Chapter 12

12

K risten pulled on a formless skirt. Then she looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look like herself. It was her face staring back, but the image felt all wrong—dull, closed up, and gray. The kind of woman who disappeared into the background, blending in rather than standing out.

That wasn’t how she felt on the inside, not anymore. After her night with Cin, she had felt wide open, exposed in the best way. She could still feel the electric thrill of their kisses and her multiple orgasms thrumming through her. She didn’t want to be restricted again, didn’t want to shrink back into the old version of herself that wore clothes to hide, to disappear. Not when she had finally felt what it was like to be fully alive.

Before she could second-guess herself, Kristen grabbed a needle and thread. With her very limited skills, she began reworking her outfit. She cinched the waist of the skirt, adjusted the hemline, and reshaped the fabric to flatter her form, cutting away the dullness. Stitch by stitch, she created something that reflected who she was now, who she was becoming—bold, alive, and unafraid to be seen.

When she finished, she looked in the mirror again. This time, the reflection felt right. She wasn’t gray or restricted. She was vibrant, electric—just like the way Cin made her feel.

The way Cin had made her feel. For the rest of the weekend, Kristen had cried into her pillow. But when she fell asleep each night, her body hummed from the memories of her time with Cin. By the time she'd woken up on Monday morning, Kristen had made a decision. This, the person reflected back in the mirror, would be the new her.

She made her way into the office. She couldn't help but glance at Cin's office. The lights were on. But Kristen didn't head over there. Alive she might feel, but she wasn't that brave.

"Hey there, we didn't get a chance to talk much at the party."

Kristen blinked down at the hand that held her wrist. She looked up into Justin's confident grin. But was that confidence? She wasn't so sure any longer. Actually, she didn't care. His hand felt proprietary on hers, and she did not want it there.

She broke his hold and gave him her back. "Sorry, I have a lot of work to do."

She sat down at her desk and fired up her computer. Her fingers were poised over the keyboard, hoping he'd take the hint. He didn't.

"Come on, take a break. Let me buy you a coffee." His cologne wafted over, cloying and unpleasant.

Kristen gritted her teeth behind a polite smile. "No thank you, Justin. I'm not interested."

"Playing hard to get, huh? I like a challenge." He leaned in closer, and Kristen recoiled.

"I'm not playing anything. Please leave me alone so I can get to work." Kristen spoke slowly and clearly, annoyance simmering under her composed exterior.

"You're wearing that hot skirt. You clearly want some attention." His fingers trailed down her arm, and Kristen shot to her feet.

She drew in a sharp breath, rage simmering in her veins, when suddenly Cin was there, stepping between them. Cin's eyes were hard as flint as she stared Justin down.

"Hands off," Cin growled. The implied threat in her tone made the hair on the back of Kristen's neck stand on end.

Justin blanched, all traces of his smirk vanishing. For a long moment, they stared at each other, tension crackling in the air, before Justin finally backed away with a scowl.

"Whatever. I didn't know she was into cunts," he muttered but didn't stick around for a response.

Kristen sat back in her chair, the anger draining out of her as quickly as it had risen, leaving her trembling in its wake. A warm hand grasped her own, and she looked up into Cin's concerned gaze.

"Are you all right?" Cin asked softly.

Kristen could only nod, overwhelmed by the tumult of emotions swirling inside her and the memory of Cin's possessive claim echoing in her mind.

Cin squeezed her hand gently. "I'm sorry for causing a scene. But don't worry, Noel will hand him his pink slip today. That is, if he doesn't bloody his nose first for what he said."

"For what he said?"

"About you… What he implied… about us. No one heard. And if he tries to spread any kind of rumor, I'll make him pay."

"I don't want you to do that."

"You don't want me to stop rumors?"

"No. Because it's not a rumor. I am into cunts."

Cin went stock still. Like she was caught in interrogation lights and she was afraid of confessing.

Kristen gazed up at Cin, at the regret and longing warring in those beautiful eyes, and knew with sudden, blinding clarity exactly what she wanted. "No, that's not true. I'm not into cunts, plural. Just yours."

Cin's eyes widened. Her lips parted in surprise. Kristen rushed on, heedless of the audience gathering around them. If any rumors were going to be spread about her, she wanted them to be the truth.

"No one's ever made me feel the way you do. I don't know what this is between us, but I know I want to find out. If you'll have me."

There was a beat of silence. It stretched long. Long enough to make Kristen squirm in her seat, and not in the good way like when Cin had licked her between her thighs. Or when Cin had rubbed her sweet cunt against Kristen's. Kristen could only hope they'd do that again. And more, because she suspected there was so much more.

"Come to my office," Cin finally said.

Kristen followed Cin, wondering if she had made another grave mistake. One that might even cost her her job this time. Her heart was already lost to Cin, whether she wanted it or not. That's when Cin reached back and grabbed Kristen's hand.

Cin's hold was proprietary. But unlike when Justin did it, Cin's fingers curled around Kristen's protectively, lovingly, possessively. Kristen gripped Cin's fingers hard.

They hurried into her office hand in hand amid faces of their coworkers watching them. Faces flushed with judgment and joy alike. As soon as they were alone in her studio, Cin pulled Kristen close again and slammed her body against the door. Before Kristen could catch her breath, she was being kissed. Slowly and deeply.

Kristen sank into the kiss with a happy moan. She pressed her back against the door, dizzy with desire. Her head spun with the knowledge that Cin wanted this—wanted her—as much as she did.

When they finally broke apart, they just gazed at each other. Smiles that could only be described as stupid happy tugged at both their lips. Then Cin cleared her throat, a hint of uncertainty creeping into her expression.

"Kristen, I have to ask...are you sure about this? I don't want you to feel pressured or confused just because of what happened out there." She ducked her head, cheeks flushing. "I've...dated other women who thought they were interested in me but then went back to men. I couldn't bear it if that happened with you."

Kristen stepped closer, cupping Cin's face and tilting her lowered chin up until their eyes met. "I'm sure. No one's ever made me feel the way you do. When I'm with you, I feel... whole. Like I can be fully myself without hiding any part of who I am. I don't know exactly what this is between us, but I know I want to find out. If you'll have me."

Cin's eyes shone with emotion. She turned her head to press a kiss to Kristen's palm, then wrapped her arms around Kristen's waist, pulling her close.

"Nothing could make me happier," she whispered in Kristen's ear. Then she kissed her cheek. Then the side of her mouth. Then her full lips.

Kristen melted into the kiss, arms winding around Cin's neck to draw her impossibly closer. The urgency faded, replaced by a bone-deep contentment. They traded soft, unhurried kisses, simply enjoying the newfound intimacy of being together. Kristen had never felt so at peace, so whole; as if she'd finally found the missing piece of herself in Cin's embrace.