6. Grace

SIX

GRACE

"Wait. What?" I say, doing a double take at Tanner sitting next to me on the couch. "You'll still do it?"

He raises a brow. "This whole thing was so I could protect you from creeps who wouldn't take care of you. The fact that you have no sexual experience doesn't really change that for me, Bunny. If anything, it makes me want to do it more," he says with a shrug.

There's a lot to unpack with that statement, starting with the fact that he isn't going to do this because he wants me, but because he's always had this incessant need to make sure I don't get hurt. But if it means finally being able to say I'm not a virgin anymore, and getting to try out some of the kinky things that had me throbbing between my legs while watching that movie, I'm willing to overlook that particular tidbit.

Already setting that bar up nice and high, Grace. Well done. *slow clap*

I wasn't lying when I told Tanner that my v-card wasn't a big deal to me. I don't care about hearts and roses. I just want someone who will care if I like it or not. Someone who won't treat me like I'm just another hole for them to use. It's not a lot to ask, but I've heard things . I'm the last in my friend group to have sex, and I think hearing about their experiences made me pull back when I had the opportunity to do it with past boyfriends. That's why I'm not nervous in the slightest to do this with Tanner. I trust him and I know he'll make it good for me.

"Okay," I say, standing up from the couch and pulling my hair into a messy bun with the elastic I always wear around my wrist. "Let's fuck."

He chokes out a gasp. "Jesus, Grace!" His eyes are wide, and he looks like I just asked him if he wanted to help me bury a body. "No, we aren't just going to fuck . If we're doing this, we're going slow."

I stomp my foot on the floor like a child. "We don't have time to go slow, Tan. We have a week before our parents come home. Let's just," I wave my hand vaguely above my head, "get the ball rolling."

He stands, towering over me and forcing me to crane my neck up to see his face. He drags the back of his pointer finger from my collarbone down, ghosting it between my breasts, past my belly button, and hooks it under the waistband of my shorts. "You're not in charge here, Grace. I am. And we'll go as fast or as slow as I say we will. Understood?"

"Mhmm," I squeak out. My chest feels like all the air is being forced from it, just from the way his eyes are burning through my skin.

"Excuse me?" he says, looking down at me with dark eyes and the cockiest smirk I've ever seen. "What did you say? Couldn't hear you." He turns his head, putting one finger behind his ear as if trying to listen better.

I inhale sharply. "Yes… sir . "

"That's my good girl, Bunny," he replies, pressing a ghost of a kiss to my lips. Before I even get a chance to taste him, he backs up out of my reach. I stretch up onto my tippy toes, hoping to suddenly be about a foot taller, but he's back to his full height and his lips are too far away. I don't mean to, but I let out a small whine as I lower back onto the flats of my feet.

Tanner chuckles. "Don't worry. I promise you'll get all the kisses you can handle tonight." He looks toward the front door. "But not here. Let's go to your room in case someone comes home early. I can't talk my way out of what I'm about to do to you."

My core clenches at his words and it all feels so foreign. Don't get me wrong. I've been turned on before. I've felt the aching need to orgasm, but it's never been like this. I feel like I need him inside me. Like I'm so empty right now. I want to feel him fill me up, stretching me to my absolute limit. And I don't know how much longer I can wait.

I nod my head rapidly, swallowing the lump in my throat as I grab his hand and practically run toward the stairs. He follows, laughing quietly at my eagerness to be behind a closed door with him so we can get this thing going. If I wasn't so desperate right now, I'd be embarrassed as I take the stairs two at a time and yank this man, that outweighs me by almost a hundred pounds, through the doorway to my room. I drop his hand, turning just in time to see him kick the door shut.

We stand there, just staring for a moment. I watch as his blue eyes somehow darken and the corner of his mouth tips up in a wicked smirk. I'm frozen in place, realizing that my nerves have finally entered the chat. I feel my insides trembling and I'm just praying my outsides don't join in as well. Even though Tanner knows I haven't had much experience being touched, I don't want to look like a complete loser. My normal confidence and who-gives-a-fuck attitude are nowhere to be found as he walks toward me, closing the distance between us in just a couple strides of his long, thick legs. By the time he reaches out, settling his hand on my hip, I'm ready to melt into a puddle at his feet.

"Like I said," he rasps, "we're going to go slow, but I need to know what you've done and what you haven't, okay? And you have to be honest with me."

It takes me a few seconds to remember that there are, in fact, other guys that exist on this planet. And that, despite the fact that something as simple as a light touch to my side is making me feel like his are the first hands that have ever been on my body, they aren't.

"Umm," I say, trying to gather myself. "My ex-boyfriend put his hand in my pants last year, but I stopped him because it didn't really feel good. And…and," I start to lose my train of thought as I breathe him in, but somehow manage to keep it together, "Cash Hadley got me out of my bra a couple months ago at a party. I let him, umm…" I stutter as Tanner's grip tightens.

"You let him what , Grace?" he grits through clenched teeth.

Fuck . I don't even want to say it. I'd actually prefer for the floor to open up and swallow me right now.

"I let him put his mouth on me. On my boobs," I whisper, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Cash fucking Hadley?" he asks, clearly angry. "My fucking backup quarterback? Why was he even at a high school party in the first place? He graduated two years ago."

I furrow my brows in confusion. "I don't know. He went to Hope Harbor Community College and still lives here, I guess. We were dancing and he kissed me. One thing led to another and?—"

I'm cut off when Tanner crashes his lips to mine in a bruising kiss. My eyes go wide at first, because it's the last thing I was expecting, but it only takes a few seconds before I'm giving it right back. I've never been kissed this thoroughly before. It's never felt so… charged .

His hands find their way into my hair, gripping firmly to hold my head in place as he forces my mouth open with his tongue, plunging it inside. I let him dominate me, taking whatever he wants as I get used to the way he feels. I don't even realize I'm white-knuckling the soft fabric of his t-shirt until my fists begin to cramp, but I don't let go. I can't. I want to keep him right here, kissing me, forever.

I feel the growl coming from his throat as he moves his hands down, tilting my neck to the side before he begins trailing his lips and tongue downward. He takes time to suck gently at my skin, eliciting a moan that's a lot louder than I intend, but I can't fucking control it. I'm at Tanner's mercy right now. My body is his to command and he hasn't really even touched it yet.

I'm reveling in the feel of his mouth on me when my bathing suit top goes slack around my back. His hand, that just untied the string wrapped around me, slides to the front of my body, where my breasts are now completely bare between us. He pulls my top over my head, tossing it aside before taking a small step back to look at me as I stand topless in front of him.

"Fuck, Bunny," he chokes out. "Your tits are perfect."

All the embarrassment I should probably be experiencing right now takes a back seat to the ache between my legs. I can feel my bikini bottoms becoming damp under my shorts, and all I want to do is reach my hand inside to quell the throbbing. I have to ball my fists at my sides to stop myself, because I'm desperate to see what he does next.

Returning his hands back to my hips, Tanner squeezes before dipping his head down and licking around my nipple. I suck in a quick breath at the contact, because even though I've done this before, it didn't feel like it does with him.

"Mmmm," he hums. "Your skin is my new favorite flavor." He sucks gently on my puckered bud, making a bolt of electricity shoot down between my legs so fast, my knees almost buckle. They might if he wasn't holding me up.

"Tell me, Gracie girl. Did that douchebag Cash make your clit throb when he did this? Did he make your body shake like it is right now?"

Fuck . I am shaking. I just now notice the adrenaline spreading throughout my body, causing involuntary tremors to rack all of my limbs. I try my best to pull myself together, so I don't look like a complete amateur in front of him, but it's no use. I'm losing control and we've only just started.

I remember that he asked me a question, but I'm unable to make more than a pathetic squeaking sound at the moment, so I just shake my head. Because, no, Cash definitely didn't make me feel this way. In this moment, I'm convinced nobody else in the world ever could. Only Tanner.

"Yeah, I figured as much. You poor girl. I'm going to take care of you," he coos. The tone of his voice makes me feel like I could combust, and even if he stopped and walked away from me right now, it would still be the single hottest moment of my life.

Holding my hips, he walks me backward until the backs of my thighs hit my bed. He pushes gently, and I land on the mattress with a soft thud . Tanner has always been a lot taller than me, but now that I'm sitting in front of him, I realize just how vast the size difference is. He is so imposing and dominating in the most delicious way, and I haven't even experienced the full effect of it yet.

He brings his hands to my face, tilting it upward so that we're looking into each other's eyes. I try my best not to be completely entranced by just how beautiful he is and the amount of tenderness I see in his expression as he stares down at me. I know it's only been seconds, but it feels like he's been studying me for hours before he leans back down and kisses me again.

"Is it okay if I take off your shorts?" he asks. "We're still going to go slow, but I want them out of the way."

I can barely find my breath long enough to reply. I haven't even moved, yet I feel like I just ran a marathon. "Yes, please," I whisper. I don't trust my voice to speak any louder right now.

"Lie back for a second," he says. I obey, and he immediately trails his fingers from my face down my body until he reaches the button of my shorts. He goes at an agonizingly slow pace as he unfastens them, sliding the zipper down before pulling the denim down my legs. I'm left in my white bathing suit bottom with light blue ties at the sides. I'm afraid that when I open my legs, he'll be able to see just how much this is turning me on. Even though they have extra padding in the gusset, I'm completely sure I'm starting to soak through them already. I don't know if I should be embarrassed about it or not, but I can't find it in me to give a shit while he's hovering over me like this.

With my shorts tossed aside, Tanner grabs around my waist and hoists me up the bed so my head is on the pillow. He lies beside me and returns his lips to mine as his hands roam freely all over my body. I'm still shaking, but it's not because I'm cold. I can't put my finger on exactly which emotion has me trembling, but if I had to try, I'd say it's a mixture between nerves, desperation, and excitement. I've never felt so much all at once.

I get lost in the kiss. I'm consumed by the way his tongue explores the inside of my mouth, the little movements causing sparks to prick all over my body. When he moves his hand down, putting pressure on the mound above my clit, I let out a loud moan. That seems to spur him on further as he continues his descent and presses the pad of his middle finger on my bundle of nerves through my bathing suit. I'm not sure if he's taking things slowly because he thinks I need it, or because he's just enjoying teasing me, but either way, I can't take it anymore. My hips begin to move on their own accord, trying to create some friction between his fingers and the part of me that's aching to have him.

"Needy little girl," he chides, letting me continue to rub on him as he presses to the fabric. Normally, him calling me a little girl would piss me off, but right now, it just might be the hottest thing I've ever heard. Especially knowing that once we get all of this beginner stuff out of the way, he'll be completely in charge of everything when we're together. I can't wait to know what it's like to let him dominate me. The thought has me making larger circles with my hips and whining in frustration because I can't quite get what I need.

As if he knows what I'm thinking, Tanner finally takes mercy on me and slides his hand up just enough to slip it between my bottoms and my most intimate part. A part that, up until now, has always felt wrong when a guy touched it. I should have known it would be different with him. Just feeling the calluses on his fingertips against my newly bare flesh is enough to make me want to orgasm without him even touching my clit. We are every bit the contradiction that I feel with his rough skin against my soft skin, but I've never felt more connected to another human being in my whole life.

He finally gives me what I've been silently begging for when he begins to rub tight circles over my aching bud. I can't control the volume of the moans coming out of my body, not that I want to. I want him to know how good this feels. I want him to know that I'll do anything as long as he doesn't stop.

Just when I think it can't possibly feel any better, he inches down just a little bit more and gently pushes the tip of his middle finger between my lips.

"Fuck, Bunny. You're soaking wet. All this just from a little kissing and rubbing?" he teases. "You're going to be a lot of fun."

"I've never felt like this before," I say on a breath just as he enters me up to the first knuckle. It isn't uncomfortable because I've gotten this far by myself, but I've always been too nervous to go any further. He takes his time, pumping gently in and out as he uses his thumb to rub my clit back and forth. I'm a writhing mess next to him as he carefully coaxes me toward my release. It's the most euphoric thing I've ever felt, and we're not even done yet.

"I'm going to go in a little farther, okay?" he asks. "Tell me if it hurts, and I'll stop."

I huff a breathy laugh. "Tanner, you could hit me with your car right now and I wouldn't want you to stop. Please keep going. I want to feel you inside me." I'm sure I sound beyond desperate right now, but I really want this.

He chuckles before leaning back down to take my lips again. Just as I'm falling into the kiss, he pushes his finger further into my pussy. There's a bit of a sting, but the pleasure definitely outweighs any type of discomfort. I don't hold back the satisfied sounds as they come out of my mouth, wanting him to know that I like what he's doing to me.

"Look at you," he says, pulling his head back so he can drag his eyes down my body. "Taking my finger so well. What a good fucking girl you are."

I know the moment he feels my muscles clench at his words because his eyes widen. That makes him double down and pick up his pace, finally bottoming out with his middle finger inside me. He doesn't stop or slow as I feel my release begin to tighten in my core. My pants and moans have become so loud, I would be worried that Tanner's parents could hear them from next door if they were home. Thankfully for us, there's no one within earshot. I let it all out for him.

"Your pussy is getting so tight. It's practically strangling my finger. You going to come for me, baby?" he asks. I nod my head rapidly because I'm already there, every muscle in my body seizing as he buries his finger to the hilt. My orgasm takes over and my back bows from the bed. I can't think. I can't breathe. I can't do anything but surrender to the waves of pleasure as they crash into me over and over again. It feels like minutes have gone by before my body finally loosens. I sink into the mattress, my heart pounding wildly behind my ribcage as I try to catch my breath.

My eyes are still closed, but I feel Tanner's lips press against my cheek. "You look like an angel when you come. Did you know that?" he breathes into my skin. I want more of him.

I want all of him. Like, right now.

I fist his shirt, pulling him to me and crashing my mouth to his. Even though I just got off, I can already feel the need building inside me again, but I don't want all of this to be just about me. I want to make him feel good too. I want to touch him everywhere and taste his skin. I want to know what it feels like to take his cock into my mouth and hear the sounds he makes as I do it. I want all of that.

I push him back just enough to roll onto my side, snaking my hand up his shirt. The muscles of his abs flex under my touch, and I'm already so turned on again that I can barely think straight. I trace my fingertips through the dips above his sweats, and when I eagerly start to lower my shaky hand under the waistband, he grabs my wrist and stops me.

"I said we were taking things slow, Grace. As much as I want you to touch me everywhere, I think that's enough for tonight," he says softly.

Everything in my body deflates. "Oh. Okay," I say, trying to conjure up as much confidence as I can. I don't want to seem clingy, but I can't say it doesn't hurt that we just did that and now he wants to go. It's a little embarrassing now that I have the wherewithal to think about it.

I push myself into a sitting position before swinging my legs off the bed. Just as I go to stand so I can gather my clothes and not be so exposed in front of him, a strong arm bands around my waist.

"Whoa, Bunny. Where are you running off to so fast?" he says. I turn to look over my shoulder at him, seeing his cocky smirk. "Not going to lie, I'm feeling pretty used right now. Didn't take you for the love ‘em and leave ‘em type."

I give him a weak smile. "You said—" I begin, "I thought you wanted to go." The last thing I want is for him to think he has to stay if he doesn't want to. I understand what we're doing here. I know this isn't a relationship and that he's just helping me explore my sexuality. So, I don't want him to feel like he's on the hook for anything once we're done.

"Of course I don't want to go," he says on a laugh. "Do you really think I would do what we just did and then not spend time with you afterward?"

I don't know what I think. I only know what I want, and I definitely want him to stay here with me. Even though being fingered is probably not a big deal for most girls my age, that was my first time and I'm feeling all kinds of things. Mostly, I just feel happy and satisfied. And I'm glad it was with Tanner. I knew he would take care of me, but everything that just happened felt so right. I'm kind of relieved after all the times I tried doing things with other guys and just couldn't go through with it. I guess all it took was finding someone I trusted.

I smile at him. "Are you telling me you want to cuddle, hot shot?"

He scoffs. "Duh, Gracie girl. It's the least you can do after I just gave you a mind-blowing orgasm."

I laugh, lying back down next to him and letting him wrap his arms around me. "It was okay," I shrug. I'm obviously teasing him because he's right. That absolutely blew my mind. But I'm not going to let his ego get any bigger by telling him that.

He rolls us over so he's on top of me before digging his fingertips into my side to tickle me. "Just okay?" he says, continuing his assault. I let out a very unladylike snort as I laugh hysterically while he pins me down.

After proving his point, he stops tickling me and leans down to press a chaste kiss to my lips. "Keep it up with that smart mouth and we're going to fast-forward to the punishment part of this little experiment," he says with a raised brow. I feel my insides clench, imagining what it'll be like when he has me tied up and makes me pay for being a brat— which I inevitably will because it's who I am as a person.

Tanner knows me so well, that I'm sure he can tell the dopey look on my face was brought on by those exact dirty thoughts.

He smirks again before reaching over me to grab the remote control off my nightstand. He pulls me into him as he turns on the TV and opens the streaming app. "You better pick something to watch this time, Bunny. You saw what happened when you let me choose," he says with a wink.

I laugh quietly, knowing that letting him decide on that movie last night is going to make for the most epic summer ever.