head in Avery’s direction. His intern’s hazel eyes glittered with mischief, and Jonah flapped his wings closer to the flame. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“That’s right,” Avery replied sagely, running his fingers over the row of buttons on his pale lavender dress shirt. Was it new or had he just never worn it to work before? The color made his hazel eyes look more green than brown and went well with his fair skin and golden hair. When Jonah had last seen Avery yesterday afternoon, his hairstyle had looked a bit shaggy with overlong bangs hanging in his face. This morning, Avery’s fade looked tighter and his quiff smoother. A new shirt and a trip to the barber? Jonah resented noticing these things at the same time he cataloged them in his brain. “You don’t do the boyfriend thing.”
“I don’t,” Jonah agreed. He fucked. Just not lately. “This jackass tried to rob the corner market store in my neighborhood last night.” Technically, SWG hid in the closet, then pissed himself, but it didn’t sound nearly as interesting. “The owners showed the guy mercy and hired him instead of pursuing charges. I wanted to make sure he had a clean record.”
“You don’t think people deserve a second chance?” Avery asked.
“I do,” Jonah said. “I also know that a high percentage of people don’t appreciate them. I don’t want to see Mr. and Mrs. Ling get hurt.”
Avery smiled and his eyes sparkled with admiration. “You’re a good man.”
Jonah’s skin heated, and his face felt like it was engulfed in flames. He usually recoiled when someone called him a hero or praised his character but not with Avery. He wanted to be the good man Avery saw, and on many days, Jonah could almost believe it was true.
Sensing Jonah’s discomfort, Avery nudged his coffee mug closer to him and changed the subject. “Bill is back with Ashley again.”
“Again? Does that make it the tenth time?”
“Aha! It’s the eleventh. You do pay attention when I repeat the water-cooler gossip.”
Jonah rolled his eyes. “I feign interest so you’ll spit it out and get to work.”
Avery studied him over the rim of his mug as he sipped his sweat-sock stew. He set his tea down and smiled devilishly. “You hang on to my every word. Admit it.”
“Do not.” He so fucking did. Sometimes Jonah watched those lips form each word, then replayed them later when he was alone. Especially in moments like these because Jonah could almost believe Avery was flirting with him.
“Is today the day you finally admit how much you like me?” Avery asked.
The corner of Jonah’s mouth twitched. “Like is such a strong word.” It wasn’t strong enough.
Avery smirked but didn’t press harder for an admission. “You look tired.”
“I’m sure you heard how badly the meetings went yesterday,” Jonah said. “I doubt anyone excludes me from the morning gossip.”
“Definitely not,” Avery admitted. “People go back and tell their assistants and interns how poorly Butch Trexler treats you, and they can’t wait to fill me in. There’s an office pool on how long you’ll last at this job.”
“How long I’ll last?” He’d already worked for the bureau for three years. “Before I do what? Harm him or quit?”
Avery tipped his head to the side. “I’m not sure what ‘Hulk out’ entails.”
“Did you bet against me?”
“What do you think?” Avery punctuated his question with an exaggerated eye roll.
Jonah wasn’t sure he wanted to know. As his intern, Avery should be on his side. As Jonah goes, so does Avery, or something like that. He didn’t like thinking Avery was rooting against him, or worse, plotting against him.
“I would never bet against you.”
“Can we get to work now?”
“You’re the boss,” Avery said.
Jonah fumbled his coffee cup and nearly dropped it. He’d lain in bed the night before, fucking his fist while fantasizing about Avery saying that very same thing after Jonah ordered him to drop to his knees and suck his cock.
“What?” Avery asked. “You’re not the boss?”
Jonah swallowed hard. “I am the boss.”
Avery set his cup down on the desk and clapped. “That’s good, Jonah. Now say it with more conviction.”
Jonah traded the coffee cup for the legal notepad on his desk. He and Avery used it often to make notes for one another when they were working simultaneously on different aspects of their projects. Both men liked to listen to music while working, and constantly hitting pause to chat about different coding variables was just annoying. Most days, the notebook was filled with computer-geek jargon that