“When the game ended, Mike laid down his control paddle. "So you've met the Nordic goddess, right?"Aria glanced up at him warily. "Excuse me?"Mike rolled his eyes. "Duh. Klaudia, which I'm pretty sure is Scandinavian for sex vixen.”

“But then Klaudia's lips curled ino a conniving smile."Actually, Aria, I'm going to fuck your boyfriend. Tonight."Aria started at her. It felt like Klaudia had just punched her in the throat. "Excuse me?"Klaudia scooted closer to Aria. "I'm going to fuck your boyfried," she said again -in textbook-perfect English. "Tonight. And there's nothing you can do about it.”

“Why don't you like Noel Kahn?" Mike's voice made Aria jump. He stood a few feet away from Aria with a carton of orange juice in his hand."He's the man."Aria groaned. "If you like him so much why don't you go out with him?”

“Jill... had explained homosexuality, after Mike had read about it and failed to grok--and had given him rules for avoiding passes; she knew that Mike, pretty as he was, would attract such. He had followed her advice and had made his face more masculine, instead of the androgynous beauty he had had. But Jill was not sure that Mike would refuse a pass, say, from Duke--fortunately Mike's male water brothers were decidedly masculine, just as his others were very female women. Jill suspected that Mike would grok a 'wrongness' in the poor in-betweeners anyhow--they would never be offered water.”

“Holy fuck,” Sully muttered, his eyes on Mike. “Funeral hook up. Didn’t know you had that in you. Impressed.”

“Mike's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Don't kid yourself, Bella. The guy's head over heels for you.""I know," I sighed. "Life is complicated.""And girls are cruel," Mike said under his breath.”