you? With some discipline, training, and a little work, it’s all yours. You want to be wealthy and powerful? You can achieve it, and it’s easier than you might think.” Obeying the impulse to touch her again, he lifted one hand to brush his fingers against her petal-soft cheek. “Wouldn’t you like to stay as youthful-looking and beautiful as you are now, for as long as possible? Powerful witches can live much longer than the normal human life span. I can show you how.”
Moving as slowly as he had, she pulled her face away from his touch while her gaze never left his.
Giving her a crooked smile, he let his hand fall to his thigh. “I can show you how to get anything your heart desires. Anything. Working together, we can create a new future, the likes of which you can’t even imagine.”
But he had pushed too hard—he knew it the moment the words came out of his mouth. She jerked her hand out of his grip and slid off the barstool.
“This is too much to take in all at once,” she said abruptly. “Thank you for coming to find me and explaining everything. At least I’m not going crazy. I think.”
Josiah straightened to his full height. “You’re welcome, but don’t go just yet. We’ve barely scratched the surface of what you’re going through. You’re bound to have a thousand questions.”
She laughed as she backed away. “That’s a massive understatement. I have no doubt I will.”
“Have dinner with me, and we can talk over everything in more depth.” He advanced close enough to smell the faint, sexy perfume that she wore. By the flickering of her expression, he could tell that she wavered.
She even leaned toward him again, and a slow, triumphant smile widened his lips.
But letting his triumph show was another misstep. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and she jerked back. “Not tonight. I have too much going on.” She waved the fingers of one hand in a circle beside her temple. “It’s a mess in here. I need to think.”
He cursed inwardly. “You’re making a mistake. You’ll think better if you talk things out. I can explain anything you don’t understand.”
Just when he thought she was going to bolt, she did the exact opposite. She took a step toward him and gave him another level look while her Power flared. “I said no.”
Immediately he backed off and gave her a slight smile. “So you did. Here.” As she watched warily, he reached into his back pocket, pulled out a heavy white card, and handed it to her. “My personal cell phone number. Feel free to call anytime, day or night.”
She hesitated to take it, her reluctance obvious.
An edge entered his voice. “It’s an offer I don’t make to very many people, Molly.”
“No, I’m sure you don’t,” she replied. “Just one thing. Is there a spell on that card?”
Surprise jolted him. He narrowed his eyes. “Why do you ask?”
Her expression turned fierce. “Because you put a spell on this bar to draw me in, didn’t you?”
Another surprise jolted him. “Good question, and a very good observation. Yes, I threw a spell to lure you into the bar, but if you had been strongly inclined to do otherwise, it wouldn’t have worked. It was more like an invitation.” He passed a hand over the card and erased the small spell he had cast on it. “Now this one is gone too.”
Her hand rose and hovered in midair. “What was it?”
“Same type of thing. A small encouragement,” he told her. “A welcome, if you will.”
She studied his expression, clearly questioning the veracity of that, but it didn’t stop her from snatching the card. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He waved his fingers, and the privacy bubble that had surrounded them vanished. “Talk to you soon.”
Giving him a jerky nod, she walked away. Her relief at leaving was so palpable his expression turned wry. Most women didn’t try so hard to get away from him. In fact, most women looked for ways to get closer. Talking to Molly had been a reality check for his ego.
His phone buzzed. Pulling it out of his pocket, he checked the screen. There was a text from Anson. Did you get a chance to talk to the Sullivan woman yet?
Fingers moving rapidly, he replied, Yes.
How’d it go?
Pursing his lips, he considered how to answer, and his mood turned grim. We might be facing trouble before we had expected. You’d better warn the others.
And they weren’t ready for