Part 28 (1/2)

”I think so.”

Jasper rubbed his chin and gazed at her. ”This could be it, the thing I need to take me over the top.”

”Yes, it could.”

”But that means giving up s.e.x for tonight. I think pleasing you in bed might give me points, too, but probably not as much as serving in a soup kitchen.”

She smiled. ”Probably not.”

”More fun, though.”

She couldn't disagree with that, and she had been looking forward to a long, slow session with him, one not as constrained by time.

”It's up to you, Jasper,” she said. ”You're the one in this situation.”

”So are you. You're the one with no magic.”

True, but she could live without her magic for another couple of days if it meant more time in bed with Jasper.

”I need to do the soup kitchen. But you don't. Let me get you a cab and I'll come home later.”

She didn't miss that he'd called it home, but she dared not put too much importance on that. ”If you're serving in the soup kitchen, I'm serving in the soup kitchen. We're in this together.”

He took her by the shoulders and kissed her. At first she thought it would be a quick kiss of grat.i.tude, but then he pulled her closer and delved deep with his tongue. When he finally lifted his mouth from hers, they were both panting.

He gulped in air. ”Just a little something to let you know that I almost didn't choose the soup kitchen. Now, let's go, before I change my mind.”

As she walked beside him down the street, she couldn't remember a time she'd been happier. She had no magic and she was off to spend the rest of the night serving in a soup kitchen. But she'd be doing it with Jasper, and that seemed to make all the difference.

Chapter 25.

”I never want to see another bowl of chicken noodle soup as long as I live.” Jasper pulled Anica close as they rode back to the apartment in a cab they'd had the good fortune to locate at five in the morning. ”But if it means I don't turn into a cat at six this morning, it'll be worth it. Thank you for sticking with me through all that.”

”You're welcome. We need to thank Lily for getting us that gig.”

”I will. Your sister's a good person.”

”Yep.” Anica snuggled close and closed her eyes. ”Wake me up when we get there.”

”Okay.” He kissed the top of her head. He felt guilty as h.e.l.l for keeping her up all night, but she'd refused to go home and leave him. He hadn't really wanted her to leave, either, just in case something had gone wrong and he'd transformed in the middle of the soup kitchen.

Fortunately that hadn't happened. Until tonight, Jasper hadn't realized there were so many lost souls in the world. They'd been so grateful for a bowl of soup, a slice of bread and a cup of coffee. Yeah, he'd become weary of dis.h.i.+ng up the soup, but those folks needed it so desperately.

Maybe once he'd straightened out his life he'd volunteer there again. A different type of soup would be welcome, though. He really was sick to death of smelling chicken noodle. He'd had to eat some, too, because he and Anica had skipped dinner.

As the cab pulled up in front of the apartment building, Jasper got out his wallet and gave the driver what was left in there. He'd made a cash donation to the soup kitchen but saved enough for cab fare. Now it was time to hit an ATM.

He would do that today. All those hours in the soup kitchen had to have an effect. This was going to work out. He had the weekend to get his act together, and then he could go into work Monday morning and let everyone know the flu bug had been h.e.l.l but he was at 100 percent now.

Coaxing Anica out of the cab, he kept a supportive arm around her as they went up the steps. He ended up being the one who dug the key out of her purse. She was obviously exhausted, which wasn't surprising.

He'd spent some part of yesterday napping, but she hadn't. Thank G.o.d she didn't have to go to work today since the coffee shop was open only on weekdays. They could both sleep in, and maybe late in the morning he'd make love to her.

Sometime in the past few hours he'd changed his terminology from having s.e.x to making love. You didn't simply have s.e.x with a woman who'd stood beside you in a soup kitchen for almost eight hours because she wanted to help you. You made love to that woman and you were grateful for the opportunity.

Jasper got them both inside the apartment. While he locked up, Anica walked sleepily to the bedroom. She hadn't even bothered to take off her coat.

He followed, shedding his coat as he went. Orion prowled around his feet, meowing, and Jasper ignored him. He tossed the coat on a chair before heading down the hall. Anica lay on the bed, fast asleep, coat and all.

Although it took some doing, Jasper managed to get her out of everything and under the covers. She was deadweight, but he had no problems lifting her so he could undress her. His muscles felt more toned than ever in his life. Maybe that was a carryover from all the running around and leaping he'd done as a cat.

Stripping off his own clothes, he left them in a heap by the bed. He and Anica both needed sleep. Dear G.o.d, was it possible that at last he could fall asleep beside her and expect to wake up in the same condition as when he went to sleep? He prayed for that to happen.

But as he climbed into bed he felt a familiar dizzy sensation.

NO! He glanced at the luminous dial of the bedside clock. Five fifty-five.

Ever since Monday night, Anica had dreaded waking up. First the memory of what she'd done would float to the surface. Next she'd think of what had happened since then. Finally she would worry about what had taken place while she'd been asleep.

This morning, though, she went through the familiar progression and ended up with a feeling of hope. She'd slept until ten, and if Jasper had transformed at six, he would have made her aware of that. After all they'd been through, he'd have let her know.

The spot beside her on the bed was empty, but that didn't mean anything. After hours in the soup kitchen, Jasper must have earned his freedom. He was probably sitting in the living room, drinking coffee and reading the paper he'd gone out to buy.

Or maybe he was afraid to use her fancy coffeemaker. Come to think of it, she didn't smell coffee. Time to throw on a bathrobe and go brew some java.

She didn't remember taking off her clothes before going to bed, so he must have done that for her. He was some kind of guy, all right-more caring than she'd realized.

After watching him talk compa.s.sionately with the homeless men and women coming through the food line at the soup kitchen, she had a whole new appreciation for his talents. He'd managed to serve up a portion of self-worth along with the soup, bread and coffee. If he hadn't had her heart before, he would have captured it then.

Anica got out of bed and noticed her clothes were in a pile on the floor. No problem. She was grateful he hadn't let her sleep in them.

But then she rounded the bed and discovered Jasper's clothes on the floor, too. Even though they'd become fairly comfortable with each other, she couldn't picture him wandering around her apartment naked.

Dread settled in her stomach as she walked down the hall and stepped into the living room. Jasper, very much a cat, was curled up in his corner of the sofa. He opened his eyes and they reflected pure misery.

Even Orion seemed to have picked up on the mood. Orion, the ultimate chowhound, hadn't been crying for his breakfast even though it was several hours past his mealtime. Orion was keeping Jasper company by curling up on the opposite end of the sofa.

Anica took a deep breath. ”I know this is a setback, Jasper, but we didn't know for sure how many minutes you'd get for that soup kitchen gig. You might transform again at three this afternoon! Then you'd have from three until nine tomorrow. It's too early to evaluate your progress. We need to-”

Her cell phone rang. It was still in her purse, which she'd left on the entrance table before stumbling off to bed. The ring wasn't familiar, so it wasn't Lily calling to check on things.

Thinking of Lily reminded her that they'd scheduled another dance lesson this afternoon. Anica wasn't sure that was a good idea now. She had no idea what time Jasper might change back into a man, and she wanted to be available to help in whatever way she could when that happened.

She pulled out her phone and glanced at the readout. Dorcas. Maybe she'd found out whether there was a hierarchy of good deeds, so Jasper could make the best use of his time to earn more minutes. She flipped the phone open. ”Hi, Dorcas. Any info for me?”

”Yes. I'm going to guess that Jasper is now on a six in the evening to a six in the morning schedule. Am I right?”