Sam barely noticed. He’d grabbed his phone from the nightstand, fingers trembling as he pulled up the texts from earlier, noting how close the responses were to each other.
We all live together– Urien had said that in the coffee shop.
Not roommates. Not housemates.Together.
Oh gods. Were they already in a relationship with each other?
Sam’s mind conjured the image immediately - Rux’s red hair catching light as he leaned against Mabon’s shoulder, Urien’s large hands gentle on both their backs, the three of them moving through their shared space with the easy comfort of people who knew each other intimately.
Heat flooded Sam’s face. And they wanted him to what? Join in? Thethree of them and Sam, all together, like some kind of…
Like his novel. His ridiculous, unpublishable romance novel about three supernatural beings courting one ordinary human because fate demanded it.
Come on, Sam, get a grip.This was real life. Sam lived in Dinetell, where the most exciting thing that happened was when Harrison’s grocery store got a new cheese selection.
Three men didn’t just decide to court someone together. That wasn’t how the world worked.
Except…sometimes it was. Sam had read articles, had stumbled across forums late at night when he couldn’t sleep. Polyamory. Triads. People who loved more than one person and built lives that made space for everyone.
It happened. Real people did it. But surely not withhim.Not with Sam Brown, who’d had exactly one forgettable coffee date in the last twoyears and whose own cat was his most consistent relationship.
His phone screen had gone dark. Sam stared at his reflection in the black glass – the same rounded face, messy hair, and the faint shadow of his freckles visible even in the dim light.
Why would they want him?
Because you’re sweet, funny, and genuinely kind,Maya had said.
Sam wanted to believe it. Gods, he wanted to believe that three incredible men had looked at him and seen something worth pursuing. That he was worth the expensive gifts, the awkward conversations, and the early morning vegetable and bakery deliveries.
He lay back down, phone still clutched in his hand.
If they were interested - if all three of them wanted him - what did that mean for Sam? Would they expect him to know how a relationship like that worked? Would they want him to choose one of them? Would they behurt if he admitted that the thought of all three made something warm and sensual unfurl in his chest?
Basil jumped back onto the bed, circling twice before settling against Sam’s hip.
“You hate them,” Sam whispered to the cat. “Why do you hate them?”
Basil couldn’t be bothered with such nonsense. He purred, his eyes already closing.
Maybe Maya was right, maybe Basil was just territorial, maybe the cat sensed that Sam’s quiet life was about to change and had decided violence was the appropriate response. Or maybe Basil sensed something else. Something Sam couldn’t see.
Sam’s thumb hovered over Rux’s contact information. One call. That’s all it would take. He could invite them to Pat’s pub, neutral territory, and just ask.Are you interested? All of you? In me?
The thought of doing something so out of character made him want to throw up.
What if he was wrong? What if Maya had read too much into friendly gestures and Sam called Rux only to get laughed at?
But then again, what if he was right?
Sam locked his phone and set it on the nightstand. He’d think about it tomorrow. After work, when his brain wasn’t spinning in circles, and his heart wasn’t trying to beat out of his chest.
He closed his eyes, but sleep felt impossible. Three men. Who might – possibly - want him. All of them. Together.
Sam’s last thought before sleep finally claimed him was that his novel’s plot suddenly didn’t seem quite so impossible after all. He just wished he knew how it ended.
Chapter Fourteen
Mabon
