“Yes.” Joshua picked up a fry and popped it into his mouth. “Also, I’m glad he doesn’t want you involved.”
“You don’t think I can take care of myself?”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that to me, your best friend. We’re talking about a whole other level of skill here. These are huge ass military dudes who’ve done shit we can’t even imagine, and it’s obvious they’re up to something bad. Whatever it is, it’s the kind of danger you leave to the Kings. That’s what they do. Your job is to support them so they can do what they do. It’s not to become the Ralph Lauren-wearing Equalizer.”
“You know, you used to be so sweet and timid. Frank’s ruined you.”
Joshua barked out a laugh.
“Or maybe it’s Colton,” Jay mused. “He’s feisty.”
“That’s more likely. He’s a force of nature.”
Was it possible Jayhadoverreacted? He thought back to that moment and everything that had been said, including how Ryden had said it. He lifted his gaze to Joshua. “You think I overreacted?”
“You did,” Joshua replied gently. “Ryden was just looking out for you. He doesn’t know…everything. Plus, as sexy as that drawl of his is, he’s not the greatest at communicating his feelings, especially when it comes to you. It’s like you intimidate him or something.”
It was Jay’s turn to laugh. “Iintimidatehim? Come on. Look at me. Intimidating is not the first thing guys like him think of when they look at me.”
“You’re wrong. Again,” Joshua said, mischief in his eyes.
“You’re just loving this, aren’t you?”
“I am. I’m taking this moment,” he pretended to pluck something from the air. “And I’m filing it away for later.” He then proceeded to place the pretend file in his pocket.
“You’re ridiculous.”
Joshua ignored him. “And, of course, he’s intimidated. Think about it. When you first met, he was in a rough place.” His gaze turned sympathetic. “Jay, he was one bad day away from falling apart. Hell, he’d already fallen apart and was trying to put himself back together. And there you are at your desk, looking gorgeous and put together.”
“How’d you know I looked gorgeous?”
Joshua snorted. “Really?”
“Yeah, all right. I looked fabulous.”
“So, there you were, looking fabulous and sweet, dressed in bright colors, a beacon of light in a sea of black T-shirts and hard badasses. You knocked him for a loop. Then he finds out you’re not just a pretty face. You’re smart, confident, and fearless. Everyone at the office loves you, including the Kings, includingtheKing, and they would be lost without you. The man didn’t stand a chance. So, naturally, every time he opens his mouth around you, in goes the foot.”
Jay’s heart pounded in his ears. Was it possible? When King introduced them, Jay had known very little about Ryden because it had been no one’s place to tell Ryden’s story. But Jay knew the Kings, and that kind of somber lack of detail from them meant Ryden’s past was heartbreakingly painful and not to be discussed.
Over the years, Ryden had opened up some about his past, enough for Jay to piece certain things together, but he still didn’t know everything. But then why would he? Jay hadn’t earned that kind of trust from Ryden, unlike Mason, Lucky, and the others.And whose fault is that?Jay swallowed around the lump in his throat. Quickly, he pulled himself together.
“Then why hasn’t he said anything? It’s been six years. And all he’s done is drive me to throw books at him.” Jay had lost some good novels to that jerk. Besides, the blame didn’t fall solely on Jay. Ryden was as much to blame for their feud as Jay was.
“I know you say you two have nothing in common, but you’re both so damned stubborn that it’s taken you all this time to even admit to yourselves there’s something between you two.”
“I liked it better when we gossiped about other people,” Jay grumbled, making Joshua laugh. Damn it. His best friend was right. “I guess this means I owe him an apology.”
“I guess it does.” Joshua took a big bite of his burger and moaned around it. “Oh my God.”
“Right?” Jay bit into his burger, and the two of them sat having foodgasms for a heartbeat. When they could talk again, it was about the random funny shit that happened around the office. Jay was lucky to have a best friend as genuine and amazing as Joshua. Not to mention someone who wasn’t afraid to call Jay on his bullshit. It was also nice to be able to decompress about work stuff with someone who did what Jay did and was connected to the Kings.
Most people had no idea how vital Joshua’s and Jay’s roles were within their respective companies. They assumed they spent all day answering phones, sending emails, or fetching coffee. Joshua was Colton’s right-hand man. He kneweverythingthe president and CEO of a multibillion-dollar worldwide shipping company knew.
And Jay? If it concerned Four Kings Security, he was aware of it. He knew all the passwords and combinations, everyone’s salary, and who was sleeping with whom. He knew every client by name and had access to every single file. Jay was the only one with the same level of security clearance as the six co-owners of the company, but outside of the Kings and Wild Cards, no one had a clue because that’s how good Jay was at his job, and he took great pride in that.
“I ate way too much,” Joshua groaned, following Jay outside into the crisp night air once they’d finished their meal and Jay paid the bill. He loved this time of year when it was still warm and sunny in the afternoons, but there was a slight chill in the mornings and evenings.
Jay laughed. “Isn’t that what you saidbeforeordering a lemon, raspberry, and mascarpone donut the size of your head?”
