“Wait, so did you two bring me home for him?” Mary asked, staring at the three guys in front of her. If this was some odd ritual where they brought women home for Noel, she’d back out and leave right away. That was just some weird shit and she wasn’t there for that.
“Haha, no, that was never my intention,” Louis clarified, turning to kiss Mary possessively. “Don’t tell Sam, but I wasn’t going to share you with him either.”
“Dude, I’m standing right here,” Sam laughed, placing his hands on Mary’s waist and kissing her neck from behind. “And I don’t think you have a say in that matter. Mary doesn’t seem like a girl who lets men decide who she can and can’t date.”
A memory of Kurt flashed through her head and Mary pushed the two men away. They were wrong, she was a girl who let men decide those kind of things. Kurt decided she was his and his alone, and that no men or women could touch her. And she had complied.
“What’s wrong?” Noel asked, detecting the discomfort on her face.
“It’s just…” Mary stared at the three men and wondered whether she should actually admit just how much Kurt had dominated her and how she had let him like an idiot.
“You don’t have to tell us,” Sam smiled, uncharacteristically gentle for him. He motioned to the table and pulled the chair out for her. “How about some food first?”
“That’d be nice,” Mary smiled, pushing the memories of Kurt back. She didn’t want to waste any space in her head on this dickhead. No, instead, she had three new men to focus her attention on. And Nico.
No, not Nico. Mary shook the thoughts of the pixie out of her head. She’d have her hands full with the three, quite literally, she hoped. She didn’t need to venture into unknown territory, although she certainly wanted to explore something unknown. Explore it until no part of Nico’s body was foreign anymore.
No, bad Mary, she scolded herself, clutching the silver fork and distracting her appetite with the steaming pasta. She had no business thinking about Nico like this, hell, she didn’t even know if the woman was interested. No, she should just sort out whatever was going on with the three before she even touched Nico. Before she laid a finger on her, and then a hand… And then her mouth, and perhaps…
“Mary?”
Sam’s voice snapped her out of her daydream and she quickly stuffed her mouth with the penne, hoping to hide her naughty thoughts.
“Yes?”
“You okay there? You got really quiet for a bit.”
“Sorry.” She quickly swallowed and shot the men an apologetic glance.
“Is the food okay?” Noel asked, concern swirling across his handsome face. He certainly didn’t want to invite a guest and then have her not enjoy his dinner. The thought alone filled him with anxiety.
“Noel, it’s delicious.”
“Thanks, I always wanted to be a chef,” he admitted, avoiding her gaze. It was a silly dream, one he’d never accomplish. He was far too self-conscious to actually cook for strangers and expose himself to that kind of critique.
“You’d make a great chef!” Mary smiled, shoveling the pesto-covered penne in her mouth. If everything from Noel was this mouthwatering, she was in for a real treat. And she couldn’t wait to find out what hid underneath that reserved and shy mask of him. Maybe a gentle lover. Maybe a beast. Who knew. But she was ready to find out.