Page 1 of Sharing Shane

One

“Babe, c’mon. I’m going to be late.”

Veronica Black tamped down on a surge of impatience and danced her tongue over her boyfriend’s earlobe, following it up with a skim of her teeth. He loved having his ears nibbled, and could usually be counted on to throw her down on the closest flat surface and plow her like an Iowa cornfield whenever she did it.

Except this morning, apparently, because he jerked his head away. “Roni. I told you, I have a conference call.”

“Not for twenty minutes.” She shoved aside her annoyance at the nickname and focused on making something happen, even if it was just a make-out session with a side of heavy petting. She slid her tongue down the side of his throat, grimacing at the bitter taste of the cologne he’d slapped on. “We can do a lot in twenty minutes.”

“Dammit, I said no,” he snapped, and pushed her away.

Stung, she took a step back. “Okay. Sorry.”

Derek signed, long-suffering and annoyed, and stroked a hand down his silk tie. It was his calming down gesture, something he did whenever he was agitated, and seeing it only added to her sense of baffled guilt. “I’m sorry, honey, but this call is crucial. I want to go over my notes, make sure I’m prepared.”

She nodded. “Okay, bad timing. It’s just…well, it’s been a while.”

His gaze was puzzled. “Been a while?”

“Since we’ve been together,” she told him, huffing out a breath when he continued to look blank. “Had sex, Derek. It’s been a while since we had sex.”

He shrugged, unconcerned. “Not so long.”

“Yes, so long,” she corrected him, determined to have this conversation once and for all. “I mean, you spent the night last night and you barely even spoke to me before you went to sleep.”

“Baby, I was beat. My boss is up my ass on this marketing campaign, and you know my promotion is riding on it.”

“I know.” She took a breath and made a conscious effort to unclench. “I just miss you.”

“I miss you too, babe.” He smiled, making his blue eyes crinkle. “But it won’t be forever. Besides, you can’t blame it all on me. Your schedule has been insane lately, too.”

That was true enough. She’d finished her master’s degree last fall and had been working as a speech therapist in a clinical fellowship since January. The work was challenging and often frustrating, and she often found herself at the office well into the evening. She was so happy to be in a job where she felt like she was making a difference in the lives of the kids she worked with, she hardly noticed the long hours and time spent away from home.

But she at least tried to make time for Derek, and lately it didn’t feel reciprocal.

“I know the promotion is important to you. I do,” she insisted when he looked skeptical. “And I’m proud of you for working so hard for it.”

He smiled at her now, a slight quirk of his mouth that showed just a hint of teeth. “Thanks, babe.”

“I just want to spend some time with you,” she continued. She laid a hand on his chest and looked up at him. “Just the two of us.”

“And we will,” he promised. He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, patting her hand at the same time, then smoothly stepped away. “We have that vacation coming up. When is it, three weeks?”

“A week and a half,” she corrected.

He took out his phone and frowned at the screen. “That can’t be right.”

“It’s a week and a half away, Derek,” she said and the bite in her voice had him lifting his head again. “We’ve been planning it for months, and I know it’s on your calendar because I put it there myself.”

“It’s there, don’t worry,” he said, his tone soothing once again.

“Okay.” Mollified, she smiled. “Though I hope we’ll be able to connect before then.”

“Depends on how this campaign goes,” he said absently, already back in his phone. He tapped away on the screen for a minute, then glanced up. “Don’t you have to go?”

“Hmm? Oh.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’m not meeting with my boss until eight-thirty, and my first client isn’t until ten. I have plenty of time.”

“Maybe, but you should get going. Traffic is a bear around campus this time of day.”

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