Make It Last

by Megan Erickson

He remembered how she liked it, and how a swirling suck on her clit sent her over the edge.

  It did this time, and when he rose above her, her eyes were glazed. He helped her out of her dress while he pulled his shirt over his head and slipped off his boxers.

  He settled his hips between her legs and kissed her face and neck and nuzzled below her ear. “Just think. We can sleep in on weekends and do this all day.”

  Her body shook with laughter below him. “I think people will start to talk if we hole ourselves up in our bedroom every weekend.”

  He lowered his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth. He let it go with a pop. “Let them talk.”

  She twirled her finger over her head. “Wherever you put my bag, it has condoms in it.”

  He shot her a grin as he rolled off her in search of her bag. “How many?”

  “Don’t get too cocky, Cam!” she called after him as he left the bedroom, laughing.

  He rolled the condom on as he walked back to Tate lounging in the bed. She was running her hands along the comforter. “Damn, this bed is nice.”

  He put his hands on his hips. “I’m standing in front of you naked and you’re talking about soft sheets?”

  She giggled and held her arms out. “Come here. I’m sure I can make up for it by stroking your fragile ego.”

  He crawled onto the bed over her. “There’s something else I want you to stroke.”

  She reached down and did just that. “I set you up for that one on purpose.”

  “I know you did.” He kissed her as he entered her slowly. She moaned into his mouth as he began to rock his hips.

  Last time they’d had sex, it had felt desperate, like they both had agendas.

  But this . . . this was how could they could be together, in sync with matching breaths and heartbeats. He pulled her hands above her head and linked their fingers together as he continued to thrust slowly, not willing for this moment to end anytime soon.

  Tate’s eyes were at half mast, her lips slightly parted and tilted into a small smile.

  His orgasm built deliciously slow, and when he came, he did on an openmouthed groan below her ear.

  He let go of her hands, so she wrapped them around his shoulders and he cradled her head, stroking her hair. He stayed connected with her, shifting his hips as he enjoyed the feel of her around him.

  Tate heaved a long, contented sigh beneath him and he rolled off her. With a kiss to her forehead, he disposed of the condom, then came back to bed, tucking them both beneath the covers.

  They lay on their sides facing each other, holding hands. Cam’s arm was over her head, fingers stroking the hair at her temples. Her makeup was smudged, but her cheeks were a rosy pink, her lips wet and swollen. She’d never looked more beautiful.

  “So, you came up here to learn more about the remote position?” she asked.

  He nodded. “And to accept it.”

  She shifted closer. “Even though I acted like a shit.”

  “You didn’t act like a shit. But you pissed me off.”

  She looked down at their hands. “I’m sorry.”

  He tapped her head so she lifted it to meet his gaze. “What did you think was going to happen when you got here?”

  She snorted. “God, it could have gone bad, huh? I didn’t let myself think about it. All I knew was that I needed to prove something to you. That I was worth it.”

  “I always knew you were worth it. I needed you to believe you were worth it.”

  She bit her lip. “Okay, well, I believe it now.”

  He kissed her and then rolled onto his back to grab the room service menu. Tate propped her chin on his shoulder so she could look at it, too. “Were you serious when you said the company paid for this?”

  It’d surprised him, that they were willing to put him up in this fancy place. But he wasn’t going to argue. “Yep, so what do you want?”

  “Aren’t they going to notice if they get a charge for two dinners?”

  She had a point, but he shrugged. “I’m a big boy. I eat a lot.”

  Tate laughed and pointed to the mushroom Swiss burger with pommes frites. “I want that. What’s pommes frites though?”

  He squinted. “Aren’t they French fries?”

  “Why don’t they just say fries then?”

  “Because they wanna be fancy?”

  Tate rolled her eyes. “They’re fried strips of potatoes. There’s really no need to dress them up.”

  Cam laughed. “You tell ’em, Tatum.”

  “I want dessert too. Ooooh, Death by Chocolate cake. I want that. How long do you have this room?”

  “Tonight’s the last night.”

  “Oh.” She looked disappointed.

  He dropped the menu on his chest and turned to her. “Hey, we’ll take a train home tomorrow night. So we’ll wake up and do some sightseeing before that, okay?”

  She tapped her chin.

  “What’s there to think about?” He laughed.

  “That means we have to get out of bed.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You decide then. Stay in bed all day or sightsee.”

  She flicked his nose. “Just kidding. I’d like to check out the city.”

  “Good answer.”

  Chapter 22

  TATE GROANED WHEN the phone in their hotel room rang. She picked her head up as she heard Cam’s sleep-roughened voice say, “Hello?”

  They’d set their cell phones and scheduled a wake-up call with the front desk. Which was a good thing. Because Tate had thrown hers when it went off. Cam had hit the snooze on his twice and now maybe the third time would be a charm.

  She blinked her eyes and tried to lull herself into consciousness as the phone rattled back onto the receiver. After eating themselves silly last night, they’d rented action movies and bad porn. Then Cam had woken her up once to have sex, while she’d returned the favor with a sunrise blow job.

  She lay on her stomach and rolled her head so she was facing Cam. He lay on his back, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. He dropped them at his sides with a thud, then turned to her. “Damn it, I’m tired.”

  “Me too.”

  He sat up and rolled his neck. “Okay, game plan. We take showers and then find somewhere to eat breakfast. If we order room service, we’ll probably never leave.”

  Tate pushed herself up onto her elbows. “I need coffee first.”

  “Me, shower. You, coffee.”

  Tate nodded.

  Cam clapped his hands together and hopped out of bed. As he walked toward the bathroom, he called over his shoulder. “Now, Tatum!”

  “Bossy drill sergeant,” she muttered.

  It took them forty-five minutes, but eventually they were out the door. Tate hadn’t packed much, so they’d managed to fit everything inside Cam’s bag, which he carried on his back.

  They stopped at a coffee shop for more caffeine and bagels.

  “Where do you want to go first?” Cam asked, squinting into the sun.

  Tate took a sip of coffee from her to-go cup and pulled her new (free) glasses down over her eyes. “You need sunglasses.”

  He pulled a pair of mirrored aviators out of a cargo pocket in his camo shorts and slipped them over his eyes. His eyebrows rose above the lenses. “Happy?”

  She nodded. “Those are hot.”

  “My sunglasses?”

  “Way hot.”

  “Since when do you have a thing for sunglasses?”

  She chewed her bite of bagel and swallowed. “Since they’re on your face.”

  He laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders.

  They spent their morning doing all the touristy things New York offered. They walked around Central Park and sprayed perfume at Macy’s and ate vendor hot dogs.

  “You want to check out Rockefeller Center?” Cam asked as he tossed his napkin in a trash can.

  Tate slipped her hand into his. “That’s where they do the big tree at Christmas and ice rink, right?”

  C
am nodded. “I mean, it’s the summer, but it’s still cool. They film the Today Show near there.”

  The day was gorgeous, not too hot, but sunny with a slight breeze. Cam could have led her anywhere and she wouldn’t have cared. “Sounds perfect.”

  As they walked, Cam chuckled to himself.

  “What’s that for?”

  He watched his feet eat up the sidewalk with a small smile on his face. “I haven’t told you much about my roommates in college, have I?”

  He’d mentioned them once or twice. A guy named Alec who looked like Elvis and a big, lovable asshole named Max. Alec’s girlfriend, Kat, a firecracker who used to date Max. And Max’s girlfriend, Lea, a girl who finally put him in his place. “A little.”

  He swung their arms. “Did I tell you about Max’s first date with Lea?”

  She shook her head.

  “So, she always wanted to skate at Rockefeller Center at Christmas when she was a kid. Ended up getting hurt in a car accident and wasn’t able to go. Max found out and rented out a skating rink. Decorated it like crazy with Christmas stuff and took her skating.”

  Tate’s heart melted. “That’s incredibly sweet.”

  Cam smiled. “Yeah, he did good.”

  “Do you miss them?”

  Cam squeezed her hand. “Yeah, I do. Max and Lea visited me at in Paradise at the beginning of the summer. Alec and Kat are a trip. She makes me laugh. So yeah, I miss them.” He ran his thumb along the inside of her wrist. “So, uh, I didn’t tell you earlier because I didn’t want to make you nervous, but you’re going to meet them.”

  Tate stopped and tugged on her hand in his hold but he didn’t let go. “What?” she screeched.

  “Calm down. See? This is why I didn’t tell you back in the room.”

  She ran her hands over her hair. “Damn it, you don’t spring something like that on a girl.” These were his friends. His smart college friends from a world she had never been a part of.

  “Come on,” he said, forcing her to walk again. “They’ll love you.”

  In the summer, the area that usually held an ice rink was a patio with umbrella-covered tables. They stood at the balcony off to one side, looking down at the golden Prometheus fountain. She put the future meeting out of her mind and enjoyed this time with Cam.

  Tate looped her arm in Cam’s and laid her head on his shoulder. This moment was everything, with the breeze in her hair and the contentment of having Cam at her side. The knowledge that he’d stay at her side.

  She opened her mouth to tell him that when a voice shouted, “There’s Ruiz!”

  They spun around to the source of the voice as a muscular man in a tight T-shirt, khaki shorts and brown leather flip-flops strode toward them. He had a crooked grin, and his eyes were a warm brown when he pushed his sunglasses into his short dark hair.

  He was also über attractive, in that arrogant jock kind of way.

  Cam extended his hand. “Hey Max.” They did that bro hand-clasp, back-slap hug thing and then Max reached back, pulling forward a petite girl Tate hadn’t even seen behind him.

  The girl had long brown hair with bangs and stood a little oddly, like she was keeping her weight off one of her legs. She hugged Cam and then stepped back, eyeing Tate.

  Cam cleared his throat. “Uh . . .”

  “Cam!” came a squeal, and then a flurry of dark blond hair, wide blue eyes and tan skin came flying into Cam’s arms.

  Tate took a step back, unsure if this was some ex-girlfriend who still had a thing for Cam. Because . . . totally awkward. But Cam’s face showed no concern, so Tate held her tongue on judgment. “Alec!” the blonde yelled. “You’re so slow, hurry up, it’s Cam!”

  A man walked up and placed a hand on the blonde’s shoulder. So this was Alec. He had a pompadour hairstyle and a pair of thick-framed glasses. He wore cutoff jean shorts, which normally would look horrid on a guy, but he seemed to pull them off with his worn chucks and V-neck T-shirt. In fact, he looked like a modern-day Elvis.

  “Cam,” the blonde was saying, and Tate guessed she was Kat, Alec’s girlfriend. “I think I made it on the Today Show. I’m not sure. But I was waving behind Matt Lauer—”

  “She looked crazy,” Alec piped in.

  Kat ignored him and kept talking. “And Lea said she saw me on the TV. I wasn’t thrilled about my makeup today but thank God I wasn’t wearing yellow or some awful color, right?”

  Cam laughed. “You’re famous now, Kat.”

  She flipped her hair over her shoulder and stuck out a hip. “That’s what I said. Alec is being a party pooper.”

  Alec rolled his eyes, hauling his girlfriend back against his body and kissing the top of her head. She looked at him over her shoulder with bright eyes and a smile. The obvious affection between them made Tate grin.

  Cam opened his mouth, probably to introduce her, when a woman walked up to them. About Tate’s height, with dark pink hair cut in a short bob with bangs. She wore a cream-colored, tight dress with gold trim, gold gladiator sandals, and a sort of gold-snake headband. She looked like a funky Cleopatra.

  Tate wondered if she was some sort of street performer until she opened her mouth. “Is Kat still talking about being on TV again? I think the camera was just trying to get away from me.”

  Tate didn’t know why, because the girl was stunning.

  “Danica, you made it on, too, I saw it,” Kat said.

  Danica rolled her eyes and then spotted Cam. “Hey Cam.”

  Cam hugged her and Tate watched closely for any extra touching. But Danica seemed about as interested in Cam as a piece of dry toast.

  Cam spoke up again. “So, I need to introduce you guys to someone.” He grabbed Tate’s hand and hauled her beside him. He pointed out Max and Lea, who were a couple, along with Kat and Alec. Danica, the pink Cleopatra, was another friend. “And guys, this is Tatum. Tatum Ellison. My girlfriend.”

  Danica was the first to greet her with a chin lift to her face. “Nice makeup.”

  Tate fluttered her hand near her cheek. “Oh. Uh, thanks.”

  Max was next. “Nice to meet you. Damn Cam, you move fast. I just saw you a month or two ago.”

  “Yeah, well, she was my girlfriend from . . . before.”

  Five smiles wiped off five faces. The girls blinked at Tate and the guys scowled. Tate felt two inches tall. Cam must have told them about her.

  “Hey,” he spoke up. “I know . . . I said some things. But there’s much more to the story. And let’s just say, it’s in the past now. We’re moving forward. I swear, she didn’t do me wrong, okay?”

  Alec stepped forward. “Sorry, kind of attached to the guy. Nice to meet you, Tate.” He shook her hand, his smile warm, and Tate began to relax.

  “So thanks for meeting me, guys.”

  Max shrugged. “Kind of cool we were passing through when you were here. What’s this about an interview?”

  Cam waved his hand. “Long story, but I’m taking the New York job . . . just not in New York. I’ll be working for them remotely back home.”

  Max raised an eyebrow. “And that’s cool with you?”

  Cam glanced at Tate and smiled at his friend. “Yeah, it’s perfect for me. So what do you guys want to do?”

  “We were just about to grab some lunch.” Kat shaded her eyes from the sun. “Want to join?”

  Cam looked at Tate and she smiled. “Sure.” She wanted the opportunity to get to know Cam’s friends better. He looked genuinely happy to see them. Kat was a little different, but fun to be around, and Lea’s sarcastic remarks and Max’s return quips were entertaining.

  Alec . . . seemed quiet. And a little fidgety. Tate hadn’t figured him out yet.

  They sat at table in front of the fountain and ate lunch. Kat sipped her iced tea and stared rapt at the fountain.

  Cam eyed Alec. “You okay, man?”

  Tate was glad this was unusual for Alec and not his normal behavior. His leg bounced and sweat dripped down his temples. “Yeah, sure.” />
  “Dude, you’re sweating.” Max slid a glass of water over to him. “How about you hydrate.”

  Danica patted Alec on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear, then pressed the water into his hand.

  Alec composed himself a little based on whatever Danica told him. Then he gulped down the water and crushed a piece of ice before turning to his girlfriend. “Hey, you wanna go closer to the fountain?”

  Kat turned and looked at him with her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you want to walk up there? Get closer?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know. I’m having a good hair day and that mist from the water will frizz it right up.”

  Alec took a deep breath. “Kat, please walk with me to the fountain.”

  She opened her mouth, looking like she was going to protest again, but then she stopped and cocked her head, studying her boyfriend’s face. “Um, okay.”

  “Great,” Alec muttered under his breath and grabbed her hands as they rose from the table. She shot him a big smile, but that didn’t seem to relax him any.

  Their table was relatively close to the fountain already, so Kat and Alec had to walk only about ten feet to the edge.

  Tate watched their backs and thought what an attractive couple they made, with Kat’s looks and Alec’s style.

  And then Alec turned to Kat, licking his lips. When he gripped both her hands in his, they were trembling.

  And Tate knew what was next. She clapped her hand over her mouth and said through her fingers, “Oh my God.”

  “What?” Cam asked. And Tate pointed at Kat and Alec.

  She was staring at him as he dropped to one knee in front of the fountain. Lea whipped out her cell phone and began to snap pictures. Danica watched, a huge smile on her previously controlled face.

  “Meu coração, my heart,” Alec said. “I love you. I love your laugh and your wit and your heart. And I want that in my life every day. For the rest of my days. Will you marry me?”

  He pulled a ring out of his pocket and held it up to Kat. Tate’s eyes watered even though she’d just met these people.

  Kat was crying. And Tate noticed the girl even cried beautifully. Kat nodded and let Alec slip the ring on her finger and then she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him.