Page 68 of For the Record

Frankie hesitated and looked away. “Not in the way you think.”

“How could you not? McCoy is …”Everything, Sawyer almost said. She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, holding the words in.

“McCoy never once gave up anything to be with me. Not like she’s done with you,” Frankie explained, her voice raspier now. “I kept waiting for the hookups to stop, and then maybe I would have … but it never happened. Now I know why. McCoy was never meant to be mine, Sawyer.”

“Yes, well.” Sawyer cleared her throat, turning toward the door once more. She was over the threshold when she thought to add, “You might ask yourself, Frankie, what were you willing to give up to be with her? I’ve chosen. Maybe next time, with someone else, you will, too.”

Chapter 36

McCoy

A knock sounded onthe apartment door just as Coy was putting back her second slice of deluxe deep-dish pizza. No one but Frankie and a few of her staff came up here, and Frankie had a key. “Just a minute,” she called, uncurling from her position on Frankie’s sectional. She tossed the blanket off her lap and begrudgingly set the pizza down, then decided against it. Picking the paper plate up again, she took a bite of the cheesy goodness as she opened the door. “S-Sawyer,” Coy choked out around the mouthful of pizza.

“And you talk about me eating healthy,” Sawyer said wryly, one eyebrow arched to the ceiling as she examined the deep dish. She was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a red blouse under her raincoat. Her damp black strands were in their usual downward comb-out, and some of her mascara had smudged,likely from the rain. Coy had been holed up in Frankie's; she hadn’t realized it’d begun to rain.

“I’m so glad you’re here. Why are you? At Frankie’s.” Ugh, she was back to rambling. Coy swiveled around, searching for a place to set the pizza down, and settled for the small corner entry table.

Sawyer’s hand slipped into hers from behind, surprising Coy, and she melted into the physical contact. “I’d hoped we could talk. And I wanted to apologize for this morning.”

“Talk?” Coy echoed dumbly. She blinked, glancing back at Sawyer and the door, still open. She twisted away, closing and locking it before gesturing to Frankie’s apartment. “Here? We can go somewhere else. I was watching the game, but it’s not the same by myself. I usually go to my pops for pizza and beer, but Sloane’s off and I wasn’t—”

Sawyer silenced Coy’s prattle with a long kiss, teasing her with tongue before pulling away. Dazed, Coy glanced up at her, taking notice of her slight smile and satisfaction in her gray eyes. “Let’s have pizza and beer and watch the game while Frankie is busy downstairs.”

Coy frowned. “You can’t eat that.”

Sawyer placed her finger over Coy’s lips, still swollen from their kiss. “But first, there are things I need to explain.”

“Sawyer—”

“I’ll explain, and you will listen, darling.” Sawyer slipped off her low wedge heels and jacket, revealing the blouse underneath. Three of the buttons were undone, and Coy’s attention zeroed in on the hint of Sawyer’s cleavage. She couldn’t believe she’d had her face buried between those breasts and—

“Let’s sit, McCoy,” Sawyer murmured, guiding Coy to the sofa. Once they were comfortable, and with a slice of pizza and beer each, it took a long time for Sawyer to start the conversation. Coy grew antsy waiting, and when her leg began to bounce, Sawyerset her food and drink aside and opened her arms. “Come here, darling.”

Coy didn’t think, merely acted, and scrambled into Sawyer’s arms so that she was halfway sitting on the other woman’s lap. Her head fit snugly under Sawyer’s armpit against her heart. She sighed contentedly, butterflies in her stomach.

Sawyer laced their fingers together, kissing the top of Coy’s head. Oh yeah, she had to be feeling all this. There was no way she wasn’t.

“I’m sorry for last night,” Sawyer said quietly. “About … how I reacted, and … for not climaxing.”

Coy’s eyes widened, and she would have pulled away, but Sawyer held her still. “Sawyer, that’s okay—”

“Please, let me finish,” Sawyer interrupted. Coy felt her swallow. “It wasn’t just last night that I didn’t climax. I’ve never … not that way, not even by myself. I should have stopped it before it went too far.”

Coy’s brows knitted together. She traced Sawyer’s exposed clavicle with her index finger, deep in thought. “Thank you for telling me. I understand how overwhelming it can be when you’re ready to come. Frankie used to … ah, never mind. The important thing is we’re still going at your pace. I’m sorry if I got carried away last night.”

“What would Frankie do?”

“Oh, um.” Coy cleared her throat, thinking of her previous lover. “She liked edging;weliked it. She never did anything I didn’t agree with.”

“Edging?”

“Yeah, you know.” Coy slid her hand lower to the open buttons on Sawyer’s blouse. Her finger grazed the curve of one breast, and Sawyer caught her hand, holding it. “Bringing me close to orgasm over and over, but never granting it. Not until I was insane with need and begging her to let me come.”

“Calisse, darling. That sounds like torture,” Sawyer laughed softly.

Coy’s ears perked up at Sawyer’s favorite curse word. “What does that mean, ‘calisse?’”

“Fuck, but with more fervor than when I saytabarnak.” Sawyer kneaded her fingers into Coy’s scalp as she held her close and gave another breathy laugh. “Which also means fuck.”

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