couldn’t afford to lie around and moan about his poor decisions when Marla needed him.

“I won’t be taking Avery by the balls, K.”

Kendall crossed his arms over his chest. “Why not?”

“He’s seeing someone,” Jonah replied.

“Since when?” Kendall scoffed.

“Yesterday.”

“Ah, I see,” Kendall said, fixing Jonah with a determined look. “One date or even night of sex isn’t strong enough to extinguish the torch the sweet boy is carrying for you.”

“Sweet boy?” Jonah asked. “He’s twenty-five. Same as you.”

“Maybe on paper, but I’m decades older in experience,” Kendall countered.

Jonah’s eyes snagged on the tiny scrap of blue fabric lying in the middle of his bedroom floor. It took him a moment to recognize them as Kendall’s shorts. “Are you sure we didn’t doanything?”

Kendall sighed. “I stripped out of the shorts on the way to the shower, not before I got in your bed. Pull back the blanket and look at yourself. Are you wearing underwear?” Jonah lifted the sheet and comforter and saw he was indeed wearing his boxer briefs. “There’s your answer,” Kendall said huffily. “I can’t believe you question my character.” He bent over to retrieve his shorty shorts with a dramatic flourish and ended up losing his towel in the process. “Oopsie,” Kendall said, making no attempt to cover himself as he left Jonah’s bedroom.

“I hope you saved some hot water for me,” Jonah called out, wincing when the effort sent a stabbing pain through his brain. His water heater was starting to show its age, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he had to replace it.

Kendall’s voice rang out from down the hall. “More than you deserve.”

Jonah gingerly got out of bed and padded to his bathroom, where he took the hottest shower he could stand. After he finished and toweled off, Jonah saw Kendall had left a cup of hot coffee, a bottle of cold water, toast, and three Advil tablets on his nightstand.

He planned to thank Kendall for his kindness and apologize for jumping to conclusions when he got downstairs, but his roommate had already left. Jonah had to settle for sending a text instead. Even though Kendall didn’t appear to be angry with him, Jonah had meant what he’d said at dinner. The guy deserved better treatment than he allowed. If Jonah wanted Kendall to believe it, then he needed to demonstrate his sincerity.

Kendall’s reply was a simple xoxoxo.

He made a quick trip to Ling’s to pick up his Caramel Bugles. “How’s Dakota working out?” Jonah asked Mrs. Ling.

“He’s a good boy. Just needs someone to care,” she said with an easy smile. Mrs. Ling tried to give him the Bugles for free, but Jonah refused her kind offer.

Mrs. Ling wasn’t one to take no for an answer and began negotiating a deal. Jonah ended up accepting a ten percent discount because he still felt like sunbaked roadkill, and he’d be sick if she called him a hero one more time.

Once at the bureau, Jonah kept his head down and didn’t make eye contact with anyone as he navigated the labyrinth of hallways. He held up his hand in silent greeting to those who ignored his body language but didn’t stop moving until he reached the blissful peace of his office. Let their tongues wag about his present mood.

“Whoa. You look rough as hell. Are you ill?” Avery asked softly as he entered the room with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

Jonah looked up and wished he hadn’t. The expression in Avery’s eyes was a mixture of concern, compassion, and something else Jonah was too afraid to acknowledge. If he did, there’d be no turning back.

“I might’ve had too much to drink last night. It wasn’t my smartest move,” Jonah said, his voice sounding as ravaged as he felt. He had to pull himself together before meeting with Trexler, so he reached for his vice. “Want some?” he asked, opening the bag and tipping it toward Avery.

His intern approached the desk cautiously. “In all these months, you’ve never once offered me one of your beloved Bugles. The end must be near.”

In response, Jonah rolled his eyes and shook the bag to double down on his offer.