My Favorite Mistake

by Parker, Weston

  “I think we can handle so much more than we think. My grandfather always used to say our breaking point is only the way we can find out how strong you are. Once you know, you keep pushing on.”

  “I don’t want to,” she said. “I don’t want to know how strong I am. I just want to ride the wave and have it easy.”

  “Why don’t we go grab a late lunch?” I offered. “We can watch a movie, go swimming, shopping, whatever you want to help get your mind off this. Let the shock wear off, and then you can start processing it.”

  “I’m okay,” she said in a soft voice. “I’ll be fine.”

  I smirked. “Woman, you are talking to the king of the ‘I’ll be fine’ club. It helps to get some exercise and be outdoors. Trust me.”

  She smiled, which I took as a very good sign. “You’re probably right about that.”

  “We’ll get some lunch, and we can talk about this if you want. You’re the one who always tells me to talk this stuff out. I’m here. I’m yours for the rest of the day and all night if you’d like. We can talk or not talk. I’m up for anything.”

  “I suppose I could eat. Do you think we could maybe go somewhere casual? I’m not up for getting dressed up.”

  “Absolutely,” I said. “I know a place near the beach. We can eat gyros and watch the water.”

  “Perfect. Let me get dressed and put myself together.” She got up and walked away.

  I leaned back on the couch, watching her walk away. I could almost see the visible weight on her shoulders. I wanted to help ease her burden. I suddenly had a very good idea about how she must feel. I’d been pretty closed down lately. I was going to try harder, I decided in that moment.

  She returned to the small living room a few minutes later, freshened up and looking a little better than she had when she left the room. “Ready?”

  “I am,” she said. “And you’ve got me craving a pork gyro.”

  I laughed, happy to see her sounding like her old self. I drove to the small restaurant that was really nothing more than a shack on the beach. It offered plenty of outdoor seating, which was the real appeal. That, and some of the best gyros in the city. Nicole went in search of somewhere to sit while I ordered our meals. I ordered one of the bottles of wine the restaurant sold, knowing it wasn’t exactly the best quality, but that was part of the dining experience.

  “Have you eaten here before?” I asked her, taking my seat at the small bistro table with the umbrella overhead.

  “No, I don’t even think I knew it was here,” she said. “It’s cute, quaint. It reminds me of the food trucks back home.”

  “Food trucks?” I asked skeptically.

  “Yes, little restaurants in the back of trucks,” she explained.

  I tried not to grimace, but I couldn’t help it. “That sounds, uh, different.”

  “It is amazing. I think that is one of the things I miss the most about home; the taco trucks. Everything is made right there in the back of the truck, and it is so good and so fresh.” She licked her lips and made me think of something else entirely.

  “Alena has failed you,” I stated.

  “What? How so?”

  “This place is a staple among the locals. I would have thought she would have brought you down here.”

  She grinned. “Maybe she was keeping it a secret from me.”

  “Possibly,” I said with a laugh, taking the first bite of my gyro.

  I opened the bottle of wine, filling both of the plastic cups that were provided. It was a very, very rustic dining experience, which was part of the appeal. A good portion of the city had been transformed into an upscale tourist attraction, forgetting about the many locals who couldn’t afford the inflated prices.

  “Thanks,” she murmured, not taking a drink from the glass.

  I drank the wine, found it to be palatable, and drank a bit more. Nicole looked lost in thought. “Any plans for the weekend?” I asked, trying to distract her from the mom issue.

  “Nope, I rarely have plans,” she commented with a lack of emotion.

  “Want to go sailing?” I asked.

  “You sail?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve been, but I was thinking more along the lines of hiring a boat.”

  “Maybe,” she answered.

  “We could see if Bella and Adrian wanted to go along. We could make a day of it, or hell, we can even stay overnight on the boat if you wanted.”

  “Maybe,” she said, clearly not committing to the idea.

  We chatted about nothing in particular. My work, her lack of work, and everything except what had been revealed in the envelope. It was the giant elephant in the room, or on the beach, I supposed.

  “I didn’t tell you how I came to have the packet,” I said, figuring my woes might take her mind off her own family drama.

  “No, you didn’t,” she answered. “I assumed you had a meeting with the lawyer to go over the estate.”

  I nodded. “Yep, but that wasn’t why he called me to his office. When I got there, Demokritos was there.”

  She grimaced. “That does not sound good.”

  I smirked, shaking my head. “When my brother is involved, it is never good. It’s always going to be bad.”

  “What did he want?” she asked, seeming to perk up a bit.

  I had a problem, and she wanted to help. My problem would give her something to focus on. “He wanted to dispute the estate. I already knew it was buttoned up tight, but he thought he could go in there and bully his way into the thing. The lawyer basically told him he didn’t have a chance in hell of getting his hands on any of it. He tried to facilitate a compromise, but there is nothing I was willing to compromise on.”

  “I’m sorry. That has to be rough to deal with your brother after losing your grandfather.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “My brother and I don’t speak for a reason. He made sure to tell me I wouldn’t be welcome back into the family.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “What? They’re going to disown you if you don’t share the estate? What do they want to do with it? Sell it off piece by piece? Alec would be horrified. He spent his life collecting those things. He treasured every piece. I can’t believe they are willing to do that.”

  “He didn’t tell me what he wanted specifically, but I imagine that is what the goal was,” I said. “As for disowning me, they did that a long time ago.”

  I could feel her studying me, trying to read between the lines. I might have said too much. I hoped like hell she didn’t ask me about that story. I was willing to do a lot to get her mind off her own problems but didn’t want to drag up all that dirt.

  “I’m sorry. Families.” She shook her head.

  I laughed. “Who needs them?” I joked.

  We finished eating our food, and I finished my glass of wine but noticed she hadn’t touched hers. I assumed she wasn’t up for it. That was where we were very different. When my family was heavy on my mind, a few glasses of scotch were exactly what I needed.

  I gave the nearly full bottle to a young couple as we walked toward the car. They were happy to take it off my hands. “My place?” I asked, not wanting to make any assumptions.

  “Sure.”

  I reached over and grabbed her hand while I waited for the light to turn green. It was something she had done for me many times. It had made me feel better, and I hoped it would do the same for her. When we got back to my place, she walked to the picture windows and stared out at the water. Something about the ocean provoked deep thought and contemplation.

  I wrapped my arms around her from behind, dropping a kiss on the back of her neck. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure all of this out.”

  She turned her head, looking into my eyes. “We?” she asked.

  “Yes, we. Me and you. We’re a team, whether you like it or not. You’re stuck with me.” I dropped a kiss on her cheek.

  She smiled, slowly turning in my arms and wrapping her arms around my neck. “Hmm, I’m not sure what to thi
nk about that.”

  “I think you should think it’s a great thing. You and I, we’ll make a formidable team.”

  “I think I like the idea of being part of your team,” she whispered.

  “You know what we do on my team?” I asked in a husky voice, my forehead resting against hers.

  We began to gently sway, slowly turning as we danced to music only the two of us could hear.

  “What do we do on your team?” she asked quietly.

  I kissed her, letting my lips linger over hers before I gently deepened the kiss, my arms tightening around her. She felt so good in my arms, so right.

  We continued kissing and swaying, neither of us in any hurry to break the embrace. I was perfectly content to stay right where we were all night long.

  Chapter 28

  Nicole

  His kiss was hot and wet and made me forget all about my mother, or the woman who might be my mother. His hard body against mine was exactly what I needed. His strength and confidence made me feel protected. I wasn’t used to that feeling. His mouth began to move over my jaw, down my neck, leaving a trail of hot kisses.

  I moaned, tilting my head to the side to give him plenty of access. He obliged my unspoken question, taking his sweet time with his tongue and his teeth scraping over my flesh. He lovingly moved over my throat, giving the other side of my neck the same attention. When he was done, he reached down to pull my shirt up over my head. Without a word, I lifted my arms, letting the material fall to the floor. His mouth dropped to my chest, kissing above each breast before tugging the lace of my bra back to expose my nipple. He sucked it between his teeth. It felt like fire zipping through my body.

  I hadn’t realized how sensitive my nipples were until that instant. I cried out. It was pain and pleasure all rolled into one. My cries of pleasure spurred him on. He yanked down the other side of my bra, sucking the nipple into his mouth. My hands moved to his hair, pulling his head closer to me.

  “Oh god,” I whimpered.

  His hand flicked the back of my bra, unhooking it before he pulled it down my arms, his mouth never leaving my breast. My pelvis arched against him, needing the contact of his hard length. The man seemed determined to take his sweet time. I was anxious, horny, and in desperate need to be filled by him.

  “Rand,” I said his name on a plea.

  “I’ve got you, and we’ve got all night,” he whispered, moving his mouth close to my ear once again.

  I didn’t think I had three minutes before I erupted into a violent orgasm that would surely knock me to my knees. I reached for the button of his pants, expertly getting it undone before sliding the zipper down. I had his pants down around his ankles in no time at all.

  “Let’s go to the bedroom,” he murmured.

  “Here,” I demanded.

  “People,” he rasped out the word.

  My eyes opened wide as I turned to look out the huge window, noticing the people mingling about on the beach below. I wasn’t interested in giving anyone a peep show.

  “Okay,” I said, pushing him away from me and practically running for his bedroom. I was aching with need.

  I stripped out of my jeans as I moved. By the time I crawled onto his bed, I was naked and ready for him. He grinned, strolling across the room completely naked as well. I was glad we had the same idea about how fast this was going to go. My eyes dropped to the appendage between his legs, and I suddenly had a much better idea.

  “Lay down,” I ordered, patting the bed beside me.

  “Bossy,” he said, that sexy smile and his dark brown eyes dancing.

  “I am bossy,” I purred.

  He lay down flat on his back, watching me. It was my turn to kiss him. I started with his mouth before sliding over his neck. I nuzzled and licked and pulled tight flesh into my mouth. He was the one writhing on the bed as I moved my mouth down his flat stomach. I reached one hand to wrap around his length, sliding it up and down before closing my mouth over the top of the swollen head.

  “Fuck!” he shouted, his hips bucking as I ran my tongue around the tip, slowly sliding my mouth down before moving back up.

  He was panting and groaning as I loved him with my mouth, taking my time to bring him to the brink before backing off. I looked up his body and stared at the beautiful man I was making love to with my mouth and felt like the luckiest woman in the world. His eyes opened, and he stared back at me, heat and desire flashing as his nostrils flared. I held his gaze, bringing my mouth to the tip of his cock while he watched me. My tongue darted out, barely touching the tip.

  “God dammit, I can’t!” he shouted, using his abdominal muscles to sit up, pulling me up and over his body in one swift move.

  My hands grabbed his from around my waist and pinned them to the bed on either side of his head. I liked the feeling of power I got from being up high. I looked down at him before dropping my mouth to kiss him. I felt him try to move his hands from under mine, but I kept them right where they were. He gave in to my demand and let me kiss him as I pleased. I moved my body, positioning myself over his swollen cock and pushing until he was parting my folds and entering my body.

  I stopped when I was about halfway down his cock, both of us straining at that point. I watched the ecstasy cross his face. He lifted his head, his hands still pinned to the bed, and looked down his flat stomach to where we were joined.

  “Watch,” I breathed the word as I slowly slid down, taking every last inch of him inside my sheath.

  “Shit,” he rasped, his head falling back against the bed. “Ride me, Nickie, please.”

  I moved ever so slowly, rotating my hips and rising up on my knees until just the tip was inside me. His face twisted in painful pleasure as I slid down him and rotated over him in the opposite direction.

  “Like that?” I cooed.

  “Oh god, I’m dying here,” he groaned.

  “Don’t die, not yet. I’m not through with you yet.”

  “Fuck me, please, Nickie, please,” he begged.

  I kissed him, moving back and forth as the spiral of pleasure began to work through my body. I was barely holding on, not ready to relinquish the control, but my body had other plans. I couldn’t stop the orgasm from breaking over me. It was hot and wet and had me spasming around him.

  “My turn,” he growled, using those killer ab muscles of his and sitting forward, grabbing my face in his hands and kissing me as if he were a man starving.

  In a flash, he was rolling over with me getting pinned to the bed. I smiled up at him as he moved over the top of me, finding my entrance slick and waiting for his return. He easily glided inside, my body still spasming and weeping with the climax.

  “I want to fuck you for hours and hours, but you turn me inside out,” he grunted, his words tight, his eyes squeezing closed. “I can’t. I have to go.”

  “Go, baby, go. I’m right here.” I encouraged him to rid himself of the pain he looked to be in.

  I knew that pain and frustration and wanted him to experience the same ecstasy I was still riding high on. His thrusts became faster and harder as he took my words to heart. I loved watching him find his release. His face always twisted into a fierce scowl, and then it was nothing but pure bliss and serenity as he slowly relaxed.

  He shouted, raising his head to the ceiling and letting himself go deep inside me. I reached up and held him close, letting his head rest against my chest as his breathing slowly returned to normal. In that moment, I felt connected to him, beyond the obvious physical connection. I truly felt he was a part of me. I supposed he was, with his baby possibly growing inside me, but again, it was on a deeper, more personal level.

  He moved his weight off me, laying on his side, his face mere inches from mine. I turned my head to face him, our noses nearly rubbing together. I loved our pillow-talk moments. I loved when it was just me and him, and the world around us didn’t exist. It reminded me of the game I used to play with my friends. The floor was lava, and the only safe place was the bed. He and
I were alone on an island with only the two of us there for each other.

  “Did you mean what you said?” I asked him.

  He grinned. “I probably said some pretty vile things in the heat of the moment. If I said something that offended you, I’m sorry.”

  I giggled, slapping at his bare shoulder. “No, not that, although I do love your dirty talk.”

  “Oh, you’re going to have to refresh my memory. I tend to say a lot. I’m sure if I said it to you, I was serious, but you’ll want to remind me.”

  “You said we. You said me and you were a team. Is that how you really feel?”

  He gave a small nod. Any bigger and he would have knocked me in the forehead. “I was very serious about that. I’m here for you. Whatever you want to do, I’ll be right there with you.”

  “Thank you. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you are willing to go through this with me. I have Alena, but there’s just something about you that makes me feel invincible.” I was being brutally honest and scaring myself just a little.

  “Hey, you don’t have to make up your mind right now. This is something that can wait a few days or a few weeks. There is no one else I’d rather be on a team with. You’re my girl.” He reached up to touch my cheek.

  His words melted my heart. “Thank you. We’ll talk about it later. I don’t want to think about it right now. I like to let things simmer a bit before I do anything that requires a decision that could be life altering.”

  “Absolutely. It’s early. Do you want a drink? We could have a little nightcap and watch the sun go down.”

  “I’m okay with just watching the sunset,” I replied, not wanting to address the other situation that was sure to come up soon enough.

  I figured we could tackle one hurdle at a time. I needed to find the right time to tell him, and I needed to make sure it was a real thing before I crossed that bridge. I wasn’t anticipating a huge celebration party from him, but I was hoping there would be some acceptance.

  I pushed all of it aside. I had the night. I was going to pretend the world was perfect. He and I were going to lay back and enjoy a beautiful sunset and then crawl into bed together. That was what I wanted to focus on. Nothing else mattered for at least the next twelve hours.