Conklin's Corruption

by Brooke Page

  My focus derailed from the menu to raise a brow at him. He laughed when he saw my expression.

  “I hate cheese curds,” he smiled. “I just like to get a rile out of you.”

  I shook my head and continued to look over the menu.

  “I’m going to get the fish and chips. Something greasy sounds good.” He folded his menu and contently looked at me. “What are you going to get?”

  “Probably a salad. I have a wedding dress to fit in to,” I said still examining my choices.

  “Fine… but you still need more meat on your bones. I was inspecting you from behind as we walked inside,” he flirted.

  Oh, I missed this fun, playful side of my Ty.

  “I should say the same to you,” I said playfully back, although I was serious. He was thinner. I understood how hard it was to eat when your mind was elsewhere, so I didn’t like to bug him about not eating.

  “Hence the fish and chips,” he smirked. “Watch out, I’m going to let myself go when we get married. I hope you’ll still love me with a beer gut.”

  I practically snorted into my menu. “Well, I am only marrying you for your charmingly good looks,” I sighed.

  His lip quirked. “Wow… and I thought it was because of my money?” he teased again, reaching across the table for my hand.

  I shook my head at him, reminding myself he was only joking. He knew I didn’t care about money.

  Setting down the menu and holding his hand with both of mine, I looked him in the eyes. “When I say our vows, I’ll mean them. I’m looking forward to sitting with you on a porch, gray-haired and barely moving. I love your mind and personality, and if it happens, your beer gut will be loved just as much.”

  A grateful smile crossed his lips. “Same to you Becs. It’s okay if you don’t count every calorie and skip the gym from time to time. I love you for you, no matter what. I’ll be turned on by your body, even when I can’t get it up.”

  We both laughed. While staring at our hands intertwined, I knew he was telling me the truth. Tyler loved me with stretch marks and love handles, and I didn’t have to be physically perfect for him.

  ***

  Napping in the car with a full belly was way too easy. Maybe that’s why the last few hours flew by. It was a good thing because the only scenery was woods. I probably would have been constantly checking the gas gauge, worried because I didn’t think there were any gas stations close by.

  I stretched my arms as we pulled into a very wooded driveway.

  “Sleep well?” Tyler asked as he patted my thigh. I nodded my head and groaned, blinking a few times as I tried to wake from my nap.

  “The cabin is a few miles down. I hope you like it.”

  Finally, the trees partially cleared and a small, wooden cabin appeared.

  “It’s probably not what you were expecting, but I have a lot of memories here,” Tyler said quietly as he unbuckled his seat belt.

  Stepping out of the car, I took in the humble cabin. “I think it’s wonderful. I’m looking forward to hearing your memories.”

  His grin faded slightly, as he thought intently about something. Shaking his head as though riding his memories, he went to the back of the Lexus and grabbed our bags. I followed him, reaching for the few groceries we packed.

  Tyler unlocked the door, nervously ushering me inside.

  The cabin was smaller than it looked on the outside. The walls were actual logs, with a fireplace in the center of the one main room with a few beat up couches. A shelf with unorganized games and books was shoved in the corner. The kitchen was a part of the big room, only a few cupboards and refrigerator and stove, no microwave or dishwasher.

  The only table in the room was petite and round, four chairs clustered around it.

  My smile grew wide. I loved this cabin. It was everything you’d imagine Tyler wasn’t by his expensive suits and cars. Turning to meet his beautiful, worrisome face, I whispered, “This is perfect.”

  This cabin was the Tyler I grew to love, the basketball shorts and t-shirts Tyler. The guy who wouldn’t shave or do his hair the entire weekend while we lounged because he really didn’t care. Tyler was more laid back than most people assumed.

  His nerves washed away as he met my smile. “Let me show you the loft.”

  I nodded, dropping the groceries and following Tyler up the open stairs. The lack of railing made me uneasy. He dropped our bags on the floor in the wedged space to the side of the full size bed. A flowery patterned comforter with matching pillow cases covered the bed. There wasn’t a headboard or matching furniture and only one dresser with a mirror attached. A picture of who I’d assumed were Tyler’s grandparents with him and his two brothers was taped to the mirror.

  “Hope you don’t mind cuddling at night,” he murmured, referring to the small bed.

  I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I guess I could put up with it.” We both laughed but then my smile faded. “Wait, there is a bathroom, right?”

  Tyler slowly shook his head, no, and my eyes went wide. His lip twitched, giving away he couldn’t lie to me.

  Smacking his chest, I said, “That’s not funny!”

  He laughed whole heartedly again then led me back downstairs. “I’m sorry but yes, there’s a bathroom. Wow, you should have seen your face, Becs.”

  The bathroom was as tiny as a bathroom could be, a simple standup shower, toilet, and pedestal sink. “We’re going to have to cuddle in the shower, too,” Tyler murmured in my ear, his hands finding my waist. “The other bedroom is over here, but it only has a couple of bunk beds.”

  “Where you slept when you were younger?”

  He nodded his head as I walked into the room. The bunk beds took up most the space. Envisioning Tyler and his brothers rambunctiously picking which bed they’d sleep in, excited to be away from the busy city life, made my insides warm.

  “Let me show you the lake,” Tyler smiled, pulling me out of the room. The slider to the back deck stuck and took Tyler a few moments to crank it open.

  I nearly lost my breath with the view.

  It was… so, beautiful.

  The water was crystal clear. I hadn’t realized the cabin was on an inlet of the lake. We could see Pictured Rocks about a half mile out. The beach had only a few feet of sand and was covered in stones from Lake Superior. Tyler reached down to pick one up, throwing it across the water making it skip.

  “This is wonderful, Ty. Look at the rocks!” I said enthusiastically.

  Tyler turned to me and smiled as he bent down to pick up another rock. “We can take the kayaks to get a better look if you want.”

  My smile widened along with his. “Yes! That’d be so cool!”

  Tyler laughed and skipped his stone then pulled me to his side. “I never would have pegged you for an outdoorsy girl.”

  My smile straightened. “I can guarantee you I’m not,” I said seriously then my smile shyly returned. “But this place is important to you, and I want an insight on a young Tyler. A Tyler who isn’t all business and numbers.”

  His face relaxed, but his features still seemed tight. I reached my hand to caress his jaw, enjoying the neatly trimmed beard that took place on his face. “I love all sides of you Ty, but this side doesn’t come out too often,” I whispered.

  Tyler’s arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me tight to his chest while his chin found my hair. “Lately I don’t even know who I am,” he murmured into my hair.

  My heart nearly shattered at his broken expression. “You’ll find yourself again,” I whispered into his chest. “And I know I’ll be even more in love with you when it happens.”

  His grip tightened on me as he buried his face into my neck, his actions speaking louder than his words.

  ***

  Oranges, pinks, and purples filled the skyline as Tyler built a fire. The scenery of the woods and crystal clear lake was breathtaking with the sunset molding them together. Except my view kept getting distracted by my hand swatting bugs out of my face. />
  “Once the fire’s lit, the bugs won’t be as bad,” Tyler laughed.

  I swatted another bug away, crinkling my nose in discomfort. We had an awesome day in nature, but I was a true city girl. Thankfully, we were only staying a few nights.

  The afternoon had been perfect. We cruised in the kayaks around the inlet, taking in the beauty of Pictured Rocks. I was amazed by how clear the water was as I saw fish swimming at least 40 feet below me. The other scenery was pretty distracting as well. Tyler using his strong arms to row his kayak, his jaw ticking as he was deep in thought. He looked beyond yummy, even in his backwards Cubs hat.

  To be honest, he was looking pretty scrumptious right now. He was cutting wood, using those same strong arms. I couldn’t help but lick my lips, watching him, enjoying the veins in his forearms flex against his muscles.

  I pouted when he was done and watched as he fiddled with how the chopped wood should be placed in the fire pit. Once Tyler was pleased with his handy work, he took a seat next to me on an old, pine swing. His arm made its way behind me on the back of the swing.

  “Nice fire,” I complimented.

  He glanced in my direction, his Conklin grin sneaking towards the side of his mouth. “I guess you would know since you couldn’t take your eyes off it.”

  A blush crept to my cheeks. I had been caught ogling him.

  “You get to make the fire tomorrow night. Naked,” he teased. I laughed and snuggled into his chest.

  The flames of the fire danced as the warm colors of the sky began to fade into darkness. The air was calm and peaceful, so different from the city life we were used to.

  Tyler’s hand methodically rubbed my shoulder to my bicep as he watched the fire. I peeked up at him, watching the shadows of the fire dance along his face. Something was troubling him again.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” I asked.

  Tyler was quiet for a moment then shook his head. “I was just thinking about when I came here as a kid.”

  The fire crackled as I patiently waited for him to say more.

  “I think I was about three the first time I remember coming here. Nathan was so excited throughout the car ride. I was too, mainly because Nathan was. Life has always been so fast paced, and when we came here everyone went slower. My papa would sit and fish while we played on the beach. My nan would collect rocks with us.” He paused, thinking intently. “So many memories have been coming back to me,” he whispered.

  “Good memories?” I cautiously asked.

  He didn’t say anything at first then nervously laughed. “Both. I um… I remember missing my mom.”

  I studied him intently, trying to grasp what he was feeling.

  “Did she ever come here with you?”

  He shook his head no. “When I was showing you around, I remembered waking up at night wanting her. My gran would come in and try to soothe me, but I only wanted my mom.” I could barely hear his voice because it was so soft. “I just remember nan telling me how my mom didn’t want to come with me, and that she wouldn’t play on the beach with me if she were here anyway.”

  He looked so troubled and hurt.

  Tyler’s chest started to rise and fall faster. “We should bring your mom with us next time. I bet she’d like that,” I murmured, tracing a circle with my fingertips on his chest.

  His eyes closed as he took a deep breath. “Maybe.”

  More silence passed between us as Tyler’s breathing slowed back to normal. Just when I thought Tyler was going to be done talking about his childhood memories, he began to speak again.

  “I wonder if my mom wanted to come, but RJ wouldn’t let her,” he said quietly, his hand stopping on my shoulder. A slight laugh escaped his lips, “Or my grandparents wouldn’t let her.”

  I furrowed my eyebrows at him. “What do you mean?”

  He shrugged his shoulders then continued rubbing my shoulder and bicep. “What do you want to do tomorrow?” he asked while sighing.

  I frowned at his change of subject but didn’t push him to keep talking.

  “Doesn’t matter. As long as neither of us is working.”

  I sensed Tyler’s grin. We left our phones in the car for a reason. I’m sure we’d eventually go check them for emergencies, but I didn’t want Tyler to hole up in the cabin, stuck on the phone with a client or the office.

  “I doubt we’ll have good service anyway. Might have to find a bar so we can watch the Cubs game,” he teased, pulling me closer to him.

  I groaned loudly.

  “The Tigers play tomorrow too. Would that convince you to go find a television somewhere?”

  “I guess,” I sighed dramatically.

  Tyler laughed, pulling me on his lap with both arms so I was straddling him. I squealed by his sudden movement, grabbing his biceps to steady my balance. We both were laughing from his playfulness, but the air quickly turned thick, immobilizing our laughter into passion.

  Heat rushed through me as our eyes met, dilating into one another. Tyler slowly bit his bottom lip then released it as his eyes locked onto my mouth.

  We hadn’t been intimate in a while. His head wasn’t there, and I hadn’t had the urge to push him until now. I knew he was worried about hurting me, worried his emotions would get the best of him. He always wanted to be gentle with me, cherish me. The thought of grabbing onto me and pounding his frustrations and confusions into me terrified him. At first I wanted him to use me for a means to escape his own demons, but now I understood. He did that for ten years with Margo, and our relationship was so much more than that. Mixing the two together was sickening, and I was all for giving Tyler space until he could control his emotions. And he was getting better, maybe enough for us to rekindle on a physical level.

  My sex was aligned perfectly with his, and I’m sure one, tender, kiss would cause the space between us to disappear. I was throbbing to move, the ache low in my belly wanting me to make that simple gesture with my hips.

  Tyler’s chest started to rise faster as his grip around my back tightened. I brought my forehead to his, silently praying he was ready, and hoping my body wouldn’t push him to do something he’d regret.

  Moving my lips so they were barely a centimeter apart from his, I waited for him to make that final move. Our breath was intermingling, building a frenzy of lust that I couldn’t control any longer.

  I moved my mouth to his, sucking hard on his bottom lip. His groan of pleasure vibrated through me, causing my hips to move downward on his lap. Tyler’s hands held a firm grip on my waist, finding their way up the back of my shirt, fiddling with the strap of my bra.

  Our heads automatically shifted the opposite directions, our mouths opening wider for our tongues to dip and dance with each other. My hands found his face, one creeping up to tug his hair while the other cradled his jaw.

  Just as my hand was contemplating finding the inside of his shorts, Tyler slowly pulled away, his eyes closed, but his hands still firmly placed on my back. The struggle was obvious on his face by how his eyes were screwed shut and the heavy breaths coming from his nose as his nostrils flared.

  I gulped, fighting the urge to feel disappointed that our kissing was about to come to an end instead of building into passion.

  Tyler’s head suddenly jerked back to mine, finding my mouth hungrily again. His desire was stronger now, his hands pressing harder into my back. I whimpered from his unexpected drive, but he misunderstood my cry.

  “I’m sorry,” he gasped, catching his breath, his hands moving like lightning from under my shirt to the wood of the swing.

  My hands gripped his face; my head drastically shaking back and forth. “No, no, I liked it, please, don’t stop.”

  His eyes searched mine as his jaw ticked. Tyler’s hands slowly found my thighs, making their way back to my waist as he continued but with slow, tender kisses.

  The feeling of his lips caressing mine so lovingly, his hands moving in a simple rhythm up and down my spine, made my heart pound faster in my chest.r />
  My hands gripped his hair tighter, my hips pressing into his reaction further, making it blatantly obvious what I wanted.

  Tyler grabbed my thighs, standing from the swing in one fluid swoop, carrying me back towards the cabin, our mouths never separating.

  My back bumped into the screen as Tyler struggled to open the slider, holding me close with one arm. I moved my mouth down to his neck, nipping at his collarbone.

  His breath was harsher now, letting out a frustrated grunt as he finally got the door open. Tyler nuzzled into my neck, his mouth sucking furiously on my skin as we made our way up the stairs to the loft. The lights were off, and our bodies would randomly hit objects on the way.

  Finally reaching the bed, Tyler set me down gently, his body pressing into mine. Our lips locked again, hands feverishly pulling at his shirt. I swore I could have ripped it right off him.

  Grabbing the back of his shirt, Tyler pulled it over his head as my hands greedily swept over his chest and stomach. The ripples of muscles were so hard and taut, I wanted to trace my tongue along each line. Before I got the chance, Tyler tore my sweatshirt over my head, my tank top along with it. His hot breath traveled down my neck to my collarbone, his tongue anxiously dipping into the cup of my bra. He was so close, and I groaned, arching my back, wanting him to meet my skin with his soft tongue.

  Fighting him long enough to yank my bra over my head, I laid back down, pulling his face back to my sensitive skin. The sucking and the nibbling felt like heaven, and I never wanted it to stop.

  Then he bit a touch harder, his arms wrapping underneath my back, squeezing me tightly. It felt amazing, and I knew it did because of my state of mind. His teeth tugged on my skin again, and I knew it would leave a mark. Not wanting to upset him, I forcefully rolled so I was on top of him, taking control.

  I kissed down his chest while I held his forearms on either side of his head. Strangled moans escaped his mouth the further down my tongue traveled. I kissed him through his shorts, running my nose along his length.

  He quickly sat up while taking a sharp breath, grabbing my wrists from his forearms. “Don’t tease me, Becca. Not tonight. It’s been way too long,” he groaned, yanking me upward and claiming my mouth with his.