Chapter 32

After Yvette and François left, Monique and I cleaned up the dishes together, though I struggled with my cast and the stiffness in my limbs.

Monique noted my movements and frowned. “You’re worse tonight.”

I nodded. “Yeah ... I think I overdid it.”

She sighed. “Me too.” Then, with a wicked grin, she added, “But I regret nothing.”

I chuckled. “Neither do I.”

Once the kitchen was clean, we turned off the lights and headed for the bedroom.

Monique moved ahead of me, stripping off her dress in one fluid motion, leaving her in nothing but her lace panties. She turned to face me, swaying her hips as she slowly peeled those off too, completely nude in the soft glow of the bedside lamp.

“You’re not making this easy,” I murmured, my voice thick with exhaustion and desire.

She giggled, twirling slightly as she walked toward the bed. “Just a little something for your dreams.”

She slid into bed beside me, warm and soft, pressing a tender kiss to my lips.

“I want every night to end like this,” she whispered.

I brushed my fingers over her cheek. “Me too.”

She sighed contentedly and curled up against me. “It’s going to be hard when I go back to Boston in September.”

A pang of something sharp settled in my chest. I didn’t want to think about that yet.

“We’ll make it work,” I murmured, kissing her forehead.

She smiled against my skin. “I know we will.”

With that, we fell asleep, tangled together, wrapped in warmth, laughter, and something that felt an awful lot like forever.