More than friends

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter done. R/L can be a bitch sometimes. I made this chapter extra long to make up for the wait. Enjoy.

Tara awoke to the klaxon of the smoke detector and jumped out of bed. She ran down the hall buck naked and saw Dawn standing in front of the sink running water on a frying pan and fanning black smoke out the open window over the sink, the sound of the hood fan over the stove droning on in the background. The panic subsided and the smell of nondescript burnt food caught her nostrils.
Dawn threw the spatula in the sink disgustedly and turned to run over and yank the battery out of the smoke detector before it woke up Tara, only to see her standing at the near end of the short hall with one hand clutching her stomach and the other covering her mouth as she desperately tried not to laugh; Though the slight jiggling of her voluptuous breasts was mute testament to the futility of the gesture. Dawn appreciated the gesture though.
Mirth twinkled in Tara’s eyes as she saw Dawn turn toward the hall and blush as she saw Tara standing there, She waited to see what Dawn’s reaction would be. Dawn just shrugged her shoulders and wrinkled up her nose. “So much for surprising you with breakfast in bed” she said. Tara crossed the room and opened her arms wide offering a hug. Dawn hesitated only a moment before letting Tara envelope her in her deceptively strong arms.
As Tara felt the warmth of Dawn’s cheek on her breast as she laid her head down she suddenly realized she was completely nude. “I’m naked, aren’t I?” she asked, more stating a fact than asking a question. She felt Dawn’s head shake where it lain on her breast. “Yeah, I noticed that”, Dawn mumbled. Now Tara blushed too. “Well guess we’re even on the akward this morning then” she said, opening her arms as Dawn stood up. She backed up but noticed Dawn take a long look at her body before hurrying back to her room. “Be right back sweetie” she said over her shoulder.
Dawn watched Tara’s firm ass as it disappeared down the hall. Suddenly she was sweating for a whole different reason. The sound of running water caught her attention. “Shit!” she exclaimed turning and killing the flowing tap just before it overflowed the sink. Thankfully most of the smoke had dissipated and the alarm went silent. She reached into the sink to pull the drain and sloshed water on the floor. “Damn it!” she exclaimed grabbing a dish towel and squatting down to clean up the mess.
Tara grabbed her silk kimono and was hurrying down the hall tying the sash as she her Dawn start cussing. Thankfully the alarm cut out. As she stepped back into the living room to try and soothe and placate Dawn she saw her bend over to mop up a spill. She held her breath and raised an eyebrow at the pink thong between the tanned and toned cheeks of a cute little ass. Now that it seemed there was something between them fleeting thoughts of times she had seen Dawn come out of the bathroom naked flashed through her minds-eye and she shuttered.
Dawn stood up and the short negligee she wore covered her ass. She threw the towel in the other side of the sink and shook her head. A sigh let her know Tara was back and she turned around fighting the urge to cry. Thankfully and disappointingly Tara was wearing her silk kimono. It covered her from neck to knees in the shiny purple fabric with gold trim.
Tara crossed the room and hugged Dawn again. “Thank you for my almost breakfast in bed. It was a lovely thought.” She whispered. “Who knew french toast could actually burst into flame” she heard Dawn say in a forlorn whisper. She couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped as she rubbed the back of the brunettes head. “Oh sweetie, that’s why we agreed to let me do the cooking” she whispered into the ear at her shoulder and saw in turn red in embarrassment. Dawn sighed and Tara gave her a squeeze.
“We’ve got time to get veggie subs before work, if we hurry” she said and heard another sigh from her companion. “It really was a lovely gesture though. Thank you” she said. Dawn pulled away and nodded. Tara dropped her arms and slid them under Dawn’s negligee to give each bare cheek a quick squeeze and then whacked them both with a satisfying slapping sound that made Dawn jump and scream in surprise. “Hey!”
Tara silenced the protests with a quick chased kiss. “Hurry up and shower so I can get ready. I get cranky when I’m hungry” she said.
Dawn headed down the hall rubbing her backside. “So I noticed” she mumbled as she made her way to her room. Quickly grabbing clean work clothes she darted into the bathroom and locked the door. It had been a long time since she had seen Tara so playful and liked seeing it again, even more since it was directed at her.

~***~
They slid into the booth at the tiny Subway around the corner from the main part of the mall they worked at, facing each other. “Promise me you’ll let me teach you if you want to do any more cooking” Tara said as she unwrapped her sandwich. Dawn rolled her eyes and then yelped as Tara kicked her under the table. “Ok, Ok, I promise” she said pulling her abused shin further under her seat, even though she knew it was a futile gesture with Tara’s freakishly long legs.

~***~

It was an easy day and Dawn got off early since the owner was closing tonight. Dawn enjoyed the novelty of walking out the main entrance into the mall. “Bye, Dawn. Have a good time tonight” the owner, Paul, said waving at her as she left. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. “Thanks, See you Monday morning.” She contemplated stopping at the library at the base of the escalator to do some research on good first date places but she really wanted to get her hair and nails done before Tara got off at six.
She decided to go to the little spa across the hall from the hobby shop, she had been meaning to check it out since she had started at Oz. Walking into the shop it had a nice peaceful atmosphere and she was immediately greeted by the receptionist. It only took forty-five minutes and she hardly recognized herself in the mirror when they were done. Her hair was in an elaborate French style with the curls cascading down over her shoulder and she had just a hint of cherry lip gloss to make her lips nice and shiny.
Checking her watch she still had a little over an hour before the book store upstairs closed. She walked into the library and surveyed the computer situation. There were a few open terminals so she sat down at the nearest available one and fished her card out of her backpack to log in. She spent about forty-five minutes in the library and printed out ten pages of ideas. She paid the librarian a dollar for the printouts and headed upstairs to wait for Tara.

~***~

Tara wheeled the half full cart of books down the short hall, passed the office and the bathrooms to the storage area, it’s doors marked Employees Only, and parked it in the slot with her name on it. She continued to the small locker room and sat on the bench for a moment. It was always a challenge when the local pre-school came over for story time. The teacher and her helpers tried to keep the kids from making a mess and for the most part they were successful but there were always a bunch of books out of order afterward. She didn’t mind though she loved the kids and they seemed to respond well to her so it was a small price to pay.

~***~

Dawn came over the rise of the escalator and was relieved to see the pink haired girl at the information booth. She smiled and walked over to her. “Can I help you?” the girl asked before recognizing Dawn. “Oh! You’re Tara’s roommate, I didn’t recognize you. You look great!” Dawn smiled. “Thanks, do you know where she is?” The girl nodded “I think she’s parking her cart and getting ready to go.”

“Attention customers, The store will be closing in five minutes. Please bring all selections to the front of the store and thank you for shopping with us today.” Came the announcement over the PA.

“Tara hasn’t seen the new me can I hide in the corner?” Dawn asked pointing to the comfy overstuffed chairs arranged back to back in the horse shoe shaped cubby of books next to the booth. The girl smiled conspiratorially and nodded “Sure”.
No more than a minute or two after she sat down Tara walked by looking toward the food court where they usually met. She stopped at the booth and asked the girl if she had seen Dawn. The girl shook her head no as she saw Dawn sneaking up behind Tara. “Thanks for taking the kids this morning” she said to keep Tara distracted. “No problem, anytime” Tara said happily as Dawn reached around and covered Tara’s eyes “Do you like surprises?” she whispered in Tara’s ear.
After the initial surprise of having her eyes covered passed and she recognized Dawn’s voice she relaxed. “Well, that depends on the surprise and the surpriser” she said Playfully.

“Attention customers, The store is now closed. Please make your way to the front of the store and thank you for shopping with us today. Please come again. Good Night.” Came the final announcement over the PA.

The pink haired girl in the booth smiled at Tara and Dawn.

“I guess in this case it would be alright” Tara said mock seriously. Dawn pulled her hands away and Tara took a step forward and pivoted to look at Dawn. Her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged in her head. Self-consciously she asked “Do you like it?”. Tara stared for a moment before she could form a cohesive thought. “You look beautiful” she exclaimed and Dawn relaxed with a sigh of relief.
Tara hugged Dawn as the lights in the book store section dimmed. “What a lovely surprise” she whispered in Dawn’s ear.
As they separated the pink haired girl pulled her bag out from under the counter of the booth and waved to them as she headed for the escalator.

They walked over to the lounge area in front of the food court and Dawn intertwined her fingers with Tara’s . Tara smiled at Dawn and squeezed her hand. They sat sideway in one of the loveseats in front of the two story windows that faced the food court. “So what’s the occasion for the make-over?” Tara asked “Got a hot date?” she teased. Dawn smiled and caressed Tara’s thumb with her own.
“The Hottest” she said “I was hoping she would have tea with me at Starbucks before I took her home”.
“I think she would like that” Tara said. “So is this your first date?”
Dawn smiled “Yeah, I’m kinda nervous cause she is super hot”
Tara nodded “I’m sure she is nervous too. You are a knockout”
Dawn blushed.
Tara stood up pulling Dawn with her. She lead Dawn over to the elevator and pushed the button. The doors opened immediately and they stepped in. As the doors started to close Dawn reached for the down button but Tara grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. Staring into her eyes she leaned in cupping Dawn’s cheek and closed her eyes as she started to kiss her. Just a tentative taste of those glistening lips at first. “Umm, Cherry” she said. Dawn sorta mumbled “Uh Huh…” as Tara leaned back in for a more forceful kiss. She traced the contour of Dawn’s mouth with her tongue and Dawn parted her lips obligingly. Tara explored the hot wet depths of Dawn’s mouth, coaxing Dawn’s tongue to dance with hers. After several long seconds she bit down gently on Dawn’s bottom lip and scraped her teeth along Dawn’s bottom lip. Then proceeded to trail soft kisses along her petite jaw to her collar bone where she sucked gently clamping down on her neck and licking the pulse point in her neck in rhythm with her pulse.
Dawn’s knees went weak and she began to pant in ecstasy.
Tara pulled away from Dawn’s neck and smiled at her. “You like that huh?” she whispered.
Dawn nodded and looked at Tara with a glassy eyed grin. “Damn you’re the best kisser ever” she sighed.
Tara smiled and pushed the down button “Thank you sweetie”

It only took a few seconds to ride the elevator down and the early evening sun was streaming through the glass doors as they walked out toward the Starbucks across the parking lot.

~***~

The Starbucks was cozy, with only a half dozen tables or so. The quiet folksy music played gently over the speakers and the album cover of the currently playing song bounced slowly around the flat screen above the rack of CD’s. There were only three patrons in the store. One couple in the booth in the corner and a blonde guy in his late twenties or early thirties drinking a coffee and working on a laptop in one of the trademark overstuffed chairs.

The two young women behind the counter waited patiently as Tara and Dawn looked at the menu. One of them wore a headset for the drive-thru. “What do you want babe” Dawn asked as she pulled her wallet out of her backpack.
“I’m thinking Earl Grey” Tara smiled.
Dawn stepped up to the counter as the girl wearing the head set walked over to the register by the window, talking to someone outside.
“Welcome to Starbucks, how can I help you?” The other girl asked with a smile. “Um, We’ll have two Grande Earl Grey Tea’s and one of those giant brownies”. “Do you want your brownie heated?” the girl asked as she started heating the water for the Teas. Dawn nodded “Yes please, With two forks”.
The girl nodded and put the brownie in the microwave then turned off the steam and poured the water into the cups, putting the cardboard sleeves over them. She set the cups on the counter with the tea bags on top of the lids as the microwave dinged. Dawn paid with her Starbucks card and they took their purchases over to the table next to the window. Most of the time they liked to watch the people coming and going from the bus stops in front of the store and across the street, but tonight they were more interested in each other.
As they were steeping their tea a young brunette came out of the bathroom and joined the blonde who had been typing away on his laptop. At first glance Dawn thought she was his younger sister because she looked to be about Dawn’s age. However when she sat on his lap and kissed him the way no siblings should ever kiss she was forced to change her mind.
“Isn’t that the couple that lives in the apartment above us?” Tara whispered.
Dawn snuck another glance and raised an eyebrow. “Now that you mention it I think you are right” She said. “I thought he looked familiar when we walked in”.

The brunette broke the kiss and hugged him “I love you Eric” she said and he wrapped his arms around her waist. “I love you to Katie” He said nuzzling her neck.

Dawn demurely slid her hand over to rest on top of Tara’s and squeezed it. “It must be nice to be that secure with yourself and your relationship” she said. Tara smiled at Dawn “We’ll get there sweetie. It’s only been a day”. She took a drink of her tea and decided it was strong enough. With a twinkle in her eyes she scooped a bit of brownie up and held it out for Dawn.
Dawn smiled back at Tara and opened her mouth. Tara slowly moved the fork into Dawn’s
mouth and watched as Dawn closed her eyes and savored the decadence of the brownie. Tara pulled the fork back and then playfully wiped the bit of fudge clinging to the tines over the tip of Dawn’s nose.
“Hey!” Dawn whimpered as she wiped the fudge from her nose with her napkin, blushing when the couple from their building looked over at the commotion with a knowing smile. Dawn tried to retaliate but Tara stayed carefully out of reach as they finished the brownie.
Looking out the window at the fading sun Tara was surprised to see that it had gotten so late. “Are you ready to go home?” she asked with a suggestive waggling of her eyebrows. Dawn blushed as she nodded yes. As they got up out of the booth Tara kissed Dawn’s cheek. “You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed” she said taking Dawn’s hand and leading her out of the shop to stand at the bus stop on the corner.
The bus pulled up and waited for everyone to squeeze in. Dawn lead Tara to the back of the bus and sat in the last seat, thankfully the rest of the people were clustered at the front of the bus. “So what did you have in mind tonight?” Dawn whispered. Tara shrugged “I thought we’d play it by ear” she whispered back. Leaning in she pulled the top of Dawn’s ear between her lips and gently began to suck on the tender flesh, scraping her teeth here and there, flicking the silver ring there with her tongue before tracing the swirl down into her ear and gently blowing down the canal.
Dawn gasped in surprise and closed her eyes again. Her breath hitched and she moaned quietly. “Oh, goddess. Tara” she whimpered. Tara smiled and nuzzled her nose to Dawn’s cheek. Dawn’s head was spinning and her heart was racing. “You’re supposed to be the shy one, remember?” Dawn mumbled. Tara sighed contently as she let her head rest on Dawn’s shoulder “I’ve known you too long to be shy with you, sweetie” she said contentedly.
They walked hand in hand across the common area toward their building, the last rays of the sun blushing the sky a brilliant pink hue. As they approached they saw the couple from Starbucks on the balcony of their apartment. Katie was on Eric’s lap again and she smiled and waved a friendly hello to them as they entered the circle of light cast by the lamp over the entrance hall.
They waved back and entered the building. Dawn fished her keys out and as she unlocked the door Tara pinched her ass. “Oh!” Dawn squealed in a very girlie tone. Tara hurried in as Dawn tried to shut the door on her. “Would you really lock your poor, defenseless girlfriend out?” she asked with her lower lip stuck out in a mock pout and batting her luscious eyelashes at Dawn. Dawn rolled her eyes at that “Oh Pah-lease” she said making the word into two syllables “You’re about as helpless as a momma Grizzly” she giggled.
“Would if helped if I kissed it?” Tara asked tartly. Dawn grinned and blushed at the same time “It just might” she said jokingly and then wished she hadn’t as Tara spun her around by the shoulders and started to pull the knee length skirt slowly up her legs. “I was kidding!” she said her cheeks flaming now. “No, no I don’t want it said that I was unkind” she said as she pulled the skirt up over Dawn’s firm and well rounded ass.
She grinned at the blue cotton thong Dawn wore, leaving her cheeks fully exposed. The string rising through them met the waist with a frilly blue bow that had a pink flower in the center. She gently squeezed the abused cheek and then kissed it gently at first, laving her tongue over the red spot. The salty taste of Dawn’s skin was like the first drink of water from a cool oasis for a dehydrated desert crosser.
Dawn shivered as Tara started to squeeze her ass and massage it. Her stomach tightened and a tingle spread between her legs as Tara scraped her teeth over her tender flesh and sucked gently before biting down until a groan of pleasure escaped from Dawn. All too soon the sensation was gone and her skirt was being pulled back down.
“Is it better now?” Tara whispered into Dawn’s ear from behind trailing a hand up her side playfully close to Dawn’s still tingling breast but maddeningly not touching it. “No, why did you stop?” she whined. Tara nuzzled her nose into Dawn’s neck “Patience love, We’ve got all the time in the world to learn each other’s bodies” she kissed the base of Dawn’s neck and traced gentle kisses up to her jaw, turning her head so that she could feel the caress of those soft, cherry flavored lips again. After an eternity and no time at all she pulled away and looked at Dawn standing there with her eyes still closed. Accented with a baby blue eye shadow and a gentle rouge on her cheeks she was taken with her beauty.
Dawn opened her eyes and saw Tara staring at her with glossy eyes and turned to face her. “What’s wrong Sweetie?” She asked trying out Tara’s favorite endearment. Tara shook her head and had to cleared her throat before she could answer. “Nothing” she said “You’re just so beautiful”.
Dawn stepped into Tara and caressed cheek leaning in to kiss her back, gently tracing the contour of Tara’s lips with her tongue before sliding her tongue into Tara’s mouth. She delved deeper that she had before exploring every tooth and crevice of the wet opening, only pulling away when she was dizzy from lack of breath and only reluctantly then.
Pulling back she looked into Tara’s blue eyes locking her arms around the other woman’s waist “You are pretty gorgeous yourself, Ya know” she said and was rewarded with a deep blush from Tara this time.

They decided to see what was on tv and settled on the movie ‘Ten things I Hate About You’. As they sat on the couch enjoying the movie Tara snuggled against Dawn with her head pillowed on Dawn’s breast and Dawn wrapped her arm around Tara’s shoulders. “This is such a cute movie” Tara said as she absently munched from the bag of microwave popcorn that sat between them. Dawn smiled and kissed the top of Tara’s head “It’s one of my favorites, I’m glad you like it” she said.
Tara glanced up at her and Dawn kissed her forehead, then spontaneously she reached over with her free hand and began to fondly Tara’s right breast, gently at first and then more urgently. Tara’s nipples perked at the stimulation and she sighed. “Oh so that’s how it is, huh?” she groaned and reached up to cup Dawn’s breast and tease her nipple too. Tara sat up and Dawn slid both hands under Tara’s shirt teasing her fingers up her sides before she cupped Tara’s firm large breasts and began to knead the flesh rubbing the bra clad nipples and pinching them playfully. “Is that silk?” she asked and Tara grinned. “So are the panties” she answered they match the bra. Dawn groaned and felt the first hint of wetness between her thighs.
She quit fondling momentarily to pull the long sleeve shirt up over Tara’s breasts to expose the red silk bra, which she was surprised to see was front latch. She leaned down to kiss the tops of the gorgeous orbs, then she pulled the shirt up forcing Tara to lift her arms over her head and stopped again just after the neck pulled past her lips trapping her and leaned in to kiss her again. “Oh, Dawn” Tara moaned as she sat at the young woman’s mercy. Dawn pulled the shirt the rest of the way off and started to move back in to resume her work, However Tara pushed her back against the couch and straddled Dawn. She leaned in dangling her breasts in Dawn’s face and then pulled back when Dawn tried to kiss them. She pushed Dawn’s head back with one hand and leaned down to kiss the cleft of her breasts licking it teasingly with her hot tongue. She slid her hand Down the neck of Dawn’s shirt and over the curve of her breast sliding her index finger under the edge Dawn’s bra and tracing a line down the triangle to the bottom of her breast and then sliding her hand in to cup Dawn’s bare breast. Slowly she moved around under her nipple teasing the edge of her areola before sliding her palm up to grasp the breast and rub the nipple as she began to fondle.
“Oh, goddess Tara” she exclaimed for the second time today. Tara smiled down at the brunette, beginning to grind her crotch against Dawn’s abdomen. Dawn gasped a high pitched moan at this new sensation. They were both getting wet now. Dawn arched her back to increase the contact and Tara responded by grinding harder against her “Oh, Yeah baby” she moaned and squeezed Dawn’s breast harder. He vision hazed with desire Dawn reached up and unfastened Tara’s bra to free her luscious tits. Watching them sway enticingly as Tara moved Dawn reached for one and just brushed the nipple to cause a shiver to run down Tara’s spine.
Tara pinched Dawn’s nipple between her thumb and index finger and sparks flashed in front of Dawn’s eyes and her whole body exploded in a ripple of orgasmic delight. She shuddered and bucked and Tara was surprised and delighted that she had made Dawn cum without taking any of her clothes off, yet…
“Oh Tara, that was amazing. Please don’t stop” she said almost desperately. Tara leaned down and kissed her passionately. Then she pulled her hand out of Dawn’s bra and the nipple ached against the fabric. Dawn started to protest but Tara put a finger to her lips to silence her and pulled her shirt up and off. She smiled at the white cotton bra with multi-colored polka-dots of varying sizes, the contrast with the sexy thong she knew the brunette wore was enough to make her smile and laugh. “I love you Dawn” she said as she reached behind her to spring the catch one handedly and then pull the bra off. She dropped it on the floor and firmly grasped both of Dawn’s luscious tits. “My pussy is so wet now Dawn” she said as she leaned down to kiss her again, her tongue going almost down her throat in her passion” She felt Dawn squeeze both her nipples hard and pulled back groaning loudly in delight.
Dawn leaned in grabbing a hand full of hair and pulling her head back to expose her neck, She started to kiss her neck urgently, sucking the flesh into her mouth and biting down. The suction increased to the edge of pain and then she pulled back to see the purple bruise forming there. “Mine” she hissed. “All yours” Tara exclaimed breathlessly.
She shrugged the bra off of her shoulders and then smiled down at Dawn as she dangled her tits in Dawn’s face again, daring her to suck them with her eyes. Dawn leaned forward and sucked one nipple into her mouth scraping the sensitive nub with her teeth. “Yeah baby, that’s it” she said grinding herself harder into Dawn’s abdomen. “Oh, god I think I’m gonna cum again” Dawn said, blinking her eyes and looking up at Tara’s face, her bangs matted to her forehead with sweat. “Hold it in baby” Tara said moving off the couch to kneel on the floor. She looked at Dawn tenderly “Do you want to?’ she said with her hands on Dawn’s hips.
Dawn blushed and a shudder of ecstasy rushed down her body. “I don’t want to rush you sweetie” Tara said. “No it’s not that” she moaned. “I’ve fantasized about this for so long. I want you to taste me. And I want to taste you, So bad”
Tara smiled and unbuttoned Dawn’s skirt pulling the short zipper down. “Up” she said to the panting Dawn patting her ass. Dawn arched her back and Tara pulled the skirt down and off. The scent of Dawn’s arousal instantly filling the room. She leaned down and inhaled deeply as Dawn spread her legs. “You smell so good baby” Tara said pushing Dawn’s legs wider and touching her nose to the wet spot of the thong and inhaling as deeply as she could. Slowly she started at the bottom of Dawn’s pussy and ran her tongue up the fabric creasing it into the lips as she tasted her. Running her tongue in a circle around the engorged clit. “Oh, Holy Shit” Dawn exclaimed bucking under Tara’s expert touch. Tara smiled and traced her middle finger up and down the outlined lips. Dawn panted and moaned. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold it” she squeaked as Tara finally flicked her tongue over the throbbing clit. “Oh,god, oh god, oh god” Tara reached up and pulled the thong off taking a deep sniff of the crotch and then leaning down to the swollen outer lips. She traced her tongue between the inner and outer lips from bottom to top, avoiding the clit as she rounded the top and then down the other side. Reaching the bottom she traced the path up the middle swallowing as much of Dawn’s juice as she could get. She stopped short of the clit again causing Dawn to groan and pant as her hips bucked wildly. Tara sucked the lips into her mouth and began to kiss them as she slid her tongue into Dawn’s pussy to find something she hadn’t expected, tracing the length of the barrier she felt Dawn tense up and then was flooded with the fruit of Dawn’s second orgasm.
She gently soothed her lover and kissed her thighs tenderly as Dawn’s breathing slowed and she began to relax. Crawling up to lay her head on Dawn’s shoulder she waited until it seemed that Dawn had mostly recovered and enjoyed the hum of her afterglow. “You didn’t tell me you were still a virgin” she whispered. Dawn blushed, which she thought was crazy in light of what they had just done “I wanted you to be my first” she sighed. “That makes me love you even more” Tara said and kissed Dawn on the tip of her nose.