The countercharm idea sounded a lot better. She wondered what he’d come up with, but didn’t dare try and find out while he was still in bed with her. She waited until morning and pretended to sleep when he got up and headed into the bathroom.
She listened to the sounds of splashing in the sink, which meant he was shaving. She didn’t want to begin her search until he was in the shower. Once the water was running and he was whistling away, she began her investigation.
Although she didn’t want to interfere with his work to dilute the spell, she needed to know what it was. He and Kevin weren’t wizards and they were messing around with things they didn’t completely understand. Better that she discreetly check it out for them.
First she looked under the bed and found nothing, although she had to brush off the salt from her knees when she stood. Just the salt couldn’t have created this change in Griffin, though. For one thing, he hadn’t been surrounded by salt all afternoon and evening, when he’d found the intestinal fortitude to keep his distance from her.
There had to be something else. She ran her hand between the mattress and box spring, but nothing seemed to be there, either. Whatever it was had to be small, something he’d carried throughout the afternoon and then transferred to . . . then she knew exactly where it was. Grabbing the pillow from his side of the bed, she stuck her hand inside the case and found the stone.
She recognized immediately that it was jet, which would bring him more emotional stability and self-confidence. Good choice, whether it was his idea or Kevin’s. The stone had been working hard and had a slight crack in it that she’d bet hadn’t been there originally.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed and holding the stone between her palms, she closed her eyes. “Piece of jet stone, black as night, be whole again so you can fight.”
Secretly helping Griffin dilute the spell that she’d cast on him was totally weird, but she didn’t know how else to handle this awkward situation. How ironic that she’d given him the elixir because she’d wanted a respectable boyfriend around when her parents came home to celebrate Anica’s engagement and wedding. Her plan had worked perfectly with her dad, who now saw her as having the maturity to accept more family responsibility.
Her plan had also worked well for her sex life. But her heart—her heart ached with the knowledge that she’d enslaved this man. Love from a bottle, so to speak, wasn’t love at all. Sometimes she could almost convince herself that Griffin really cared for her, but as long as the spell was still in effect she couldn’t trust any of his behavior as being genuine.
She opened her hands to find the crack in the stone gone. As an excellent witch with good magical skills, she’d expected as much. It was a small spell she’d created, so her adrenaline level would spike for only an hour or so.
But it was spiking, which meant that climbing in the shower with Griffin sounded really good right now. Talk about counterproductive. She’d just repaired the jet in order to bring him back into balance after the sex they’d had during the night.
“Lily?” He came to the door of the bathroom with a towel draped around his hips. “Were you talking to somebody just now?”
She closed her hand over the stone and glanced up. “Just saying my morning . . . affirmations.”
“Here’s an affirming idea.” There was a definite gleam in his eye. “Hop in the shower and I’ll wash your back.”
And wouldn’t she love to do that? But she had a responsibility to him now that she’d created this situation. “Nice idea, but I have to get going. I’m meeting Anica and the folks down at the Bubbling Cauldron in . . .” She glanced at the bedside clock. Yikes, it was later than she’d thought. She couldn’t dally with Griffin in the shower even if she could justify having more sex with him. “I’m supposed to be there in an hour to decorate.”
“I’ll come with you and help.”
She recognized the signs of dependency returning. “Oh, Griffin, that’s sweet, but I’m sure you have plenty of things to—”
“Nope. I’m coming with you.” He walked over to the duffel he’d brought with him and rummaged through it. “Let me get some clothes on and I’ll take Daisy out while you shower. We can pick up some breakfast on the way over there.”
“Uh, okay.” She started to put the jet back in the pillowcase, but he stood and turned toward her. She jerked her hand back.
“How about we pick up muffins and coffee for everybody?”
“That would be nice.” The jet was warm in her hand as she sat on the bed, trying to decide how to replace it so he could find it again. He needed that stone. He was reverting back.
“Go on.” He made shooing motions with his hands. “Get in there and shower. I’ll take care of Daisy. I’ll feed her, too.”
She couldn’t leave the room without putting the jet back inside the pillowcase. Once she went into the bathroom, he’d get dressed and look for it, so he could put it in his pocket. But he was standing right there, watching her.
The door was still closed, so Daisy couldn’t come in and occupy him for the few seconds that she needed. But wait. If she concentrated very hard, she could make the front doorknob rattle, which would cause Daisy to bark like crazy to alert them to a potential intruder. Lily didn’t do telekinesis very often, so she was a little out of practice, but she needed a distraction and she needed it now.
“I appreciate all your help with Daisy.” She remained where she was, because she needed to be quiet and centered to accomplish this. Besides, the minute he left the room, she should be right by the pillow so she could replace the jet in a hurry.
“No problem. I like her. She—”
Loud barking—Daisy sounding the alarm—came from the living room.
Griffin spun toward the closed bedroom door. “What the hell?”
She forced herself to sound scared. “I don’t know. From the way Daisy’s barking, she must think somebody’s trying to get in.” She started to stand up. “I should go see if—”
“I’ll go.” Griffin knotted the towel more securely around his waist.
She gave him points for chivalry. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had been ready to defend her against an unknown enemy.
Griffin’s protective stance was sexier than she’d figured. She wanted to jump his bones even more now. But she’d created a diversion so she could replace the stone he’d hidden inside the pillowcase. There was no real threat, although now she’d jacked up his adrenaline level as well as her own. Bad combination.
“Stay here.” The low command thrilled her to her toes, even if there was no danger.
“I will.” She played the meek maiden in distress, although in a true emergency she would have been right beside him, ready to face whatever he might encounter. She wasn’t a fan of shrinking violets, but in this case it suited her purposes to adopt that role.
He opened the door. “Hey, Daisy. What’s the matter, girl?”
Lily stopped the rattling at the same moment she shoved the jet inside the pillowcase.
The sound of Daisy’s whine drifted through the partly open door.
“Go to Lily, girl. Stay with her while I check this out.”
Lily was doubly touched. He could have kept the dog with him, but he preferred to have Daisy watch over Lily instead. One glance at the clock told her this little maneuver would make them late to the Bubbling Cauldron, but it couldn’t be helped. He had to have that piece of jet, and he couldn’t know that she’d discovered it. She scooted to the side of the bed so she could pet Daisy.
“We have a winner in that guy,” she told the dog.
Daisy wagged her tail vigorously and smiled her doggie smile.
“Yeah, I know you like him, too. Let’s hope this works out for all of us.” Lily hadn’t considered the impact of bringing Griffin into Daisy’s life when there were no guarantees he’d end up staying. In a sense, she was toying with Daisy’s affections by allowing Griffin to become the dog’s friend. If he left, Daisy would probably mourn
his loss.
That was one more reason why Lily couldn’t arbitrarily break the spell. She’d traumatize her dog. Jupiter’s balls, what a complicated situation. She’d never anticipated things would get so messy.
Griffin came back in. “I checked the peephole, and nobody was out there, so I opened the door and took a quick look around. Nothing. You have good locks, though. If someone tried to get in, they wouldn’t have much luck.”
She nodded. “True. Still, that was brave of you, to go out there virtually naked to scout around.”
“Brave or stupid, I’m not sure which. I’m glad it was a false alarm, because I’ve never tried to fight someone while I was wearing nothing but a towel.”
“Have you ever had to fight someone at all?”
He looked somewhat wistful. “No. I was big for my age, so nobody ever picked on me. And I don’t have brothers or sisters, so I didn’t have those kinds of fights, either.”
“I had some knock-down, drag-outs with Anica.” Lily remembered wands had been raised and half-baked spells had been used, which only got them in bigger trouble with their parents.
He smiled. “I’ll bet you were a fierce little fighter.”
“I don’t like to lose, I’ll tell you that.”
“Neither do I, Lily.” He gazed at her with a million questions lurking in his hazel eyes. “Neither do I.”
She hated that they were on opposite sides of the fence, but then, she’d been the one who’d put them there.
Chapter 23
Griffin rode the bus with Lily to the Bubbling Cauldron. He didn’t want to show up looking like a snob who only took cabs. With his jet back in his pocket, he felt more in command and ready to take on her family. By now he assumed the whole kit and kaboodle were magical, except Jasper, of course.
Although he hadn’t wanted to go along with Kevin’s conclusions that Lily was a witch, he couldn’t very well deny it now. He was relatively sure she’d made the door rattle so Daisy would bark, thus getting him out of the room for some reason. He was guessing she’d found his stone and then wanted to put it back while he wasn’t looking.
He’d never before had a sexual relationship with somebody who kept huge secrets from him. And that forced him to keep huge secrets from her, too, although he doubted either of them was fooling the other. They were both too smart. So instead they played this complicated chess game to see who would blink first.
He was determined it wouldn’t be him. If he was in luck, Jasper Danes would be on the decorating committee this morning, and he’d have a chance to talk to him, man to man, about what to do when the woman you were sleeping with happened to be a witch. Griffin didn’t know if Jasper would talk or not. But surely he’d take pity on another guy who found himself trying to navigate this unusual landscape.
After they got off the bus, Griffin had to hurry to keep up with Lily, who was barreling down the sidewalk as if she’d taken up race walking.
Griffin had never seen her move that fast. “Does it matter so much if we’re late?”
She slowed down. “I guess not. But I’m always late, and I’m just . . . tired of being labeled the screwup of the family.”
“Blame it on me.”
She glanced over at him and smiled. “Thanks, but there’s no way it was your fault, and hiding behind you wouldn’t speak very well of my maturity level, now, would it?”
“Who said you’re not mature?”
She sighed. “Nobody’s said it in so many words, but look at my life compared to Anica’s. She owns a business and she’s been working toward that goal for several years. She’s getting married to a guy who adores her, and she adores him. Her apartment is always cleaner than mine—well, now she has the condo that she bought with Jasper, but it’s always clean, too. She—”
“Lily.” Griffin took her arm and pulled her around to face him. The street was nearly deserted this time of the morning, and he was tempted to kiss her and see if that made her feel better. It probably would, but this wasn’t about endorphins.
She gazed up at him, her jaw set in a belligerent line. “Listen, I didn’t say all that just so you could tell me how wonderful I am, so don’t start.”
“You are wonderful, but I’m not going to harp on that if you don’t want me to. I don’t have any brothers or sisters, so maybe I don’t get the whole sibling rivalry thing, but it can’t be good to compare yourself to Anica. She’s a different person from you.”
“No kidding.” Lily gave him a smile filled with sadness. “She’s goal-oriented and I’m not. She’s organized and I’m not. She gets places on time and I don’t. She knows what she wants out of life and I don’t.”
He rubbed her upper arms. “I’ll bet you do know what you want, deep down.”
She looked at him for a long time without speaking. “Maybe. Maybe I do.”
“So what do you want out of life, Lily Revere?”
For a second there was a gleam of self-knowledge in those big brown eyes that he hadn’t seen before, and he thought she might open up and tell him. He suspected one of the things she wanted was a guy who adored her, a guy she adored in return. She’d sounded wistful when she’d mentioned that about Anica.
Then she shrugged. “It’s too early in the morning for this kind of discussion. And now we’re even later.” She drew away. “Let’s go in, Griffin.”
He sighed and opened the door for her. He understood her better now, but he didn’t know how to help her. Hell, he couldn’t guarantee he could help himself now that she’d created this magic spell that bound him to her.
Her reason for timing it the way she had was more obvious, too. With her sister getting married and her parents coming back from Peru, she’d wanted a guy around so she wouldn’t look quite so aimless in comparison.
Choosing that route was a screwup of major proportions. He knew he was sexually attracted to her because he’d wanted her even before she’d slipped him that potion. The only difference was that now he had less ability to resist her.
But could he ever love her? He wouldn’t know as long as he was under this spell. He had to get free of it, for both their sakes.
The bar took some getting used to. He’d never seen it like this, virtually empty under the glare of the overhead spots. The place looked a little shabby in that unforgiving light. The tables and chairs that had seemed rustic now simply looked battered and old. He’d never noticed that the wooden floor could use refinishing or that the wall around the dart board needed patching and painting.
Lily’s father, Lionel, was in the process of climbing a tall metal stepladder, holding a mirrored ball. Jasper was steadying the ladder and offering encouragement, while Simone and Anica moved chairs and tables back against the walls, probably to create a dance floor under the revolving ball.
Griffin thought Lionel and Jasper should have traded jobs. The weight of the ball was throwing Lionel off balance.
“He’s going to drop that thing.” Lily started forward.
Griffin moved faster and was almost under the ball when Lionel and the ball toppled sideways, pulling the ladder with them even though Jasper tried manfully to hold on to it. As everyone in the room started yelling, Griffin had a choice as to whether to try for the ball or Lionel. He chose Lionel.
As the ball crashed to the floor beside them, Griffin did his best to control Lionel’s fall, but the guy still took Griffin down and knocked the breath from his lungs. Everyone else pressed closer, trying to help while they cried out in alarm.
Griffin picked out Jasper’s voice right away because he was cussing while everyone else was yelling. Jasper was saying things like God damn it and shit, but those weren’t the words everyone else used. Indeed, Griffin noticed the women were saying things like Zeus’s balls and Apollo’s ass.
Come to think of it, Lily had used a phrase like that once or twice, and he’d thought it was something she’d heard on TV. Apparently witches and wizards swore differently, too.
Lily crouched next to him and
touched his face. “Are you okay?”
“Breath knocked out.” He sounded about ninety years old. “How’s your dad?”
“I’m good, thanks to you breaking my fall.” Lionel held out a hand. “Let’s get you up and make sure you’re still in one piece.”
Griffin took Lionel’s hand and felt a sudden jolt, as if he’d touched a live wire. And then, miraculously, he could breathe easily again. Once he was on his feet, he held Lionel’s gaze, so like Lily’s. “Did you just do something?”
The man’s eyes didn’t even flicker. “I helped you up.”
“I know, but I felt . . . like, an electrical charge.”
Lionel regarded him steadily. “There are some people who say I have a touch of the healer in me. Maybe it’s true.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Griffin looked over at Lily, who was watching the exchange with a worried expression. No wonder she hadn’t wanted to bring him to this little decorating party. Some of those secrets they were keeping from each other might leak out.
Simone touched his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Griffin. Are you truly all right?”
“I’m fine.” Griffin walked around a little and shook out his hands. “But I can’t say the same for that mirrored ball.”
“I’m about to take care of that.” Anica came over with a plastic garbage pail that held a long-handled dustpan and a broom.
Griffin picked up the dustpan as she began sweeping the glass. “I’ll help.”
“Then I’ll go work on tablecloths,” Lily said.
Anica smiled at Griffin as she started to sweep. “Thanks for coming down today. I’ll bet you didn’t expect things to get so exciting.”
“I’m just sorry the mirrored ball is history. It would have been a fun thing to have tonight.”
“We might still be able to do it.”
“Not with this one.” Unless you use magic to fix it. Griffin was surprised at himself for even thinking such a thing. Was he getting used to this weird situation?
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