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There she was, lying against the sturdy roots of a particularly imposing tree at the very edge of the pond, her hands laid neatly in her lap, her tail curled up around her thigh, one foot slowly swaying in the water. Her eyes found him the moment he appeared, and her usual playful grin appeared on her muzzle so fast it was as if she had rehearsed it.

'About time you showed up,' the foxgirl said. 'I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about this place.'

Sean merely grinned back at her. He thought something about her seemed a bit curious; she was as beautiful as ever, but her fur seemed silkier than normal, her posture more teasing than relaxed, and there was an undeniably coquettish look about her and her little smile that gave him momentary pause. She looked as if she were groomed, with even her usually unruly head-fur being flattened between her perky foxy ears. Thinking back, he couldn't remember Aki ever taking the time to groom herself for anything.

He looked her in the eyes again, standing there over her. There was definitely something different about her, in her eyes as she gazed at him from where she lay, her tail-tip flicking ever so slightly, her foot still swaying in the peaceful pond-water. He couldn't quite place it, but something about her appearance and pose - relaxed, yet almost deliberate - made him feel strangely awkward.

A long moment passed between them as they simply gazed into each other's eyes. Only the slightest rustling was heard from the treetops high above.

'I've been thinking,' Aki finally said, her voice soft. 'About what you told me about love. About how different it's supposed to be from mating instincts.'

She paused, perhaps to see if he would speak or react, but Sean couldn't think of anything to do other than stand there and listen to her in silence. Her words came slowly, pensively, and sounded as though she had spent some time trying to phrase them right in her head.

'You once said that you couldn't describe love, like you couldn't find the right words. That it was stronger than instinct, or just different, but more than friends.'

She turned her head ever so slightly more to face him.

'I won't deny that at first, I ... you were more interesting to me as a living legend than as a friend. You were everything I had ever hoped for come to life, come to me right from the stars. But ... we became friends, and I learned more about you as a person, your ... experiences, your past ... and the more I knew about you, the more I wanted to know. And the more I wanted to know, the more I wanted to be with you.'

She stopped again, though seemingly out of self-consciousness this time; her cheeks; already faintly pink beneath her fur, suddenly grew brighter. But before Sean could come up with something to say, she took a breath continued.

'For a while, I've felt differently about you, Sean. I couldn't really explain it; we were still friends and everything, but somehow ... it felt ... like something deeper than that. I love Nessi with all my heart, but even that's just not like how I feel about you. And I don't just mean because of my heat,' she added with a teasing smirk.

She sighed, and for the first time, she looked away, now staring past him at some random shrubs.

'You said I'd know if I ever fell in love. But I didn't think anthros could ... feel that way. I've never heard of it happening to anyone else before. But ...'

Her eyes flickered his way; she looked almost bashful, and her face only grew redder as she continued.

'I want you more than just a friend. And ... I want you more than just a mate. I think I know how it feels now, because I love you.'

The breeze seemed to grow unusually loud in the leaves and gently rocking treetops. Sean's mind had gone blank again, leaving him unable to move or talk or do anything more than stare at the young vixen, who, for her part, seemed unable to look at him.

As if on autopilot, Sean suddenly felt himself move forwards, slowly, almost meticulously in his steps, until he was at Aki's side by the water's edge. She still didn't look at him, though her eyes were now wandering around the vegetation around them and her ears were flicking, perhaps uncontrollably, in his direction; her face seemed almost permanently red now.

Without a word, Sean slowly sank to his knees, then stretched his legs until he lay alongside Aki, staring intently at her, as if trying to attract her gaze through his own. It seemed to work; after a moment, she finally turned her head around, her magnificent eyes meeting his once again. He noted they seemed quite dry, yet they still sparkled like cerulean pools sprinkled with fairy dust.

He didn't need to say anything. Frankly, he didn't want to. Instead, he just leaned in, slowly but in no way tentatively, sliding a hand up to her softly furred cheek, and his eyes closed almost by themselves as his lips once again found hers.

He barely felt the slight shifting of her legs against his, nor the suddenly explosive twitching of her tail, nor the soft, slender hand that found his own cheek as he shared his heart and soul through their kiss. He was, however, strangely aware of her breath against his lip, warm and sweet. It only made him want to hold onto the moment for longer.

But then, they were pulling apart, his eyes opening to see their reflection in hers, their hands still at each other's cheek and showing no immediate interest in sliding away. He stroked his companion, his partner, his lover's downy-soft face with his fingers. Her smile grew; her eyes twinkled more brightly.

'There's something else I want, Sean.' Her voice was now very quiet, though he could understand her perfectly. 'Something I've wanted for a while, though I never felt ... like the time was right, or that you'd be okay with it. With your prudish human ways,' she added as though feeling compelled to, though she barely grinned.

As Sean watched, she slid her hand away from his cheek, her fingers trailing delicately against his skin until they parted. She carefully reached around behind her, and a moment later, she pulled her arm out, holding onto the end of her breastcloth, which gracefully unraveled from around her until she dropped it aside, leaving her torso completely bare to him.

She watched him in silence, her cheeks as rosy as ever, as he took in his fill of her body's curves and fur coloration. This was nothing like those times he had seen her exposed, only to avert his eyes. He could barely even compare it to when he had been staring at her as she bathed, which he realized with a distant pang had occurred only two days previously. So much had happened in so little time ...

He dragged his stare back up her chest and neck until he was looking her in the eye again. She hadn't broken eye contact with him the whole time, maybe wanting to see if and how he would react to the gesture. Her air was earnest, yet tender, her eyes swimming with evident hope and more than a little desire. Beyond anything she had said, the reason for her uncharacteristically groomed appearance suddenly seemed quite clear.

Sean blinked and swallowed hard, returning his gaze to her probing eyes. 'I've ... I never ...'

Aki's smile grew wryly. 'Yeah, I guessed.'

Sean gave a small grin back, though he suddenly felt quite nervous. But he only felt drawn to her all the more.

A little breeze swept through, bringing about more rustling and ruffling Sean's hair and Aki's uncovered fur. Her gaze remained steady, alight with an inner flame. Her voice was quiet, but resolute.

'Touch me, Sean.'

Sean's hand shifted up against her, stroking along her side, then his palm was over the silky-furred contours of her chest. He barely felt her tail begin to wag against his side as he pressed his lips to hers again.

[NOTE: Here is where the optional naughty scene will begin for readers who request the "Special Edition" version of the book, once it's done. Said scene will be entirely absent in the default version of the book.]

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Obligatory stats (whole book): Current word count (final estimate): 188,505 (~ 200,000) | +9,914 since last update Current page count (final estimate): 513 (~ 530) | +24 since last update