Dangerous Magic by Stephanie James, Jayne Ann Krentz Page B

door.
    “Shall I take notes on the tablecloth in case there’s a quiz later?” she inquired dryly as they waited for the elevator.
    “That won’t be necessary. I’ll be happy to keep going over the fine points with you until you’ve learned the subject thoroughly.”
    In the lobby of the apartment building Elissa allowed him to help her on with her jacket, shrugging lightly into it and tying the belt. “Where’s your car?” she asked, glancing out into the wet street.
    “Over there. Only a short dash!” He chuckled.
    “You’re illegally parked!” she scolded as he pushed her out the door with an encouraging hand.
    “I was counting on your being ready on time,” he admitted, turning up the collar of his own jacket as they hurried through the mist. “And the fact that it’s Sunday.”

    “Living dangerously, I see,” she remarked, slipping into the passenger side of a sleek silver Jaguar which undoubtedly raised appreciative eyebrows on all those like herself fortunate enough to ride in it.
    He slid into the seat beside her, filling the cockpit area with his massive presence, and turned to smile at her before starting the engine.
    “You’re the dangerous element in my life at the moment, witch. All other risks pale in comparison.”
    Suspense flashed along her nerves at the intimate, warning timbre of his voice, and it was all Elissa could do to keep her response pert.
    “You’re not trying to tell me you’ve reconsidered during the night and decided the whole game is too much for you! If you’re so afraid of me we can call a halt right now.”
    “I’m not about to lose by default,” he growled, putting the car in gear.
    “In fact, I’m not about to lose at all. I merely remarked that there is an element of risk involved.”
    “But you’re convinced you’ll get what you want in the end?” she murmured with mocking curiosity, slanting a sideways glance at his rugged profile as he negotiated the city streets.
    “I’ll have you eating out of the palm of my hand in a week,” he returned silkily.
    “And if it doesn’t quite turn out like that?” she prodded dryly.
    “Then I’ll have you eating out of my hand in two weeks!” he flung back with a slashing grin.
    “The bigger they are…” Elissa began warningly.
    “The harder they fall?” he finished helpfully, cocking a heavy brow.
    “Precisely. And your ego is definitely of the large-scale variety!”
    “Well, I’m getting a good start on my goal today, you have to admit. At least you’ll be eating my food in my lair. It’s only a short step from there to my palm, I’m sure,” he purred teasingly.
    “Don’t count on it,” she advised coolly, convinced that if she had anything to say about the matter he would be the one eating out of her hand.
    “How can I help but be optimistic? See how far our relationship has come since Friday!”
    She groaned almost good-naturedly. “You’re impossible. You know that, don’t you?” It was going to be a little too easy to get into the spirit of his banter, she thought reluctantly.
    “Not impossible, honey, just a bit different from what you’re used to dealing with in men. That’s my big advantage in this game, you see. I don’
    t mind admitting it.”
    She shot him a quick, speculative glance. “You call it a game, but you don’t really see it that way, do you?” she hazarded with a flash of intuition.
    “How do you think I see it?” he asked mildly, slowing for a stoplight and using the small break to trap her glance across the short distance between them.
    “More in the nature of open war, I think,” she proffered dryly.
    “A battle is a battle. Only the stakes involved and the ruthlessness of the day determine whether it slides over the boundary between game and war,” he said with sudden soft intensity.
    She stared at him in an appalled little silence. “And you’re very familiar with war games, aren’t you?”
    “I’ve told you, I’m used to fighting for what I