Under Her Spell by Isabella Ashe Page A

have much luck if you go up against the Mandell Corporation. As I said before, they've got pretty strong backing."
    "Well, I won't give up."
    "Good. Now, what else have you got in that knapsack?"
    They ate the crumb cake in companionable silence, then started back. Bryony sloshed along beside Zach, a satisfied smile on her face. She hadn't changed his mind, but it was a start. At least she knew he could be reasoned with.
    Now, if only she could convince him that there was more to life than cold, hard fact. He didn't have to believe in fairies and guardian angels. She simply wanted him to admit that there were things in the world that couldn't be measured by his scientific instruments. Things that didn't have a dollar value attached.
    Back at the car, Bryony cleaned her muddy boots the best she could with a handful of leaves while Zach did the same. They climbed into the front seat, and Zach started the motor. Then he glanced over at her, frowned, and turned it off again. "What?" Bryony asked, frowning suspiciously.
    "You've got something -- there." And he leaned over to brush the tip of her nose with one lightly callused finger. A thrill shot through her body as he touched her. "Mud," he explained, his voice hoarse with desire.
    "Did you get it off?" she asked, her own voice low and husky to her ears. She could feel his warm breath against her cheek and smell the musky scent of his aftershave.
    "Almost. There," and he touched her again. "It's gone now."
    "Thank you." She stared up into his dark eyes, unable to read them.
    Suddenly, before she could take another breath, he drew his fingers sensuously along the curve of her jaw and brought his lips down to brush hers. She felt his mouth soften against hers for a fraction of a second.
    Her whole body responded urgently to his kiss. She ached for him to cover her lips with his, ached for the feel of his body against hers. Instead, he withdrew and turned away. He left her dazed and more than a little shaken.
    Without thinking, Bryony brought her fingers up and pressed them against her lips, which tingled as if they'd been stung. She expected Zach to say something, anything, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. As he started the car, she felt like crying out from disappointment. Had the kiss meant something, or was it simply one of his experiments?
    She tried to gather the courage to ask, but Zach was staring straight ahead with such intensity that she didn't dare. Did he have any idea of the effect he was having on her? Perhaps she was reading too much into a casual gesture of friendship, and he'd merely meant it as a thank you for the morning. She bit her bottom lip and kept silent, but her mind whirled with confusion and turmoil.
     
    "So, how are things with Zach?" Vivien asked later that day, in a casual tone that didn't fool Bryony for an instant. She was helping Vivien rearrange the furniture in her new living room, which overflowed with cardboard boxes and rolled-up rugs.
    "Don't you mean, 'How's my little matchmaking experiment?' No comment."
    "Has he kissed you yet?"
    Bryony groaned, almost dropping her end of the couch. She wasn't sold on the existence of ESP, but sometimes Vivien's intuition made her wonder whether telepathy might be for real. Sometimes her sister seemed to know about her life before she even said a word. It was hard to keep a secret in the Lowell family. "No comment," she repeated.
    "He has!" Vivien said. "I knew it. Here, help me put it in the corner." The sisters lifted a small table and deposited it on the other side of the room. Vivien found a blue ceramic vase and set it on the glass tabletop. "How's that?"
    "Perfect," Bryony said, hoping Vivien would get caught up in decorating and forget about the inquisition. Unfortunately, it was not to be.
    "So he's kissed you," Vivien said. "Has he admitted he's in love?"
    "First of all, he's not in love with me. Furthermore, I'm not in love with him. We're just way too different."
    "Opposites attract," Vivien