Read Chick with a Charm for Free Online Page A

mind.”
    After Sherman walked away, Lily gazed at the man she had lusted after for weeks and said what needed to be said. “Griffin, I can’t go home with you.” How she hated saying that!
    “Sure you can.” He leaned toward her and his hazel eyes coaxed her to agree. “You know we’d have a great time.”
    “I’m sure we would, but I have . . . responsibilities.” For one thing, she had responsibilities to the wizard community, which wouldn’t appreciate the spell she’d cast on him, but she couldn’t tell him that.
    “Such as?”
    She resisted the temptation of his heated gaze as she moved to the cash register to close it out for the night. “My dog. I can’t go off and leave Daisy. She has to be walked and then fed in the morning.”
    “No problem. I’ll go home with you and help with the dog. We could stay at your place if you’d rather.”
    “That’s not a good idea.” It sounded like a wonderful idea, but she dared not tell him so. Picking up his glass, she washed it, being very, very careful. Now was not the time to break another glass.
    “Why isn’t it a good idea?”
    “Daisy isn’t used to strangers.” It could be true. Lily hadn’t had her long, and no strangers had visited the apartment since Daisy had arrived.
    “That’s okay. I’m good with dogs. I had a golden retriever when I was a kid.”
    “Daisy’s a golden.” Lily said it before she’d stopped to think that the information would only encourage Griffin. “But she’s really not very sociable.”
    “That’s hard to believe. golden retrievers usually love people.”
    Belatedly she remembered what he did for a living. A lawyer would be very good at arguing his case. She was matching words with someone who was far more skilled at wordplay than she was. “Sorry. I can’t take the chance. She might bite you.” More likely Lily would be the one biting him during a passionate, very naked moment. Love bites could be a lot of fun.
    “Then I’ll wait outside your apartment for you until you’ve taken care of your dog.”
    “No, I can’t have you doing that.” Lily took a deep breath and faced him. Anica would be so proud of her right now. “I’m not spending the night with you, Griffin.”
    He took the ultimatum without blinking. “All right. Then we’ll just have coffee.”
    She was totally confused. “But . . . but I thought you wanted to . . .”
    “I did. I do. But if that won’t work for you, then we’ll walk your dog and then we’ll go get coffee and talk.”
    Lily could see advantages in that. She’d finally have a chance to get to know Griffin, and as long as they didn’t have sex, the relationship might build naturally, carrying over after the spell had disappeared. Anica had made Lily promise not to have sex with Griffin, but she hadn’t made her promise not to have coffee with him.
    “I guess that would be okay,” she said. “Let me go tell Sherman.” Lifting the hinged part of the bar top, she walked over to where Sherman was stacking chairs on top of tables. “If you wouldn’t mind closing up, then—”
    “Be happy to.” Sherman grinned at her. “I noticed a long time ago that you’d taken a shine to that guy. I think it’s cool that he finally grabbed a clue.”
    “We’re just going for coffee.”
    Sherman’s grin widened. “Yeah, that’s what they all say.”
    “No, really. Just coffee.”
    “You trying to convince me or yourself?”
    “I’m not trying to convince anyone. I just—”
    “All I’m saying is that you’re sounding a little out of breath, which usually means there’s more at stake than coffee.”
    Lily deliberately slowed her breathing as she met Sherman’s gaze. “Nope. Just coffee. Thanks for locking up.” With a wave, she walked back to the bar and retrieved her purse.
    Griffin slid off his bar stool. “All set?”
    “Yep.” She tried to sound nonchalant. “By the way, I usually take the bus home. The bus stop’s only about half a block from