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

by Brooke Page

  “Are they always like this?” I asked snuggling my head on Tyler’s chest.

  Nathan and Mitch shrugged their shoulders. “Yeah, we’re used to it.”

  “I don’t ever remember them not fighting,” Mitch said, taking a swig of his drink.

  I felt for these boys. Sure, they had everything money could buy, but living in a house where their parents didn’t get along had to have been torture, even if RJ was rarely around.

  The heaviness was still in the air as three women in aprons entered the kitchen carrying a variety of bags and casserole dishes. The women quickly set to work, moving around the kitchen as if they had lived there their whole lives. None of them said anything, but worked silently, beginning to prepare the Conklin Christmas meal. The help was a welcome distraction.

  “Come on, let me show you around,” Tyler said stiffly, taking my hand and leading me down one of the tall hallways. Nathan and Mitch wandered to another hallway leaving the busy kitchen.

  Talk about an ostentatious house. The hallways never seemed to stop as Tyler led me through the high ceilings and fancy stucco walls covered in expensive and modern art. There was a room for everything.

  “Are you taking me to your lair?” I teased, trying to lighten his mood. I thought my voice might echo from how long the hallway was.

  He turned back, the corner of his mouth twitching as though he was trying to suppress a smile. “I was going to show you my old hangouts.”

  Once we reached the end of the hall, Tyler opened up a door to reveal a large room with two suite doors on each end. The middle of the room was focused on a gigantic television with all kinds of gadgets and speakers hanging around it. A large, black leather sofa was placed directly in front of the television then another was elevated behind the first as though it were theater seating. The walls were a warm red, with numerous framed posters of athletes, bands, and movies, covering the walls evenly. A kitchenette was off to the side with a soda fountain and popcorn machine. A huge fridge and a microwave took pride amongst the black cabinets and counters.

  “This was our lair, as you called it, when we were young. My room is past that door,” Tyler pointed.

  I licked my lips and squeezed his hand tighter. “Are you going to show me?”

  His cocky grin appeared as he pulled me forward.

  His room looked just as I imagined it would. A queen bed with a black bedspread was tiny in the large room. White walls and white carpet. A bean bag chair with a baseball patterned fabric cover was in the corner. A large black desk spanned the entire far wall where the sun shone through a ceiling high window. A black guitar was hanging on the wall.

  “Do you play?” I asked, nodding my head to the guitar.

  He smiled and shook his head no, walking over to the guitar. “It’s signed by Jerry Horton.”

  I looked at him quizzically.

  “The guitarist from Papa Roach.”

  I nodded my head. I never pictured him as a rocker. I went through a Papa Roach phase myself.

  “What?” he asked, eyes full of amusement.

  “I never pictured you as a rock fan,” I said, exploring the rest of his room. A picture poster of Wrigley Field was above his bed.

  “Oh yeah? What type would you picture me as?”

  I shrugged my shoulders and smirked. “A Michael Buble’ fan.”

  When he didn’t say anything, I turned my head over my shoulder, giving him a devious grin. He cocked his head, his eyes filled with humor, but then turned darker, hungrier. I took in a deep breath as he stalked over to me, his shoulders broad with his head still cocked slightly to the side.

  I tore my eyes from his, pretending to look at his desk. His energy was pulling me, making me hotter with every step he took towards me.

  I felt him standing behind me. He moved my hair to one shoulder, his breath hot on my neck. Pressing his lips to my neck he murmured, “Is there something wrong with Michael Buble’?”

  A chill spread across the nape of my neck to my shoulders as his tongue lazily escaped his mouth, wetting my neck, followed by his warm breath and a gentle suck.

  “No,” I half groaned.

  He moved his hands to my hips, “Good, because I’m going to play one of his songs for you tonight,” he murmured. His mouth trailed kisses up my neck to my ear. “Although I am still a little irritated by your stunt with this dress. And these curls…” He trailed one hand up my arm to gently grasp a handful of hair causing a slight moan to escape my mouth.

  “I’m a little irritated with your stunt of telling me everyone would be wearing jeans,” I whimpered, meaning to sound annoyed but instead sounding very distracted by his warm breath in my ear.

  “I’m wearing jeans, and so is Mitch. Please don’t be mad.” He traced his fingertips from my hair back down my arm, giving me goose bumps.

  “I can wear what I want,” I sighed, tilting my head to the side, hoping he would move his mouth to my neck.

  I heard him grin. “That you can. Doesn’t mean I won’t do everything in my power to block people’s views. As far as I’m concerned, this should be for my eyes only,” his tone was harsh as his hands traveled down my sides to my hips.

  “You’re the only one with permission to stare,” I gasped as his hands moved to my thighs, pulling up my dress. His hands moved to my behind and he started to gently caress my skin.

  I took in a sharp breath as his hands skimmed under the delicate black lace of my panties.

  He groaned and dug his fingertips into my skin. “I didn’t know you were wearing these. You did this on purpose to drive me wild, didn’t you?”

  I let out a low giggle, rolling my head back when his lips finally touched my neck.

  “You sure know how to get me all worked up, in all ways,” he grumbled in between kisses.

  “Don’t be so ridiculous and I won’t feel the need to retaliate,” I said, reaching my hands back to tug on his hair.

  He pulled his head back and groaned, reaching for my wrists and turning me around so we were facing each other. I was breathing heavy with my head tilted up, mouth gaped open and thighs twitching from his slow assault on me from behind.

  “I’ve never had a girl in here before,” he whispered, his hands gripping me tighter and lower, finding my backside underneath my dress again.

  “No?” I gulped.

  He slowly shook his head, his nose rubbing against mine.

  My blood was racing as I practically panted at the feel of his breath on my lips. How could he do this to me in a matter of seconds?

  He boldly slid both of his hands underneath my panties, giving me hard, opened mouth kisses. His feet swiftly started to move, gently pushing me, refusing to take his lips off mine. His hands were burning into my skin, my dress hiked up over my hips.

  I was stuck in Tyler’s lustful spell. Just before the back of my knees hit the bed, Tyler stopped kissing me, his eyes blazing. His chest was heaving, blood pumping, and beating loudly through his veins.

  He lifted my left leg to hitch around his hip as he tackled me onto his childhood bed. The second he landed on top of me, his erection dug into me, my hips greedily thrusting up into him. The friction of his jeans against my black lace weren’t enough, and his ever ability to light my fire was heating up the room.

  Tyler’s mouth found mine, his hand pulling down the small sleeve of my dress, attempting to expose my skin. I moaned when his hand slithered its way under my bra, searching and finding what he was looking for.

  He grunted into my mouth while moving his hips into me, tugging on my skin and nipping at my lower lip.

  “You’re wearing too many clothes,” I gasped with a shaky breath, tugging his shirt free from his jeans. I ran my hands along his skin, embracing the hardness of his abdomen. My hands deftly found his buttons, undoing them from the bottom. Tyler groaned into my mouth, his kisses becoming slower and teasing, his tongue tracing the inside of my lips.

  “I should say the same to you,” he grinned as I found his
top and final button. Before pulling his sleeves from his arms, I ran my hands along his back between the fabric and his skin, pulling him down so his taut and smooth stomach was pressed against me. I wanted my dress completely off and wished it weren’t tailored so snug to my hips so it would be easier to pull up so our skin could be touching.

  Here we were in Tyler’s childhood room, tangled breaths with our clothes tugged to the sides as though he had brought me home after school for a necking session.

  He ground his hips harder into my sex, causing me to gasp louder into his mouth, my heel digging into his backside. I wanted him now, and I didn’t care where we were or who could be lurking in this overly large mansion.

  I pushed my hands down Tyler’s back and into his jeans, squeezing his butt and pulling him into me harder, showing him the movement I wanted.

  Out of nowhere, Tyler jerked as a shiny packet deflected off his head into my shoulder, followed by snickering.

  “I know Mom expects grand babies, but you should really wrap it up.” My face turned beet red as Tyler speedily pulled up my sleeve to cover my breast, unhitching my leg from his thigh. We both were tugging down my dress so it was rightfully just above my knees. Grabbing a pillow, he chucked it at Mitch. I was horrified. Here I was, grunting and groaning, shamelessly grabbing Tyler’s ass under his jeans while his brother was watching for God knows how long.

  Batting the condom off my shoulder, I sat up with lightning speed, running my hands through my hair while straightening my dress further. Tyler sat up with me as well, putting a protective arm around my stomach as I turned my crimson face into his shoulder.

  “You’re such a fucking asshole, haven’t you heard of knocking?” Tyler shouted at his brother.

  Mitch laughed. “It’s only necessary to knock if the door is closed, dumbass. Now button up your pretty shirt and bring your abs of steel out here and play me in Madden.”

  Tyler grumbled, watching Mitch turn to sit on the black leather couch in full view from his bedroom door. Tyler turned to look at me apologetically.

  I gave him an awkward smile. “At least I wasn’t dress-less and riding you.”

  He gaped at me, as though he wasn’t expecting to hear me say such a thing. “I suppose you are right,” he chuckled, looking into his lap. “I’m sorry. We could lock the door,” he flirted, moving in to give me a kiss.

  I sat up straighter, returning his kiss chastely. “Go play your video game. I would be paranoid Mitch would be listening through the door.”

  Smirking, he stood up and started to button his shirt. I fussed with my curls, trying to fix where Tyler’s fists were tangled tightly. I gulped, remembering how he gently pulled on my hair.

  Oh, why did Mitch have to interrupt!

  Once Tyler buttoned his shirt, he held his hand out to me so we could join his immature brother in the larger room.

  Tyler sat down to play video games with his brother, while I roamed the room for a bit. I ran my fingers across a shelving unit, examining all of the books and old CDs, enjoying learning what Tyler and his brothers must have been like during their younger years. There was a stack of old board games, and I let out a small shriek of excitement.

  Both Tyler and Mitch turned to look at me as though I was crazy.

  “You have Monopoly! I haven’t played Monopoly in ages!” I cheered, reaching up to pull the game free from the other board games around it.

  I jumped up and down once I got it free, and Tyler and Mitch were both still staring at me as though I had lost my marbles.

  “What? This is the best game ever!” I exclaimed, half offended by their stares.

  “Uh, no. This is the best game ever,” Mitch said, holding up his controller, his eyes returning to the screen.

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh come on. We are so playing this after dinner. No complaining,” I pointed my finger sternly at them.

  Tyler smirked and turned back to the video game, focusing just as Mitch had been the whole time.

  Did they think I was joking? I smiled internally. These boys and their millions were going to have a run for their money when playing with Max Stine’s daughter at Monopoly.

  Chapter 12

  “Dinner’s ready,” Nathan informed us, sticking his head through the door.

  Thank God.

  I had spent the last hour with a dull ache between my legs while enduring Mitch and Tyler playing video games. They cursed and shouted at each other, cheered and taunted the entire time. Mitch more so than Tyler, but they both were acting like 14-year-olds as they played.

  Tyler stood up, throwing the controller on the couch and reached for my hand.

  “Dude, we aren’t finished,” Mitch whined, throwing his hands in the air.

  Tyler shook his head. “I just kicked your ass twice. Do you really want me to continue beating you?”

  Mitch made a sour face while standing along with us. “Whatever,” he pouted.

  Tyler smirked and led me to the hallway. Just as we were passing Nathan, Tyler stopped.

  “RJ has to talk to us quickly before dinner. Same to you, Mitch.” Nathan glanced over to me.

  I stood there for a moment then got the picture. I wasn’t invited to their meeting. Tyler kissed my cheek.

  “If you want to wait for me in here you can,” he said.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I can go find your mom.”

  He furrowed his eyebrows then looked over at Nathan. Nathan laughed.

  “What else could Mom say, Tyler? Becca already knows what a grump you are,” Nathan teased, hitting Tyler on the shoulder. Tyler scowled further as Mitch walked up behind us.

  “I don’t know, Mom might kidnap her. I think she likes her more than she likes me,” Mitch pouted.

  Tyler gave my hand a squeeze. “Are you sure?”

  I nodded my head. His mother didn’t frighten me. If anything, she seemed fun and unpredictable. As Heather said, eccentric.

  Tyler, Nathan, and Mitch took off in the opposite direction while I went to find the kitchen. Once I made my way through the large home, I saw Mary in the sitting room, looking out the window holding a glass of wine.

  “It’s nice to have snow for Christmas, isn’t it?” I asked, wanting Mary to know I had entered the room. She turned her head back to me, giving me a soft smile. Her eyes looked pained as she took another sip of her wine.

  “It is nice,” she murmured. She licked her lips and stared out the window as I walked next to her.

  We stood in silence for a moment. It was odd. Mary hadn’t been silent since I had walked in the door. She was distracted, her mind drifting elsewhere as though someone had blown out her spark.

  “I’m sorry you had to see RJ and me fight,” she whispered, playing with her necklace with her free hand. “We butt heads a lot and unfortunately in public. We tend to forget where we are.”

  I just stood there, not knowing what to say.

  A smile slowly returned to her mouth, not matching her eyes. “Come with me to the dining room. Dinner is just about ready. The boys should be there any minute, or at least that’s what RJ said,” Mary frowned, her eyes heavy with emotion.

  I nodded my head and followed her to the vast dining room. I gaped at the large chandelier, examining the fine crystals. We both took a seat on the opposite sides of each other. The three women who were preparing the food came in one after another, bringing in dishes of food. It smelled amazing, and my stomach started to rumble.

  I hoped they had something I could eat. I had cheated already last night and a little this morning. I would need to eat a clean meal in order to feel comfortable in Tyler’s final present. My cheeks felt warm as I thought about the gift. I reached for my glass of wine; I was going to need to drink a few more of these in order to follow through on what I had planned.

  “Sorry,” Tyler said flatly, taking a seat beside me. When I looked up at him he was scowling, annoyed about something. I wondered what they talked about.

  Nathan followed Tyler and sat down n
ext to Mary while Mitch sat on my other side. RJ was the last to enter the room and took the head seat at the table. Once everyone’s glasses were filled with their beverage of choice brought by the help, the family started to pass around the dishes of food. No prayer and only silence.

  The food looked delicious. It was a traditional Christmas meal. A large honey baked ham glazed to perfection was placed in the middle of where we were sitting while mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, glazed carrots and rolls were spread around the table. I filled my plate with veggies, passing the potatoes and casseroles, trying to keep my mouth from watering all over the table. Tyler looked at my full plate and smiled. The table was painfully quiet, and Mary looked down at her plate, eyes glossed over and lifeless. RJ must have really reamed her to take her out of her mood. It made my heart hurt to see her so unhappy.

  Bravely breaking the silence, I set my napkin in my lap and started to speak. “Mary, Tyler and I are going to be in town the rest of the weekend. I know you had mentioned maybe going shopping. Would you like to go sometime tomorrow?”

  I felt Tyler’s eyes glaring at me as though I had said something foul. Mary’s face started to light up, her eyes looking big and young.

  “I would love that,” she whispered. “Tyler, you could meet us for lunch,” she added, her voice becoming stronger.

  Tyler’s hand gripped my thigh. I was afraid to look at him.

  “I have work I have to do,” he said flatly. Mary’s face fell again, her eyes focusing on her plate.

  My head snapped to Tyler, a scowl forming on my face, matching his. “You didn’t tell me you had work to do?” I questioned. I had a feeling he was making up his story.

  “I didn’t know you wanted to go shopping with my mother,” Tyler said in a menacingly low tone.

  I let out a long, frustrated breath and continued eating.

  The table was silent again. Man, this was awkward.