Josiah straightened to his full height. “You’re welcome, but don’t go just yet. We’ve barely scratched the surface of what you’re going through. You’re bound to have a thousand questions.”

She laughed as she backed away. “That’s a massive understatement. I have no doubt I will.”

“Have dinner with me, and we can talk over everything in more depth.” He advanced close enough to smell the faint, sexy perfume that she wore. By the flickering of her expression, he could tell that she wavered.

She even leaned toward him again, and a slow, triumphant smile widened his lips.

But letting his triumph show was another misstep. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and she jerked back. “Not tonight. I have too much going on.” She waved the fingers of one hand in a circle beside her temple. “It’s a mess in here. I need to think.”

He cursed inwardly. “You’re making a mistake. You’ll think better if you talk things out. I can explain anything you don’t understand.”

Just when he thought she was going to bolt, she did the exact opposite. She took a step toward him and gave him another level look while her Power flared. “I said no.”

Immediately he backed off and gave her a slight smile. “So you did. Here.” As she watched warily, he reached into his back pocket, pulled out a heavy white card, and handed it to her. “My personal cell phone number. Feel free to call anytime, day or night.”

She hesitated to take it, her reluctance obvious.

An edge entered his voice. “It’s an offer I don’t make to very many people, Molly.”

“No, I’m sure you don’t,” she replied. “Just one thing. Is there a spell on that card?”

Surprise jolted him. He narrowed his eyes. “Why do you ask?”

Her expression turned fierce. “Because you put a spell on this bar to draw me in, didn’t you?”

Another surprise jolted him. “Good question, and a very good observation. Yes, I threw a spell to lure you into the bar, but if you had been strongly inclined to do otherwise, it wouldn’t have worked. It was more like an invitation.” He passed a hand over the card and erased the small spell he had cast on it. “Now this one is gone too.”

Her hand rose and hovered in midair. “What was it?”

“Same type of thing. A small encouragement,” he told her. “A welcome, if you will.”

She studied his expression, clearly questioning the veracity of that, but it didn’t stop her from snatching the card. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He waved his fingers, and the privacy bubble that had surrounded them vanished. “Talk to you soon.”