Conklin's Foundation (Conklin's Trilogy) (32 page)

“Depends on what?” I flirted.

I rolled Tyler to his back then continued down until his shirt was completely undone.  I trailed my lips down his rising chest, becoming more turned on with every inch of his salty skin I tasted.

He groaned again, grabbing a pillow to put unde
r his head.  His eyes were on me now, his eyelids lifted while his mouth was hanging open.  I stopped at his belt and looked up at him while biting my lip.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“Are you going to continue?” he asked slowly, trying to hide his grin.

“That depends,” I smirked, mimicking his words.

He laughed then pulled me up his body so we were nose to nose, both grinning like idiots at each other. 

“Oh, Becca.  I think you need to finish what you have insinuated in order for me to make up my mind,” he teased, rubbing his nose along mine.

“Tell me first,” I murmured against his lips.

“Nope,” his breath was hot on my mouth, and I couldn’t help
but to accept its invitation.  I kissed him hard, moving my hands in his hair, tugging gently on the top of his head where it was just barely long enough to grasp.  His hands found my back, moving simultaneously up and down my spine then cupping my behind, pulling me into him.

I gasped and arched my
back, well aware of the welcomed friction in between my legs.

When I opened my eyes and looked back down at him, he did it again, his hands squeezing tighter, pulling me down onto him.

Trying to clear my head, I sat up, still enjoying the feeling of him underneath me.  “Tell me,” I moaned low in my throat.

He sat up with me, placing his hands on my hips so he could pull me down into his thrust again.

“I think you are going to have to wait and see tomorrow,” he teased.

I pulled back from him, trying to look irritated, but it was hopeless.  This man had me in his sexual
thrall, and there was nothing I could do about it.  I was going to have to endure the torture and anticipation of his surprise getaway.

Chapter 19

Tyler carried my luggage through the Gerald R. Ford International airport, anxiously holding our tickets.  I had to speed walk to keep up with him.  Was he in such a hurry because we were late or was it because he was excited?

“Are you going to tell me where we are going yet?” I asked, damn near running to keep up with him. 
The security check took a while, and I think that was the reason why he was so frazzled.

“Nope,” he said briskly, weaving in between other travelers. 

We finally made it to our gate, which held three different stations.  One was to Sandusky, Ohio, another to Atlanta, and the last to Orlando.  From the hint of a warmer climate, I guessed it was either Orlando or Atlanta.  Why would we be going to Atlanta or Orlando?  Did he want to take me to Disney World for New Year’s Eve?

He slouched down in one of the black leather seats, tugging on my hand to sit down next to him.

He seemed preoccupied with something.

“Are you okay?  You seem
like something is on your mind.” I caressed the palm of his hand, trying to get him to relax.

His worriso
me expression faded as he spoke. “I was just worried about missing our flight, but we are going to be okay.  It seems they are delayed.”  His brows furrowed as he looked at the screen holding the flight times.  Only one of the flights was highlighted in red.

“Orlando?” I asked.

He turned his head back to me with a smug smile.  “That’s our first stop, yes.”

“Why won’t you tell me where we are going!” I whined, playfully hitting his arm.

“Because it’s fun to see you so curious,” he teased back.

Our flight to Orlando went smoothly, but the delay had Tyler all worked up.  He must have had something planned because he was very grouchy about time.  We barely made it to our connecting flight, which stunk because I was so engrossed in following Tyler’s quick strides, I didn’t even see the city on the gate.  It wasn’t until the pilot announced where we were going when my eyes lit up.

“Miami?” I questioned
.

Tyler turned to look at me, excitement turning into skepticism.  “I thought I could get you settled in.”

“It’s wonderful, Tyler.  I’m thrilled we are going to Miami,” I beamed, leaning in to give him a chaste kiss.  “I could have met you there so you didn’t have to travel yesterday.”

He visibly relaxed then pulled me in for another quick kiss.  “
I wanted to fly together.  I’m just glad we made this connecting flight, it would have screwed up a few of my surprises,” he mumbled.

“Just how many are there?” I asked.

His mischievous Conklin grin made its appearance.  “You will just have to wait and see.”

~

The flight to Miami was bumpy.  Thank goodness it was only a
thirty eight minute flight!

When we got out
to the pick-up drive, a sleek, white Maserati GranTurino convertible was waiting for us.  Tyler’s eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store.  He licked his lips as the valet handed him the keys.  He rushed to open my door, his legs bouncing, anxious to drive the pretty car.

“I need to trade in my Maserati for a convertible,” he said, his eyes sparkling as he turned the key.  I silently shook my head.  Boys and their toys.

We drove off in the hot Miami heat, the wind blowing through my hair.  I dug through my bag so I could find a hair tie, pulling it up so it would stop whipping me in the face. 

It was so nice to see palm trees and sun.  Miami was completely different from Grand Rapids.  It was nice to get away from the snow.

About a half hour later we arrived at a fancy resort.

“Welcome to your home away from home,” Tyler said, as we arrived at the main entrance.  Huge white pillars with big
fancy fabric drapes surrounded the main entrance.  Lantern looking lights were hung in the center of the outdoor entrance.  Men in white polos and black pants met us to take the car and our bags.  Tyler reached for my hand as we walked into the large lobby.

We were greeted by a large
mahogany outlined desk and a smiling receptionist.  Large marble pillars were placed throughout the lobby as elegant chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

“Hi, reservation for Conklin,” Tyler said sternly to the receptionist.

“Hello Mr. Conklin.  Welcome to Acqualina Resort and Spa.  Can I please have a form of identification and a major credit card?” she asked overly sweetly.

Tyler nodded and pulled out his wallet, retrieving what the receptionist
required.  A few minutes later we were given keys and headed to our room. 

The room was on the second
story, which I was thankful.  I never liked staying high up in hotels.

Tyler opened the door with a
grin and my mouth nearly dropped with how beautiful the room was.  The walls were painted cream with intricate paneling.  A white couch and two white chairs were the focal point of the room.  An entertainment center was on the opposite wall as the furniture.  Just past living area was a patio where I could see bright blue water.  The room was ocean front and nearly took my breath away.  A small dining table was placed just to the right of the entrance, and the kitchen was behind a wall on the opposite side.  The cupboards were all mahogany and the countertops were granite and speckled.  The kitchen was as big as the one Jamie and I had at home.

Just past
the main room was the bedroom.  It was filled with creams and tans. The carpeting was an intricate hexagon design, and the comforter on the bed looked so inviting.

The bathroom was similarly
designed in tans, with tile on the bottom half of the wall throughout the expansive room.  The wall above the tile was mainly covered in mirrors.  There was a fancy tub big enough for two that I couldn’t wait to sink into with Tyler.  Along with double sinks and more granite counters, a vast walk-in shower took up one corner of the bathroom.

Walking back to the bedroom,
I ran my hand along the bed, loving that the comforter was filled with down feathers.  We had to wake up early to pack and make the flight in time.  I was happy we stayed at my place last night, considering I was going to pack enough clothes for working the rest of the following week.  But I was still tired and was planning on starting our getaway with a nap.

The
best part of the entire hotel suite was the patio.  I walked out and fell in love with the ocean breeze.  Smelling the salty air and the sand reminded me of suntan lotion and sea shells.

Tyler followed me onto the p
atio with his hands in his pockets.  He looked so nervous and contemplated.

“What do you think?” he asked quietly.

“Tyler, it’s breathtaking.  This place is beautiful.  I think you may have trouble getting me to come back to Grand Rapids.”

His unsure expression faded as he walked up next to me, putting his arm around my waist.  “I’m glad you like it.  I spent an entire day searching for the perfect place.  But the best part is, it’s a two bedroom,” he said, trying to hide a smile.

I gave him a funny look.  Why would I need two bedrooms?  “Are Corey and I sharing this place?”

Tyler’s eyes hardened and his brows furrowed.

“Of course not.  He has his own private room on the other side of the hotel,” he snorted.

I still gave him a funny look, not understanding the meaning of the spare room.

His lips quirked as he regained his composure.  “We are having a marketing coordinator spend time in Miami to see how many clients we can reach.”

I cocked my head at him, a small smile playing along my lips.

“Not bad Conklin.” I heard a very familiar voice echo through the main room along with the opening of the door.

My face broke out into a huge smile as I jumped up to hug Tyler.  He planned for Jamie to be a part of the project and keep m
e company while in Miami.

He hugged me back laughing
, then I quickly let go of him to go and greet my best friend.

“Jamie!  What are you doing here?” I
exclaimed.  Even though I was pretty sure what was going on, I wanted to hear it from her.

“I’m going to be working here the next couple of months!  Isn’t that exciting!  The two of us back in Florida!”
she squealed, while reaching to give me a big hug.

I smiled at her, but internally cringed.  I didn’t want to go back to our old habits.  But I knew that would never happen,
not as long as I had Tyler.

“Not quite,” I heard Tyler scold, coming up behind me and pulling me from Jamie’s embrace into his own.

“Oh, calm down!  I’m not that bad of an influence!” she scolded back, waving her hand at him.

I felt Tyler’s grin on the back of my head as his arms ran up and down my biceps.

“So did you like your surprise?” Tyler asked as Jamie brought her bag back to her side of the suite.

“It is wonderful!  Thank you!” I
grinned like an idiot.

I turned around to
face him, giving him a big lip-smacking kiss.  He smiled into my mouth, returning my kiss graciously.

“Did you tell her the other half of her surprise?” Jamie said, returning from her room.  She rolled her
eyes at our embrace.  I didn’t care. I held him close while turning to face her, my grin still plastered to my face.

“More surprises?” I asked, looking up at Tyler.

He smirked again.  “I have arranged for a spa day for you and Jamie.  Then tonight we are going to celebrate the New Year.”

“The three of us?” I said happily.

“Nathan will join us too. He is on his way now,” Jamie said walking past us to the kitchen.

I stared up at Tyler, so excited for a weekend a
way with him and my best friend and his brother.  It felt so real and not like work.  I was going to soak up being with him as much as I could the next few days, knowing that our time together was going to be limited the following weeks.

“We
need to get going soon.”  Jamie walked back out to the main room with a water bottle.  “Lover boy here booked a four hour day.  I hope you are ready for a new hairdo!”

“Do you like brunett
es?” I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders.  “I love Becca.  But I do like brunettes.  But if you turned back to blonde, I wouldn’t pass you down.”

“Wouldn’t pass me down?” I asked.

He smirked.  “I used to prefer blondes until you changed to a brunette.  I rather enjoy it.”

He reached for my pony tail, running his fingers through the windblown strands.  He brought his head down to my ear and whispered, “All I ask, is you keep it long.  I enjoy running my fingers through it.”

I blushed as he kissed my ear then noticed Jamie staring at me, shaking her head back and forth with a half grin on her face.