Kitsune: The Flip Side

Once the autograph session was over, Louis decided he could finally relax, tuck Kit’s small hand into his own, and bolt. But it wasn’t that simple. They wouldn’t let them go. Especially after he finally took his girl’s hand. Flashes, microphones shoved under his nose: “Is this your new girlfriend?” “How did you meet?” “How long have you been together?” “What’s her name?” “Tell us, does Lou have a tattoo on his dick?” (This one was for Kit). She burst out laughing, then shot back: “Yeah, and not just one!” And she flipped her middle finger at the aimed cameras. Louis was floored by her wit and the compliment. He quickly and almost politely brushed off the idiotic questions and whispered in her ear: “Run. Or they’ll never stop…” Jeff, the legend, took the heat, while they slipped away, ducking into a passage, turning again and again, crawling under some scaffolding until they finally emerged in a field behind the stage. Technicians were swearing and slowly dismantling the gear. Beyond the field, a narrow river curved, glinting in the sun. “There!” Kit decided. They ran through the mown grass. The bells on her ankle jingled. She looked like a hippie girl now with her bracelets, colorful clothes, and that urge to walk barefoot. Only the modern haircut, skinny jeans, and piercings kept her from looking like she’d stepped straight off the stage at Woodstock. The bank was gentle and narrow, covered in fine river sand. And, luckily for them, completely deserted. Spreading trees reached right down to the water. They skidded to a halt at the very edge. Kit kicked off her shoes and tested the water. She smiled: “It’s warm!” Her chest heaved from the run. Her nostrils flared. She licked her lips, scooped up handfuls of water, and splashed them at Louis. He squinted as the spray hit his face, listening to his heart thudding in his chest. A sudden, terrifying shyness washed over him. He felt like a teenager, alone for the first time with the girl he liked. What was he supposed to do now? How should he act? Droplets ran down his face and chest, but he just stood there like a tree. He was afraid even to breathe, though he was gasping from the run. Long-distance love and internet sex were one thing. Meeting in public was another. All those public displays of affection… but now, it was just him and her. Her… so loved, so desired—within arm’s reach. She squinted at the sun, her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. She tilted her head, her hair a blazing bonfire, studying him. And his knees were buckling… just like they did back then, in front of the webcam. He felt like a lanky, unattractive boy. She seemed to understand. She pulled off her colorful top and tossed it onto the sand. Then her bra. Slowly, she unzipped her jeans. She stood there naked, reflected in the slow river mirror. She was so beautiful it made Lou’s head spin. Then she stepped into the water, casting a sly look over her shoulder. He finally snapped out of his trance and hurriedly stripped off his clothes. She was a shapeshifter… a witch… a mermaid… And if she ordered him to drown himself right now, he’d do it gladly. She had a tattoo on her shoulder blade—a blue dragonfly, done so realistically it looked like it had just landed there by the river. Louis wasn’t much of a swimmer, but the river was shallow and warmed to the very bottom. Kit swam toward him, her mermaid eyes shimmering, circling him once, then twice, inadvertently brushing against his tense body. She smiled in a way that sent shivers down his skin, even in the warm summer water. He jolted like he’d been hit by an electric current from those light touches. Once, on a beach in California, a jellyfish had stung him. It felt like that—only it didn’t hurt. Finally, she stopped in front of him in the water. She slowly brought her face close until he could feel her breath on his lips. Louis carefully touched her, pulled her close, and kissed her. Slowly, tenderly. Her wet, warm lips parted to meet him, responding to his touch. God, he’d waited a thousand years for this! His heart broke its chains and set off on its own mad crusade. He kissed her again and again, hungrily now, forcefully, breathlessly. She wrapped her arms around his thin body, clinging to him. Her wet fingers worked their way up his neck to the back of his head, caressing the curls dampened by the water, his back, his angular shoulder blades. Her sharp little tongue traced a path from his lips, down his chin, to his neck. It traced the pattern of the tattoo inked there. Lou couldn’t hold back a moan. Then she pulled him under the water, and they didn’t break their kiss until their hearts felt like they were bursting and the lack of air nearly tore their lungs apart. They surfaced, gasping for air, clutching each other painfully tight. The world was flooded with summer sun. Heat shimmered over the field. Water droplets sparkled in their wet hair like diamonds. “Kit… God, Kit…” Louis was shaking with passion from head to toe. His fingers were surely leaving marks on her delicate body as it responded to every touch. Oh, my God, her breasts… he could touch them, kiss them, nipping at the sharp nipples as he lifted her out of the water. Finally! His palms on her rounded bottom… in the river, she was weightless. Shit… it was insanely beautiful! He’d been ready for ages and only prayed he wouldn’t come the moment he was inside her. Her hips swayed, pressing against his. Kit knew exactly how much he wanted her. Her palm slid down his stomach to where his desire pulsed. Lou took a jagged breath. She pressed against him, tilting her head back, offering her neck for his kisses. Her ankles crossed behind his lower back, the bell biting into his skin, spurring him on. There were no clearer hints… He entered her all at once, in one thrust. She gave a soft cry. Shit, maybe it hurt… Sorry, darling… but holding back was simply impossible… He kissed her ear, apologizing. It could only be compared to sex in space… Weightlessness, warm space, the splash of water, moans escaping their lips… every breath she took, every movement toward him drove him mad, making him move faster, deeper. The green-eyed demon ruled his body and mind as if they were her own. She bit his lips until they bled, her chest sliding against his. His heart went wild, wavering between stopping or leaping right out of his chest. The world had vanished, dissolved—all that remained were the two black wells of her pupils. Everything concentrated, intertwined, flowed there, to his lower belly, a hot pulsation, a collapse point that had to, had to, had to explode… Or he would simply die… And the world exploded. A hot bomb in his groin. Colored sparks in his head. Hoarse moans. Louis pressed into her as far as he could go, afraid to let go, to lose it… tremors rolled through his body in waves. His legs gave out. Breathing was painful—the air cut his lungs. Kit stroked his face, his shoulders. Her eyes were shining. He didn’t dare ask if she’d made it… Shit, it was too good, divinely beautiful… Lou didn’t want to leave her, didn’t want to let go… He caught her fingers with his lips. Kissed them. They drifted in the warm water for a while longer, relaxing… They and the river were one. He still had enough strength to carry her out of the water. Then they slid onto the sand, exhausted, lying in an embrace, gently stroking each other. “Kit, you’re so beautiful… so crazy… I love you… I adore you…” he whispered, looking into those mermaid eyes he’d just been drowning in. The heavy tension of the last few months fell away, giving way to a tenderness of universal proportions. “I love you too…” she purred, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. That’s it. I can die now. Die this very second. It’s impossible to be any happier! Even if she’s lying right now. Lou couldn’t easily believe that such a creature could actually love him. So what? Let her. It doesn’t matter. She’s mine—mine—mine!