Mistress of Magic Read Online Free PDF Page B

the moment?
    She was staring at him. She had to say something quickly. Rick Player was many things, but stupid wasn’t among them. If she didn’t say something fast …
    “Oh, did you two make dinner plans already?” Max asked. “How interesting!”
    “Yes, how very interesting!” Rick said, his white smile in place, his voice low and irritated. “Especially when you hadn’t really met. I admit, I am confused.”
    Regina offered him a broad smile and inhaled deeply, ready to speak.
    She didn’t need to.
    “It was very interesting, indeed,” Blake said lightly, addressing Rick Player, but his gaze casually falling upon Reggie. “I happened to be walking through the park when I came across a dinosaur.”
    “Oh, yeah. And these creatures are captivating, right?” Rick said.
    “I always thought so,” Max supplied blandly. Wes cast him a quick glance of amusement. His lip curled further. The golden eyes glittered.
    Indeed, he was like a tiger. With prey all lined up, right in front of him!
    Max knew damned well that she and Wes had made no dinner arrangements. Blake had picked up on her brother’s annoyance with Rick Player. They did know each other well. It was almost as if they shared a bond.
    Like she had always shared with her brother.
    An inward groan seized her. Oh, come! She wasn’t going to be jealous of a friendship between the two!
    “I never could resist a dinosaur myself,” Wesley said.
    “Right. Because you can see those feminine curves right off the bat, eh?” Rick said. He was growing more and more annoyed. Obviously, things were not proceeding to his liking. Though he apparently knew that the others were finding an amusement at his expense, it didn’t occur to him that his own personality might have brought it about.
    Blake stared at him. “It was amazing. I felt this startling attraction to a dinosaur. But then, of course, the lady did have an advantage over me. But later, the tables were turned. I discovered that my dinosaur had more than a wonderful personality. And so I decided that dinner just had to be on the agenda.”
    Rick Player looked straight at Reggie. He smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile. “And you said yes, just like that. My. My, my.”
    “I never gave her a chance to say yes or no.”
    “So then what about me?” Rick asked pointedly.
    Well, this seemed like a wretched place between a rock and hard wall, Reggie decided. If she told Rick the truth—that she’d rather dine with a dozen mite-infested rodents than with him, he’d surely fight them tooth and nail.
    He might still do so anyway.
    And then there was Wesley Blake, who made her shiver each time he spoke. Whom she wanted to strangle. Who made her feel so hot and burning. And who had, indeed, turned the tables and taken every advantage.
    Still, he didn’t really expect her to go to dinner. He was playing this all out strictly because he knew how her brother felt about Rick Player.
    “I am sorry, Rick.” She offered Wes Blake a fetching—if false—and enthusiastic smile. “I’m afraid that Mr. Blake did take me off guard!”
    “And you said yes?”
    “I simply can’t wait to have dinner with him.”
    Wesley Blake caught hold of her hand. The rough touch of his callused palm and fingers sent electric chills cascading into her. The cold became hot and seemed to scald her, inside and out. And like that fire, his eyes, too, seemed to burn inside her when they caught her own.
    “It is a promise, Regina, right?”
    Rick was watching her intensely. She tried not to snatch her hand away.
    “A promise,” she murmured a little breathlessly.
    “Well, that’s all set!” Max said.
    All set? But it wasn’t real! “I may be working this evening—” Reggie began.
    “And then again, after this meeting, there may be no need for anyone to be working here, right?” Rick said politely.
    Wes Blake shifted. Just slightly. “Last I heard,” he said softly, “I’m still the majority stockholder.”
    “But