Out of the corner of my eye, I see his skull ring. I’m used to seeing it, and I shouldn’t be. It should still inspire a thrill of fear.
I bite my lip.
“Are you stressed?” He’s peering at me.
“Of course, I’m stressed. I’m twenty-two and have spent most of my life completely broke. What broke twenty-something isn’t a stress bucket?”
“Can I fix it?”
I sigh. “Not today.” Especially because he’s what I’m worried about.
“Okay, bunny.” He kisses my nose and lifts off of me. The loss of him makes me dizzy.
He walks to the kitchen, like everything’s normal. I hit play on the movie I was watching before I paused it to take a nap. A minute later, Jaeger’s back with a jumbo tin that turns out to be filled with three types of fancy popcorn.
He offers the tin to me first, and I take a handful, but I tense up when he settles on the couch next to me. I’m halfway through a bonkers rom-com set in a small town that celebrates Christmas all year. If Jaeger’s like any of my old boyfriends, he’s five seconds away from grabbing the remote and changing the channel so he can watch sportsball.
A minute passes. I hold my breath. On-screen, the winner of the Snow Queen beauty pageant is making a speech about saving the town.
Jaeger munches on popcorn, his blue eyes fixed on the screen. “Is this the one with the gingerbread-making contest?”
I blink at him. “What?”
“The movie. Is this the one with the gingerbread-making contest to save the small town? Or the one with the long-lost prince and widow?”
I look from him to the TV screen and back again. He seems serious. “There’s one with a long-lost prince and a widow?”
“You haven’t seen that one?” He points to the screen where a rugged lumberjack is yelling at a trio of kids dressed like elves, telling them that he hates Christmas. “That’s the actor who playsthe prince. They just had him shave his beard and dye his hair blond.”
“Really?” The lumberjack looks good with his wild-man beard. I try to picture him as a clean-shaven blond, and the result is pretty bland. “Ugh.”
“Yeah. He looks better like this.” Jaeger takes another handful of popcorn and leans back, slinging his free arm behind me. “But there’s a great ice skating routine. Let’s watch the prince movie next.”
What?I twist to stare at him. “You like these movies?”
He shrugs. “Who doesn’t?”
“Most macho men wouldn’t be caught dead watching stuff like this.” I put my hand out, feeling for his crotch. My palm brushes a hard bulge in his jeans.
He raises a brow.
“Just checking to make sure you have a dick.”
He grabs my wrist and presses my hand against him more firmly. “Oh, I have one. Want me to prove it?”
I shake my head, turning back to the screen. “Let’s just watch the movie.”
To my surprise, he does. We finish the movie, and he puts on the one with the blond prince. The plot is more ridiculous than the first and very satisfying.
About halfway through, he finishes the popcorn and goes to wash his hands. When he returns, he slips a hand on my belly and strokes my skin. I frown at him, and he smiles back.
He keeps fondling me through the final scenes, and, yes, the ice skating scene is epic. I start to shift in my seat, squirming under his touch. It’s relentless and never moves below my waist.
Finally, the credits roll.
“Well?” I demand.
“Well, what?” He leans in to kiss me.
