He sighed and shut off the lights, opened the door.He sighed and shut off the lights, opened the door. In bed, Furry had moved closer to the wall, so that he would have to sleep on the other side of the bed from where he had started. He eased himself under the covers. Her breathing was slow and regular; he found it disturbing only in that he had never actually slept with anyone before. Usually, "to sleep with" was a polite term for having sex. In his wakeful state he reached out to touch her back and slowly stroked her fur gently. It was short, but very fine and soft, and the feeling under his fingertips was delightful. He pulled his hand back, upset with himself because he realized she hadn't given him permission touch her. "Why'd you stop?" she murmured softly. "You're awake?" he asked, panic seizing him by the throat. "I woke up when you got back into bed. Why'd you stop touching me? I liked it." "I didn't know if you..." "Well, now you do. Kolya? Are you tired?" She hadn't turned from her curled-up position facing away from him. "Uh-huh," he acknowledged. "Then cuddle up close to me and let's go back to sleep?" He wriggled closer to her, curling around her form. The fur along her back tickled his chest slightly, and as he draped his hand over her body he realized that his wrist and hand were nestled just between her breasts and against her throat. "Comfortable?" she asked. He swallowed and said, "Yeah." She raised her head slightly and said, "I've never done this either, Kolya. I just wanted to feel you next to me." Nickolai snuggled as close as he could; despite his earlier weariness, he didn't really feel tired now. As he lay next to her the warmth of her soft body lulled him, but not enough to lull him to sleep. More to curiosity. He flexed his left hand gently against her collarbone, feeling the hardness of it under her fur, her skin. |