Page 3 of Amber: Deja Brew

Chapter 2

Amber

“Go back to what you were doing,” Wes says, his tone neutral. I can’t tell if he’s angry, upset, or he really doesn’t care, but all I really want is for things between me and my guys to be okay.

“We weren’t doing anything,” I tell Wes.

"But we could be." Chase smirks. Then he kisses me. Right in front of Wes.

I don’t get it. One second he’s looking all guilty for touching me, and the next his lips are covering mine.

My cheeks flush, and I gasp in surprise. Chase takes full advantage. His tongue darts inside my mouth and I can’t help it. I moan.

Chase groans in response, and I wrap my arms around his neck. He runs his hands up and down my waist, sending shivers coursing through me, and I tug him closer. So close that my breasts are pressed against his chest and I’m surrounded by hard muscles and heat.

Then I hear a sound. A scraping sound. Then another scraping sound, and another. It distracts me enough that I pull away from Chase and look to see what’s going on.

When I spot Wes, my eyes widen. I honestly don't know what I expected. I guess that he would leave the room to give Chase and me some privacy? Or that he’d cross the cafe to join us? Maybe even stand right where we left him, watching us kiss?

Instead, Wes is kneeling at our feet... sweeping up glass like Chase and I aren't even there. Like we're not making out mere feet away while he's cleaning up my troll-induced mess.

"Let me help," Chase says, letting go of me. He reaches for the bucket Wes left next to the counter, but the bear shifter shakes his head.

"Don't worry about it.”

"Are you sure?" Chase hesitates and then turns back to me with a shrug. For a second, I think he plans to go back to kissing me—back to pretending Wes isn’t even there—but he winks instead. "Should I go check on breakfast then?"

"You guys are making breakfast?" My smile widens. Because on top of saving Jewels Cafe and getting together with my childhood crush and two shifter mates, Chase is making us breakfast.

"I thought you were making breakfast," Chase says.

"I am.” Wes doesn’t look up from his sweeping. “We’re having quiche.”

"I’ll go check on it while you finish up here," Chase says.

"No need,” Wes says, stopping him. “I’m only just preheating the oven, and I set an alarm on my phone, so it'll ring when it's ready."

"Right...” For a second, Chase looks almost disappointed. Then, he shakes his head and turns to me with a slow smile. He brushes back a strand of my long, blonde hair and starts to lean in, but I pull away. My bunny shifter may be alright with making out while my bear shifter is cleaning the floor—and Wes doesn’t seem to mind—but it just feels wrong, somehow.

"Do you want me to make you a coffee, Wes?" I ask my bear shifter.

"That'd be great, little bear.” He smiles up at me as he wrings the coffee-soaked rug into the bucket.

“Coming right up.” I slip off the bar stool and let out a frustrated sigh. It would be so much easier to shift into a troll and reach across the counter, but that’s so not happening with both my guys watching.

“Everything okay?” Wes asks.

“Do you need some help?” Chase asks.

No, I just wish I was a troll. Or at least as tall as a troll. Not that I’m telling my guys that. “No, I got it,” I answer Chase first, then turn to Wes. “How do you take your coffee?”

Obviously, I know how Julian takes his. I’ve known him for years, and he always goes for fancy, hand-crafted drinks over plain coffee: Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Hot Chocolates, Mochas. He opts for those in the morning, too, instead of a cappuccino, like me.

I even know Chase’s order. He was pretty excited about trying a carrot-cino last night—as long as it had caffeine—but until we get carrots, an Americano will do. As for Wes...

"The more cream and sugar, the better," my bear shifter tells me. "I don't like the taste of coffee."

“Then why drink it?” Chase asks. Which is a fair question.