Blonde With a Wand (19 page)

He followed her down, his mouth first at her breasts, then sliding down her rib cage to lick the indentation of her navel and finally coming to rest at her juicy center, where he lapped at the bounty there with a groan of triumph. Dimly she remembered that she’d meant for this to be a mutual event, not one geared specifically to her pleasure.

Then any thought of a plan, any idea of an agenda was swept away on a tsunami of sensation. With an artistry that left her squirming helplessly against the quilt and bunching the material in her fists, he brought her to the brink and eased her back down, took her up again and let her slide back. The roller coaster careened around one curve only to dive headlong into the next roaring free fall.

She was reduced to incoherent babbling, whimpers, and at last, when he finally took her all the way home, she erupted with wild cries of unrestrained bliss. Only as she lay spent, dragging in each breath as if she’d run a marathon, did she think about the neighbors. And promptly dismissed them again.

Easing himself back up her body, he kissed her, going deep with his tongue, imprinting her with the taste of her own climax. It was the sexiest thing any man had ever done to her. As he plundered her mouth she felt the tightening begin again.

Miraculously, she wanted more of him. He was a fever in her blood and she wouldn’t be satisfied until he was buried deep within her, touching the very essence of who she was.

His lips left hers and moved close to her ear. “Condoms,” he murmured.

Her brain had officially checked out, and she couldn’t remember the names for things. “Table,” she muttered, but she couldn’t for the life of her think what to call the sliding compartment that held the precious condoms. “Inside table.” She sounded like a warrior chief in a bad Western.

He chuckled and briefly left her. She was bereft. She wanted his body covering hers for the rest of recorded time. After what seemed like eons he was back, his warm skin sliding over hers. And then what she’d craved since the day she’d met Jasper Danes finally happened. His cock thrust deep inside her and life was complete.

Or so she thought until he started a seductive rhythm. Okay, so life wasn’t totally complete yet. But if he would increase the pace a little, and shift the angle a bit, exactly like
that
, and if he’d lift her legs and tuck her ankles around his neck, and hold her hips so that she could arch against him while he stroked even faster, and faster yet, then maybe, at last, life would be . . . oh, dear Zeus . . yes . . . yes . . .
yes. Complete.

She erupted in a rainbow of colors that seemed to shower them like confetti. With a low growl he drove home once more and held her tight while his body shuddered and pulsed within her. She offered up a silent prayer of gratitude for a fabulous lovemaking session that no one could take away, no matter what happened later on. She also gave fervent thanks that she’d stopped Edna from taking Jasper to the spay-neuter clinic.

 

Jasper hoped he hadn’t just allowed his pecker to lead him into a ditch. Sex was one thing, but he sure as hell didn’t want to get emotionally involved with this witch. So he simply wouldn’t do that. He’d practice containment.

Sex without commitment, that’s what he’d just had. And he couldn’t have ignored the temptation, either. Once she’d walked into the bedroom with her hair down and her nightgown unbuttoned, he was beyond stopping himself, except for the niggling fear that he wouldn’t be able to finish what he started. Then she’d taken hold of his penis and he’d decided to risk a potential disaster.

But just because he’d dipped his wick in enemy territory didn’t mean anything had changed between them. They had no future, with her being a witch who would eventually get her magical powers back. That would make her capable of all sorts of weirdness, things he didn’t even want to know about.

He liked being a commodities broker with a normal American lifestyle. If something about this sexual experience felt all happily-ever-after, then he’d blame the transformation for crossing some wires in his brain. She was just a good lay. That’s all she meant to him at this moment and all she’d ever be.

She seemed lost in a daze of satisfaction and he felt pretty much that way himself, but he was the guy with the condom, so he was assigned the job of getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom. He glanced at the bedside clock as he went by and noticed it was almost twelve thirty.

Maybe he was getting tuned in to this magic stuff, because after he saw the time he had a strong feeling that his interlude as a man was about to end. Sure enough, he’d no sooner disposed of the condom than the dizziness started. He dropped to the floor so he wouldn’t fall and crack his head on something when he blacked out. He really, really hated this part.

When he regained consciousness, he was crouched on the floor, back to viewing the world from the feline angle. He was pissed that he’d transformed back, but not quite as pissed as he had been the night before. Great sex could mellow a guy out, even when he faced returning to life as a housecat.

Besides the sex, he had another reason for optimism. He’d extended his time from ten minutes to an hour. He hated to think how much of that glop he’d have to drink in order to get two hours of human time, but at least there was a ray of hope that he wasn’t stuck like this forever.

“Jasper? Are you okay?” Anica walked naked into the bathroom, spied him crouched there and began to cry.

He hated that she was crying, even though, looking at it realistically, this was all her fault. Still, she’d been so happy a moment ago, lying there flushed and smiling in the light from the bedside table lamp.

“Jasper, I’m so, so sorry!” She scooped him up, cradling him against her bare breasts as she buried her face in his fur and cried some more.

He was sorry, too, but she was getting him wet. Her breasts were cushy and nice, though. She’d be good to cuddle with after sex, but he hadn’t had that chance. That was also her fault, but he wished she’d stop crying about it.

She sniffed and raised her head to reveal eyes that were red and still leaking. She wasn’t a delicate crier. “I’ll bet you don’t like this emotionalism, do you?”

He gazed up at her and tried to signal in the affirmative by blinking at her.

“I mean, you’re the one with the big problem, and I’m the one falling apart over it. You didn’t fall apart when you changed back.” She gulped. “Instead you made wonderful love to me.”

Not love. Sex.
He wasn’t about to confuse the two, and he didn’t want her to, either. They’d had sexual chemistry from the get-go, and even though she’d changed him into a cat he still craved her body, especially when he had a body that matched.

He might always crave her body, but she wasn’t destined to be his mate for life, not with that witch thing going on. Their sex tonight had been a good use of time and he was glad they’d done it, but he could easily give her up once he was fully released from this curse she’d put on him.

She carried him back into the bedroom. “At least you changed for an hour this time.” She sniffed again. “We’re making progress. Maybe you’ll change back once more before the night’s over.”

Nice thought, but he doubted it. Although he’d only changed twice, it had followed a pattern. The first time he’d been allowed five minutes on each side of midnight. Tonight he’d had thirty minutes on each side of midnight. Midnight seemed to be the key.

Still holding him, Anica climbed into bed. He struggled to get away, but didn’t use his claws because of her silky bare breasts.

“Humor me, Jasper,” she said. “I need someone to hold.”

Jasper looked around for Orion. Orion could be the man for the job. But the orange tabby wasn’t in sight. Come to think of it, he hadn’t been seen since Anica had left to get the beer.

Then Jasper figured it out. He’d dated a few women with cats, and usually they closed them away if things got hot and heavy. On one memorable occasion, a woman hadn’t done that. Jasper had been pumping away when he’d felt an excruciating pain in his balls. Seems the cat had mistaken them for a dangly toy.

Thank God Anica had used good sense and apparently tucked Orion in the closet. An incident like that might have seriously affected the budding friendship Jasper felt for the orange tabby.

Keeping her grip on Jasper, Anica reached up and switched off the bedside lamp. Then she snuggled him close and sighed. “Thank you.”

Jasper admitted it wasn’t horrible being nestled against Anica’s plump breasts. She seemed to need him there. He didn’t really care whether she did or not, of course, because he didn’t really care about her. Yet it seemed sort of mean to leave her alone when she was so upset.

Slowly she began to scratch behind his ears and under his chin. “I just want to say what I didn’t get a chance to before you went into the bathroom. I want you to know, whatever happens, I’ll always treasure tonight.”

Oh, shit. She
was
mixing up love and sex. He’d do well to remember that next time. If there was a next time. He’d like that, from a sexual satisfaction point of view, but it wasn’t like he
needed
to have her again.

Anica kept scratching his chin, and although he didn’t want to, because it sent exactly the wrong message, he began to purr.

Lily arrived at ten thirty the next morning to cat-sit for Jasper while Anica went to meet Dorcas and Ambrose at Wicked Brew. Lily was early. Lily was never early, which told Anica how much her sister was worried about the situation.

The steady rain falling outside had prompted Lily to break out her favorite purple raincoat that reached to midthigh, the exact point where her boots stopped. Underneath she had on a short denim skirt and a tight red sweater.

She shook the rain from her coat onto Anica’s carpet, stomped the water from her boots and propped her dripping black umbrella near the door. “You didn’t call last night. Does that mean he didn’t transform at all?”

Anica glanced over toward the sofa, where Jasper and Orion each occupied an end. Jasper seemed to be sleeping, but she didn’t trust him not to be listening with both highly tuned cat ears. “Let me make you some coffee before I go.” She walked into the kitchen.

Lily followed her and lowered her voice. “You didn’t want him to hear you, right?”

“Right.” Anica fired up the electric coffee grinder. “We had sex.”

“Sex?”
Lily’s one-word exclamation would have carried over the sound of a jet engine, let alone a coffee grinder.

Anica sighed and poured the ground coffee into the basket. “Yes, and now I’m sure he knows we’re talking about it.”

“Sorry. But we’re sisters. He should expect we’d talk about it.”

“I guess, but—”

“Come on over here.” Lily put an arm around Anica and led her to the far end of the kitchen. She leaned in close, as if they were calling plays for the big game. “How long did he transform for?”

“An hour.”

“Wow. So the potion must have done something.” Lily glanced over her shoulder toward the living room and then huddled again with Anica. “At what point did he change back? Were you still—”

“No. It was after. He’d gone into the bathroom and then . . .” Anica couldn’t revisit that moment without choking up. She’d thought she’d been prepared for it to happen, but after the way he’d touched her, kissed her, made such sweet love to her, the change had hit her hard.

Lily gave her a fierce hug. “Poor An. Sounds rough.”

Anica nodded.

“Was it great, though? The sex?”

“Yeah, it was great.”

“Well done, sis. Now he might think twice before he goes after revenge.”

“That’s what I thought before I made the decision to go to bed with him. But now . . . now I think he probably deserves to have whatever revenge he wants. What I did was awful, Lil.”

“Hey, let’s not forget why you did it, okay? You found out he was a lying scumbag who manipulates women into feeling sorry for him so they’ll agree to have sex.”

Anica looked her sister in the eye and smiled. “Yeah, but it’s damn good sex.”

Lily laughed. “Then I’m glad you had some.”

“Me, too.” Then Anica was laughing with Lily, and it felt good. Not as good as sex with Jasper, but nice.

Lily gave her another hug and released her. “You’d better get going. I don’t want you to be late for Dorcas and Ambrose.”

“That would be bad after they drove all the way up here. Lily, I didn’t even think about this, but should I offer to pay them something?”

“Nah, they’ll just ask for your firstborn child.”

Anica gasped.

“Not really! Honestly, you’re the most gullible person I know. No wonder Jasper could hoodwink you so easily.”

“Seriously, should I pay them something? I mean, they’re taking their valuable time, and there’s gas to consider and meals, too. It’s not like any of that’s free.”

“I think the Wizard Council takes care of their expenses.”

The very thought of the Wizard Council made Anica quiver with dread. “That’s the point. I’ve asked Dorcas not to mention this to the council. I think I’d better offer to pay them.”

“I’d wait to see what they have to say first.”

“Okay.” Anica took a deep breath. “There’s something else I can’t handle by myself, but I hate to ask you.”

“Go ahead. I love having you in my debt.”

Anica rolled her eyes. “Never mind.”

“Oh, come on. What is it?”

“I still don’t have a protection spell on the apartment. I don’t think those particular fairies will be back, but I’d feel better if—”

“Say no more. I’ll handle it this morning.”

“Thank you. That relieves my mind.” Her sister could be wonderful sometimes.

“By the way, you look terrific today. That blue sweater and skirt complement your orgasmic glow.”