Page 4

Chapter 4

McCoy

“Are you seeing it? Abs?” McCoy asked, pointing the camera on her phone to the mechanic shop she stood in front of. High above the entrance doors, a brand spanking new business sign rested. What was once Miller’s Mechanics was now Miller’s Mechanics someone should be with me shortly.”

French. It was definitely a French accent, Coy decided, but not from France. Québec, perhaps? Coy’s body hummed in response, leaning forward of its own accord. A mixture of water and makeup trickled into her mouth as she replied, “There was an accident over on Sea Island Way. I saw two tow trucks loading the vehicles on, so it might be longer than you think.”

“How convenient for you, running to my rescue … McCoy .”

Ah, she remembers my name!

Coy’s morning was getting better already. And she would gladly listen to that delectable lilt all day and night if she could. The way the woman’s r’s rolled off her tongue had her wanting to taste them. Taste her. Fuck, and the way she pronounced Coy’s name had her fantasizing about doing a lot more than just tasting that sassy mouth. Coy tried like hell to tamp down the strange pinch of anxiety in her stomach, but a nervous laugh bubbled out, and then she was rambling, “That’s me, ma’am. Helpful McCoy. Super helpful, just like everyone’s friendly neighborhood—”

“Do not finish that.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Dude! What. Are. You. Doing?

“Quit it with the ma’am. My name is Sawyer,” she bit out, crossing her arms over her chest again. And then she tapped the toe of her high heel on the wet pavement, pulling the sleeve of her cardigan back to check her watch. “Well? Are you changing the tire or not? I’m late for a meeting.”

Coy held back her grin, enjoying Sawyer’s bossiness and little click of her heel. There was nothing she loved more than a dominant woman.

“Excuse me,” she husked, brushing past Sawyer to the driver’s door. A static tingle shot through Coy at their brief touch, and something between a sigh and a gasp left her lips. “Whoa, did you—” Catching the impatient roll of Sawyer’s magnetic eyes, Coy clamped her mouth shut again.

Okay then. She’s gonna reject that, too.

Gritting her teeth, Coy leaned into the Rover, turning the key over long enough to activate the tire suspension button. Once the light went off, she turned the car back off and checked that the brake was secure.

“Changing a tire is something everyone should learn,” Coy explained, meeting Sawyer’s gaze on her way to the vehicle’s trunk. She lifted the hatch, gesturing to the traffic whizzing past them. “It can be dangerous on the side of the road. It would have been better to pull into a parking lot first.”

“Think we can skip the lesson and just get on with it?”

Coy raised her eyebrow, slightly taken aback by the surliness in her tone. “I am ‘getting on with it.’ I can teach as I go.”

“I’d much rather you didn’t.”

Sawyer looked like a drowned rat standing there, her clothes inappropriate for the weather, but she had enough fire in her stormy gaze to make Coy feel like she was sitting before a blazing wood stove. She fished out her keys, offering them to Sawyer and trying to ignore how ridiculously breathless she was. “Why don’t you go sit in my rig? Beats standing in the rain.”

“I happen to like the rain.“ Sawyer stiffened, turning her nose up at Coy’s offer.

Coy shook her head, not knowing what her problem was, but pocketed her keys again. If Sawyer wanted to show up to her meeting looking like she’d showered in her clothes, then who was Coy to stop her? The stubborn woman should wear a raincoat or use an umbrella.

Aware of her beautiful, speculative audience, Coy uncovered the blocks and lug wrench from underneath the trunk floor. The spare tire was below the Rover, but the bolt keeping it in place was accessible through the trunk. Coy used the wrench to loosen it, feeling it give way after several rotations with the wrench. Next, she stuck a wedge block behind one of the front and rear tires to keep the SUV in place. She’d only worked on a couple Rovers before, so it took a minute to establish where it was safe to place the jack, but it was smooth sailing from there.

“So, what type of work do you do?” Coy wondered when the silence became unbearable. She was unusually nervous with Sawyer’s gaze on her, and for the first time in her life, she truly wanted to know the answer. She was suddenly dying to know everything.

“Why do you deem it necessary to constantly fill the silence with useless chatter?”

Coy huffed a laugh, ignoring the immediate throbbing between her thighs at Sawyer’s harsh demand. She shook her head, loosening the last lug nut on the flat tire and trying to rid herself of the hot image of the older woman shackling Coy to a spreader bar. She seemed the type to know her way around kink and dominance. If she didn’t, Coy bet Sawyer was a fast learner.

“What can I say? It’s my lucky day running into you, and I don’t want to waste a second of it. I was on my way to lunch with a friend, but it must have been serendipity that brought me here to you.” The sound of Sawyer’s scoff drew Coy away from the spare tire she was fitting on.

“Do you actually believe the bullshit you spew? Or is everything just a game? Women are not shiny prizes to be discarded when boredom strikes or when you find a new toy. Everything comes so easily to your generation. You don’t know what it’s like to be forced to conform.”

Coy didn’t reply right away, not knowing what to say and smart enough to know she’d pushed some buttons. Her brain stumbled over the last thing Sawyer said about being forced to conform and repeated it over and over until she thought she’d go crazy without knowing.

“So, I’m right, then? About you? You do like women.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

Coy hoped her grin looked natural as she reached for the last lug nut to fasten into place. She tried not to let Sawyer’s words bother her. After all, the woman knew nothing about her. Coy offered no empty promises when she picked up a partner to spend the night with. She explained from the beginning that she wasn’t looking for anything longer than one night. How did that make them “toys” in Sawyer’s eyes? She furrowed her brow in thought.

“There. You’re good to go.” Coy loaded the flat tire and tools into the trunk and wiped her greasy hands on her coveralls. She’d wash them better when she was back in Tegan. Once she had disengaged the Rover’s suspension, her eyes met Sawyer’s.

“Here, for payment. I don’t want to owe you any favors.” The purse Sawyer fished two embossed certificates out of was bigger than Coy’s first aid kit, the cardboard clutched in her fist already going limp in the rain.

“Desmarais,” Coy read, scanning the contents of the card. It looked to be an upscale fusion restaurant of some sort. It was the first she’d heard of it, but that was no surprise. She’d never had a reason to go fine dining. “‘The bearer is entitled to two complimentary meals.’” She glanced up at Sawyer, thoroughly lost.

“For payment,” Sawyer repeated, impatience making her hands jerky as she opened her car door again. “I don’t have cash on me. I don’t suppose you carry an Interac machine on you?”

“No payment was necessary but thank you, Sawyer. I appreciate the gift.”

“Not a gift, McCoy.” Sawyer was already climbing into her Rover. “A repayment of a debt.” With a flick of her hand, she closed her door, effectively ending the conversation. Seconds later, there was a low purr as the engine came to life.

Coy waved goodbye before heading back to Tegan. She was drenched as she started the Jeep, and an unsettling feeling burrowed deeply in her gut as she watched Sawyer drive away. Sawyer had repeatedly thwarted her attempts to flirt, so shouldn’t her rejection lift whatever chokehold she had on Coy?

As she examined the coupons still in her hand, Coy wondered if she’d ever see the older woman again.