Conklin's Foundation (Conklin's Trilogy #2)

by Brooke Page

  Just as Tyler finally slipped his tongue in my mouth, his phone started to ring. He completely ignored it. Eventually it stopped ringing, and Tyler’s hands moved up under my towel on my thighs, caressing up my thigh, brushing his thumbs along my pubic bone.

  His phone started to ring again in his back pocket. Tyler still ignored it. Keeping one hand drawing circles on my thigh, he took his other hand and tugged at the towel, trying to reveal my breasts. Just as his hand started to wander past my belly up to my ribcage, his phone rang again. He still ignored it, but I pulled away gently.

  “Ty, maybe you should answer that,” I sighed, betraying my body that was telling me to pull his phone out of his back pocket and throw it out the window.

  Tyler groaned and pulled his hand from my thigh to reach in his back pocket. He looked down at his phone and furrowed his brows.

  “What?” he snapped. I studied Tyler’s eyes as he listened to whoever was calling him. I dug my hand lower into his pants, just barely making contact.

  Tyler smirked as his eyes lit up.

  “Let me call you back in a minute.” He hung up the phone and put it down on the counter next to me. His eyes had a hint of excitement, reminding me of a small boy. I looked at him, biting my lip.

  “That was Cooper,” he said, moving his hands around my waist under the towel, helping it to drop to my waist and on the counter. I leaned into him, pulling my hand from inside his pants to around his neck.

  “Is something wrong with work?” I asked, moving to kiss his neck.

  I heard him sigh. “No, he wants me to come and play basketball in his league at the Y tonight.” He moved his lips so they were just below my ear. “I don’t have to; we can finish what we’ve started.”

  I pulled my head back to look at him. He was torn between what to do. I could tell he desired me, but he also had that spark to go hang with the guys, something I don’t think happened often. I smiled at him, putting my hands on his shoulders.

  “Go play. We can do this afterwards.”

  He raised his eyebrows and traced his bottom lip with his teeth. “You’re sure?”

  I nodded my head and hugged him, needing to take my eyes from his mouth before I started using my own teeth on his lower lip.

  “Well, we are going to have to hurry. His game starts in 20 minutes,” Tyler said quickly, taking a step back as I wrapped the towel back around me. I jumped off the counter in search for clothes.

  “Do I have any shorts here? Otherwise I have to run home,” he asked hurriedly, following behind me into my closet.

  “Yeah, in the drawer next to my side of the bed there are a few pieces of your clothing.”

  Some nights when we were broken up I would lay with his shirt, inhaling his scent, willing myself to not call him. I shuddered at how awful being without him was.

  I quickly put on some panties and a sports bra. I might as well get a workout in since he would be playing were my gym was. I threw on yoga pants and a shirt then started to pull my damp hair up into a bun while walking out of my closet. “Good thing you changed into casual clothes and have your Nikes-”

  I stopped dead in my tracks. Tyler was curiously holding a few dead roses and an envelope.

  Shit.

  I forgot I had stashed all of the roses he had hid for me throughout the time we had been apart, along with the little notes I had forced myself to ignore. Why didn’t I tell him his clothes were in the bottom drawer and not the top?

  “You saved them?” he whispered, slowly turning to look at me.

  I gulped at his slow stare. “I did. I couldn’t muster the strength to read your notes though… I’m sorry.” I shrugged my shoulders.

  He scowled, almost looking lost and nervous, then dropped the roses back in the drawer and fingered through the envelope.

  “Are you mad I didn’t read them?” I murmured, shifting uncomfortably.

  He stood and pulled one of the delicate white ribbons out of the envelope and put it in his back pocket, then opened the other drawer, pulling a pair of shorts out. I wonder why he took only one? What did it say?

  “Becca, I don’t blame you for not wanting to. I was an asshole.” His scowl deepened as he walked past me, undoing his pants to put his shorts on.

  “Tyler…” I drug out his name, walking over to him as he was pulling on his shorts then stepping back into his jeans. I shouldn’t have ignored him for so long. We should have talked sooner. If I would have given in to his phone calls, maybe he would have given into my demands sooner.

  Once his jeans were on he turned to look at me. “Ty, I’m so sorry for being so stubborn,” I whispered, my heart pulling at my chest.

  He shook his head and gave me a soft smile. “It doesn’t matter; we are better now, right? No more secrets,” he said, pulling my face up to give me a chaste kiss.

  My face relaxed as I looked up at his sobering smile. Nodding my head, I held his wrists. I wasn’t his secret anymore.

  “Good, now let’s go,” he smirked, giving me another quick kiss.

  Chapter 6

  “Do you normally hang out with Cooper outside of work?” I asked Tyler as we pulled out of the ramp at River House.

  “Cooper and I are friends. We met in college,” he said nonchalantly. I was surprised. He seemed to be so stern and short with Cooper, not friendly. “Cooper is very bright. We sat next to each other in business finance. I’m lucky he works for me. He could get a job anywhere he wanted.”

  “He must be very fond of you.”

  “I pay him well,” he shared, shrugging his shoulders. We pulled into the parking ramp and hurried inside. I tugged on my zip up hoodie. I should have thrown my coat on too. The weather was very chilly, and the snow was falling in big flakes. It would be pretty if it didn’t cause my teeth to chatter. As much as I didn’t like how the snow chilled me to the bones, I still enjoyed seeing it. We would most likely have a white Christmas. Nothing beats having a white Christmas.

  A white Christmas in Tyler Conklin’s bed.

  Yes, being in Tyler Conklin’s bed on Christmas morning could be the only thing better than having a white Christmas.

  As we walked in the gym, Tyler reached for his wallet and dropped some cash into the Salvation Army box, wishing the gentleman ringing the bell a Merry Christmas. I couldn’t tell how much he put in, but it made me smile. I was always curious if he was generous with his money. I knew the company had a fund that helped build and design shelters for women and children and other beneficial community buildings, but was Tyler actively involved with the fund? How could I be falling so hard for him when I really didn’t know that much about him?

  When we walked up the three flights of stairs to the gym I let go of Tyler’s hand and headed in the opposite direction towards the fitness area. Tyler stopped and gave me a puzzled look.

  “What are you doing?” he asked. “The basketball courts are this way.”

  “I was going to go work out while you played.”

  He frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. Walking over to me he grabbed my hand and looked down at me. “I was planning on giving you a workout later tonight,” he pouted.

  I blushed and looked around, hoping no one overheard his comment.

  “Tyler, I haven’t been to the gym since Monday, and I skipped Sunday… unless you wanted me to watch you?” I asked curiously.

  He looked down at our feet and grabbed my other hand. When I caught the look on his face, warmth spread throughout my body. He was bashful and boyish, biting his lip and slowly nodding his head yes. I cocked my head and smiled up at him, trying to meet his eyes. I rarely saw him looking young and demure.

  I tugged on his hands and leaned up on my tip toes so my lips were brushing his ear. “Okay, I guess I can skip, but I’m going to hold you to giving me a workout tonight,” I whispered.

  His shyness turned into mischief, reminding me of that same Conklin grin he shared with his brothers and father that swooned many appeared on his face. Whenever Tyler threw h
is grin my way, my heart flickered with excitement, knowing he was up to something.

  “I can’t wait for our workout,” he smirked. “But we have 10 minutes, and I need to warm up.” He hurried, nearly dragging me towards the court.

  Once we walked onto the court, Cooper’s voice traveled past the noises of squeaky shoes, bouncing basketballs, and different altitudes of voices. “Conk! You made it!” Cooper yelled, his arms thrown in the air as he walked towards us. I let go of Tyler’s hand instinctively, taking a step away from him. He glanced over to me and smirked then reached for my hand again. I shrugged apologetically. Why did I feel so nervous?

  “Hey, Becca. Sorry to steal your boyfriend when he just got back. I’m shocked he answered on the third try,” he teased, his big white smile grinning in my direction.

  “Yeah, I tried to ignore you,” Tyler grumbled, letting go of my hand so he could take off his jeans and jacket.

  “I knew you’d eventually answer. You always do. Although, I thought I might have to try at least six or seven times,” Cooper joked with a knowing smile.

  Tyler rolled his eyes at Cooper and handed me his pants and jacket. “Hold these for me, will you baby?”

  I grabbed his clothes and nodded my head. “Good luck!” I beamed at him, taking a seat on the steps behind us. To my surprise, Tyler leaned down, cradling my face with both hands, and gave me a big, lip-smacking kiss right in front of Cooper.

  Tyler’s mischievous grin spread across his face causing a blush to spread throughout my entire body. He was actually being a boyfriend and not caring about what others saw. I could only hope he would still have the same mentality when we were at his parents’ house for Christmas.

  Cooper laughed and yanked Tyler’s shoulder as he walked backwards onto the court to go play. They were laughing and acting like friends as they joined the few other guys on the court. It was humbling to see Tyler act young and carefree instead of all business.

  It looked like Tyler was their fifth man. Hopefully he wouldn’t get too tired from playing basketball so he could play with me later. I blushed again. Why my mind always wandered to my desires when I thought about him was beyond me.

  Just as the game was about to start, I felt a tap on my shoulder and a body standing next to me.

  “How’s it going, Bs?” Gage asked with a tentative smile.

  My heart skipped when I turned to look at him. He unfortunately also had a taste of my fire at my father’s Christmas party. Guilt spread through my body as his kind brown eyes sought my approval to sit down.

  “Hey, Gage. What are you doing here?” I asked, veining normalcy.

  His seeking eyes relaxed. “I play in the league on Wednesdays, remember?”

  I cocked my head with a smile feeling silly I had forgotten seeing him last week, leading us to go out for pizza together while I was wallowing in my self pity missing Tyler.

  “How could I forget?” My smile was growing more bashful as I looked down in my lap. I caught a glimpse of his dimple appearing on his cheek. He was also looking down at his lap, his elbows on his knees, holding his closed fists out towards the court.

  We had an awkward silence after exchanging glances. I finally took a deep breath and turned to look at him. “Gage, I’m sorry about the Christmas party.”

  He shook his head and gave me his heart stopping grin. “Don’t worry about it Bs. It’s about time you called me out on being a man whore.”

  “A safe man whore.” I pointed at him with a smirk, feeling the guilt creep in from telling him I didn’t want to wait and catch an STD from him, knowing Gage would never have unprotected sex.

  He grinned into his lap, licking his lips.

  “Bec I want you to know I never slept around while we were together that summer. You were the only one I wanted to be with. I know I messed around with your sister’s friend after you left, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I was… confused.” He took a breath, lifting his brown eyes to my blue. “I was confused because I have never felt for anyone the way I feel for you, Becca.”

  I tilted my head and gave him a wry smile. I was afraid where this conversation was leading.

  “I never envisioned myself wanting one girl or a family or anything like that.”

  I inhaled a deep breath. Please don’t confess your love for me!

  “What I’m trying to say is, I love you Bs, but the only thing I could give you right now would be me, not kids or marriage. Hell, I could never give you the lifestyle you’re used to.”

  I frowned and became angry. “Have I ever insinuated that I want some rich and fancy lifestyle?”

  He gave me a sad smile. “I’ve seen your condo. I’ve met your parents. I know a mechanic for a boyfriend would never fit for your family.”

  “Gage, how could you-”

  He nudged my shoulder and stared into my eyes to silence me.

  “I said your family, not you. You are different. You see right through people, always looking for the good in everyone. Becca, you would have ignored me all of high school if you were like your family.” Gage laughed to himself. “We are the exact opposite. Maybe that’s why I’m so attracted to you,” he murmured.

  Looking into his sobering eyes, I didn’t know what to tell him. For once Gage was being serious and not playful or flirty. He was attempting to express his feelings, and I didn’t know how to tell him I was already in love with Tyler.

  “Gage, I…” I didn’t know what to say. I moved my eyes to my hands then back to Gage. He was sitting too close to me. I could feel his breath on my cheek. The room felt smaller and the air seemed thicker.

  A vision of Gage and me sitting downtown in the park waiting for fireworks to start on the fourth of July popped into my head from the summer before college. Gage moved the blanket we were sitting on so it was wrapped around us while pulling me on his lap. I never felt so safe and secure, feeling his cheek pressed against mine, wanting him to tell me we were more than just two kids having a summer fling before entering college.

  I shook my head, snapping out of my past. It was too late for Gage and me. I had grown, and so had he. For as many sparks as we had at one point, they would never be equivalent to the full-blown fireworks between Tyler and me.

  I sat up straight and turned to look at Gage. “Gage, Tyler and I…” How could I tell Gage that I was in love with Tyler when I couldn’t even muster up the courage to tell Tyler?

  Gage smirked looking out on the court, holding his hands together. “You love him, I know.” He turned his smirk towards me, dimples and all. His front was back up, all hints of exposer gone. I relaxed. I couldn’t give him what he wanted, so the farther away from the subject we went, the better.

  “Does he feel the same?” Gage asked.

  I gave him a blank look. “What do you mean?”

  Gage tilted his head questioningly. “Does he want what you want? To settle down? Have a family?”

  I stared at him, afraid to tell him I didn’t know.

  Gage laughed and shook his head. “I think you need to figure that out before he breaks your heart. I know about guys like him.” He looked out at Tyler who was running up and down the court, focused on the game. “Guys like him are used to women like your mom. A trophy wife. Someone he can attend functions with, have children to carry on his name. Guys who leave their families at home for long periods of time to control their empire.” Turning from the court to me, he added, “I know you don’t want what you grew up with, Becs. He won’t be home by 5:00pm every night for dinner. He won’t go to your kid’s first day of school, T-ball games, science fairs, because he will be working. A guy like Conklin is always going to put his empire before his family.”

  I gulped and closed my eyes. Yes, Tyler took his job seriously. He went out of town every week, and it was very hard for me to deal with already. Would he change if we got married? Would he want to be around if we had kids? Did he even want kids? I was suddenly depressed. Tyler and I would need to talk about what we wanted, a
nd I needed to tell him how I felt. I needed to tell him I loved him and find out how serious he was about me.

  “Hey,” Gage said giving my shoulder another nudge. “I didn’t mean to get all heavy. The best part about our friendship is that we can forget about everything serious and just have fun. But I love you Bs, and I don’t want you to get hurt again, and I have a bad feeling about this Conklin guy.”

  “What do you mean a bad feeling?” I squeaked.

  “Hey, G! Come fill in! We are dying over here!” Cooper shouted from across the court. Apparently Cooper knew Gage.

  Both of our eyes followed the sound of Cooper’s voice. Then I saw Tyler. He was leaning over, hands on his knees breathing heavy. His mouth curved into a thin line, scowl plastered on his face. He looked pissed.

  Gage jumped up from the steps. “Forget about it,” he shook his head. “Nice talking Bs,” he grinned, throwing his dimples in my direction. I half smiled and pulled my knees to my chest, afraid to look back at Tyler.

  Gage went into the game while Tyler sat on the sideline for a few minutes to catch his breath then rotated with another player. He seemed to regain his demeanor, but was clearly annoyed with Gage playing on the same team.

  Wanting to clear my head from the whirlwind between Gage and Tyler, I decided to go get a couple of waters from the front desk for Tyler. By the time I got back, there were two minutes left in the game. I couldn’t sit back down on the steps because I was too anxious, worried about Tyler’s reaction to my conversing with Gage so closely on the steps.

  Before I knew it, the two minutes were up and a loud buzz rang throughout the gym. Tyler was smiling with Cooper and the other guys, including Gage. I bravely grabbed his clothes and walked over to him and the rest of the guys.

  He was sweaty and gorgeous. His shirt had sweat marks and clung to his muscles while the product in his hair was fading. His shorter dark brown locks fell loosely over his forehead because of it. He gave me a heart stopping smile as I walked up to him, handing him the water bottle.