can't
help but take pleasure in that. Does that make me a bad
person?"
Ryder watched as her tongue worked its way around the
cone, catching every drip. He swallowed hard and then answered,
"No. There isn't much that could make you a bad person, Wiley.
You're simply human like the rest of us."
"You're dripping," she said, grinning.
A glob of cold ice cream landed on his leg and he
quickly licked the cone to catch the drips.
Wiley laughed, using her napkin to wipe the ice cream
off his leg. It took a few swipes and by the time she was done, his
cone dripped again. He had been watching her, and felt himself
harden as she touched him.
"Ryder, you're so sloppy!" she giggled, ready to wipe
his leg again.
He stopped her, placing his hand over hers. "I…ah…I
think I'd better do that." Taking the napkin from her, he cleaned
up his leg and finished the cone without looking at her.
A few minutes went by, and then she took his hand.
"I'm sorry if I insulted you, Ryder. You aren't really sloppy."
Surprised that she thought he was upset, he gently
squeezed her fingers. "I'm not insulted, Wiley, but I am a man.
When you touched my leg like that…it makes it hard…ah…difficult to
think."
Looking down at his shorts, she gasped then burst
into giggles, looking away from him.
"Now it's my turn to apologize," he said.
When she turned back to him, he could see she was
embarrassed, a becoming flush on her cheeks.
"No, you don't need to," she said, her gaze falling
to his chin. Automatically, she raised the napkin and gently wiped
it, staring at his lips.
Sucking in a breath, he watched her lips part,
leaning closer until their lips nearly met.
"Am I interrupting something?"
****
Jumping with surprise, Wiley turned to look up at
Victor and rolled her eyes.
"Don't sneak up on me, super cop! You scared the
daylights out of me!" Wiley said, standing up.
Ryder slowly got to his feet too, facing Victor.
Wiley was fed up with Victor's possessiveness and
decided to try her spell. "Fidollo, racedacom, comalipus."
The two men stared at her. She prayed her spell would
work. When nothing happened, Victor turned to Ryder.
"Where's your car?"
"We took Wiley's car. Why?" he asked, suspicious.
"Just checking," Victor said. "Where do you
live?"
"Toronto. You?"
Smirking, Victor didn't answer.
Two dogs came tearing down the street, barking as
they headed straight for Wiley. Another one came from a different
direction.
"Oh, no! I goofed again," she cried and ran, heading
for the nearest sturdy tree.
Now there were six dogs chasing her. The men were
slow to react, watching Wiley as she climbed a tree.
****
"Get lost, you stupid dogs! The spell wasn't for
you!"
Below the tree were twelve dogs and more arrived by
the minute. Ryder thought about the spell she'd cast, and tried to
reverse it. 'Fidollo, racedacom, comalipus' should be 'Fidollo,
racedacom, gopus'. He murmured the chant and suddenly the dogs
stopped barking and jumping up at Wiley. She sighed as they began
wandering off.
Standing below the tree, Victor put his hands on his
hips. "You are such a nuisance. What is the matter with you?"
"There's not a thing the matter with her, Victor,"
Ryder said, reaching up to help her down. She slid down his body,
landing gently on the ground. He wanted to take her right there,
but he'd promised he'd only be friends with her.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Maybe we should get going?"
"Wait a minute. Going where?" Victor asked. He
apparently didn't like the way she was looking at him.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm taking
Ryder out. We're still on tour," she said, straightening her
shirt.
"How much is he paying you?" Victor asked.
"Not that it's any of your business, but nothing. I
wouldn't take his money if he offered it. I like him," she said,
standing up to Victor for once.
His eyes narrowed, and he turned his gaze on
Ryder.
"Fine. Watch your back, little man."
"I don't believe officers of the law are supposed