Page 78 of Their Wicked Ways

This time, Jett’s smile was small but genuine. “I don’t, not anymore. It’s just embarrassing to think about how naive I was. And it’s never fun telling people you’re divorced at twenty-three. People are judgmental assholes.”

“They are,” I agreed. “Except us. We’re amazing.”

Jett smiled wider. “You’re all right.”

“All right?” Wes put his hand over his heart. “Did you hear that, Ez?”

I did the same and added some exaggerated puppy eyes. “You wound us.”

“Fine,” Jett said with a laugh. “You’re pretty awesome.”

“We can accept that.” Wes grinned.

Jett smiled, but I could tell he was still tense by the set of his shoulders and tightness around his eyes.

“Do you want something from the kitchen?” I offered.

Hopefully, changing the subject would help him feel more relaxed. I wasn’t trying to minimize what he’d told us, but I had a feeling he’d rather think about something else now.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“Are you fine, or do you think I’m being polite?” I asked pointedly.

A slight blush painted his cheekbones. “Polite.”

“We don’t have many options,” I said. “Just milk, soda, wine, beer, or water.”

He glanced at Wes, then flicked his gaze back to me. “What are you having?”

“I was thinking of grabbing a beer since we’re off for the day, but we don’t have to drink if you’d rather not.”

He chewed on the corner of his lip.

“Or we could skip the booze and share a joint,” Wes suggested.

Jett flicked his gaze between us. “I’ve never…”

“Smoked?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“Don’t feel pressured. We can just chill and have soda,” I said.

He chewed on the corner of his mouth again. “The only time I’ve been around people doing it was at parties where I didn’t really know anyone. I didn’t feel safe trying it then.”

“You’re safe with us,” Wes said. “You can stay as long as you need to until you feel sober again. We’ll make sure you get home.”

A defiant look replaced his earlier trepidation, then melted into a smirk. “Yeah. Fuck it. Why not.”

“I’ll be right back,” I said, heading into the kitchen to get a lighter and one of the pre-rolls we kept stashed there. I also grabbed three bottles of water, knowing we’d need them soon.

When I was back in the living room, I settled on the couch next to Wes and handed the bottles out.

Jett’s eyes dropped to the joint in my hand.

“This strain is a hybrid, but it tends to affect the mind more than the body.” I held the joint up. “It’ll make your thoughts race, but it should also relax you.”

“I turn into a chatterbox when I’m on it,” Wes said. “But it makes Ez quiet, so it all depends on how you react to it. And it gives me the giggles.”