Jester wags a finger at her. “For someone who claims to be a movie geek, you’re off your game, girl.”
Jamie gasps, feigning insult. “I’ll have you know I amthebiggest movie geek ever in the history of movie geekdom. I wear the crown proudly, sir.”
It’s nice to see her show the playful side to her personality given the tight control she always has over herself around people.
“But weren’t you homeless?” Discord, at twenty-two, has a lot in common with Jester. They both have foot-in-mouth disease.
“I was, yes. On and off for years, actually,” she tells Discord.
“How’d you watch movies without, like, a television?”
“Orlando had a dollar theater. At first, I would use it as a cheap shelter when it rained. But then it became more for me. A dollar a day bought me a daily escape from reality. There’s not a classic movie from the ‘70s through the 2000s I haven’t seen at least a dozen times. Well, exceptTaxi Driver.” She points to Malice. “They didn’t show that one too often.”
Jester uses his now-empty bottle of beer to gesture to all of us. “We gotta do a movie night.”
“Don’t let Havoc pick the movie because there’s no way I’m sitting throughGoodfellasagain.”
Jamie throws up her hands. “Or me, because I’ll make you watchAvengers: Infinity War, or some other comic book movie.” She looks over her shoulder at me. “What movies do you like?”
“Horror.”
“Intriguing.” God, her voice is so fucking sexy.
“Why’s that?”
Her hand comes to rest on my thigh, the heat of it scorching me through the thick fabric of my pants. She wiggles her brows. “The possibilities are endless. We can go old-school withNightmare on Elm StreetorHalloween. Or cult classics likeNightbreedorHellraiser. Or maybe something cheesy likePuppet Master. But if you want scary… Endless possibilities.”
What I see is a host of different possibilities—none of them involving horror movies. All of them involve Jamie naked on my bed beneath me. Or above me. On her on her knees… Endless possibilities.
“Hell. No. I’m planning it because I can just see you both ruining it with your lovey dovey bullshit,” Jester announces.
“Then plan away. No one’s stopping your annoying ass,” I say.
“I’m not annoying.” Jester looks to Discord. “Am I annoying?”
“Absolutely not,” Discord answers.
“Yeah, you are,” Malice counters.
“Remember the time I almost cut out your tongue to shut you the fuck up?” Havoc says.
Jester roars out a laugh. “Remember when I stabbed you when you tried?”
Havoc holds up his scarred right hand and inspects the old wound. “Got me good that night.”
“A lesson was learned that night,” Jester drawls.
“What, that you can get the drop on me when I’m drunk?”
That remark leads to such heinous slander that by the time we’re done, Jamie’s face is all sorts of red. But she’s laughing, and not hunkered down behind her defenses. Not even after the bickering dies down and Discord askes about her mother—something that’s always been a sore subject with her.
“She’s gone,” Jamie answers curtly.
“That sucks.” Discord pokes at the fire. “So, it was just you and your old man?”
“Yes.” Jamie slides her cold, trembling hand in mine rather than folding them on her lap like she usually does. And instead of her expression settling into a mask of indifference, she looks so fucking sad it’s heartbreaking. “She left when I was three. I don’t remember her. I could pass her on the street, and I wouldn’t know. My father burned all her pictures the night she left.”
“What a dick,” Havoc grunts.
