Uneasiness settled in Anica’s stomach. Sheila had quoted Jasper almost word for word. What if this woman was a nutcase who’d been lurking in the coffee shop behind a newspaper while Jasper spilled his guts? “That’s . . . approximately what he said.”
“I’ll bet a million dollars that’s exactly what he said. Because that’s the speech he gave me about Kate, his previous girlfriend. It touched my heartstrings, which appear to be directly connected to my libido. A few dates, and we were in bed, where I could mend his broken heart.” She blew out a breath. “I didn’t leave Jasper. He dumped me three weeks ago.”
Three weeks ago Jasper had walked into Wicked Brew for the first time and she’d elbowed her employee Sally out of the way so that she could personally serve him a latte. Jasper had shown up the next morning, and the next, and on the third morning he’d announced that his girlfriend had left him.
But Sheila couldn’t be telling the truth about that breakup. Anica prided herself on her ability to read people, and Jasper had been one forlorn guy three weeks ago. If he’d made up that story—no, she couldn’t believe that he’d do such a thing.
“I want to hear Jasper’s side,” she said. “I don’t see any reason why he’d—”
“Don’t you? He’s figured out that women are suckers for a sob story. He hangs with a woman until he finds somebody he likes better. Then he dumps the current girlfriend and works the heartbreak-kid angle with the new one. I fell for it. And the worst part is, if I could have him back, I’d take him, even knowing what I know.”
Anica shook her head, still unwilling to accept what Sheila was saying. “I’m sure there’s an explanation. Maybe you two misunderstood each other.” That still left Anica out in the cold if Sheila and Jasper reunited, but she’d rather see that happen than discover Jasper was a louse.
“It’s hard to misunderstand when someone says, ‘It’s been lots of fun and you’re amazing, but it’s time to move on.’ That’s pretty damned clear, don’t you think?”
“Did you two fight about something?”
“No. All was peaches and cream. I’m guessing he met you and decided to trade up.”
Had Jasper lied to her? Anica couldn’t believe it, but there was only one way to find out. “I’ll talk to him.”
“You do that, and if you decide you don’t want him after you find out the truth, let me know.” Sheila thrust a business card in Anica’s hand. “He might bounce back my way.”
Anica stared at her in disbelief. “You’d still want him, even if he lied to you?”
“ ’Fraid so. I shouldn’t, but . . . he’s just that good.”
Jasper tried not to be worried. He’d noticed Sheila sitting at the bar when he’d first walked in with Anica. He didn’t know if Sheila had spotted him or not, but he’d asked for a table quite a distance from the bar, just in case. She’d seemed to take the breakup reasonably well, but there was no point in flaunting his new girlfriend.
Sheila was alone, but he told himself that she was probably meeting some guy here. A woman who looked like Sheila wouldn’t have any trouble finding dates. She deserved to hook up with someone who appreciated her more than he had.
For a while he’d tried to tell himself Sheila was everything he needed in a woman, but then he’d looked into Anica’s startling blue eyes and experienced a zing of excitement he hadn’t felt in years. Immediately he’d made a clean break with Sheila. It was the only fair thing to do, and he prided himself on never cheating on a lover.
Sheila had seemed fine with parting ways—no tears, no drunk dialing, no trumped-up visits to the brokerage house where he worked. He hadn’t run into her again until now. He was relieved that she’d remained at the bar and hadn’t wandered over during the meal, which might have been awkward.
Anica’s suggestion about the chocolate mousse in a to-go box had fired his imagination, and he could hardly wait for her to get back from the bathroom. Her apartment was within walking distance, a happy coincidence that meant they could have a romantic stroll to build the anticipation.
Weather conditions weren’t ideal for a stroll—icy March winds still blew down Chicago’s streets—but the breezes were subtly different these days, a shade warmer than they had been even a week ago. Spring was hovering, ready to swoop in and transform the city. Jasper planned on having sex with Anica tonight, but he’d thought way beyond that.
Spring was a perfect time to start a relationship, with buds opening, sap rising . . . yeah, the sap was rising in him, all right. This time, though, sexual attraction wasn’t the only emotion driving him. He admired her body, but he also admired her intelligence and business savvy.
She’d opened a downtown coffee shop in an area Starbucks hadn’t mined because there was nothing to draw a nighttime crowd. Anica kept Wicked Brew open weekdays only from seven to four and made a killing from the office workers who didn’t have time to walk several blocks to Starbucks.
Admittedly, though, he hadn’t been thinking much about her business smarts tonight. Tonight he wanted to peel the clothes from her luscious, long-limbed body. He wanted to take the pins out of her blond hair.
The image of undressing her made his cock hard. Because he’d have to wait a while before doing anything about that, he distracted himself by concentrating on the bill. As always, he gave a generous tip in honor of the nights during his college career when he’d held down this kind of job. God, had it really been ten years ago?
As he signed his name to the credit card slip, he glanced up to check Sheila’s seat at the bar. She wasn’t there. So maybe she’d left.
Or not. A woman was heading into the restroom. The light was dim back there, but he had a bad feeling that woman going into the door marked with a stylized W could be Sheila.
That might not matter, though. Anica was due back any second, and besides, she’d never met Sheila. The woman in the bathroom probably wasn’t Sheila, anyway. He was getting paranoid.
He knew why, too. Anica had given him a whole new lease on life, both sexually and mentally. He’d even imagined sharing an apartment, which was major because he’d never spent more than a long weekend with a woman. As serious as he’d thought he’d been about Sheila, he’d never created a mental picture of what their combined lives would look like, which should have told him they weren’t right for each other.
Here he was already thinking about living with Anica, and they hadn’t even had sex. He pictured eating microwave popcorn and watching old episodes of South Park on Friday nights, flying kites over Lake Michigan on Saturday afternoons, battling for sections of the Trib on Sunday mornings. The scenes rolled in his head like a chick flick accompanied by a perky sound track.
Of course it was only their fourth date. They had plenty to learn about each other and he wasn’t making any stupid predictions at this stage of the game. But he had a special feeling about this particular woman. He wouldn’t be surprised if . . . but that was jumping the gun. He’d let things unfold as they were supposed to.
He sure wished she’d get back from the bathroom, though. Women did all sorts of mysterious things when they disappeared in there. One of them involved girl talk.
That was the part bothering him at the moment. Having an ex-girlfriend talking to a current girlfriend was never a good idea. He prayed that wasn’t going on.
At last Anica came out and started toward him. He stood, smiling, and picked up the take-out carton of chocolate mousse. When she didn’t return his smile, his anxiety level shot up about a thousand percent.
“We need to talk.”
He groaned. When a woman said that to a man disaster was in the air. Now he was virtually positive Sheila had followed Anica into that bathroom. “Would you rather sit down and eat dessert here after all?”
“No, let’s leave.” She headed toward the restaurant’s foyer.
Jasper had no choice but to follow, but suddenly he craved the protection of other diners. He didn’t think Anica was the type to make a scene in a nice restaurant.
Then again, he wouldn’t swear to it. He didn’t know her that well.
When Anica reached the front door, she paused to take her black wool coat from where it hung on a garment rack. Jasper helped her on with it. He’d admired this coat the first time she’d worn it because it was so unusual; more a cape than a coat, with a generous hood. Contrasted with Anica’s blond hair, the black coat and hood made quite a statement.
Once she’d settled her hood over her golden hair and was ready to step outside, he handed her the mousse so he could put on his tweed topcoat. Then he took the mousse back before walking with her into the chilly night.
The night was balmy, though, compared with Anica’s tone as she faced him on the sidewalk. “Your ex-girlfriend came into the bathroom while I was in there.”
“Sheila?” He’d hoped to sound vaguely interested, but the word came out as a croak of alarm.
Anica clutched her hood when the wind threatened to blow it off. “She made some pretty harsh claims, and I need to know if anything she said is true.”
“Okay.” Jasper turned up his collar as he tried to imagine what complaints Sheila might have had about him. He’d thought that he’d pleased her in bed, but maybe she’d been faking those orgasms. That wasn’t really his fault, although maybe he should have—
“Sheila says that you dumped her.”
“That’s not true.” He’d never dumped a woman in his life. Sure, he’d broken up with them, but he’d done it in the kindest way he knew how.
Anica let out a breath. “Thank goodness. I knew she had to be lying. She must be trying to salve her conscience by claiming that you’re the one who broke up with her. I apologize for doubting you.”
He should let it go at that. It was a harmless thing, this habit he had of using a broken heart as an entrée with a new woman. He should just agree with Anica that Sheila was lying and they could move on to the most excellent conclusion of their evening.
Admitting he had been the one to leave was only going to cause problems. The main thing was that he and Sheila were finished. Yep, that was all that mattered.
“Jasper?” She peered up at him. “Shall we go? It’s pretty cold out here.”
“Yeah, let’s go.” He took her hand as they faced into the wind and started toward her apartment building. Maybe Anica wouldn’t even care if she knew the truth, and at least that would clear the air between them. Nah, that was stupid. Why buy trouble?
“Does Sheila’s behavior bother you?”
“No. Why?”
“You’re being very quiet. Listen, if seeing her again has stirred up old feelings, then maybe—”
“It’s not that.” The wind blew harder, enough to make his eyes water. “You know, it’s not that important who does the leaving, is it? I mean, when a relationship is over, it’s over. Somebody has to make the move, but what difference does it make who walks out the door?”
“It seemed to make a big difference to you three weeks ago.”
“Oh, well . . .” He managed to dredge up a chuckle. “You know how it is. When you first meet somebody, it’s like a game. Every guy has some little strategy for breaking the ice. No harm, no foul, right?” He glanced at her to see if she was going along with this line of reasoning, but her hood kept him from judging her expression.
Her voice gave him no clues, either. “What sort of strategy do you have, Jasper?”
“Oh, you know.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “Maybe pretending to be a little more broken up over my previous relationship than I actually was. You can’t blame a guy for—”
She pulled her hand away and turned to face him, her blue eyes colder than Lake Michigan. “Yes, I can, Jasper. You broke up with her, didn’t you?”
“You mean technically?”
“Yes. Let’s get extremely technical.”
“I guess I’m the one who actually ended it, but it was the decent thing to do, after all. I’d met you, and I thought you were amazing.”
She stared at him, her face growing tighter by the second. “So you really like me, huh?”
“Yes.” He didn’t enjoy admitting his feelings under less-than-optimum circumstances, but maybe if she knew how he felt she’d get over being angry. “I think about you when I’m not with you, and when we’re together, time races by. It’s only been about three weeks, but you’re already a big part of my life.”
She nodded. “Good. Then you won’t have to lie to the next girl. Be as broken up about this as you want.” Spinning away from him, she hurried down the street toward her apartment.
He stared after her in stunned surprise. “You’re leaving? Over a little thing like that?”
Instead of answering, she quickened her pace.
“I can’t believe this.” Had any woman ever left him? If so, he couldn’t remember. And for Anica to leave him, the person he thought might turn out to be a life partner . . . This was just wrong. And by God he would fix it.
He had to run to catch up with her, and he could hear the mousse slopping around in the take-out container—the mousse he’d hoped to smear all over her naked body. “Anica, wait!”
She kept walking.
“Hold up a minute.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a halt.
She turned and glared at him. “Let go of me.”
He knew if he did, she’d start off again. He gulped in cold air. “Anica, take it easy. You’re overreacting.”
“Overreacting? You start our relationship with a bald-faced lie, pretending to be brokenhearted in order to worm your way into my life, into my bed, and you have the unmitigated gall to say I’m overreacting? You’re a real piece of work, Danes!”
“Come on. What I did is a small thing, nothing in comparison to the good times you’re throwing away.”
“If I’m throwing them away, it’s your fault, buddy. If you’re capable of that kind of calculated manipulation, how can I trust you to be honest about anything?”
He pulled her closer. “Trust your body, Anica. We have chemistry. You can’t deny it.”
Her nostrils flared, and for a moment something closer to desire than fury burned in her gaze. “I won’t deny it,” she said through clenched teeth. “Unlike you, I tell the truth.”
“See? Now let’s just—”
“No!” Breathing hard, she lifted her chin in defiance.
“Just because a girl has chemistry with a jerk doesn’t mean she has to act on it!” She wrenched free and backed away from him.
“Sweetheart, you’re cute when—”
“Finish that sentence and I won’t be responsible for my actions.” She backed away and held up both hands. “I warn you. Stay away from me, Jasper. I’m in a really bad mood right now, and you don’t know what you’re dealing with.”
He’d never seen her so worked up, and he admired her spirit. Surely he could coax her out of this snit and then he could redirect all that passion into more productive channels. He couldn’t accept that he was about to lose her. Not over something so trivial.
He moved toward her again. “Come on, Anica. Be reasonable. Let’s talk this out.”
“Back off, lover boy!” She pulled something out of her purse.
“Pepper spray? Now you’re really being ridiculous.” Refusing to believe she’d hit him with the spray, he kept advancing. Anger and lust weren’t so far apart on the emotional scale. One kiss and he’d tip the balance in his favor.
She pointed the thing at him. “It’s my wand.”
He laughed. Now he knew for sure she was kidding around. “Not bad, although isn’t that a little small? I pictured them as bigger, but they say size isn’t everything.”
“Stay away from me.”
He wasn’t about to. She was way too cute. “Hey, if you want to go all Harry Potter on me and play let’s pretend, can we go up to your apartment and do it in comfort?”
“I’m serious, Jasper.” She shook the wooden stick. “Don’t make me use this!”
He grinned at her and kept coming. “Gonna tu
rn me into a frog? How about I kiss you first? Maybe you’ll change your mind.”
“Stop!”
Instead of stopping he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. “Come here, you.”
“I said stop.” She shoved him away. Then she muttered something in Latin, and light spurted from the end of the wooden stick. He opened his mouth to remark on the cool special effects, but before he could speak, his body began to shake. He dropped the box of mousse as the tremors increased and his heart raced out of control. Good God, he was having a heart attack!
Anica stared at him in horror.
Do something! He tried to scream for help, but his lips refused to work. Her wide-eyed, terrified gaze was the last thing he saw before he blacked out.
Chapter 2
“Dear Goddess, what have I done?” Cold sweat trickled down Anica’s spine as she gazed at the pile of clothes on the sidewalk and the hissing cat trying to work his way out from under them. Any minute the cat would be free, and then what?
She had no time to debate the matter. Stuffing her wand in her purse, she scooped up the clothes and the cat, wrapping the whole bundle inside Jasper’s tweed coat.
The cat’s response was immediate. He struggled harder, clawing and growling in his attempt to get away.
“Stop it, Jasper! I’m taking you home. I’ll find the spell to undo this, I promise.” She held tight to the bundle and glanced around to see if she’d been observed, if squad cars were closing in, ready to take her to the slammer. No telling what the sentence was for transforming a commodities broker into a cat.
And that was only the civilian punishment. Far greater sanctions awaited her if the magical world found out what she’d done. Twenty-first-century witches and wizards were forbidden to use their powers to change a being from one form to another. Such things may have happened at times in the old days, but things were different now.
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