Page 28 of Widow

Chapter 7

Usually, I didn't think twice about New Year's Eve. It was just another night before the calendar changed, and I had to remember to change the year when I wrote the date.

I was surprised that Lucifer wasn't at work. I should've gotten his cell phone number, so I could text him and make sure he was okay.

I made it to Blue Wave an hour before it struck midnight. I had changed into the fanciest dress I owned; it was rose gold with sequins and hit mid-thigh. I wasn't a dress person and felt half-naked.

As soon as I entered the restaurant, the hostess greeted me. "Do you have a table reserved?"

"She's with me." Kai seemed to come out of nowhere and put his arm around my waist. "This is my girlfriend. The one that called the other night."

My face flamed red as the girl gave me an appraising look. I always wondered why women did that to each other; looked at each other like we weren't good enough for the man we were with. I did the same thing when someone introduced their attractive boyfriend.

Not that Kai was my boyfriend. He definitely was attractive, though.

Out of the three men, I knew the least about him. With Ric, I knew that he was a wolf shifter from another realm. And now I knew that Lucifer was that Lucifer. But who was Kai?

He led me up a set of stairs to a quieter part of the restaurant. There were several booths and tables spread throughout the room. Lucifer and Ric were sitting at a booth in a far corner.

"Is there anything in particular you would like to drink?" Kai finally removed his hand from my waist and stepped back.

"Anything is fine." I slid into the booth next to Lucifer, who was watching every move I made with eyes that seemed to be on fire.

"You look amazing." Ric ran his hand over his shaved head. I had been so focused on Kai's hand and Lucifer's gaze that I was just noticing his hair cut.

"What happened to your hair?" I had liked his hair and had been tempted on several occasions to run my fingers through it. Now it was shaved close to his head. It would probably still feel amazing to run my hands over.

He sighed and put his cheek on his fist. He looked at Lucifer and then back at me. He gritted his teeth. "I discovered gum."

Lucifer snorted and took a drink of the amber liquid in his glass. His lips turned up at the edges, and his eyes sparkled in the faint light of room. He was breathtakingly handsome.

They were all breathtakingly handsome. I didn't quite know how to deal with the feelings I had towards each of them.

Ric narrowed his eyes with a frown. "Lucifer said it was the only way to get the gum out of my hair."

I bit my lip and looked at Lucifer, trying to stifle a laugh that wanted to erupt. I had gotten gum in my hair a time or two. Late night studying and gum were a bad combination. "Peanut butter or olive oil would have gotten it out."

Ric let out a low growl, and Lucifer shrugged. "Sorry. My daughter was never dumb enough to fall asleep with gum in her mouth."

"So, you're calling me dumb?" I raised an eyebrow.

Lucifer straightened in his seat and dropped the smile that had been creeping into place. "I didn't-"

I laughed and waved off his response. "It is pretty dumb to fall asleep chewing gum." I looked over at Ric. "You look sexy with your hair short like that."

Ric smirked at Lucifer. "Joke’s on you."

Kai returned with a bucket and a bottle of champagne, interrupting the banter. He slid into the booth and slid his arm behind me on the edge of the booth.

I'm sure if I was an onlooker, he would've definitely looked like a mob boss. He had a cocky swagger about him, but it wasn't off-putting. Instead, it was sexy as hell.

I grabbed one of the champagne flutes to busy myself. I couldn't explain why I was becoming more and more attached to the three men at the table. They were the only three who knew about me, but I had sworn off men. And not just because of what I was.

Once we all had a drink in hand, I broke the silence. "So a shifter, an angel, and a... restaurant owner?"

Kai laughed and took a sip from his glass. "It's a rather odd combination, isn't it?" He put his glass down and looked over at Lucifer and Ric. "I only know them because I was helping with a demon situation."

"A demon... you know what? Never mind, I don't want to know. So what are you exactly? Because you are something, right?" I had been thinking a lot about the new world I was a part of. A world I wasn't even aware existed. I still had a hard time believing there was 'otherness' out there.

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