Page 88 of For the Record
From the balcony overlooking the picturesquePraia dos Inglesesshoreline, Sawyer closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh salty taste of the sea air. Seagulls squawked overhead, no doubt in search of their breakfast. In the distance, waves crashed gently against the rocks. Early mornings in Porto, Portugal were an absolute blessing. The heat of the sun on her face was enough to temporarily distract her from her numerous body aches and pains. But oh, how she’d received every one of them had been worth it.
Her eyes opened, and Sawyer picked up the coffee she’d made from the hotel carafe. She took a sip and sighed in contentment. These days, she felt freer than she’d ever been, like the weight of the past had finally lifted off her shoulders. She didn’t know if it was the vacation making her feel that way or the tattooed, soft-butch lesbian she was traveling with.
“I thought I smelled coffee.”
Strong arms wrapped loosely around Sawyer’s shoulders, and she peered up at her girlfriend’s sleepy smile. “Mornin’, beautiful.”
“Bonjour, mon amour. Did you sleep well?” Sawyer murmured, raising her face to accept McCoy’s kiss. She breathed her in, melting into the embrace and the sure way McCoy led their lip-lock. Sharing life with a switch had to be one of Sawyer’sgreatest joys. She appreciated that she didn’t need to be “on” all the time and could bring out a softer side.
“Like a baby. I think the crashing waves lulled me to sleep. How about you?”
Sawyer watched as McCoy headed for the breakfast cart that had been delivered maybe thirty minutes before. She had pulled on a pair of loose-fitting boxers and a sleeveless hoodie, but Sawyer fondly recalled how captivating a naked McCoy had been on her knees for her the night before.
“I slept well, actually, thank you.”
McCoy looked up from where she was stirring a pack of sugar into her coffee. “Yeah? No nightmares?”
Sawyer shook her head, one corner of her mouth lifting up, and held her hand out. “Come sit with me, darling.”
“Have you been awake long?” McCoy wondered. She set the creamer in the bucket of ice again before returning to Sawyer’s side, mug of coffee now in her hands.
“Only since five. You know I can’t sleep in.” Sawyer’s smile grew when McCoy took a seat on the chaise lounge, nestling between Sawyer’s open legs. She was a bit bulky for the position, but Sawyer loved having her close. Over the last several months, physical touch had become both their love language.
“Mm-hmm, I do know that.” McCoy leaned in to kiss Sawyer again. She rested her forehead against hers. “It’s benefited me in so many ways since we moved in together. There’s nothing like waking up mid-fuck, with your fingers in my pus—”
“Must you always be so crass, darling?” Sawyer stifled a laugh. “Not to mention the lie. We both know waking up to breakfast cooking is right up there with things you love.”
“Ugh, woman, you wound me.” Looking contrite, McCoy pretended she was holding a knife and “stabbed” it into her heart, falling backwards on the chair and spilling some of her coffee in the process.
“McCoy,” Sawyer protested when coffee slopped a little too close to her bare thigh. “You’re as melodramatic as your sister some days, I swear.”
“Cuter, though, I hope.” Coy rested her chin on the back of her hand and batted her eyelashes in a very feminine pose.
“Cute, yes, but also ridiculous.” Sawyer shook her head, smiling as she lifted her mug to her lips again.
They sat and drank in silence for several minutes before Sawyer said, “Let’s have breakfast and then take a walk on the beach before the tour this afternoon. How does that sound?”
“Perfect, sweetheart. Anything you want, I’m game.” McCoy got to her feet and held her hand out for Sawyer to take. She pulled Sawyer up gently, grinning into another kiss. Her lips found Sawyer’s ear at the same time her hand slid over her backside. “Nice outfit, by the way. I wish I could pull that off.”
Sawyer shivered, McCoy’s heated whisper shooting ripples of desire through her. She glanced down at the satiny silk emerald green lingerie dress McCoy had bought for her forty-fourth birthday. The cheesy come-on was a familiar one, and for a moment, Sawyer reminisced over the first night she’d laid eyes on her love. Carefully, she placed her coffee mug on the trolley. Then she slid her hands over McCoy’s back to her stomach, slipping them under her shirt to graze her hot skin.
“Why pull it off at all when you could take me like this,ma chérie?”
“Fuck,” McCoy groaned, setting her coffee down as well. A surprised yelp escaped Sawyer when she scooped her up in her arms, followed by laughter, as McCoy marched them toward the bedroom. “How about I just eat you for breakfast?”
“Did you know Porto was the original capital of Portugal?” McCoy asked as they walked hand-in-hand along the beach. At 10 a.m., there were already fifty or more people lounging on the sand or in the water. Even after a week into their month-long vacation, it still felt strange at times that Sawyer wasn’t rushing to work. That she was willingly lazing about with McCoy, sipping cocktails and having sex like there was no tomorrow. “That’s how Portugal got its name. Lisbon became the capital at the end of the Portuguese Reconquista.”
“Is that right?” Sawyer bit back her smile, as she knew very well McCoy had been actively studying random information during the planning stages of their trip. McCoy’s desire to learn and prepare ahead had her friends and sister at their wit’s end at times, but for Sawyer, it was such an endearing quality. One of McCoy’s best quirks that she’d fallen in love with in the past year.
The tour guide this afternoon will no doubt get a run for their money.
“Ugh, sorry, I sound like a broken record. I’m just so excited, you know?” McCoy glanced up at her, her meadow green eyes brimming with joy and affection. “This gift you’ve given me is a trip of a lifetime. Seriously, Sawyer, have I told you lately how incredible you are?”
“Not bad as far as anniversary gifts go,” Sawyer agreed, giving McCoy’s hand a squeeze. Since they hadn’t been able to agree on when they’d started dating, they’d chosen their first date as a marker. No matter how much time passed, McCoy still somehow made each date night feel as special as the first. “Happy anniversary, darling.”
“Happy anniversary,” McCoy husked, pressing a kiss next to Sawyer’s ear. She whispered, “I wish I could fuck you right here on the beach.”
Sawyer’s answering laugh was low, husky, and as she buried her face in McCoy’s hair, thoughts of her soft butch on all fours the night before teased the forefront of Sawyer’s mind. “Ever the romantic, aren’t you? Besides, let’s not be shy, darling. We both know who has been fucking who lately.”