He was answering something Summit must have said. Talking about exposure to different things—other ways for her to remember her past without them hunting with dead noses.
Summit did not seem in the least concerned about finding her clan. In fact, she didn’t seem to be listening.
Komu didn’t either. His face stretched with a smile just for seeing her—in the same way he couldn’t not wag his brush and pant when he caught her scent in fur.
Komu crouched to his hands and knees before he reached her and the puppies, causing a shift as they swarmed at him instead.
Summit tipped back her head to see him upside down and took his breath. That grin of hers, directed straight into his eyes, left him weak-kneed.
“Komu—” She stopped with another giggle as a puppy licked and snuffled her ear. Others bounced at Komu’s face. “You’re finished with your meeting?”
“Not mine. They don’t care if I’m there.” He regretted saying it even as the words left him. It was true. His opinions, his desires, made no difference to anyone. He doubted it had even registered with Mej yet that he was gone. All the same, he didn’t have to go saying a thing like that to a vixen—admitting what a nothing he was in his own clan.
To cover, Komu lay on his chest, arms folded under him, facing her so they were head to head. The delighted pups swarmed over his face, licking, pawing, biting nose and ears with needle teeth, climbing on his shoulders.
He shut his eyes to savor the feel: warm, fuzzy bodies like happy rabbits. Plus that special smell of young things shaped more by their own newness and their mother’s shelter than the outside world. They didn’t smell much of fish or wood smoke or other dogs. They smelled undecided, like an early breeze off the river.
They licked over his eyelids, climbed his neck, pawed his cheekbones with pointy claws and soft, dusty pads, and tumbled from his shoulders. All the time they made little sounds—whines and yips and grumbles to one another as they crowded and climbed each other.
She was laughing again. Komu’s heart beat faster, not even sure why. He tried to look up but a round paw pushed against his mouth and he had to turn his face away, then use a hand to part the puppy flood before he could see her.
Summit wasn’t watching him upside down anymore. She had also rolled to her elbows so she faced him properly. All the puppies had left her with the thrill of this new living object at their own level and she seemed to be laughing at them. Or at him? In a good way, wasn’t it? Her eyes twinkled. Her lips teased and drew his attention as tiny dogs still scrambled at his face.
He simply stared at her. He should have said something. Something witty, brave, bold, astute, complex, charming, and wise. Just witty and charming would do for starters. Something about her.
Instead, he stared. There didn’t seem to be any words anymore. Like in fur, when he didn’t need words. When he could flash his brush, croon a love note, and he need never come up with some ridiculous declaration. Yet he wasn’t in fur. He was lying on his chest in the rough, rocky earth with seven puppies clambering all over him and dust in his mouth and the words gone, his brain dead, his shock at her—as if he’d never heard or smelled or seen her before—so complete, he had nothing.
Mej would have said something. Witty and charming and bold, Mej would have been a part of this moment with her, not an outsider gawking at the mouth of a den.
So Komu did still need supervision of a mentor? Why had he come over here and lain down on the dirt like a nit? Why hadn’t he paused to think? Why had it seemed acceptable to be here alone? Worse than alone. Demik must have looked up from his work at Komu’s arrival, though Komu could not see him. He could see only her face and think only of how asinine he was and how very, very deeply he wished she would never notice this about him.
He swallowed. Sweat on his palms, and the rest of him, that shouldn’t be there. It may be July but it was also the Yukon. It wasn’t so terribly hot. Which hardly explained how there were beads of sweat, and perhaps blood, surely forming on his brow as he looked at her.
“What are their names?” Summit asked.
“Whose?” Komu’s voice was a gasp when he managed to find it.
“The puppies.” Hers was smooth and light and musical as a well-tuned piano. Which made him think of dancing with her again. Nonsense—he couldn’t even speak to her. No, that was nonsense. He’d been speaking to her perfectly clearly for the past several days.
With Mej, a little voice hissed in his ear. You’ve talked to her with Mej at your side. Like the kit you are who can’t be off on his own, can’t handle a moment with a vixen without falling apart…
Komu swallowed again. “They’re not named. Soon, each will have their own fox guide who will teach them a name and begin the lessons for packing and harness. Then they’re named and taught to respond.”
“Will you get one?”
Komu shook his head. He longed to brush his hand across his mouth and brow but worried for leaving tracks of dust-mud behind on his now damp skin. “I don’t think so. Mej doesn’t train dogs.” He winced. What Mej did or did not do shouldn’t have to be Komu’s life anymore.
“I never have,” Komu rushed on, breathless. “It’s not my specialty. I work in Dawson too much—earn a lot of dust there.” He gulped, thrilled by his own willpower not to allow himself to have said “we.”
Summit nodded eagerly, as if he’d said something clever after all. “You’ll go tonight, won’t you? Go to see Frank?”
“Oh…” The chemist’s shop. Those bonbons had lasted only a couple of days on their trip. “Of course. You can come with me.” The thrill of another “me” and her smile, and the way she made him feel that he was doing a good job with his words, gave him voice. It drove him recklessly on, despite Demik being right there and their positions being awkward for a conversation.
“I’ll get you supper there. Their food … it’s … interesting. Hot cakes, sweet cream butter, smoked bacon, apple pie… And cheese—you said you’d never heard of cheese? You must try it.”
Her eyes were wide—even more dazzling. “Can we go now?”
“Oh…” he said again, working his jaw, blinking in puppy dust. “I’d … like that. But … suppertime is when we go in for work. That’s when the miners come in. And … and…” He couldn’t think what was a grand enough gesture to offer, how to say, “And I will be your mate and hero and father of your kits and look after you all your life and give you anything you want forever and ever.” So he swallowed once more and finished, “And I’ll get you the rest of the strawberry bonbons. We can clear Frank out.”
She actually gasped. Her eyes were like plates. “All of them? The whole jar?”
“We’ll take them in a bag, but yes—”
While he was speaking, Summit pushed up on her hands, leaned in across the puppies and ground separating him, and kissed his dusty lips.
Then she was laughing, kissing puppies, sitting up to tell Demik of their plans as if he wasn’t right there staring at Komu with murder in his black eyes. Komu could hardly hear her. Hardly see Demik.
He also pushed up on his knees, panting slightly, even hotter. “For now … have you had lunch? It’s a long wait. And … everyone else is busy…” Meaning Mej was trapped in the meeting and Demik was supposed to be working, not standing about with nothing better to do than fixate on Komu and Summit.
“I haven’t,” Summit said. “Can we bring fish back for Demik? And for the puppies?”
“Of course.” He’d have given Demik anything if she asked him to. “Want to take the nets down to the river? Or have some smoked?”
“Fresh!” She scrambled to her feet, apparently ready to go.
Komu followed, trying not to stagger as he let her lead the way, hoping he did not look as intoxicated as he felt.
Of course, this still didn’t mean she liked him more than Demik or Mej. All the same, equally well would be just fine.
Chapter 16
So it was true? Summit did want to be
with him, liked him for him—no Mej or Demik attached? She must. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here on the bridge casting the net with him. She wouldn’t be laughing as she struggled to untangle and figure out her side, having no idea what to actually do with the net or what part to hold. Unless she was just being kind?
Komu rushed to show her how, to fix the net himself, all while sweating, frustrated that this was the best he could do. Save her from a knotted fishing net? Why couldn’t he save her from a grizzly? Catch her a swan for supper? Take a bullet for her? Offer his own fur for her warmth? And still have time to prove himself by the construction of a den for her and their kits before the midnight sun faded.
“You can lift this side and the tangle will fall out…” Komu touched her hands as he moved in to help, standing nearly with his feet on hers, breaths so short he felt shivery.
Her skin was warm and smooth as her laugh was light and musical. Touching her sent buzzing ripples shooting through his skin, into his bloodstream, and straight to his groin.
Yet she laughed, smiled, and was close with everyone like that. It wasn’t special for him. She was as giving as the sun, as bubbly as the river. He couldn’t let something like this go to his head if it didn’t mean anything. She would have treated Mej or Demik the same way.
Her hair smelled like earth, hot pitch, puppies, and her own feminine, fresh, alluring vixen self. It was so long she could have wrapped it around them both. Komu tugged out the net tangle with her and somehow found his nose in her waterfall hair, letting her have the net to touch her instead. She’d saved his life a few days ago at the waterfall. He and Mej would have been crushed, dead in an instant, if she had not spotted the falling tree trunk and warned them in time. Why hadn’t he been the one to do something like that for her?
Summit was marveling at his work, telling him he had quick fingers, happy with her net and looking over the side of the bridge. “Where do you hold on?”
Komu could hardly hear her with her scent filling his nose—smile filling his eyes, blood filling his penis.
“Summit?” The river rushed below them on the bridge. Komu had to gulp, speak again louder, close in her ear. “Summit? What can I…? I’ll do anything for you…”
Beaming, her beautiful brown eyes sparkling in the sunlight, Summit held up the net. “Show me how to fish. I should remember… Right?”
“Of course you’ll remember. All foxes in this region fish. I meant … what…?” He could hardly get his breaths, nose in her hair, lips brushing her ear, unable to see her eyes or anything anymore. He touched her arm, her waist, gentle, almost afraid. He’d been bitten by vixens before—plenty of times. It was being accepted that was a new and frightening experience. She couldn’t really mean it—liking him? In skin?
Better to push and ask, and her have the chance to tell him how wrong he was. That was all they needed. Clarity on the situation. He would touch her, offer, she would snap. No, Summit wouldn’t snap. Maybe laugh and pull away, then they would fish and it would come to the same thing. She was much too kind to snap in skin. Even in fur she’d never really hurt him when she’d bitten him, screaming in his face for his daring to mount her without invitation.
Yet he wished she would snap—make it definitive, no more guessing, no more uncertainty.
“Summit,” Komu started again, while she turned in his arms, not pulling away, but trying to see his face, questioning. “Summit…” he gulped. “What do you want? In all of our Earth Mother? In all your life? If you could just say and it would happen … what do you want?”
“Komu? You’re not breathing…?” Her smile faltered, concerned, staying against him while he ran his hand up her arm and the other around to the small of her back. She still held the net against both their chests.
“No, yes—yes, I’m fine. I’m … with you … perfect, Summit.” He gasped, swallowed again. “Won’t you tell me? What do you want?”
“I want to dance.” Her smile returned.
“Dance…” His brain was numb, balls on fire. The combination made it so difficult to think, he simply stood there.
“Dance in the big room with the music.” She watched him hopefully, very close. “Mej didn’t like it. Or didn’t want me to stay. Or didn’t like the white man who wanted to give me money.”
“In the dance hall? You want to dance in Dawson City tonight?” Komu felt even more lightheaded. Of all the things, all the dreams…
“If I could dance again … that’s what I would love to have. Would you dance?”
Earth Mother, he was going to pass out. Dance. She might as well have said, “I want you to rip my dress off and drop your pants.” Would he?
Her smile faltered once more as she seemed to be worried about him, sweating and suffocating against her. “Komu…? If we can’t, I understand…”
“Yes,” he croaked, pulling her to him, his tongue somehow touching her lips as he struggled to get it to make words. Close as he pressed in, she probably could not feel his arousal through that damned net. “Yes, Summit—” Lips to hers. “I would love that more than anything—dancing with you. Tonight. I’ll take you.”
“You will?” Delighted, trying to pull back, find his eyes as she beamed at him with that sunburst smile.
Komu kissed her properly this time, leaning in, holding her tight to him, pressing her back into the stick handrail of the bridge.
“I would give anything to dance with you—”
Making her laugh as he broke the kiss for the words. “When can we go?”
“They’ll be there playing at night.” Another kiss. Her mouth was hot and soft, her body lithe and boney. Sensations from his lips and tongue, tasting, joining with her, also somehow traveled through his whole body and between his legs. “What else can I do for you?”
“Fish.”
“Yes…” He held her face in both hands, kissing her jaw, her throat, nibbling and licking, finding her mouth again, open for his tongue. If she would touch him, one hand into his trouser buttons, it would be enough—all he needed for bliss with her. His balls felt tight, his penis straining for freedom, and he was desperate for her to know it.
Summit was still giggling over the prospect of a dance, releasing the net with one hand to touch his face in return.
Earth Mother, she had to like him. He was someone she would invite to dance. How could the whole ramble of his life have been turned into a new focus and meaning overnight? How could he be so blessed as to find her?
He leaned her into the railing, forgetting the net, touching her everywhere through her dress. Still, she did not bite. She seemed to be happy with him, enjoying his fondling. Might she touch him?
“Summit…” he cut off, mouth to hers again, tugging open his trouser buttons with one hand.
Now she could feel him, net pushed aside, Komu drawing her attention with his own motions while he freed himself. Aroused, or only amused and curious, he wasn’t sure, but she reached to his groin with no prompting from him. Could he get her skirt up? Would she allow it? And whatever other layers might be in the way?
He bunched the material into one fist, frantic as the pressure had grown to unbearable, scrambling, when her warm hand found him to wrap around his newly exposed shaft.
Komu felt the rush on that moment of contact. He grabbed her, forgetting the skirt, and thrust into her hand and dress, slamming her back into the rail, stunned and euphoric with her charming willingness to participate—even interest—as much as lost in his own physical response to her skin on his. In a blink, his building hope that he could penetrate her turned into a new fantasy of the same. He thrust against her hand and clothing, crying out with a gasp and almost yelp as her touch brought him to bliss. She had to know how much he wanted her now: how complete this was to him, how he could give to her on command.
He pushed, his mouth over hers again, penetrating at least with his tongue while he could only imagine the wet, tight heat of being inside her. Now he was sure that had been no fluke in fur on the
trail, no blind acceptance of him on the riverbank because he was with Mej. She did want him: dance, touch, sharing himself with her. If he’d only been able to make himself last…
These dreams carried him for a long, powerful pleasure while he pushed her back. Until the railing snapped. Summit vanished below him, plunging backward, and Komu followed to smash into the freezing river on top of her.
Chapter 17
Komu seized Summit’s arm, ready to tug them both to shore. Instead, the impact into frigid water and rocks knocked free his grip and crushed his lungs. Summit was twisted away by the thundering current. Komu grabbed for her, then all was a blur of white water and gray stone.
He had to get Summit—help her. She wouldn’t be able to fight this current and it was his fault she’d fallen. But she was gone. Komu struck out, trying to kick off and reach with both hands. Instead, he was spinning, legs, arms, and head bashing into the rocks, losing all sense of place, unable to draw breath even when his face broke the surface as the shock of the cold river crushed him.
“Summit!” he tried to shout—as if that would help. The word was choked off on water surging down his throat.
Had she caught up on the rocks? Had she been washed away downriver? How could she be gone from him in a flash?
He had to get himself to shore. It was the only way he would be able to see clearly and find her.
Terrified, trying to call for her even though he couldn’t breathe, much less shout, Komu went with the river, finding sky and ground as he plunged along with the current and finally managed to strike out toward shore. Still, it was a struggle—knocked back again and again, numb fingers slipping on rocks, hardly able to see, while what he did see were mostly white and yellow stars bursting in his eyes from lack of air.
Fox's Quest: A Foxy Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (Foxes of the Midnight Sun Book 2) Page 8