“She’s not hurt. She’s just…on pause.”
“Reverse it. Now.”
His lips tightened at the command. “I’d rather talk to you instead. Or I could continue to watch you eat without distraction. The way you licked that fork clean has me harder than I’ve been in years. Do you make love as greedily?”
“Are you kidding me?” She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “Unfreeze her.”
“I thought I was hungry, Dorothy. But hunger is not a strong enough word. I’m ravenous for you. Being this close to you, I’m not sure I can wait.”
Dorothy whimpered, throwing out her hand toward Emily and sending a wave of warmth to break the spell. Thankfully it worked and her sister shivered. “Ooh. I just got a chill. Weird. Where was I?”
Z’s facial expression didn’t change as Emily dove back into her irritating prattle. Dorothy had never been so grateful for the distraction.
“So then the secretary told me he was—”
“Kansas never told me what his best friend did for a living,” Z interrupted abruptly. “It must take up a lot of her time. I never see her in the courtyard.”
“Dee?” Emily’s grin wavered and she flicked her hand as if brushing away the subject. “Dee makes voodoo bundles and soap with her aunt, I think. Charges a ton for it too. There are a lot of gullible people with credit cards out there,” she giggled.
Dorothy felt Suki curl around her ankles and counted to ten. “It’s not voodoo, Emily. You know that. And everyone needs soap, right?”
It was a discussion they’d had a hundred times.
“I know that, but try to tell that to the employees at my father’s firm,” Emily said, attempting to win back Z’s attention. “I’m not sure I told you, but I just got a promotion. He’s put me in charge of entertaining the clients, throwing parties for the big spenders, that kind of thing.”
She’d always done that, Dorothy knew. And he never thanked her for it. He barely noticed she was there. At least now she was getting paid.
“People love your parties,” she said supportively. It wasn’t a lie. Emily never did anything small.
“Kansas didn’t,” Emily murmured, sounding put out. “But then, he’s become a hermit like his uncle, hasn’t he? I can’t imagine having as much money as the Fraynes and being such stick-in-the-muds.”
Z laughed at that. “Kansas? You haven’t seen him in a while, certainly not since he found his heartma—his husband. He’s the life of every party.”
She’d loved to see that, Dorothy thought wistfully. If Kansas were truly happy at last, their separation wouldn’t be so painful for her. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“Oh, me too,” Emily said in a rush. “The right man makes all the difference, I guess.”
Z stared at Dorothy through his thick lashes for a moment, his expression softening. “I’ve never seen two people who belonged together more. They’re very happy.”
Good. That was good.
After that, the rest of the meal was surprisingly normal. Z didn’t say a word when Dorothy cleared their plates and served the cake without any help from Emily.
But he never stopped staring. And that gaze was like a continuous caress that was driving her a little crazy.
Wizard. Don’t forget what he is.
Emily groaned. “I know you wanted this cake, Dee, but I am so full. You can have my slice. You’ve always had a bigger appetite than I did.”
Zap.
“Stop doing that, you jackass!”
He’d frozen Emily again. What really ticked her off was how not angry she was about it after that cake comment. What kind of person did that make her?
“Does she always talk so much?” He grimaced. “She was lying, by the way. She really wishes we were both gone so she could eat the entire cake herself. And she hurt your feelings.”
“She didn’t mean to, and you shouldn’t use the power just because you can. There’s something called responsibility.”