Fourth of July Sweethearts

Kissing her lips briefly, Hans gasped, his breath ruffling the fur on Beth's muzzle.

"I promise I will always give you everything I have, Bethany."

The wolfesss didn't hear him. Her body tensed and her eyes shot wide, a howl on her lips as orgasm snatched her up from her lover's arms. For a moment, she seemed not to be present in that little copse of trees, hidden but not hidden from the outside world. As her head spun in climax, she was barely aware of her lover bearing her down to the soft, moss-laden floor, his lips on her throat as he crammed every inch of his cock that he could into her. She cried out, begging without words for more - always more. For what wolfess would not adore such treatment from her sweetheart as and when she pleased? Anyone would have said that Beth had him well trained.

But she had to come down from her electrifying higher sooner or later and the wolf raked her short claws down Hans' arm, drawing his attention as he shuddered all too close to climax: she knew the signs.

"Pull out before you knot me," she gasped out, words rolling from her tongue all in a rush. "I want to taste you!"

The words came out in a rush, unusually frenzied for her, but Hans still had a good few hard thrusts left in him before it grew too much for him - and he was going to use each and every one of those thrusts like they were his very last. Sweat darkened patches under the arms of his shirt, fancy jacket hiding the effect if not the slight, acrid stench. The scent of sex mingled with luscious grass and rich soil, Beth's nose twitching as he fucked her through her orgasmic high and back down to murmuring for more, arms flung out above her head.

Only when he could not hold back for a moment longer did he whimper and scramble back onto his knees, suddenly giving her his best impression of a deer in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. But Beth knew what to do - knew what she wanted to do.

Following him up, she dropped as low as she could, arm around his waist so that she could drag him in close to her waiting muzzle, lips parted in eager anticipation of the treat that was to come. She wrapped her paw around the base of his shaft and squeezed his full, pulsing knot - it was lucky he hadn't knotted her while it was still growing and soft - as the bat gasped loudly. He bucked his hips, putty in her paws, and whimpered as if it was his first time all over again as she slid her lips down over the head of his shaft.

Her own juices and salty, slick pre-cum spilled onto her tongue and she groaned as she slid her tongue down and around the length, cleaning up their mess as she prepared to make a bigger one. Taking him deep into her muzzle, the tip of his cock just tickled the back of her throat with the knot outside her lips, just enough for her to feel the size of him stretching her lips into a lewd, tight 'O'. The wolfess growled around his cock, letting the vibrations do their trick as she bobbed her head quickly, enjoying the feel of him sliding over her tongue. She'd never get bored of taking him in her muzzle.

The bat's fingers twitched, jumping from her head to her muzzle as her hair hung down, half-hiding the display from his yearning eyes.

"Ahhh... Beth!"

Hans groaned, words failing him when she knew he wanted to say more - much more. She would have laughed to hear him so ineloquent, if she was not more concerned with driving him to the peak of climax again and right over the edge.

And she got her wish in timely fashion. Suddenly the bat had his fingers wound into her hair and she dove down on his cock, squeezing the hard knot in her paw, as he spurted into the back of her throat. She swallowed quickly, trying not to let herself gag, but still her chest heaved, eyes wide as she could not quite keep up with the driving need of the initial spurts of virile cum, a white trickle oozing from the corner of her lips. Keeping her lips pressed as tightly around his length as she possibly could, the wolfess pumped and squeezed what she could not fit inside her muzzle, due to the knot, as her lover yelped and groaned out his pleasure.

When he finally relaxed, cock softening between her lips, the bat murmured sweet nothings to her, running his fingers through her hair over and over again. Beth allowed his cock to slip from her muzzle, lips gleaming with the hint of his pre-cum. The wolf let him enjoy the effect for a moment, snaking out her long, pink tongue to clean her own muzzle, leaving damp marks on her grey fur in its wake. Her eyes gleamed and she winked slyly as he groaned, biting his lower lip as his fingers twitched towards her.

Leaning in, she kissed him softly, letting him taste the cocktail of their coupling on her lips - just the faintest of samplings - and pulled back, tail wagging gently.

"Come on now, dearest," she said, affecting his newest term for her. "We have a ball to prepare for." She winked. "And we have delayed for far too long already. However will we explain our late arrival at this rate?"

She stood, letting her dress fall down to cover her modestly once more, although there was nothing that could be done about the aroma of sex and lust that hung around them. Brushing crumbs of soil from the back of her dress, she did a little twirl on the spot to ensure that she was as clean as she could be, offering Hans the same courtesy. She wouldn't have wanted her parents working out what they'd been up to, after all!

The bat smiled awkwardly, arm around her waist as they headed back to the house at a considerably slower pace, the conflict and doubt inside Beth at peace, at least for a time. Her tail wagged slowly as they walked, flipping into the back of the bat's legs with every second swing. Her jaw hung slightly loose in a relaxed smile as she rolled her shoulders, enjoying the feel of sunshine on her fur. The interlude with her lover had been exactly what she needed.

Still, she couldn't keep down a flicker of mischief, leaning in to whisper in his ear just as they came within earshot of some of the employed servants of the house, busy preparing for the ball that was swiftly approaching as afternoon lingered into twilight.

"I know we have the ball to attend and ensure we put in an appearance..." She paused, letting her words sink in. "But I expect more of what we just did later." She grinned. "Much more."

The bat started, eyes wide, and she giggled, paw coyly held over her lips.

"Are you up for the challenge, my darling?"

*

The ball was practically pre-destined to be a success, just like everything else Bethany's family did and they were not about to let their reputation flounder when it came to the crux of it. No expense was spared for the ball and the guests arrived on time, murmuring their appreciation of the fairy lights lining the trees, nature brought to a night time glow as the guests moved indoors. The ballroom was set up for dancing and delights, a banquet table lining one side of the room while servants mingled with the crowd, offering divine tasters for those who did not wish to perch and satiate their taste buds. No: for some, there was oh so much more to do than sit and eat!

Only many other things than the ball itself were on Beth's mind. As she shook paws and exchanged pleasantries with members of the upper social class that she had not seen in years, if at all ever, she kept a fixed, plastic smile on her lips at all times. The first time someone whispered about her soon to come marriage, she balked and recovered slowly, but after several in a row had made comments around making her into a nice young lady at last, she barely flicked her ears.

Oh, yes, she laughed, covering her fake smile with a paw that only very slightly trembled. Wouldn't that be something, but, oh no, she was so very much enjoying her studies and it would be a shame to stop when she had so far to go. They chuckled politely enough with her, though the amusement did not sweep the distaste from their eyes; Beth did not fail to notice their disapproval and bristled. Hans squeezed her paw, directing her away from the crowd when he could, but everyone and anyone suddenly seemed intent on having their say. Beth ground her teeth and smiled.

Everyone seemed to have a better idea on how she should spend her life.

Beth scowled at the back of a back of a retreating wolf - she'd been told they were distantly related - and his simpering wife, hanging on his arm like an accessory around a fur's neck.

"What is their problem?" She growled through gritted teeth, eyes like chips of ice in her fine, grey muzzle. "I don't understand why they simply cannot leave me well enough alone!"

Hans stroked the back of her paw soothingly, eyes narrowed in concern as he wound his arm around the narrowest point of her waist. Shaking him off, Beth stepped away, jaw clenched and a muscle jumping in the corner of her lips.

"Not now!" She snapped, voice lowered even though her ears fell back. "You know everyone's looking! Expecting things."

Her expression darkened.

"They're probably expecting us to make an announcement tonight. I have not been to one of my family's celebrations in many months."

Hans sighed and stepped in to her, his winged arms enveloping her in an embrace that even her frazzled mind and jumping pulse could not thrust away. With a soft little whimper, she leaned into him, turning from the bustle of the party that she'd been looking forward to for so long.

"Come with me," he breathed. "I think we need to take your mind off this, do we not, Bethany?"

Blinking, she shook her head and glanced back over her shoulder. Her parents stood with an elderly fox, glasses cupped carefully in restrained paws as they laughed open-mouthed at a joke he had supposedly told.

"I can't go. They'll all wonder where I am."

"Who cares?"

And then Hans has her paw in his, tugging her away from the party as easily as one of his siblings would tow around a rag doll, all dolled up for the day of play. Beth could have so easily resisted him, but the lure of getting away - anywhere else - from the party was too great and she let him direct her, ears pricked. She swore she heard someone calling after her, but laughed regardless, trotting after her lover like a love struck pup.

Sensing the change in her mood, Hans urged her on, a smile stretching his lips, and they dashed through the party as if they were being chased, his jacket flapping around his waist and her dress fluttering in the breeze they created. The fine silk whipped back and forth, but neither of them found it in themselves to care as they burst into the open and her heels sank lightly into the dirt. Night curled around them like a lover's embrace and Beth cried out softly in sheer joy at feeling the cool kiss of fresh air on her fur.

She shook her head. Why had she even wanted to go to that stuffy old party anyway? There was hardly anyone there their own age and times were much better with her lover anyway, her sweet Hans. She blushed, tucking a flyaway strand of hair back behind her ear. He made everything better, just by being.

Only when they reached the stone veranda - an outdoor balcony that stretched the full length of the house - did Hans slow his reckless pace and steady Beth along with him. The verandah had been designed in the early years. Rarely used, it had initially been intended to be a place for guests at the estate to take in the view and stretch their legs, although its use was dictated by the weather. Beth had found it a place to relax without the pressures of family, burying her muzzle in whatever non-fiction book had taken her fancy at the time without the inconvenience of interruption. It had been her special place and still was. Yet she'd never - not once - told Hans that.

Stumbling to a halt, she stared wide-eyed at the secret solitude that she now found herself in with her bat.

"How did you know?" She whispered, staring out to where the wind rustled over the silvery grass in the light of the moon. "You couldn't have - there's no way."

Hans smiled and lifted her paw to his lips, kissing the back.

"I knew you needed to be away. That is all I had to know."

Beth sighed softly and leaned into him, letting the cool air smooth the heat from her muzzle, make-up suddenly thick and cloying despite its light and tasteful application. She pushed down the urge to rub her muzzle vigorously to clean herself of it, knowing that it would only smudge into an almighty mess, the fur accents leaving lines through her fur that would be most unbecoming. In the distance, out near the copse of trees where they had taken leave of reality only earlier that day, the lake glimmered, surface dancing with a wind that played with the water like a favourite cousin.

But there were questions left unanswered.

"Why did you bring me out here?" She said at last, tipping forward as she took deep breaths, head spinning lightly from their headlong rush; it was not often that she broke from a walk. "I know the party was busy, but I was all fine, I promise. I really am."

Her words fell on deaf ears and Hans shook his head, winding his fingers through hers. He left space between them, however, so, if she'd wanted to, she could have pulled away at any time. Yet she did not.

"The party was not for you," he said quietly, ears twitching as if to catch sounds that even her sensitive ears could not hear. "It was for everyone else to enjoy. You do not have to be there if you do not want to be."

Beth snorted.

"Of course I do - everyone expects me to."

Hans stroked his chin thoughtfully, still close.

"I cannot recall a time when you did just what everyone expected you to."

Beth opened and closed her mouth, turning away with her lips pressed tightly together. Hans stepped back, ears twitching, and she shook her head, dragging her paw from his and folding her arms primly.

"Perhaps you do not quite, as yet, know everything about me, Hans."

The bat recoiled ever so slightly, trying and failing to hide the hurt that flashed visibly across his face. He shuffled the wings, folded down from his arms, uncomfortably, mimicking Beth's pose and unfolding them again as if he did not quite know what to do with himself. Beth sighed.

"It's not that... No," she relented, rubbing her forearm. "Perhaps the only expectations I'm taking heed of are not coming from those around me."

Hans blinked and tilted his head to the side.

"What do you mean, Bethany? Who else do you think is holding you to high expectations?"

Beth took a deep breath, flicking her gaze up to the moon shining high above before gathering her nerve to reply.

"I expect more from myself."

"Bethany..." Hans softened and took her paws, insisting on folding them warmly in his own. "You should not expect so much from yourself." His brow furrowed. "Although I cannot fathom what on earth more you could possibly expect from yourself when you've already achieved so much."

Beth smiled minutely and leaned into him, relaxing into the beat of his heart as she laid her head on his chest. The contact did not entirely soothe her frazzled nerves, but it did something to slow her whirling thoughts, bringing some sense back to the forefront of her mind.

"I hold myself to the highest expectations in how I treat my life and how I treat others," she said softly. "I must. For what else am I if I cannot be the ideal image of myself?"

"Bethany, my dearest... You are already your ideal self. And no one else - not even yourself - will ever, ever be able to take that away from you."

Bethany blinked and rubbed the back of her paw carefully across her eyes, conscious of smudging her make-up even as she hid the moisture pricking at the corners of her eyes. The world around her swam, blurred by emotion, and she muttered under her breath as she swept the tears away. Curses! She would have sworn at herself if she had not held herself to a higher standard, a more personal way of being. Words would not quiet the flood of emotion rushing forth from her heart while the stars twinkled absently above.

Looking up at him, she licked his chin, ears folded back in a sudden show of shyness. But how could she be so shy when she had known her sweetheart for so long? She supposed there was always a new side to a lover or even a friend to be uncovered - something that was a most pleasant surprise on that very night.

"Thank you, Hans. I truly think I needed to hear that."

The bat smiled at her like she was the only other fur in the whole wide world.

"That is why I am here, Beth - for you."

He kissed her softly on the lips, an unusually chaste kiss for the two of them. But when he pulled away, Beth leaned into him, eyes earnest and wanting. The bat smiled and winked, struggling to twitch his eyelid into the motion. Beth would have giggled, if he was not already parting his lips to speak.

"Come with me."

Without waiting for her reply, the bat took her paw and led her away, a definite purpose in his stride. He knew where he was going even if she did not as yet. It quickly became evident, however, as he trotted down the steps from the veranda to the pool tucked away at the back of the estate, which they had walked by on their way out around the grounds that very afternoon. The moonlight glinted enticingly off the water, the little hut at the far end, barely visible in the darkness, yet she knew where everything was like the back of her paw.

Beth blinked at the shimmering lights of the pool, illuminated from the interior with a thin strip of what she supposed were very expensive underwater lights. Yet another unnecessary, if admittedly beautiful, expense that she could appreciate when it was not coming from her own pocket. Beth fingered her gown, admiring its silken fall. Coin was better put to use in what she could show off and take with her, wear and embody as a physical reminder of what exactly money could do for a fur.

The subtle reminders in her studies were for her and her only.

"Why here?" She asked, rubbing her thumb absently across the back of his paw. "I like the pool, but it's too cold to enjoy now."

Hans ducked his muzzle shyly.

"I had some idea on how I may warm you up."

Beth's cheeks flushed, a grin suddenly stretching her lips wide.

"Oh, when you put it like that..." She flipped her hair back over her shoulder, letting the shiny waves fall down her back. "How could I ever refuse?"

Once, the bat would have been hesitant and stepped away, tried to get her back to the bedroom, but not anymore. When Beth stepped into her lover's arms, she was right there to embrace him, lips crushed to his in a passionate kiss. His paw was already up under her dress as she moaned into the kiss, uncaring of the fact that anyone could have walked in on them at any time. Her head spun. Hans was right. Since when had she cared what others thought? And why should she care so much about things that weren't even real?

And then Hans was bearing her back and back and back until her calves bumped into something firm. She slid down and landed on what was quickly revealed to be one of the sun loungers, legs spread and wrapping around the bat's waist as he kept his lips on hers.

"Hans?"

She started to speak, but could not form the words as his paw stroked her inner thigh. The bat's fingers crept higher, brushing the silk of her undergarments that would soon to be revealed as matching her formal attire. The dress crumpled beneath her, but Beth could not bring herself to care.

"Shush, my sweet," he breathed, his words barely a whisper on the breeze. "Allow me to treat you as you deserve to be treated. There is no room left for any more expectations tonight or any other night."

He smiled, lips pulling up genuinely.

"This night is solely for you and for me and you and me alone."

The bat tugged her underwear to the side, head under the skirt of her dress as he flicked his tongue out against her soft pussy lips. Beth grunted and rocked her hips up to meet his eager tongue, relishing in the sensation. As much as she enjoyed taking control, dominating her lover and teasing out his orgasm so that she could swallow every drop of his seed, there was something sweet about having her lover so well trained that he knew what she wanted him to do without her asking him to do it.