Page 47 of QB Keeper
“S-sorry,” she says, and I watch as that bead of arousal finally frees itself from her body and slides down toward her clit. My eyes lock onto the little pink bud that’s so swollen, I can see it sticking out of the delicate hood that covers it. What I’d give to flatten my tongue against it, licking up the drop of her sweetness before it goes to waste.
“It’s okay, beautiful. You’re still learning,” I reassure her before landing the paddle firmly against the lower part of her ass. She lets out a gorgeous little scream in response. It’s everything I imagined and more when I’ve stroked my cock to this very image. I’m so goddamn hard right now, every muscle in my body hurts, but there’s not a single thing thatcould make me stop as long as Grace wants me to keep going.
I use the paddle two more times before I finally can’t take it anymore and need to get my hands on her just a little bit more. If she ends up hating this and I never get to touch her again, I want to keep this moment locked away in my brain for the nights I long to feel her this way.
I use my hands to gently soothe the red marks on her ass, savoring every gasp and moan that escapes her lips as I do. I’m careful to stay away from her pussy, because I know if I feel it against my fingers, I’ll take what I’m so desperate for. I’ve felt the need to own this woman so many times, but it’s never been as strong as it is right now. I know I’m still treading a fine line with her and I’m afraid if I overstep, I’ll lose her completely.
“Look at that,” I say, in awe of the way she looks with my marks on her. “Do you want more?”
“Yes, sir. More.Please,” she begs. And what my girl wants, she gets.
I smooth my hand over her ass cheek once before landing a hard slap against it. She gasps, dropping her head forward onto the bench. I move to the other cheek, rearing back and swatting her again. I give her two more, alternating sides, watching as her body shakes below me.
As I go to deliver another strike, she sucks in a quick breath.
“Banana!”
Fuck.
THIRTY-FIVE
GRACE
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,”Tanner says quietly as he undoes the restraints, freeing me from the bench. I’m shaking and my ass is on fire from what we just did, but the pain isn’t what caused me to use my safe word.
“Come here, baby,” Tanner says, carefully scooping me up and quickly carrying me to the bed. He lays me down, wrapping a soft, cashmere blanket tightly around my trembling body. He slides in beside me and holds me to his chest as I gasp for air. “You’re safe. Do you want me to keep holding you or do you want me to let go?”
“Hold me,” I whisper, finally setting the tears that are pricking at the backs of my eyes free. Once the first one falls, it’s like a dam breaks, and I can’t make it stop. Sobs rack my body as he squeezes me firmly in his arms, not letting go for what feels like forever.
“Shhh, shhh,” he soothes. “I’m here. You’re safe. I’m so sorry. I’mso sorry,Grace.” He kisses my hair, gently rocking me as I begin to calm down, my muscles finally loosening so I can lean into him.
“Do you feel safe?” he asks, almost whispering against the top of my head. I nod in response, sniffling as more tearsslowly roll down my cheeks. He twists his body, still holding me in one arm as he grabs something from the table beside him. “I need you to drink some for me,” he says, handing me a bottle of water. I take it, swallowing as much as I can stomach before giving it back. It must be enough because he reaches back over, setting it down, and I hear the crinkle of a plastic package.
“Let’s get a little sugar in you, okay?” he says, grabbing my hand and pouring a few Sour Patch Kids into my open palm. I look up at him, shocked that he keeps my favorite candy in here, but he’s already turned away to set the bag back on the table. I place one on my tongue as he returns both arms to me. He lets me finish them before he speaks again. “Can you tell me what caused you to use your safe word? Was I too rough?”
I take a deep breath, releasing it on a shaky exhale. I feel like such a mess right now, but I need to be honest with him. He needs to know that I didn’t stop him because I didn’t like what he was doing. “You weren’t too rough. I just…” I pause. “The last time you spanked me,” I choke out, “you left.”
He squeezes me tighter, bringing his hand to my hair and gripping it gently to hold me against him. I can feel his heart hammering in his chest as I feel more pieces of us slowly slide toward one another before snapping back into place.
He eventually loosens his hold. “Grace, look at me.” I do, and when I see the emotion in his expression, it sucks the air right from my lungs. His eyes glisten as they fill with tears, and I blink, letting more of my own spill over because I’m exhausted from being strong for so long. I want us to be raw together. To feel this so we can make our way through it side by side.
He swallows thickly, reaching out with one hand and wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I’ve regretted that moment every single day since I drove away from you. I’ve spent years wondering if we’d ever get another chance. Yearsbeating myself up for all the ways I hurt you. At the time, I was so scared that you’d give up everything and end up resenting me for not being enough to keep you safe and happy, and I panicked. I thought you’d be better off without me in your life so you could make your own dreams come true. I should’ve told you the truth back then. I loved you with every piece of me. I still do, and I’ll never, ever leave you again. I’ve always been yours, Grace. Even when I wasn’t there.”
“But why didn’t you come back?” I ask. “If you loved me and missed me, why did you stay away for so long?” I’ve both wanted and feared the answer to that question, but right now, I need it if I’m going to move on. I have to know what kept him from coming back and making things right.
He gives me a weak smile. “Because I was selfish. After I got drafted and realized that I’d never feel whole without you, I wanted to find you and beg for forgiveness. But when I ran through all of the what-ifs, I got scared. What if you were happy with someone else? What if me returning fucked up everything you’d built while I was gone and made you hate me even more? What if you didn’t love me anymore?” he chokes out as tears spill down his face. “It was hard enough walking away after you confessed how you felt, but if I had to leave again knowing that your heart was truly no longer mine? I wouldn’t have survived it, Grace. I would’ve died.”
I don’t wait another second. I can’t. I’m fucking done being without this man. I smash my lips to his in a desperate, bruising kiss. Fireworks explode around us, and we both breathe a sigh of relief as we finally taste each other again after so long. It’s like coming home after being lost at sea, unsure if you’d ever find your way back again. He groans, gripping my hair tightly in his fist as I open my mouth, letting him plunge his tongue inside.
“I love you. I love you so much,” he says into my mouth. “Please forgive me, baby. I never stopped loving you and Inever will. I’ll spend every second of my life proving that I’m worthy of you. Whatever it takes. I’ll do it.Please.”
“I forgive you,” I reply on a shaky whisper, feeling the last of the weight that I’ve carried on my shoulders all these years fall away. Hearing him say that he loves me for the first time is something I never thought I’d experience, and the sound is like an electric current that jolts my heart back to life in my chest. He exhales in relief as he pulls my hair, tilting my head and deepening our connection.
There’s nothing exploratory about the way we’re moving against one another. It’s like we know each other inside and out as we kiss like two wild animals. Without separating, he grabs my hips, yanking my naked body up so I’m straddling him. A needy whimper slips from my lips as I rock on his erection, angling myself so we’re both able to feel the hot friction being created. Something hits my clit just perfectly as I slide forward, that even through his pants and boxers, I feel my orgasm bloom to life deep inside me.
“Wha—” I moan loudly, “what is that?” I can’t stop myself from continuing to grind along his length. It feels so good.
He smiles against my lips. “That’s a present for you, Bunny.”
