Sitting around the dinner table that evening, there was a tension that wasn't normally there.

Oddly enough, it came off of Reggie.

Shinx, who usually made a beeline for my lap during meals, was curled up in his instead, staring up at him like he hung the moon. It purred, rubbing its cheek into Reggie's shirt, completely ignoring the food set out for it. All the other Pokémon ate, but Shinx was far more concerned with Reggie.

He lightened up, though. Patted Shinx gently and ate in calm silence.

I didn't understand what had set him off. Still, through whatever fog clouded his thoughts, Reggie kept checking on me. Asking if I'd had enough to eat. Encouraging seconds. Smiling—strained, but genuine.

Then he turned to Paul.

"Are you staying the night?" he asked. "You're working tomorrow, aren't you? Stay here. I'll drive you in the morning if you want."

Paul shook his head. "We can go home. It's fine."

"Ash'll be home alone tomorrow. If you sleep over, he'll be here with me."

The way he said it made it sound like I wasn't even there. Like I was fragile glassware that needed monitoring.

Reggie must've caught himself, because he turned to me after that.

"It's not good to sit around alone after this sort of... occurrence. Leaves too much time to think. Believe me." His voice was soft. Not condescending—just worried. "You shouldn't be by yourself right now."

I gave a small shrug. "I'll probably be fine. But I don't mind either way. It's up to Paul."

Paul looked between us. Gave it some thought. Then he nodded, his voice quieter than usual.

"Reggie has a point. I wouldn't be able to focus at work knowing you're just... stuck with your thoughts."

"Look, if we're staying just because you're worried about me—"

Paul cut in gently. "We are. And I am. I'd feel better if you stayed here."

So we did.

The next morning, I woke up to Paul fixing the blankets over me.

Still half-asleep and sprawled on my stomach, I tried to lift my head. But Paul pressed it softly back into the pillow.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he whispered. "Go back to sleep. I'm heading home to grab my work clothes."

He kissed my head, whispered "See you later," and shut the bedroom door quietly behind him.

I went back to sleep... until I heard crying.

Not a person.

Something small. Whining.

Rubbing my face, I dragged myself to the door and opened it to find Growlithe sitting there, ears flat against his head. Pikachu stood calmly beside him, more composed but definitely waiting.

As soon as I opened the door, Growlithe perked up and trotted in, tail wagging as he leapt onto the bed and stretched out over my legs like a weighted blanket. Pikachu curled up next to my head, resting his little chin on top of mine.

I blinked at the door I forgot to shut... and didn't bother to get back up.

Minutes later, Shinx wandered in too and made itself at home on my chest.

Wrapped up in Pokémon fur and affection, I drifted back to sleep.

Reggie saw the whole thing.

Passed by, glanced into the open door, and stopped. There I was, asleep with three Pokémon snuggled around me like a living security blanket.

Dead to the world.

Click.

He smiled.

I didn't find out about the picture until later that evening.

"You took a picture of me while I was sleeping?" I gawked. "And sent it to my grandmother?!"

Paul chuckled. "She loved it."

"She wants a copy! A printed copy!"

Reggie laughed, already printing it out. "Tutu only wants cute stuff of you. Who am I to deny her?"

I sulked as he slipped the photo into an envelope for Paul to bring to work.

"That's not nice," I muttered. "Now it's going to exist forever."

"You left the door open. That's on you," Paul teased.

"I was half-asleep and Growlithe was crying! He sounded so sad, I couldn't leave him!"

"You could've. He would've survived," Paul replied, smirking.

I stuck my tongue out at him. Then Reggie handed me the food bowls and asked me to help serve the Pokémon.

"Don't take any more pictures," I warned.

"No promises," he grinned.

Growlithe followed me like a lost puppy. Every time I leaned over to set a dish down, he nosed at my face.

"Stop—ugh, no—bleh!"

He licked me.

Right on the nose.

Reggie lost it.

And then Growlithe tackled me.

Full-on jumped on my chest and licked my entire face like I was a chew toy. I flailed under him, calling for Paul to help while Reggie just wheezed from laughter.

"Paul! Get the camera!"

"Don't you dare!" I yelled, muffled through slobbery laughter.

Eventually, Paul came to the rescue, peeling Growlithe off me like a sticky toddler.

"He really loves you," Reggie said, wiping tears of laughter. "Look at him whine just to be near you."

He wasn't wrong.

Even when the other Pokémon came in for breakfast, most veered toward me. Climbing on me. Tapping at my legs. Pawing for attention. Growlithe squirmed out of Reggie's hold to join in, and I ended up trapped under a wiggling pile of affection.

"I only have two hands!" I protested. "Growlithe—stop licking me!"

Pikachu? He kept eating. I got a half-hearted wave. That was all.

Paul raised a brow. "That one's got an attitude."

"He loves food more than he loves me," I groaned. "He's spoiled. Maggie said so."

Eventually, the food was served, the Pokémon were fed, and I got to wash Growlithe's slobber off my face in peace.

Reggie made dinner again. It was supposed to be our last night—but as soon as he asked Paul about his work schedule and heard he was working the next three days?

Well.

"We're staying, aren't we?" I sighed.

Paul smiled faintly. "Yeah."

The next few days were calm. Predictable. I helped Reggie care for the Pokémon and tend the garden. I learned not to fall asleep with the door open, and Reggie learned how to keep his camera tucked away when I glared.

He still teased me.

We groomed Pokémon together, and most of them flocked to me—loving the attention. Well... most of them.

I eyed Electivire cautiously.

"Are we grooming him too? He doesn't look...friendly."

Reggie winked. "He gets it from someone."

Electivire stepped forward and sat down silently.

I brushed his fur slowly—shoulders, then neck. Reggie tackled the legs. The Pokémon was stone-faced, but he didn't move. Didn't growl. Just... watched.

"Did Paul teach him to be like this?"

"In a way. Paul was a strict trainer. Electivire responded well to that. They're compatible."

"Did Paul catch him?"

"Nope," Reggie smirked. "I bred him."

I blinked. "You—really?"

Reggie nodded. "When Paul was ten, he wanted a strong Electabuzz. Catch and release was failing him. Then someone dropped off one with decent stats, and I... bred a better one."

"You bred this?"

"Perfect stats," he said proudly. "Only one I've ever gotten right."

My jaw dropped. "And the person who left the Electabuzz...?"

Reggie's smirk turned sly. "They never knew. I gave them the next-best one. Paul got the perfect one."

"All because you loved him that much."

Reggie smiled. "Of course. He rarely asked for anything. When he did? I made damn sure he got it."

When Electivire walked off, I sagged in relief and gave Reggie back the brush.

"I don't really notice Paul being any different," I admitted. "I'm used to the way he is."

Reggie paused. "You really don't care if he's gruff?"

I shook my head. "I like him the way he is. Why would I want him to change?"

Reggie's expression softened.

"Paul was bullied as a kid," he said. "Quiet, withdrawn. Teachers wanted him to smile more. Be friendlier. But Paul refused. Said if someone wanted to be his friend, it'd be because they liked him for him. Not because he faked something."

My chest clenched.

I imagined him—alone, scowling at recess while other kids whispered or taunted. I'd called him a monster once, too.

I hated that.

"Eventually, the bullying stopped," Reggie continued. "Paul hit puberty, got taller than everyone, started boxing. But people still saw him as dangerous. And he grew to hate people for it. They assumed the worst just because he didn't smile."

I bit my lip.

"People called him bipolar," Reggie murmured. "But you and I know better. He was hurt. Angry. Misunderstood. And now?"

He looked right at me.

"You're here. And he's finally happy."

Reggie's words followed me for the rest of the evening. Echoing in my mind like a soft refrain.

He's happy.

All I could do was hope I could keep it that way. For as long as he'd let me.

Because if Paul was happy... then I was, too.

The clinking of plates and gentle hum of conversation normally made dinner feel warm and lively—but not tonight.

That evening, something was... off.

It wasn't the food. It wasn't the weather. It wasn't even the awkward silence that would sometimes fall when people ran out of things to say.

No—this tension had a name.

Reggie.

He sat stiffly at the table, shoulders high, jaw clenched, and eyes distant. He hadn't said more than five words since we'd all sat down. The rest of us tried to ignore it at first, hoping he was just tired or caught up in his thoughts. But even the Pokémon noticed.

Shinx, who usually climbed into my lap the second I sat down, chose Reggie tonight.

The tiny creature pawed its way up into his lap, completely ignoring the little bowl of food we'd set out for it. Instead, it nuzzled against Reggie's chest, purring softly and rubbing its face into his shirt as if trying to coax something out of him—affection, comfort, acknowledgment.

Reggie blinked down at Shinx as if seeing it for the first time. His fingers hovered for a moment before slowly settling on its fur, stroking gently.

It should've been a sweet moment.

But it wasn't.

There was something heavy about it, like his touch wasn't really about Shinx at all—but about holding onto something, anything, so he wouldn't unravel.

"Reggie?" I finally asked, setting my fork down and tilting my head. "You okay?"

He looked up.

And for a brief second, I saw it.

That flicker of something raw and wounded in his eyes before he forced a smile.

"I'm fine," he said.

But it was the kind of "fine" that sounded like a lie you told yourself in the mirror when everything was falling apart.

The table went quiet again.

Even the clatter of dishes softened. I noticed Talia glance between us, concern twitching at her brow. Mason looked like he wanted to say something but held back, lips pressed into a thin line.

I didn't know what to do—push harder or leave him be.

Thankfully, Shinx made the decision for all of us.

With a soft mewl, it stood on Reggie's thighs, balancing its tiny paws on his chest. Then it headbutted him. Not hard—but just enough to knock him out of whatever pit he'd been falling into.

Reggie blinked.

Then—almost like magic—he softened.

His shoulders dropped. His face eased. And finally, finally, he exhaled like he'd been holding his breath for an entire year.

A quiet chuckle escaped him, more air than sound. He scratched Shinx behind the ears, and the little Pokémon squeaked with joy.

"Thanks, little guy," Reggie murmured.

And just like that, the tight knot in my chest loosened.

He was still hurting—whatever it was, it hadn't gone away. But that wall he'd been building? It cracked.

It was enough.

For now.

After Reggie relaxed, the table breathed again.

Everyone slowly resumed eating, though eyes kept flicking in Reggie's direction. The weight hadn't fully lifted, but it was less suffocating now. Conversation picked up in small, hesitant bursts.

Tutu passed me the potatoes. "You've been training a lot lately. What're you prepping for? A gym battle?"

I grinned. "You wish. I'm just trying not to fall behind. Lexi beat me in two straight rounds yesterday. My Pikachu still won't look me in the eye."

That earned a laugh, even from Reggie—soft and short, but real. It made me smile.

Still, something nagged at me.

Even when he smiled, his eyes looked... tired. Like they were always on edge, scanning for something no one else could see.

I leaned in, careful not to make a scene. "Reggie," I said under my breath, "do you wanna talk about it? We can step out."

He hesitated, hand frozen mid-stroke over Shinx's fur.

His mouth opened.

Then closed.

"...Not yet," he whispered. "But thanks."

I nodded. I wouldn't push. But I wouldn't let him sink either.

Shinx turned around and gave me a pointed look, as if saying, Watch him. He's fragile right now.

I caught Tutu's eyes. She was watching Reggie too, her lips pressed into a thin line. She looked like she wanted to ask the same questions I did.

But instead, she picked up the mood again. "Hey, Reggie," she said lightly, "remember when Shinx shocked you because you tried to feed it ketchup?"

He blinked, startled. Then a reluctant smile crept across his lips.

"Hey, in my defense," he said, "I thought it was a condiment connoisseur. Pikachu likes ketchup."

"Pikachu isn't Shinx," I chimed in. "You're lucky it didn't zap you into a new hairstyle."

"That might've been an improvement," I teased.

Reggie rolled his eyes, but the smile stayed a little longer this time.

Dinner continued with more ease. Laughter found its way back into the room. Shinx curled up in Reggie's lap like a guardian spirit, protective and perceptive.

After we'd finished and started clearing plates, I caught Reggie standing by the window, arms folded, gazing out into the night.

The moonlight cast silver on his face.

I walked over quietly, standing beside him without saying anything for a moment. The silence wasn't heavy anymore. It was comfortable. Safe.

"...It's hard to shake old ghosts," he said finally. His voice was so low I almost missed it. "Even when you've changed everything else."

I didn't ask what ghosts. He wasn't ready. But the fact that he said anything?

That meant trust.

I placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "You don't have to shake them alone."

He looked at me.

For a moment, the wall cracked again—and I saw him.

All of him.

Not just Reggie the stoic traveler. Not just the guy who trained hard and made snarky comments. But the boy still carrying scars that didn't show. The one who had learned to smile through pain and stay quiet through fear.

"...Thanks," he said.

That one word meant more than an entire paragraph.

Later that night

"You awake?" He asked, rubbing over my side.

"Mmhm." I replied back, opening my eyes. "I'm awake."

His hand moved to the small of my back, nudging me to move forward and make room. Once I moved, Paul laid down behind me still dressed in his work uniform. Rolling over, I faced him and placed my hands on his chest.

"You still have your work clothes on."

"They're clean"

"That's not what I meant. Usually you go shower right after work."

"I saw you lying here, made me want to join you for a bit."

Smoothing out the white material of his button up white shirt, I ran my palms over it. Not meeting Paul's eyes yet, I played with the edge of his tie. Feeling the smooth surface with my thumb, I tugged it mindlessly with hardly any strength. Paul observed my idle fidgeting.

"My tie interesting to you?"

"I like the color. It's dark purple... like an eggplant."

"An eggplant, huh?"

"Reggie says you like eggplant. It's your favorite." Putting his hand over mine, Paul stopped my mindless fiddling with his tie. I was pulled in closer by the hips, Paul holding the back of my head as we laid facing one another on our sides.

"No, you're my favorite."

My hands came to rest on his chest again but didn't wander. I met Paul's eyes and didn't look away as he took in my appearance silently. I missed him while he was gone and now that he was there with me I didn't even look or feel enthused. I felt glum.

"Something's bothering you" he stated matter of factly. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened. I just missed you..."

"You look like you've been thinking."

Pecking my lips, Paul used his long torso to shelter me in his chest. I pecked his lips back, drawing his tongue forward as I parted my lips upon his. He ran his tongue along mine and I snuck my hands up to his neck, playing with the ends of his hair as we kissed. The kiss becoming heated quickly as I arched my chest forward in to him. I pulled his face down lower, opening my mouth wider for him to pillage. The diversion came to a stop just as I began raising a leg to wrap around Paul's waist. Paul released me to ensure I was okay.

"What's wrong?"

He asked me what was wrong and I shook my head trying to kiss him again. I insisted I was fine and put my lips on his, only getting the corner of his mouth as he moved away in time. A small shift towards his lips and he backed away again.

"What's wrong?" He questioned me again. "Talk to me."

"Paul please..." I insisted, kissing the corner of his mouth where my lips still laid.

"Not until you talk to me."

Giving up my attempts to reel him back in to the kiss, I placed my face in his neck. I really was fine, I was just worried about Paul. I was hurting for him. None of it was anything to harp on. Spending time waiting for my boyfriend to come back to me left me lonely and missing him. Perhaps I'd sulked a bit over his childhood but bringing up my internal musings was last on my to-do list. Paul himself was currently on the top of that list.

"I don't want to talk about it. I want you."

"I'm right here. You can have as much as you want once you talk to me."

"I've just been thinking. It's nothing."

One finger ran up and down my throat, stroking my Adam's apple. With both hands I held his larger one, placing a kiss on his knuckles. The finger that stroked my neck now tapped my lips. "What's been floating around that head of yours?"

"Stuff... that I love you. I love you a lot."

I squeezed his hand between both of mine, holding on with curled fingers. I traced the ridges of Paul's knuckles with my fingertips, careful of the jar of emotions being unscrewed in my gut. I felt the lid becoming nudged open. Not wanting to risk getting choked up, I delayed talking any further. That was why I didn't want to talk.

"Why do you look so sad then?"

Paul as a child came to mind. A little boy with no one but his brother to take care of him because his mother chose to do drugs instead of love him. That little boy running after his mother for hug only to get smacked around and shoved away for no fault of his own. Years to follow, that child grew to be angry and confused with no one to understand him. No one to love him the way he deserved to be loved. I could see Paul with an ice pack in his head, his little face scowling. How betrayed he must have been that day... I could completely understand. We were children and both our lives changed that day. We had no idea how severely what was to come and years later, the isolation was atrocious. I'd spent enough time alone in my head to escape what was going on around me, didn't want that for Paul. I didn't want it for anybody. It was unfair.

My stomach clenched and I stubbornly remained silent. Every time I cried felt sooner than the last no matter how many days or weeks separated them. I didn't want to cry. I wanted my boyfriend. With lips sealed shut, I tried again to have him drop the question. He didn't yield.

"Loving me can't be that bad, can it?" He asked in an unenthused joking tone.

"It's not bad at all. I just don't understand why your mother didn't."

My voice cracked and I covered my mouth immediately. Paul acted quickly, holding my wrist and pulling it away. I got those onyx eyes of his on me. His face flashed with mild surprise before his brows creased as he saw my eyes water. I sucked it up and held off on crying, taking a breath and breaking eye contact.

"What did I tell you about worrying over me?"

"I can't help but worry."

I was forced to look at Paul and he came in very close, nose a hair away from touching mine. He was so collected, only hint of frustration being the edge in his gruff voice. His fingers held my chin firmly and he looked down in to my large, brown eyes. I was on the edge of tumbling in to the boiling pot of emotions building in my gut, the heat ready to stew me alive... yet Paul was so calm. I was ready to cry over him and he was calm.

"There's no need for it." He told me bluntly. "Don't worry about me."

"Of course there's a need for it!" I objected, uncharacteristically frustrated. "Don't tell me there isn't."

Just like that I started crying harder. It came spewing from me as my chest gave way to some ungodly weight being pressed down upon it. My boyfriend mildly recoiled from my small outburst. Such grief I hadn't known I was carrying revealed itself. That grief struck me and split me down the center it felt like. Just so much pain for someone else. I was so sad for Paul and he was the most collected person I knew. He laid with me calmly, even as I began to cry. But the calm front slipped away as the tears ran down my face.

"Ash what happened?"

"Nothing happened, Paul. I just love you. Really, that's all."

Paul sat up, taking me with him. Gathered up in his arms he anchored me and tried calming me down. His smell hit my nose, that familiar soothing scent. But it did little to soothe how he wanted. I held him around the neck, my face rested along the length of it. My tears wet the skin there, warm until cooling with the air. My hair was smoothed out and I sniffled, tears still flowing. Paul was quiet, letting me cry. He was tense though, not his usual composed stance. I unwrapped an arm from around his neck and brought it down to wipe my eyes. Paul pulled away enough to get an arm between us and brush my hand away. With the edge of his sleeve he wiped my face.

"You're supposed to be happy now. Don't go ruining that over me." Paul muttered, frowning as he pecked my forehead just below the hairline. " I didn't take you from that asshole for you to be so sad. Don't cry. Please?"

"It's not that easy."

"Why are you all worked up like this? If something happened, tell me."

For once Paul couldn't get a grip on what was going on. I caught the aggravation in his voice, he really wanted an explanation. To him, something bad must have happened for me to be so emotional. But it wasn't that at all, nothing bad had happened. I just loved my boyfriend, that was all. I loved him enough to hurt for him. That hurt kept building under my nose, sneaking up on me. The pain was different than what I was used to feeling. Crying over myself or as a result of the cruelty of others was such a redundant discomfort. Carrying it around meant that no matter how much it hurt, it never quite hurt enough to rattle me an emotional mess. I'd accepted far too many times that the way I was treated was what it was and couldn't be helped. But imagining Paul going through something so horrible... I couldn't bare the thought. The more I learned the worse it was.

"Ash?"

"Paul, I love you. I love you so much and I don't want you to be unhappy ever again."

"Hey, come on. It's okay."

The arm Paul had between us to wipe my face, I grabbed on to it. With both hands curled around his, I held on tightly. Eyes still wet, I looked up at him. His mouth was set in a straight line as he watched me, but his eyes were alert. Brows less rigid than I'd ever seen them, Paul looked at me, hanging off every word because he had no idea what would come from me.

" I don't want you to feel like a monster" I blubbered, holding his hand under my chin. "You're not a monster. Your mother was. Not you. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't have any business knowing you because you're a great person." He didn't comment, he listened. The gears were turning in his head, I could see it through my tear fogged eyes. My fingers shook a little around Paul's hand but I still held on.

"You're such a great person and I love you so much. People shouldn't judge you. They don't know you at all."

His free hand laid along the side of my face, holding gently. He thumbed away some tears and I leaned my face in to his hand. The first hand to ever make me feel truly loved and protected. That hand was large and attached to someone who did not look the least bit approachable. It seemed almost impossible that Paul once scared me. The way I saw now and the way I saw him before were as different as day and night. It took me getting to know him and it made all the difference. I was no different than those who labeled him and misunderstood him and the guilt hurt terribly. How did Paul see the world from such an isolated point of view? Being the victim but treated like a threat must have been a dark desolate road. I hurt him once, treating him that way.

"I'm so sorry I was scared of you" Crying, I apologized. "I was so ignorant, I didn't even give you the benefit of the doubt."

"You were scared of everyone. It's not your fault."

The night Paul first made love to me, the dream I woke up from still burned in my mind. I vividly remembered dreaming he was going to rape me. My boyfriend would never do such a thing. He never forced me to do anything I didn't want. Gary had. That day I'd gone and let Gary use my body...then treated Paul like he was the danger to it. It was a revolting feeling, realizing what I'd done. Horror filled me when realizing that horrible dream about Paul set our relationship in motion. It was a mess of mixed signals at first, but ended with the first real intimate moment I'd ever had. I felt like the monster misjudging such a great person. Looking at Paul again, sobs stayed stuck in my airway until I broke out blubbering again. I was a mess. Paul couldn't figure out where it was all coming from and nearly begged for me to tell, his voice tense. I didn't want to tell him my realization. I didn't want to look the only person who loved me in the face and tell them I thought they would violate me. I owed him it to him to be honest, I couldn't carry that secret with me.

"Ash, you need to talk to me. " Paul insisted. "What is it?"

"I didn't wake up from a wet dream our first night."

"What?"

Not understanding, Paul was confused at my confession. I wiped my eye and looked down at my lap, bracing to go further.

"That night, I had a nightmare. I dreamt you tried to rape me, that's why I was screaming." I explained. "It was a wet dream and I don't know why, but it wasn't a pleasant one. I'm so sorry."

"....That's what you thought of me?"

He was offended, there was no hiding that. His voice dropped, going cold. Assuming he was mad at me, I cried more. That snapped Paul out of his brief anger and he frowned as he saw me wither in to myself. My shoulders sunk and he put his hands on them.

"I love you, I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt your feelings." I told him. "I didn't know you."

As Paul began to pull me closer, Reggie called up the stairs. He was going to go run some errands but he'd be back in a few hours. Everything stopped and I held my breath, not wanting to cause a commotion by being heard crying. Paul stroked my face and called back out to Reggie, confirming that he'd heard him. Reggie left and Paul pulled me in to his chest and I hugged him as tightly as I could. His arms held me securely, his kisses raining down my teary cheek.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

"Shh None of that."

We could hear Reggie's van start up in front. The door opened, shut, then the engine was turned on. A few second later the wheels were rolling out of the front yard. Paul stayed quiet, rocking me gently with his body. My fingers curled tightly in the material of his white button down work shirt. I cried over his hardships and my regrets yet he comforted me.

"You'll wear yourself out crying over me. Everything is okay, I mean it" he scolded me lightly, getting frustrated." Don't go hurting over any of this."

"You've been through so much and I judged you."

"You've been through a lot too. Cut yourself some slack. And everyone judges me. I can protect myself nowadays, no one can hurt me anymore."

Paul paused, listening to me sniffle miserably.

" Nothing hurts me anymore... but you'll break my heart crying like that. " The tears didn't come to a complete halt but slowed. Paul shushed me as I hid my face in his chest. My shoulders trembled, calming gradually until my chest was left to shudder with my heavy breathes. I laid my cards out on the table, Paul now knew how strongly I felt for his struggles. More importantly, I purged that weight off my chest. It felt good despite the exhaustion of it all.

"I want you to be happy. Everytime you cry over shit like this it's a knife through my heart. Take it easy on yourself."

"I'm such a pain, I wish I wasn't."

"You're not a pain, stop it. Enough."

The concern he had for me saturated the firm demand. It would had seemed cold had he not been holding me so closely at the same time. The hairs at the crown of my head were pressed down with his chin.

"It takes a lot to love someone... yet at the same time it takes so little" Paul mentioned, stroking the back of my head and neck. "It really is worth it."

My face was lifted off his chest and he kissed me on the mouth lovingly.

"And for what it's worth, you make me happy. I'm happy to have you. And protect you" Paul told me, freeing me from the kiss. "Let me keep you happy and I'll be just fine. Don't you worry about me. I like it better when you smile "

Smiling came naturally as my boyfriend's mouth laid warm kisses on my cheek.

"See, like that" he murmured.

Warm, gentle kisses were placed along my cheek as he cradled my body in to him. No anger, no resentment. Just affection. It was easy to breath again, my tears drying up as I took my rightful place in Paul's bulging, protective arms. Paul's lips crept towards my ear and the warm breath billowing from between those lips hit my it just enough to tickle. I laughed under my breath and inched back but Paul followed the movement and continued.

"Paul that tickles..." I protested meekly.

"Does it?"

He kept on his playful teasing, kissing and blowing softly around my neck and ear. The atmosphere changed from bleek to playful. I giggled and squirmed away, protesting. Paul kept on, tickling me with his mouth. I couldn't fight him off and he assaulted my neck until my giggles and soft laughter became less innocent. Slowly that playfulness of his turned sensual as he drew more airy breathes from me, light gasps mingled with my laughter. Paul blew more softly in my ear, drawing out the sensation. Coming in closer, Paul opened his mouth. Those pearly white teeth touched my neck, nipping the skin below my ear. I gasped, grabbing at his shirt reflexively from the assault. He bit me again, this time lower on my neck. I moaned that time.

"Does that tickle?" He asked lowly, darting his tongue out to lap where he nipped. "Hm?"

"Do it again..."

Teeth bared again, Paul nipped my neck. Small bites ran down my neck towards the juncture of my shoulder. Paul stopped as the collar of my shirt impeded on his path. When he stopped I held my breath, anticipating him to go on. He slipped his hands up the back of my shirt, caressing along my spine. A chill ran through me and my chest pushed forward in to him. The shirt was pulled off me. Bare chested, he held me close as he stretched an arm out to drop my shirt over the edge of the bed. I snuck my hands between our chests, looking at them. My tanned fingers splayed out over the white of his shirt as he returned his attention on to me.

"Still interested? You were awfully persistent earlier."

"I still want you" I told him, placing my hands on his tie half heartedly. "But I'm all gross from crying..."

"You look fine to me. Come here."

Pressing my body closer to his, I loosened the tie around his neck. Paul kissed my forehead as I pulled the dark purple accessory off of him and let it fall to the sheets. My fingers didn't stop there as I circled the first button to his shirt. Hesitating for just a moment, I went through with the bold move and began unbuttoning his shirt.

My eyes raised to look at Paul. After crying I really didn't feel attractive or sexually appealing at all. The exhaustion from crying made me care a little less though. Losing my nerve, I brought my gaze back down quickly. Paul put a finger under my chin and brought my eyes back to his. I knew mine were puffy and my cheeks and nose had the same light pink hue to match. But I kept on undoing the buttons to his shirt.

"I hate when you cry... but I love you vulnerable" he murmured to me, tracing the hollow of one cheek. "You look so small and defenseless."

"Hey..." I retorted meekly.

"I mean it in the best way possible. It makes me want to play with you."

I pushed him against the bed, my hands trembling as they fumbled with the button of his jeans. His breath hitched, but he didn't stop me. Instead, his hands were on me too, pulling at my shirt, his fingers brushing against my skin like fire. His lips crashed into mine, hard and demanding, and I kissed him back with everything I had, biting his lower lip until he groaned.

"Fuck, Ash," he muttered into my mouth, his voice low and rough. His hands slipped under my waistband, gripping my ass hard enough to make me gasp. "You've been driving me insane all day."

I didn't answer. I couldn't. My mind was already clouded with desire, my body screaming for more. I turned around, pressing my hands against the workbench as I bent over, my ass arching toward him. I heard the sound of his zipper, the rustle of fabric, and then his hand was on me again, this time spreading me open.

"Is this what you want?" he asked, his voice a low growl. His fingers teased me, circling my rim, pressing just enough to make me shiver. "You want me to fuck you raw right here? While my family's in the next room?"

"Yes," I hissed, my voice barely above a whisper. I was already trembling, my legs shaking with anticipation. "Please, Paul. I need it."

He didn't make me beg anymore. One hand gripped my hip, holding me in place, while the other guided himself to my entrance. The first push was slow, deliberate, stretching me in a way that made my breath catch in my throat. I bit down on my lip to keep from moaning, but it wasn't enough. The moment he was fully inside me, I let out a strangled gasp, my nails digging into the edge of the workbench.

"Fuck, you're tight," he murmured, his breath hot against the back of my neck. He pulled out almost completely before thrusting back in, harder this time. I could feel every inch of him, every ridge, every movement, and it was overwhelming. My knees nearly buckled, but he held me up, his grip tightening on my hip.

I tried to stay quiet, burying my face in the crook of my arm to muffle my sounds, but it was impossible. Every thrust sent waves of pleasure through me, building and building until I was trembling from the intensity. His pace was relentless, each stroke deeper than the last, hitting that spot inside me that made my vision blur.

"Paul," I choked out, my voice breaking. "I'm close—"

He didn't slow down. If anything, he went harder, his hips slamming into mine with a force that made the workbench rattle. His free hand slipped around my front, gripping my cock and stroking me in time with his thrusts. It was too much, too good, and I came with a muffled cry, my body convulsing as I spilled into his hand.

He wasn't far behind. With a grunt, he buried himself deep inside me, his grip on my hip almost painful as he emptied himself. I could feel every pulse, every twitch, and it left me breathless, my legs finally giving out as I slumped forward.

"You're so fucking perfect," he whispered against my lips, his voice hoarse. His thumb brushed over my cheekbone, his eyes searching mine. "I don't know how I'm supposed to stay away from you."

Feeling along his torso, I explored with my hands. Paul redirected my lips from his neck by catching them with his own. Tongue sweeping across my lips he willed me to open my mouth as his own hands squeezed my sides. He felt the small curve of my waist, his hands soon wandering back to squeeze my ass. " I've told you how much I love your ass, right?" Paul groaned throatily, pawing more roughly at me.

"You may have mentioned it."

Responding to his touch, I wiggled my hips back in to his hand. His fingers closed around my ass harder, a groan emanating from deep in his chest. I could practically feel the vibration. A finger pressed through and I tried my best to gain friction from it. My eagerness led to Paul's impatience. His tongue pressed against mine with vigor until I was tipped back to lie down.

"Seems my patience wears thinner nowadays" Paul muttered, shrugging off the unbuttoned shirt hanging from his shoulders. "Little fucking tease."

His eyes raked over what was set before him and I let him soak it in without complaint.

"What should I do with all this again?" He drawled huskily, tracing one fingers down my collar bone to the tanned skin of my hips peeking from my underwear. " You're so small underneath me... I'm tempted to tie you up again, honestly."

Body coming down closer to mine, Paul's teeth grazed the inside of my thigh. My breath hitched as his fingers squeezed my erection through the cotton of my underwear, stroking me with the fabric. I didn't reply to his voiced temptation, too caught up in my cock being swallowed my Paul's hand.

"Do you want me to tie you up again, Baby?"

Focusing on Paul's face I saw the hope there. He was asking instead of just doing it to ensure I was okay from earlier. He really wanted to tie me up again and I had no problem with that. I enjoyed it the previous time, whips, role play and all. The proposition was exciting, lighting heat in my stomach. The pet name he occasionally threw at me in bed always warmed me up too.

I loved the idea of Paul playing on my vulnerability, but I played it off casually. Raising my hands above my head with elbows bent loosely, I held my wrists together. Paul watched me position them for him, already beginning to shift to his domineering role.

"I don't mind. Go ahead." I permitted him, keeping my hands perfectly placed. "Tie me up."

Paul snatched the purple tie off the sheets and used it to bind me. Hands tied above my head, Paul now went straight for my underwear. He cupped me briefly before his hands went outwards, touching my hips. The insides of my thighs were caressed by the fabric of his slacks as he wedged himself between my parted legs. Paul began feeling up the length of my calf, starting from my ankle.

"Have I mentioned how much I love your legs too? They're long."

"My calves are slender..."I protested, always feeling they were girly.

"They're perfect. They match this smooth ass of yours."

Paul's hands continued their path up my leg to my thighs, groping as they reached my ass. Kissing the surface of my hip bones, Paul folded down the elastic of my underwear to reveal more skin.

"Don't even get me started here..." He trailed off, tracing the hollows of my hips.

His breath began tickling me again, only warm lap of his tongue soothing away the ticklish sensation. The shameless flattery brought heat to my cheeks as did the roaming tongue exploring my body. Legs kept apart and my hands tied above my head, I tested my restraints as Paul sampled various bits of my skin. Coal eyes darted up in time to see.

"What? Want out so soon?"

Shaking my head, I brought my legs up to Paul's waist. When I tugged him closer my knees were grabbed and pinned back down to the bed. My boyfriend's towering torso cast a shadow over me as he lifted himself fully.

"If you're tied up you follow my rules. Forgotten so soon have you?"

"I just want to feel you on me."

My foot, which was by Paul's muscular calf kneeled along the covers, flexed to touch him. Paul grabbed my ankle, running his hand up the length of my calf to my knee. Again it was pinned down. Eyes up at him, I blinked innocently. He was waiting for me to try something but I laid there obediently. In turn I waited for the approval to surface in those dark eyes of his.

Bringing his face down to mine, I got a close up of his eyes. But my attention was fixed on his mouth. Deviant smirk formed at the corners and a deep chuckle rising from his throat, Paul let my knees go. They stayed where Paul had left them. I was rewarded with nice nip to my ear.

"You going to be a good boy again?" Paul asked me, hot breath outside my ear. "Let me have my way with you?"

He paused to gauge my reaction. The dream I confessed to must have weighed heavily on him because he anticipated an answer with baited breath. I was fine and to assure him of that, I played off any worry.

"Uh huh." I answered him, curving my waist out to please him. "You can do whatever you want to me."

His hands reacquainted themselves with my chest, specifically my nipples. Each were pinched in sync, making me gasp. My fingers twitched, my toes curled at the quick pinch. Between his thumb and forefingers he rolled the sensitive peaks, not breaking eye contact. Bottom lip caught between my teeth I held off on moaning. Paul didn't waste any time.

Gentle twists escalated to his mouth directly latching to my nipple. I shuddered as he licked around one, bringing a knee between my legs. He pressed the heat building there, teasing me with just a taste of the friction my loins craved. From my slit I leaked, the wet slippery fluid trickling down the surface of my tip. In the process of grinding his knee in to my crotch, the opening in my underwear was shifted.

The opening in the fabric was moved, the tip of my cock freed. Paul didn't notice, or so I thought. He grabbed me without even diverting his attention from my chest. I was squeezed without mercy, Paul pressing his thumb in to my leaky, swollen head. All the air in my lungs escaped, leaving me to nearly wheeze when teeth closed around my nipple harshly.

"F-Fuck" I gasped, my bottom lip free of my front teeth.

One quick jolt and my pelvis bucked from the mattress, Paul pushing me back down with the hand wrapped around my cock. It took him no effort at all to move my body, maneuver it in whichever way suited his interest. I wasn't a tiny thing but I was so small compared to him. Nowhere near the vicinity of his size or strength. In his possession, my body was a toy he was so strong and dominant. What he wanted went, and there were no questions asked.

When it came down to the bedroom, that dominance of his never failed to turn me on. Willingly giving him the control was the most empowering sensation, and it was also the most liberating. Gary took advantage of my body countless times, using me for his own satisfaction. I'd never been a dominant person and had no drive to be one intimately, but Gary didn't want to be the penetrator. The only grace I'd been granted topping Gary for years was I didn't have to go through the process of popping my own cherry, so to speak

Paul coming along interested in doing so was scary at first. Gary had experience playing with himself before deciding he wanted me to do it for him. And even so, when it came down for the first penetration, lube and all, it was a process. I learned that day Gary liked a little pain with his pleasure because slowly actual lube became a rarity. I didn't understand his masochism until Paul placed me in a position to reap the joys of it.

I moaned helplessly as Paul's stroked me, biting and sucking my chest. He was in control of me but unlike Gary, Paul had my best interest at heart. Playing with me was a consensual game, taking the power away was mutual agreement. When the teeth on my chest bit me harder, I threw my head back and moaned loudly as he nursed the bite with his tongue. Trapped under the restraints I felt so free, and in control oddly. All because I agreed to it.

Without being conscious of it, I struggled against the hold his tie had on my wrists. Up and down Paul's fingers stroked from base to tip, my heart fluttering inside my chest. As I struggled against my restraints a panic filled me, one that set adrenaline to shoot through my veins. Stimulated and excited, I moaned out for Paul to give me more.

"Faster, Paul. Please."

"What was that?"

Fingers holding my chin, Paul tilted my face up. I was still breathing heavily with him pumping my dick, pulling and tugging persistently with a set rhythm. Fast enough to drive me crazy but just slow enough not to satisfy me. Paying no attention to my dick as he stroked it, Paul's attention was on my face.

I knew he heard me, there was no way he didn't. I asked again but Paul didn't oblige. Eyes narrowing, he slowed his pace. My hips jerked and he squeezed my base, air catching in my throat with my gasp. He kissed my parted lips, licking along the surface of my open mouth briefly.

" Call me something else, maybe I'll hear you better." He suggested darkly, eating up as I squirmed and writhed. "I'm sure you remember. Or should I remind you?"

"Daddy, I want it faster."

Paul's teeth caught my skin and I yelped.

"What do we say?" He goaded me.

"Please, Daddy."

"Very good."

Tenderly kissing the spot he bit, Paul gave me what I asked for. His stroke picked up pace, his lips now latched to my neck. The saliva still wet along my nipple cooled with the air, leaving it to stand out from my chest with a chill. Whining as he sucked my skin, it dawned on me it would leave a mark. As good as it felt, I didn't need a hickey in plain sight. It was Summer, how would I ever cover that up?

"You're going to leave a mark..."

"As I should."

"People will see it!"

"It's your job to lie there and look sexy, not give me lip."

In a moment of panic I moved my neck away from him. Paul held me by the head and brought me back to position, this time only kissing the skin at risk for bruising. Tensed and braced for his teeth again, I anticipated a bite. Paul kept kissing.

"You don't want them to see you're taken? A few more bites and everyone will know your Daddy's little pet." He suggested proudly, eating me up. "They shouldn't get any ideas, what's mine is mine."

Paul respected my boundary, keeping in character while doing so. Instead of outwardly telling me he understood I didn't want a big hickey on my neck during a season I couldn't cover up, he rerouted the target area. The kissing stopped on my neck and Paul lifted my legs. Pawing at my outer thighs his enthusiasm was unrelenting. He couldn't touch all of me at once but surely would have if he could. Smoldering eyes burning my skin, he stared over my body then looked at the skin he'd sucked upon. His hand slid back to grasp my buttock, squeezing warningly.

"I'll leave your neck alone if that's what you want, but everything else is fair game now. Especially this." He warned me. "You've used up your accommodations. Now be good for Daddy and roll over. "

Not being given the choice of doing it on my own, Paul flipped me. My stomach hit the sheets and I raised my hips upon impact to accommodate for the erection sticking out from my pelvis. Unsatisfied and throbbing, it ached with Paul's absent touch.

"Daddy, what are you going to do?"

The sliding of leather being pulled from belt loops came from behind me. My ears perked at the sound, already knowing what Paul had planned. The belt came all the way out and a snap made me flinch. I stilled completely, expecting Paul to strike me without warning. Moments passed and I felt no hit, only the heat of Paul's stare burning holes in to me.

Finally his belt touched me, but gently. He traced the curved of my ass with the leather, making me tense. He didn't hit me. Relieved, I took a breath. Halfway through that sigh of relief my skin was set aflame with a hot burn as his belt struck me across the ass.

"F-Fuck!" I yelled out sharply, startled out of my wits.

"You should know better than to let your guard down."

He struck me again, then one more time. The abrupt assault was overwhelming, my cheeks hot and burning the sheets beneath me as I rested my face. Paul cupped the cheek he whipped with his entire hand, kneading the sore flesh.

"I wouldn't want to mark up this lovely ass of yours... but I may not have a choice." He growled, feeling the plush flesh of my pert ass in his hand. "Think you can handle that, Baby?"

In truth, I wasn't sure if I could handle what my boyfriend wanted to do. I trusted him wholeheartedly not to actually hurt me but bruises were still bruises. The bite of his whip was heavenly, that delicious buzz that hummed from the impact absolutely addictive. I'd take what he'd give me, but how much I could take was the question. Because to my understanding, what Paul was about to do would hurt. A lot.

"...if I can't handle it, Daddy?" I asked him wearily.

"Then tell me when you can't handle anymore."

The belt grazed the skin of my unblemished cheek, Paul tapping it softly.

"Raise your waist higher." he demanded. "Ass up and keep it there."

"Yes, Daddy."

Doing as he pleased, I raised my waist higher and pushed my ass up. With my bound hands held protectively under my chest, I waited submissively for Paul to carry out his whippings to my ass. Kisses peppered up the small of my back and spine, making their way to my shoulder.

"Such a good boy." he praised outside my ear. "But consider this punishment for interrupting my fun earlier."

His teeth sunk in to my shoulder then the crack of his makeshift whip bounced off the walls and back to me as I felt the pain blossom. I was given less time to recover, the belt coming down on me again before I had time to brace myself for another hit. I cried out, gathering sheets in my fingers beneath me. Eyes watering, the tears in my eyes stung nothing like my skin did. It riled me up, my erection tight and swollen. Had my ass not felt positively sore I would have shook it for Paul. Coincidentally enough that what was exactly what he wanted. He held off hitting me again, telling me to shake my ass for him.

"My ass hurts, Daddy..."

"Shake it here or I'm making you get up and dance for me. Take your pick."

Getting up and dancing for Paul naked was not a option in my head. So sucking it up, I tightened my core and wiggled my hips around. To one side and to the other I swayed. Never had I ever used what I'd learned in dance within the walls of any bedroom. I never used it outside of class. So unsure of myself, I treaded carefully and tried moving my hips in a seductive manner in my position.

From behind me Paul watched approvingly, not that I was brave enough to check. He cupped himself through his pants, nursing the large bulge there. Focusing on keeping my rhythm, I kept calm, glad that what I was doing pleased Paul. Of course my comfort zone shrunk drastically because the small show Paul originally requested no longer reached his satisfaction. As I heard his pants unzip, he made another request.

"Bounce a little, I know you can"

"Paul-ow!"

"Run that by me again."

"Daddy..."

Grunting in approval, Paul retracting the arm he whipped me with.

"Now move." he ordered, his voice low and indicating he wasn't going to budge. "I'm waiting."

If he wanted it I guess I had no choice but to give it to him. It wasn't easy to prepare myself to do it, I froze. I completely expected to get whipped, assuming Paul thought I was being disobedient. I was experiencing sincere insecurity though. He didn't whip me for disobeying, instead his gravely voice came from behind me. The problem at hand must have been obvious to him. He didn't break character, but he reassured me I had no reason to be insecure.

"There's nothing Daddy loves more than his little pet. Everything about him. Now show me what you can do."

Remembering the demanding character behind me was still Paul pushed down some of my insecurity. I didn't feel sexy or anywhere near attractive enough to pull off any sort of bedroom enticement... but if my boyfriend wanted it then there wasn't a reason to be so shy. He wasn't going to judge me or make fun of me if I did something wrong.

Back arched, I positioned myself to bounce how he wanted. As I wiggled and moved for him, I kept my eyes fixed on the sheets below me. Paul watched me shake and bounce, reaching out to grab at me. Belt dropped, he cupped both my cheeks in his large hands, fondling possessively. I never thought I'd ever love being the recipient of another man's possessive nature but being on the end of Paul's generous attention was satisfying. I loved it. His attention was positive.

"See, you've got it." He praised me huskily. "See what you do to me?"

Paul pressed his pelvis forward, grinding his clothed erection in to my ass. He'd only done it for the sake of revealing how aroused he was but I took it a step farther be it my confidence was building. His work pants unzipped freed his erection of the strain of being crushed, so with only the material of his boxers separating us I ground my bare ass back on to him.

He was deliciously well endowed, his girth so thick and heavy against me. I rubbed my ass in to it, wanting to feel it bare inside me. I almost teased myself more than Paul, torturing myself with friction that did me no favors. The only favor it earned me was worsen Paul's aggressive arousal.

"I think you want something." he accused, disapproval completely absent. "I wonder what it is."

Paul took himself in hand after pulling his erection free of his boxers. The bulbous head poked below my entrance as he pried one of my cheeks open to see it better. His tip was slippery with his natural lubrication but of course it was nowhere near enough for him to penetrate me. As he dragged his slippery tip up to my entrance and pressed, panic filled me. The last time Paul and I had tried that it hurt. He held me in place, assuring me he wasn't going to do what I thought he was going to do. He just dragged his tip across my entrance, applying pressure to tease me. Nudging in a bit tested my entrance's resistance. My body's natural reflex was to tense up. Assuring myself Paul would keep his promise to not to try anything, I relaxed. Humming pleasurably at the feeling of my boyfriend's bare cock running up and down my spread ass, I groaned at the tight feeling of my entrance resisting him. I resumed my saucy wiggle back in to his pelvis, playing with the cock eager to slip inside me. Pushing against me, Paul played back. Back and forth we took turns teasing one another. It brought our temperatures up fast. The back and forth teasing did nothing to satisfy our urges, it only worsened the craving. We wanted each other so badly. An overzealous press of my hips backwards and we got each other.

"AH! P-Paul-fuck..."

In the heated frenzy Paul had slipped it completely unintentionally. Just the head entered me, stretching me more than I was ready for at once. Having not been prepared with Paul's fingers or properly lubricated, my body resisted the intrusion. Clamping down reflexively, my hole held Paul tightly. For me it hurt a little, for Paul it was a test of restraint.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, gathering his composure. "You're fucking tight."

"Just don't move. D-Don't move..."

Paul stayed still, trapped as just the tip of his erection was inside me. My entrance squeezed and fluttered around him, naturally trying to push him out. As a result, I loosened and adjusted to him there. Cheek rested on the sheets I panted, feeling my entrance open up to accommodate Paul. He cussed under his breath, itching to sink himself all the way inside me. The concern he had for me held off that urge as well as shut down the roleplay.

"No pain, right?" he checked, keeping perfectly still. "Are you okay?"

The initial penetration was uncomfortable but after moments of breathing and waiting it out my body accommodated for it. Still panting, this time from arousal, I gingerly tried rocking my hips. He slipped in a smidge more, cussing loudly as my dry entrance sucked him in tightly again. My saucy act killed off Paul's worry and he reached an arm out to pull open the nightstand with his fingers. Just within close enough reach of it, he fished out a small tube of lotion he'd placed there from our last stay.

Some lotion was squeezed out on to Paul's fingers and he traced it around the skin pulled taut around his cock. It was cold on my entrance, warming as Paul rubbed it in. The rest of his length was lubricated and he pushed in. With the small lotion bottle placed aside, Paul positioned his hands on either side of my head, layering his body over my back. Sinking his erection straight down in me, he slowly opened me up.

The further he sunk in the tighter it became. My job was to breathe through it. That I did. I breathed so laboredly Paul thought I was in pain. Only I wasn't in pain, I was excited. When Paul stopped to check how I was holding up, I egged him on by pushing back on to him. Taking an inch of him inside me earned me a smack across the ass.

"Here I am going easy on you and you're feeling just fine."

"Paul I want you-FUCK!"

The force behind the surprise spanking felt near brutal on my sensitive, sore skin. My scream of pain died off with labored panting and my thighs trembling. Paul gave a sharp thrust and sheathed himself completely in me, shriveling my voicebox momentarily.

"Careful what you wish you." Paul chided, twining his fingers in my scalp.

He bucked his hips in to me, holding the position for a moment. Again he bucked forward, rocking my body with the thrust. Again and again he used his strength to push in to me, grunting as he picked up a moderate pace. As soon as his thrusts picked up I arched my back and swiveled my hips in to his. He bit the bruising flesh of my shoulder, adding an additional set of teeth marks there. My hips didn't stop and he pushed my head down to the mattress, squishing my cheek on to the sheets.

"You're just looking to get punished, aren't you? Answer me."

"P-Paul-"

"What was that?"

Rearing up, Paul slapped me across the ass. The abused flesh hurt but the yell tethering on my lips retreated as the pleasurable spark shot warmth over me. A breathy gasp escaped instead and the fingers in my hair tugged.

"M-Master..."

"Don't you fucking forget it."

His hand snaked under my chest, pulling me until I kneeled up with him. My back to his chest, he shoved me forward towards the headboard. With hands still bound, I nearly didn't catch myself. With more my wrists than my hands, I caught the top of the headboard and held on.

"Back straight, ass out."

Obeying his instructions, I straightened out my spine and popped my ass out how he wanted. His left hand came up to hold the headboard and his right clenched my hip. The position was new and I had no time to adjust as Paul began ramming back in to me.

My arms shook as he thrusted, my bones and joints rattling with the headboard. It rattled and hit the wall repeatedly, Paul showing no mercy to it or me. We were alone and it gave him a free pass to make all the noise he wanted. Or have me make all the noise he wanted. My moaning rose but he wanted me louder.

"Do you like that?" He demanded, pushing with his chest to pin me to the headboard. "Cuz I can't hear you."

"I love it! It feels so tight, yes!" I moaned out, voice rising an octave when he hit my prostate directly."Ah! A-Ah! Fuck, yes."

" Louder."

The headboard bounced off the wall with Paul's pace, clattering loudly. My volume rose under demand of Paul who grunted as he fucked me. He sounded so masculine. I envisioned what he looked like fucking me from behind like that and my arousal spiked. Crying out wantonly, I begged for him to fuck me harder. Despite the repercussions for speaking out of line, I kept on.

My enthusiasm took Paul by surprise. He was sweating with his thrusts, fucking me so hard he was almost using me. The more I cried out the harder I got spanked. I felt myself getting close and I wanted that release so badly. I was desperate for it. I began closing my entrance down on Paul, squeezing rhythmically. I was on the edge and so was Paul, he was closer than I was.

"Take it easy." he ordered me, biting the junction of my shoulder groaning . "Play dirty and you're in trouble."

"I'm so close though! "

My wailing and insistent hips were my boyfriend's undoing. He pulled my chin to direct my face back at him then kissed me, sucking the breath from me. I fought for air as I moaned for him, shaking my ass in to him as my stomach coiled with the building climb to my release. Tilting his hips up higher, Paul stroked my sweet spot more intensely. Eyes shut and mouth spread open along his, I tensed as I came on Paul. My release shot up in to my chest and stomach, my entrance sucking him in to tightly.

Tremors shook my diaphragm and limbs, my arms giving out. They slipped from the headboard but Paul kept me pinned, wrapping an arm around me. Holding me in place, he rocked his pelvis in to me thrusting shallowly. My body milked him, his seed shooting deep inside me. The warmth filled my inner passage, wet and dewy but so satisfying.

I sighed against his lips, satisfied and completely spent. As I caught my breath, I could feel my entire body still trembling softly. Paul pulsed inside me, face buried in my neck as his orgasm carried on. Kisses glossed over the bruising bite marks on my shoulder when the pleasurable waves subsided and Paul took a heavy breath.

"You drive me crazy." he praised, rubbing the skin of my sticky belly. "Absolutely crazy."

"Mmm... I'm so tired" I sighed back, weakly lifting my bound hands. " A little help?"

Pulling out of me, he leaned back to sit and put me in his lap. He ignored as some of his release leaked out of me on to his thigh, undoing the knot binding my wrists together. Some circulation had been lost, small indents in my skin. Paul took my wrists in each hand and massaged them to get the blood flowing better.

"Thank you." I whispered, leaning my head on him and flexing my fingers. "They're a little numb."

The feeling back in my hands, Paul placed a kiss on one. My left one specifically. Looking over my shoulder at him I smiled, getting a kiss on the forehead in return. I turned in his lap to hold him around the neck and kiss his lips. Some seminal leakage slipped and I froze embarrassed. That was Paul's cue to pick me up and carry me to the bathroom.

As he sat me down on the sink, I was perfectly content to see him run a bath. I saw him test the temperature carefully three times as it ran from the faucet, making sure it wasn't too hot. When the tub filled halfway, he turned around and got me. Sitting down with me, he got comfortable with his back to the tiled wall and I leaned forward to shut off the water. I winced as the water touched my ass, the skin stinging where I'd been spanked and whipped.

"Your ass is red, the right side especially" Paul announced, poking it gently with one finger.

"Ow, don't touch it!"

" Don't touch it? That's not what you were saying five minutes ago."

I pouted, carefully lowering myself to sit with my back to Paul's chest. The water hurt more than Paul's finger did. The entire surface of my ass stung, the skin irritated and mildly more raw closer to my right hip.

"Well five minutes ago was different, clearly."

"I know. I'm just teasing you. Let me wash you. Get comfortable."

Paul took the washcloth and dipped it in the water to wet it then drizzled soap over it. The warm wet cloth touched my shoulder and he washed me. I relaxed in to the touch and when done with my back and shoulders he had me turn around. Positioned in his lap, he washed my chest and arms,moving down to my belly and clean away my release. The washcloth grazed over the shoulder he'd bitten multiple times and I flinched back.

"I got you harder than I meant to. Let me wash it so it doesn't get infected."

One of Paul's teeth cut a small line in to my skin, revealing why the soap had stung so horribly. Holding my wrist in one hand, Paul washed up my arm slowly and blotted the teeth marks left on my shoulder. He wrung out the cloth then dipped it again to rinse soap off of me.

The cloth was set aside as he soaped up his hands again, reaching around to my backside. Again I flinched, the skin there awfully sore already. Paul and I had gotten carried away. He washed the globes of my ass, slipping fingers in between to wash away his essence. I blushed, clearing my throat and looking anywhere but his face.

"You're embarrassed over this?"

"Maybe..."

"Psh."

Cupping water in his hands he washed away the soap suds. Blushing, I rolled my eyes at his teasing. The tip of his fingers circled my entrance and he kissed the teeth marks on my shoulder. He didn't insert his finger but did tell me how sexy he thought I was submitting to him, writhing around tied and begging for him. That bit of conversation I tried to breeze past. I reached for the bottle of soap and told Paul I'd wash his chest, not responding to direct sexual remark. His hand stroked over my ass, him smirking as I was openly embarrassed but attempted to pretend it wasn't obvious. I applied more soap to the washcloth, putting it to Paul's chest. Washing up from his abs I ran the cloth over his chest and his pectorals. I paused, hand on one. Something struck me as amazing. Spreading my hand out as big as I could, I blinked a few times.

"Your pecs are bigger than the span of my hand."

"So they are."

"No Paul, they're like massive. Wow."

Paul glanced down and saw his pectorals outsized my hands completely. He wasn't as impressed by it as I was. I dropped the washcloth completely and covered each pec with one hand. My hands roamed out further to his arms, wrapping around his biceps. Only they could just curl around about half the muscle.

"Why haven't I noticed how big you are? "

"I find it hard to believe you haven't noticed." Paul implied, eyes dipping down the curve of my ass

"Not like that!"

Flicking water at him I rolled my eyes then brought both hands back to his biceps. I felt him up under innocent intentions, Paul not as impressed as I was with his size. Reggie had said Paul really grew once puberty hit. Between training and his genetics, he grew to be huge. Paul's only interest with his size lay in his strength and ability to defend against danger, not vanity. But his immense fitness was admirable, as well hot.

"I mean it more like... you take good care of yourself is all. You're in good shape, it's impressive."

"No one fucks with you when you're this big. But if you like it then enjoy."

He winked at me and I tapped his biceps awkwardly, carefully releasing them. Of everything Paul did to fluster me, a wink was enough to turn my face red and my stomach a gooey mess. Paul told me I was cute, tugging me down to his chest. The water splashed with the movement, almost rising over the tub ledge on to the floor.

Hurriedly I looked over to make sure we didn't make a mess of the floor when Paul's hands reacquainted themselves with my ass. It went beyond a playful touch, him feeling the tight mounds sensually. I tried batting his hand away but got a narrowed eye stare with adulterous agenda.

"You felt me up." Paul argued. "Fair is fair."