Becoming by Jourdyn Kelly

“BABE! YOU’RE GOINGto wear a hole in the floor!”

Cass glanced at the closed bathroom door. How the hell does she know I’m pacing? “I’m nervous!” Cass called back.

Rebecca opened the door and stopped short. Nervous or not, her girlfriend looked fucking hot! Cassidy continued to pace, her pale pink shirt unbuttoned and flowing open with each turn. God, Rebecca loved that Cassidy never wore a bra. The tight black jeans had Rebecca wondering if Cassidy would be packing tonight. She hoped so. If Rebecca had to spend the entire night lusting after her, she didn’t want any delays when they got home. She caught Cassidy’s arm.

“I know you’re nervous, baby. But everything is going to be fine.”

“Huh?” As it happened so often, all of Cass’s blood flowed to southern regions of her anatomy when she got a vision of Rebecca. Thoughts disappeared rapidly seeing Rebecca in her dress that she couldn’t even remember what she was nervous about. Fuck. That dress. It took all of Cass’s strength to stop herself from tearing it off Rebecca right here and now. The pale pink matched her shirt, but that was where any similarities ended. Where Cass was androgynously dressed, Rebecca was pure femininity. Though she was clueless about fashion, she knew that the tight, knee-length dress fit Rebecca like a glove. She got a drool-inducing peek at Rebecca’s cleavage due to a very nice cut out that went from neck to belly button. And if Rebecca’s bare shoulders were anything to go by, Cass was pretty sure the dress was backless. Jesus. She’s trying to kill me.

Rebecca smirked. She knew Cassidy and knew exactly what was going on in her head. She loved that she could have that effect on her. “I said everything is going to be fine.”

Somehow, Cass’s brain caught up with the conversation. “But people are going to see these paintings. Judge them.”

“Babe, people see your murals every day. What’s the difference?”

“The difference is, these are artsy people who know what they’re looking at!”

“And they’re going to love it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ve seen your work, baby. You’re talented. And Eve saw that, too. You wouldn’t be her featured artist if she didn’t.”

Cass threw back her head and groaned. “You had to remind me.”

“Hey, look at me.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to fuck you when I look at you and I don’t think we have time for that.”

Cassidy’s candid answer caused a jolt of electric arousal in Rebecca’s body. And it was such a Cassidy answer at a time when they were having a serious conversation that it made Rebecca laugh.

“Well, how do you think I feel with you walking around with your shirt open and your tits on display?”

Cass looked down at her small breasts. “These aren’t tits.” She then ran a finger down Rebecca’s cleavage. “These are tits.”

Rebecca grabbed Cassidy’s hand. “Don’t do that,” she breathed, then cleared her throat. Get back on track, Rebecca. “Cassidy, whatever the response is tonight, know that I’m proud of you. I’m proud to stand by your side, to be your girlfriend, to love you.”

Cass’s eyes left Rebecca’s cleavage and softened. It was exactly what she needed to hear. She had never worried before if someone liked her work. She didn’t do it for anyone else but herself. This was just like that. And if Rebecca was proud no matter what, that’s all Cass needed.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “Wanna stay home and make love all night?”

“Tempting.” Rebecca opened Cassidy’s shirt and cupped her small breasts with a sigh. “But since you’re the artist of the night, we should go. Besides your parents and our friends will be there.”

“Then you’re gonna have to stop pinching my nipples, babe. If you don’t, I can’t be responsible for how late we’ll be.” She was a bit disappointed when Rebecca began buttoning Cass’s shirt. “Hunter is bringing Ellie, right?” she asked trying to get her mind on literally anything else.

“Yes. Tonight just might be the night for them,” Rebecca winked.

“Ugh. Come on, babe! I was trying to get my mind off of sex! Now I’m thinking about Hunter and Ellie doing it!”

Rebecca raised a brow. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t you raise your brow at me! It’s your fault I now have that image in my head!” She turned away to finish getting ready and yelped when Rebecca smacked her ass hard. She hid her smile. Oh, yeah. Tonight is going to be fun.

“THIS IS INCREDIBLE.”Bev looked around in awe at all her daughter’s art surrounding her. She squeezed her husband’s arm. “Why didn’t I pay attention to how good she was?”

“Neither of us did, dear. We wanted more for her.” Russ shook his head. “No, we wanted what we wanted for her. I wanted her to follow in my footsteps.” He took in every nuance of one of Cass’s paintings. He knew absolutely nothing about art, but even a newbie like him could see the brilliance. And not because his daughter did it.

“Hey, guys.” After some prodding from Rebecca, Cass was finally making her way over to her parents. Of course, she appreciated them being there, but she also knew how they felt about her “hobby.”

“Cass!” Bev enveloped her daughter in a fierce hug. “You are amazing! I can’t believe I’ve wasted the opportunity to have Cass Giles originals hanging in my home.”

Cass let out a relieved chuckle. “There’s still time.”

“Damn right there is,” Russ huffed. “But we’re paying for it like everyone else here.”

“Nah, I’ll…”

“Nope,” Russ interrupted. “We weren’t supportive before, so we’re going to support you now by paying full price.”

“That’s not necessary, dad, but I appreciate the sentiment. Listen, all I need from you guys is acknowledgment that this is more than a hobby and it’s all good.”

“You deserve more than that, dear, but you have our acknowledgment and support. We’re so proud of you.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“Now, where’s that lady of yours?”

“She’s mingling. Getting the lay of the land.” Cass decided not to confront her mom about her little visit. It served no purpose except causing her mom stress. After everything that had happened recently, drama was the last thing Cass needed. Especially tonight.

“Well, make sure we get to see her tonight, okay? In the meantime, we’re going to mingle as well. We want to see everything.”

Cass smiled. “G’wan.” She watched for a bit while her parents stood at each painting for a good amount of time. She could admit that it felt good. She never needed her parents’ validation, but it certainly didn’t hurt having it.

She made her way to her girlfriend who was studying one of Cass’s paintings. Cass had forgotten that this was truly the first time Rebecca had been able to look at Cass’s work. Of course, if Rebecca had wanted to watch her paint, Cass would have allowed it. But she had said she wanted the experience of seeing them in the gallery the way everyone else was going to.

“Can you believe this place? When Eve Sumptor opens a gallery, she opens a gallery.” Cass wrapped her arms around Rebecca’s waist and glanced around. The elegant woman she spoke of was across the room with her business partner Lainey who Cass finally had the opportunity to meet. The two were standing close together, laughing softly, completely focused on each other. Their husbands were nearby, talking amiably, with Eve’s husband eyeing them surreptitiously. Interesting. She wondered if he knew his wife and Lainey were in love with each other. Did Rebecca know? She shrugged it off and turned her attention back to the woman she loved.

“Hmm?” Rebecca snapped out of her art induced trance and looked up at her girlfriend. “Sorry, baby. I was just admiring your work.”

“No need to apologize for that,” Cass grinned.

Rebecca returned the smile before returning her gaze to the painting. The colors were brilliant reds, oranges, and blues. At first glance, you would think it was an abstract. But once you got closer, you could see the couple holding hands. Perspective made them look far away, yet they became the complete focus of the painting. Just looking at it gave Rebecca a sense of hope and love.

“I’m so glad I waited to see these in the way they were meant to be seen,” Rebecca murmured softly.

“All because of you, baby.”

Rebecca bit her lip. They have had this argument time and time again. No matter how many times she told Cass she had nothing to do with getting her in the gallery, Cass would continually give Rebecca credit.

“How do you do it?” she asked instead of getting into that discussion again. “You’ve been so stressed with everything that has been going on with Miranda and getting ready for tonight. None of that shows in your work. It’s all very inspiring.”

Cass shrugged modestly. “I just paint what I see. What I feel when I’m with you.”

Rebecca looked up at Cassidy to thank her for the beautiful words, but Cassidy’s eyes were glancing at the people surrounding them. These were words said to impress Rebecca, but words from the heart.

“I look around me,” Cass continued, oblivious to Rebecca’s stare. “And I see all of these things keeping people apart. Fear,” she said as she remembered how Hunter had left already because of the fear she wasn’t good enough for Ellie. “Consequences.” Her eyes landed on Eve and Lainey. “So many things fighting against true happiness. I could have let Rand tear us apart. Hell, I almost did with my damn mood. But when I’m with you, when you tell me you love me, or look me in the eyes, or when we make love, this is the way I see the world.”

Rebecca turned in Cassidy’s arms, wrapping her own around Cassidy’s neck. “I love you.”

Cass dipped her head, kissing Rebecca lightly on the lips. “I love you, too, baby.” She loved this feeling right here. Rebecca in her arms, smiling up at her, happy. There were two months before Rebecca came back to her when she didn’t think a night like this would be possible. Normally, Cass laughs at herself when she thought this way. She had known Rebecca for less than two days when she walked away. It should have been absurd to have been so affected. But the impact Rebecca had made on Cass had been far too great to ignore.

“Ahem.” Eve smiled at them both. “I apologize for interrupting this beautiful moment. However, there are people waiting to meet the artist.”

“Do I have to?” Cass asked with a bit of whine. Talking to Rebecca about her work was fine. Talking to strangers, not so much. She’d much rather stay in the background, quietly eavesdropping on what people are saying about her work.

“One of the perks,” Eve winked. “Rebecca is welcome to come with you. Though it looks like she has no choice with the way you’re gripping her hand.”

Cass automatically relaxed her grip, apologizing softly. “See what you got me into?” she asked playfully.

Eve stopped in her tracks and turned back to Cass. “Is that what you think? That my friendship with Rebecca is what got you this gig?” Cass shuffled her feet a bit and shrugged. “Cass, I adore Rebecca. I respect her opinion. But there is no way I would select someone as the featured artist for the grand opening of Sumptor Galleries in LA as a favor. And I never take recommendations without doing my own due diligence. I’ve seen your work all around the city. It speaks for itself. And what you’ve given me for tonight exceeded expectations. Rebecca may have introduced me to your work, but you got yourself into this mess.” She winked again in that true Eve fashion and walked away fully expecting to be followed.

Rebecca did the only thing that came to mind after hearing Eve’s little speech. “Told ya.” She stuck her tongue out and sashayed away.

Cass laughed at her “dignified” girlfriend and took off after her. She could do this. Hell, with Rebecca by her side, she was pretty sure she could do anything.

TONIGHT HAD BEENamazing. Cassidy’s work was a hit. And Cassidy herself charmed everyone clamoring to meet her. The only hiccup was a bit of drama between Hunter and Ellie that Rebecca hoped was being resolved. But her current worry was how uncharacteristically quiet Cassidy was being on their drive home. Rebecca had thought she would be excited, talking a mile a minute about her experience tonight. There was nothing but silence. Rebecca allowed the silence, opting to try to get Cassidy to open up when they got home.

As she turned into their driveway, she stole a glance at Cassidy. It wasn’t necessarily sadness or stress in her features, but more of a daze. Rebecca began to wonder if everything that happened tonight was just now hitting Cassidy. She had been so calm and collected during the showing that Rebecca had been incredibly proud. Was Cassidy finally letting it all sink in?

“Baby? We’re home,” Rebecca said softly as to not startle Cassidy.

“’Kay.”

It was like watching Cassidy rely on muscle memory to get her inside. Once the door was closed behind them, Rebecca stripped a dazed Cassidy of her jacket and led her to the couch. With a small push, Cassidy fell back on the sofa which seemed to jar her brain loose. Or at least her tongue.

“They liked my paintings,” Cass said, her voice filled with awe. “Did you see them, baby? They bought my stuff. Not just prints, but the originals.”

“Mmhmm. Lift.”

Cass absently lifted her hips, her mind completely consumed with the events of the night. “They wanted to meet me. Some of them even knew me from my murals!”

“I know, baby. It was fantastic.” Rebecca smiled at Cassidy. The younger woman was so cute when she was awestruck. And entirely oblivious to the fact that she and Rebecca were both naked. Well, except for Cassidy’s “little friend.”

“I mean, it was like I had fans! I never imagined I would… whoa!” Cass’s hands came up, making contact with Rebecca’s smooth, velvety soft, very naked skin. It took only a nanosecond to realize that she was also naked and inside Rebecca who was rocking her hips slowly. “How did you get my pants off?”

Rebecca smirked. “I asked you to lift.”

“I’ve been out of it, haven’t I? Sorry.” Cass’s hips began to move in time with Rebecca’s. As usual, it didn’t take her long to catch up and be ready to perform. Hell, just seeing Rebecca’s naked tits swaying in her face was almost enough to set her off.

“Don’t be. You were very cute.”

“Ugh, don’t call me cute when you’re riding me, babe. I wanna be sexy.”

Rebecca kissed Cassidy passionately. “You are sexy. And I’m very proud of you. Now fuck me.”

The truth was, seeing Cassidy being a commanding force tonight had aroused Rebecca to the point of being painful. She had spent the entire night watching people wanting Cassidy’s attention—including women who were more interested in the artist than the art. Cassidy handled everything with dignity and a touch of authority that melted Rebecca. Literally, since she was incredibly wet by the time they left. Unfortunately, Cassidy spent the entire car ride in a trance and Rebecca couldn’t even get a preview of things to come. Now they were alone, and Cassidy was all hers.

Cass was surprised by Rebecca’s obvious need. What had she missed since they left the gallery? Then she remembered the way Rebecca had looked at her while other people surrounded them. She remembered how Rebecca would touch her every chance she got. Oh, fuck yeah, she remembered that. A brush against her breast. A quick slap on the ass. Oh, and that delicious, hidden grab of the dildo trapped in her pants. Cass had wanted to drag Rebecca to some secluded corner of the gallery and fuck her brains out right then and there. That’s when the buying frenzy began, and it felt like Cass was pulled in a million different directions, none of them towards the woman she loved.

“Now this is the kind of opening I could get behind every night,” Cass panted and squeezed Rebecca’s ass. “Mmm, behind. Can we do that next? Please?”

Rebecca laughed, then moaned when Cassidy’s finger played with the area she wanted. “All yours, baby. Any time.”

“God, I love you.” Cass’s hips bucked up as Rebecca pushed herself down on the dildo. The sound of being inside Rebecca’s wet pussy had to be one of her favorite sounds ever. Then Rebecca let out a breathy sigh, and that became Cass’s favorite. Heaven.

“I love you.” Rebecca’s hands clenched in Cassidy’s hair, her hips pumping faster. “Do you have any idea how much I wanted to fuck you at the gallery? If only I were an exhibitionist.”

Cass’s eyes widened and her pussy clenched. “In front of everyone?”

“Especially the bitches who thought they could get your attention. Imagine their faces if they could see you thrusting inside of me.”

“Jesus. I don’t even know who you’re talking about, but I’m about to fucking explode, baby!” Cass used her considerable leg strength to push them both up from the couch. Rebecca’s legs immediately wrapped around her waist, squeezing to keep Cass inside her. Not that it was necessary. Cass wasn’t going anywhere until Rebecca shattered for her. She carried Rebecca to the wall that started it all with the mermaid. Cass’s siren.

Rebecca gasped when her back hit the cold wall. She loved it when Cass got like this. Aggression used to scare her. With Cass, it made her feel as powerful as she did vulnerable. Such a heady sensation.

“Hang on to me, Becca.” Rebecca obeyed, her hands locking behind Cass’s neck as tight as her legs were around her waist. Cass’s hands went to the wall for support, and she thrust upwards with all her might. If Rebecca wanted to be fucked, Cass was going to give her exactly that.

“Harder!” Rebecca begged.

Cass braced her feet, her calves and quads screaming with each plunge. The pain didn’t stop her. Instead, it spurred her on as much as Rebecca’s sharp sounds of pleasure did. When Rebecca’s nails dug into her neck, Cass knew Rebecca was there. Thank fuck because there was no holding back her orgasm at this point.

“Come for me, Rebecca! Give it to me! Come on, baby, let me feel it!”

“Oh, fuck!” Rebecca’s head whipped back, narrowly missing the wall behind her. “Cassidy! I’m coming!”

One last, hard thrust and Cass was right there with her. Both women cried out with pent-up ecstasy. For a moment, Cass’s calves locked up in that position, but that was totally fine with her. It kept her buried deep inside Rebecca as she erupted around Cass. The feeling of Rebecca’s essence running down Cass’s leg was sexy as fuck.

“Holy shit!” Cass kept Rebecca locked around her but lowered them both to the floor. “Fucking amazing.”

“Agreed,” Rebecca managed. “Want to do it again?”

“Fuck yeah, I do. But you may need to massage a few cramps out of my legs first.”

Rebecca snickered. “I can do that. We could also go to the bed where it’s much easier to maneuver.”

“We could,” Cass considered, stroking an invisible beard.

Rebecca narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. “What are you plotting?”

“Who me? Just thinking about how I want to get at your ass. Doggy style? Reverse cowgirl?”

Rebecca burst out laughing. “Well, I trust you to figure it out. Want some water?”

“Do we have any energy drinks? I’m going to need all I can get.” She waggled her eyebrows at Rebecca who continued to laugh.

“I’ll see what I can rustle up.” She gingerly lifted herself off the dildo. I’m going to feel that in the morning, she thought with a naughty smile. “Be right back.”

Cass flipped over to watch that sexy ass walk away, wincing when the dildo caught on the carpet. Good thing I have more of these! She smiled wickedly. Maybe I can get a turn in with each of them. Another thought filtered through her sex haze and her smile turned anticipatory. She hopped to her feet, grabbed her shirt, and made her way to the room she used as her studio.

“We only had chocolate milk, so that will have to…” Rebecca stared at the empty spot she had left Cassidy in. “Cassidy?”

“Hey, babe!” Cass called from her studio. “Could you come in here for a minute, please?”

“Now?” Rebecca said to herself. It was the only room they hadn’t fucked in, yet. Cass was pretty particular about that space. Of course, it made Rebecca want to christen it even more, but she respected Cass’s space. Maybe Cass was finally going to give her what she wanted. She pushed the partially opened door with her naked ass. “Here.” She handed Cass her bottle of milk. “You’re dressed.”

Okay, dressed wasn’t completely accurate. The shirt was open all the way and it didn’t come close to covering Cass’s ass. Nor did it cover the dildo that bounced slightly every time she moved.

“Thank you. I, uh, wanted to show you something.”

“Does it involve me bending over one of these easels?”

Cass hesitated. As she looked between an empty easel and Rebecca, her mouth began to water. Interesting. For some reason, this room had been on the no-sex list. There was one thing in life that Cass was uptight about and that was her studio. Having Rebecca in here now, all naked and glowing from their earlier fuck, that was seriously going to change. Hmm. I wonder what she would say to me painting her body.

“Maybe after.” Her voice quivered with expectation. “But right now, I wanted to show you a painting I did. One that wasn’t for Eve. Or anyone else. Except you.”

Rebecca lifted a brow in surprise. “Me?” Cassidy nodded gesturing towards a draped canvas. “What is it?” Rebecca asked excitedly. Whatever it was, she was going to love it.

Cass chuckled. “You have to take off the sheet, babe.” She prodded Rebecca forward, taking the water out of Rebecca’s hand and setting both their drinks on a nearby table.

Rebecca stood in front of the covered painting, a peculiar nervousness in her belly. She took the ends of the cover and slowly began to lift it. As the painting came into view, it took a minute for Rebecca’s brain to register what she was seeing. It was a painting of Rebecca, standing in this room, looking at this painting. The only difference was “painted Rebecca” was fully clothed and Cassidy was behind her, on one knee, a small box in her hand. Rebecca turned to ask Cassidy about it. Her hand flew to her mouth in absolute shock when she found Cassidy kneeling, holding up a small box.

“Cassidy!”

“I can never find the words to accurately describe what I feel when I’m with you, Rebecca. That’s why I rely on my brushes to do it for me.” Cass cleared her throat and tried to keep her emotions in check. “I wish I knew how to tell you how much you mean to me. What you’ve brought to my life. God, Becca, if you could just feel what it does to me when you tell me you love me, you’d know how I’ve longed to do this since the day we met.”

Cass faltered. So much for keeping her emotions in check. But she could see the tears in Rebecca’s beautiful eyes and hoped they were the good kind. Damn, she wished she was better at this.

“I—there’s so much to say. I wish I knew how to articulate.”

Rebecca walked over to Cassidy—forgetting that she was naked—and placed a trembling finger over Cassidy’s mouth.

“You’ve said it all with your actions, Cassidy. From day one you showed me what it’s like to truly be loved.” She dropped to her knees, bringing herself to Cassidy’s level. “I don’t need any other words.”

They were both openly crying now. “How about five more? Will you marry me, Rebecca?”

Rebecca crushed her mouth to Cassidy’s. “Yes!” she answered when she finally came up for air.

“Yes?”

“Yes!”

Cass let out an excited “whoop” and enveloped Rebecca in a mighty hug. Their bare breasts came in contact with each other and both women felt the jolt of arousal once again. But, before that…

She took Rebecca’s left hand in hers and slipped the ring on her ring finger. It was a simple round pavé ring, but it suited Rebecca. Both were sophisticated, elegant, and beautiful. Cass looked deep into Rebecca’s eyes.

“You’re totally sure?”

Rebecca smiled. “Totally.”

Cass grinned. “Good. Now, about that bending over an easel thing. Care to show me how that would work?”