Chick with a Charm (4 page)

Besides, another deadline loomed. Lily and Anica’s parents were arriving back in town on Thursday, and Lily wanted a boyfriend in place before that. Her parents would prefer a wizard to a nonmagical person, but Lily wasn’t worried. Anica had already blasted through that barrier by choosing Jasper. Lily would be happy to ride on her big sister’s coattails in that department.

Anica closed her phone and swiveled back to face Lily. “Donatello’s is out.”

“This should help.” Lily set the chocolate ’tini in front of her sister.

“Thanks.” Anica took a sip. “Mm. That’s great.”

“So, did Jasper get his money back?”

Anica nodded. “At least there’s that. We’re short on options, though, so if you’re okay with it, maybe I should talk to Devon.”

“I’m okay with it. I was just worried that this place isn’t quite what you had in mind.”

Anica glanced around at the noisy bar. “Not exactly, but we can make it work.”

“With a little magic?” Lily relished the idea.

“Some, although we have to be careful. This will be a mixed crowd, some magical, some not. I don’t want to tip my hand to the in-laws.”

“We can do a lot without magic. We can round up some tablecloths, and I have a few strands of white lights in my box of Christmas decorations.”

“You know what?” Anica tapped the side of her glass with her finger. “I don’t think we should try to transform this place into a mediocre version of Donatello’s. We should play up what it is—a rowdy bar. The mirrored ball might not be such a bad idea. I’m thinking balloons and streamers, and maybe a few tiny illusions.”

“Ready to shake up those in-laws, after all?”

Anica shared a conspiratorial smile with Lily. “Yeah, I am. They’ll never guess what’s going on, anyway.”

“Nonmagical people never do.” Lily savored the moment of witchy bonding, but it soon passed and Lily could see the wheels turning as her big sister circled back to the subject that had brought her over here in the first place.

Anica took another swallow of her ’tini. “Dorcas told me that if you fail to consummate the union within twelve hours, the spell simply wears off.”

“
Consummate the union?
Ugh. It sounds like something you’d need rubber gloves for.”

“You can joke about it if you want, but the bottom line is that you can’t have sex with him.”

Lily blew out a breath. “And waste all that work I put into the elixir? Aren’t you curious about whether it works or not?”

“Sure I am, but not at the risk of—”

“Here’s an idea. I’ll just keep him for the weekend. Then I’ll let the spell wear off. How’s that?”

“No good. He’s a cutie-pie, and I’m guessing once you shag him you’ll want to keep it up. That will make the spell grow even stronger, so it’ll take a long time for it to wear off. It’s much better if you don’t get started down that path in the first place.”

Lily went back to washing glasses. She had to concentrate, because when she was high on magic she tended to break them. “Easy for you to say.”

“Hey, there’ll be a bunch of single guys at the engagement party. You could meet someone.”

“I’ve already met someone. I think Griffin and I could turn out great together.”

“All the more reason to let the spell wear off!” Anica reached across the bar and clutched Lily’s arm. “Seriously, Lil. What if he’s your one and only? If you start out this way, you’ll always wonder if it’s the spell or if it’s real.”

Lily dropped a glass in the sink and it broke.

Anica released her arm immediately. “Hades, did I make you do that?”

“Sort of. Not really. It’s what happens when I’m a little jiggy because of the magic and I don’t concentrate. And what you said . . .” She sighed. “I suppose you have a point.”

“I do. Watch yourself with that broken glass.”

“Right.” Lily carefully fished out the broken pieces and threw them in the trash.

“I just don’t want you making a huge magical mistake like your big sister. Learn from my error and let the spell wear off. I know Griffin turned you down for the coffee date, but some time’s gone by. Try again. Invite him to the engagement party.”

Lily wiped her hands on a towel. “Maybe I will.”

“Without benefit of the spell.”

Lily was torn. To take Anica’s advice or not? That was the question.

 

Within an hour, Griffin’s mellow sense of well-being had disappeared. He paced his apartment, unable to settle down to anything. He nuked a frozen pizza and tried to watch TV while he ate it. The remote got a workout, but in the end he turned off the TV.

He wanted . . . something. After searching the refrigerator he decided it wasn’t food he craved. A survey of his liquor cabinet told him it wasn’t booze, either. None of the books on his shelves sounded interesting.

As the minutes ticked by his restlessness grew. He hadn’t been to the zoo in years, but he remembered going as a kid and watching a male lion pace endlessly in his enclosure. Griffin felt like that lion.

There was no reason he should, though. The lion had been trapped behind bars, but Griffin was free to go wherever he wanted. He could go to the gym, for example, but that didn’t appeal to him, either. A run, though—that sounded better. He changed into sweats and a T-shirt and left the building.

He was cold at first, but in about three blocks he was feeling just fine. Moving was the answer to whatever ailed him tonight. Feeling the blood pump through his veins felt good. Heading toward Lake Michigan, he ran in place whenever he had to stop at a traffic light.

He wondered if Lily liked to run. She had the legs for it, long and supple. He pictured her in black Lycra. Maybe her running gear would have a purple stripe down the side that would undulate as she ran.

In his fantasy her hair was loose, streaming behind her like a banner. Her long strides caused her breasts to jiggle enticingly under her sports bra, and made her breath come hard and fast, the way it would when she was nearing a climax.

Arousal came upon him slowly, subtly, and he fought it off by running faster. Now was not the time to indulge in fantasies about Lily. He’d vowed to eliminate her from his life, and that meant clamping down on the fantasies, too.

But this one was more persistent than most. In it they were running along the edge of the surf until they were both exhausted. Climbing to higher ground, they threw themselves down on a soft beach towel, where he peeled away the Lycra inch by inch, revealing her flushed and responsive body.

He was desperate for her in the fantasy, and that desperation began to carry over into the here and now. Without realizing it, he’d changed course and was now moving in the direction of the Bubbling Cauldron. The need to be with her grew stronger the closer he came to the place where she worked.

But he wouldn’t let this need ruin everything. He was more disciplined than that. A strategy began forming, one that seemed to make perfect sense. He was giving her up, no question about that. But that was tomorrow. Tonight he could go to her and explain that all he wanted was one night.

Surely the two of them could handle one night together, knowing they’d never see each other again. One night wouldn’t change the whole course of his life or hers, but it would ease this tremendous ache. After that he would be strong. He would abandon thoughts of Lily and look for someone who didn’t make him think about sex all the time. He didn’t want to fall into the same trap as his parents had and base a relationship on lust alone.

Lily had talked to him and his friends enough for him to know that this bartending job was the latest in a series of jobs for her, none of which had much of a future. Griffin had been goal-oriented all his life. He and Lily were on very different paths.

Turning the corner, he spotted the sign—a cauldron outlined in red with golden bubbles rising from it. He stopped to rest his hands on his knees and catch his breath. Once he stopped running lust nearly swamped him. She was in there and her heat called to him. He wasn’t sure how he’d manage to seduce Lily tonight, but he had no doubt that he would succeed.

Although Lily hadn’t known what to expect from this elixir experience, Griffin standing in the doorway, wearing gray workout pants and a sweat-dampened T-shirt didn’t fit any of her preconceived scenarios. She’d hoped he’d show up, but she’d halfway expected him to appear bearing flowers and candy. She’d thought he’d be freshly shaved and that he’d look eager. Instead he looked manic.

Sherman had just placed the last orders of the night when Griffin walked over to the bar, his gaze intent on Lily. Sherman lifted his hand to signal a high five. “Way to time it, buddy! You snuck in under the wire.”

Griffin ignored him and focused on Lily. “How soon can you leave?”

She was taken aback by his abrupt question. “Why?”

“I need you . . .” Griffin paused, as if struggling to sound reasonable. “I need you to help me with something. Please.”

Alarm raced through her. She’d hoped that he’d be excited, but instead he seemed desperate. “Are you feeling okay?”

His hazel eyes burned with lust. “I’m . . .” He cleared his throat. “I’m fine. I—” He glanced over at Sherman, who regarded him with obvious curiosity. “We need a moment.”

“Hey, sure, sure.” Sherman raised both hands and backed away. “I can take a hint.”

Lily’s hands were shaking, so she grabbed a bar rag and started wiping down the surfaces to hide her nervousness. Griffin’s intensity was a wee bit overwhelming.

Griffin placed his forearms on the bar and leaned toward her.

She couldn’t help noticing how muscled his arms were, which made her think of how delicious the rest of him would feel pressed against her body.

“I can’t explain what’s happening,” he said, “but I have an overpowering urge to be with you. You asked me out once, so I know you’re not indifferent to me.”

Lily breathed in a combination of sweat and faint traces of aftershave and soap. Underneath that, like the low note in a glass of fine Bordeaux, was the unmistakable scent of aroused male.

Her mind was still sorting through the ramifications of this spell, but her body, still high on magic, had zoomed past all the intellectual junk and was happily responding to the idea of Griffin as a potential bed partner. “No, I’m not indifferent.” Now, there was an understatement.

“This will probably come out wrong, but I think the attraction is mostly sexual.”

It certainly is now
. She couldn’t deny the flash fire being generated between them. “Maybe,” she said.

“I’m not looking for anything long-term.”

How very doglike of him, to want to live for the moment. She kept her voice low. “What are you suggesting?” As if she didn’t know.

“No strings, no promises. Just come home with me tonight.”

Poor man, he thought they could have a one-night stand and he’d get her out of his system. But instead, once they had sex he’d become even more enmeshed than he was now. She felt the first twinge of guilt.

Sherman edged closer. “I don’t want to interrupt whatever you two have going, but I need those drinks, Lily. The customers are getting restless.”

“Right away, Sherman.” Lily glanced at Griffin. “I need to mix some drinks. Would you like one?”

He dragged a hand over his face. “Yeah, sure. But not a Wallbanger, just a beer. That Wallbanger had aftereffects. I couldn’t concentrate on anything.”

But he’s concentrating now
, she thought as she quickly drew him a draft and set it on a napkin in front of him. He was concentrating on getting her into bed. And wasn’t that exactly what she’d wanted?

As she worked quickly to fill the order Sherman was waiting for, she could feel Griffin’s gaze on her. She was no stranger to having men look at her with obvious sexual interest, but this was different.

Griffin’s laserlike focus touched off little bonfires all over her body until she was so hot she wanted to rip off her clothes and fling herself into his arms. His response would be a guaranteed conflagration. Goddess, but it was tempting to consider what he’d proposed.

She reminded herself that he was only acting that way because she’d given him the elixir. Well, not entirely because of the elixir. The chemistry between them had always been there, simmering beneath the surface. The elixir had heated it to the boiling point in Griffin, and the lust was quickly spreading to her.

Good thing she could mix drinks in her sleep, because she was paying no attention to what she was doing as she completed the order and slid the drinks down to Sherman. For the first time she wondered what Griffin would do if she rejected him. How determined was he?

She had to admit the thought of being relentlessly pursued pumped up her heart rate. And it was already faster than normal because she’d done magic today.

As she finished mixing the last drink, her cell phone, which she always kept stashed in her backpack under the counter, played “Witchy Woman.” Anica was calling her, and she knew why, too.

She could ignore the call, but Anica had her own brand of persistence. If Lily didn’t answer, Anica would find some way to communicate. Ignoring a witch wasn’t a wise move, even when you were a witch yourself.

Lily plucked the phone from inside her backpack and flipped it open. Then she turned away from Griffin’s seductive stare. “Hi, Anica.”

“What’s happened?”

“He’s here.”

Lily decided not to mention that Griffin had run all the way to the bar from his apartment and that he was wearing very few clothes. “He invited me to come home with him.”

“For goddesss’s sake, don’t do it!”

Lily felt as if she’d been paraded in front of a display of chocolate truffles and then told she couldn’t have any. It wasn’t fair to have a man like Griffin panting for her and have to turn him down. But Anica had made some potent arguments.