He shouldn't have asked. It was stupid to want her to pet him. He wasn't some mangy dog who leaned on humans for companionship and survival. Royce could look after himself. He was good at it and he could get along just fine without any human interaction. In fact, this was probably the closest he had ever been to a human in his wolf form. And the longest.
His whole body shivered at the contact of her fingers grazing up his nose. It was delightful. No, more than that. Such a simple touch shouldn't make him feel like flipping on his back and begging for more. Dogs did that. He was a wolf. A creature of the forest. Something to be respected and feared.
But if he were a cat and had any less self control, he would have purred contentedly under her skillful hands. So, this was what it felt like to have a human partner. Royce guessed it was like having a friend. A very good friend who knew all the right spots to scratch and itch.
When both hands were on him, he started to get a little giddy. His mind was going blissfully blank, like he couldn't focus on anything other than the sensations those hands were causing right now. Anything else didn't matter. He even leaned into her hands, his tail swishing behind him subtly. Yeah, he could get used to this.
And then her hands were gone and he had to blink back the self-control he had briefly lost. Uh. She hadn't seen that, had she? How he had just turned into putty in her hands? Or, oh God, that his tail had come seriously close to wagging? But either she chose to ignore it had missed it because she went on to compliment his beastly features, then started to dry him.
A process that wasn't as nice as the washing. After that was done, he felt like he had just been put through the ringer. His fur was standing up unpleasantly. If Royce could guess, he was going to say he looked like one of those fluff balls she had taken out earlier. Great. More humiliation all around.
Being brushed wasn't a horrible experience. Yes, humiliating to have someone basically do the cleaning for him but, hey, it felt good too. And she was brushing it in the right direction so how could he complain? She went on complimenting him. In human form, he would have blushed. Would she say the same things about him if she ever saw him again? As a human? A question to ponder.
He sat down on his back legs and moved his head around to get a good look at himself. Well. Job well done. Royce looked up to her and gave her a nod as if to tell her that he approved of her work. He did look rather handsome now, didn't he?
There was a sudden loud bark and his attention moved quickly behind her, already knowing who the bark belonged to. The thought of Rosemary getting a bath made him smile. Or, as best a wolf can smile, large mouth open and teeth gleaming.