help the head tilt and her confused expression. “Careful? How? You mean, like condoms? Because I had that conversation with my doctor when I was sixteen—“
Missy laughed, still shaking her head. “No, obviously. I mean… It’s easy to get blinded, Caro. It’s easy to not see the dangerous parts because we want to see just the good. He’s on his best behavior when he’s here, and I need to know that he’s treating you well when you’re not here.”
Something inside of herself sagged just a little, and Caroline settled down on the bed, letting her shoulder brush against Missy’s. The other woman’s arm came around her, squeezing her gently, and then fingers started to trace a delicate, soothing pattern on the skin of her shoulder. It was soft enough that it didn’t bother her or feel intrusive, but firm enough that it could be more if she wanted it to be.
“It’s so hard to explain,” Caroline said, letting her eyes close as she drifted with the touch.
She let herself fall backwards, draping herself across the bed like a girl confessing secrets to her best friend. Missy followed her, lying on her side and propping her head up on her hand.
“He’s good to me, but it’s in a different way than I’ve ever seen before? He’s kind and considerate, but it’s… He doesn’t ask about my day, but he’ll look me up and down and hand me a beer. He doesn’t go all gushy about his feelings, but we’ve never once had sex without him making sure I’m having a good time. Multiple times, if I can arrange it.” She laughed, burying her face in her hands, and Missy laughed too, poking her with a finger.
“If he ever once makes you cry,” Missy said, “You tell me, and I will rip his cock off and fry it on the grill. Yes?”
“Yes,” Caroline said. She reached over and ran her fingers down Missy’s arm, watching the woman shiver gently. “Could you cuddle with me a bit? I feel all— out of sorts. Shaky.”
“That’s no good at all,” Missy said, and she snuggled down, cuddling into Caroline’s arms. Her warmth was amazing. There was so little that was soft about Missy, but in moments like this, Caroline never felt anything less than utterly cared for.
When she felt a little less like crying, they went back out to the living room.
Jack was saying “thank you” and hanging up the phone as they walked out. “We were right,” Jack said as she sat back down on the couch. “At least, as far as my guy can tell. Randall is under investigation by IA, which explains why he’s so eager to get you to fold.”
The quiver started up in Caroline’s stomach again, and she fought to keep that centered feeling.
“If he can lay the blame on Mase and Caro, all his problems go away,” Missy said.
“So what do we do?”
Jack thought for a moment. Caroline felt horrible for laying all of this on his doorstep; his eyes were swollen and red, he looked exhausted, and he gave a half-hearted sniff every other breath or so. But this had the potential to affect them as well, and deeply. They had to know what was going on.
“I don’t know, entirely. You said your cousin is looking into the guy, and my friend is going to approach IA, see if he might be able to get some sort of a deal for Mason. Testify against the cop for immunity against trafficking charges, something like that. Do you think he’d go for that, if it were an option?”
She thought of her boyfriend, the man she loved, and the way he never fully relaxed. Tried to imagine him playing ball with the cops, trusting that they weren’t going to dig any further into anything that the information that they were given. Imagined him trusting anyone at all. “I don’t know. Maybe? ”
“It may be the easiest way to make this all go away,” Missy interjected. “Especially if there’s a way to make it look like the cop found Declan that night, instead of Mason. What?” She reacted
Missy laughed, still shaking her head. “No, obviously. I mean… It’s easy to get blinded, Caro. It’s easy to not see the dangerous parts because we want to see just the good. He’s on his best behavior when he’s here, and I need to know that he’s treating you well when you’re not here.”
Something inside of herself sagged just a little, and Caroline settled down on the bed, letting her shoulder brush against Missy’s. The other woman’s arm came around her, squeezing her gently, and then fingers started to trace a delicate, soothing pattern on the skin of her shoulder. It was soft enough that it didn’t bother her or feel intrusive, but firm enough that it could be more if she wanted it to be.
“It’s so hard to explain,” Caroline said, letting her eyes close as she drifted with the touch.
She let herself fall backwards, draping herself across the bed like a girl confessing secrets to her best friend. Missy followed her, lying on her side and propping her head up on her hand.
“He’s good to me, but it’s in a different way than I’ve ever seen before? He’s kind and considerate, but it’s… He doesn’t ask about my day, but he’ll look me up and down and hand me a beer. He doesn’t go all gushy about his feelings, but we’ve never once had sex without him making sure I’m having a good time. Multiple times, if I can arrange it.” She laughed, burying her face in her hands, and Missy laughed too, poking her with a finger.
“If he ever once makes you cry,” Missy said, “You tell me, and I will rip his cock off and fry it on the grill. Yes?”
“Yes,” Caroline said. She reached over and ran her fingers down Missy’s arm, watching the woman shiver gently. “Could you cuddle with me a bit? I feel all— out of sorts. Shaky.”
“That’s no good at all,” Missy said, and she snuggled down, cuddling into Caroline’s arms. Her warmth was amazing. There was so little that was soft about Missy, but in moments like this, Caroline never felt anything less than utterly cared for.
When she felt a little less like crying, they went back out to the living room.
Jack was saying “thank you” and hanging up the phone as they walked out. “We were right,” Jack said as she sat back down on the couch. “At least, as far as my guy can tell. Randall is under investigation by IA, which explains why he’s so eager to get you to fold.”
The quiver started up in Caroline’s stomach again, and she fought to keep that centered feeling.
“If he can lay the blame on Mase and Caro, all his problems go away,” Missy said.
“So what do we do?”
Jack thought for a moment. Caroline felt horrible for laying all of this on his doorstep; his eyes were swollen and red, he looked exhausted, and he gave a half-hearted sniff every other breath or so. But this had the potential to affect them as well, and deeply. They had to know what was going on.
“I don’t know, entirely. You said your cousin is looking into the guy, and my friend is going to approach IA, see if he might be able to get some sort of a deal for Mason. Testify against the cop for immunity against trafficking charges, something like that. Do you think he’d go for that, if it were an option?”
She thought of her boyfriend, the man she loved, and the way he never fully relaxed. Tried to imagine him playing ball with the cops, trusting that they weren’t going to dig any further into anything that the information that they were given. Imagined him trusting anyone at all. “I don’t know. Maybe? ”
“It may be the easiest way to make this all go away,” Missy interjected. “Especially if there’s a way to make it look like the cop found Declan that night, instead of Mason. What?” She reacted
Similar Books
