Page 42 of Heart of a Dire Wolf
Tinsel shook her head. “You saved my brother and the elf he loves, and restored a sanctuary.” She smiled. “Besides, Mauk wants to get out of the barn. I think my sleighs have given him ideas.”
Skyla laughed at a brief vision of being pulled over for speeding while flying.
* * *
Later, after leisurely lovemaking left them pleasantly languorous, she sat with her back to the headboard, with Nic’s head on her thigh. She ran her fingers through his naturally curly black hair. “I think I want to accept the invitation to visit Fort LeBlanc, after we meet your parents, and after we hopefully straighten out my academic career.” She smiled. “If nothing else, I want to meet buildings that are as alive as Mauk or Tinsel’s sleighs.”
“Sounds good. I’ll deliver my report in person and show them what we found in the glade heart.” He rolled off her and sat up to reach for a glass of water. “After that, we’ll look for a teaching spot for you.”
“What about you?” Like her, he had enough money to never have to work again, but he said he liked having something to do.
“Geology is everywhere.” He frowned. “Except in the desert. There will be no geology in the stinking hot desert.” He downed the water.
She laughed. “Right. No deserts. No tropics, either. I went to Baja California once for a conference and nearly drowned in the humidity.” She patted his shoulder. “The only time I like being hot and sweaty is with you.”
“How many magical universities are there, anyway?” He put the empty glass on the table, then grabbed the notepad where he’d been keeping lists.
“Worldwide? Thousands. Only a handful in North America that have the research facilities I’m looking for.”
“Let’s visit each one and see what we like. We could take Mauk. Expand his horizons.”
“And mine. My father and sister did all the jet-setting.” She nodded toward her new laptop computer on the desk, which she’d forgotten to turn off. “I have online friends and colleagues everywhere, but Fort LeBlanc is the farthest I’ve ever been from Southern California.”
“I used to move around a lot.” He turned to kiss her. “Now that I’ve found my true mate, the only traveling I want to do is with you.”
“I’d love that. You make me feel safe.” She used a bit of magic to flip the laptop’s lid down. “You still have to teach me French.”
He set the pad aside. “Have I mentioned what your magic does to me?”
She used more magic to float the pad back to the table. She gave him a wide-eyed, innocent look. “Why no, you haven’t.” Desire for him rose quickly, as always.
He rolled to his hands and knees to place a kiss on her thigh. “First lesson. This isla cuisse.”
She dutifully repeated it, then used magic to give him an intimate caress.
He licked his way higher on her thigh.“Mon amour.”He flared the mate bond, sending a shockwave of pleasure through her. He slid his glorious tongue into her center.
“Mon amour.” She welcomed him in. “My love, forever.”
