“I know, and yes, he can be very frustrating, but last night, I discovered he could also be funny, silly, and adorable.” Jaydropped his gaze to his fingers. “I might have…been a little judgy myself. Last night, I felt safe.” He lifted his eyes and met King’s gaze again. “I can be myself around him.”
“Have you told him about Finch?”
Jay scowled. “No, I have not.”
“Don’t you think you should tell him?”
“I will,” Jay promised. “When all this is over. Besides, what if Ryden doesn’t feel the same? I’d be bringing all that up for no reason.” He snickered. “You’re doing it again.”
“He deserves to know whether something happens between you two or not. And yes, I am judging you this time because we both know that Marine is goofy over you. He fell head over heels the moment he saw you.”
“What?” Jay’s heart pounded in his ears. What was King talking about?
“Do you remember what he said when I first introduced you two?” King asked, sitting back in his chair and lacing his fingers over his stomach. He looked a little too smug for his own good. Ugh, why did King always have to be right?
“Um, he didn’t say anything.” It had been a somewhat awkward meeting. Jay had been his usual perky self, smiling big and holding out his hand. Ryden had taken it and just…stared at him.
“Because he’d been struck by lightning. When we left you, I’m pretty sure he was kicking himself. Kept muttering under his breath. Then he asked how long you’d worked here and tried to be all subtle about whether you were dating someone. He failed miserably. You have no idea how much that man swoons over you when you’re not looking. He’s just awful at the whole communicating his feelings part.” King shook his head. “At least when it comes to you.”
Jay’s heart did a little happy dance. All this time…. “If something did happen, would you be okay with it?”
“It’s not my place to get involved,” King sighed. “You work in different departments, so it’s not against the rules. Now, if he broke your heart, I can’t say I wouldn’t make his life miserable.”
“You would not,” Jay grinned wickedly. “That would be my job.”
“You’re right,” King chuckled. “That would be much scarier.” He stood. “I hope you two know what you’re doing.”
“I hope so, too,” Jay replied quietly, following King out of the room.
In most areas of his life, Jay was confident, and if he wasn’t, he worked on it until he was. When it came to men, he’d made some regrettable life choices, but in the end, he believed someone would come along who’d love him for him and wouldn’t try to change him. Was it possible the man of his dreams had been in front of him for years, and he hadn’t known it? Or maybe deep down he’d known but refused to accept it.
For the first time in his adult life, Jay wasn’t so confident because, if last night was anything to go by, he could fall hard for Ryden, and Jay wasn’t sure he could risk that kind of heartbreak.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Talk about a weird morning.Then again, the last several hours had been one surprise after another. He certainly hadn’t expected to have Jay in his bed last night. Had he fantasized about having Jay in his bed, which he would neither confirm nor deny, it hadn’t involved kissing tenderly, cuddling, or discussing shark loofahs.
Ryden had always been aware of Jay’s sweet, affectionate side, and if he were honest with himself, he’d admit he’d been a little jealous of all the folks on the receiving end. He only had himself to blame. Instead of acknowledging that he’d been attracted to Jay and being an adult about it, he’d acted like some schoolboy with a crush. Then again, they both had a talent for pushing each other’s buttons.
Didn’t matter. He had no time to think about any of that right now. Those assholes had tried to hurt Jay, and they were going to pay for it. But first, they had to be found. By now, Jack had likely dug up what he could on them. Time to find out what they were dealing with.
Ryden walked into the conference room and closed the door behind him. Turning, five heads shot up simultaneously, makinghim jump. These fuckers had been hanging around one another way too long.
“Fuck’s sake. That was terrifying. I would appreciate it if you all stopped acting like you’ve been body-snatched. King will be along in a minute. He’s talking to Jay.”
Ace straightened, a shit-eating grin on his face.
Great.Here we go.Ryden braced himself.
“How was your evening?”
Who did Ace think he was fooling? Ryden arched an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why don’t you tell me, Anston? You obviously saw the surveillance footage.”
“The surveillance footage didn’t show us what happened after,” Ace replied. “It was a really sweet embrace, though. You two look so cute together.”
“Shut up,” Ryden grumbled, sitting at the conference table far from the front where the others were huddled. He should have gotten himself another coffee. He’d not had enough caffeine for this. “You wanna know what happened last night?”
“Yes, please.” Ace leaned forward.
