Read Online Night of the Magician by Stephanie James, Jayne Ann Krentz - Free Book Online

herself.“ Which hadn’t stopped Aunt Phil from enjoying more than one discreetly glorious affair of the heart, Ariana thought privately. She headed toward the sleek black Porsche parked at the curb. It was a cloudy, zesty San Francisco day, and the chill of fall hung in the air. “She does know the kind of man I generally date, however.“
    “And I may have trouble measuring up to the image,“ he observed dryly. “Your aunt sounds like an interesting woman.“ He stowed the luggage. “Here, toss me the keys. I’ll drive.“
    “That’s all right, I’m used to doing my own driving.“
    “So am I,“ he said, pointedly extending his hand.
    An imp of mischief came to sit on Ariana’s shoulder and she grinned, folding her fingers tightly around the keys.
    “Why don’t you just magically make these keys disappear from my hand and reappear in yours the way you did the coins last night?“
    “Okay, watch this,“ he ordered, grasping her wrist before she realized his intention. An instant later he had pried open her fingers and stolen the keys. “Voila! Magic! I now have possession of the keys.“ He held them up with a flourish.
    “Some trick!“
    “It worked, didn’t it? That’s all a magician asks of a piece of magic.“
    Surrendering to the inevitable, Ariana went around to the opposite side and slid into the bucket seat. “About your fictional background,“ she began repressively as he started the engine and expertly put the thoroughbred car in gear.
    “Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered, too,“ he said easily, his eyes on traffic as he headed for the Golden Gate Bridge. “It occurred to me that your aunt might ask a few questions sometime during the visit.“
    Ariana shot him a sharp glance. “All right, let’s hear it. What sort of background have you decided to give yourself?“
    “How about my posing as a reclusive but eminently successful real estate speculator?“ he suggested.
    “Hmmm. The word ‘speculator’ is a little sleazy sounding. Let’s make it real estate developer and financier,“ Ariana said thoughtfully, considering the matter closely. “It carries connotations of quiet wealth. I like that“
    His mouth crooked wryly. “Because the words ‘developer’ and ‘financier’ have a more established ring to them, Ariana?“
    “I think so,“ she said slowly. “‘Speculator’ has a somewhat here-today-gone-tomorrow sound, don’t you think? It smacks of slick dealing and fast maneuvering. Yes, I definitely prefer developer and financier.“
    “Whatever you say,“ he agreed neutrally. “As long as it sound wealthy enough for you.“
    She heard the mockery in his voice and decided to ignore it. He couldn’t possibly understand her fears, and she had no intention of trying to explain them to him.
    But what if, Ariana found herself thinking wistfully as they crossed the elegant span of the Golden Gate Bridge, what if Lucian Hawk really did meet her specifications for a husband? Instantly she put a brake on her flight of fancy.
    That was ridiculous. Even if by some miracle he had money and a spotless reputation, even if he were to fall in love with her, there was still the overriding fact that he had no interest in marriage. He had made that very clear the other night.
    She was a fool to even be thinking such wild thoughts, Ariana scolded herself. With a touch of aggression which caused Lucian to slide her a sideways glance, she changed the subject.
    The picturesque inn at the edge of the tiny mountain town was charming; quaintly Victorian in architecture.

    Nestled cozily in the towering pines and fir trees which surrounded it, the place looked as if it had been at home there in the mountains for a hundred years. Aunt Philomena had happily told Ariana that in reality the place had only been built five years previously and that the plumbing, thank God, could be relied upon.
    Lucian guided the black Porsche into the small parking lot and glanced around curiously as he