Thoroughly Kissed Read Free Page B

goddess ‘Eostre.’”
    The grin faded from Professor Lost’s face and she was watching the girl intently. Michael felt his back straighten.
    â€œWe haven’t discussed the pagans much—”
    â€œWe’ve discussed the Christian church’s influence and various beliefs.” Professor Lost sounded almost defensive.
    â€œA little. But the book mentions that it’s impossible to know what pagan beliefs really were because the early Christians did what they could to destroy any history of paganism.”
    Professor Lost’s magnificent eyes seemed to have grown larger. Michael wondered what it was about this topic that made her uncomfortable. It was well known that the Christian church did its best to convert all it contacted to Christianity. Had she run into trouble in the past by teaching pagan history? He doubted that. She didn’t look old enough to have been teaching long.
    â€œWhat’s your question?” Professor Lost asked.
    Apparently the girl heard annoyance in the professor’s tone and flushed. “Well, in, like, fiction books, they say the pagans practiced magic. Did they?”
    Professor Lost’s face shut down completely. All the personality left it. Michael leaned back wondering how she would handle this. Magic was his special area of historical expertise—and the subject of his next book. He knew the answer. He wondered if she did.
    â€œWe don’t discuss magic in this class,” she snapped. “Now, if there are no more questions, let’s return to our discussion of Alfred the Great. He was about twenty-three years old when he was crowned in 871…”
    Michael stood. He knew more about Alfred the Great than he wanted to. Even though medieval history hadn’t been Michael’s area before, he’d had to study it as his history of magic project grew.
    â€œâ€¦was an outstanding leader both in war and in peace, and is the only English king—”
    There was a small break in her voice. Michael looked over at her and found her staring directly at him. He felt her gaze as if it were a touch. Her eyes were wide, her mouth parted, and all he wanted to do was run down those stairs and kiss her. For a long, long time.
    He shook himself. That would have shocked the students. The new chairman of the history department going from class to class and kissing the professors. That would really shock old Professor Emeritus Rosenthal who was giving a lecture on British Naval History in the next room.
    The thought of kissing Professor Rosenthal broke the spell, at least for Michael. But Professor Lost was still staring at him as if he were the answer to all her prayers.
    She would soon discover that he wasn’t. He hadn’t been all that impressed with her famous lecturing skills.
    â€œI wouldn’t call Alfred the Great a king of England,” he said, his voice carrying in the cavernous room.
    She blinked as if catching herself, and then said into the microphone in a very cold voice, “And who might you be?”
    â€œI’m Michael Found.”
    â€œMichael Found ?”
    Several students tittered. She glared at them and they all leaned back. Michael felt like he wanted to as well.
    â€œI don’t appreciate jokes, Michael Found , and I know your name is not on my student roster, so if you would kindly—”
    â€œI’m the new chairman of the history department.”
    To his surprise, she blushed. She turned a lovely shade of rose that accented her dark hair and her spectacular eyes. “Oh, well, then, I guess you can interrupt at any time.”
    They stared at each other for a moment. The students seemed to be getting tennis neck turning their heads back and forth, trying to see what was going on.
    She cleared her throat. “What would you call Alfred the Great if not a king of England.”
    â€œEngland was divided into tribal areas at that period. Alfred was king of the West