Chapter 398 - 356: Can You Kiss Me?
Chapter 398: Chapter 356: Can You Kiss Me?
His warm palm caressed Gu Ning’s body, treating her like a priceless treasure he was desperate to touch, yet terrified of breaking.
Gu Ning had intended to stop Barto, but she lowered her hand after seeing his reaction.
Barto did his best to suppress the trembling in his palms and his ragged breathing, but his body grew uncontrollably hot. Within moments, he started to sweat.
Standing between Barto’s legs, Gu Ning felt the heat from his palm steadily increase as she glanced at the little fox’s expression.
’He’s still trying so hard to look composed.’
’Doesn’t he know the glowing markings on his body are giving away his every emotion?’
Gu Ning stared at Barto’s gently rising chest. The markings there brightened and dimmed with the ebb and flow of his emotions. When they brightened, she knew he was getting excited; when they dimmed, it meant he had regained his composure.
The darkness and the little fox’s reactions had eased Gu Ning’s initial nervousness. In its place, she felt an urge to tease him.
She placed her hand on Barto’s chest. The markings flashed brightly.
Barto froze. "What’s wrong?"
Gu Ning said, "You’re touching me, so I’ll touch you too."
Barto continued to feign composure. "Oh."
Gu Ning suppressed a smile as her hand traced a path down his chest. The markings didn’t grow any brighter, but his muscles tensed at her touch.
The trembling of the hand on her waist grew more pronounced.
Gu Ning let go, and the markings dimmed.
She arched an eyebrow and placed her hand on him again. The markings lit up.
She pulled her hand back. They dimmed.
She touched him again. They brightened.
After a few more rounds of this, Barto finally caught on to her little game. His face tightened as he looked at her. "Are you having fun?"
"It is fun," Gu Ning said.
As she spoke, she reached out with a grin to stroke the little fox’s face. The markings there slowly began to glow.
"So beautiful," Gu Ning said with fascination, gazing at his face.
Barto stared at her for a moment before suddenly pulling her into his arms.
The moment their skin met, only one thought flashed through Gu Ning’s mind: ’He’s burning up.’
Barto held her tightly, as if trying to merge her into his very being. His hot breath washed over her neck. "May I?"
"May I?" Barto asked again and again, his lips brushing her ear, seeking more assurance.
His lips would brush against her ear only to shy away again, yet he couldn’t resist the urge to move closer.
Gu Ning was about to say yes, but the words died on her lips. A new thought occurred to her. "And what if... I said no?"
She tilted her head to the side to see his face. The markings there hadn’t dimmed at her words.
"Then just let me hold you a little longer." Barto buried his face in her hair, greedily inhaling her scent. He murmured in a hoarse voice, "Just a little longer will be enough."
For countless days and nights, he had dreamed of holding her just like this. This was enough.
He didn’t need much. Just her permission to hold her, to touch her. Knowing he would always belong to her was better than anything else.
Feeling his heartbeat and his emotions, Gu Ning’s expression softened. She raised her arms to hug him back, stroking the back of his head as she whispered the words he would have given anything to hear:
"It’s okay, Barto. You can hold me for as long as you want."
A light slowly filled his eyes. He tightened his arms, his heart feeling as if it would burst from his chest.
In that moment, something filled his chest to the brim, threatening to overflow, desperately needing an outlet.
Gu Ning patted him. "Loos... loosen up a bit. You’re too tight." She could barely breathe.
Barto loosened his arms and whispered in her ear, "Will you kiss me?"
Before Gu Ning could answer, he added, "Like the way you kissed him..."
Gu Ning: "Him?"
Barto buried his face in the crook of her neck and took a deep breath. "You know who I’m talking about. Unless... you’ve kissed other males?"
Gu Ning could smell the jealousy.
She planted a kiss on the little fox’s cheek. "Close your eyes."
Barto immediately closed his eyes.
Gu Ning cupped the little fox’s face in her hands and let out a soft breath. She studied his features carefully, then her gaze flickered downward. She swallowed hard. "Barto, try not to get... too excited, okay?"
She was still a little scared, after all.
Barto and Alex were different, after all. One was a Mixed Breed who easily lost control of his emotions, while the other was a gentle, rational alpha wolf. Barto had even specifically told her that he’d never taken the adult beastman physiology class and didn’t understand the female anatomy. She was afraid that if he got too excited, he might just break her right then and there.
"I won’t," Barto said.
Gu Ning couldn’t tell if he meant he wouldn’t get carried away by his desires, or that he didn’t know how to do it at all.
Either way, she trusted him.
Still, now that they’d come this far, she had to soothe his nerves a little.
Seeing the little fox’s trembling eyelashes, Gu Ning gently kissed his lips.
His lips trembled slightly, and, following some primal instinct, parted—
Gu Ning was about to pull away, but Barto’s hand shot up to cup the back of her head.
The moment he deepened the kiss, Gu Ning’s eyes widened slightly.
Barto’s eyes were closed as he clumsily returned her kiss.
But it could hardly be called a kiss; Gu Ning felt as if he were devouring her. Except his "feasting" wasn’t rough—it was careful and gentle.
Before long, he seemed to get the hang of it. The kiss found a rhythm, and he took the lead from her.
As they kissed, he thought to himself, ’Looks like she’s not very experienced either...’
Gu Ning’s heart hammered in her chest. Gradually, she relaxed, sinking into the deep, tender kiss.
After what felt like an eternity, just as she was running out of air, Barto released her. He rested his chin on her shoulder. "What do you want me to do?"
Gu Ning leaned weakly against his chest, panting. "What?"
Barto said, "You’re in heat."
Gu Ning: "..."
Barto said, "I can do what he did. It’s just..."
He paused, then told her the truth: "I am unable to help you pass on your genes."
Gu Ning: "...I know."
"Doesn’t that bother you?" Barto asked.
Gu Ning shook her head.
’I don’t mind at all. In fact, it might even be a good thing.’
"Are you sure?" she asked him.
Barto hesitated for a moment. "I’m sure."
He gritted his teeth. "If you want fox cubs, once we’re settled, I’ll go and apply to adopt one for you. Two would be fine, too."
"Three at most. No more than that." When she didn’t reply, Barto added, "Fox cubs are a handful."
Hearing these somewhat familiar words, Gu Ning smiled. "We can talk about that later."
Barto was silent for a moment before lifting her into his arms.
Gu Ning clung nervously to his neck. "What are you doing?"
Barto set her down on the bathroom counter. He sniffed at her stomach a few times, then held her by the waist. "Tell me what to do."
Her face flushed as she looked at him. "I think..."
"I think you need me right now," Barto said. "Or would you rather call Alex over?"
Before Gu Ning could even speak, Barto said, "You can’t."
With that, he grasped her waist, bent down, and buried his face against her stomach.