and swollen lips. I recognize the signs of someone who has been thoroughly kissed…or more.”
“You th-th-thought I… that we…” Avery stammered. He swallowed hard and briefly closed his eyes. “You’re an idiot, Jonah. My pink cheeks and puffy lips were a result of a medical condition.”
Jonah raised a brow. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
“I had an allergic reaction to my lunch, asshole,” Avery practically shouted. “I didn’t see the little bites of heaven in my salad until it was too late.”
“Little bites of heaven?”
“Avocado,” Avery said. “I was stuffing my face while my date talked about his job. Suddenly, I noticed my face felt numb, and my lips were tingling. I shifted the lettuce around in my bowl and found the cause.”
Jonah buried his face in his hands. “I’m the biggest dick on the planet.”
“This isn’t the time to brag about your dick size, Jonah,” Avery chastised.
Jonah lifted his head and stared at him. “I said I am the biggest dick, not that I have the biggest dick. God, Avery, I’m—”
Avery held up a hand, cutting him off before he could apologize. “Stow it for another day when you make an even bigger ass of yourself than you have today.” Jonah doubted it was possible, but he wasn’t willing to wager on it. “Do you know what your problem is?”
“Is that a rhetorical question, or do you expect an answer?” Jonah asked.
Avery made a growly noise of frustration Jonah found sexy and sweet. “I could strangle you with my bare hands right now. You make me crazy with your hot-and-cold, push-and-pull personality. If you want something, then by God, go get it. Stop giving up at the first sign of a roadblock. Sometimes you go around the barriers and other times you run the fucking thing over.”
Was Avery encouraging him to make a move? Jonah’s pulse sped up.
“Take this Ison case, for example,” Avery said, crushing Jonah’s unbidden hope. “Trexler said no, so you’re willing to let it go just like that. You have innumerable resources and contacts who could help you look into the case further if you’re willing to set aside your wounded pride and ask for help.”
Disappointment was Jonah’s familiar foe. It was the uninvited dinner guest that popped by one night and never left. Avery was right. This wasn’t about Trexler, his grandfather’s ghost, his aunt’s career, or even Jonah’s pride. It was about Marla and Earl and Bo. He needed to find another way, even if it meant turning this over to Ellie. He trusted her beyond measure.
Jonah’s computer chimed, interrupting his musings. He knew what it meant but couldn’t look away from Avery’s bright, passionate gaze. A wicked smile spread slowly across his intern’s face, and he pointed at Jonah’s computer screen. Jonah looked at his monitor and confirmed Avery had broken through his firewall. He hadn’t even realized Avery was still typing during his big speech.
A knight in armor marched across Jonah’s computer screen, carrying a flag with a large letter A as trumpets blew victoriously.
“Checkmate, thundercloud,” Avery said smugly. “Your move. The question is, are you going to give up or go through the roadblock?”
“I’m going to run the fucker over,” Jonah replied.
The real question was, were they still talking about Trexler’s objections or the barriers Jonah had erected to fight his attraction to Avery?
“Earth to Jonah,” Felix said, snapping his fingers a few inches from Jonah’s face. “You’ve been staring off into space while swirling your French fry in ketchup for the last five minutes. Are you okay, man?”
Jonah blinked and refocused on his friend’s worried face. Beside him, Rocky simply shook his head. The private eye was more stoic and less likely to show concern.
“You look like a zombie,” Rocky said. “I’ve called you every filthy name I can think of, and you didn’t react.”
“I feel like a zombie,” Jonah admitted, dropping his fry back into his take-out container. “It’s been a rough week. Monday was the Monday-est Monday of all time with twelve hours of meetings where Trexler sharpened his teeth on my bones.”
“I have a feeling the hits didn’t stop there,” Felix said.
Jonah shook his head. “Not even close. Thank God tomorrow is Friday, and we beat our deadline to submit test results to Dickface a day early. At least I should be ending the week on a bright spot,” Jonah said.
“So, you spent a lot of time locked in your office with the adorable Avery this week?” Felix asked.
“How do you know he’s adorable?”