7. Tanner

SEVEN

TANNER

I wake slowly, immediately loving the way I've got Grace wrapped in my arms. Sometime in the middle of the night, I removed my shirt, so we're skin-to-skin from the waist up. She's curled into me, her slow, soft breaths puffing against my bare chest.

I keep trying to sort through the mess of emotions I'm feeling about what went down last night. We both know this can't go further than just a physical thing for the summer, but I refuse to do this without also showing her that she deserves to be cared for and appreciated at the same time. The reason I insisted that she do this with me was because I wanted to protect her. That includes her heart. I have a chance to set the bar for what she accepts from any guy that comes after me, and I'm planning on setting that fucker to the goddamn moon. Making sure we don't cross any lines is going to be hard, but that's how it has to be. I just have to keep my eyes on the goal here, which is to give her a safe place to try everything she wants to try before she heads to California.

I look down, tightening my hold on her just a little bit. I can't stop myself from carefully burying my nose in her hair and inhaling her soft, vanilla scent. And when I press my lips to her head, she stirs, a small whine coming from her tired body. I laugh to myself because Grace is definitely not a morning person. She never has been. Even as a kid, she'd stomp into the kitchen like a pissed off gremlin, scowling and grunting at us while we laughed at her messy hair and half-closed eyes. She was still cute as hell, though. Just like she is now.

"Morning, Bunny," I say quietly.

"No," she rasps, making me laugh. She's going to need a vat of coffee and a bag of Sour Patch Kids to fix her attitude. I can already tell. But first, I have an idea.

"Be right back," I say, slipping out of the bed and walking over to her sewing table where I spotted a spool of pink ribbon yesterday. It immediately got my wheels spinning, but I wanted to start vanilla and work our way to the kinkier stuff. But this is technically still beginner level…kinda, so why not?

I look back to the bed where Grace is still facing my side, her hands extended onto the warm spot I was lying in just a minute ago. I take her fabric scissors and cut about three feet of ribbon before walking back over and kneeling on the mattress. As I begin tying it around her wrists, binding them together, her eyes flutter open.

"What are you doing?" she asks, not pulling away in protest. I take that as her consent to continue.

"Tying you up so I can have my way with you," I say with a shit-eating grin.

It takes her a moment to process my words, but when she does, her eyes snap open wide. I can't help but laugh quietly as she stares up at me like a deer in headlights while I continue winding the ribbon around her wrists tightly enough so she won't be able to escape. I finish it off by pulling it into a pretty little pink bow, which makes me feel a fuck ton more deviant than I should right now.

I roll her to her back and pull the covers off her still naked body, taking a quick second to admire her soft skin and mouthwatering curves before I take her bound wrists and place them above her head "I want you to keep your arms there the whole time. No matter what I do to you or how good it feels, you're not to move them. Do you understand?" I ask.

"Yes," she says on an exhale.

I don't waste any more time, leaning down and taking her mouth in a heated kiss. There's no testing the waters this time. We're beyond that. So, when I flatten my tongue on her lips, she opens for me to push it inside. She moans at my forceful intrusion, letting me take what I want from her. My intention was to show a little more dominance than I did last night because I know that's what she ultimately wants from this arrangement, but I'd be lying if I said she was the only person I was trying to please here. I'm surprised by how hard I am just from kissing her right now, and how quickly I'm turning feral as our kiss becomes frantic and almost pornographic. My animal instincts are double daring me to rip off my boxer briefs, pin her down to the mattress, and spear my cock into her as hard as I can, but I know I need to push that away. Possibly forever. Grace isn't just some girl. I refuse to treat her like she is.

I lower my body onto her and settle between her legs that are already open, inviting me in. I didn't let myself feel her, even through my clothes, last night. So, when I press my dick against her exposed pussy, I have to grit my teeth at how it feels. I can feel her warmth and wetness as it seeps through the fabric between us. I thrust my hips forward, creating a friction that feels like too much and not enough all at once.

"You're already wet, aren't you, beautiful?" I say into her ear. "Such a good girl getting ready for me. Do you want my finger again?"

"Please," she whimpers.

I kiss her again as I reluctantly put space between us so I can slide my hand down, rubbing gentle circles over her clit as it swells and hardens under my touch. I can tell she's struggling to keep her arms over her head by the way they twitch every time I increase the pressure. Part of me wants her to disobey to see how well she'd take a little punishment, but the other part knows how quickly I could lose control in that situation before she's ready.

When Grace's needy whines fill my mouth, I know she's wound up enough for me to go a little further. I run the pad of my middle finger along her slit, gathering as much of her wetness as I can to make it more comfortable for her when I slide in. Taking a chance to see how she reacts, I lower my finger just a little more, rubbing it against the sensitive skin between her pussy and asshole. And let me fucking tell you, she does not disappoint. Her fists clench above her head at the same time her hips lift off the mattress, causing me to push into that spot harder. The most beautiful moan slips from her lips when I do.

"Good to know," I say, trying to sound like I'm not ready to bust in my shorts at the thought of pushing into her forbidden hole as she cries out for more.

"Tan," she chokes out, "I need…I need,"

I smirk. "I know what you need, Bunny," I reply as I enter her warmth with one finger. She sighs in relief as I pump in and out as slowly as I can, hoping to get her even hornier than she already is. I want to hear her beg. I want her desperate for me to blow her mind.

"M-more. Please," she stutters. " Please."

That was quick.

"Aww," I pout. "Being finger fucked slowly like this isn't enough for you?" I continue at the same pace, taking my time to speak as the sound of her wetness and heavy breaths fill the room. "How about I use my tongue? Would that be better? "

She doesn't say anything. She just nods her head rapidly as she whimpers.

"Gonna need you to say the words, Grace. Tell me you want me to taste this virgin pussy."

She opens her bright blue eyes, locking onto mine. I can see the hesitation. She's never been spoken to like this, and she's definitely never said those words before, other than when she was trying to rattle me earlier. Why would she? They're filthy and she's a fucking angel. But I'm ready to knock that halo of hers right off.

I raise a brow, nearly halting the movement of my finger inside her as I wait for her to submit.

C'mon, baby. Say it.

"I want you to," she pauses, swallowing thickly, "taste my virgin pussy."

"Fuck," I say on a forced exhale. I'm feeling as desperate as she sounds right now. "Remember to keep your arms above your head. If you move them, it all goes away and I won't let you come," I warn as I move down her body, taking time to trail open-mouthed kisses on her flushed skin. She writhes beneath me, clearly uncomfortable from being so turned on with no relief. She's taking it like a champ, though. I'm proud of her.

All I have to do is nudge under one knee with the back of my hand and she opens wider for me. Her smooth, creamy thighs lead right up to her apex, where she's actually dripping. Like, real wetness is running out of the bottom of her pussy, and my mouth waters with the urge to lean in and drink from her. I almost forget it's her first time doing this, which means I need to keep going slowly. As much as I want to feast on her, I don't want it to be overwhelming. There will be plenty of time for me to eat her the way I really want to later. For now, I need to focus on making all of this perfect for her.

I lean forward, dragging my tongue across her hot skin, everywhere except where she's aching for me. And just as I go to press my tongue to her sweetness, I get an idea.

I quickly move back up her body, chuckling at the loud huff of annoyance that leaves her lips. I take the pillow from my side of the bed before wrapping my hand gently behind her neck so I can prop her head up.

"I want you to watch me," I say before dropping my lips to hers quickly. I crawl back down her body, never breaking eye contact as I do. When I finally lean in, licking her slit from bottom to top, her eyes flutter and roll back.

"Grace," I say, recapturing her attention, "watch it happen."

When she obeys, I flatten my tongue to her clit, flicking it quickly. An uncontrolled, guttural moan leaves her when I change tactics, drawing the sensitive bundle of nerves between my lips and sucking gently.

"Tanner," she gasps, and my name on her lips makes me feel like the luckiest motherfucker in the world that I'm the first to taste her. I'm torn between giving her everything I have so I can feel her explode around my tongue, and going so slowly that I never have to stop. I've only been down here a minute and I'm absolutely sure I'm addicted.

"That's it, baby. Let me make you feel good," I rasp. I use my tongue to massage every part of her, using varying patterns and pressures to find exactly what she likes. She begins moving her hips, trying to shove herself into my face, so I press harder, sinking my tongue inside. Now it's my turn for my eyes to roll back.

"Fuck, Grace," I mumble. I've never tasted anything better in my goddamn life. If I never have another meal, I'd be fine with that. This is all I need.

I take my time licking and fucking her with my tongue, feeling her muscles start to tighten as her orgasm builds. The sounds we're making fill the room and my restraint almost snaps as a small gush of wetness covers my lips. She's so close, she's leaking all over my face. My cock is painfully hard and all I want is to dip it inside her for just a second.

Soon.

"Mmmmm!" she whines, and I know it won't take much to push her over the edge. She's kept her arms over her head this whole time like such a good girl. She deserves to come her fucking brains out.

I keep my pace, looking up at her as she stares right into my eyes. And when I pull her clit into my mouth, sucking hard, she detonates. A loud scream leaves her as her whole body convulses, surrendering to the most intense orgasm I've ever witnessed. Only then does she bring her arms down, fisting my hair and holding me tightly to her. I grunt into her sensitive skin, not slowing or letting up until her muscles relax and she sinks into the mattress. I unlatch from her, gently licking around the outside of her cunt until she whimpers from the overstimulation. As much as I'd love to see what she could handle, I stop myself.

Kissing my way back up her body, I hover over her, taking in the satisfied look on her face. Her chest is heaving as she tries to catch her breath. Her skin is flushed a beautiful pink and glistening with a sheen of sweat. She's the most beautiful goddamn thing I've ever seen in my life, and I think I might be just a tiny bit fucked, because my heart squeezes in my chest at the sight of her lying under me.

Her eyes open and she gives me a lazy smile. "That was…" she says, shaking her head in disbelief. "Wow."

I laugh, leaning down and taking her mouth in a slow, sensual kiss. I give her the opportunity to lick her taste off my tongue, which she does. My hard cock twitches and even though I don't mean to, my hips thrust forward on instinct. It feels so good that I keep doing it, even after telling myself repeatedly to make this about her right now. Plus, I'm barely hanging on to my restraint as it is. I need to get my shit together before I accidentally push her too far, too soon .

"Tanner," she says into the kiss.

"Mmhmm," I reply, keeping my lips pressed to hers.

"I want to make you feel good."

I pull back, the internal conflict obviously apparent on my face because her expression deflates a little.

God, I want that. More than anything. But if we cross that line, where I'm the only one getting pleasure from something we do, it's no longer just for Grace. It's for me, too, and it obliterates the imaginary line I drew in the sand. The line where, if I stayed on the right side, I could justify this whole situation by saying I was just trying to protect her. Otherwise, I'm taking advantage of her and betraying my best friend.

"Please?" she says, her expression full of hope and determination. "Teach me to suck your cock, Tan."

Buh bye, self-control. It was so nice hanging with you for the last twelve hours.

You know what? Fuck it.

Fuck. It.

Either she learns here with me, or she learns with someone else. What if he's too rough and ruptures her esophagus or something?

That's probably not medically possible, but let's just say it is. For the sake of my delusions…and the fact that if I don't get in her mouth in about five seconds, she's going to watch me come in my pants like an idiot.

"You want to swallow me, baby?" I ask.

"Yes," she breathes. Her eyes twinkle as I stand from the bed, pulling her up and untying the ribbon on her wrists. I check to make sure there aren't any red marks from her pulling on it, but she's all good.

"On your knees then, Bunny. Let's see how fast of a learner you are."