Henry (The Beck Brothers) (13 page)

Henry turned back to
Zack, ready to beat the shit out of him when the pretty little bartender walked
up to them.
“
What
’
s going on here?
”
she asked, planting her hands
on her hips.

“
He gave my friend ecstasy,
telling her it was an aspirin,
”
Henry ground out.

The bartender's eyes
flashed angrily.
“
You
’
re going to have to kick his ass
outside,
”
she snarled.

Henry grinned, but it
was more a barring of teeth.
“
With
pleasure,
”
he growled and
shoved Zack out the door.

                                                 
~~~~~

Henry got into the
backseat of his car with Claire. Sebastian got behind the wheel and headed to
Claire's apartment. Claire could not sit still. She was rubbing her thighs
together, moaning, and whimpering. Her hands were all over her body, and Henry
was slowly losing his sanity.

“
Christ Sebastian, I don't know
how much more of this I can take, drive faster,
”
Henry groaned, shifting his achingly hard cock in his jeans.

“
I
’
m
going as fast as I can, man,
”
Sebastian grumbled.

“
How long is she going to be like
this?
”
Henry asked; he had
no idea, he never did drugs. Well, he smoked pot a couple times when he was
younger, but that was it.

“
Shit, I'm not sure, I only did
“
E
”
once and I was nineteen. I think it lasted about eight hours,
”
Sebastian winced.

“
Fuck!
”
Henry bit out and raked his hand through his hair.
Claire then unlatched her seatbelt and crawled across the seat to climb into
Henry's lap.
“
Jesus Christ
Claire! You need to sit and buckle up!"

Claire sat on his lap,
facing him. She cupped his face in her hands, touching her nose to his and
stared into his eyes.
“
So
green,
”
she breathed,
freaking him the fuck out.

Henry grabbed her by
her upper arms and pushed her back so that he could look at her.
“
Claire, baby, please sit in your
seat,
”
he begged, trying to
move her back into the seat next to him.

But Claire wouldn't
budge; instead, she shoved her hands into his hair and kissed him. Her mouth
smothered Henry's cry of surprise. His hands flailed for a second then grabbed
her arms again. He tried pushing her away but her hands tightened painfully in
his hair. Henry tried, shit he tried so hard not to kiss her back, but her
tongue ran across the seam of his lips and he was lost. Henry opened his mouth
to her, and Claire took full advantage.

The kiss was crazy.
Henry couldn't think of any kiss that he'd ever shared with a woman being this
fucking good. The passion and need were palpable. He knew he shouldn't be
kissing her, but he couldn't for the life of him remember why. He slid his
hands around her and pulled her closer. Claire ground herself against his
erection, causing Henry to moan long and low.

“
What the hell are you doing
Henry?
”
he heard Sebastian
snap distantly.

Claire kept grinding
her core against him and plundering his mouth. Henry tore his mouth away,
gasping for air when he realized he was on the verge of coming in his jeans.
Henry used more muscle then he would have liked to get her off his lap. He
unbuckled himself so that he could buckle her back up.

Henry panted as he
moved back to his side of the backseat. He raked a shaky hand down his face and
glanced over at Claire, who was once again squirming in her seat. Jesus Christ.
What the hell was he going to do with her when they got her home? He couldn't
just leave her. He was definitely going to have to stay and make sure that she
was okay.

“
You okay back there?
”
Sebastian drawled, catching
Henry's eyes in the rearview mirror.

Henry swallowed hard.
“
Yeah,
”
he croaked, knowing that Sebastian knew he was
lying. But he didn't care. There was no way he could admit out loud how he was
feeling. He was definitely furious above all. He couldn't believe that fucking
asshole slipped her ecstasy, hoping to get her into bed. He was so glad he
broke that bastard's nose.

He'd been dreaming
about Claire for months now; all different kinds of dreams, some sexual, some
not. He couldn't seem to get her out of his head, especially after she'd taken
care of him when he had the flu. And now, now he knew what it was like to kiss
her. This was so bad. He was already falling for her, and tonight was
definitely sealing the deal. Everything in him told him to protect her, care
for her, love her. But she was his assistant and he should keep his hands off of
her. And he swore to himself that he was going to do just that from now on.

                                                             
~~~~~

Sebastian hit the
button for the elevator while Henry fended off Claire's wandering hands. He
fought back a smile. Henry was trying to be valiant but really he was fighting
a losing battle. He and Claire were made for each other. Yeah, she wasn't in
her right mind at the moment, and Henry was right in not taking advantage of
her, but he needed to open his eyes and see that Claire was his woman.

As soon as they got
Claire into her apartment, Henry took her into her bedroom. Sebastian followed
in case his brother needed help. Claire crawled up onto the bed and started
rolling around; rubbing her bare arms and legs all over the comforter, while
murmuring how it felt so good on her skin.

Henry grabbed one
ankle and pulled her shoe off, then did the other. Claire used her bare foot to
rub the bulge in the front of his jeans. Henry growled and backed his hips up.
Sebastian felt for the guy. It was not easy resisting such a beautiful, willing
woman. It was becoming hard even for him to remember that she was on drugs.

Claire got to her
knees in the middle of the bed. Her heavy lidded gaze flicking between the two
of them. She smiled slowly and licked her lips. Sebastian couldn't stop the
effect she had on his cock. Claire was a smoking hot woman and she was being
sexy as all hell right now.

“
I always wanted to have a three
some. Who better to do it with then two gorgeous brothers?
”
she slurred and yanked her little
black dress over her head.

Sebastian's mouth
dropped. He heard Henry's sharp intake of breath, but he couldn't take his eyes
off the woman a few feet away. Claire was wearing a matching black lace bra and
panty set that left little to the imagination. Her breasts were large and
perky. Her stomach was flat and toned. Her hips flared just enough, giving her
a figure most woman would kill for.

Claire lay back down
on the bed and went about running her hands over her breasts, down her stomach,
and into her panties. Henry groaned as if he was in pain, which he probably
was. Sebastian couldn't help but watch her; he was only a man after all.

“
Touch me,
”
she breathed, arching her back, thrusting her
breasts up.

“
Claire, you're not thinking
clearly, why don't you try and go to sleep,
”
Henry said hoarsely.

“
No, I want you to make me feel
good,
”
she moaned.

“
I...I can't,
”
Henry rasped.

“
Sebastian,
”
Claire whined,
“
You want me, don't you?"

Sebastian swallowed
hard; his mouth was dry as he forced himself to lie,
“
No."

It was then that Henry
started shoving him out of the room. When they were both out in the hallway,
Henry shut the door then leaned back against it, a death grip on the doorknob.
Sebastian shoved his hands into his hair then paced down the hallway some.

"God damn, Henry!
She is stacked,
”
Sebastian
breathed.

Henry shook his head
and squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm seriously seconds away from losing it
here; can you not say shit like that right now?"

"Sorry,
”
Sebastian muttered.

Claire's moans drifted
through the closed door. Apparently she was taking care of herself, which was
fine by Sebastian. Maybe she would pass out when she was finished. Henry shoved
away from the door and made a beeline for the kitchen. Sebastian followed,
needing to get away from her noises, too. Henry found a bottle of vodka on top
of the fridge, opened it, and took a swig. He grimaced and took another sip.
After the fourth swig, Sebastian grabbed it off of him and put the cap back on.

“
Getting drunk is not going to
help, you need to stay clear headed,
”
Sebastian said, putting the bottle back on top of the fridge.

“
I want her so fucking bad,
”
Henry rasped, gripping the edge
of the counter in front of him.

"I know, I'm not
going to lie, she's turning me on, too, but we both know that neither of us are
going to do anything about that while she's on drugs,
”
Sebastian said calmly, giving the back of Henry's
neck a squeeze.

Henry nodded.
"Can you just stay with me until she passes out?
”
he asked.

"Sure,
”
Sebastian agreed, knowing that
his brother needed him to keep him grounded.

                                                 
~~~~~

Claire groaned and
blinked open her eyes, but the light coming in from the windows was so bright
that she had to cover her eyes with her hands. What the hell happened? She
remembered going out to dinner with Zack, but then it was all fuzzy after that.
She shifted slightly and realized that she was wearing just her bra and panties
under the covers. Shit! Had she slept with Zack? She couldn't remember a thing.
That's when she heard a light snore. Claire bit back a groan. She was such a
slut.

Claire clutched the
blankets to her chest and sat up. When she looked at the man lying in bed next
to her, she was shocked out of her mind to see that it was Henry. He was lying
on top of the covers in jeans and a t-shirt, arms folded over his chest. His
blonde hair was mussed and his jaw was covered in stubble.

What the fuck?

"Henry?
”
Claire rasped, her throat dry.
Jesus, how much had she had to drink?

Henry snorted as he
came awake with a jolt. He looked around for a second like he was trying to
figure out where he was. Then he saw Claire and sat up, looking at her warily
and a bit concerned.

“
Hey, how do you feel?
”
Henry asked, his voice gravelly
from sleep.

Claire brushed her hair
back from her face. "Okay, I guess, what happened? Why are you here?
”
she asked, so confused.

Henry pushed back to
lean against the headboard. He scrubbed his face with his hands then looked at
her again; his expression was guarded, making Claire nervous. Henry hadn't
looked at her like that in months.

“
Do you remember anything?
”
Henry asked.

Claire closed her eyes
and rubbed her forehead.
“
I
remember going out to dinner, but after that everything is fuzzy."

Henry's lip lifted in
a snarl. Claire frowned.
“
That
’
s because your
date
gave you ecstasy,
”
he sneered.

Claire gasped.
"What?
”
she screeched.

Henry nodded grimly.
“
Do you remember telling him you
had a headache and he gave you an aspirin?"

Claire searched her
brain then slowly nodded.
“
Yeah,
”
she said slowly.

“
That was the ecstasy,
”
Henry said.

Claire's mouth worked
but nothing came out. How could Zack do that to her?" It looked like an
Aleve, so I didn't think twice about it. He's a doctor."

“
A doctor who was desperate to
get into your pants,
”
Henry
grunted, his eyes sparkling with anger.

“
So how did you come into the
picture?
”
Claire asked.

Henry spent the next
fifteen minutes telling her what happened at the bar and when Sebastian and he
brought her home. Claire was now mortified and was definitely going to have to
quit her job. There was no way she was going to be able to look at Henry every
day after offering to have a three some with him and Sebastian. And she kissed
him! She really wished she remembered that. She had been dying to kiss him
since she first met him; and now that she had, she couldn't remember.

“
I
’
m
so sorry Henry!
”
Claire
cried in horror, burying her face in her hands.

“
It
’
s
alright Claire, you weren't in the right frame of mind,
”
Henry murmured softly.

“
No! It's not alright!
”
she choked as the tears started
to fall. This was the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to her. And if
that wasn't bad enough, she had done it in front of her boss and his brother.

Claire felt the bed
shift next to her as Henry pulled her hands away from her face. Claire turned
her head, unable to look at him. Henry took her chin in his fingers and turned
her face towards him. She still couldn't look at him though. Henry used his
free hand to brush some of her tears away.

“
Claire look at me,
”
he said, his voice hoarse.

“
I can't,
”
Claire hiccupped, and then sniffed.

“
Yes you can, come on,
”
Henry coaxed, ducking his head
to catch her gaze.

Henry's green eyes met
hers, and there was nothing in them that she had expected. She figured that
she'd see pity and disgust. But his gaze was warm and caring and concerned.

“
Nothing you did makes me think
any less of you. It wasn't you yesterday, it was the effects of the drug in
your system,
”
he murmured,
tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“
I feel like a fool Henry,
”
Claire sobbed softly, closing
her eyes.

Henry cupped her face
in both his big hands.
“
No,
Claire,
”
he breathed,
kissing the tears rolling down her cheeks. "No, Darlin', you're not a
fool. Don
’
t say that,
”
he whispered, his lips brushing
the corner of her mouth.

Henry's thumbs stroked
her cheeks. He dragged his lips further over hers. Claire held her breath,
hoping he'd kiss her more fully. She needed him right now, needed his comfort,
even if they never kissed again. Henry pressed his warm soft lips more firmly
against hers. Claire sighed and melted into him. Her hands grasping his t-shirt
to keep him close.

Henry pulled back
before the kiss could go any further; at least he didn't look happy about it,
but she understood. They really couldn't have a relationship. Not if she wanted
to keep working for him.

“
Your dad should be here with
Ethan soon, why don't you hop in the shower?
”
Henry murmured, backing up some more.

Claire sighed. If her
dad had kept Ethan overnight, then Henry must have told him what happened.

Henry read her mind
because he said, "He had called shortly after you fell asleep, and I told
him what happened...
”
Henry
caught her wince and smirked. "Not everything, I just told him about your
date giving you ecstasy and that you were really out of it."

Claire blew out a
relieved breath.
“
Thank you
Henry, I owe you big time,
”
she said.

Henry shook his head
as he got off the bed. "Nah, we're even, you took care of me while I was
sick; I took care of you while you were on drugs.
”
He shrugged, with a glimmer of humor in his eyes.

Claire couldn't help
the laugh that bubbled up her throat. It was really funny once she could look
past the embarrassing factor of it. Henry smiled then leaned over to press a
kiss to her forehead.

“
I
’
m
going to call Sebastian to come pick me up,
”
He said and headed for the door.

Claire watched him go.
The man was just absolutely amazing. Not only could he have let Zack take her
home, but he could have taken advantage himself. Claire knew that he was a good
man and would never do something like that, but it was nice to know for a fact
anyway. She pulled the sheet off and grabbed her robe, slipping it on before
heading out of her room. She headed to the bathroom to take a shower before her
dad showed up with Ethan.

Chapter 8

Henry had just walked
into his office when his cell phone started ringing. He fished it out of the
inside pocket of his suit jacket and looked at the screen. Claire. His heart
fluttered. Dammit. It was Monday and he hadn't seen or heard from her since he
left her apartment yesterday morning. Henry swiped his thumb over the screen to
answer it then put it to his ear.

"Hey, Darlin',
”
he answered, setting his
briefcase down next to his desk.

"Henry, I have a
problem,
”
Claire sighed.

"Okay, what's
that?
”
Henry replied,
sitting down and booting up his computer.

"The daycare
called and said that they have to close today because of plumping problems, and
my dad his helping one of his friends move, so I have no one to watch Ethan,
”
Claire said, clearly
frustrated.

"Hmm...bring him
to the office, I'm sure he'll be fine,
”
Henry said.

"Are you serious?
”
Claire asked slowly, like she
wasn't sure if he really just said that.

"Yeah, pack him a
bag of toys, snacks, and whatever else he needs and bring him with you, he'll
be fine, he can stay with me whenever you have to run around,
”
Henry said, shrugging to
himself.

Claire remained silent
on the other end.

"Claire?
”
Henry asked after a minute, not
sure if she was still there.

"Henry, has
anyone ever told you that you're the best boss ever?
”
Claire said, her voice telling him that she was
smiling.

"You would be the
first, Darlin',
”
he
laughed.

"Well you are. We'll
be in shortly,
”
Claire said.

"Okay, bye,
”
Henry replied then hung up.

About twenty minutes
later, his office door opened and Ethan came running in with a little back pack
on his back, his mop of blonde curls bouncing all over the place. He giggled as
he ran for Henry, dropping his pack on the floor before trying to climb onto
Henry's lap.

Henry lifted him up
and sat the little boy on his knee.
“
My
man Ethan,
”
Henry chuckled
and held out his hand for a high five. Ethan gave him a good slap.

Henry looked up to
watch as Claire walked in. She carried a cooler bag, and what looked like a
sleeping bag in another tote bag. She looked stunning in black dress pants and
a short-sleeved baby blue frilly blouse that had a high collar. Her hair was
half up and loosely curled. Her makeup was minimal, which he liked. She didn't
need it at all.

"I
’
ve got snacks and juice boxes,
and I brought his sleeping bag for when he gets tired; he can just lay on the
floor and take a nap,
”
Claire said, out of breath as she plopped down in one of the chairs in front of
his desk.

"You look nice,
”
Henry said softly, unable to
stop running his eyes over her. He couldn't get the image of her in her bra and
panties, splayed out on her bed, out of his head.

Claire blushed and
smiled.
“
Thank you."

Henry gave her a nod
then looked at Ethan.
“
What
do you think buddy? Doesn't mommy look nice?"

Ethan nodded.
“
Mommy pretty."

Claire beamed.
"Thank you, sweetie."

Henry ruffled his
hair. The kid was too cute.

"Ethan, do you
want to stay with Henry so mommy can go do a few things?
”
Claire asked Ethan.

"Yeah!
”
Ethan cried excitedly and
nodded.

Claire smiled.
"Okay!
”
she said and
stood up.

She came around the
desk and dropped a kiss on Ethan's forehead. Then she shocked Henry by pressing
her lips to his cheek and whispering, "Thank you," in his ear, before
she turned and headed out the door. Henry watched her go, falling just a little
harder.

Claire passed by
Henry's open office door on her way to the file room about an hour later. She
glanced in and had to back pedal to make sure she was seeing everything
correctly. She stood to the side of the door and peeked in, not wanting to
disturb the two boys.

Henry had brought one
of the chairs that were in front of his desk around so that it sat next to him.
Ethan occupied that chair. On the desk between them was a coloring book. Each
had their head bowed in concentration as they both colored. Claire couldn't
help but smile. Henry was so good with Ethan. He probably had no idea either.

“
Is Henry coloring?
”
she heard Asher's dry comment
from behind her.

Claire glanced over
her shoulder at him. "Yeah,
”
she giggled.

“
What the hell are you doing to
him? He's going all soft and shit,
”
Asher muttered, scrubbing a hand over his mouth to hide his smile.

“
I think my son brings out his
soft side more than I do,
”
Claire said quietly.

“
Well that's obvious,
”
Asher snorted, motioning at the
two of them.

Claire hummed her
agreement and continued to watch as Asher walked away. Her feelings for Henry
were spiraling out of control. She'd never felt like this about anyone, not
even Ethan's father, Teddy. She thought she had been in love with him, but that
didn't even come close; this was so much more. She felt it with everything she
had. Henry was the one, and would be the only one for the rest of her life.

“
Hey, Henry, how's his diaper?
”
Claire called into the room.

Henry's head shot up.
“
Huh?
”
he asked.

“
Does he need a diaper change?
”
she asked.

Henry glanced at
Ethan. "Ahhh,
”
he
said, his eyes widening, clearly having no idea what to do.

"Just give his
butt a squeeze,
”
Claire
said, biting her lip to stop the laugh that threatened.

Henry did as he was
told.

"Does it feel
mushy?
”
Claire asked.

"Yes?
”
Henry replied, still looking
unsure.