Chapter 4
Four
Clem froze. Her body responded to Hazel’s proposition before her brain could fully process it. Her legs were jelly, barely able to keep her upright. Her heart thrummed in her throat. Her pussy clenched, then relaxed as tingles and warmth radiated out from her center.
The wicked smile on Hazel’s face grew as though she could sense Clem’s reaction. When she spoke, her voice was husky. “It would be one night of no holds barred pleasure.
“One night?”
“One night. I’ll be gone with the sunrise.” Hazel licked her lips. “Is that something that interests you?”
Did it interest Clem? She’d be lying if she said no. It bore some consideration, though. If Hazel were in need of support, taking advantage of the woman would be the worst thing she could do. She cleared her throat.
“How do I know you aren’t just mistaken?” Her voice was strangled.
Hazel chuckled, a full-throated sound that was sexy as fuck.
Clem clenched her fists, digging her fingernails into her palms to keep her grounded in the moment.
Hazel certainly held some sort of magic over her, because there was no other way she could imagine being this far gone just by conversation.
“You want proof of the magic?” Hazel asked.
Her lips twitched. “More proof, that is.” She tapped a bright red fingernail to her lips.
Clem swallowed hard as she stood in the kitchen and wondered how her night had gotten to this point. Hazel stepped around her, circling her slowly, giving her the space to step away if needed.
Hazel’s brow creased for a moment before her face lit up with inspiration.
Then she waggled her head side to side before nodding to herself.
She turned wicked eyes to Clem, whose heart pounded as Hazel leaned close, invading her personal space.
Her mouth parted on a drawn breath and her eyelids drifted closed.
She waited for contact — a kiss, a brush, anything — but it never came.
Instead, Hazel reached past her and selected an undecorated cookie from a tray.
Her knowing look brought a flush to Clem’s cheeks, but it was tempered by a sweetness that made Clem feel a bit less embarrassed.
Hazel held the cookie aloft. Clem looked at it and raised an eyebrow.
“It’s a cookie. Like you claim to be.”
“It’s a blank cookie.”
“Right.”
“Not for long.”
Clem watched as Hazel focused her energy on the cookie. For a moment nothing happened. Clem was ready to call it all off, to kick this stranger out of her apartment and get into her sweats, but then —
The air around the cookie began to shimmer and shift.
It wasn’t obvious at first, and Clem wondered if it was a trick of the light, or tiredness setting in and making her eyes struggle to focus.
But then the cookie itself began to warp, and there was no denying that something was happening.
There was a pop!, and a burst of sparks, and Hazel shook the cookie triumphantly.
Sweat shimmered on her brow as she crowed, “I did it!”
“Did what?” But Clem could see what. The cookie was now decorated, and it was an exact replica of what she was wearing.
A maroon and red Christmas sweater — were those reindeer piped out in icing?
— above grey slacks. Brown curls had been piped around a smiling face.
Clem looked down at her outfit, then back at the cookie.
There was far more detail in the cookie than anyone should be able to do.
“It’s a good trick, I’ll give you that.”
“Hey now. It’s more than a ‘trick.’ I can easily use magic where I’m from, but it’s a lot harder here, in the realm of seriousness.”
The realm of seriousness. Ha. Clem appreciated that. She looked from the cookie to the woman holding it, and her decision landed on her. She couldn’t explain how the cookie had transformed. She wasn’t totally sure if she believed what this woman was saying. But it was enough.
Clem wanted a night of pleasure.
Hazel must have caught on to her thoughts. She set the cookie down and leaned against the counter. “So I take it you are … amenable?” she asked. Her voice became very serious, and it cut through the haze in Clem’s mind. “It is not pleasure if you cannot make the decision.”
Clem drew a deep, cleansing breath. What did she want? An image flashed through her mind: bodies moving against each other, legs intertwined with each other — a hot tongue and full, soft lips tracing their way across a body.
Who was she kidding?
She cleared her throat. “Um, pleasure sounds nice.” Her voice cracked and she coughed. She crossed her arms and leaned her hip against the counter, trying for a casualness she did not feel.
Hazel took a step forward, then stopped herself. Her expression was quizzical as she looked at Clem. Concern snuck into her gaze.
Clem frowned. Hazel had been so eager and flirty up to this point. Why wasn’t she doing anything? Clem’s silent question was answered when Hazel nodded slowly. “I need a clear yes, Clementine.”
“Yes.” The word was out of her mouth before Hazel finished saying her name. Her prize was a beaming smile from Hazel, who stepped even closer. A cloud of orange and cardamom enveloped Clem. She quivered in anticipation, her heart fluttering in her throat.
“I think our first order of business is getting you out of this sweater,” Hazel murmured.
Clem blinked at her, then nodded slowly when she realized it wasn’t a joke.
She was awkward in her movements, and rushed to pull the sweater over her head, feeling exposed when she lost sight of the sprite.
Static crackled when she tossed the sweater to the floor, andClem stood before Hazel in her camisole and pants.
Hazel stepped close, and trailed a gentle fingertip up Clem’s arm, then back down, smiling as she saw goosebumps erupt in its wake. Clem tried to laugh it off, but all that came out was a strangled gasp.
“Hmm … you seem sensitive.” Hazel licked her lips.
Clem licked her own in response. “This will be fun.” She looked around the room, suddenly all business.
Her gaze alit on something and satisfaction shone in her eyes.
She stepped back from Clem, then walked a few feet and seated herself on the couch.
“You said you were planning to have some couch time tonight. I think we can make that happen for you.”
Clem gasped out another laugh. She crossed to the couch to join Hazel.
It was like moving through a fog. Hazel sat perched on the edge of the cushions, her legs crossed so her skirt rode up.
Clem wanted to follow the line of her thigh beneath the hemline.
She settled on the couch and placed a gentle hand on Hazel’s knee.
Awkwardness swept through her. Now that the question of whether Clem was interested had been settled, she suddenly didn’t know what to do.
It had been over a year since she had been with anyone, and that had been a long-term relationship.
She hadn’t felt like putting herself out there since then, and was at a point in life in which hookups sounded less appealing than they used to.
Although, if she’d had the option to hookup with Hazel before now, she hoped she would have embraced it.
Now, though, she felt clumsy and uncertain.
Hazel took pity on her. She turned to face Clem more fully, putting a hand on the side of her face. Slowly, offering Clem the chance to pull back if she wanted, Hazel leaned in for a kiss.
Hazel’s lips were soft and sweet. Clem sighed against her mouth. Hazel returned the sigh and deepened the kiss. Her tongue swept into Clem’s mouth, eager in its exploration.
Clem returned the kiss with everything in her. It had been too long since she had been held with such passion. She lost herself in Hazel’s mouth. Desire slaked through her and she brought her hands up to fist in Hazel’s curls. Hazel nipped her bottom lip, making Clem’s pussy throb in response.
She pulled back on Clem’s breathy sigh. “I can already tell I’ll love the sounds you make.” A wicked smile played around her lips. “Let’s see how many more you’ve got in you.”
Before Clem had a chance to respond, Hazel traced a path of soft, wet kisses down her neck and along her collarbone.
Clem arced into her unbidden, her body reacting without thought.
Hazel dipped her hands beneath Clem’s shirt and trailed a path up her back.
Clem’s breath caught. She should be embarrassed by how quickly she had been won over, but she just didn’t have it in her to care.
Hazel was dropping kisses down her chest now. Clem clutched at her shoulders as a part of her tried to hang on to reality. Hazel pulled back and peered intently into her eyes. Finally, she whispered, “You can relax. I promise you’re safe.”
That was all it took for Clem to realize she had been holding back.
With a sigh, she let go and let Hazel pull her into the sensual fog.
Hazel hummed in approval, then returned to her ministrations.
She forsook her earlier path, and instead landed directly on Clem’s breast, pulling it into her mouth, camisole and all.
She circled Clem’s nipple with her tongue, and moved one hand to Clem’s other breast, teasing it under her shirt.
It tore a moan from Clem, and she felt Hazel smile against her breast. “Do you like that?”
“Ha,” was all Clem could manage. Hazel rose from Clem’s chest. Disappointment barely had a chance to bloom before she returned to Clem’s lips, plundering her mouth with passion.