Page 15 of Spellbound & Speechless
“Not even you?”
“Forget about me. I’ve lived in worse places.” Is it the wolf or the alcohol that speaks next? “Did youwantto see me again?”
“Maybe.” Her fingers slide down my chest, nails grazing against the fabric. She guides my hands to her hips and pulls back, her eyes flickering up to mine. “Should I be embarrassed? You weren’t thinking about me?”
Anyone would think about her. My hands rest on thecurve of her hips. I hold back a sound—a groan, a growl, some way for the wolf to embarrass me.
I shouldn’t answer her question. There’s a reason I turned down a drink from Antoni. I can’t be doing things like this, no matter how interested my wolf is in her.
“That’s a loaded question for me right now.” I squeeze her hips. I shouldn’t. It’s too much. My pants tighten just a fraction. How long has it been since I’ve been touched?
“Fine. No more questions.” She presses her hips into mine. “Let’s just dance for the rest of the song. That’s all I want.”
“But—”
“We’re already halfway done. One song. Please?”
I nod wordlessly. It’s all I can give her. For the next minute and a half, it’s worth it, even if it means going through the pain of pulling away from her when the song fades.
Chapter 6
Aspen
Everything goes wellat work over the next few days until…
“Can you stay late tonight?” Juniper asks.
I’ve been working the lunch shift. That’s probably theonlyreason my job is easier, and this could ruin it all.
“Um…” I tuck my hair behind my ear. “How long do you need me to stay?”
“Until close.” Juniper smiles at me—a special smile, the kind she only gives when she wants something.
“Fine.” I roll my eyes. “Only if you stop looking at me like that.”
I’m getting more confident about serving. Working late will be fine, even if it’s a Saturday night. I was lucky enough to skip out on Friday, but Saturday is supposed to be the busiest.
This is fine. Everything is fine.
Working with the customers is easy, and I’ve found that if I focus on that, everything else falls into place. On a busy night like tonight, that’s still my strategy. It goes about as well as expected.
Which is to say, it all goes horribly wrong.
I’m out of breath by the time I reach table two.
“Can you remind me?” I flash a big, nervous smile. “Did you want peach or strawberry flavoring for your bliss potion?”
“Strawberry.” This customer is kind, thank the gods. She matches my smile. “If you have it.”
“We do!” I scramble away, muttering under my breath. “Strawberry… strawberry…”
That should be easy to remember. Strawberry is the most popular flavor for the bliss potion, but one thing I’ve learned is that double-checking is better than bringing a customer the wrong order. It saves me a lot of embarrassment, too.
“Strawberry!” I arrive at the bar, leaning my weight onto it. “Strawberry bliss potion. Fast, please?—”
BANG!
A hush falls over the room. Someone lets out a loud cackle, louder than the music.
