Page 75 of Scrooged for the Holidays
“Aren’t you coming?” I ask Sam.
“Greer.” He says my name like a professor would in a lecture.
“That’s my name,” I reply cheekily.
Kai and Remi stifle a laugh, and I stare the brooding man down with my shoulders popped back.
“Smart mouth, I see,” he says. “Are you trying to give Kai a run for his money?”
I shrug. “It’s me. Take it, or leave it.”
Sam sits forward in his chair and rests his elbows on the table with his fingers steepled. His eyes are almost too intense to look into—it’s like he’s staring straight into my soul. Kai and Remi have that same quality as well, but Sam’s is…deeper. Like he’s trying to see what makes me tick.
The sound of his chair shifting back on the wooden floor prickles my skin. He stands, his larger-than-life presence filling the room alongside Kai’s and Remi’s. His clothes are nice as well, like he was styled professionally. He’s got on a black ribbed turtleneck and black slacks with a black leather belt. Not many people can pull off black on black, but he does—and he makes it look mouthwateringly good.
Sam walks around the table and stops in front of me and Kai, Remi at his back a small distance away. This is the first time I’ve been in close proximity with the three of them at once, and I’ll admit, it’s a bit overwhelming. I’m both tall and plus-sized; it’s not often I feel small. But with these three men, I feel like a plump shrimp they all look ready to devour.
My hunger that should be gone from dinner flares to life, and I have to stop myself from jumping the man then pulling Kai and Remi down on top of us. My brain is being ridiculous and telling me that’s the only way to satiate it.
Sam steps closer, his eyes floating down my form, taking me in from head to toe before our eyes meet again. “I’m not going to touch you, Greer.”
Rejection stings in the pit of my stomach, and my head ducks automatically. My chin only lifts when Sam’s finger brings it up so I can meet his sharp gaze. A shiver works along my spine when his thumb rubs at my jaw.
“I should be clearer. I want to watch Remiel and Malachi have their way with you. Does that sound alright?”
Apparently, the majority of us have got a voyeurism kink up in this inn. After this, the only one who hasn’t watched will be Remi. But I don’t need to know more about him to understand he isn’t someone who stands by with idle hands. He’s a man of action.
“Alright.”
Sam studies my face for a long moment as if he wants to say more but drops his hand. My stomach flips at the loss, and there’s an emptiness in my chest that I want to be filled by his touch.
Why did I agree to his offer? I want to take it back. I don’t want him to only watch; I want them all to participate. But I agreed, and whatever his reasoning, him being in the room will have to be enough. Maybe he’s being this way since he’s the only one of the three I haven’t gotten to know.
Before joining us for dinner, I’d been learning more about Remi and Kai. It was easy to see they loved each other, and I found out they’ve lived in Elysian Pines since they were young adults. Kai runs the bar but also helps at the inn, while Remi owns the inn and is something akin to a town council member as well.
They shared with me their love for the outdoors and Christmas, something we don’t have in common. Which they already knew. Kai also loves to tell stupid jokes that make you cringe-laugh. For instance:What did one eye say to the other? Between us, something smells.So dumb.
Remembering the joke makes me smile, which Sam takes as my further acceptance of his words.
“Good.” He turns away from me and locks eyes with Remi. “Let’s go. I want Greer to be comfortable.”
Chapter twenty-three
Remiel
Thefourofuswalk down the hallway toward Sam’s bedroom, energy between us pulsing with heated tension. His is one of the only rooms on the lower floor and the largest besides my own.
I’m positive that if I asked him why he offered his room up for our evening together with Greer, that would be his logical answer: one of the largest, faster to get to, comfortable for all of us. But one would have to be oblivious to miss the way he looked at her while sitting at the dining table, brilliant stars in his eyes.
I knew it before, but he’s just as enamored with her as we are. Greer has her faults, maybe more so than some, but every being I’ve ever met has them, including myself. It doesn’t mean we aren’t worthy of love or having someone take a chance on us.
I realized while sitting at the table with her, Kai, and Sam that I have a guess as to why she’s made such an impact on us. Why Elysian Pines not only brought her to us but has also made us feel ravenous for her.
It’s been centuries since I came to this town and met Malachi and Samael. Time has blurred together, and I never thought to question how our life was here, if it could get better, or thatsomething might be missing. I’ve always felt complete with Kai and Sam and our work.
But now?
I can’t deny that Greer reminds me of us. She’s not a Nephilim, but she’s lost her way. She feels out of place among the people in her life. She’s buried herself in her work over the years and convinced herself that power and money is the only way to be happy with the life she’s been given.
