Read Online WebMage by Kelly McCullough - Free Book Online

thigh. An incredible burst of lilac as I buried my face in the triangle at the base of her belly. Kisses that came as suddenly and surprisingly as summer lightning on a dark night. Cerice's face twisted into a mask of wild emotion. The sun lighting her hair like a white waterfall as she moved atop me. A climax that started somewhere around the base of my skull and shot down my spine, arching me like a bow.
    When it was over Cerice laid her length on me, still clutching me tightly with her inner muscles. She was as tall as I, and her hair cascaded down around our faces, enclosing us in curtain of privacy. Her slit-pupiled eyes shone blue fire at me from a distance of inches, and the scent of lilacs filled my nostrils. I was content in a way I had rarely been before. This was not my first time by any means, but it felt different somehow. I wasn't sure what to do or say about that, so I contented myself with silence and a careful study of Cerice's fine-boned features.
    "What are you thinking?" she asked after a while.
    I reached for words, and found, "I was thinking that we skipped a step."
    "Huh?" She looked confused.
    "Well, I think very highly of you. I like your personality, your looks, your style, your devious hacker brain; in short, everything about you. I've felt that way for some years now, and intended to ask you out on something of a formal date, and yet I've never gotten around to doing anything about it. Now, we've skipped the whole courting phase and leaped into bed."
    Her laugh was rich and mellow, like fresh apple juice after a day in the sun. "How very sweet of you, Ravirn. Perhaps the courtier is the real you, and the scrappy ruffian is the mask. I was just thinking that I should have done this ages ago, knocked you over and ravished you, that is. It's been on my list of things to do practically forever. Though I must admit I like the sound of courting as much as any woman."
    "Well then, courting you shall have. I rather think we should make something more of this than a wild afternoon. That means doing things right. And doing things right means a proper beginning. Perhaps an elegant dinner with candlelight and china at a fine restaurant in Paris, followed by slow dancing, and a moonlight walk along the Seine? How does that sound to you?"
    "I'll think about it. However"—she laughed again, although this time with a wicked undertone—"since we're already in a compromising position, I intend to take shameless advantage of you."
    Her hands slid down to the place where we were conjoined and did highly dexterous things. My response was immediate, involuntary, and wholehearted. Shameless advantage , she'd said, and she was true to her word, several times.
    * * * *
    The futon in Ahllan's guest room wasn't quite a Parisian inn, but it was wide enough for two, and that's where we ended our day.
    "I wish this moment could last forever," I said.
    "Nothing lasts forever," said Cerice, lifting her head from my chest. "I'm going to have to leave soon. My doctoral duties are calling. I've learned some things at the new experimental computing department at Harvard that I think will help with this computer-recycling project I'm working on." She frowned, and her voice became tight. "I can't stand all the waste. The family of Fate needs to realize there are places to take an old system besides the junk heap. It makes me so mad sometimes, I… No, never mind. I don't want to start that discussion now. What I started to say was that I've got an oral exam tomorrow. If I miss it, Clotho will have a fit."
    I sighed. "I empathize. Lachesis isn't going to forgive me anytime soon for bringing the mweb down. Missing midterms on top of that has guaranteed my place at the top of her shit list. I promised her I'd do well in my studies this year. Now she's never going to believe another word I say."
    Of course, that was because of the curse, but I couldn't tell Cerice that. I couldn't tell Cerice anything without sounding like the worst sort