Modern Girl's Guide To Vacation Flings (34 page)

"I can feel your big plan," she said and wiggled her butt against him. "Good thing I had that in mind, too. Do you know how bad I want you right now? Especially since you won't naked video chat with me anymore."

"Are you kidding me? Not after Brandon walked in on us last time."

Stifling a giggle, she turned over to face him. In a placating tone, she said, "He assured me that he didn't see my body over the sofa."

"Since I had a clear view of him walking in, I'm pretty sure he got an eyeful of my junk. That's something you don't ever want another guy seeing."

Beth outright laughed at that. "Don't be such a prude, Matthew. I'm sure he was more embarrassed than you were."

"I doubt that," he grumbled under his breath.

"Enough talking about that night. I'm dying here," she said and pushed him back onto the mattress. Beth straddled him and rocked her hips, coating his erection with her slick heat. "It's been too long. I need your cock inside me right now, because my lady bits are about to spontaneously combust."

"We can't have that now. I'm very fond of your lady bits," he said, and thrust up, sliding in effortlessly. "You're dripping wet."

She moaned, her head falling back. Fuck, she felt good. Warm and slick. He looked up at her. She was beautiful. Her eyes were closed and she bit her lip as she lost herself in the moment.

And he hated that it wouldn't last. It didn't take much effort for either of them to get off, but that's how it always was after being apart. It was fast, hard, and to the point. Later, they'd spend hours in bed enjoying all the little things, but the first time was always frenzied.

Sated, Beth curled back against him. "I've missed this," she sighed. "I've missed you. I thought if I got here early, I could share my work news before we got distracted, but I can't keep my eyes open." With a big yawn, her lashes fluttered shut. "Nap first. Talk over dinner."

She was asleep before he could answer. He wondered what her news was. She'd hinted that the project might wrap up early. If that were the case, she could be home next month, and for a few months after that. Maybe he could even talk her into a quick wedding, and they could use the time for their honeymoon. Maybe even another cruise?

The knocking woke her. It was dark in the room and Beth wasn't sure of the time.

"I'll grab the door. Why don't you get dressed?" Matt said, as he threw back the cover.

"Room service." The knock came again, louder this time.

"Don't get up." Beth tried to stop him, but he'd already tossed on his pants and headed for the bedroom door. "They have the wrong room. Send them away, and join me in the shower?"

He paused before leaving the room. "As tempting as that sounds, I've got something planned for us tonight. Why don't you get that shower and I'll get everything set up."

"Plans, huh? Is this going to be dress up in heels and go out kinda plans, because I didn't really pack for that?"

"We're staying in, put on something comfortable and no peeking," he said and pulled the door closed.

Laughing, she headed toward the bathroom. Matt and his plans. While they enjoyed just spending time with each other, Matt was always coming up with some grand plan or another.

Over Thanksgiving, she'd mentioned that her family didn't have any holiday traditions. When she'd flown back for Christmas, he'd planned this whirlwind tour of Chicago holiday hotspots, starting with lunch at Walnut Room, a visit to Macy's Santaland and the Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza, and a private trolley ride around the city to see the lights. But it was ice skating at Millennium Park she loved the most.

And when Beth had fallen in March and ended up in a leg brace, instead of a lecture, like her mother, Matt bought a projector for the bedroom and every season of Supernatural. While she recovered, he laid with her in bed and binge watched the show with her.

He put so much effort into surprising her, and she loved it, even when she ruined his plans. The romantic trip he'd planned for the weekend of her birthday was completely derailed when she'd, not knowing his intentions, invited her father to come visit them in Chicago and meet Matt. Needless to say, the weekend of lazy sex and romantic dinners at the bed and breakfast had to wait. But he went out of his way to make sure her father enjoyed his visit and still managed to make the weekend special.

She loved it. She loved him, and this past year was better than she could have imagined. Matt wasn't just a convenient guy back home. He was a huge part of her life, whether she was with him or not. But it was those times they weren't together that made her realize she couldn't imagine her life without him.

This arrangement they had worked, but every time they'd spend a weekend together, it got harder to leave. That's why she knew it was time for a change. She couldn't wait to tell him her big news. She'd caught a four a.m. flight, just so she could be here when he arrived. Unfortunately her plan had gotten derailed by sex and sleep. And now that that he had some big thing planned, she didn't know if she should break the news over dinner or wait until later.

"Okay, I'm ready for you," Matt said when he walked through the door. He held up a blindfold and grinned. "No peeking."

After tying the soft silk over her eyes, he grabbed Beth's hand and led her into the other room. She could smell pizza and broke out in a huge smile.

"I hope you brought the beer, too."

It was one of her rituals, one he'd adopted. Even though they weren't home in Chicago, Beth loved that he wanted to eat pizza with her. But the sound in the background confused her. She could hear the faint sounds of waves crashing and the soft murmur of voices.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"A year ago, I met this beautiful, giving, and slightly crazy woman on my flight. Little did I know, in less than two weeks, I'd be madly in love with her. I'll never forget those weeks on the cruise, and I hope you won't either."

Matt slipped off the blindfold and she looked around. The living room of the suite had been transformed into a boat deck. He'd pushed the sofa out of the way and pulled in the lounge chair from the patio. The big double lounger sat in the center of the room, with a blanket tossed over it, and of course, the pizza and bucket of beer. Hanging on the wall was a huge banner with a photo of the ocean at sunset. The silly man had even found some life preservers and scattered them around the room. But she knew exactly what he was going for when she saw the movie playing on the big screen.
Always a Bridesmaid
.

She threw her arms around him and kissed him. "I can't believe you did this." She swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears burning the back of her throat from spilling over.

"We had our ups and down, but it was that night on the ship that I knew." Matt took both her hands and smiled. "I love you, Beth. You're the best thing to ever happen to me, and I can't imagine my life without you."

His profession of love was nothing new, but the look in his eyes told Beth everything she needed to know. He took a step back and shoved his hands in his pocket, but she didn't want to let him go.

"God, I love you, too. I'm done with this hotel stuff and seeing each other every five weeks. I'm taking the director's position and staying in Chicago. I've been thinking about it for months, but I can't stand being away for so long. I'll still have to travel, but just a couple of weeks here and there. Nothing like I do now." Pulling him back into a hug, she blurted, "I want to be with you, Matt. I want to live in a house with a picket fence and a golden retriever. I want to have 2.5 kids. I want everything."

"What?" He pulled out of her arms and stared with his mouth hanging open. "Kids?"

"Well not right this second, and I actually love the apartment, but I wouldn't mind getting a dog. I'm just saying, you're it for me. You're the guy Ana was telling me about. The one worth coming home to, and I'm ready. We're in Vegas. Why don't we—"

"No!" Matt took several steps back and pointed to the lounge chair. "Sit down and stop talking. I've been planning this for too long and I'm not going to have you beat me to the punch."

She sat down quietly, worried that she'd messed things up. What was she thinking? She shouldn't have mentioned kids. She was just trying to make a point. She was ready to settle down. It wasn't like she wanted a baby right this second. All she wanted was him.

"Matt, I didn't mean—"

"I said no." He shook his head, and started mumbling under his breath. "We're going to follow my plan for once. I should have known you'd manage to derail this. Just once I'd love to have things go exactly like I planned."

Before she could pull out a snarky comment, Matt knelt in front of her and pulled out a black ring box. "I had this big speech planned. I thought up a rebuttal to every argument you might have. But at this point, I think the only thing I have left to ask is, will you marry me?"

He flipped open the box and took out the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen. She loved that he didn't go traditional with a solitary diamond. It was gorgeous and practical, exactly what she would have picked herself.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your big proposal."

"You didn't. But you also haven't answered the question."

"Yes. Of course, I'll marry you."

"I just needed to hear the words." He slid the ring on her finger and she couldn't hold back those tears. He wiped her cheeks and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Now, stop that."

"They're happy tears. I'll be fine in just a second. But I'm waiting for the answer to my question."

"What question?"

"I've said yes. We are in Vegas." She pointed to the balcony for emphasis. "I'm ready for this. Are you?"

"What? You want to get married this weekend?"

"What's wrong with right now?" she said. "This is the City that Never Sleeps."

He took a moment to digest her words, and then a huge smile lit up his face. "My mother is going to kill us, but screw the plan. I've already seen this movie anyway. Just let me get my shoes."

WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Want to learn more about the other men at Millennium Marketing? Read Simon's story in the second of The Modern Girl's Guide series:
One Night Stands

Simon grabbed his jacket and went to the bar to order a sandwich to take home. He tried to find a quiet spot to catch the bartender's attention. John was holed on the far end of the bar, so Simon headed that direction.

"Hey, John. Looks like you have a lively crowd tonight."

The bartender shook his head, and rubbed down the counter in front of Simon. "A Big Pharma convention."

Simon looked back over his shoulder to the redhead and laughed. He should have guessed. She had sales written all over her designer suit. "Pharmaceutical, huh? Doesn't surprise me. The way that redhead was eye-fucking me, I bet she's pushing Viagra."

There was a loud guffaw next to him and he turned to see a petite woman sitting in the corner. He had completely missed her when he came up to the bar. When she notice him staring, she ducked her head, a bright blush stained her cheeks.

"What?" Simon asked. "Don't you think so?"

When she looked up from her drink, misty blue-gray eye met his gaze. She looked surprised and a little irritated that he was talking to her.