My Favorite Mistake: A Tahoe Nights Story

by Karen Erickson

  In other words, she didn’t have time for a relationship at all. She didn’t have much of a social life outside of networking with potential and current clients, and she liked it that way.

  He owned his own business, had done so for years but he also had no problem separating it from his personal life. He hired competent managers who knew how to handle problems and run his store efficiently when he wasn’t there. He was a big believer in relaxing and taking time for himself. All work and no play definitely made Tyler a dull boy.

  And he’d vowed long ago he’d never be considered dull ever again.

  Julie’s breathing deepened, indicating that she’d already fallen asleep. Not that he could blame her. After the vigorous walk around the lake and the even more vigorous bout of amazing sex she had to be exhausted. He knew he was.

  But he wanted to savor this moment, lying in bed with Julie in his arms. Her soft, supple body wrapped tight around his. He detached his hand from her abundant hair and touched her shoulder, his fingers sliding down her lean arm. He felt like a sentimental fool but damn it felt good, touching her. Smelling her. Holding her close. There was a sort of connection he had with her that was stronger than anything he’d experienced with another woman. Something he wanted to explore further.

  The thought would normally scare the hell out of him. But not when it was with Julie. He didn’t want this connection to end come Monday. He wanted to see where this might go. If they had potential—real potential. He believed they did.

  Now it might take some convincing for Julie to agree.

  Tyler was more than up for the challenge.

  Chapter Four

  Julie stretched her arms above her head, her legs straight out in front of her before she relaxed fully in the overstuffed wicker chair she sat on. She was out on the redwood deck, staring at the beautiful lake as the twilight skies settled in. Deepening shades of blue streaked with pinks and oranges filled the sky, casting a lovely glow upon the calm lake. She could hear Tyler moving about within the cabin, and she wished he’d come back out soon.

  She was eager to see him. Watch him. Talk to him.

  Their first sexual encounter she’d been the aggressor but something had happened to him once they’d woken up from their nap. He’d practically pushed her into the bathroom and turned the water on, dragging her into the shower along with him. He’d given her a scorching kiss that seemed to last for hours, so intensely hot it weakened her knees. Then he’d soaped her up, her body sudsy and slick before she returned the favor. Their hands and mouths wandered everywhere until he’d finally hauled her up by the waist against the cold, hard tile wall and fucked her right there. With the secret condom he’d slipped into the shower as if that had been his plan all along.

  Which it probably had and she couldn’t fault him for that. She liked a man who had a specific plan of action. Especially when it involved her.

  They’d slept so long it had been late afternoon when they woke up. Then they’d spent so much time in the shower they’d come out of it with their skin shriveled up like little old people. He’d taken her out to dinner, to one of the local restaurants that was a complete tourist trap but charming. It was filled to the brim with locals and out-of-towners, and they ate at the bar.

  She’d had the best time. Talking and laughing, sharing all sorts of silly stories, it had been so easy to be with Tyler. To open up and be real and not feel the need to put on some sort of front and pretend she was someone else. It was hard to admit but that’s exactly how she’d behaved with previous dates, even with a few boyfriends. She’d never been one to open up.

  With Tyler, it was as if she couldn’t help herself. As if she couldn’t stop. When she thought about it too much, it actually kind of scared her.

  So she decided not to worry at all. Just push her fears to the back of her mind. She’d worry about it later. Like on Sunday afternoon when she had to pack up all her stuff and head back home.

  Alone.

  Julie shuddered. That thought alone stopped her heart.

  “Cold?”

  She about jumped out of her skin when she heard his low, velvety voice behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she curled her arms around herself and rubbed her hands along them as she watched him walk. “A little bit.”

  “It gets pretty warm during the day but just as cool once the sun goes down.” He settled his long, lean body in the chair next to hers. “I come here not just for the beauty and the quiet but also just to escape the heat.”

  “I totally understand,” she said with a nod, taking the glass of white wine he offered. “It gets so hot during the summer. Well, you know. You grew up in Sacramento too. But you don’t go there anymore do you?”

  “Nah, my parents moved a few years ago. They live in Colorado now, and they don’t come this way too much. I usually go and visit them if I want to see them. Most of the time for Christmas, sometimes Thanksgiving.”

  “And they didn’t give up this cabin? What with moving and all, I’m surprised they didn’t sell their share of it.”

  “I wouldn’t let them.” He shook his head with a slight smile, took a sip from his glass of wine. “I’m going to buy them out and soon. I’m having the papers drawn up right now.”

  “Looking for a deal?” she teased as she drank from her glass. The wine was sweet yet sharp, sparking her tongue before she swallowed. It was delicious, smooth. Yet again the man dazzled her, he even had good taste in wine.

  Was he perfect or what?

  No one is perfect, least of all a man I happen to be interested in.

  “I’m going to offer them a fair market price,” he said with a knowing grin. “I’m not about to take advantage of a couple of old folks, especially when those old folks are my parents.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “I always liked your parents.”

  “And they liked you. They liked all of the Lancasters.”

  “What did you think of the Lancasters?” she couldn’t help but ask.

  “You know what I think about you. The crush I had on you.” He set his wineglass on the small wicker and glass-top table between them. “But I also gotta admit, I was…jealous.”

  Her brows drew together. “Jealous? Of us? But why?” She remembered a lot of fighting between her and her younger brother and sister and a lot of yelling coming from her parents. She could certainly reflect now and realize what a bunch of pain in the asses they were. Talk about making a vacation miserable.

  “I always wanted brothers and sisters and I never had any. My parents are pretty calm and quiet and rather intellectual. I love them more than anything, but their idea of fun when I was a kid was turning off the TV and spending the evening reading great works of non-fiction. Out loud to each other.” He grimaced.

  She laughed at the way he said the last sentence but the laughter died on her lips when she realized just how serious he was. “My house was always really loud. The very last thing my mom wanted to hear was us reading out loud to each other. It would just turn into a yelling competition or something equally stupid.”

  “Ha, I bet. I always liked how the cabin got really loud when your family showed up. I would wonder how my parents became such good friends with your parents. I still wonder. They were complete opposites in practically every way.”

  “Sometimes opposites work,” she said quietly, thinking about the two of them. They were pretty opposite in their behaviors, their work ethics, the way they did things. And yet it felt as if the two of them just…worked.

  Oh, jeez you’re being ridiculous. You’re taking this way too seriously and most likely he’s just looking for a fun, weekend reunion fling.

  And you’re giving it to him, supposedly with no strings attached.

  “Yeah, I loved spending time around your family. Your parents, your brother and sister, and you.” He studied her, his eyes glowing, intense behind the frames of his glasses. Glasses she suddenly wanted to rip from his face so she could grab his cheeks and steal a long, delici
ous kiss. “I so much wanted to be a part of that.”

  “We’re still really loud.” Her brother had gotten married and already had one child, a rambunctious little two-year-old boy. Her sister had a boyfriend who played in a band, which meant he always had a guitar slung over his shoulder. Which also meant he was always playing his original songs whenever and wherever he could.

  It was so damn loud at her parents’ house when everyone came over to visit that she could hardly think. Half of the reason she hadn’t been over there much lately. Well, that and she’d been consumed by work. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she went for the traditional Sunday family dinner get-together.

  No wonder her mother gave her so much grief.

  “I bet you are,” he said with a fond smile. “I’m sure it’s a lot of fun.”

  “Most of the time everyone drives me crazy. I don’t really see them that much.” She grew somber as she stared into the distance. She heard the faint murmurings of their neighbors next door who were having a small get-together. Music sounded in the distance, most likely coming from the very popular tavern that was just down the lake. Sound carried easily here at night, she’d learned long ago. She and her sister had giggled long into the night once when they’d heard a passionate outdoors-in-the-woods-encounter carry on along the breeze.

  “But you don’t live that far from them, right? I mean, I know you said you’re in Folsom but…”

  “Yeah, they aren’t that far. And my sister and brother never really left the area either. It’s just… I don’t know.” She shrugged, suddenly feeling kind of crappy. She wasn’t the best daughter or sister in the world. And she definitely wasn’t the best sort of girlfriend either. Her lack of recent boyfriends and hell, recent dates proved that. “I’m just always busy.”

  “You’re too busy,” he murmured.

  God, hadn’t she heard that one enough already? Surprisingly, it didn’t upset her when it came from Tyler.

  “I am way too busy,” she agreed, knowing she just surprised him. “Maybe you should teach me how to relax more. I need to learn how to slow down and enjoy life.”

  “I could teach you,” he agreed as he reached out his hand. She took it, watching with rapt attention as their fingers linked and intertwined so easily. Just like that. “Come here.”

  Without a word she went to him, secretly thrilling at his quiet command. She stood at the edge of his chair, their hands still linked. He stared up at her, the moonlight glinting on the edge of his glasses and he tugged the slightest bit. “Sit on my lap.”

  Her skin tingled as she settled herself upon him, straddling him as she rested on her knees, her thighs on either side of his hips. She could feel his thick erection through his khaki shorts already, and it thrilled her. That he could react so quickly because of her. Because of how she made him feel.

  It was a powerful, heady thing, the reaction he had toward her.

  “Have you enjoyed today?” he asked as he slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her so she hovered above him, her breasts practically in his face.

  “Oh, yes.” She couldn’t deny that. If she’d been by herself at the cabin, she might’ve been climbing the walls by now. She certainly would’ve been sitting out on this deck with her laptop checking email that was for sure. Drawing up business plans, reviewing clients’ needs, or maybe even just some mindless surfing. She was rarely away from her laptop at night and if the TV was on, it was mostly for background noise.

  Since she’d arrived last night, she hadn’t even turned her laptop on. The TV sat dark. She’d checked her Blackberry for messages twice. That was it.

  It was downright liberating, living relatively tech-free.

  “This is what I do every weekend, you know.” Leaning in, he nuzzled his face against her cotton-covered breasts, a seemingly innocent gesture that made her nipples hard, her entire body sizzle with awareness. “Unless there’s a special circumstance I take every single weekend off.”

  “Isn’t your store open on the weekends?” She rested her hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently. God, he was hard. Firm. Big.

  Big everywhere.

  “My store is open seven days a week, but I know how to delegate. How to trust others, that they’ll run my business the way I want them to. You would benefit to do the same, you know.” He nuzzled again. She felt his hot breath fan against her breasts, even through the layers of her T-shirt and bra.

  “I know. You’re right.” She sank her hands into the hair at the back of his head, tugging on the soft strands. He bit at the fabric of her shirt, his teeth scraping her flesh and she shuddered. “I should listen to you, take your advice. Because you’re so very, very wise.”

  “I’m terribly wise.” He lifted his hips, his cock rubbing against her pussy, and she stifled a moan. “Take your shirt off, babe.”

  She tugged it off at his gentle command and tossed it onto the chair she just vacated, revealing her pretty pale pink satin bra. His eyes widened in appreciation as they focused on her breasts. “Is getting naked part of my learning how to relax plan?”

  “Hell, yes,” he practically growled. “I mean come on, don’t you feel pretty damn relaxed after a major orgasm?”

  “I do have to admit they tend to relax me quite well,” she said with a giggle as he pressed his face between her breasts, his damp mouth like a blast of heat upon her skin. “I, uh, really like what you’re doing right now too.”

  “I bet,” he mumbled against her skin. His hands went around to her back, his fingers nimbly undoing the clasp on her bra so it sprang free. She shrugged out of it, eager to bare her flesh to his seeking hands and mouth and tongue.

  His hands came forward, palms cupping the sides of her breasts and bringing them close. An abundance of pale flesh with hard pink tips, he stared at them, his lips parted, his breathing accelerated. As if it aroused him to study her in such a close manner.

  “Suck them,” she suddenly urged, her voice a harsh whisper. God, she didn’t think she could stand it, having him touch her yet not putting his mouth on her.

  And she really enjoyed that mouth. It employed a rather high level of skill when it was drifting across her skin, licking and sucking her straight into oblivion.

  Casting her a sly smile, he leaned in and breathed deep, his lids drifting closed as if he enjoyed inhaling her scent. He nuzzled her chest again, creating a scatter of goose bumps across her skin from the rasp of his stubble, the warmth of his breath. His lips were damp, a tease of sensation as they drifted along the valley between her breasts. Frustration filled her that he wouldn’t do her bidding. That he continued to tease and torment when all she wanted was instant gratification.

  “Sshh,” he whispered as if he could feel her frustration building. She realized her body was tense, and she willed herself to relax. The grip of her fingers in his hair lessened, and she stroked his head, his hair drifting through her fingers. Her reward was a gentle lick along the underside of her left breast.

  The agonized moan that escaped her sounded desperate even to her own ears.

  “I love how responsive you are,” he murmured against her skin, making her shiver. He licked again, up, up, coming close to her armpit before he veered off, his tongue running against her nipple for the briefest moment before it was gone. “Does this feel good? Are you relaxed now?”

  “Yes and no,” she said from between clenched teeth. She wasn’t relaxed whatsoever. She was coiled tight, tense with anticipation and need and the bastard knew it. She could tell by the amusement lacing his deep voice.

  “Relax, Jules.” No one had called her Jules in years, not even her family anymore and that’s where she’d gotten the nickname in the first place. “Enjoy this. I’m doing it all for you.”

  “You’re driving me crazy,” she admitted, a whimper slipping past her lips when he drew her nipple into his mouth and began sucking gently. The pull of his mouth worked a similar pull deep within her body. The sensation sizzled and pulsed in her veins, t
ingled along her flesh and when his teeth clamped down and bit, she about jumped out of her skin.

  They’d been at this all day long. He’d been inside her three times, and they were going for moment number four. With her last relationship they’d had sex once a week, right on schedule, every Thursday night. All of the spontaneity taken out of it just to appease their heavy workloads so they could get a night of sex.

  She’d just gained a month’s worth of sex all in less than twenty-four hours.

  The man might kill her if they were actually to become involved in a steady relationship.

  Banishing the too-serious thought, she concentrated instead on the man who now sucked her other nipple, offering it the same attention as the first. Cool mountain air wafted across her skin and it made her damp-from-his-mouth nipple harden and chill to an almost painful sensation.

  It was a good pain. A delicious pain and she tugged on his hair, pulled him away from her nipple. He let it go with an audible pop, gazing up at her as if she’d lost her mind for making him stop.

  So handsome, his dark hair tousled from her hands, his pouty mouth damp from his attentions upon her flesh. Reaching up, she gently pulled his glasses from his face and set them on top of the table next to the chair. Meeting his gaze once more, she realized his eyes were the slightest bit unfocused, as if he couldn’t quite make her out and she suddenly found him so sweet. Endearing.

  Gorgeous. Sexy. Mouth-wateringly delicious. She had the sudden urge to taste him. To strip him of his clothing and run her mouth across his hard stomach and then lower. She wanted to tease at the sensitive flesh on the inside of each of his thighs, to run her tongue on the underside of his sac. To lick at the tip of his cock just before she drew him deep inside her mouth.

  “Let’s take this off.” She grabbed the hem of his shirt, and he lifted his arms obediently, letting her tug the offending garment off. Then she went for the waistband of his khaki shorts, undoing the button, sliding down his zipper. Encountering warm, black cotton boxer briefs hiding a hard, long package just beneath.