Page 39 of Amber: Deja Brew

The staff at Jewels Cafe go above and beyond!!!

GoodKarma

If you’re a mermaid, you know how hard it is living on land. Today, a pipe burst at Jewels Cafe, and I ended up flopping around on the floor like a fish!! :( It would have been mortifying if it wasn’t for the owner, a Chameleon named Amber. She shifted into me and kept me company on the floor the entire time! Then, the staff called in a witch to fix the plumbing, and she put on an amazing water show. It totally made up for the pipes bursting! :O I swear, if I could give this place ten stars, I would! It’s so mermaid-friendly, I’ll definitely be back!!!

“She gave us five stars!” I cry, throwing my arms around Julian. He grabs me and scoops me up in a huge hug, but I barely notice I’m suddenly sitting astride him, I’m that excited. “I can’t believe she thought my shifting into her was a good thing! And she loved Zoe’s magic show!”

“Zoe’s magic is definitely something else.” Julian shakes his head. “I don’t know how she has the control to cast spells and show off at the same time.”

I catch the self-deprecating, silent ‘and not blow stuff up’ hidden in there somewhere, and quickly change the subject. “There’s one more review.”

“This one must be from Violet,” Julian says as I hold up my phone between us.

A Thoroughly Entertaining Night

LibraryBoomer

Jewels Cafe donated two trays of Mood Teas to the Spell Library Book Club. We had a thoroughly entertaining evening sharing our thoughts—and feelings—about this month’s book. Everyone had such a good time that I’ve decided to make Mood Tea and Books a regular thing.

“She’s going to buy more Mood Teas, and she didn’t even mention getting soaked!” I gasp.

“It must have been a really good book club meeting.” Julian winks, and his teasing smile sets my heart racing.

Just like that, I become aware of how close we are. I’m sitting on his lap, practically riding his hips, with only our clothes keeping us from making slow, sweet love... or hard and fast love. Right now, I’d take it any way I can get.

“Oh, Amber,” Julian groans. “You’re killing me.”

“I’m killing you?” I gasp. “You’re the one who wants to talk about the sink!”

“Only because I promised...” Julian trails off with a grimace. “Never mind.”

“What’d you promise, Juli?” I frown.

“It’s nothing,” he says, but the flush that creeps up his cheeks is a dead giveaway.

“You’re lying to me, Juli.” I narrow my eyes on him. “Come on. Spill. What did you promise?”

“This,” he says, covering my mouth with his.

I gasp.

Yes, I know Julian and I are together now—and that I should be used to kissing him after last night—but that doesn’t mean my body is. It’s more used to hanging out with my best friend, to being constantly reminded that I can look, but I can’t touch. To fighting the attraction coursing between us and keeping my hands to myself. It’s definitely not used to this.

Kissing Julian goes against six years of training in self-control. It goes against six years of pretending I just wanted to be friends when I’ve always wanted more—when Juli and I have both always wanted more. And it’s that thought—that Julian has always wanted more, too—that breaks the emotional dam.

I kiss Julian back, softly at first, as I memorize the feel of his lips. Pleasure courses through me, building slowly, until I want to tear our clothes off. If I wasn’t worried about moving too fast, I would. Instead, I pour all my pent up feelings, longing, and need into our kiss.

Kissing Julian feels like—kissing Julian. There are just no other words to describe it. This is what I’ve always wanted. This is how it was always meant to be. And now, I’m his, and he’s mine.

I need Julian to know how I feel, so I tell him with my lips. I suck on his bottom lip, and when he groans, it’s music to my ears. This! I want this. I need this. I feel an onslaught of tears—happy ones—and I barely manage to hold them back. But I have to, because I can’t bear to have this moment end.

“More,” Julian growls, sliding a hand under my shirt and pinching my nipple through my bra.

I arch my back as wetness pools between my legs, and I moan into his mouth. “Bedroom. Please!”

That’s all the encouragement Julian needs. He gets to his feet, and I wrap my arms and legs around him and hold on tight. Julian grabs onto my hips, squeezing my ass, and kisses me as he carries me across the living room. And then we’re suddenly falling and the soft mattress is embracing us—cocooning us from both sides.

I start to reach for the waistband of Julian’s jeans, but he grabs my hands, stopping me. “I have a better idea,” he says with a devious smile, and then he’s sliding down my body so his head is resting at my waist. He pulls up my top, exposing my midriff, and swirls his tongue around my belly button.