Samuel looked upwards when Remi touched his shoulder, his expression one of surprised enlightenment. He was certainly distracted from his feelings - of triumph, that he was finally getting somewhere - by that look in the angel's eyes. It struck him somewhere low and excitable, captivating him immediately. He nodded because Remi was making a point about the carnival but he wasn't really listening. He was too bewitched by those eyes, a response he hadn't felt in too long stirring inside him once again.
Then Remi plopped down on the chair (closer to him than to Dom... HA!) and the spell faded. Remi's words were encouraging, however. He was finally sounding willing to accept that they weren't lying to him outright. Sam's enthusiasm quickened and he turned to face Remi with a growing smile. He swiped a hand through his hair as Remi started asking pertinent questions, causing the brown strands to fluff and resettle as he scrambled to think of an answer. 'Because I like you' seemed like a lame duck paddling right about then.
Dominic had no such qualms about answering Remi's prompt, however, and he got in first.
"Mainly," he said as he swallowed the last nibble of his third watermelon slice, "I'm here because I need to keep you away from this asshole." He pointed his rind at Samuel, spared him a glare and then placed the rind back on the platter. He shrugged good-naturedly and grinned at Remi. "I want to reconnect with you, of course, and I hope we can be friends again but... big picture first. Stay away from Sam," he announced with an unequivocal nod. "He's bad news."
"Just what the hell is your problem?!" Samuel demanded, spinning and returning the glare he'd received.
"You know what you did!" Dom sneered.
"How would you know?" Sam challenged, feeling flighty and worried.
"Because I picked up the fucking pieces!" the mortal roared. A moment of stunned silence - in which Sam rocked lightly backwards in his chair, his eyes wide - ensued and Dominic took a steadying breath before he continued. "Every damn time. You toyed with Gene's heart. I know because he told me everything. You went after him when he had a boyfriend, threw him away when you had one and then, when you were feeling fucking sad or completely hopeless about Vomas, you fucking used him! Took him into that feeding room, drank from him, got him all worked up and willing... and then left with your damn boyfriend anyway. How do you think that made him feel, huh?" Dominic demanded, his blue eyes bulging a challenge at Samuel to deny the events took place.
Sam did quite the opposite, narrowing his eyes at Dom. He looked him over, noting the spots of colour high on his cheeks, examining the impassioned timbre in his voice and of his words, connecting dots that had been drawn years ago and had just sat about, waiting their turn. "You had feelings for him," he accused.
Dom rolled his eyes. "Of course I do! We're friends!"
"No. There's more to it," Sam argued, still squinting and analysing Dominic's colour. He got redder when the accusation came, looking incredibly guilty. Sam gasped. "Did you sleep with him?"
Dominic clamped his mouth closed and glowered from Sam to Remi, appeal in his eyes. What could the angel do to help him, though? It wasn't like he'd remember something and be able to defend his honour. He sighed, his gaze sidling mutinously back to Sam's. "Once," he admitted through clenched teeth, a muscle working in his jaw.
"Oh, right," Samuel scoffed, "so your motivation here isn't exactly pristine, is it? You want him back!"
"As a friend!" Dom bristled, coming out of his guilty stupor to defend himself. He sat up straighter in his chair, leaning agitatedly towards Sam. "We work best as friends."
"Is that what Gene said to you? Right before he left town and decided to wipe his memory permanently?" Sam sneered waspishly.
Dominic's nostrils flared and his lips pressed together as the barb hit home. "You were the bigger reason behind it. And because his dad told him he deserved better."
"Yeah. I'm sure."
"Thanks for proving to Remi what a dickhead you really are."
"Yeah, because the guy that came here to protect Gene from me - but also slept with him and wants to get just that liiiittle bit closer to him again - has only altruistic intentions and a 'beautiful heart'," Sam mocked, giving finger quotes to his final two words.
"I could fucken deck you right now," Dominic growled through gritted teeth, his hands becoming fists on the arms of his chair.
Sam grinned widely - enough that his fangs showed beneath the edge of his smiling lips. "I'd love to see you try," he taunted menacingly, also shifting forward in his seat.
The snicker that followed was unattractive and would give Sam ever more to regret, later on.