Part 1 (1/2)
Blonde With a Wand.
Thompson, Vicki Lewis.
To all the compa.s.sionate souls who spend their precious time and resources to save homeless pets, with special grat.i.tude for the largest no-kill facility in the world, Best Friends Animal Society, where I spent a fulfilling week one memorable July.
Acknowledgments.
As always, I'm deeply indebted to the wonderful folks at Penguin for championing my cause, especially my editor, Claire Zion. I'm grateful for the support of my agent, Robert Gottlieb, at Trident Media, and for the constant encouragement from my a.s.sistant/daughter, Audrey Sharpe and my brainstorming partners, Jennifer LaBrecque and Rhonda Nelson. I'm also filled with wonder at the twists of fate that brought me in contact with Romance Writers of America and its founder, Rita Clay Estrada. Rita's vision transformed the romance landscape, and without RWA many of us, including me, might never have published a book. Thank you, Rita.
Chapter 1.
The night Anica Revere turned Jasper Danes into a cat started out innocently enough.
They'd dated for nearly three weeks, and tonight l.u.s.t ping-ponged across the restaurant table. Anica had antic.i.p.ated this moment since she first glimpsed this dark-haired Adonis with golden eyes. Although Monday wasn't a common date night, Jasper's favorite restaurant was open and he hadn't wanted to wait for the weekend to see her again. All the signs pointed to finally Doing It.
He studied Anica as if he wanted to lick her all over, which sounded great to her, except . . . she still hadn't mentioned a significant detail, one that could be a real buzz kill. She hadn't told him she was a witch.
With chemistry this strong she was so tempted not to tell him, but one mistake with a nonmagical man was enough. The image of Edward racing out of her bedroom a year ago still pained her.
He hadn't even bothered to grab his clothes. Sad to say, a Chicago police squad car had been cruising by the apartment building and poor Edward had been arrested using a Keep Lake Michigan Clean leaflet as a fig leaf subst.i.tute.
She'd heard all about it from her neighbor Julie, who kept a video camera running from her third-story window in hopes that she'd get something worth airing on her brother's independent cable show, Not So Shy Chi-Town. That clip made it on the show, no problem. To avoid legal repercussions, Edward's features had been scrambled so no one except Julie and Anica knew who it was.
”You're frowning,” Jasper said. ”Anything wrong?”
Good thing he wasn't a mind reader. ”No, no. Sorry.” She smiled to prove that everything was hunky-dory.
He reached for her hand. ”What do you say we get out of here?”
Whoops. She wasn't quite ready to be alone with him. Better to reveal her witch status in a public place, where she could resist the urge to prove that she had special powers.
That had been her biggest mistake with Edward. He hadn't believed her, and she'd worked one teensy spell to convince him and had been inspired by what was at hand, so to speak. He'd left before she could explain that his p.e.n.i.s would return to its normal color in a few hours.
”I'm fine with leaving,” she said. ”But there's chocolate mousse on the dessert menu. Let's get some to go. Mousse could be . . . a lot of fun.”
”Mm.” His gaze grew hot. ”I like the way you think.”
As he signaled their waitress, Anica searched for the least-threatening way to explain her unique gifts. After her experience with Edward, she dreaded broaching the witch situation. Maybe she should retreat to a quiet place for a few minutes and ask for guidance.
She pushed back her chair and picked up her purse. ”I need to make a trip to the ladies' room.”
He stood, a perfect gentleman. ”Hurry back.”
”You bet.” All the way to the rear of the restaurant, she thought about how gorgeous he was and how much she wanted him. She imagined how his eyes would darken during s.e.x. So far his lips had only touched her mouth and neck, but she could mentally translate that delicious sensation to full-body kisses. She longed to feel his dark chest hair tickling her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as he hovered over her, poised for that first thrust.
Despite her parents urging her to find a nice wizard boy, she'd always been attracted to nonmagical guys. Because they couldn't wave a wand or brew a potion to create what they wanted, they had to make it through life on sheer grit and determination. She admired that.
She'd noticed Jasper the minute he'd stepped into her downtown coffee shop. What woman wouldn't notice six feet of gorgeous male with a physique that did great things for his Brooks Brothers suit? She'd become his friend once she'd learned he was suffering from a broken heart. Sure, he probably had the ability to recover on his own, but she wanted to help.
They'd progressed from conversations at Wicked Brew to a lunch date. That had been followed by two dinner dates, and after the last one he'd kissed her until she'd nearly caved and invited him upstairs, rule or no rule.
He had a right to know the truth before the kissing started again, though, and most likely he wouldn't believe her. If he didn't she had to let him go. No clever little tricks to convince the guy this time. But letting him go would be very difficult.
The bathroom was empty, which pleased her. She'd been hoping for time alone to prepare. Jasper was special and she didn't want to muck this up if she could possibly help it.
Closing her eyes, she took a calming breath and murmured softly, ”Great Mother and Great Father, guide me in my relations.h.i.+p with this man. Help me find the best way to tell him of my special powers. May we find a kins.h.i.+p that transcends our differences. With harm to none, so mote it be.”
The bathroom door squeaked open. Anica quickly opened her eyes, turned toward the mirror and unzipped her purse as a tall brunette walked in. Moving aside the eight-inch rowan wood traveling wand she carried for emergencies, Anica pulled out her lipstick and began applying another coat of Retro Red.
She expected the woman to head for a stall or take the sink adjoining Anica's to repair her makeup. Instead the woman clutched her purse and watched Anica. Weird. Maybe this chick needed privacy, too.
Anica capped her lipstick, dropped it in her purse, and closed the zipper. Turning, she smiled at the woman, who didn't smile back. Instead her cla.s.sic features creased in a frown. Troubles, apparently. She looked to be in her late twenties, about Anica's age.
”It's all yours.” Anica started toward the door.
”d.a.m.n, I can't decide what to do.”
Oh, Hades. Anica tended to invite confidences and she was usually willing to listen and offer whatever help she could. But now wasn't a good time. ”I'm sorry. I have to get back to my date.”
”Jasper Danes.”
Anica blinked. ”You know him?”
”Yes.” The woman sighed. ”I stopped by here for a drink, hoping to run into him, because he comes to this restaurant all the time. I should have realized by now he'd be involved with someone else.”
Antic.i.p.ation drained out of Anica so quickly she felt dizzy. She looked into the woman's soft brown eyes. ”You're Sheila.”
The woman nodded.
In the spot where hope had bubbled only moments ago, disappointment invaded like sludge. If Sheila was having second thoughts about breaking up with Jasper, then Anica should step aside. What Anica shared with him was mere l.u.s.t, which might disappear once he found out she was a witch.
She made herself do the n.o.ble thing. ”We're not really involved.” Yet.
”I was afraid to ask if it was serious between you two, because it looked as if-”
”We were heading in that direction, but when I first met him he was devastated over your breakup. If you regret leaving him, then maybe there's still a chance to start over.” Anica wanted to cry. Jasper was the first man she'd had any real interest in since Edward and she was giving him back to his ex. n.o.bility sucked.
”Excuse me, but did you say I left him?”
”Yes. He said that he begged you to reconsider, but you-”
”Oh, my G.o.d.” Sheila gazed at the ceiling. ”It's deja vu.” She closed her eyes and let her head drop. ”I thought I was smarter than that. Guess not.”
”I don't understand.”