Page 91 of Seven Days in June

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready.”

“I love you,” said Shane. “Dramatically, violently, and forever.”

She kissed the top of his head, smiling brighter than the sun.

“I’ve always loved you,” he whispered.

“What a coincidence,” she whispered back. “I’ve always loved you, too.”

Some indeterminate time later, Eva and Shane were eating mint gelato out of the jar, in the brightly tiled kitchen. She was perched on the island. They were each wearing a pair of Shane’s boxer briefs, and nothing else.

“…and I can’t make this movie with white characters. I couldn’t live with myself,” she said. “But I don’t know what to do. I can’t even finish book fifteen.”

“Isn’t it due next week?”

“I’ve been distracted.” She smiled, licking gelato off her spoon.

“I’m out,” he said, pretending to walk away. “I can’t be responsible for the downfall of your career.”

“Stop, you’re not,” she said, grabbing him by the waistband. “Honestly, I just can’t find the spark anymore. And all I wanna do is write my family’s story. Go to Louisiana, like we said. Research those women and write.”

“Do you realize how valuable you are?”

“Please,” she scoffed, scooping up more gelato. “To the literary community?”

“To me.”

She looked at him.

“Come with me to Belle Fleur,” she blurted out. “Audre flies to her dad’s for three months tomorrow. You don’t start teaching till late August. We have time!”

“Let’s go,” he said with a grin. “I’ll be your research assistant. Among other things.”

“Yeah?” Lasciviously, Eva licked a dollop of gelato from her bottom lip. “What else do you wanna be?”

Shane watched her. Then he plucked her off the island and turned her around so her back was against him. He slipped his hand under the elastic of her boxer briefs and slowly massaged her clit. Her head fell back against his shoulder.

“I wanna be everything,” he said, his mouth against her ear. “Wanna be the reason you light up. I wanna make you laugh, make you moan, make you safe.”

He kept stroking her as she quivered helplessly.

“I want to be the thought that lulls you to sleep. The memory that gets you off. I wanna be where all your paths end.” He nipped her earlobe. “I wanna do everything you do to me.”

He pulsed his finger then, and she came with a shuddery cry.

“You’re hired,” she breathed.

Finally, Eva dozed off in Shane’s arms just before dusk. They were on the couch, or perhaps the bed again. Later, she’d remember mumbling, “You know you’re the turtle, right? The one who comes and goes as he pleases while I wait for you?”

She never heard his answer, because she slipped off into sleep. Deep, contented, trusting.

SATURDAY

Chapter 22

Word Traveled Fast

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