Page 18 of Camden

“Okay. Favorite Movie.”

“Radio,” I said without thought.

“Remember the Titans.”

My brow shot up, pleasantly surprised by her answer. “A sports movie?”

She lightly squeezed my thigh. “I don’t know. There’s something so uplifting about them. They have it all. Triumph. Heartache. Redemption. I can’t help but get goosebumps when I watch one.”

My grin widened. Fuck, I wanted to kiss her, but I cleared my throat. “Cats or Dogs.”

“On three?”

“One, two, three… Dogs.” we both say at the same time.

“Thank god. That might have been a deal breaker for me.”

Her shoulders shook with laughter. “Why? What do you have against cats?”

“It’s not really what I have against them. It’s more what they have against me.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“I have yet to meet a cat that likes me. They all hiss or swat at me. Some have bitten me. One even broke my nose.” I faked a shudder as she barked out a laugh.

“A cat broke your nose?”

“A particularly evil cat, Buttons.

“Buttons?”

“Yep,” I confirmed. “Buttons launched a full-blown attack on my leg. Lunged at it, and grabbed on with both sets of claws and teeth. I started panicking and flailing around, trying to get him off me. I lost my balance and fell face-first into a door frame. Broke my nose.”

She gasped. “You’re kidding.”

“Not even a little.” I shook my head. “Blood everywhere.”

“You poor thing.”

I ran my fingers along her bare shoulder. “Have you broken any bones?”

She stilled in my arms. “Yes.” One word.

I should’ve known better than to ask that damn question. After all, I suspected someone had hurt her in the past. I just didn’t know for a fact.

“I’ve broken my nose three times and my arm once. When I was six.”

She stayed stiff in my arms. “I always suspected your nose has been broken a few times.”

“Are you saying that it’s ugly?” I joked. Stephanie rolled her eyes, leaning back into me.

“No. I actually thought it made you more attractive. A little rugged with all the pretty that you have going on.” She avoided looking at me.

“You think I’m pretty. You wanna kiss me. You wanna hug me,” I sang, my lips brushing the top of her head.

“I-I’m sorry, did you just quoteMiss Congeniality?”She sputtered, body shaking.

The joy in her voice made me smile. “It’s one of Stacey’s favorite movies.” I defended half-heartedly.