Sunderance Chapter 16 - An Actor's Life For Me! (Part 1) (Patreon)

Why had they stopped themselves?

It was the first coherent thought she had on waking. A thought that took a full five minutes to form as she lay on her back covered in sheets that felt too hot, wearing clothes that felt too tight. Even her fur itched. Every breath was filled with the phantom scent of… Him. Her body tingled where the dream lover, whom she had absolutely no problem identifying, had touched her with those large ruddy paws. Her tongue slipped out over lips that could still fell the heat of his against them, deepening her regret in those first few moments of full wakefulness. Her dream had lacked taste. She didn’t know the flavor of his lips, her mind had nothing to compare, so that left her feeling as empty as the ache between her thighs. Thighs that rubbed together as she squirmed over the sheets uncomfortably, long front teeth chewing on her lower lip as the scent from her dream refused to fade.

“I admit,” came his voice, causing eyes that she had closed in her attempt to sort her thoughts with her lust to snap open as she sat bolt upright. Clutching the sheet to her chest, she saw him in the center of the room in a chair, eyes shimmering in the faint morning light seeping in through the closed blinds. “I am curious about that dream, Carrots.”

This explained the scent that wouldn’t fade, a knowledge that only made her nose twitch uncontrollably in a way she was sure was noticeable to the male watching her. The smell was clean, washed fur and male fox mingled with the faint scent of flowers.

No, she thought as she realized the scent wasn’t separate, wasn’t distinct from the musk that she recognized as Nick. That’s a part of it. Not on top, not added. Just… buried in faintly with the rest of him. Do all foxes smell like this?

It was a question she couldn’t ask him just then, for fear of making a fool of herself while more hormones than she knew existed battled against her common sense. Had he been there all night? Had he even slept?

“You know what I was dreaming about,” she said, her ears perked towards him and her face kept as calm as possible to hide the fact that the words surprised her even as they left her muzzle. “After nibbling on each other last night, I would have been surprised if we’d dreamed of anything else.”

“And how do you know I dreamed about you?” he asked, leaning forward to place the still full shot glass on the floor at his feet. The motion and the way his eyes lingered on hers as his own nostrils flared made her realize that he could smell her. Smell what the dream had stirred up, and what that look threatened to set on fire all over again.

“I can smell you just as clearly,” she bluffed, keeping her tone prim even as her heart fluttered in her chest. She was aware that he continued to watch her as she tossed aside the covers and dangled her legs over the edge of the bed facing him. Having slept only in a shirt and panties, she felt a little thrill when his gaze wandered to her hips and thighs. He didn’t look at her like any buck she had ever known. They had always tried to be polite, romantic, sweet, which often led them to sneak glances when they thought she wasn’t looking. This fox looked at her like he wanted to pin her back against the bed where she sat, did it openly without fear, yet made it clear that he would not simply take. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it. “Why did you stop us from going further?”

“Because neither of us is ready to go further,” he replied simply, green eyes raising to hers again.

“And how do you know I’m not ready?” she asked, frowning slightly at the question. She certainly felt ready, even though she knew he was right.

“Because you’re not crawling into my lap right now,” he said, a toothy grin crawling over his muzzle that had one of her own growing as her eyes lowered and her ears dropped back. Dropped back mostly so he wouldn’t see how pink the skin inside was when he continued, “I am pretty hot as foxes go.”

A scoff escaped her but only held for a second before she covered her mouth with the back of her paw as a laugh escaped her. Damn him, too, because he was right about that. When their eyes met again, they held for a long moment in silence as they considered each other. Then she hopped lightly from the bed, her ears dropping back as she slowly walked towards him without letting her gaze waver. His ears twitched, his nostrils flaring when she reached out to place one paw on his bare chest, feeling the steady, strong beat of his heart and the heat of his fur. Then she leaned close and placed a kiss to the side of his cheek.

“Thank you,” she murmured, nuzzling her nose into his fur to take in his scent as her fingers ran slowly through the fur of his chest. She smiled slightly when he turned his muzzle to her ear, expecting for him to return with something as simple as ‘You’re welcome.’ Of course, she should have learned by then not to expect anything when dealing with him, shivering when his breath caressing her inner ear very lightly as he growled.

“Go take a shower, Carrots,” is what he said, his tone warm but controlled as his paw covered hers on his chest. “Before the way you smell overcomes any common sense I have left.”

“Then we’ll go get some ice-cream?” she asked, her tone light but steady as she pulled away. She couldn’t resist the almost pained look on his face so she reached out with one paw to scratch lightly under his chin. A chin that lifted as a light murr escaped his muzzle as he turned to walk to the door.

“Yeah,” he said, following a long and breathy sigh that had her smiling over her shoulder as she stepped out of the room.