Amber: July: Mystic Zodiac, Book 7 (5 page)

A
mber woke
up to the smell of bacon, coffee, and the sound of way too many people talking. Goddess, what a night. Sex with Andreas was—freeing. Usually, with the men she was with, she was the one in charge. She picked the positions, the acts, and the length of time they spent in her actual bed. It wasn’t uncommon for her to help them out the door soon after the hot sex was over.

Andreas wouldn’t have any of it. Especially since he won the bet. Granted, she never admitted to it, but they both knew she was lying about her age. She’d been surprised when he said he was thirty-five. He sure as hell didn’t look it, but then, shifters didn’t. Great genes gave them all a youthful appearance. Just like it did with damn near every Mystic.

Amber sat up and stretched her hands over her head. With more than one voice in the other room, she assumed breakfast in bed wasn’t going to happen. It would have been nice.
Maybe next time
.

The thought brought her up short. There shouldn’t be a next time. One and done. That’s what she told herself she’d have to do with this man while she worked the night before. He commanded too much of her attention. Made her think things she had no intention of
ever
thinking.

Andreas’s deep chuckle drifted into the room, along with a woman’s soft twittering. Whoever he was entertaining was having a great time with him. Jealousy deep and wide burst in her chest. She should be the person in the kitchen enjoying his company. Which reminded her…who the fuck was in her house?

Tossing the covers off, she hopped out of bed and made a beeline for the bathroom. After taking care of the necessities, she tossed on a pair of Capri length yoga pants—sans panties—and a tank top she had hanging on the back of her bathroom door. She brushed her teeth; wiped away any remaining makeup smudged on her face, and fluffed her hair before shooting out of her bedroom to track down her man.

She came to a screeching halt. He was
not
her man. She really needed to get that through her head. He was a hot guy she brought home after a long night at work. A wolf with a dominant streak that could coax the best orgasms she’d ever had out of her.

Taking a deep breath, Amber focused on slowing her heart rate and calming the hell down. His damn wolfie senses could probably pick up every vital sign coming from her, even separated like they were at the moment. She strolled into the dining room, which was connected to the kitchen, as nonchalantly as she could. In her mind, she pictured one of the other Sirens from the bar perched at the counter batting her long eyelashes at him flirting like only a Siren could. A flash of boobs. A smoky voice. Tons of come hither looks. It wouldn’t be the first time one of her co-workers let themselves into her house. They
were
family, in a roundabout way. So, it came as a shock to see Marge sitting on one of the tall stools at the bar, bright smile on her face and dreamy look in her weathered eyes.

Nothing to worry about there
, she snickered in her head.

Marge wore a long bright pink and yellow striped dress with little neon green flowers dotted along the sleeves. She didn’t know if it was better or worse that the stripes went from neck to hem and not side to side. Either way, it was an assault on the eyeballs.

Amber approached slowly, trying to process what she saw. Marge’s dress and Andreas standing at her stove cooking. Two very foreign events happening at the same time.

What the hell is going on here?

“There you are, Amber,” the old witch tittered. “I wondered if you’d be able to walk straight today.” Marge looked Amber over from head to toe with a knowing eye.

“Why wouldn’t I be able to walk, Marge?” Amber went up to the bar and rested her hands on top, resisting the urge to grab Andreas and lay a possessive kiss on him.

The man occupying her every thought came over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Good morning, glykó mou.”

Marge let out a dreamy sigh and propped her chin up on her hands, elbows planted firmly on the counter. “Because a man that looks as good as he does should be able to knock the stuffing out of you; and if he doesn’t, well, then he’s doing something wrong.” Her eyes widened and she looked back and forth between them. “He didn’t do anything wrong, did he? Please tell me it was the best sex ever. I saw the bulge in those pants. I know he’s packing some heat.” Marge sent a lust-filled gaze Andreas’s way. Amber was sure the poor man’s pants would burst into flames any minute.

“You flatter me.” Andreas chuckled, and went back to the stove. He flipped an omelet expertly in the pan, and turned a winning smile on them. Marge sighed again, and Amber caught herself doing the same. Great sex and he could cook? Now that
was
a winning combination.

“He didn’t do anything wrong, Marge,” Amber finally answered. “Nothing wrong at all.” She said a little lower, under her breath. Her gaze was focused on his ass. That delicious, firm ass that had powered into her over and over again. A shiver raked down Amber’s spine, and there was nothing she could do to stop it from rocking her body.

“Well, I think I’ll scoot on out of here,” Marge said, pulling both of their gazes.

“But Marge, I thought you would be joining us for breakfast,” Andreas said. “I’m just about to make your omelet.”

“Oh, no dear. I only came over because I saw you on the front porch stretching this morning without a shirt. You are one fine looking man, and if I were twenty years younger, I’d give her a run for her money.” She jerked her thumb in Amber’s direction. “I wanted to check on her too. It isn’t often she brings a man home. I figured you must be something special if you made it through the night without getting booted right after the deed.”

She hopped off the stool and gave Amber a quick, loving hug. “Hold on to that one, honey. There’s something special about him,” she whispered in Amber’s ear before heading out the front door.

A
ndreas slid
the omelet onto a plate and waited for Marge to leave. Once he heard the click of the front door, he gathered Amber up in his arms and kissed her soundly. Getting the kiss he’d been craving since he’d woken up over an hour ago. Lips and teeth collided in frenzy. Tongues dueled and played. He was close to picking her up and setting her ass on the counter so he could take her again when her stomach rumbled.

The wolf reared his head; coming alive to demand they feed their mate. Andreas loosened his grip on her and took a step back. He picked up the plates of food and carried them to the dining room table. Mind stuck on getting into Amber’s pants again, he studied the heavy oak in front of him. It would have no problem withstanding the bruising fucking Andreas had planned after their meals were done.

Amber joined him with a cup of coffee in hand. She sipped the dark brew and hummed. “This stuff is the best.”

Grunting, he pushed the plate toward her. “Eat up, glykó mou. You’ll need your strength.”

“Is that right?” A wry smile twisted her lips and her eyes lit up.

Andreas took a bite and nodded. He had a lot of plans for the woman over the weekend. That was if he could drag her away from the bar and convince her to give him some of her time.

Amber rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. The wolf and the man were happy to see her scarfing down the food. When he finished his own plate, he pushed it away and studied his mate. Contentment rolled through him. Something that had been missing for a while now.

She was even more beautiful than the night before. Her skin was flushed and her eyes were bright. Her flame red hair fell softly around her shoulders, and her face was free of make-up. If things worked out how he wanted, he’d see her like that every day for the rest of their long lives.

“What do you want to do today? I thought we could take a walk around town. You could show me all of the places you love to go. Then, maybe later, come back home and make love again.”

Her head came up quickly, eyes widening for a second. “I have to work tonight.”

He figured as much. That wouldn’t stop him from monopolizing all of her free time. “What time?”

“Around four. Frost decided to open late and wants us in a little early because of the holiday. Help restock things and set up. We have the band coming in, and a special menu to make it easier on the chef. It’s going to be a long night.” She pursed her lips in thought. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to stick around. I’ll need to get some sleep before I head in. I’m not usually up this early.” As if to prove her point, she yawned behind her hand. Standing quickly, she gathered the dishes, rushing off into the kitchen before he could stop her.

He rose and followed. “I’m good. I plan on spending as much time with you as possible. Like I said, we’re mates.”

Amber snorted and dropped the dishes in the dishwasher. She turned and leaned against the counter. “I don’t do
mates
. I told you that before.”

“I know. I have all of the faith in the Gods that I’ll be able to change your mind.” He moved closer, leaning into her body. Placing a finger under her chin, he tilted her head up; sparkling green eyes collided with his. “I can be a very persuasive man when I want to be.” Lowering his head, he brushed a light, whisper soft kiss across her lips. She chased after him when he broke it. He wanted to tease her, make her see that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Her mouth quivered, breaths quickened. Pressing a hand on his chest, she started to push him back. There was sensual intent in her eyes, a predatory gleam, when she must have realized he wasn’t going to do anything more than that one delicate kiss.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, breaking the spell they’d fallen under. Blindly snatching it out of his pocket, Andreas checked the caller ID.
Shit
. It was Theo. He slid his finger across the answer bar and pressed the phone to his ear.

“What’s up?”

Amber started to retreat, pissing off the wolf. He shook his head and curled an arm around her waist, pulling her in close. Delicious curves pressed into him. His dick responded in an instant. He dropped a kiss on her nose, and the wolf settled, but not so much that he wasn’t fully aware of the woman in his arms. She felt unsettled. Her cinnamon and sweet arousal scent taking on a slightly sour note.

Unlocking the reins on his wolf, he allowed the predator in him to release a thread of power. The small heat wave would wash over her and, hopefully, soothe her worries.

Theo’s voice demanded his attention. “Where are you?”

“Amber’s place. You?”

A snort came over the line. “Back in the SUV. Brit told me she had a great time and kicked me out. So, Amber?” He let the question hang in the air.

“Yep.”

“Plan on staying awhile?”

Andreas slid his hand down onto Amber’s ass and pressed her tighter to him. She wiggled against his erection, sending a shot of need through him. “As long as possible.” The words came out on a growl against his will. Theo laughed in his ear.

“I’m heading to the cabin. Plan on crashing out for a while. Maybe get a run in through the woods. My wolf is aching to get out and stretch his legs. I’ll see you at the bar later.”

“Yep.”

“Enjoy, my friend. You deserve a good time.”

Theo hung up before Andreas could say anything else. He stuffed the phone back into his pocket. “I think we should revise the plan.” He grabbed her other ass cheek, then in one smooth motion picked her up. Her legs went around his waist naturally, like they were meant to be there.

He made his way to the table, determined to take her on it. There was more space, and no one would accidentally end up in the sink with dirty dishes.

Her ass planted on the table, he kissed Amber, leaning over her and forcing her to lay back. As much as he wanted to take his time, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out. He’d been hard as hell when he woke up, but common sense told him she needed sleep. The plan had been to take her breakfast in bed, but the unexpected arrival of Marge threw that idea out the window. The rest of the morning had been spent with a semi hard on, and a need to bury himself back into her sweet pussy.

Andreas ran his hands down her sides, hooking his thumbs into her yoga pants. He pulled them down and was pleasantly surprised to find she‘d gone commando. It made his trek to his goal that much easier. After pulling the stretchy fabric off and tossing it over his shoulder, he skimmed his hands down the insides of her thighs, pushing them further apart the closer he got to her center.

Pretty pink lips glistened in front of him. There wasn’t a lick of hair on her mound, waxed away at some point not too long ago. He liked the look on her. The puffy lips of her sex called to him. Made him want to smack them so he could hear her gasp of pleasure, see them turn pink with the pain. Instead of allowing his need to control him and seek out instant gratification, he slipped a hand over her mound, dipping his middle finger in to tease her clit.

Her hips bounced up at the contact. Hands curled around the edge of the table.