Page 26

Chapter 26

Sawyer

“What’s wrong?” Sawyer asked, wrapping her arms around McCoy’s shoulders. Now I’m a hugger? But she couldn’t stop the sudden fierce need to protect McCoy.

“Sloane and her stupid bets,” McCoy muttered, her expression dour. She wouldn’t meet Sawyer’s eyes. “She thinks … er, never mind.”

Over the last month, Sawyer had become well-versed in the stories of bets McCoy and her twin would often make. It was childish and often outrageous as they mostly revolved around McCoy and her … private life. Sawyer stroked McCoy’s hair, not hating how her head felt nestled into her shoulder. It’d been a week since they’d been in each other’s bubble. Sawyer found herself longing for McCoy throughout her workday. Checking her phone more than she ever had before. Taking longer to get ready in the morning and touching up her makeup mid-shift even though she seldom saw McCoy unless it was an arranged late-night video call. Yet here she was now, so close that Sawyer could hear McCoy’s subtle intakes of breath as if she was inhaling Sawyer’s scent and committing it to memory.

“Sloane thinks that I’ll get bored of this, of you. She bet that I couldn’t stay with one person, and then …” McCoy’s shoulders tensed. Sawyer smoothed her hands over the tightly wound muscles, thinking of Sloane’s suspicions as well now.

“And then what?” She couldn’t help but ask when McCoy didn’t continue. She’d be remiss if she didn’t consider McCoy cheating on her a possibility. After all, it’s what Olivier did most of their marriage. Perhaps it was one of the reasons she was so reluctant to take things further. The age-old apprehension that once McCoy got what she wanted from Sawyer, she’d stray, and then Sawyer would have no choice but to cut her loose. Gone were the days she remained silent in the background, watching it happen.

“She invited a lot of my old hookups to the party, hoping, I guess, that I’d be interested. What’s worse is that … there’s a pool going, Sawyer.” McCoy looked up at her then, and Sawyer’s breath hitched at the tortured expression in her gaze.

“A betting pool?” Sawyer’s mood darkened as she thought of McCoy’s sister always placing bets. Yet she was always winning them, too. McCoy had laughed once that Sloane won five bets to every one of McCoy’s wins. Would she win this too? Was Sawyer wasting her time? Surely Sloane didn’t know McCoy more than McCoy knew herself.

Unease settled over Sawyer, and she tried to shake the feeling off. So what if McCoy had more casual flings than Sawyer could count on two hands? Hell, more than she could likely count on all her fingers and toes. Did it matter since McCoy had come to her tonight and not someone else?

Of course she would. She’s trying to win a bet, after all .

McCoy must have sensed Sawyer’s hesitation because she pulled out of her embrace, tugging at the collar of her dress shirt as she paced the office. “Yeah, I mean, why wouldn’t they?” A sarcastic laugh came forth, and Sawyer watched with muted interest as the younger woman slowly unraveled. “I’ve never had a girlfriend. The only sort of relationship I’ve ever had with someone was Frankie, and she wouldn’t let me touch her. Hell,” McCoy expressed with another self-deprecating laugh. “I’ve never even taken someone on a real date before.”

“Dates are overrated. So much pretense when the expected end result is always the same. Sex.” Sawyer crossed her arms. “Why bother at all?”

“But that’s not how it’s supposed to be.” McCoy closed the distance between them once more, taking Sawyer’s hands between her own. “My pops used to tell us all kinds of stories about mom and him; how they met, how they went on dates and slowly fell in love. Dating should be about the romance, too.”

“Really.”

“Yeah, I mean, I think so.” McCoy gave a vehement nod as if she desperately wanted to believe what she was saying. She lifted one of Sawyer’s hands to hold it palm down against her cheek, briefly closing her eyes at the contact. “If you would let me date you, actually date you, I’d romance the shit out of you.”

“For your bet,” Sawyer decided, though her heart sped up a little at the idea. It’d been years since she dated, longer since she’d been anywhere with someone she was genuinely attracted to.

“No, for me,” McCoy shook her head. “For you . To prove I can and will treat you better than he ever did. I’ll open up to you more than I have anyone else.”

“You’re already an open book,” Sawyer reasoned, but she had to fight back a smile.

McCoy laughed, a real one this time. She turned her face into Sawyer’s palm, kissing it softly. “Fair enough. But you’re not. Maybe … maybe dating me would change that.”

Sawyer stiffened, and unfortunately, McCoy felt her innate need to fight or flight. Her face fell, and she backed wordlessly away, but damnit, what did McCoy expect? That she’d spoil Sawyer with a handful of dates and she would then spill her guts? She hadn’t learned to master her life’s baggage over the years for nothing. But that wasn’t what McCoy was saying, was it? She wasn’t asking Sawyer to delve into sordid tales of her marriage or the trauma of her childhood that she’d stuffed so deep into the recesses of her mind that it only threatened her when she was asleep. No, realistically, all she hoped for from Sawyer were the more basic lighter facts. Tidbits of information into her personality that wouldn’t risk ruining dinner over.

The air in the office became saturated, thick and heavy with things left unsaid. Emotions ran high, and Sawyer struggled to catch her breath. She cleared her throat, not knowing what to say.

“It’s late,” McCoy said after several awkward moments in silence. She seemed lost, sad even, and when she turned to leave, Sawyer reached out, like she would hold her back, but then froze. She didn’t beg or plead, and isn’t that what she’d be doing now if she caved to McCoy’s whims? Or worse, if she apologized for being so aloof?

“Good night, Sawyer.”

McCoy’s rough tenor was a knife to Sawyer’s already frail heart. She cringed, worrying her bottom lip, and watched as McCoy unlocked the office door.

“Wait,” Sawyer blurted as the door opened. McCoy paused but didn’t turn around. Sawyer closed her eyes, unable to believe she was giving this notion a second thought. “I’m a busy person, McCoy. If you want a date, prove to me my time will be worth it.”