That Witch!

by Zoe Lynne

  At the feel of Cassidy’s soft lips to her warm cheek, Brynn’s eyelids fluttered, and a smile curled her mouth. It was an innocent peck, a chaste… nothing, really. But God did Brynn wish it was more. When Cassidy pulled away, Brynn wanted to whimper, but she forced herself not to.

  “Yeah, I can wait.”

  “Coolies, come on.” Cassidy reached out to take Brynn’s hand in hers, lacing their fingers together as she led her down the long hallway and to her bedroom, where she closed the door behind them. “Sit, get comfy. I’m gonna change real quick.”

  Unabashedly, she pulled her cami over her head and tossed it into a nearby laundry hamper before walking into her huge closet, completely topless.

  Brynn’s eyes nearly popped right out of their sockets. Cassidy didn’t have a bra on, and that gave Brynn a clear shot of two particular parts of anatomy she’d found herself fantasizing about recently. And for the record, they were more beautiful than Brynn ever imagined.

  That was the first time she’d seen Cassidy without a shirt on, and honestly, Cassidy’s disappearing into the closet disappointed her. It was becoming incredibly hard for Brynn to deny the attraction she felt toward Cassidy, harder to lie and say she felt nothing. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hide behind an aloof and distant “she’s just my study partner” in reference to Cassidy.

  When Cassidy finally reappeared from behind the closet door, she had on a light blue American Eagle shirt that covered what Brynn had been so eager to see again. But Cassidy looked stunning as always, even in a T-shirt and jeans.

  “I like that outfit,” Brynn said softly.

  Cassidy’s azure eyes lit up suddenly. She looked like someone had just told her she’d been crowned America’s Next Top Model. A slow, wicked smile tugged the edges of her pouty lips upward. “Oh my gawd, Brynnie! Lemme give you a makeover! I wanna see you in something other than black. Pleeeeeease?”

  Chapter 17

  CASSIDY ignored the reluctance and almost hint of hesitation in Brynn’s softly whispered “okay.” All she saw was a green light to get her Pinky in some clothes that complemented the curves she knew Brynn had.

  Squealing with glee, she grabbed Brynn’s hand and all but dragged her into the large California closet. There was more than enough room for both of them inside. Still smiling from ear to ear, she commanded Brynn to strip out of the black garb she wore. Okay, maybe, just maybe, there was more than one reason why she wanted to play dress-up with the emo object of her affection. She could admit to wanting to see all that supple, creamy skin Brynn always hid away beneath layers of dark clothing.

  Cassidy was open enough with her sexuality and more than confident with her sensuality, but as Brynn stood there, doe-eyed and stammering to find words, Cassidy reminded herself that Brynn had probably never before been intimately almost nude around another girl. She just didn’t see Laura the freak as an exhibitionist of any sort. As far as Cassidy knew, Brynn didn’t have any other friends that were as close to her as Laura. So that pretty much narrowed this moment down to what was probably Brynn’s first time being half-naked around another girl. Thank goodness for cheerleading. Locker rooms had taught her a long time ago how to be comfortable around barely dressed girls.

  “Come on, Brynn. It’s just me.”

  Brynn chewed her bottom lip so hard that where the pink skin of her mouth met her chin, the flesh turned a pale white. Her hands were obviously shaking as she slowly unzipped her hooded sweatshirt. “I, um.” Brynn swallowed so hard, Cassidy couldn’t help noticing the waving of her throat. “I’ve never changed clothes in front of anyone else.”

  “Yeah, I figured as much. But really, it’s no big deal. I won’t judge you,” Cassidy said patiently.

  “It’s… I….”

  Poor Brynn looked like she was living that nightmare where you’re standing on a stage in nothing but underwear before all your peers. It was cute. “Would it make you more comfortable if I turned around?” Cassidy really didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see her little Pinky’s gorgeous body, but if it would make Brynn more comfortable with the situation, she would.

  “Maybe. I don’t know.” Brynn sighed, then licked her clearly dry lips.

  Cassidy turned around, giving Brynn some privacy. “Better?” She silently scowled at the sight before her. The plain, soft pink wall of her closet didn’t boast nearly as much appeal as Brynn’s body, but she would rather Brynn be comfortable than have her standing there trying to understand if she was turned on or freaked out. Chances were she was a little bit of both—a natural reaction for any girl who was just realizing she was into other girls. Cassidy had had her share of it. Brynn, again, probably not ever.

  “You can turn around now,” Brynn said, voice shaking.

  When Cassidy turned back around, she found Brynn hugging her chest, obviously trying to cover as much of her body as her thin arms would. Her cheeks were bright red. Her legs were clamped together tightly, and her eyes were fixed on her bare, black-polished toes. Cassidy didn’t see the awkwardness emanating from Brynn. All she could see was creamy skin and black jeans hugging gentle curves.

  “Brynnie, you’re beautiful. Quit covering yourself up.” Cassidy reached out to take Brynn’s hand, which was tucked tightly under her arm, pressing against her ribs. She led her to the large selection of tops, which ranged in nearly every color of the rainbow, except black. Tank tops, camisoles, T-shirts, and blouses all hung neatly beside one another for Brynn.

  “What colors do you like?” Cassidy asked her, keeping her gaze forward on the clothing rack instead of looking at Brynn. It was difficult, but she resolved to make Brynn feel okay with the situation, even if not seeing the girl she dreamed about felt like slow torture.

  “Black. Purple. Red.”

  “Purple. We can work with purple.” They’d have to work with purple because Cassidy didn’t have anything in black save for one T-shirt, and red looked horrible on her, so she loathed the color. She had all shades of purple, though, ranging from a light lilac to a rich, almost magenta color in a Marc Jacobs blouse.

  The darker purple probably wouldn’t complement Brynn’s hair color as much as a soft lavender would, so she pulled out a few tops in lighter hues and laid them out on the chaise set against the wall to their left. If she could get Brynn covered up in a top, maybe she wouldn’t feel so awkward anymore. “Do you like any of these?”

  “Whatever you think’ll look okay on me. I trust you.”

  Without hesitation, Cassidy swept up a light violet Abercrombie & Fitch tank top. It worked for Brynn because aside from a small “A&F” tag on the lower left hem, there weren’t any large advertising letters across the front. She was trying to add color to Brynn, not change her style. She actually rather liked Brynn’s somewhat layered look, but it needed a little softness. Handing the tank top over, again, she averted her gaze from anywhere in the vicinity of Brynn’s chest. “We can pair that up with a darker purple gingham blouse I have and leave it open in the front,” Cassidy said, more to herself than to Brynn, who took the tank top slowly before Cassidy returned to searching through the clothes hanging in her closest for the top she’d been talking about.

  “Aha, found it.”

  “Does this look okay?” Brynn quietly asked, smoothing her hands over the lilac tank top now clinging to her flat stomach and subtle curves. “I mean, it feels nice, but do I look okay?”

  “You look beautiful,” Cassidy replied encouragingly, as she held the cotton blouse open for Brynn to slide her arms in. She took extra care in making sure the neckline was folded down neatly and the button hems were straight. Once she rolled the sleeves up to Brynn’s elbows, she stood back and smiled. “I think some white jeans would work with that top combo.” Cassidy wasted no time in turning around to the other side of the closet, where she pulled a pair of white denims from their respective hanger. When she returned to stand in front of Brynn, Pinky looked a little more at ease and a bit less like she was ready to faint. “See
if these fit. My ass is bigger than yours, I think.”

  This time, Brynn immediately started slipping out of her jeans. She didn’t seem anywhere near as nervous as she had been before. In fact, she seemed to be almost confident, even as her dark purple boy shorts became exposed to Cassidy’s gaze.

  Finally, the heavens awarded Cassidy’s patience and good behavior by granting her a peek at Brynn’s goods. So it wasn’t her whole body, but the clothes she wore belied the rounded bottom she rocked. Where Brynn might blush profusely and look away if Cassidy’s panty-covered butt was bared for her to see, Cassidy felt herself smiling and appreciating the hell out of the view.

  “Maybe my ass isn’t bigger after all.”

  “Huh? What?”

  Brynn clumsily turned her head back and fell into a one-legged, jean-knotted half spin as she tried to get a view of what Cassidy was talking about. The move led to her falling forward enough that Cassidy had to catch her or she would’ve hit the floor hard.

  “Sorry. Sorry,” Brynn repeated as she tried to right herself again.

  Cassidy was laughing too hard to really notice her arms around Brynn’s lithe body. Only when both girls stood straight up again did she realize she hadn’t let go of Brynn. She didn’t want to, either. As a matter of fact, she pressed against her a little more, bringing Brynn in a bit tighter. Brynn’s minty breath caressed Cassidy’s face, making her want to suddenly taste the parted lips that were all but beckoning her. She wouldn’t, though. Out of respect for Brynn and the fact that she was standing with one leg in the jeans and one out, panty-covered ass still exposed, Cassidy restrained herself and instead began to release her hold.

  BRYNN never expected to find herself half-naked and in Cassidy’s arms the way she was. She knew the day would come when they’d want to get a little closer, a little more intimate with each other. She had no idea when she’d crawled out of her bed this morning, today would be the day. With Cassidy’s arms around her, and the closeness of their bodies, Brynn didn’t want to stop whatever was about to happen between them. She both feared it and craved it. And the moment Cassidy’s arms started to loosen, she felt like her chance to really see another side of Cassidy Rivers had passed.

  “Don’t,” she whispered airily, dropping her gaze to Cassidy’s lips.

  “Are you on your feet?” Cassidy never ceased to surprise her. There they stood at the edge of their first intimate moment, and she was worried about Brynn falling over.

  “As good as I can be.”

  “You sure? You can be pretty clumsy.”

  The moment Brynn opened her mouth to respond, Cassidy’s lips locked with hers. This was it, the moment she’d been waiting for a whole week. For seven long days, she’d fantasized about what it would be like to finally kiss Cassidy Rivers. Would Brynn freak out? Would her kiss be clumsy like her? Or would it be soft and sweet like Cassidy? Would they do it once and never again? Or do it many, many more times.

  As Cassidy eased her tongue through the slight part in Brynn’s lips, Brynn closed her eyes and gave up on wondering where this might go. She gave into the feel of finally having their mouths touching in a not-so-chaste-sorta way. It was the first time anyone had ever kissed Brynn that way, the first experience she had with anything remotely sexual.

  Cassidy’s arms tightened, and Brynn returned the hug, splaying her fingers over Cassidy’s back. They held each other tight, even as Cassidy slowly released her lips. Brynn couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes, and she damn sure didn’t want to let go of Cassidy’s body.

  “I don’t get why people wanna come out of the closet. I rather like it in here,” Cassidy said breathlessly.

  “I kinda liked it myself,” Brynn smiled. “We should, um”—heat flushed her cheeks—“do it again sometime. Maybe?”

  “Oh yeah, we’re definitely doing that again sometime soon. For now, pull your jeans up so we can get you over to the Apple store.”

  “And the frozen yogurt place,” Brynn added as she reached down and pulled the jeans Cassidy loaned her up to her waist. Only Cassidy’s fingers were the ones that ended up on the zipper.

  Brynn watched curiously as Cassidy fastened the button, all the while wearing a silly smile on her face. She couldn’t believe it had actually happened, that she’d actually kissed a girl… and liked it. It felt so right and so normal, some of that ridiculous fear she’d had before faded away.

  Chapter 18

  ONCE Cassidy had Brynn situated inside the confines of her Scion, she drove them to the nearby mall. She zoomed into a parking spot and wasted no time leading Brynn inside, directly to the Apple store so her Pinky could hopefully fix the phone her freak friend had broken. This was her lifeline to Brynn, the main way to communicate with her when they couldn’t be together, so to say it was important to Cassidy to get that phone fixed as soon as like, yesterday, was an understatement.

  Standing in the line for the Genius bar, Cassidy tapped her foot impatiently against the polished floor of the store and took the opportunity to ogle Brynn, who was still glowing from their kiss earlier. She wasn’t the only one. Cassidy almost ran a stop sign and two red lights on her way there because she was absorbed in the moment inside her closet. It had been more than she’d ever imagined it to be, and she’d imagined the scenario countless times. Brynn’s lips were pliant, her kiss tender and full of curiosity combined with excitement.

  The look on her face must have given her thoughts away, because when Brynn’s eyes met hers, Pinky smiled brightly and giggled softly.

  “What?” Cassidy asked.

  “Nothing.” Brynn’s smile widened. She was so obviously lying.

  “Yeah, right. You look like the Cheshire Cat.”

  Brynn’s cheeks turned that cute shade of bright red Cassidy adored, and when Pinky cut her eyes away, Cassidy knew she’d been caught in a little daydream.

  “I’ve never kissed anyone the way we kissed,” Brynn quietly admitted.

  Well, that wasn’t quite the same for Cassidy, who’d had a boy or two kiss her in the past. Nothing ever came of it, though, because Cassidy lost interest rather quickly. Before realizing she was into girls, she’d just thought boys were stupid and couldn’t hold her attention. Now she knew better. Even still, with her two or three somewhat passionate kisses in the past, nothing compared to what she’d shared with Brynn less than an hour ago. Boys never gave her butterflies. Boys never made her eyes close when their lips touched, and boys certainly never ever managed to make her feel as exhilarated as Brynn had.

  “I have, but it’s never been as amazing or even half as toe-curling as that was. So it was kinda my first time too.”

  “Toe-curling? You, um… you thought it was toe-curling?”

  “Well, yeah. My toes curled.”

  “I, um… I think mine did too.” Brynn giggled softly. It was probably the cutest, most innocent sound Cassidy had ever heard. “Have you ever, um… you know?”

  Oh man. That was a heavy question. There were so many implications that Brynn’s “you know” could mean. Cassidy shook her head gently and cleared her throat. “Not really. I mean, a guy felt up my boob once, if that counts as something.”

  And she’d hated it. It felt wrong and dirty, so she’d immediately pulled her shirt down and left him sitting in his car while she went to catch a ride with one of the other cheerleaders. Eww. The memory made her skin crawl. Luckily, all it took was the thought of Brynn’s hand over her girl globe instead to replace the near-vomit memory with hope and a smile.

  “I’ve never had anyone like me enough to try,” Brynn confessed.

  The line moved forward, placing them next to be attended. Thank freakin’ gawd. The importance of Brynn’s cell phone could not be measured in words. Fixing her attention back to Pinky, Cassidy offered her a soft smile. “Well, I like you enough to try.” Yeah, she said it. And what? It was worth watching that precious blush flower across Brynn’s cheeks all over again.

  “Can I help you?” the woman in blue beh
ind the counter asked.

  Brynn had to clear her throat before she spoke. “I, um”—the red in her cheeks glowed brighter—“my phone is busted. It won’t come on.”

  “Is it under warranty?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Well, you can leave it with us and come back in an hour or so. We’ll see if we can’t get it to boot. If not, we’ll just replace it.”

  “Thank you,” Brynn said as she handed over the phone. As soon as the woman behind the counter took the device, Brynn reached down and grabbed Cassidy’s hand and started urging her out the door.

  Cassidy happily followed Brynn out past the pretty Mac computers and into the mall’s crowded hallway. She laced her fingers with Brynn’s, glancing down to smile at the contrast of Brynn’s silky porcelain skin tone against her own tanned flesh. When she looked up again, she was still smiling. God, she was doing a whole lot of that since Brynn had come into her life. Or stumbled in. Or fate via Mrs. Miller had delivered her. Whatever.

  She gave Brynn’s hand a little squeeze and was just about to lean over and press her lips to her cheek when she heard someone cry out, “Are you freakin’ serious?”

  Brynn immediately tensed. Her fingers tightened around Cassidy’s, causing her fingertips to tingle from the pressure in her clasp. “Crap,” Brynn hissed under her breath as she released Cassidy’s hand like a hot potato.

  There wasn’t anything that could have ticked Cassidy off more than the purple-headed, black-clad freak who came charging toward them like that bat out of hell Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off of. She was the reason Brynn had just let go of her hand. She was the only person who stood between her and Pinky, and Cassidy loathed competition as much as she abhorred interference. At the moment, Laura represented both.