“It’s insulting, Annika,” Sasha said, more gently. “It insults us for you to suggest that.”
“I don’t mean to insult. I love you, all of you. I hurt his feelings?” Distress squeezed her heart, clouded her mind. “Oh, I’m so apology. I will sorry to him.”
“Just put it away,” Riley advised. “And remember, this is all for one, one for all.”
“All for one, one for all,” Annika repeated. “This is a code. I won’t forget it. I hurt his feelings, so he doesn’t want to have sex with me.”
“I don’t think that’s it. Definitely more Bellinis.”
With a nod, Riley signaled the waiter, engaged in a long, flirty conversation.
Interested, Annika watched the waiter glance back at Riley. “He would have sex with you.”
“Read that signal loud and clear. Sex with a stranger can be exciting, and the danger’s part of the excitement. But I have enough excitement and danger going on right now. Plus, this is about you and Sawyer. I can promise you he’s had sex with you a few hundred times in his head.”
“But I want him to have sex with his body.”
“Can’t blame you.”
With a nod to Riley, Annika leaned in. “He’s brave and strong and kind, and very handsome. But you don’t have sex with him.”
“Huh. Okay, yeah, he’s a cutie—a hot cutie, and nobody’s wimp, but . . . you want who you want, right?”
“Yes.” Pleased, Annika sat back. “It’s a mystery of the heart. I want Sawyer, and he wants me. His—your name for it—I can’t remember.” She patted her lap.
“Lots of names for that.”
“We’ll stick with penis.” On a laugh, Sasha poked Riley’s arm.
“His penis gets hard—this is for sex—when we kiss, when he touches me. That’s desire, and I see the desire in his eyes. But he doesn’t put his penis inside me.”
“Is it just that simple in your world?” Sasha wondered.
“There can be a mating ritual—this is more serious. Or it can be for fun. For the needs.”
“Not so diff
erent. Look, this is a good balance here, I think. I’m probably looser about sex than Sasha.”
“Hey.”
“Before Bran,” Riley added.
“All right. Your point.”
“I’m saying Sawyer’s code makes his rules—about you—complicated. He doesn’t want to take advantage of you, or the situation. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to bang you, or imagine banging you.”
“Bang. Oh! Because the bodies . . .” Amused, Annika banged her hands together. “I like it. It’s a fun word. How do I make him, without force, stop imagining and start banging me?”
“Jump him.”
Riley blinked. “Wow. You surprise me, Sash.”
“Called me a tight-ass.”
“Didn’t, could have. Yeah, I’d go with jumping him.”
“As in combat?”