Blonde With A Wand Part 28

"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?"

"He was as of yesterday. We spent a lot of hours in a soup kitchen last night, so I'm hoping to see him transform any time now."

"I'm afraid that won't be happening."

"What?" Anica saw Jasper's head come up, and she turned, lowering her voice as she walked into the kitchen. "What do you mean?"

"Ambrose and I need to come up there again. We'll want to talk with each of you privately to explain what's going on, so we should probably time it to get there after six this evening, after Jasper changes into a man again."

Anica lowered her voice. "I don't understand. I thought if he kept doing good deeds, or acts of kindness, that he would keep gaining minutes. He put in eight hours of good deeds at that soup kitchen. Zeus's b.a.l.l.s, Dorcas. What's going on?"

"What's going on is that you invoked an ancient, complicated spell. The information we uncovered at first turns out to be only the tip of the iceberg. This is all quite fascinating, actually."

"Not to me!" Anica heard the anger in her voice and worked to control it. This wasn't Dorcas's fault, and she didn't deserve to be yelled at. "I'm sorry, Dorcas. I'm just upset. Are you saying Jasper put in all that time in the soup kitchen for nothing?"

"Of course not. Everyone in the soup kitchen benefited from having both of you there last night. Jasper has a larger understanding of poverty, and I wouldn't be surprised if he volunteers at that soup kitchen again. It's all good, Anica."

"Can I impress upon you how much I loathe that happy little phrase right now?" Anica could feel herself losing it again. "This man has worked his b.u.t.t off trying to break the spell I cast on him, and now you're telling me that what he did isn't good enough."

"That's because it's not." Dorcas's voice remained calm, as if she had no intention of responding to Anica's fury.

Once again Anica felt horrible for giving vent to it. "Forgive me. I have no right to take my frustration out on you, especially when you're kind enough to drive up here to help us."

"We'll be at your apartment as soon after six as we can get there. Ambrose will take Jasper out for a walk, so you and I can talk in your apartment."

Anica leaned her forehead against the smooth door of the refrigerator. "What am I supposed to tell Jasper? I'm sure he's completely demoralized already, and this news isn't going to help at all."

"Tell him what I've told you, that the spell is far more complex than any of us realized, and that we're coming up to offer whatever counsel we can. Tell him there will be a way out."

"What is it?"

"Anica, I can't tell you over the phone. This is powerful stuff, and we have to handle it carefully so that you two don't get stuck in the roles you have now."

"You're scaring me, Dorcas."

"Good. A little healthy fear wouldn't be a bad thing right now. Oh, and don't involve Lily in this. To make sure we have a chance of reversing the spell, the interaction should involve only the four of us."

"I understand. Thank you, again. I . . . well, just thank you."

"You're welcome. See you in a few hours." Dorcas broke the connection.

Anica stared at the phone for what seemed like a really long time. She owed it to Jasper to go in there and give him the latest news, but she dreaded doing that. He'd been so hopeful last night and his att.i.tude had been nothing but positive as they'd struggled through the last hour of soup kitchen duty.

How many times could a person get his hopes up, only to have them dashed by a new set of rules? In his shoes, Anica would be devastated. He'd gone into debt and worked hard for a charitable cause. What more could be asked of him? Was he supposed to donate a kidney?

She thought back to his crime, misleading his girlfriends about the cause of his recent breakup. What a trivial thing that seemed now compared to the threat of spending his days as a cat and his nights as a man . . . forever.

At this point she'd take his punishment upon herself if she could, but she was pretty sure there was no way she could a.s.sume his cat shape for twelve hours a day. Dorcas had said there was a way out. She'd cling to that. But for now she had no choice but to go in there and ruin what was left of Jasper's day.

Carrying her cell phone so she wouldn't forget to call Lily, she sat next to Jasper on the sofa and scratched behind his ears. She figured his answering purr was a reflex, something he couldn't control when she was petting him. She doubted he really wanted to purr, given his circ.u.mstances.

"That was Dorcas," she said. "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that there is a way for you to regain the other twelve hours. The bad news is that it's more complicated than doing good deeds. In spite of the soup kitchen work, you won't change again until six."

Jasper let out a cat sigh.

"I know. I suppose that's what happens when a spell isn't used for two hundred years. No one's up on how it works, or how it can be broken. When I make a mess, I make a big one."

She rubbed the top of Jasper's head and he moved to take better advantage of the caress. "Dorcas and Ambrose will be here a little after six. That means you have seven hours and . . ." She glanced at the time on her cell phone. "And forty-two minutes left to be a cat. How do you want to spend that time?"

Jasper settled down on the sofa and closed his eyes.

"Got it." Anica stood. "I'll leave you to do that."

Walking back to her bedroom she speed-dialed Lily, who picked up on the second ring.

"I almost called you," Lily said. "So? Is Jasper permanently changed back into a hunk?"

"No. Our eight hours at the soup kitchen were a wasted effort. According to Dorcas, something more is needed to get beyond twelve hours, but she wouldn't tell me what over the phone. They're driving back up tonight so they can interact with Jasper when he's . . . did you call him a hunk?"

"Sure did. You latched on to a hottie this time."

Anica narrowed her eyes. "Are you implying my other guys weren't hot?"

"Not like this one. I think he really likes you, too. I was watching him watch you. Major l.u.s.t going on there, big sis."

A wave of pleasure washed over her. "I really like him, too. I feel so bad for him that he did all that work and got nothing for it."

"I don't get that. Dorcas and Ambrose told you that would work, so why didn't it?"

"I don't know. I guess new info turned up that explains more fully how the spell is broken. Tonight should do the trick, though. Dorcas seemed confident they had the answer now."

"Good." Lily paused. "That's really good. Um, what would you think if I went back to school and became a paralegal?"

"That you'd lost your mind. That's a very technical field and you've never liked studying, so I don't know why you'd-" Then Anica understood. "You want to impress Griffin?"

"I realize the bartender image probably doesn't work for him, but I could be going to school in my spare time, which would make me look more ambitious. Besides, you're always saying I should latch on to something and stick with it. This would be like . . . like a real career."

Anica groaned. "I'd love you to stick with something, but it should be something you like. You'd hate being a paralegal. And to do it just to get Griffin's attention-I think that's a mistake."

"I really like him, Anica. And you're going to think I'm making this up, but I think he's fascinated with me, too. Every once in a while I catch him looking at me as if he wants to do me. Then the minute I look right at him, he looks away."

"Most men want to do you, Lily. You're gorgeous. But wouldn't it be great to find a guy who wants to hang out with you when you're both wearing clothes?"

"Griffin would, once he gets to know me. I just have this gut feeling it would work, but he won't give me a chance."

"Then he's the wrong guy." Anica wished Lily would drop this obsession, but so far she seemed determined to create something with Griffin. And Lily was a grown woman who would have to work this out for herself. Anica couldn't protect her from heartbreak, much as she'd like to.