Page 74 of August
Myra set her bag down on the floor, and when Elisa’s arms went around her neck, Myra pulled her against her.
“Hi,” Elisa said.
“Hi,” she replied and pushed some hair back away from Elisa’s face.
“I missed you,” Elisa said.
“I missed you, too,” Myra replied before she leaned in and kissed her.
“Oh, gross. I think Buster and I are going to vomit now,” Gwen teased.
Elisa laughed as she pulled back a little but not away from Myra and asked, “Did he go?”
“Yeah, he’s good. I thought we’d let him run off some of this energy in the backyard. I can toss one of those bones you got him out there and let him go at it.”
“Yes, please,” Elisa said. “I need to kiss her again and don’t want to hear the word ‘vomit.’”
Gwen laughed and headed toward the back of the house, Buster hot on her heels.
“So… You got a dog?”
“Kiss first,” Elisa said. “I only just started kissing you.”
Myra leaned in, and this time, shereallykissed her. She moved them until Elisa was pressed to the wall by the stairs. One of Myra’s hands pressed to the wall while the other one moved to Elisa’s hip. She slid her tongue inside and massaged Elisa’s with her own, running her hand up and down Elisa’s side, wishing they were alone so that she could touch more, touch longer. After a minute, though, she pulled back and stared at Elisa’s slightly swollen lips.
“Holy fuck,” Elisa said.
Myra hoped that was a good thing.
“Stay,” Elisa added.
“I was already invited,” Myra replied, swiping her thumb along Elisa’s bottom lip. “You want to tell me about the new little guy in your life now?”
CHAPTER 24
“Iwas just surprised,” Myra said.
“I told you I wanted to get a dog,” Elisa replied.
They were standing at the back door, looking at Gwen in the backyard, who was playing with Buster by tossing him a stick. He ran after it, bounded around, didn’t give it back to her, and then dropped it about five feet away from her.
“I just didn’t know you’d be getting onetoday.”
“The kids went to their dad’s for some lunch thing with their grandparents. It was all very last-minute and, I’m convinced, sponsored by their father somehow. Anyway, they’re staying the night, and I thought about how it’s going to be just me soon. I called Gwen, and we went to a shelter she’s familiar with. I saw this little guy in the corner, and he was just sitting there, staring off into space. He didn’t bark, and all the other dogs barked when we walked in. They said they got him about six months ago and don’t know much about his life, but they don’t think he was abused or anything. He might not have ever had a home. He was so sweet when we went to meet him. He sniffed and licked my hand, and I was a goner.”
Myra wrapped her arms around Elisa from behind, and Elisa rested back against her.
“We bought all the things they had for him and gave him a bath when we got back. That was an exercise in futility, but he dried off pretty fast, probably because he never seems to stop running.”
Myra chuckled and said, “He seems really happy.”
She kissed Elisa’s neck.
“Mmm. That’s really nice,” Elisa let out and closed her eyes, giving in to the touch.
“I need to get to work, babe,” Myra told her after she kissed her in the same spot again. “I want you to have a finished house soon.”
“But you can just stand here and hold me for a little longer, right? Gwen is going to make drinks. We’re having a girls’ night tonight.”
