Chapter 1

" Mommy, where you go?", Ethan asked, looking up at his mother, Claire, who was curling her hair in
the bathroom mirror of their little two bedroom apartment.

Claire glanced down at her 2 year old son, " Mommy is starting a new job today, honey"

" I go too?", Ethan asked, his blonde eyebrows raised in question.

Claire smiled softly, " No sweetie, you're gonna stay with PopPop"

" Yay! PopPop!", Ethan squealed and ran out of the bathroom.

Claire chuckled and continued to curl her long strawberry blonde hair with the curling iron.
She had just finished when there was a knock on the apartment door. Ethan's pudgy legs went running
while he screamed " PopPop!" at the top of his lungs. Claire shook her head and smiled. The kid was
crazy about her father.

Claire opened the door for her father, Frank, who had come to babysit Ethan while she was
at work. Claire gave her father a hug and kiss then moved away so that he could pick up Ethan who
was jumping up and down with his arms up. Frank hauled Ethan up into his arms, where he was
promptly given a hug. Claire smiled fondly at the two. Her father was the only man in Ethan's life.

Ethan's father, Teddy, wanted nothing to do with her once he found out that Claire was
pregnant. Claire had been crushed. Her and Teddy had been together for three years, had even talked
about getting married. But when Claire found out she was pregnant, Teddy said that he wasn't ready to
give up his life and be a father. He split on her and never looked back. Claire had thought about
giving Ethan up, she had been only 23 at the time, but she just couldn't do it. She loved him from the
moment she found out that she was gonna have a baby. And Ethan has been the light of her life ever
since.

Claire's father Frank, has been a huge part of Ethan's life. Claire's mother had passed away
just months before Ethan was born. A horrible car accident took her life before she even got to meet
her grandson. Both Claire and her father had been devastated. But it brought them closer together and
now they were a solid loving family, just the three of them.

" Hi Ethan", Frank said, patting Ethan lightly on the back.

" PopPop, you play wit me?", Ethan asked hopefully.

Frank smiled warmly, " Sure buddy", he said as he put Ethan down. Ethan grabbed his hand and
started dragging him through the living room towards his bedroom.

" I guess I'll see you guys later", Claire chuckled.

Ethan came running back, throwing himself in her arms. Claire gave him a hug and a kiss.
She said goodbye to her dad then headed out. She had to catch the train to get to the office building
down town that she will be working in. She had taken a job in downtown Philadelphia after she got
laid off from her previous one. Somehow, she got this job, which was a huge step up from her
previous one, not only in money but in importance too. She has been hired as the CEO's personal
assistant. Never in a million years would she have thought that she'd go from ho-hum secretary to a
personal assistant to a CEO of a major advertising company.

Claire walked the two blocks to her new job after getting off the train. She stopped outside
the double doors and looked up. The building seemed to go on forever. Claire took a deep breath,
hoping to calm her nerves before walking into the building. Claire took the elevator up to the 40th
floor.

Claire was shown into the CEO's office by the receptionist. The office was empty, which
gave her the opportunity to glance around to get a feel for this man she has yet to meet. She was hired
by the HR lady without even meeting the big man. She wondered if he was going to have a comb over.
She smiled to herself. He was most definitely an older man who was probably overweight and had
grey hair. And going by the name plate on the desk, Mr. Henry Beck, he was probably uptight and old
fashioned.

Claire sat in the chair in front of the big oak desk for maybe about 15 minutes before the door
opened behind her. Claire stood, smoothing out her black pencil skirt before turning. Her breath
caught at the sight before her. The most gorgeous man she's ever laid eyes on, entered the office,
shutting the door behind him.

His charcoal gray suit was tailored to fit him to perfection. His blonde hair was short and
styled in a professional looking cut. His face was clean shaven, showing off his square jaw. His
emerald green eyes were shrewd as they looked her over. And the man had the most sinful mouth
Claire has ever seen. He was just breathtaking.

Claire's heart pounded as he got closer. He gave her a soft smile as he stopped next to her. If
he knew how he was affecting her, he didn't let it show. Hopefully he just thought she was nervous.
Which she was.

" Ms. Claire Russell I presume?", his deep raspy voice drawled, sending shivers down Claire's
spine. Hot damn, he had a sexy voice.

Claire blinked, then shook herself mentally. " Ah, yes", she said, reaching out to shake his hand.

His large hand enveloped hers and gave it a firm shake, " Henry Beck"

Claire gaped. No way was this Henry Beck. He was supposed be to an old fart with bad hair. This
guy could only be early to mid thirties. How was she supposed to work for this GOD everyday? " It's
nice to meet you", she somehow got out.

" You too, Darlin'", Henry smirked then skirted his desk. He unbuttoned his suit jacket before sitting
down in his comfy looking leather chair. " Please, sit", he said, motioning to the chair she had
previously been occupying.

Claire sat on the edge of the seat, crossing her ankles and placing her hands in her lap. She
sat up straight and waited for Mr. Beck to speak again. He had lifted a piece of paper off his desk and
was now perusing it. It was most likely her resume.

" Let's start off by me telling you that I am a very difficult man to please. I am very particular and I
don't like change. I like things my way. I expect you to do whatever I tell you to without question or
argument, if this is a problem for you, you might as well leave now", Henry said, his voice firm and
commanding. He lifted his green eyes to meets her in a challenge.

" No problems Mr. Beck", Claire said, surprised that her voice was steady, because she was shaking
like a leaf. He definitely made her nervous.

His eyebrows raised slightly, " Good. Now my requirements for being my personal assistant are as
follows, I expect you to be here everyday by 8am sharp. You are to dress and present yourself
appropriately. You are to answer your phone whenever I call and I expect you to be available at all
times"

Claire's eyes widened slightly, " Mr. Beck, can you clarify what "At all times" means?"

Henry stared at her for a moment, his face unreadable, " I'm not going to call you in the middle of the
night if that's what you're thinking", he said evenly.

Claire nodded and released the breath she hadn't know she'd been holding.

" Are you married?", Henry asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Claire flushed, " I...no, I'm not married"

" Boyfriend who's going to give you a hard time if I call too late?", Henry asked, eyebrow raised, in
question and challenge.

" Oh no, no boyfriend, I was just worried because I have a 2 year old son and I wouldn't be able to up
and leave him in the middle of the night", Claire explained.

Henry sat back in his chair, his mouth tightening, " So you're a single mother", he said, more as a
statement then a question. She couldn't tell if he was pissed about it or not.

" Yes"

Henry nodded, running a hand over his mouth, " Okay, I will try and be considerate of your son"

" Thank you Mr. Beck", Claire said with a genuine smile.

Henry's mouth lifted slightly, returning her smile with a little one of his own. " You're welcome, now
back to business..."

Henry spoke some more about what he expected from her. There was a lot of pressure and
responsibility on her shoulders now. She was to arrange his meetings, speak with potential clients,

get his coffee and dry cleaning, get him lunch, answer calls that were not personal calls, etc.... Claire
was having second thoughts by the time he finished talking.

" I can see that I've overwhelmed you, Claire, you are going to need to school your features a little
better, everything your feeling is all over your face", Henry said, his handsome face serious.

Claire gaped for a moment, " I...uh...I had no idea"

Henry watched her for a moment, " You are going to be fine, I know it's a lot to take in and I don't
expect you to get everything right overnight, but if you can't pick this stuff up within a reasonable
amount of time, you will be let go"

Claire swallowed hard and nodded. Damn, this man was so intimidating. There was no buffer when it
came to him telling her like it is. And the truth was scary as hell.

Henry stood, buttoning his jacket as he came out from behind his desk. " Come, let me show you
where your office is", he said, stopping next to her.

Claire stood. He motioned for her to lead, so she moved forward with him right behind her.
Claire held her clutch purse in front of her with both hands as she walked. Henry placed his big hot
hand on the small of her back and guided her down the hall.

" Corner office", He murmured as they came up to it. He opened the door and motioned for her to
enter.

Claire walked in with Henry right behind her. The office was gorgeous and had a stunning
view. Three walls were all windows, two of the windowed walls were her view while the other
looked out into the office. Her desk sat in front of one set of windows. She had her own printer/copy
machine in the corner. Shelves took up the one solid wall. Her office was only a stones throw away
from Henry's, of course.

" Do not be afraid to ask questions, Claire, if you get lost, just tell me", Henry said softly from where
he stood slightly behind her.

Claire turned. Henry was standing just inside the doorway, his hands tucked into his pants
pockets. He was watching her, his expression guarded, like he didn't want her to know what he was
really thinking. Claire nodded.

" I will email you my schedule. Get settled in, I'll come back for you at lunch, we'll go to my favorite
deli, bring a copy of my schedule with you and we'll go over it while we eat", Henry said then left,
closing her office door behind him.

Claire sighed, she was stressed already.

Henry dropped down into his office chair. He unbuttoned his jacket and resisted the urge to
rake his hand through his hair. It was something he did when he was irritated. But he couldn't do it
while he was at the office, not unless he wanted his hair sticking up in all directions.

Claire, such a beautiful name. The woman blew him away. Not only was she stunningly
gorgeous but she was sweet and innocent. Henry doubted that she had a mean bone in her sexy little
body. And her body was fucking sexy. That high-waisted pencil skirt showed off the slight flare of her
hips. It also highlighted her amazing ass. He couldn't help but check it out while they were walking to
her office. He just hoped that no one saw him doing it.

When he walked into his office and saw Claire for the first time, he was shocked that he had
been able to keep his cool like he did. He had been damn near drooling. But he threw on his
professional mask and acted like the CEO he was. He didn't want to treat her any different just
because she made his heart flutter and his cock swell. So he had given her the same spiel he gave all
new employees. He couldn't afford to be soft.

Claire was so beautiful. She had long strawberry blonde hair and bright expressive blue
eyes. He wasn't kidding when he said that everything she was feeling showed on her face. Especially
her big blue eyes. They were a light blue color and framed by long dark lashes. Claire's breasts filled
out her purple silk blouse nicely. From what he could tell she had to be a D-cup. And Henry was
absolutely a breast man. He was also an ass man. He'd love to give Claire's ass a swat. She had a fine
ass.

Henry shifted in his chair, his pants becoming uncomfortably tight in the groin area. Jesus
Christ. He scrubbed a hand over his face. How was he going to work with this GODDESS
everyday?! He had to stay professional. He needed to remember that. Women and their sexual
harassment accusations were through the roof these days. God forbid you even look at some women
the wrong way, right to HR they go to file a complaint.

A loud knock sounded on his door before it opened and his floor supervisor, Asher Hirsh
walked in, giant cocky smile on his handsome face. Henry stifled a groan. He knew why Asher had
that stupid smile on his face. He must have met Claire.

" Hey boss", Asher drawled, shutting the door behind him before coming and sitting in the chair in
front of Henry's desk.

" What is it Asher?", Henry sighed, leaning back in his chair.

Asher gave him the "Give me a break" eye roll, " You know why I'm here", he scoffed.

" No, I don't", Henry lied.

" Beck, seriously, that woman is stunning", Asher grunted.

" What woman would that be?", Henry drawled, eyebrow raised in question.

" Oh, we're gonna be like that, are we? Claire, asshole, I'm talking about Claire", Asher huffed.

" What about her?", Henry muttered. He was so not in the mood for this.

" Jesus, you're thick. Did you not see her?", Asher asked incredulously.

Henry glared as the good-looking blonde haired man sitting across from him, " Of course I saw her,
I'm not fucking blind!"

Asher's eyes widened at Henry's little outburst, " Ooookay", Asher said, holding up his hands.

Henry took a deep breath, " I know she's gorgeous Asher, you don't have to come here and go on
about it, I didn't hire her, HR did, so as long as she can do the job it doesn't matter what she looks
like. And you...you better keep your hands off of her", Henry said, pointing his finger at Asher.

An amused glint flashed in Asher's pale blue eyes, " Wouldn't dream of it", Asher said as he stood.

" I mean it Asher, she is completely off limits", Henry warned, " I don't want her filing harassment
charges against you because then I'd have to fire you"

Asher gave him a dubious look, " You're gonna go with that reasoning, huh?"

Henry narrowed his eyes as his friend, " There is no other reason", he bit out.

Asher looked skyward and shook his head, " If you say so", he chuckled before walking out.

Henry banged his fist on the desk in irritation. He hated Asher for being so perceptive. Yeah,
he didn't want Claire filing charges against Asher, but he also didn't want another man's hands on her.
Henry had no claim to her, but he felt suddenly possessive. Claire wasn't his and never would be. But
she was his assistant and he wanted her undivided attention. She wasn't going to have time to be
cuddling up to any man.

12:30 rolled around, slower then Henry would have liked. He was starving, but had gotten
caught up on the phone with a client. He headed down the hall to Claire's office. He could see her
through the windows as he walked up. She was sitting at her desk, elbows propped up, head resting in
her hands. Henry sighed. She was overwhelmed. Usually he wouldn't give a shit, but something about
Claire tugged at his heart.

Henry knocked on her door then opened it. Claire immediately straightened, blinking her big blue

eyes at him. Henry gave her a gentle smile, " Are you ready to go grab some lunch?", he asked.

Claire relaxed a little and gave him a hesitant smile, " Yes, I am", she said.

She grabbed her purse then came out from behind her desk. Henry moved out of her doorway
and let her go ahead of him. Henry shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from touching her. He
wanted to put his hand on her back and guide her like he did earlier. But he didn't think that was a
good idea.

He also kept his eyes firmly away from her behind. He could not be caught checking out her
ass while they walked through the office to the elevators. He did catch sight of Asher sitting at his
desk in his office. The damn fool winked and blew him a kiss. Henry shot him the finger behind
Claire's back. Asher's big booming laugh could be heard even with his door shut. Claire turned her
head and looked over in Asher's direction. Asher waved to her. Claire smiled and waved back.
Henry sneered at the man and drug his thumb across his throat, letting Asher know he was a dead man.
Asher only laughed harder.

Henry quickly dropped his hand and pasted on a smile when Claire turned to look at him. Claire
narrowed her eyes at him. " What is Mr. Hirsh laughing about?"

Henry shrugged. " No idea, he's insane"

Claire smirked.

They made it to the elevator and Henry hit the button to go down. They only had to wait a
minute for the car to make it to their floor. Once on the elevator, Henry hit the button for the lobby.
The doors closed, locking the two of them in the small confined space.

Claire shifted beside him and he caught a whiff of her perfume. Henry closed his eyes and
willed his cock not to react. She smelled so good. It wasn't a fragrance that he's ever smelled before.
But it was very enticing. He wanted to bury his face in her neck and inhale her wonderful scent.

Henry cleared his throat, " So Claire, what is your son's name?", he asked, hoping the subject would
take his mind off of how good she smelled.

Claire's face lit up, stopping Henry's heart, " Ethan", she said, the love for her son clear in her voice
as she said his name.

" And you said he's two?", Henry replied.

" Yes, he's a crazy little boy, definitely a handful, do you have any kids Mr. Beck?", Claire asked, her
voice was so sweet.

" Ah no, no kids", Henry said, shaking his head.

" Are you married?", Claire asked, innocently curious.

" No", Henry said shortly. He wasn't really comfortable talking about his personal life with
employees, but he couldn't seem to not answer Claire when she had asked.

Claire nodded, rolling her lips in. She seemed to have noticed his discomfort. Which he
guessed was good, she would stop asking questions like that. The air in the elevator had suddenly
become tense. They remained silent all the way to the deli, which was a short block away.

Once at the deli they got in the short line, Henry turned to look at Claire. She was looking
over the menu that was hanging above the counter. Fuck, she was gorgeous. He had the sudden urge to
explain himself to her. But that was ridiculous. He didn't explain himself to anyone. She didn't need to
know his life story to be able to work for him. And he didn't want her knowing more about him then
was necessary. Because then emotions got involved. The more you knew about someone, the more
likely you were to care for them. Henry didn't need anyone to care for him. Or so he kept telling
himself.

Henry paid for lunch. Claire protested but he would hear none of that. He always paid for
lunch. And everything else for that matter. Claire would learn. They found a booth in the corner and
sat down to eat. In silence. Apparently Henry had scared her out of talking. Or maybe she just didn't
know what to talk about.

" Did you bring my schedule?", Henry asked before biting into his corned-beef special.

Claire nodded as she chewed, then reached into her little purse to pull out her iPhone. Smart
girl. He was afraid she was going to print it out. It was ungodly long and she would have had a book
on her hands. She wiggled her phone in the air before placing it on the table.

" Good, we'll go over after we're done eating", Henry said then took another bite of his delicious
sandwich.

Henry had closed his eyes, enjoying his sandwich when he felt like he was being watched. When he
opened his eyes, Claire was watching him, a small smirk curling her lips. " What?", he asked after he
swallowed.

" Nothing, you just seem to be really enjoying that sandwich", She murmured, a small flush creeping
up her pretty cheeks.

" I am enjoying it, they make the best sandwiches here", Henry stated.

" Okay", Claire said, shrugging, as if she didn't agree but she wasn't going to argue.

Henry narrowed his eyes at her, " You think you know of a place that's better?", he challenged.

" Not necessarily, you have your favorite place and I have mine", Claire said, an amused twinkle in

her blue eyes.

Henry raised an eyebrow in question, " Is that so? Where is this place that you love so much?"

Claire smiled and it made his damn heart stutter. " It's a few blocks away from where I live"

" And what makes them so much better?", Henry asked, liking their little banter. It was refreshing.

" I'm not sure, I think I like their rolls better", Claire said.

Henry snorted and took another bite of his sandwich.

" I'll bring in something for you tomorrow, then you can decide", Claire said, her blue eyes daring
him.

Henry nodded, " Okay, fine"

The tension between them seemed to ease, which made Henry happy. They finished their
food then went on to talk about Henry schedule and what she was going to have to do now that she
was his assistant. Claire asked questions and took notes. Henry had a feeling she was going to be an
excellent assistant.

Chapter 2

" Shit, shit, shit", Claire muttered to herself as she looked at the schedule in front of her.

Somehow, she booked two meetings with different clients at the same time. Henry was going
to be pissed. Both clients were due in the office in two hours. How the hell was she going to fix this?
Neither would be happy to reschedule. Claire took a deep breath and got up from her desk. She had to
tell Henry as soon as possible. Maybe he could give her an idea on how to fix it. It didn't help that
she's only been working for two weeks and had made a couple other mistakes as well. Nothing as big
as this, thank god.

Claire knocked on Henry's open door. Henry glanced up from the papers he was looking at, already
looking irritated. He looked insanely handsome in his black suit and royal blue shirt. When she didn't
immediately speak, Henry gave her an expectant look, " What is it, Claire?", he asked, annoyed. Shit,
shit, shit.

Claire took a hesitant step into the room. She couldn't help but wring her hands together. She was so
nervous at what his reaction was going to be. " Mr. Beck...I...uh..."

" Spit it out, Claire", Henry snapped.

" I accidentally scheduled meetings with two different clients for 11am today", Claire said then
swallowed hard.

Henry's green eyes flashed angrily. " What?", he ground out through clenched teeth.

" I'm sorry", Claire whispered, not trusting her voice. She didn't want to cry but lack of sleep and
PMS had a different idea. Her eyes wells up instantly.

Henry pounded a fist on his desk, making Claire jump. " Fuck! Damn it Claire!", he shouted before
scrubbing his face with his hands, making an aggravated noise in his throat.

" I don't know how it happened", Claire said quietly, quickly swiping the tear that leaked from her

eye.

Henry stared at her for a moment, his expression closed off. He took a deep breath and closed his
eyes. " Listen, I'm already having a shit day, go tell Asher about the mistake and let him handle it", he
said evenly before opening his eyes again.

Claire sniffed and nodded before racing out of his office and down the hall to Asher's. Claire
knocked on his door and waited for him to call out " Come in". Claire opened the door just as Asher
was hanging up his phone. The smile on his face slowly fading as he looked her over.

" What's wrong?", Asher asked, brows furrowed in concern.

Claire waved a dismissive hand and shook her head, " I made a mistake, Mr. Beck told me to have
you take care of it"

Asher sighed, " Did Henry yell at you?", he asked gently, giving her a sympathetic look.

Claire gave him a watery smile, " It's fine, I'm just overly sensitive at the moment", she said, swiping
another tear away.

" Ah, got it", Asher winced then motioned for her to have a seat. " Tell me what you did"

Claire told him about the meetings. Asher assured her that it wasn't as bad as she thought. It
has happened before and it will most likely happen again. No one was perfect and Henry was just in a
bad mood today.

" I just don't want to get fired, I like my job", Claire murmured, finally getting her emotions under
control.

Asher smirked, " You're not going to get fired, you're doing a great job and Henry knows it. He's just
being a dick today because his bitch of an ex-girlfriend called begging him to take her back"

Claire was surprised when she felt a bolt of jealousy. She didn't want to see Henry with his
hands on another woman. Not that she had any claim to him, he was her boss and they would never be
anything between them. But the thought just turned her stomach a little bit.

" Oh", Claire said, " Did he?", dreading the answer, but she had to know.

" Did he take her back? Fuck no, he's not that stupid", Asher snorted.

Claire smirked.

" There is that beautiful smile. I hate seeing you sad. Don't let Henry get to you, he doesn't really mean
it. He can just be mean when he's pissed off", Asher said.

Claire nodded, " Okay"

" Alright, now let me fix your little boo boo"

Claire stood and headed for the door, " Thanks Asher"

" You're welcome sweetheart", He murmured as he picked up the phone.

Claire shut his door behind her and headed back to her office. She had just reached her door
when Henry called her name. Claire turned to see him leaning out of his office door looking somber.

" Yes?", she swallowed.

" Can I speak with you for a moment?", he asked gruffly then ducked back into his office without
waiting for her to answer him.

Claire's heart raced. She really couldn't take being yelled at again without breaking down.
She wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her skirt as she walked down to Henry's office. She
nervously stepped inside.

" Shut the door", Henry said without looking at her. He was shuffling same papers on his desk.

Claire's heart dropped, she was going to get fired. Asher was wrong. Henry told her from
day one that if she couldn't catch on fast enough he would let her go. Claire shut the door with a soft
click and went to sit on the chair in front of his desk. She had to fight to keep herself from bursting
into tears before he even got started. What the hell was she going to do? She hadn't been able to save
any money yet. She couldn't be without a job. Her dad would help her, but he only had so much money
because he was retired. This was going to be the worst day ever.




Henry frowned across the desk at Claire. She looked like she was on the verge of breaking
down on him. He had been harsh with her earlier but he didn't think it was that bad to have made her
so upset. Asher had just called him as Claire had walked out of his office and informed him that he
had been a dick and Claire thought her job was in jeopardy. Asher insisted that he should apologize.
Something he rarely did with his employees. He wanted to be looked at as the tough boss who didn't
take any shit. He wanted people to know that mistakes were unacceptable.

Claire's eyes were downcast. Her shoulders slumped and her hands squeezed together on her
lap. His heart ached. He didn't want her to be so upset. He didn't think she was so sensitive. He had
been firm with her before about a previous little mistake and she took it in stride, fixed it and moved
on. But today she had teared up when he yelled at her, making him feel like a douchebag. But he hadn't
planned on apologizing to her until Asher said something.

Henry knew he was in a shit mood. And he really shouldn't have taken it out on her. It wasn't
Claire's fault that his ex-girlfriend Juliette had called, practically begging for him to take her back.
That was so not going to happen. She was a spoiled rotten brat who wanted him to buy her everything.
She had left him for another rich guy who was willing to spend butt-loads of cash on her. And now,
that she found out he was married and would never leave his wife, she wanted Henry back. Well fuck
her! She hadn't even treated him that well and she sucked ass in bed. She always would just lay there
looking bored. She never wanted to suck or even touch his dick. Which she said she would do this
time around. No fuckin' thanks.

" Claire? Is everything okay with you today? You seem overly sensitive", Henry said gently, folding
his hands on top of his desk.

Claire glanced up, a flush creeping up her cheeks. That's when it hit him. It was probably that time of
the month for her. Shit. No wonder she was so emotional.

" Womanly troubles?", He asked, one side of his mouth kicking up.

Claire nodded, " Sorry, I'm not usually this bad, and I'm also still adjusting to getting up so early", she
croaked, swiping at the tears that ran down her cheeks.

Henry sighed and leaned back in his chair, " I didn't mean to upset you earlier Claire, I'm just in a bad
mood, I shouldn't have taken it out on you"

Claire shrugged helplessly. " Okay", she whispered.

" Claire, look at me", Henry said and leaned forward again, placing his hands together on his desk.

Claire's blue eyes met his and he could see her apprehension and fear. She really was afraid
that he was going to fire her. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. Her makeup was forming black
smudges under her eyes. She looked more beautiful then ever.

" I am not going to fire you so get that out of your head", Henry said sternly. Claire's eyes widened
slightly but she looked confused. " You are doing a great job and catching on much faster then any of
my other assistants. Everyone messes up now and then and you are still learning. So stop worrying
about your job because it's secure. I swear. And I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier", he said
sincerely.

Claire sighed in relief, " Thank you. I'm just so afraid that I'm not doing good enough. I don't want to
lose this job. I like working for you"

" And I like having you work for me. Believe me when I tell you that you are doing a great job and I
couldn't have asked for a better assistant. So just relax, go take a fifteen minute break, collect yourself
and then get back to work"

Claire gave him a grateful smile and stood, " Thank you, Mr. Beck"

Henry groaned and hung his head, " Claire, do me a favor?"

Claire froze halfway to the door and turned around, " Okay?", she asked cautiously.

Henry lifted his head, " Call me Henry, Mr. Beck makes me sound so old"

Claire's tremendous smile just made his day. " Okay", she agreed then headed out of his office.

Henry sighed. What was this woman doing to him? She was making him soft. Goddammit!






Claire had a great first month at work. Henry seemed to be pleased with her progress, which
is what mattered most. Claire was exhausted every day when she got home at 6pm. Ethan was
transitioning well to the new schedule. Her dad had him Monday, Wednesday and Friday's while
Claire took Ethan to daycare on Tuesday and Thursday's. Her father had offered to watch him all
week, but Claire couldn't burden her father like that, plus he needed to learn to socialize with other
kids.

The second month went just as great also. Her and Henry were getting along great and had
really fallen into a routine. Asher had been shocked that Henry was letting her call him by his first
name. Asher assured her that was something none of his other assistants had been allowed to do.
Claire had beamed with pride for the rest of the day, apparently Henry thought she was special. He
usually called her "Darlin'". Claire liked the pet name.

One day, Claire was sitting in her office, preparing for a meeting that Henry had with a client when
the phone on her desk rang. Claire answered it with the standard, " Claire Russell speaking"

" Ms. Russell, this is Tammy Jacobs, the director at Happy Times daycare", the female voice said on
the other end.

Claire froze, her heart sinking into her stomach, " Yes? Is everything okay?", she asked anxiously.

" Ms. Russell, your son has been taken to the hospital, we think his appendix ruptured, he was
screaming and crying and clutching his stomach, we had to call the paramedics. They think it's his
appendix and are taking him to St. Christopher's"

" Oh god, okay, thank you! I'll leave right now", Claire said then after a quick goodbye, hung up.

Claire rushed to clean up her desk, then she grabbed her purse and raced down to Henry's
office. His door was open and he was sitting behind his desk looking over some papers. He was so

not going to be happy, but Claire could care less at the moment, her son came first.

" Henry", Claire squeaked as she walked into the room. She was on the verge of a panic attack.

Henry's head shot up at her tone, his face going from annoyance to concern in a matter of seconds. "
Jesus Claire, are you alright?"

Claire shook her head furiously and tried to find her voice, she could feel the tears building
in her eyes. Henry frowned hard and got up from his desk. He stopped in front of her and grabbed her
shoulders.

" What's wrong, Darlin'?", He asked softly.

Claire looked up at him. He was a tall guy, at least 6'4. She had no choice but to look up at him. She
blinked and the tears fell, rolling slowly down her face. " My...Ethan...the daycare called, an
ambulance had to take him to the hospital, they think he appendix ruptured, I have to go, I have to be
with him", Claire choked out.

Henry's jaw clenched, " Dammit, of all days", he bit out.

" I'm sorry Henry", Claire whispered.

Henry shook his head and gave her shoulders a squeeze, " It'll be okay, just go"

Claire was so relieved that he'd taken it so well that she threw her arms around his neck and
hugged him. Henry stiffened at first but then slipped his arms around her to give her the comfort she
needed at the moment. Claire pulled back first and looked up at him with wide eyes, realizing what
she had just done. And Henry's face was an unreadable mask, which did not help at all.

" I...I'm...", Claire stuttered, not sure of what to say. God, she felt like a fool.

" You're wasting time, get out of here", Henry said, no hint as to if he was pissed that she touched him
or not.

Claire backed up a couple steps before turning and rushed for the door. Before she got out of his
office, he called to her, " Call me later with an update!"

Claire glanced back and nodded, " I will", she said then left, practically running out of the office to
catch the bus to St. Christopher's.





Henry paced in his living room later that night. He had changed out of his suit and into

sweatpants and a t-shirt. He grabbed Chinese on his way home. He'd eaten then watched the news.
That had been three hours ago. Claire had yet to call and Henry found himself worrying over a little
boy he's never met. He was also worried about Claire. She had been frantic earlier. Obviously not
having dealt with a seriously sick child before. He was worried that she was alone and trying to cope
with this by herself. She was a single mother, but did that mean she had no family either? He hoped
not. He hoped she had someone else there with her.

Henry had no problems with his meeting today, even if it would have been easier with Claire
there, he was still able to take care of everything on his own. He didn't get to the top without doing the
actual work. He wondered how long Claire would need to be out of the office for. Henry knew kids
healed fast. But how fast?

This was the one thing he was worried about when he found out Claire was a single mother.
If something happened to her kid, she HAD to be there. There was no other parent to do it. And she
was the mother. Really, either way, she would be there. Mother's were like that. He knew his mother
was. She could be a bit overbearing at times. God forbid he ever got sick, she'd come to stay with
him and nurse him back to health.

Henry stared at his phone. Should he call Claire? He didn't want to disturb her, but he was
dying to know what was happening. And he knew he shouldn't care, because she was only an
employee. Ha! Yeah right. He needed to stop kidding himself. They had actually become somewhat of
friends and he was starting to care about her. She had blown past his expectations and had become
invaluable to him and the company.

Fuck it, he was going to call her. Henry hit the pound sign then the number 1 on his phone to
call Claire. Yeah, she was number one on his speed dial. He called her a lot, what of it? It was
always business related.

The phone rang three times before she picked up. Her voice was hushed as she said, " Hello?"

Henry cursed himself, she must have been sleeping or something, " Claire, it's Henry", he murmured.

" Henry, crap, hold on", she said, still hushed.

He heard some rustling around, then footsteps then the snick of a door closing.

" Hey Henry, sorry, I had to go out in the hall", Claire said, her voice sounding weary.

" How's Ethan?", Henry asked, raking a hand through his hair as he had been doing all night.

" He's okay, they did emergency surgery to take his appendix out, it hadn't ruptured yet, so that was a
relief", Claire sighed.

Henry closed his eyes as his own relief washed over him. " That's great"

" I'm sorry I didn't call", Claire said softly.

" Claire, come on, you're mind is only thinking of your son right now, I understand", Henry said
gently.

" Thank you Henry, you've been really great about this", Claire said.

Henry wished he could see her face to know what she was thinking. She had gotten better about
concealing her emotions, but he could still read her with ease. " I'm not completely heartless", Henry
rasped, knowing that she most likely expected him to be an asshole about the whole thing earlier
today.

" I never thought you were Henry", Claire whispered.

Henry let that sink in for a moment. So Claire didn't think he was a heartless asshole. Well
that was good. He was afraid he had been too hard on her. She had hugged him earlier, even if she
was scared shitless afterward. She obviously hadn't known how he would take it. If Henry was going
to be honest with himself, he enjoyed it immensely.

" How much time off do you need?", Henry asked into the silence on the other side.

" Oh, um, if you need me in tomorrow, my father can watch...", Claire started but Henry cut her off.

" Fuck Claire, you do think I'm heartless!", Henry snapped.

" No, I don't..."

" Dammit, just tell me how long you need off for!", Henry ground out. He was angry. Angry at himself
for making Claire think that she had to be in work while her son was in the hospital.

If she were anyone else, he'd be insisting that they come to work tomorrow. But he couldn't
do that to her. He didn't know why. Claire was special and he wanted her to trust him. He wanted her
to know that she was valued. That she could take care of her son and not worry about her job security.

" They said Ethan will be able to go home tomorrow and should be back on his feet by the weekend",
Claire whispered.

" Alright, take the rest of the week off then, with pay of course", Henry said, trying to keep his cool.

Claire gasped on the other end, making Henry's heart clench painfully. What an ass he's been. " Henry,
are you sure? It's only Monday, I could definitely be in on Wednesday..."

" No Claire, take care of your son, I'll give you a call in a couple of days", Henry said then hung up
before she could answer.

Henry clenched his phone, resisting the urge to smash it against the wall. Claire was sweet
and kind and caring. She deserved to be with her son while he was recovering from surgery. She
deserved to be treated better, by him. She was great at her job, great at being a mother - from what
he's gathered so far - and she deserved to be treated better.




Thursday rolled around and Ethan was doing really well. He took his medicine without
complaint. He was even playing around a little bit with his toys. For the most part though, he was
sitting on the couch watching Yo Gabba Gabba with his PopPop. Claire's father hadn't left since
Ethan came home from the hospital. He spent the past couple nights on the couch. Claire was grateful
for the company.

It was around 5:30pm, when there was a knock her on apartment door. Her dad looked at
her, his eyebrows raised in question. Claire shrugged, got up from the couch and went to the door.
She looked out the peephole and got the shock of her life. Never in a million years had she expected
this person to be at her door. She yanked it open.

" Henry? What are you doing here?", Claire asked in confusion.

Henry actually blushed. He cleared his throat and held up the grocery bag in one hand, " I brought
dinner", he said, then held up his other hand, which was a gift bag, " And a little get-well present for
Ethan"

Claire's hand came up to press against her heart as she fought off tears. She moved aside to
let Henry in. He stepped into the apartment but stopped just to the right of the door. Claire closed it
then took the grocery bag from Henry. He looked tense and uneasy. Like he wasn't sure if he was
going to be welcome or not.

Claire turned to her father, who had stood, " Dad, this is my boss, Henry Beck, Henry this is my
father, Frank Russell", she said in introduction.

Claire moved towards the kitchen but watched as the two men shook hands and said hello.
Henry gave her father a tight smile while her father gave Henry a more relaxed one. Claire put the bag
on the island that separated the kitchen from the living room. Henry's gaze landed on her son, where
he sat on the couch staring at Henry.

Henry's smile softened and his eyes warmed. Claire rolled her lips in. She wasn't completely
sure why seeing Henry soften because of her son made her want to cry, but it did. He was already
amazing her by being here and bringing dinner. But now he was looking at her son with something
close to affection in his eyes and it was doing crazy things to her heart.

" Ethan, say hi to mommy's boss Henry", Claire called from where she unpacked the bag that was
filled with sandwiches and soups from the deli down the street that they liked.

" Hi Henwee", Ethan chirped, making the r in Henry's name sound like a w.

Henry chuckled, " Hi Ethan"

" Why don't you come in and take a load off, Henry", Frank said, moving back to the couch to sit
down next to Ethan again.

Claire went back over to Henry as he unbuttoned his suit jacket. He must have left work early and
came straight over. " Here, give me your jacket", Claire murmured and went around behind him,
helping him shrug out of his jacket.

Claire took it and hung it up in the coat closet. Henry muttered a " thanks" as he went to work
on his tie, pulling it down just enough to unbutton the top button of his shirt. Henry glanced at her
before moving into the living room and sitting down on the love seat, putting him adjacent to Ethan.

" How you feeling buddy?", Henry asked, his voice gentle.

Ethan scrambled up to stand on the couch and lifted his shirt to show Henry his stitches, " I got boo
boo"

Henry frowned, " Aw, that's not so bad, you're tough right?"

Ethan smiled and nodded before plopping back down on the couch. Henry smiled. Claire
couldn't help but notice how his eyes crinkled at the corners. She's never seen him smile so genuinely
before. Apparently Henry had a soft spot. Claire never would have guessed.

" I brought you a little present", Henry said, holding up the gift bag.

" Me?!", Ethan asked excitedly.

Henry nodded and handed him the bag. Ethan grabbed the back and looked inside. He shoved
both hands inside and pulled out a one of those old fashion looking sock monkey. Ethan stared at it in
awe for a minute before clutching it to his chest and hugging it.

" You like it?", Henry asked. Claire could here the hint of nervousness in his voice. She found it cute
as hell too.

Ethan nodded furiously, " Uh huh!"

Henry smiled and Claire thought her knees were going to give out. She never thought he
could be more gorgeous then he already was, but then he smiled like that and somehow became
breathtakingly gorgeous.

" Ethan, what do you say to Henry?", Claire prompted the little boy clutching his new best friend.

" Tank you Henwee", Ethan said sweetly to Henry.

Henry nodded, " Your welcome little man", he murmured quietly and patted Ethan's leg.

Claire was seeing a whole new side to Henry. She never thought he could be so sweet and
caring. And so thoughtful. At work he was all about work, getting the job done, no fooling around. He
was stern and wanted shit his way. They worked well together because Claire did everything he
asked without question. He was the boss. She liked that side of him. He was commanding, it was
kinda sexy.

Now there was this whole other side. This soft side. With smiling. Who was this Henry?
Claire found that she desperately wanted to find out. Did he secretly wish he had a wife and kids?
Normally she would answer no, but seeing how he was reacting to Ethan, she might have to change
her answer to yes.

Claire brought the sandwiches and soups to the table, then went back to grab bowls, plates
and silverware. Henry was relaxing on the love-seat watching Yo Gabba Gabba in curiosity. He
glanced at Ethan a couple times then looked at Frank.

" Kids find this amusing?", Henry asked, dumbfounded.

Frank laughed, " They do, I take it you don't have kids?"

Henry shook his head and turned back to the tv. " I don't have the time for kids", he muttered.

Frank raised an eyebrow then glanced at Claire. Claire shook her head, silently telling her
father to let it go. He did, thank God. Claire didn't want them arguing. Claire understood what Henry
meant. He was a very busy man and didn't have the time to give kids the attention they needed. But he
was here, making time to see Ethan. Claire thought that if he really wanted kids, he'd find the time to
be with them. Maybe it wasn't a matter of kids per say, but finding the right woman too.

" You guys wanna come and eat?", Claire announced as she put the bowls and stuff on the table.

The table was a square four seater. Ethan sat on a booster to Claire right. Henry claimed the
seat to her left. So her father sat across from her. Claire put some chicken rice soup in a bowl for
Ethan before grabbing a half of an American hoagie for herself. Henry had a corned-beef special.
Claire smiled and shook her head. Henry caught her.

He rolled his eyes, " What Claire?"

Claire snickered, " Corned-beef again?"

Henry narrowed his eyes at her, " I like corned-beef, leave me alone"

Claire laughed as he took a big bite of his sandwich while glaring at her. Ethan giggled as he watched
the two of them.

" What's so funny?", Henry asked Ethan around a mouthful of food, making him giggle some more.

" Ew Henry, that's gross", Claire groaned.

Then Henry stopped her heart by winking at her. He freaking winked at her! Who the hell is
this guy?! Claire gaped at him, trying to figure out who this person was. Henry rolled his green eyes at
her.

" What now?", he asked after swallowing his food.

" Who are you and what have you done with Henry Beck?", Claire demanded.

Henry gave her a bored look, but that couldn't hide the slight blush on his cheeks. " Whatever"

After they all finished eating, Frank and Claire cleaned up the left overs and dishes. Henry
had offered to help but Claire shooed him away. He went and sat on the couch with Ethan. Claire
watched as Ethan got off the couch, went running into his room then came back a couple seconds later
with a book. He climbed back onto the couch and held out the book to Henry.

" You weed me Henwee?", Ethan asked, his big blue eyes impossible to say no to.

Henry smiled softly and took the book, " Sure", he said, then got a surprise when Ethan crawled onto
his lap. Henry didn't seem to mind, he just waited for Ethan to settle in before opening the book, Dr.
Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham.

By the time Henry finished reading, Ethan was out cold, curled against Henry's chest,
clutching his sock monkey. Claire's heart was doing flip flops in her chest as she watched Henry wrap
his big arms around Ethan to hold him. Ethan has never taken so quickly to any man. Not that Claire
brought any around, but whenever they met someone new, Ethan was usually ducking behind her leg,
not wanting anything to do with them. But he was comfortable enough to fall asleep on Henry. That
was amazing in Claire's eyes.

Her dad came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. " I've never seen a man who
doesn't have time for kids handle one with such love", Frank whispered in her ear.

Claire smiled and covered one of her dad's hands with her own.

" I'm gonna head home tonight sweetheart, is that okay?", Frank said.

" Sure dad, we'll be fine", Claire assured him.

Frank gave her a kiss on the cheek before going into the living room to say goodbye to

Henry. They shook hands then Frank leaned down and gave Ethan a kiss on the top of his head. Ethan
didn't budge. He was definitely out for the night.





Henry was in awe of the little boy in his arms. He never thought he'd be in this position,
holding a little kid while they slept. He never pictured himself having kids. He wasn't exactly kid
friendly. His job required too much of his time. He wasn't going to bring kids into the world then not
be there for them. And even if he wanted kids, he didn't have a woman. He was 34 and had resigned
himself to being a bachelor forever. He wasn't cut out for the whole family life.

Or at least, he didn't think he was. Holding this precious little boy in his arms was making
him want to rethink things. Maybe there was a way where he could have it both ways. Work and
family. Tons of people did it. He was sure that if he really wanted to that he could do both. And with
the right woman by his side, he'd be good.

" You want me to take him?", Claire asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Henry looked up at her. She was standing in front of him. " Ah, no, just tell me where to put him", he
said, standing up with Ethan cradled in his arms.

Ethan snuggled into Henry's chest and let out a contented sigh.

" Does he do this often?", Henry asked Claire. But he knew the answer just by the heartwarming look
on her face.

Claire shook her head, " Never", she whispered.

Henry's heart swelled to the point of almost bursting with happiness. Claire led him down
the hallway and into the softly lit bedroom that was most definitely Ethan's room. Henry went over to
the little bed that looked like a race car and gently placed Ethan down then pulled the covers up over
him. Ethan snuggled into his pillow and hugged his sock monkey tighter.

Henry stood there while Claire bent over and kissed Ethan on his mop of blonde curls. It
was weird for Henry, because for a moment he actually felt like they were a family. The three of
them. Him and Claire putting Ethan to bed together seemed right somehow. But that was just crazy
thinking, because it would never happen. Claire was his personal assistant, making her completely off
limits.

They quietly left the room, Claire shutting the door slightly behind her. They headed back out
into the living room where Henry went to the closet and grabbed his suit jacket. He needed to get out
of there before he did something stupid, like kiss her.

" Thank you for everything tonight Henry", Claire said softly. Her blue eyes watching him.

" You're welcome, Claire", Henry replied.

He started for the door, Claire followed. He turned to say goodbye and was met with Claire, flinging
her arms around his neck again, " I know you probably hate it, but I don't care", Claire murmured.

" I don't hate it", Henry murmured back, wrapped his arms around her.

Henry sighed. She smelled so good. And her body felt so amazing pressed up against his.
Henry hated that she felt so right in his arms. He wanted her. Wanted to kiss her and touch her body.
Henry pulled out of her embrace and grabbed the doorknob.

" You'll be alright by yourself?", Henry asked, resisting the urge to tuck her silky looking hair behind
her ear.

Claire smiled sweetly, " Yes, I will be fine"

Henry nodded, " See you Monday then"

Claire nodded, " I'll be there"

" Goodnight Claire", Henry said.

" Goodnight Henry", Claire whispered.

Chapter 3

Sebastian just finished washing the gun oil and grime off his hands when his cell phone
started ringing in his back pocket. He dried his hands real fast and grabbed his phone. Looking at the
screen, he saw it was his older brother Henry. Sebastian smiled. They hadn't talked in about a week,
both of them being super busy, Henry being the CEO of a major advertising agency in Philadelphia
and Sebastian working almost 50 hours a week at the gunsmith shop he worked for in LA.

" What's up fucker?", Sebastian answered.

" Hey man, you working?", Henry replied, ignoring what Sebastian called him, as usual.

" Just got done, on my way out now", Sebastian said, heading out of the small bathroom towards the
showroom. Sebastian's boss, Rick was talking to a customer and his co-worker John was counting the
money from the register. Sebastian nodded his goodbye's and headed out the front door. " How's your
new assistant working out?"

" She's amazing", Henry sighed like a lovesick teenager.

" Wow dude, you really got a thing for her huh?", Sebastian chuckled.

" What? No!", Henry said way too quickly.

" Yeah okay, is she hot?", Sebastian snorted.

" Hot? No, she's fucking stunning with a body built to torture a man", Henry grunted.

Sebastian shouldered his phone while he got in his car. " Oh yeah?"

" Oh yeah, her ass is freaking fine, someone is gonna catch me staring one of these days"

Sebastian laughed. He hadn't heard his older brother talk like this about a woman in years. Not since
he broke up with his bitch of an ex, Juliette. Sebastian hoped this chick wasn't a nasty bitch like
Juliette. " Have you fucked her yet?"

" What?! No, Sebastian, she's my assistant, she's totally off limits", Henry said firmly.

" Bullshit, you need to get laid and you sound like you really like her", Sebastian said, pulling out of
the parking lot and heading home.

Henry refused some more, like Sebastian knew he would. Henry then started going on about
his assistant Claire's 2 year old son Ethan. Sebastian just shook his head. Whether his brother wanted
to admit it or not, he was falling hard for his assistant. And apparently was completely in love with
her son already.

They talked until Sebastian pulled into the garage of his house. They said their goodbyes then
Sebastian hung up and headed into the house, hoping his wife Victoria was home. He was feeling
kinda horny and hoped that she was too. Sebastian walked into the kitchen from the garage and called
for her.

" Victoria?", he called.

" Upstairs Sebastian!", she called back.

Hell yes! He bounded up the stairs and down the hall towards their bedroom. He prayed that
Victoria was in one of her sexy little outfits that he loved. His wife was gorgeous. Like super model
gorgeous with the body to match. Victoria was also a fashion designer, so she was always dressed to
kill. They've been married for 5 years now, together for 8 and the sex was still amazing. Sebastian
walked into their bedroom to find Victoria sitting on their bed, texting on her phone. She was dressed
in yoga pants and a tank top.

" Hey baby", Sebastian growled and crawled onto the bed.

He moved towards her. She had yet to look up from her phone. So when he got to her, he
took it out of her hands and put it on the night stand before using his body to press her back onto the
bed. Sebastian tucked his face into her neck, breathing in her lovely scent while his hand covered her

breast.

" Sebastian, wait", Victoria muttered, her hands pushing at him.

Sebastian rolled his hips forward, causing his already hard cock to press against her core. " Mmm
baby, I want you so bad right now", Sebastian groaned.

" We need to talk Sebastian", Victoria said, still pushing at his chest and shoulders.

" Sex now, talk later", Sebastian rasped, kissing her neck.

" Sebastian! Stop!", Victoria grunted, finally pushing him hard enough so that he rolled off of her.

Sebastian pushed up to his elbows, " Alright Victoria, what is it?", he sighed.

Victoria sat up and turned slightly so that she could look at him. What he saw in her eyes
made Sebastian nervous. She looked like she was steeling herself before dropping a bomb. Her
crystal blue eyes hardened and she pulled her shoulders back.

After taking a deep breath, she said, " I want a divorce".

Sebastian stared at her, not sure if he heard her right, " Uh, what?", he asked, shaking his head as he
sat up.

" I want a divorce", she repeated evenly.

Sebastian felt his face screw up in confusion, " I don't understand"

Victoria sighed in exasperation, " It's not that hard Sebastian, I don't want to be married to you
anymore"

Sebastian blinked, " But...why?", he asked, completely dumbfounded.

Victoria frowned, " I've met someone else", she said softly.

The words slowly sunk in. They replayed in his head multiple times. " You've met someone else?", he
repeated slowly, his eyes narrowing.

Victoria nodded.

" You've been fucking someone else?!", Sebastian yelled. His anger taking over.

Victoria flinched, but nodded.

Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose against the headache that started pounding. His wife

has been cheating on him and wants a divorce. Was this really happening? Who the hell was this
woman sitting next to him? She wasn't the same woman he married five years ago. Becoming well
known in the fashion industry in LA changed her. How had he not seen this?

" How long Victoria? How long have you been cheating on me?", Sebastian ground out.

" A year", Victoria whispered.

" WHAT?! Are you fucking kidding me?!", Sebastian roared and shot off the other side of the bed. He
had to get as far from her as he could without leaving the room. " Who are you?!"

" I'm sorry Sebastian, I just don't feel the same way about you anymore. Haven't for a while now",
Victoria said, shrugging.

" But yet you continued to fuck me and pretend that everything is fine and dandy, what the fuck for?!",
Sebastian snapped.

" I needed to make sure my relationship with Julian was secure", Victoria murmured, looking down at
her hands.

" Julian? That fucking model you've put in your runway shows?!", Sebastian yelled angrily.

Victoria took another deep breath and nodded.

" You bitch! How could you do this to me?! I've given you everything! I moved out here, away from
my family, for you! I had to leave the gun shop I loved, for you! And this is how you repay me?! By
cheating on me and asking for a divorce?! You ungrateful cunt!", Sebastian bellowed, slamming his
fist into the wall behind him, denting the drywall.

Victoria just stared at him. Not sorry at all. He could tell by the lack of emotion on her face.
She didn't care the she was hurting him. She couldn't care less that she had just torn his heart out and
shit all over it. He knew her well enough to know that when she would stare at you with a blank face,
she really didn't care about whatever was going on.

Sebastian shook his head in disbelief. " Fine, send me the fucking divorce papers when they're
ready", he muttered before turning to walk out.

" Where are you going?", Victoria asked.

" I need to get some boxes so I can pack up my shit, then I'm going back to Philly, as far away from
you as possible", Sebastian grunted then walked out of the bedroom before she could say another
word.

Monday morning Claire was sitting in her office, catching up on her work when the phone on
her desk beeped, indicating that it was the receptionist buzzing her. Claire hit the button on the phone
to answer.

" Yes Jessica?"

" Ms. Russell, there is a Mr. Sebastian Beck here, he claims to be Mr. Beck's brother", Jessica said.
Claire heard a male voice in the background say, " I don't claim to be, I am dammit!"

Claire stifled a laugh then answered, " I'll be right there Jessica"

She hung up with Jessica then headed out of her office towards the reception area. There was
no doubt that the tall, blonde, snarling man standing in front of the reception desk was Henry's
brother. Claire hadn't even known he had a brother. And that thought hurt for some reason.

" Mr. Beck, I'm Claire Russell, Mr. Beck's personal assistant", Claire said in her professional voice
and held out her hand.

Sebastian took it and gave it a firm shake while he eyeballed her.

" So you're Claire, huh?", Sebastian said, smirking mischievously, " Henry's told me about you"

Claire couldn't hide her shock. Sebastian chuckled.

" Listen, sweetheart, is he in? I gotta talk to him for a minute", Sebastian said, smile fading fast.

" Does he know you're coming?", Claire asked as she turned and led the way into the office.

" No, I don't make fucking appointments to see my own damn brother, pompous prick", Sebastian
grumbled behind her.

Claire again had to stifle a laugh. The gorgeous man had an attitude, she kinda liked it. She
bet if Henry weren't so professional, he'd be exactly the same way. Claire stopped in front of Henry's
closed door. She prayed that he wasn't on the phone. Claire knocked then popped her head in.

Henry was sitting at his desk, chewing on the end of a pen while he read over a contract. He
was in a black suit today with a dark green shirt that made his eyes pop. He looked so handsome.

" Yes Claire?", He asked without looking up. His voice bored and a bit tired.

" Henry...", She started but then got jostled out of the way when Sebastian barged in.

" 'Scuse me baby doll", he muttered as he pushed by her.

Henry's head shot up as he dropped his pen onto the desk, " Sebastian! What the hell are you doing
here?", Henry asked, obviously shocked to see his brother.

" Good to see you too big brother", Sebastian drawled as he walked into the room.

Claire stood flattened against the door.

" You can't just...I thought you were in California?", Henry asked, confused and flustered.

" I was, and man you weren't kidding when you said doll-face over there has got an amazing ass",
Sebastian said, turning to wink at Claire.

Claire's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She looked at Henry who looked about ready to
explode. His face was turning red, his jaw was clenched and his nostrils were flaring with the force
of his breathes. He thought she had an amazing ass? Henry turned his blazing emerald green eyes to
her.

" Close the door Claire", He bit out.

Holy shit! She's never seen him so livid. Yeah, he's gotten mad a couple times, but nothing
like this. Claire could do nothing but obey. She pulled the door shut, closing the two men in. As soon
as the door was closed, Henry roared.

" WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Claire gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. Everyone sitting in their cubicles near
Henry's office all looked up with wide eyes. Asher popped his head out of his office and gave her a
questioning look. Claire walked over to him so she didn't have to yell across the floor.

" Henry's brother Sebastian is here", Claire said, glancing back at Henry's door.

Asher sighed and shook his head, " Dammit, Henry's gonna be in a shit mood the rest of the day"

" Do they not get along?", Claire asked.

" Oh no, they do, Sebastian is crazy though, likes to fuck with Henry whenever he can", Asher said
with a smirk.

Claire sighed, " Great"

" Please, like you have anything to worry about? Henry treats you like gold", Asher scoffed.

Claire rolled her eyes, " No he doesn't"

Asher gave her a dubious look then ducked back into his office. Claire headed back to hers
and got back to work. She couldn't help but think about what Asher said, that Henry treated her like
gold. Had he really treated all his other assistants so differently? And if so, why? Why did he treat
her so differently? Could he actually feel something for her? Claire didn't know and couldn't think
about it without thinking about her own feelings. She could so not go there.




Henry could not believe his asshole brother had said that to Claire. And what the hell was he
thinking even telling Sebastian that in the first place? He shouldn't have been surprised. Sebastian
loved to fuck with him. The man didn't know how to keep things to himself. Fucker.

Henry stared at his little brother, who was lounging in the chair across from his desk. The
black t-shirt he wore showed off his tattooed arms. Sleeves, they were called. His face was covered
in a couple days worth of scruff. He looked as if he didn't have a care in the world, but Henry could
see the strain in his brother's green eyes. Something was wrong. Something serious. Henry took a
couple deep breaths to calm himself. No doubt everyone heard his outburst.

" What's going on Sebastian? What are you doing here?", Henry asked evenly.

Sebastian shrugged his broad shoulders, " I was in the neighborhood"

Henry made an irritated noise and raked a hand down his face, " Cut the shit asshole, you don't just
come see me for no reason"

Sebastian's arrogant mask fell and pain filled his face, making Henry shift nervously. What the hell
could be wrong that his brother looked like that?

" Victoria wants a divorce", Sebastian murmured, the pain in his voice almost unbearable to hear.

Henry flinched as if he'd been slapped, " What?", he asked like an idiot.

Victoria and Sebastian have been married for 5 years now. Henry had always been jealous
of their seemingly perfect relationship. The had always been so loving and all over each other. Made
Henry sick sometimes, because he didn't and never would have that. Sebastian had even moved out to
LA for her so she could expand her fashion business.

Sebastian rubbed his face then squeezed the bridge of his nose, " She said that she's met someone
else"

Henry blinked, unable to comprehend what Sebastian just said. " But...what...I don't understand", he
stuttered.

Sebastian lifted tear filled eyes to meet his, " Neither do I", he croaked, " I feel like my heart is being
ripped out and stomped on Henry. I couldn't stay there and look at her, I packed up my shit and
shipped it to Christian's house. I told the deceitful bitch to send me the divorce papers as soon as
possible"

" Shit Sebastian, I'm so sorry", Henry sighed.

" I thought she loved me", Sebastian choked, leaning forward to put his head in his hands as he cried.

Henry got up, his heart breaking for his brother. He hadn't seen Sebastian cry since he was
12 and broke his leg when he fell out of a tree. Henry went to his brother. He put his hands on
Sebastian's shoulders. Sebastian shot up from the chair and threw himself in Henry's arms. Henry
"Oof-ed" and wrapped his arms around Sebastian, who had started sobbing on his shoulder.

Sebastian's devastation was almost palpable. His body shook and his knees seemed to be
giving out. Henry clutched him tighter and just let him release all his pain. Henry bet that he hadn't
cried over the whole thing yet.

It took a few minutes before Sebastian calmed. Henry made him sit back down as he grabbed
the box of tissues off his desk and held it out to Sebastian. Sebastian took a few and blew his nose
and wiped his eyes.

" Fuck Henry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall apart like that", He rasped, pulling in a deep breath.

" It's fine Sebastian, you know I'm here for you", Henry said softly, giving the back of Sebastian's
neck a squeeze.

Sebastian nodded, " I know"

" So are you staying at Christian's?", Henry asked. Christian was one of their other brothers. There
were four of them all together. Henry was the oldest, then it was Sebastian, Quinn then Christian.

" Are you kidding? We'll tear each other's throats out, I just sent my shit there because he's got that big
ass empty garage", Sebastian snorted.

" Quinn's only got that one bedroom studio, so are you going to stay with mom and dad then?", Henry
asked, a smirk curling his lips. He knew Sebastian would never stay with their parents. He'd get
smothered by their overbearing mother. He liked to see Sebastian squirm though.

Sebastian sent him in incredulous glance, " Fuck no! Are you insane?!"

Henry barked out a laugh then went back around his desk to sit in his chair. " You want to stay with
me?", asked, eyebrow raised.

" If you don't mind Henry, at least until I can find another job and my own place", Sebastian sighed.

Henry knew he hated having to ask for help.

" Wait, you don't have a job?", Henry asked, frowning.

" I had to quit, I couldn't stay there Henry", He said quietly.

Henry nodded. " Alright, it'll be fine"

" Thanks Henry", Sebastian said sincerely.




Claire sat at her desk, smiling to herself. Henry's face was hilarious when his brother blurted
that he said she had an amazing ass. He had been mortified. Claire was curious if he was going to say
anything about it or if he was going to pretend that it never happened.

A knock on her door brought her head up. Instead of Henry, it was his brother, Sebastian. Claire
looked at him in surprise. " Oh, Mr. Beck, can I help you?"

" Please, call me Sebastian, and I just wanted to stop in before I left to apologize for my behavior
earlier, I was out of line", He said softly, stepping into her office.

Claire looked him over. His whole demeanor had changed, no longer was the arrogant man
from earlier standing there, but a subdued, almost broken version of him. His eyes were now puffy
looking and bloodshot, as if he'd been crying. No way Henry had made him cry. Something serious
must have happened for him to show up here in the middle of the day without calling Henry first.

Claire waved away his apology, " Thanks Sebastian, but it's fine, kinda nice to know someone looks
as my ass", she said with a smirk.

Sebastian laughed, " Yeah well Henry was definitely not happy with me for blurting that out"

Claire shrugged, " It's no big deal"

Sebastian smiled, watching her for a moment, " You know, Henry's never talked about a woman like
he has you, just so you know", he said softly.

Claire's heart skipped a beat, but she tried to act nonchalant and rolled her eyes, " Whatever"

Sebastian chuckled, " Alright, I'll let you get back to work, see you around", he said, shaking his head
as he left her office.

Claire stared at his back as he walked down the hallway. More then once now people have
told her about how Henry acts different towards her. She wouldn't know because she's never seen him

with his previous assistants. It made her feel good none the less. Maybe Henry did think she was
special. It was nice that someone felt that way about her. She hated to admit that she had been feeling
pretty lonely. She missed the feeling of being in a man's arms. Maybe she should think about dating
again.

A knock on Claire's door jolted her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Henry standing
in her doorway. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his head was bowed. Damn, he looked
fantastic in that suit.

" Henry", Claire said, her lips twitching as she tried not to smile.

Henry blew out a breath as he lifted his head to look at her, his green eyes troubled. " I'm sorry about
what I said to my brother, I hope I didn't offend you"

Claire couldn't stop the laugh that came out. She clapped hand over her mouth as Henry frowned.
Henry moved farther into her office and shut the door.

" What the hell is so funny?", He snapped. His hands now planted on his hips.

Claire waved a dismissive hand, " I'm sorry", she giggled then took a deep breath to get herself under
control. " It's fine Henry really, if it makes you feel any better, you have an amazing ass too", she said.

Henry snorted and rolled his eyes. " Whatever"

Claire just smiled at him. He was being modest. The man had to know how good looking he
was. And how amazing his body was. Not that Claire could see all that much because he was always
in a suit, but he definitely filled it out nicely. There had to be some muscle under there. And Henry
did have an amazing ass. She saw that whenever he took his suit jacket off.

" So, what's going on with you're brother? He stopped in here before he left and it looked like he'd
been crying", Claire said softly. She hoped Henry would talk to her, tell her something about his life.

Henry sighed heavily and dropped down into the chair in front of her desk. He scrubbed a
hand over his face before looking at her, that troubled look in his eyes again. He stared at her for a
good minute or so, probably trying to decide to tell her or not.

" His wife is leaving him for another man", Henry blurted.

Claire sucked in a sharp breath, her hand coming up to press against her breaking heart. " Oh my god,
that's horrible", she rasped.

" And what makes it worse was that he had no idea anything was going on, their relationship was
great, they never really fought, so he was shocked when she said she wanted a divorce", Henry
muttered disgustedly, shaking his head.

" Poor guy", Claire frowned.

Henry lifted his hand like he was going to run it through his hair, then he seemed to catch
himself before dropping it in irritation. Claire bit her lip to stop her smile. She noticed Henry did that
a lot when he was irritated. That must be a habit, to run his hand through his hair when he's upset or
irritated. It was really cute.

" He's gonna be living with me for a while, so you might be seeing more of him", Henry murmured,
squeezing the bridge of his nose.

" Can you two live together without killing each other?", Claire chuckled.

Henry smiled and leaned back in the chair. He crossed his arms over his chest then shrugged, " Yeah,
we get along fine, he just likes to push my buttons every chance he gets"

Claire smiled, happy that Henry was finally sharing some of his life with her. She already
considered them friends in a boss/employee kind of way, so this just took it to the next level where
they could possibly be friends outside the workplace.

" Is Sebastian your only sibling?", Claire asked, resting her chin in her hand as she leaned on the desk
in front of her.

" No, I have two more brothers besides him, Quinn and Christian, they're all younger then me", Henry
supplied without hesitation.

" You say that like you're old", Claire scoffed.

" Yeah well, I'm older then you and I feel it", Henry grunted, his green eyes sparkling with
amusement.

Claire liked Henry this way, open and relaxed. She didn't see it nearly as often as she would like. The
only other time was when he came to her apartment. " Oh come on, you can't be that much older then
me, you're what? 30? 32?"

Henry's smiled widened, showing off a pair of dimples that Claire's never seen before. Claire
couldn't get over how that smile lit up his face and made him look just stunning. " I'm flattered, but no,
I'm 34 and feel like I'm 40"

" That's because you're all work and no play. And you're only 9 years older then me", Claire
snickered about the last part, knowing it would irk him.

Henry groaned and dropped his face into his hands. When he emerged from his hands he stood. " Get
back to work", he huffed then headed for the door. He sent her a wink over his shoulder before
walking out.

There was that wink again. That sexy wink with that sexy smirk. Claire watched him as he
headed down the hallway. He turned his head when someone called to him. He moved over towards
the cubical and leaned against the divider with his forearms. This caused his jacket to ride up as he
cocked a hip. Claire's eyes dropped to his amazing ass, which was now on full display. Oh what she
would give to dig her nails...Claire shook her head to clear her dirty thoughts. She needed to get laid.
Preferably by Henry.

Chapter 4

Henry groaned as he woke. Jesus Christ, his whole body ached. Which he didn't understand
because he hadn't worked out too hard the day before. Come to think of it, he had felt pretty run down
yesterday. Henry sat up and rubbed his eyes. Fuck, he was exhausted. He reached over and shut off
his alarm clock, which was giving him a freaking headache.

Henry shuffled naked to his bathroom, which was attached to his bedroom. He caught a
glance of himself in the mirror before going to take a piss and damn, he looked like shit. After going
to the bathroom, he turned on the shower and hopped in, hoping it would make him feel better. Nothin'
doin'. The shower didn't do anything other then clean him.

He got dressed. Half the time he had his eyes closed and he was sure he looked horrendous.
He didn't even bother shaving or using hair product, he just brushed it. He didn't bother with his
contacts either. He put on his sleek black rectangular plastic frames and headed downstairs. Sebastian
wasn't up yet, but he had no need since he hadn't found a job yet. It's been only two weeks, so Henry
wasn't really surprised. Sebastian was a gunsmith, so finding a job wasn't going to be easy.

Henry groaned as his stomach rolled. Forget eating breakfast, he was just going to head to
work and see how he felt then, he could always have Claire go out and grab him something. Henry
grabbed his keys and headed to the garage. He took his jacket off and laid it in the passenger seat of
his white BMW M3 coupe. He was sweating to death.

The drive in was hell. His eyes kept watering, his nose was runny and he kept coughing this
dry cough that hurt his throat. Then on top of that, the aching in his body just seemed to get worse. And
shifting the gears on the car was not helping.

Henry felt about ready to pass out when he finally got up to the office. He was feeling
extremely weak. What the hell was he thinking coming in here today? And there was no way he was
going to be able to drive home himself. He'd better find Claire and see if she can drive him home.

He got stared at by everyone as he walked down the aisle towards his office. No doubt he
looked like shit, plus he's never worn his glasses into the office. He's also never showed up unshaven.
He saw Claire walking up just as he cleared the aisle. He reached his door the same time as her.
When he looked at her she was frowning at him.

" You wear glasses?", she asked in confusion.

" Contacts usually", Henry replied weakly.

Henry rummaged around in his pockets for his keys. He always locked his office when he
left and the key was on his car keyring. Henry leaned forward and put his forehead on the door,
groaning when the coolness felt amazing on his flushed skin.

" Henry, you don't look good", Claire said, a hint of worry in her voice.

Henry fell into a coughing fit, covering his mouth with the crook of his elbow. The coughing
doubled him over. When he was finally able to draw a breath and straighten, Claire's cool hands
were on him. One went to his forehead the other to his neck. Henry closed his eyes, her hands felt so
good on his skin. Not only because they were cool, but because they were her hands.

" Jesus Henry, you're burning up, why did you even come in?", Claire said softly.

Henry shrugged, eyes still closed, " I've never missed a day"

" Well, you need to go home and get in bed", Claire said firmly, her hands now cupping his scruffy
face.

Henry shook his head and drug his eyes open, " I barely made it here", he muttered, pulling off his
glasses to rub his watery eyes. " Do you know how to drive a stick?", he asked, putting his glasses
back on so he could see her.

" Yeah. I'll drive you just let me tell Asher that we're leaving", Claire said, her thumb stroking his
stubbled cheek.

Henry nodded. When Claire moved away, he leaned against his office door. Shit, he's never
felt so weak in his life. He had no idea the last time or if he's ever been this sick. Claire returned a

few minutes later and intertwined her arm with his.

" Come on Henry, lets get you out of here", She said quietly and led him out of the office to the
parking garage where he had parked his car.





Claire glanced over at Henry as they sat at a red light. He really looked bad. His head was
back against the headrest and his eyes were closed. Every once in a while he'd have a coughing fit
which ended with a miserable groan. Henry set the navigation with his address so Claire was able to
follow that instead of having him give her directions. It was about a 45 minute drive, but Claire
finally pulled into a gated drive.

" Hit the button on the visor", Henry grumbled next to her.

Claire did as she was told and the gates swung open. She drove through and the gates started
closing behind them. Claire had been blown away by the car Henry drove, not that she was surprised,
he was a CEO of a major advertising company. And as Henry's house came into view, Claire was
blown away all over again. It was a Tudor style mini-mansion. Jesus Christ, he must be loaded.

Henry had her pull into the garage, where she shut the car off and they both got out. Henry
shuffled weakly towards the door to their left. Claire went over and slid her arm around his waist.
Henry let her, draping his arm over her shoulder.

" My whole body hurts", Henry groaned.

Once inside his gorgeous house, Henry and Claire headed upstairs to Henry's bedroom.
Claire wasn't surprised by the masculinity of the bedroom. It was all dark wood, leather and dark
blues. His large bed with black leather head and footboard was made with a navy blue comforter and
sheets.

" Your house is gorgeous", Claire murmured as Henry shrugged out of his jacket as he headed
towards the bed.

" Thank you, Darlin'", he breathed wearily.

Henry tossed his jacket onto the end of the bed then went to sit on the side of it. He yanked at
his already askew tie, pulling it apart and letting it fall to the floor. Claire moved to stand in front of
him as he kicked off his shoes and started on his cuffs.

" Do you have aspirin somewhere?", Claire asked.

" In the medicine cabinet in the bathroom", He said, pointing behind her.

Claire turned and went into the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom. It was a gorgeous
bathroom, all marble and glass. The shower stall was floor to ceiling clear glass. There was also a
jacuzzi tub. Claire would love to soak in that thing for hours. She went to the mirror above the sink
and opened it. She found the aspirin then filled the glass that was on the sink counter with water. She
brought them out to Henry, who was now shrugging out of his dress shirt, which left in him in just a
white wife beater.

Claire could not stop her gaze from raking down his beautifully muscled arms and defined
chest. She could also see the six pack under his tight beater. Claire understood that Henry had to be
somewhat built to look so fabulous in his suits but she hadn't expected him to be all rippling muscle.
And she really loved the glasses and stubble. It was so un-Henry-like but damn he made it look good,
even as sick as he was.

Henry hung his head like he just couldn't kept it up any longer, " Claire, I know this is totally
unprofessional but can you please help me get undressed, I just don't have the strength", he sighed
heavily.

" Henry, I think we're past the point of having to be professional 24/7", she said and set the water and
pills on the nightstand.

" Yeah but this is like the sexual harassment level of unprofessional", Henry snorted.

Claire stood in front of him, their knees touching. " Not for us Henry, we're friends, you're seriously
sick and I don't mind taking care of you", she said softly and tugged the beater out of his pants.

Henry barely lifted his arms as she yanked it over his head. And yep, she was right, he had a
six pack. Good God, he was breathtaking. Claire tossed his beater on the floor then gave him a little
push, which being as weak as he was, he just fell back onto the bed. Claire pulled Henry's socks off
while he worked on his belt and pants. Claire heart pounded and her stomach fluttered. She was
actually going to see Henry in his underwear! She wished that the circumstances were different, but
she'd take it.

Henry put his heals on the side rail of the bed frame and lifted his hips so that he could push
his pants down. Once they were over his knees, he just kicked them off. Then he rolled and crawled
up farther onto the bed. Claire just stood there staring, her mouth hanging open. He wore the micro
low rise trucks, which were in between briefs and boxer/briefs. They were white with a baby blue
waist band that had Calvin Klein in large letters around it.

Henry laid his head down on a pillow, placed his glasses on the nightstand and flung an arm
over his eyes, completely oblivious to Claire wandering eye. Claire took the opportunity to ogle him.
Now that he was flat on his back, she could see the sexy V that started at his hips and disappeared
into the top of his underwear. Good lord, he had an amazing body. All hard muscle covered in smooth
taut skin. There was not an ounce of fat anywhere. There was a light dusting of hair on his chest and
also a light happy trail that lead into the top of his low rise underwear.

" Damn Henry, you should think about being an underwear model instead of a CEO", Claire said, her
voice a little breathier then she would have liked.

Henry's mouth curled up on one side. " Shut up Claire", he mumbled, but his tone was amused.

Claire smiled then moved over to the nightstand where she put the water and aspirin. " Here, take
this", Claire murmured and waited as Henry shifted to lean up on one elbow.

Henry took the pills then drank the water. He laid back down with a groan, " Fuck".

" Do you want the blankets up?", Claire asked, stroking her hand over his hair.

Henry sighed, " Hell no, I'm so friggin hot right now"

" Okay, I'm sure once that aspirin kicks in you're gonna be sweating that fever out and then you'll be
freezing"

" I can't even tell you the last time I've been this sick", Henry said wearily.

" Yeah well, I'm gonna say it's the flu and you're gonna be down for the week", Claire winced,
knowing that Henry was not going to be happy about that.

His eyes flew open and he gaped at her, " A week?!"

" That's how long the flu normally lasts", she nodded.

Henry covered his face with his hands and let out an aggravated noise, " Fuck me! I can't miss a week
of work!"

" Really Henry, you're not going to feel up to getting out of bed and I'm sure Asher can handle
business for a week", Claire said, trying to assure him.

Henry grunted and rolled over, facing her. He punched his pillow a couple times before
settling his head down on it. Henry grumbled to himself as he snuggled down into the bed. Claire
knew he was aggravated but there was nothing he could do about it.

" Is there anything else I can get you Henry?", Claire asked.

" No, thank you Claire, you're so wonderful, why don't you take my car and head home", Henry said
softly, his voice muffled slightly by the pillow. He reached out and took her hand. " You don't have to
stay, I'm not a fun sick person to be around", he said, his eyes closed.

Claire smiled, " No one is fun to be around when their sick. And I don't want to leave you alone"

Henry cracked one green eye to look at her, " Sebastian should be around here somewhere and I'm
just going to sleep, you need to go home and take care of your son"

" Are you sure you're gonna be alright? How reliable is Sebastian to take care of you?", Claire
frowned, not really liking the idea of leaving Henry on his own.

" He'll probably just pop in every now and then to make sure I'm breathing, other then that...", Henry
trailed off with a shrug, " I'll be fine Claire really, I don't want to keep you away from Ethan"

Claire smiled softly, she reached out and ran her fingers through the hair just over his ear, " Thank
you Henry, but I'm worried about you and how high your fever is"

" I'm a big boy, I can handle it", Henry said gruffly.

" I'm not going to win this argument, am I?", Claire sighed.

" Nope", Henry smirked, half his face buried in his pillow.

" Fine, I'll go, but I'm calling a cab", Claire said and turned to go.

Henry's grip on her hand tightened, " Like hell you are, take my car, I insist"

" Henry...", Claire started, but Henry cut her off.

" Claire, take my car, seriously", Henry said, his tone stern. Claire knew not to argue when he
sounded like that.

" Fine", she huffed. Claire leaned down and place a kiss on his temple, " But I'm coming back
tomorrow"

Henry smiled and nodded. Claire gave his hand a squeeze then let him go. Claire glanced
back before walking out of the room. She had a feeling that she was loosing her heart to that man.

Chapter 5

Claire showed up at Henry's house at 9am the next morning. She walked into the house
through the garage like yesterday. The door led into the kitchen. She walked in to see Sebastian
standing at the counter drinking a cup of coffee while messing around on an iPad, in his boxers. And
said boxers were yellow with a smiley face on the front of them. Claire rolled her lips in to stop from
laughing out loud.

Sebastian was built just as nice as his brother, all hard bulging muscle covered in smooth
skin. Sebastian was more tanned though and covered in tattoos. Tattoo's covered both arms from
shoulder to wrist, there was a tattoo on each side of his chest and both of his sides. Then on the front
of each hip it looked like he had a gun tattooed, but it disappeared into the top of his boxers. She was
positive that he had more on his back too. Sebastian looked up at her just as he was taking a sip of his
coffee. He froze, his eyes widening slightly over the rim of his mug. He almost choked as he hastily
took a sip of his coffee.

" Claire! What are you doing here?!", Sebastian choked, swiping a hand over his mouth.

" Checking in on Henry, nice boxers by the way", Claire snickered.

Sebastian gave her a dirty look before taking another sip of his coffee.

" How's Henry doing?", Claire asked, she hadn't been able to sleep well because she was worried
about him.

Sebastian sighed and raked a hand through his disheveled blonde hair, " He was up all night, puking
his guts up, he hadn't been able to keep anything down, I'm getting worried about him becoming
dehydrated", he said, his jaw tight with tension.

" Shit, that's the most common reason people get hospitalized with the flu", Claire murmured quietly.

" I haven't gone in there since 3am, so I don't know if he's gotten any better or not", Sebastian grunted,
taking another sip of his coffee.

Claire nodded and started for the stairs, " Thanks Sebastian"

He replied with an "Mmm hmm"

Claire headed up the stairs then down the hall to Henry's room. She knocked then popped her
head in. She called for Henry, but he didn't answer. Claire walked in and shut the door behind her.
She moved farther into the room, the bed coming into view, but Henry wasn't in it. Claire headed for
the bathroom.

The door was open, giving her view of the sink. She stepped into the bathroom to find Henry
sprawled out on his back in front of the toilet, a fine sheen of sweat covering his bare skin. Claire's
heart seized.

" Henry", she breathed and rushed over to him.

She knelt down next to him and touched his chest, which was sticky with sweat. He was
flushed and burning hot. She had no idea if his fever had broke then come back or if it never broke at
all. Henry hadn't even flinched when she touched him. His lips were parted and his breathing a slow
and steady. She hated to wake him up but he really shouldn't be sleeping on the floor in the bathroom.

" Henry", She said, and tapped his cheek.

Henry sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes fluttered open. " Huh?", he grunted, his unfocused eyes
landing on her.

" Hey Henry, how about we get you back in bed?", Claire asked softly, stroking his hair back from his
sweaty forehead.

" I'm fine, leave me alone", Henry grumbled, his eyes sliding closed again.

" There's no way you're comfortable here", Claire said, still stroking his hair.

His jaw was shadowed in a couple days worth of stubble now. His eyes had dark circles under them.
He just looked sick. " The floor feels good", he sighed.

" Please Henry, I hate seeing you laying on the floor", Claire pleaded.

Henry made a noise low in his throat, but he started to roll over. Claire watched and waited as Henry
got to his hands and knees. His head hung down and he was breathing heavy. He must really be
feeling weak.

" Fuck", he breathed.

Claire bent over and took hold of his upper arm. With her help, Henry was able to get to his
feet. He stood there for a few moments, panting. Henry opened his eyes to look down at her for a
moment, his green eyes glassy. He turned and shuffled slowly back out to his bedroom, with Claire's
help. He groaned as he climbed into his bed and curled up in his side, his back facing her.

Claire smoothed her hand over his hair. He sighed heavily and settled into the bed. Claire
continued to stroke his head until he fell back to sleep. Henry snored slightly. Claire smiled softly
down at him. Something inside her shifted. She was never going to look at Henry the same way ever
again. She was falling for him and falling hard. She never knew she could fall for someone without so
much as a kiss. But she knew what she was feeling and there was no stopping it.

Henry woke to someone calling his name and giving his shoulder a little shake. Henry sucked
in a deep breath and rolled into his back. He stretched, arms above his head. Then sighed as he
relaxed. He definitely wasn't as achy as before, which was good.

" Henry", came Claire's voice from his right.

Henry cracked an eye. He could see her sitting next to him on the bed but she was all fuzzy.
Henry rubbed his eyes then opened them again. He could see Claire a bit better now, but she was still
a bit blurry. He then remembered that he didn't have his contacts in or his glasses on.

" Hey", he murmured sleepily.

" Hi", she said with a sweet smile, " Do you think you could sit up and drink some Gatorade? You
really need to get hydrated"

Henry nodded and slowly sat up, he scooted back until he could lean against the head board.
He raked a hand though his hair, which was thoroughly disheveled, then scrubbed his face with both
hands. He then realized that he was only in his underwear. In front of Claire. His personal assistant.
Jesus Christ. This gave a whole new meaning to the term personal assistant.

Henry opened his eyes again and looked at the gorgeous woman sitting on his bed next to
him. If she was in any way uncomfortable about the situation, she didn't show it. And he definitely
would have been able to tell because Claire had the most expressive face he's ever seen. And the
most beautiful. With the sweetest smile.

She handed him a bottle of the red Gatorade with a straw. Henry sipped it, praying his
stomach didn't rebel. He hated throwing up and he really didn't want to do it again. He waited after
taking a few sips. His stomach didn't protest to he took a few more sips and waited again. All the
while, Claire watched him. Her blue eyes warm and caring.

" How long have I been sleeping?", Henry asked, his voice sounding like he chewed on some gravel.

" About three hours since I've been here", Claire replied.

Henry frowned, " You've been here for three hours?"

Claire nodded, " Someone's got to take care of you, Sebastian doesn't seem to know how, checking in
on you isn't enough", she said with a frown of her own before giving a pointed look to the bottle in
his hand.

Henry raised an eyebrow, " I thought I was the boss?"

" Yeah well, not right now you're not", Claire snorted, " Drink"

Henry smirked and took another sip of his drink.

" Do you feel any better?", Claire asked, her concern clear on her face and in her eyes.

Henry nodded, " Yeah, a little, definitely not as achy"

" Good, I think your fever's gone too", she murmured, placing the back of her hand against his
forehead for a moment. She then stood, " Why don't you get a shower? I have a pot of soup on the
stove that I need to check on"

" Soup?", Henry coughed, almost choking on his Gatorade. Claire made him soup?!

" Yeah, chicken soup, is that okay? I could make you something else", Claire said.

Good Lord she was amazing. Henry shook his head vehemently, " No, no, that's fine, I just didn't think
you would cook me soup", he said, brows furrowed.

Claire smiled sweetly down at him, " You need to eat something and what better then chicken soup?"

Henry's heart swelled with affection. If he wasn't so sick, he'd kiss the shit out of her. " Thank you,
Darlin'"

Claire smiled brightly, " You must be feeling better if you can call me Darlin'", she said as she
headed for the door, " Get in the shower", she called over her shoulder before leaving the room.

Henry stared at the door for a moment. She was something else. How did he get so lucky?
And why was she here? It wasn't out of obligation. She wouldn't be making him soup if she felt
obligated to be here. Could she really just care about him? They had become somewhat close over the
past three months. He did catch a little something in her eyes every once in a while before she would
cover it up. Something that looked very much like affection.

Henry did as Claire said and got in the shower. God, the water felt so good. He stood under
the spray for a couple minutes, just letting the water ease his achy muscles. He washed himself and
his hair then got out. He brushed his teeth, then with the towel wrapped around his waist, he headed
out into his bedroom. Claire was just setting a tray with a bowl of soup on his bed.

She glanced over at him. And he was sure he saw her eyes darken with desire. It made his
heart pound and his cock stir. Which was in no way appropriate. Henry went over to his dresser and
pulled out a pair of underwear, gym shorts and a t-shirt. He pulled his underwear on under his towel
then pulled the towel away. His shorts were next then his t-shirt. After he was dressed, he rubbed the
towel over his wet hair.

" Feel better?", Claire asked.

" Much", Henry sighed and started for the side of the bed where she was.

Claire smiled, " Good", she said watching him as he moved closer.

Henry stopped just in front of her, making Claire have to tilt her head back to look at him.
Her breath seemed to catch, throwing Henry for a loop. Could she really feel something for him, or
was she just attracted to him on a purely sexual level? Henry slipped his arms around her waist and
tucked his face into her neck. Shit, she smelled good. Claire hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure
as to what was going on, but then she wrapped her around around him, one hand cupping the back of
his head.

" Thank you", Henry murmured into her neck.

" You're welcome", she whispered back.

Henry hugged her for a few moments longer, not knowing when the next time he would get
the chance to touch her would be. He reluctantly let her go and sat on the bed. He lifted the tray onto
his lap and looked down at the steaming bowl of soup.

" This looks delicious", Henry said, smiling up at Claire, who was still standing where he had left
her.

She seemed to snap out of whatever she was thinking, her eyes flicked to his. She gave him a
quick smile and a nod. Claire grabbed his wet towel off the floor and took it into the bathroom, where
she hung it up. When she came back, she went around the bed to sit next to him.

Henry couldn't help but watch her. She was wearing jeans and a v-neck baby-doll t-shirt that
hugged her ample breasts. As she crawled up into the bed, Henry got a nice view of her cleavage.
Thank god the tray was on his lap because he got an instant hard-on. Claire sat next to him. She
looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

" What?", she asked.

Henry shook his head, " Nothing", he said quickly then grabbed the spoon. The first bite of Claire's
soup was heaven. Henry closed his eyes and moaned as the favors exploded in his mouth. " Oh my
god, this is so good", he moaned and took another bite.

" Thanks", Claire said softly.

Henry was just about to ask about Ethan when his bedroom door flew open and his mother,
Anne Beck, came waltzing in. Claire jumped and let out a startled yelp. Henry too jumped, his spoon
slipped out of his hand to clatter on the tray beside the bowl. Henry bit out a curse.

" Henry, my baby, are you okay? Sebastian said you had the flu!", His mother cooed and rushed to his
side.

Henry was going to kill Sebastian! He knew his mother always meant well but damn could
she smother a man. Henry didn't know how his father dealt with it all these years. Her gray hair was
styled and hair-sprayed to perfection. Her make up was done, looking elegant, not overdone. She
wore jeans and a button down white blouse. She wasn't overly heavy, but she wasn't the skinny young
girl she used to be. She did look great for 65 though.

Her cool, soft hands cupped his face and tilted it up to look at her. " You feel warm, dear, have you
taken anything?"

Henry shook his head free of her grasp and brushed her hands away, " Jesus mom, you could have just
called", he grumbled.

Anne planted her hands on her hips and glared at him, " I tried but you haven't been answering, so then
I called your house phone and Sebastian answered, he said that you came home from work yesterday
sick as a dog. And why he's here and hadn't told me, I will find out another time"

" Yeah, I'm sick, but I'm fine, I just need to rest", Henry said wearily.

" Well, I'll stay and take care of you, you need someone here...", she started, but Henry cut her off.

" No mom, you don't need to stay, I have Claire here, she made me soup and has been making sure my
fever stays down", Henry said firmly. He really did not want his mother to stay. He'd get no rest.
She'd be fluffing his pillows and tucking him in. Fuck, he was so going to kill Sebastian.

His mother's eyes flicked to Claire for the first time since she barged in. " And who is she?", Anne
asked as if Claire wasn't sitting right there next to him.

" Claire is my per...my friend", Henry said, catching himself before saying personal assistant. His
mother was weird about mixing work and personal life. God forbid she showed up when Asher was
over to watch a football game or something. He had to listen to her rant about how he shouldn't be
friends with his employees. " Claire, this is my mother, Anne"

" Your friend? Since when do you have women friends?", Anne asked, eyebrow raised in challenge,
completely ignoring the introduction.

Henry clenched his teeth and glared at his mother. Claire shifted uncomfortably next to him.
Goddammit! " You don't have to stay mom, I'm just going to finish my soup and go back to sleep,
there's really nothing for you to do here"

" So Claire is going to leave too then?", Anne asked.

Jesus, she was acting like a jealous lover or something. His mother was so afraid that if her

sons gave their attentions to another woman then they would forget about her. She really made their
love lives very difficult. And it wasn't a surprise that only one of them had gotten married so far, even
though that was now over. Their mother had run off so many potential wives between the four of them,
it wasn't even funny.

" Eventually", Henry replied evenly while inside he was livid.

" I can go", Claire whispered to him.

Henry's head snapped around to look at her, " No", he bit out. He would not let his mother run Claire
off. Claire glanced at his mother then back at him and opened her mouth to protest but Henry cut her
off before she could speak, " No", he said firmly, giving her his best don't-argue-with-me-face.

Claire rolled her lips in like she always did when she wanted to argue but wouldn't. Henry
turned back to his mother to find her watching him, her face hardened and her eyes narrowed at him.
Henry narrowed his eyes right back at her.

" Fine, you don't need me, I'll go find Sebastian", Anne snapped, making Henry feel only a twinge of
guilt.

Anne leaned down, kissed his forehead then left without a word. Henry slumped back against
the headboard and banged his head a couple times against the soft leather. Shit, that had sucked. Not
as bad as some other times. And he was a bit confused by how easily his mother gave in. She usually
fought harder then that. Maybe she was preoccupied by why Sebastian was here.

" Not that I ever really expected to meet your mother Henry, but that was definitely not how I saw it
going", Claire said quietly, as if afraid his mother was listening in.

Henry couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of him. Claire too started to giggle. Henry
rolled his head against the backboard so that he could look at her. Claire brushed her strawberry
blonde hair out of her face as she turned to smile at him. Henry's damn heart fluttered. She was just so
beautiful.

She nodded at the bowl of soup, " Finish up so you can go back to sleep"

Henry nodded and went back to eating the delicious soup Claire made.

Chapter 6

Sebastian sat on the couch in the living room, looking for a job on his iPad. There weren't a
lot of gunsmiths needed. He put a couple applications in but hadn't heard anything back yet. He was
hoping that his mother was took busy babying Henry to worry about why he was here. He hadn't told
her about Victoria yet and he really didn't want to.

" Oh, there you are", came his mother Anne's voice as she entered the room.

Sebastian stifled a groan and hung his head. Lifting his head back up, he looked at his mom as she
walked into the living room. " I thought you were torturing Henry"

" Ha ha, very funny. He's got that little twit up there with him and apparently doesn't need me", Anne
sneered.

Sebastian felt his hackles rise. He liked Claire. And he liked Claire for Henry. She was
good for him. He would not let his mother ruin another one of Henry's relationships. For whatever
reason, his mom was especially prickly when it came to the women Henry brought around. She ran off
every woman that Henry brought around. Sebastian wasn't going to let her do that with Claire.

" Claire is sweet, she cares about Henry and Henry cares about her, you should at least give her a
chance", Sebastian said, trying to keep his tone light.

His mother gave him a dry look that pretty much said "Yeah right" before changing the subject, " So
what are you doing here my darling son? Why didn't you tell me you were coming? And where is
Victoria?", Anne asked, looking around as if she expected Victoria to walk into the room at any
minute.

Sebastian raked a hand through his hair. " She's not here"

His mother raised a curious eyebrow at him, " Really? You two usually don't go anywhere without
each other"

Sebastian shrugged.

" How long are you staying?", Anne asked, her eyes narrowing on him.

Shit, shit, shit! He had to tell her. No matter how much he didn't want to. " Mom, sit down, I've got
something to tell you", he mumbled.

Anne set her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. She wanted to argue, he could tell. But she
eventually went and sat on the wing back chair that sat across from him. " Okay, what is it?"

Sebastian put his iPad on the couch next to him then turned to his mother. " Victoria wants a divorce",
he sighed.

Anne sputtered and shot up out of her chair. " What?!", she screeched.

" She's been cheating on me with some male model named Julian and she wants to be with him, not
me, so she wants a divorce", Sebastian said.

Anne's face turned red, her fists clenched at her sides, " That bitch!"

" Yeah, that's what I said", Sebastian snorted.

" You told her to forget it right? That you won't divorce her?"

Sebastian frowned, " Uh no, I told her to send me the papers asap"

" Sebastian! How can you just give her what she wants so easily? At least make it hard for her!",
Anne snapped, stomping her foot.

Sebastian shook his head, " No, I just want it done and over with, I don't want to see her again, I just
want her out of my life"

" This is unacceptable!"

Sebastian sighed and stood up. " It's not up to you mom", he said and started for the kitchen. And of
course his mother followed, jabbering on about how he needed to make this hard for Victoria, for him
not to give in so quickly, blah blah blah.

Claire took Henry's empty bowl and glass back down to the kitchen. She rinsed them and put
them in the dishwasher. She jumped when she heard Sebastian let out a sharp curse before stomping
into the kitchen with his mother in tow.

" See, this is why I don't tell you shit!", Sebastian snarled.

" You can't let her get away with this Sebastian", Anne snapped.

Sebastian rounded on his mother, " What the fuck do you want me to do?!", he cried, gesturing wildly
with his hands, " She doesn't want me anymore, I can't make her love me!"

The pain on Sebastian's face was almost too much for Claire. She wanted to go over and hug
him, tell him it would be okay. Claire looked to Anne, hoping she would see what this conversation
was doing to her son. But Anne looked furious, her light green eyes sparking with anger. Which
Claire understood. Someone hurt her baby and she wanted revenge.

" Call a lawyer, take her for everything she's got, she made you move out there and...", Anne argued.

" No!", Sebastian snapped, cutting her off, " No, I just want to forget about her, I don't want some long
drawn out divorce, I just want it done and over with", Sebastian sighed heavily, shoving both hands
into his blonde hair and closing his eyes.

" Well, I'm going to call her and give her a piece of my mind", Anne said furiously, her fists balled at
her sides.

" You will not", Sebastian bit out, his head snapping up to look at her, " Do not call her, just let it go",
he pleaded.

" Damnit Sebastian", Anne barked, stomping her foot, " I have to do something!"

" Why? Why do you have to do something?", Sebastian demanded.

" I can not stand by while some bitch rips my sons heart out and gets away scott free! She's not going
to mess with my family thinking that no one will say anything to her. She needs to know that what
she's doing is wrong!"

Claire remained silent where she stood at the sink. She wasn't even sure if they knew she
was there. Henry had said on many occasions that his mother was overbearing and always in their
business. Well Claire was seeing that first hand. And she felt horrible for Sebastian.

Sebastian looked about ready to hit something. His jaw was clenched and bulging, Claire
was surprised that she hasn't heard his teeth cracking. His nose was flaring and his eyes were rimmed
with unshed tears. Damn Anne, she was really doing a number on him. Claire couldn't take it

anymore.

Claire filled a glass with water and grabbed the ibuprofen. She walked over to Sebastian and held
them out, " Sebastian, can you please bring these to Henry?"

Sebastian's green eyes flicked to hers. He took the glass and pill bottle as he blinked, the
tears slipping down his cheeks, his face closed off as he turned and headed out of the room. Claire
watched him leave, knowing that when she turned back to Anne, she was going to get an earful.

" And just who do you think you are?!", Anne squawked.

Claire sighed and turned to face the older woman. " I'm sorry, but he's heartbroken right now and
doesn't need you getting involved", she said softly.

Anne sputtered, " You think I don't know that my own son is heartbroken?!"

" I'm sure you do Mrs. Beck, but I don't think you can see how much you're hurting him with what
you're saying"

Anne's eyes flashed, " Oh you've got a lot of nerve! How dare you tell me what to say to my son!"

" I'm not telling you what to say, I just think it'd be better if you didn't say anything at all, other then
being supportive of his wishes", Claire frowned. This was not going well.

Anne stared daggers at her for a few moments before turning, grabbing her purse off the
counter and storming out of the house. Claire was shocked. She expected to have to argue with her
some more to get her to understand. But she didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. And she
didn't know how Henry was going to take it.




Henry was just returning to his bedroom from using the bathroom when Sebastian burst
through his bedroom door. He had a glass of water in one hand and a pill bottle in the other. He had
tears running down his face and he kept sniffing. Damn, mom must have got a hold of him.

" Hey, you alright?", Henry asked gently, going over and taking the glass and pills from him.

Sebastian covered his face with his hands as soon as they were free and shook his head. " She wants
to call Victoria"

Henry groaned, " Fuck"

" Your woman fucking saved me, she told me to bring you the glass and pills then threw herself to the
shark", Sebastian said in awe, wiping the tears from his face.

Henry stared at Sebastian, " You left Claire with mom?", he asked dryly.

" She saved me", Sebastian whispered, his eyes wide.

" Jesus Christ", Henry bit out, raking a hand through his hair.

" Claire is amazing, you know that right?", Sebastian murmured.

Henry climbed back in bed, his body still achy and tired, " I do know"

" I think she cares for you", Sebastian said quietly.

" We're friends", Henry sighed, closing his eyes, wishing they were more then that.

" No, I think she really cares for you, like more then a friend", Sebastian replied.

Henry had no reply. Nothing could be done about it anyway. She worked for him. He didn't
date people who worked for him. It was extremely unprofessional. Even if she was totally perfect and
absolutely gorgeous. And made him chicken soup.

" I approve, just so you know, I think she's perfect for you", Sebastian said quietly just as Henry
drifted off to sleep.




Henry was woken by his bed being jostled. He'd been out of work for a week just like Claire
had said. He was finally starting to feel better but it was now Saturday. Claire had spent the whole
week taking care of him, making sure his fever stayed down and making sure he ate and drank enough.
She was amazing just like Sebastian said. And Henry was falling for her hard. Henry heard a little
giggle as a small body climbed all over him. Henry smiled. Ethan.

Two small hands cupped his cheeks, " Wake up, Henwee", Ethan whispered.

Henry could hear Claire stifling a laugh by the end of the bed. Henry cracked open his eyes
and was met by the cutest little boy he's ever seen. His mop of blonde curls and big blue eyes were
enough to melt even the hardest of hearts.

" Hi", Ethan chirped when he saw that Henry was awake.

" Hi buddy", Henry murmured sleepily and ruffled Ethan's hair.

Ethan clamored off of Henry to let him stretch and sit up. Ethan bounced on his knees next to
Henry, who rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked up to Claire looking as gorgeous as ever

standing at the end of the bed, bright smile on her beautiful face, her arms crossed over her chest.

" Henwee, I make dis for you", Ethan said, holding up a piece of red construction paper.

Henry took it and looked at it. Claire had written Get Well Henry at the top of the page while
Ethan scribbled in different colors underneath. Henry glanced at Claire, who was watching with
complete adoration on her face. Then he looked over at Ethan, who was just beaming.

" This is the best gift anyone has ever given me, thank you Ethan, it makes me feel so much better",
Henry said sincerely, giving Ethan a soft smile.

Ethan flung his arms around Henry's neck. Henry wrapped his arms around the little boy who
just made his whole year. How could he have ever thought he didn't want kids? The love he felt for
this little boy was unimaginable. Especially since he's only seen him once before. But there seemed to
be some kind of connection between them. Just like him and Claire seemed to have some kind of
special connection.

He's always felt different about her. He's never treated her the same as his other assistants.
From the first moment he laid eyes on her, he knew she was different. She was kind and caring and
beautiful and sexy and she's grown to actually mean something to him. Especially after this week. But
what could he do about it? Nothing, if he wanted her to remain his assistant.

Ethan let him go and sat on Henry's lap, facing him, " Henwee, you come park with me?", Ethan
asked, his big blue eyes hopeful.

" Ethan, I told you, Henry might not feel well enough to come out yet", Claire said gently, moving
forward to his side of the bed.

Henry brushed Ethan's hair off his forehead, " I think we can go to the park", he smiled.

Ethan bounced, " Yay!", he exclaimed, clapping his hands.

Claire sat down on the bed next to Henry's hip, facing him. She placed her hand on his thigh, " Are
you sure you're feeling up to it?", she asked quietly.

Henry patted her hand, " I'm feeling pretty good, I think I can go out"

Claire nodded, " Okay"

Henry turned back to Ethan, " Let me get a shower and something to eat then we can go, okay?"

Ethan nodded excitedly and climbed off of Henry's lap. Claire gave his thigh a squeeze, drawing his
attention.

" Are you sure?", She asked quietly.

Henry nodded, " I'm good", he murmured, slipping his hand over hers.

Claire's hand was soft and warm under his. Henry met her blue gaze. They searched each
other's eyes for a moment. Something passed between them. Something Henry couldn't think about
right now. There were too many complications that he didn't want to deal with.





Claire took Ethan downstairs to the kitchen to wait for Henry to get a shower and get ready.
She sat Ethan down at the table where he played with the toy car he brought. Claire then went about
making breakfast for Henry and Sebastian, who was sure to show with the smell of bacon.

It didn't take long for Sebastian to shuffle into the kitchen in a pair of sweatpants. He
yawned, stretched and scratched his bare chest. His blonde hair was a mess and his face was covered
in stubble. Sebastian was a fine looking man, almost as gorgeous as Henry.

Sebastian gave her a tired smile and a kiss on the cheek, " Morning lovely", he murmured.

Claire gave him a soft but confused smile at his affection. He didn't seem to notice since he saw Ethan
sitting at the table. Sebastian started towards him, " And who is this little guy?", he asked with a
smirk.

" My son Ethan, Ethan this is Henry's brother Sebastian, can you say hi?", Claire prompted.

" Hi Bastian", Ethan said, ducking his head shyly.

Sebastian swung his head around to look at Claire, " You have a kid?", he asked, shocked.

Claire nodded. Sebastian stared at her for a moment before turning back to Ethan. " Uh, hey little man,
what's up?", Sebastian said and sat down next to him.

" Nothin", Ethan shrugged, running his car over the table before glancing over at Sebastian to study
him. " You wook wike Henwee", Ethan said to Sebastian, who smiled.

" That's because we're brothers", Sebastian replied.

Claire smiled as the two started chatting about cars. She had just finished cooking a big pan
of scrambled eggs when Henry walked into the kitchen dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Claire couldn't
help but stare. His hair was still damp and his face was clean shaven. And he looked fantastic in his
worn jeans and vintage t-shirt. Henry came up behind her and looked at the food over her shoulder.
She could feel the heat from his body, he was that close.

" Smells good and I'm actually hungry, which I take as a good sign", Henry murmured close to her ear,
sending shivers down her spine.

" Yeah, that's a good thing", Claire managed to get out in a normal tone.

Henry moved towards her right and opened the cabinet to grab plates. He also grabbed
silverware and glasses. Then he went to the fridge and took out the orange juice. He put that on the
table before going to the coffee maker and getting it started. It all seemed so normal. It was
unrehearsed, yet they moved around the kitchen together like it was something they did everyday.
Claire found herself longing for this to be an everyday thing with Henry. Dammit.

At the park, Claire pretty much just sat on the bench while Henry and Ethan played. Again
Claire was baffled by this whole other side to Henry. He was laughing and running and chasing and
just having an all out good time with Ethan. He pushed Ethan on the swing for a little while. Then they
played on the jungle gym. He even slid down the slide with Ethan. Claire just sat and watched and
smiled and laughed along with them. She's never seen Ethan so happy. And it took everything she had
not to tear up.

After about two hours of playing, Henry walked over to Claire with Ethan in his arms. Ethan
was laying his head on Henry's shoulder. The kid had to be pooped. And it was getting close to his
nap time.

Claire stood, " Ready to go?", she asked with a soft smile.

" Yeah, I think he's done", Henry smiled back, gazing at her with something close to love in his eyes
making Claire's heart pound.

Claire nodded and they headed back to Henry's car, which Claire had put Ethan's car seat in.
Claire didn't have a car, but she had a car seat for whenever she needed it. Ethan had wanted to bring
Henry his picture this morning, so Claire put the car seat in Henry's car this morning. She was glad
she did.

Henry put Ethan in the car seat but let Claire strap him in, since he didn't know how to use it.
Henry did watch over her shoulder though. Almost as soon as they pulled out of the parking lot, Ethan
was out. Claire smiled and shook her head. She couldn't remember the last time Ethan had gotten so
worn out that he passed out like that.

" So, am I taking you home?", Henry asked quietly.

" Yeah, that way he can finish his nap in his bed", Claire replied.

Henry nodded, looking a little disappointed.

" Did you have fun?", Claire asked him, a knowing smirk on her face.

Henry smiled brightly, those elusive dimples making an appearance, " Yeah, I did"

" Good", Claire said warmly.

" Ethan's a great kid", Henry murmured, watching the road as he shifted gears.

" Thank you", Claire said, then had to clear the emotion from her throat, " He really has become quite
fond of you, he's constantly talking about you, he even named his sock monkey Mr. Henry Monkey",
she giggled.

Henry laughed and shook his head before glancing in the rear view to check on Ethan, as he had done
about twenty times already. " I haven't been around a lot of kids, so I'm kinda surprised that we get
along so well"

" Sometimes you can't help who you become friends with", Claire said, biting back a smile as she
watched Henry.

Henry glanced at her, eyebrow raised, " Oh, so Ethan and I are friends?", he asked curiously,
amusement glinting in his green eyes.

" According to him, you're his new best friend", Claire confirmed with a nod.

Henry smiled softly, " Yeah okay, he's got me there"

Claire chuckled. The rest of the ride was silent, but a comfortable silence. Henry's smile
seemed permanent. Claire has never seen his smile so much in one day, let alone have a smile stay on
his face for extended periods of time. Claire had a feeling that a little someone just stole Henry's heart
right out from under her. Claire couldn't help but smile at the thought. Henry was a good role model
and Claire would make sure that he remained in Ethan's life, no matter what.









Chapter 7

" Honey, do you remember my buddy Jack Landon's son Zack?", Claire's father, Frank, asked her.

Claire glanced over her shoulder at him. She was in her kitchen cooking them dinner. " Uh, yeah, I
think so, why?", she asked, playing dumb. Of course she remembered Zack. She could never forget a
man that gorgeous. She hadn't seen him in 10 years but there was no way he could have gotten ugly, it

just wasn't possible.

" Well I just saw Zack yesterday for the first time in years, he's doing really well for himself. He's a
doctor now. And he asked about you", Frank said, watching her.

Claire spun around, " He asked about me?", she gulped.

Her dad smiled, " Yeah, he wanted to know how you were doing. I told him about Ethan"

" Oh", Claire muttered, knowing that was probably the end of that conversation. He wouldn't be
interested in her now.

" Zack is a pediatrician. Loves kids. He asked for me to give you his number. He wants to take you
out", Frank said with a pleased smile.

Claire blushed, " Really?", she smiled.

Her dad nodded, " Here, why don't you call him now?", he said, walking over to her and handing her
a piece of paper with Zack's number on it.

Claire stared at it. Her thoughts jumping to Henry and what he would think. She shook that
away. It was none of Henry's business. He was her boss and semi-friend. He didn't have anything to
do with her love life. Maybe if she went out with someone else she could get over the stupid crush
she had on him. It's been three and a half months since she started working for him. She needed to stop
thinking about him, they were never going to be together.

So Claire picked up her phone and called Zack. He sounded sexy as hell on the phone and
they made a date for that Saturday night. Claire was practically giddy afterwards. Her dad found it
funny and had laughed at her. She hadn't been on a date in two years. But she was definitely due.

That Saturday rolled around and her dad took Ethan back to his house so that Claire could
get ready in peace. She took a shower, blew dry her hair and curled it. Put on make-up then got
dressed in a sexy short black cocktail dress and killer red platform pumps. She put on red lipstick to
match her shoes then went and stood in front of the mirror. Damn she looked good. She turned,
checking out her ass. Looking good there too. Claire had worked damn hard to get back to her pre-
baby body and she was proud of it. And glad that she was finally going to be able to show it off.

A knock on her door had her stomach turning nervously. Her heart started to pound as she
went to get it. After smoothing her hands down the front of her dress, she opened the door. Standing in
her doorway was Zack Landon. And holy shit was the man gorgeous. Not as gorgeous as Henry, but
still handsome in his own way. He had dark brown hair that was a lot longer then Henry's. It touched
Zack's collar in the back. It was kinda sexy. He had golden hazel eyes with long dark lashes. His nose
was a bit big for his face but his pretty smile countered that. He actually looked a bit like Bradley
Cooper. He wasn't as tall as Henry either, maybe about 5'11-6'.

Zack was dressed in a nice black suit with a pale blue shirt and dark blue tie. He looked
thin, but she didn't think he came even close to having the muscle built of Henry. And why the hell did
she keep comparing this guy to Henry?! Shit! She had to get him out of her head. After taking care of
him for a week while he was sick had really screwed with her head.

" Zack! Hi!", She greeted him and moved aside so that he could come in. " Let me just grab my purse
then we can go"

" Okay", He said, moving into her apartment and shutting the door behind him, " You look beautiful
Claire"

Claire blushed. Not used to getting complimented, " Thank you. You look great yourself"

Zack smiled his handsome smile, " Thanks"

After Claire grabbed her silver clutch purse, they headed to dinner. Zack took her to
Maggiano's down town. It was a fantastic and expensive Italian restaurant. They had a delicious
dinner. The conversation was great too. They had seemed to really click. He told her all about his
work and how he had struggled to open his own pediatric practice. She told him some about her job,
trying not to talk too much about Henry.

After dinner, they decided to go to the homey little pub down the street. Claire had never
been there and Zack insisted that they make the best drinks. So they walked down to the pub and found
a high two seater table against the wall.






Henry walked into the pub behind Sebastian. He hadn't really felt like going out tonight but
Sebastian somehow talked him into it. He guessed he did need to relax a bit. And this place had
Guinness on tap, his favorite. He hopped onto the stool next to Sebastian, who had already ordered
then both a pint of Guinness.

They started a tab and took the glasses the pretty redheaded bartender set in front of them.
They clinked their glasses together then took a few gulps. They both smacked their lips together and
said " Ahhhh" when they set their glasses down. The beer was so good.

" That's good", Henry sighed, relaxing a bit.

Sebastian nodded in agreement.

Henry felt himself relax a bit more as he took another sip. Then he almost choked on his beer
when he heard a familiar female voice squeal and call his name. Henry set his glass down and spun

on his stool just as Claire sauntered her way over to him. And holy shit did she good fucking hot.

She was in this sexy black number that was short and showed her off shapely tanned legs.
Her heels were insanely high, he had no idea how she was even walking in them. Her long strawberry
blonde hair was down and loosely curled and her make-up looked fantastic. Much more dramatic then
what she did for work. The red lipstick had his cock straining painfully against his zipper. He could
only imagine what those red lips would look like wrapped around his dick. He almost groaned out
loud, but caught himself.

" Claire", He said, shocked to see her here.

She was most definitely drunk, he could tell just by her eyes, which were half shut and
glassy. Her face was flushed and she swayed a little bit as she made her way over to him. Henry
glanced behind him to see a man following her. Jealousy reared it's ugly green head. Was she on a
date?!

Claire raked an appreciative gaze over him, which made him smile smugly. She stepped between his
spread knees and poked him in the chest with her finger.

" What are you doing here Mr. Beck?", she slurred, leaning close to his face. Her breath smelled like
pineapple juice, so whatever she was drinking was something fruity.

Henry couldn't help but watch those sexy lips of hers, which were only inches from his own. He
couldn't help but lick his own lips. " I'm just hanging out with Sebastian", her murmured, nodding his
head in his brother's direction.

She glanced to his left and smiled at Sebastian. " Hey handsome"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and smiled as he shook his head at her state of drunkenness, " Hi there
gorgeous"

" How much have you had to drink?", Henry asked, bringing her attention back to him.

Claire shrugged and stumbled to the side. Henry grabbed her hips before she fell over.

" I was just going to take her home", the guy behind her said, grabbing her arm to move her out of
Henry's grasp.

" And you are?", Henry asked with a frown.

" Dr. Zack Landon, Claire's date", he said with a smug smile of his own.

" Zack, this is my boss Henry", Claire giggled and pinched Henry's cheek.

Henry shook his head, unable to stop the smile that curled his lips. He liked drunk Claire.

What he didn't like though was that Claire was on a date. She hadn't mentioned anything about a date
to him. Not that she had any obligation to, but it would have been nice to know.

" Henry, your eyes are sooo green", Claire murmured, her eyes going a bit wide as she stared at his
eyes.

Henry frowned at her, that was weird.

Zack gave him a tight smile before putting his arm possessively around Claire's shoulders. " Come on
Claire, I'll take you home and get you in bed"

Henry didn't like the sound of that. " Claire, why don't you hang out with me and Sebastian for a bit?",
he suggested, knowing that she would most likely accept the invitation.

Claire smiled brightly and shrugged out from under Zack's arm. She moved back to stand between his
knees. " Will you buy me a drink boss man?", she purred, poking his chest again.

Henry smiled, " Of course"

" Claire, I think you need to go home, you've had enough to drink", Zack insisted, taking her hand and
giving her a gentle tug.

Claire turned to look at her date. " But I want to hang out with the boss man", she pouted, leaning back
against Henry's chest.

Zack's eyes narrowed and Henry could tell the guy was jealous. He probably wanted to get
Claire home to take advantage of her drunken state. Get her in bed and fuck her while she's took drunk
to think clearly.

" I think I need to take you home and get you some coffee", Zack said, giving her hand a little tug.

Henry wrapped his arm around Claire's waist to prevent Zack from pulling her away. " You're
awfully insistive on taking her back to her place", Henry said, glaring at the man over Claire's
shoulder.

" Well, she is my date, I should be the one to take her home", Zack snapped, " Let's go Claire"

Claire frowned, " But I want to...", she started, but Zack cut her off.

" Are you really going to ditch me on our first date Claire?", Zack asked, a bit to condescending for
Henry.

Henry heard Sebastian snort. Was this guy really trying to make her feel guilty to get back to
her place so he can get her into bed? What an asshole! Henry scowled at the dickhead in front of him
and pulled Claire more firmly against him. Claire sighed and dropped her head back onto his

shoulder.

" Listen asshole, you're not going to take her home. I know what you want and it's not going to happen.
She's too drunk to think straight", Henry said, going Zack a pointed look.

Zack looked at him in disbelief and whispered viciously, " Are you serious? You're gonna cockblock
me, man? What the hell do you think the point of coming here was?"

Henry saw red. He stood with Claire still firmly against him. Henry's face must have showed
how furious he was because Zack dropped Claire's hand and took a couple steps back. Sebastian too
was now standing, a murderous expression on his face. Claire turned in Henry's arms and tucked her
face against his neck. Her hands wondered over his chest and stomach.

" Mmm, so hard", she murmured.

Henry jerked in surprise when her mouth opened on his neck and she started licking and
nipping his skin. Claire pressed herself more firmly against him, her body practically vibrating. What
the hell was she doing? Henry let out a yelp of surprise when Claire shoved her hand down the front
of his pants.

" Claire!", Henry choked and grabbed her wrist, yanking her hand back out.

Zack's eyes widened slightly and the color drained from his face, giving Henry a bad feeling.

Claire moaned and rubbed herself against him, still kissing his neck. Henry fought a shiver.
Her lips and body felt amazing against his, but something was wrong. Even drunk, he didn't think
Claire would do this.

" Touch me Henry", she breathed.

Henry glanced at Sebastian, who was frowning down at Claire. He knew something was up too. They
both turned back to glare at Zack. " What did you give her?", Henry bit out.

Zack swallowed hard and shook his head, " N-nothing".

" You're a horrible liar", Sebastian drawled.

Henry shoved Claire into Sebastian's arms. He couldn't take her touching him anymore. He
was hard as a rock and having a hard time thinking with her hands all over him. Claire didn't seem to
mind. She immediately latched onto Sebastian's neck and shoved her hands up his shirt. She
murmured something about feeling so fucking good that had Henry gritting his teeth.

" What the fuck did you give her?!", Henry shouted, gripping Zack up by his lapels.

" I-I gave her some e-ecstasy", Zack stammered.

" Did she know what you gave her?", Henry asked through clenched teeth.

" She thought it was aspirin. She said she had a headache right after we sat down", Zack admitted.

Claire moaned behind him. Henry glanced back to see Sebastian running his hands up and
down her back. He was watching Henry though. Henry could tell he was uncomfortable and turned on.
What guy wouldn't be with a gorgeous woman rubbing all over him? Claire still had her hands under
Sebastian's shirt and she was still sucking on his neck.

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 in 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
withering. Her hands were all over her body and Henry was slowly loosing his sanity.

" Fuck 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 19. I think it lasted about 8 hours", Sebastian winced.

" Fuck!", Henry bit out and raked his hand though 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.
Henry's cry of surprise was smothered by her mouth. 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's 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 fuck 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 furious first off. 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 today 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 loosing battle. Him

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 the 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 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 and 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 black lace matching 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 laid 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 loosing 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 bee line 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 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 front 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 in 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 laying in
bed next to her, she was shocked out of her mind to see that it was Henry. He was laying 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 away 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
Alieve, 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 him and
Sebastian 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 everyday 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 that wasn't bad enough. She had to do it in front of her boss and his brother.

Claire felt the bed shift next to her, then 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 hiccuped, 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's 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 drug 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.

But 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, 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, 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 that. But it was nice to know for a fact anyway. She pulled the sheet off and
grabbed her robe. She slipped that on before heading out of her room to the bathroom to get 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, 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. I'll be in shortly", Claire said.

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

About 20 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 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 help but
think about the image of her in the bra and panties splayed out on her bed.

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 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 the colored. Claire couldn't help but smile. Henry was so good with Ethan.
He probably had no idea either.

" Is Henry coloring?", came 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 then 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's never felt like this about anyone, not even Ethan's
father, Teddy. She thought she had been in love with him. But this 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, clearing 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.

Claire moved into the office and went over to Ethan and felt his diaper. " Oh yeah, he definitely needs
a change. Come on Ethan"

Ethan put down his crayon and held out his arms for Claire. Claire lifted him up and grabbed
a diaper out of his bag. Claire took Ethan into Henry's private bathroom and changed his diaper. Once
she was finished Ethan went back to Henry. Claire shook her head as Henry plopped Ethan back
down in the chair.

" You're okay with him Henry?", Claire asked as she headed for the door, knowing the answer
already.

" We're fine", Henry replied, already back to coloring.

Claire chuckled and went about her work for the next two hours. Then Claire had to take
Ethan because Henry had a meeting to go to and Ethan needed a nap anyway. She set up Ethan's
sleeping bag on the floor in the darker corner of her office and laid him down with his turtle pillow
pet and Mr. Henry Monkey. He fell asleep almost immediately. Claire used the time to go through
Henry's voicemails and emails.

After Ethan's nap, he went back to Henry, where they pretty much played the rest of the day.
The office was buzzing with gossip about Claire and her relationship with Henry. People had been
shocked when she walked in with Ethan. She heard a rumor going around that Claire had slept with
Henry a couple years ago and that Ethan was really Henry's son and that Claire was hiding that fact

from him. That was also the reason Henry treated her so differently. People were ridiculous
sometimes. Claire rolled her eyes more times today then in her entire life.

At the end of the day, Claire headed to Henry's office to get Ethan. When she walked in, they
were sitting on the floor rolling a ball back and forth. Claire smiled. God, they were so cute together.

" I hate to break up the fun, but it's time to go home Ethan", Claire said.

" No!", Ethan cried, his bottom lip trembling.

Shit, this was going to be a fight. " I'm sorry sweetie, but we have to go home, Henry has to go home
too"

" I go Henwee", Ethan whined, his eyes filling with tears.

Claire's heart broke for her son. She knew he loved Henry if he wanted to go home with him. " Ethan,
you can't go home with Henry", she said, using her gentle but firm tone, letting him know that it really
wasn't going to happen no matter how much he cried.

" I go Henwee!", He screamed and kicked his feet.

Henry watched him, his expression was one of torture. He obviously didn't want Ethan so
upset. Henry glanced at her and opened his mouth to speak but Claire shook her head. She knew he
wanted to suggest they come to his house but she didn't want to go back on what she decided, it would
only cause more problems later with Ethan. Henry snapped him mouth shut and got to his feet.

Ethan cried and screamed for a good five minutes on the floor before getting up and running
to Henry. Ethan held his arms up, crying Henry's name. Henry looked at Claire, silently asking
permission. Claire gave him a nod. Henry blew out a breath he had apparently been holding and
picked Ethan up. Ethan wrapped his arms around Henry's neck and clung to him for dear life. Henry
rubbed his back, frown firmly in place.

" How do you deal with this all the time?", Henry murmured.

Claire shrugged, " It's part of being a mother"

" It's heartbreaking", Henry croaked.

Claire nodded, " I'm used to it, but I understand"

" What should I do?", Henry asked, still rubbing Ethan's back and now he was swaying side to side to
try and soothe the little boy in his arms.

Ethan had already started to quiet down, which would be good for Henry, " When he's done crying
just explain to him that you'll see him another day"

Henry nodded, his expression telling Claire that he was struggling to deal with this. Claire
knew that Henry really hasn't been around many kids, so he had no idea what they were really like.
But it was okay. Henry was doing a fantastic job. And it was mostly due to the fact that he loved
Ethan.

A few minutes later, Ethan was done with his fit. Henry took him over to his desk chair and
sat down with Ethan on his lap. He grabbed a tissue and had Ethan blow his nose. Then he lifted
Ethan and sat him on the desk so that they were eye level. Claire was shocked by Henry's natural
fathering ability.

" Did you have fun today Ethan?", Henry asked.

Ethan nodded, frowning around the finger in his mouth.

Henry smiled warmly, " Good, so did I, but it's time for you to go home with your mom, okay? But
don't worry, I'll see you soon and we'll play, alright?"

Ethan nodded again.

" Good boy, give me a high five", Henry said, holding up his hand.

Ethan smacked it. Henry yelped and pretended that it hurt making Ethan giggle. Claire
smiled. Henry then lifted Ethan as he stood and brought him over to Claire. She took Ethan from
Henry. She gazed up into Henry's green eyes. Damn, he was gorgeous. She reached up and cupped his
jaw before giving him a light lingering kiss on the corner of his sexy mouth. Henry sucked in a sharp
breath, causing Claire's heart to flutter wildly.

Claire pulled back, her eyes locked on Henry's heavy lidded gaze that was now ablaze with desire. "
Thank you for today Henry"

" You're welcome", He replied hoarsely.

" See you in the morning", she said softly.

Henry swallowed hard and nodded.

Claire gathered up all of Ethan's stuff and headed out the door. Her body thrumming. God,
she wanted that man. She hadn't had sex in two years. Hadn't really wanted it. She was fine just taking
care of herself when the urge became too much. But now, now she wanted Henry. Bad. It was all she
thought about whenever she looked at him. Her days in the office were becoming more like torture
then work.

Chapter 9

Claire was startled awake by her cell phone ringing. She glanced at the clock, 12:30am. Shit.
She's only been asleep for an hour. It's been almost two months now since she spent that week taking
care of Henry when he had the flu and when he had to take care of her when she had accidentally
taken ecstasy. Their relationship had definitely changed. They were more at ease with each other,
definitely closer and more informal. They have even been getting together at least one day of the
weekend so that Henry could see Ethan. And Claire was completely head over heels in love with the
man. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and looked at the screen. Speak of the devil.

" Hello?", Claire answered, her voice raspy from sleeping.

" Hey Claire, did I wake you?", Henry asked.

" Yeah, what's going on?", Claire asked, her head falling back onto her pillow.

" I just wanted to tell you that I'm flying out to Chicago tonight and won't be back until Wednesday, I
have to meet with one of our major clients", Henry sighed, sounding tired.

" Oh, okay, is everything okay?", Claire asked.

" Eh, I don't know, he's one of my more irritating clients and he likes to meet in person, he didn't say
anything was wrong but he didn't sound happy. I got a 2am flight so I can meet with him at 9am"

" That sucks", Claire snorted.

Henry groaned, " I know. I'll let you get back to sleep, I'll give you a call sometime tomorrow"

" Okay, have a good flight Henry", Claire murmured, hating that she was going to have to go two days

without seeing him.

" Thanks Darlin', talk to you later", Henry said softly.

They said goodbye then Claire hung up. A knot formed in her stomach. An odd feeling
started. Like something bad was going to happen. Claire shrugged it off and told herself that she was
being silly. She placed her phone back on the nightstand and went back to sleep.



Claire woke up with that horrible feeling in her gut still. She went about her morning, got
Ethan dressed and left for work after her father arrived. As she walked into the office, she felt the
tension from everyone. She felt everyone looking at her as she walked towards her office, which was
weird but she brushed it off. She had just put her purse in her drawer when an upset looking Asher
appeared in her doorway.

" Hey Asher, you okay?", Claire asked, her heart racing.

" Have you seen the news?", Asher asked, his voice tight.

" No, why?", Claire asked, feeling her panic rise. What the fuck is going on?!

" There was a horrible plane crash early this morning, around 2:30am, a small personal jet barely
made it out of the airport before coming down in the Delaware river", Asher said, his voice
trembling.

Claire stared at him, " So?", she asked, a bit breathlessly.

" They think it was Henry's plane", Asher rasped.

Claire started shaking her head and whispering "no" over and over.

Asher came forward, grabbing her and pulling her into his arms, " They haven't confirmed it and they
haven't said if there were any survivors"

Claire clung to Asher. A sob escaped her. Asher's arms wound tighter, holding her upright.
Her knees felt suddenly weak. Her knuckles gripped Asher's shirt so tightly that her knuckles were
turning white.

" Shit Claire, I'm sorry", Asher breathed.

They both knew it didn't look good for there being a chance of someone being alive. Let
alone it being Henry. And now Claire understood why she had been having a bad feeling since
hanging up with Henry. Somewhere deep down, she knew, she knew something would happen to him.

How could she go one without him? He had become her best friend. Oh God, how was she
going to tell Ethan?! Claire sobbed again. The pain in her heart radiated through her whole body. She
hadn't even had the chance to tell Henry that she loved him. He couldn't be gone. He just couldn't.






Claire sat at her desk just staring at nothing. Asher had left her about a half hour ago and she
hadn't moved since. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to think. He said nothing had
been confirmed but she was afraid to hope. Because if he was gone and she had had some kind of
hope that he was alive then she'd be devastated all over again.

Claire's cell phone rang. She started then scrambled to pull it out of her purse. She answered it
without looking at the screen. " Hello?", she answered, her voice breathless.

" Claire", came Sebastian's voice, low and trembling.

" Don't...don't say it", Claire choked.

" Baby, I'm sorry, but it was Henry's plane", Sebastian said, his voice pained.

" Is he...do they...did they find him?", Claire sobbed, covering her mouth with her hand to try and
muffle it.

Claire could hear Sebastian crying on the other end, which broke her heart even more. " No, they
haven't, they've recovered the pilot and co-pilot, neither of them made it"

" Are they sure he was on the plane? Maybe he missed the flight?", Claire said, swiping at the tears
running down her face.

" No, they confirmed that he was onboard", Sebastian replied hoarsely.

Claire felt numb. She couldn't handle this.

" Claire, why don't I come get you and bring you back here, you can stay with us while we wait for
news", Sebastian offered quietly.

" Okay", Claire croaked. She couldn't focus on work anyway, " I'm at the office"

" I'll be there as soon as I can", Sebastian promised and hung up.

Claire hung up her phone and fought not to break down completely. She felt like her heart
was being ripped out of her chest and stomped on until it exploded. She had no idea that time had

even passed until Sebastian walked into her office. He looked horrible. His expression grim. His
green eyes bloodshot and puffy. His blonde hair disheveled.

" Anything new?", Claire asked as she stood and grabbed her purse.

Sebastian shook his head and held his arm out. She sniffed and walked over, tucking herself
under his arm. Sebastian was her buddy. Like the brother she never had. And she was grateful for his
comfort even though he probably needed it more. Sebastian walked her out, the whole office watching
as they went. Claire didn't care. She only cared about Henry. She prayed to God that he was still
alive.

Sebastian brought her back to Henry's house, where the rest of his family had gathered. Not
really the way she wanted to meet his father and other brothers, but whatever. Sebastian introduced
her to his brothers Quinn and Christian first, since they were in the kitchen she they walked in.

Claire shook hands with Quinn first. He gave her a tight smile and a firm handshake. He was
a gorgeous man, tall and built, like Henry and Sebastian. His hair was a bit darker though and his eyes
were a chocolatey brown and framed with long dark lashes. He also had a short neatly trimmed
beard, giving him a rugged look. Christian was next. He was tall, thin and toned, built more like a
soccer player. Claire could tell he was the youngest, he still had a bit of a baby faced look about him.
His hair was longer then the rest of them, a bit shaggy, falling down over his forehead, but was swept
to the side. It was blonde like Henry's, but he too had brown eyes. He was just friggin adorable.

The air was thick with grief as Claire followed Sebastian into the living room where his
mother Anne and father Henry Sr. were sitting on the love seat. Anne was tucked neatly under Henry
Sr.'s arm, her head on his chest, a tissue held up to her nose. Claire could see the tears running down
her face as she walked in. Anne lifted her head when she noticed someone enter. Her eyes widened
slightly when she saw Claire. Her expression confused.

" Claire, you know my mom Anne, and this is our father Henry Sr., dad this is Claire, Henry's
ah...friend and personal assistant", Sebastian murmured. He still had his arm around Claire's
shoulders.

Henry Sr.'s eyes softened and warmed as he stood to greet her. He started forward, his hands
outstretched, " So this is the girl that finally stole Henry's heart, huh?", he said, his voice warm and
loving.

Claire frowned as he took her hands and kissed her knuckles. Sebastian snorted behind her and
mumbled something like " Yeah, but the idiot never told her".

" You're beautiful, no wonder Henry loves you so", Henry Sr. smiled softly, bringing a gentle hand up
to cup her chin. " Don't worry sweetheart, everything will be okay", he whispered, brushing away the
tears that started to fall.

Claire didn't know what to say. But she loved the man instantly. And now she knew where

his sons got their handsome good looks from. Henry Sr. was gorgeous for an older man. His gentle
smile and the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes just added to his charm. His hair was white and he
was probably as tall as his sons.

" Come in and sit with us sweetheart, Henry tells me you have a son?", Henry Sr. asked, leading her
over to the couch, sat her down then sat next to her.

Claire cleared her throat, " Um yes, Ethan, he's two"

" Henry loves him to death, talks about him all the time", Henry Sr. smiled, showing off his dimples
that matched Henry's.

Claire nodded, getting choked up again. " Yeah, they really have grown close over the past few
months"

Sebastian went over and sat with his mother, who was watching Claire. Claire had no idea
what she was thinking because she hid it well. But the last time they'd been in the same room, they
hadn't gotten along.

" Where is your son now?", Anne asked, her eyes narrowing on Claire from across the room.

" He's with my father, who watches him every Monday, Wednesday and Friday", Claire answered.

" What about Tuesday and Thursday?", Anne asked, eyebrow lifted in challenge.

" Daycare, he needs socialization time with other kids", Claire snapped, she now understood where
Anne was going with the line of questioning. She was trying to find out if Ethan's father was in the
picture. But now was not the time for it.

" Darling please, don't start", Henry Sr. chided his wife, giving her a sharp look.

Anne glared at him for a moment before pursing her lips and turning away. Sebastian gave
Claire an apologetic look. What the hell was her problem? Did she not want her sons to have any
women in their lives. Good thing Claire didn't give a shit about what she thought. But she could see
how other women would just walk away, not wanting to be with a man because his mother was a
bitch.

A phone rang, cutting through the tension like a knife. Sebastian jumped up and ran for the cordless
phone, snatching it off the end table and smashing the call button. " Hello?!", he answered, panicked.

His eyes darted around, landing on each person in the room while he listened. Quinn and
Christian came rushing in from the kitchen, both looking anxious. Claire watched as Sebastian asked "
Are you sure it's him?", then whatever answer he got make him burst into tears. He pressed his fist to
his mouth. Quinn gripped his shoulder as Sebastian dropped to his knees.

Claire covered her mouth and nose with her hands. She hated seeing Sebastian like that. Was
it bad news that brought him to his knees? Or good? Sebastian choked out a "Thank You", then hung
up. He dropped the phone and covered his face with both hands as he sobbed. Quinn bent over him,
now holding Sebastian by both shoulders.

" Sebastian?", Quinn prompted, wanting to know what was going on.

" They found him, he's alive", Sebastian cried.

Relief smashed into Claire. Her whole body started to shake as the rest of the room erupted
into cries of joy and tears. Henry Sr. wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze
and a kiss on the temple. Then he got up and went to his wife.

After everyone calmed down some, Sebastian relayed what the police told him. They found
Henry clinging to his seat/floatation device floating about a mile down the river, the current having
swept him away. Other then a mild concussion, some bruised ribs and being wet, he was fine and
once he finished his statement, they were going to bring him home. The police were utterly
dumbfounded that he wasn't killed or at least seriously injured. It was a miracle.






















Chapter 10

Henry's ribs protested as the police cruiser came to a stop out front of his house. He stifled a
groan and waited for the police officer to come around and let him out. He thanked the guy and shook
his hand before starting up the walkway. He could make out the walkway but it was blurry since he

lost his contacts during the crash. He was about halfway to the front door when it opened and his
family poured out. His mother reached him first, of course. His mother refused to let his hand go as he
hugged his father and brothers. All of them with tears in their eyes.

Henry blinked away his own tears. He just had the most horrendous experience of his life
and it had shaken him to his core. He wanted to get inside his house and call Claire, who was
probably a mess. He just let go of Christian, who moved to the side, revealing a blurry Claire who
was standing behind everyone, tears streaming down her gorgeous face. Henry started forward but
was stopped by his mother's grip tightening on his hand.

Henry turned to look at her, " Mom, let me go", he said, frowning.

His mother stared at him for a moment, glanced at Claire, then back at him before slowly
releasing his hand. Henry clenched his jaw. He didn't want to be mad at his mother right now. Why
did she have to be so difficult? His father slipped his arm around his wife's shoulder and gave Henry
a nod.

Henry spun back around and went to Claire, who let out a heart-wrenching sob before
flinging her arms around his neck. Henry ignored the pain in his ribs and enveloped her in his arms.
He tucked his face into her neck and just cried, unable to hold it back anymore. He had been so scared
that he was never going to see her again. As the plane was going down, she was the only one he could
think of. And Ethan. Oh god, that little angel's face had flashed before his eyes and Henry swore that
he was the only reason that he was alive. He had been spared for a reason. To take care of the one
woman and child who meant everything to him.

Henry lifted his head to look down at Claire, tears making his vision even blurrier. He
couldn't stop the wince. His ribs were really painful. He refused to go to the hospital. The paramedics
had checked him out, said that he had a mild concussion, some bruised or cracked ribs on his right
side and that was it. They gave him some scrubs to change into and had him sign a release form.

Claire released him with a gasp. " Oh Henry, your ribs! I'm sorry!"

Henry shook his head and thrust his fingers into her hair, cupping her head, " I don't give a shit about
my ribs", he said roughly before lowering his mouth to hers.

Claire sucked in a sharp breath through her nose when their lips met. Yeah, she felt it too.
The connection. The electricity. The love. Her lips parted, letting him deepen the kiss. Just like the
last time they kissed, the world fell away and it was just the two of them standing there. Henry's heart
pounded. Claire tasted so sweet and she kissed him with such passion. Her hands clutched the front of
his shirt.

Henry used his hands that were tangled in her silky hair to tilt her head. Their kiss turned
desperate and needy. He never wanted to let her go. Distantly, he heard someone suggest they give
them some time alone before he heard the click of the front door shutting.

Too soon, Henry had to end the kiss. He couldn't breath good to begin with and he couldn't
keep kissing Claire without passing out from lack of oxygen. He kissed her softly on the lips a few
times before pulling back to gaze down at her. Being this close, he could see her blue eyes were puffy
and red from crying.

" I thought I lost you", She whispered, swallowing hard.

Henry closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers, " I was so scared", he breathed.

" I can only imagine", Claire breathed, her hand coming up to touch his face.

" Will you stay with me tonight?", Henry croaked, feeling like a pussy for not wanting to be alone.
Sebastian had found a job and an apartment a couple weeks ago, so he wouldn't be there.

" Of course", Claire said softly, her hand cupping his cheek.

" Does you're dad have Ethan?", Henry asked, opening his eyes and pulling his head back to look at
her. She was so beautiful.

Claire nodded, " Yeah, I'm sure he will be fine with staying overnight"

Henry nodded.

" I need to call him anyway to tell him you're okay", Claire said softly, her eyes never leaving his.

Henry nodded again then leaned down and kissed her again, just a tender meeting of lips.
This changed everything. Henry's whole perspective on life. He had so much to say to Claire, but he
wanted them to be completely alone.

Henry took Claire's hand and led her into the house. His family was sitting in the living
room, waiting patiently. Sebastian handed him his glasses, somehow knowing he needed them. Then
he gave him a smile that pretty much said "It's about damn time". Henry just rolled his eyes. His
mother was eyeing Claire like she was a nasty cold sore that she couldn't get rid of. Something was
going to have to be done about that. But again, that would have to be addressed later.

Henry's father on the other hand had nothing but love in his green eyes, for both Henry and
Claire. Quinn sat on the couch with Christian and Sebastian looking relieved. As did Christian.
Although he looked a little green around the gills. Christian always did have a weak stomach. Every
time he got overly worked up about something he was either puking or shitting. Mostly puking.
Anxiety was not his friend.

" I don't know about all of you, but I really don't want to talk about what happened right now", Henry
sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

" That's alright sweetheart, you talk when your ready", his mother said immediately, rushing to him

and taking his face in her hands. " We're just so relieved that you're okay", she said, then pulled him
down to kiss his forehead.

Anne turned to his father and brothers, " Why don't you guys go on home, I'm going to stay with Henry
and make sure he's comfortable", she said, turning back around to stare at Claire.

" Thanks mom, but I'm fine. I need to get a shower and take something to ease the pain in my ribs, I'm
probably just going to crawl in bed and watch some tv, and Claire is going to stay with me", Henry
said, silently begging his mother not to argue.

Her eyes snapped over to his. And they were angry. Shiiiit. " You're MY son and I almost lost you
today! How dare you ask her to stay over me!", she squawked.

Henry reeled in his temper, not wanting to upset his mother more then he already has. " I understand
that mom..."

" Obviously you don't!", She snapped.

Christian muttered something about he was gonna be sick and fled from the room. Sebastian
was standing by the window, arms folded over his chest, shaking his head. Henry could see that he
was annoyed. Quinn's face was unreadable as he sat quietly on the couch, watching. His father was
also still sitting, taking in the whole situation like he always did. And he remained silent, like he
always did.

" I gave birth to you! I have been here your whole life! I should be the one to take care of you after
almost loosing you! Not her!", Anne shouted, pointing at Claire, who was standing wide eyed at
Henry's side.

Henry pinched the bridge of his nose. How could he explain this to her without hurting her? Jesus
Christ. It was impossible.

" That's it Anne! I've had enough!", Henry Sr. snapped as he shot up from the couch.

Everyone turned to stare at him in shock, including Anne. " Henry?", she asked, confused.

" For Christ's sake Anne, can't you see the man wants the kind of comfort from Claire that he can't get
from you! You need to let these boys go. They can take care of themselves and they don't need you to
kiss their boo boo's anymore. I've sat quiet for too long...", Henry Sr. sighed, shaking his head,
looking at each of his sons, " I'm sorry for that".

Anne stood there gaping at him. Henry Sr. stopping in front of her.

" I've had enough of you interfering in their love lives. It stops now. Henry wants Claire to stay, not
you, so just accept that and lets go", Henry Sr. said, his voice low and full of warning for her not to
argue.

" But he's my son", Anne whispered.

Henry Sr.'s eyes flashed angrily, " He's my son too, woman! You think I don't want to just stay here
and be by his side all night just to make sure he's really alive?! Believe me, I do! But I can't and
neither can you, so let's go and give the man some time to wrap his head around what happened
today", he snapped.

Henry stared in awe at his father. For years, his dad hadn't said a word to their mother about
her behavior when it came to the women they brought around. Henry wasn't even sure if he had even
noticed it. Apparently he had and was fed up. Claire must have been the breaking point. Henry had
always known his father would love Claire.

Anne opened and closed her mouth a few times before just spinning and storming out the
front door, slamming it behind her. Henry Sr. sighed heavily and moved in front of Henry and Claire.
He took Claire's hand and kissed her knuckles.

" Take care of him, sweetheart", He said, flashing her a smile and a wink.

Claire blushed slightly, " Absolutely", she replied quietly.

His dad then pulled Henry into a hug. " I love you son", he murmured, kissing Henry on the cheek.

" Love you too dad"

" Sorry about your mother", Henry Sr. said as he pulled back, " I should have stepped in a while ago,
maybe it would have changed some things", he said, sending a glance at Sebastian.

Sebastian shook his head and moved to put his arm around his dad's shoulders, " Victoria would have
still left me, don't think that was your fault"

Henry Sr. nodded. " Henry, call me tomorrow", he said and started for the door.

" Will do", Henry replied, walking him to the door.




Claire hung up her phone. She had just called her dad who was more then willing to stay
with Ethan for the night. She was sitting on Henry's couch waiting while he got a shower. He said he
smelled like the river and couldn't take it anymore. Sebastian, Quinn and Christian only stayed about a
half hour longer after their father left. And Henry had jumped right in the shower as soon as they were
out the door.

Claire was staring off into space when Henry walked into the living room in a t-shirt and

sweatpants. His glasses couldn't hide that he was exhausted and in pain. He sat down next to her and
leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He slid his glasses off before he rubbed his face
with his hand and let out a heavy sigh. Claire placed her hand on his back, moving it in slow circles.

" How you doing?", She asked quietly.

Henry placed his glasses back on then laced his fingers together then rested his forehead on them. " I
don't know. My head is a little foggy from the concussion and my ribs are killing me and every time I
close my eyes, the crash flashes through my mind", Henry whispered.

" Why don't you call your doctor and ask about getting something stronger for the pain?", Claire
suggested.

Henry shook his head slightly, " No, he'll want me to come into the office so he can check me out"

" Maybe you should", Claire frowned. She didn't like that Henry hadn't gone to the hospital to get a
full check. What if he had internal bleeding?

Henry sighed and shoved both hands into his hair, " Maybe tomorrow, I just need some time to
process what happened today"

Claire glanced at the clock on the cable box. It was only 6pm. " Why don't you go lay down for a
while? I'll make dinner"

Henry glanced at her over his shoulder, his eyes showed just how vulnerable he was at the moment, "
Will you lay with me instead?", he asked softly.

" Of course", Claire whispered, smoothing a hand over the back of his head.

So Claire and Henry went up to his bedroom and crawled into bed. Claire had laid down on
her back. Henry put his glasses on the nightstand then Claire got a surprise when Henry snuggled up
against her. He rested his head on her chest, just under her neck. One arm went around her waist and
one leg got tucked between hers. There was nothing sexual about it. Henry needed to be held and
comforted. Claire wrapped her arms around him. It only took a few minutes for Henry to fall asleep.
His body grew heavier and his breathing evened out. Claire fell to sleep shortly after him.

Claire was jolted awake by Henry's terrified scream then cry of pain. Claire bolted up,
looking through the darkened room to see Henry curled on his left side on the bed, left hand clutching
the battered ribs on his right side. He groaned in pain. Claire reached over and touched his shoulder.

" Henry? What happened?", Claire asked breathlessly, her heart was ready to pound out of her chest.

" I had a nightmare...fuck...and moved too much when I woke up", he grunted, obviously in a lot of
pain.

" Maybe we should go to the hospital", Claire frowned.

Henry hissed in pain, then nodded, " Yeah okay", he panted.

Claire let out a relieved sigh, but it worried her that he agreed so easily. He must really be
hurting. Claire glanced at the clock, 8pm. They'd only been sleeping for two hours. Claire helped
Henry get his socks and shoes on before putting her own on. Claire packed him a small bag, grabbed
her purse and they were out the door. Henry groaned and winced as she drove. She hated seeing him
in so much pain.

When they got to the ER, Claire explained the situation. They got Henry registered as fast as
they could then took him right back. The doctor scolded Henry for not coming in right away, voicing
Claire's fear that he could have internal bleeding. They decided to do a full CAT scan of his torso and
head. Claire called Sebastian while she waited.

" Hey Claire, how's Henry?", Sebastian answered on the third ring.

" Well, we're at the hospital, he was in too much pain, he's getting a CAT scan now", Claire said.

" Asshole, he should have gone earlier", Sebastian growled.

" I know"

" Alright. My mom is gonna freak out and come running down there you know", Sebastian said, his
irritation clear.

" Jesus Christ", Claire sighed, " Do you have to tell her? Henry doesn't need that right now"

" She will be seriously pissed if I don't tell her right away...but I'll deal with the fall out. I'll wait until
morning"

" Thank you Sebastian", Claire grinned.

" You owe me. Call me with an update", Sebastian said, his tone telling Claire that he was smiling
too.

" I will", Claire said, then they said goodbye and hung up.

Claire crossed her arms over her chest and relaxed back against the chair in the room they
gave Henry. They said it would be about a half hour before Henry returned. She grabbed the remote
and turned on the tv, which was set for the news. Claire watched, turning the volume up some when
the story about the crash came on. Someone had actually caught it on video. Claire was horrified by
what she saw. She quickly turned the TV off before she had a panic attack.

Claire placed a hand over her franticly beating heart and squeezed her eyes shut. She had

come so close today to loosing the man she loved. It still hurt. She was still trying to believe that he
was actually here. Claire was then startled by the door being opened and an orderly wheeling Henry's
bed back into the room.

They had pumped Henry full of morphine when they got him hooked up to the IV. So he was
flying high. His eyes were closed but he had a small smile on his face. They had made him change
into a hospital gown, which he had complained about, but it was hospital policy. A blanket covered
him from the waist down.

" The doctor will be in shortly with the results", The orderly said, putting the brakes on the bed and
putting the sides down.

Claire thanked him as he left. She then went over to Henry and sat down on the edge of the
bed by his hip. The bed was set so that he was sitting up slightly. Claire slipped her hand into
Henry's, lacing their fingers together.

Henry's eyes cracked open. His glassy drugged gaze barely focusing on her. " Hey Darlin'", he
rasped.

Claire smiled, " Hi, how do you feel?"

" So good", he breathed, his eyes closing again.

Claire leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, " Why don't you get some sleep", she murmured.

Henry nodded and almost immediately drifted off. Claire brought his hand up to her mouth
and kissed his knuckles. She slid his glasses off his face before moving to the chair next to the bed.
She couldn't help but smile when he started snoring lightly. He looked so handsome when he slept.





Sebastian ran through the parking lot of the hospital. He was desperately trying to make it
there before his mother. He had called her this morning and told her that Henry was in the hospital
and had been since last night. Well, she freaked the fuck out, screaming and yelling at him. So as soon
as he got off the phone, he raced out of his apartment to get to the hospital to warn Henry and Claire
that his mother was on a tirade. He had tried to call Claire, but she didn't answer. He figured she was
sleeping.

The front desk gave him Henry's room number. When he got there, the door was closed.
Sebastian knocked then opened it, peeking his head in. The room was dark except for a sliver of light
coming from a space between the curtains and he could hear Henry snoring lightly. No way that was
Claire snoring. Sebastian moved into the room, closing the door behind him. He spotted Claire on a
cot on the other side of Henry's bed. Sebastian walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. Claire

sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes flipped open, startled.

" Sebastian?", She asked, confused and still half asleep.

" Hey Claire"

" What are you doing here?", Claire asked as she pushed up into a sitting position.

" You weren't answering your phone and I had to warn you about my mom, she's seriously pissed and
probably on her way", Sebastian whispered.

" Goddammit", Claire bit out, " What the fuck is her problem?"

Sebastian sighed heavily and shook his head, " No one and nothing is good enough for her sons. She
always been like this, growing up with her was insane, she was always in our business, getting
involved in things that she didn't need to. I can't say she's gotten worse, but she hasn't gotten any
better"

Just then the door swung open and the overhead lights flicked on. His mother stormed into
the room, looking furious. Even in her haste to get here, her hair was still perfectly in place and her
makeup was done. She was wearing her signature dark jeans and a blouse. Today it was a pink
blouse.

Henry grunted and rubbed his eyes before slowly blinking them open. " What's going on?", he asked,
his voice gravelly from sleep and probably the drugs.

Sebastian held his hands out as if to ward off his mother's wrath, " Mom...", he started but snapped his
mouth shut when her eyes flashed and she pointed at him.

" You! You shut up!", Anne bit out, her tone telling Sebastian that she was absolutely livid.

Henry grabbed his glasses and slid them on. " Mom, what's the problem?", he asked wearily.

" My problem?!", she shrieked, making Sebastian wince. " My problem is that someone didn't call me
until this morning to tell me you were in the hospital!", she finished, glaring daggers at Sebastian.

" Henry needed rest", Claire chimed in as she stood.

" I was not talking to you, missy", Anne snipped, turning her dagger glare on Claire.

Sebastian saw Claire's whole demeanor change. Her beautiful face turned hard and cold, her
shoulders squared and the anger was rolling off her in waves. Sebastian readied himself to break up
the fight that was inevitable. Claire opened her mouth to speak but there was a knock on the open
door, cutting her off.

" Hi, I hope we're not interrupting anything", said an older man from the doorway. His dark blue eyes
were shrewd as he took in the scene in front of him. Attached to his hand was Ethan, Claire's son.

" Dad! What are you doing here?", Claire asked in shock.

" Mommy!", Ethan cried happily and went running for her.

Claire scooping him up with a smile and hugged him tight.

" Someone has been non-stop asking about Henry, so I figured I'd bring him over so he could see for
himself that Henry was okay", Claire's dad said, a soft smile on his face as he entered the room.

" Hey Frank", Henry murmured with a small smile.

Frank went to Henry's bedside and shook his hand, relief etched all over his face. " Glad to see you're
doing okay, son, I was worried"

" Thanks Frank", Henry nodded, " The drugs help", he smirked.

Frank chuckled and patted Henry's cheek, " Good man". The fondness between the two was obvious.

" Dad, this is Henry's brother Sebastian and his mother Anne", Claire introduced.

Sebastian shook Frank's hand, " Nice to meet you, sir"

" Please call me Frank", he said then shook Anne's hand, " Mrs. Beck"

His mother gave Frank a tight smile, " Pleasure", her muttered.

" Henwee!", Ethan called and squirmed in his mother's arms as he reached out for Henry.

Henry smiled and it was nothing like Sebastian as ever seen cross his brother's face before.
Sebastian blinked. Henry had dimples? Since when? Henry held out his arms for the little boy. Claire
handed him over with a smile. Sebastian couldn't help but laugh when Ethan grabbed Henry's face and
kissed him on the mouth before wrapping his arms around his neck. Henry tucked his face against
Ethan's, squeezing his eyes shut and held him tight. Sebastian glanced at his mother to find her
blinking back tears. Maybe now she would realize the other reason Henry wanted Claire in his life.

Chapter 11

Henry pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. Claire just left to walk her dad and Ethan
out. They had stayed for about an hour. His mother had sat in the corner, completely silent the whole
time. Which Henry knew wasn't a good thing. She had been glaring at Claire every chance she got,
thinking no one noticed. Now, Henry waited for her to explode.

Sebastian was standing by the window, staring out with his arms folded over his chest. He'd
been unusually quiet also. Henry knew he was still struggling with accepting that his wife was leaving
him, but he didn't think that was his problem today. He had a feeling he was gearing up for their
mother's explosion also.

Henry put his glasses back on just as his mother went and shut the door to his room. She then
turned, her expression was hard to decipher. But Henry was sure this wasn't going to go well. He
wished his father was here, but he was most likely at work.

" She's no good for you Henry", his mother said, her tone saying she completely believed the bullshit
coming out of her mouth.

Henry saw Sebastian tense, but he kept his back to them. Henry waited, knowing she had plenty more
to say.

" I don't like her. She's rude. Disrespectful. And apparently she's loose, having a child out of
wedlock", Anne said.

Henry clenched his teeth. He knew his mother was going to be saying things about Claire that he didn't
like, but that was a little too much.

Sebastian snorted, " Get with the times mom, that shit happens all the time now"

" I know that Sebastian", She snapped, " It's disgusting. I don't know why you would want a woman
who has had a child with someone else Henry. Don't you want your own kids?"

" Of course I do. You think Claire can't provide me with my own children?", Henry frowned.

" Well I'm sure she could, but then you'd have to look at that little boy all the time and know that he's
not yours"

" So? If I treat him like my own, what does it matter?"

Anne just shook her head, sending him a look verging on pity. " Honey, you need to find a nice girl
who doesn't have any kids"

" I don't think it matters", Henry replied. He was getting a headache.

" I will never accept her into this family. You deserve better. She's beneath you. And what kind of
mother would leave her child to take care of a man that she's not even with? She should be taking care
of her kid instead of being here with you. You're not even together..."

" Enough!", Henry bellowed. His mother's mouth snapped shut. " You're talking about the woman I
love! I don't give a shit about what you think. Claire is an amazing mother and she loves her son. I
love her son. They are everything to me and nothing you say is going to change that! You can take your
high and mighty talk and shove it up your ass!", Henry snapped.

Anne's eyes widened slightly then narrowed on him. " I'm going to ignore that because you're on drugs
and not thinking clearly"

Sebastian snorted from his post in front of the window.

" You two never listen to me...Just look where it got Sebastian, I warned him about Victoria but he
married her anyway and look at him now, getting divorced after only 5 years", Anne said, her tone
disgusted.

Sebastian whirled around, his eyes burning with fury. His nostrils flared and his jaw was
bulging. Henry has never seen him like this. Henry was afraid of what Sebastian was going to say.
Henry opened his mouth but Sebastian beat him to the punch.

" You are out of line", Sebastian growled, stepping closer to their mother.

Anne gave him an incredulous look that only seemed to infuriate Sebastian more.

" I don't want to hear another word about Claire. She's not the problem. You are. You're a
condescending bitch and I'm so fucking tired of it. No one is ever going to be good enough for us in
your eyes. Well guess what? You don't like it? Then stay the fuck away from us. Henry is happy with
Claire and Ethan and they are good enough for him. The only person not good enough for us is you.
You need to leave and I don't want to fucking see your face again. I'm so done with your shit and I
don't need it in my life. And I don't want it in my brothers lives either. Leave us all alone, we'll be
better off without you", Sebastian said, his voice low and almost deadly.

Henry stared at him in shock. Holy fucking shit! Sebastian just banished their mother from
their lives! And no doubt he would enforce it. Sebastian was done. Henry could see it in his eyes.
They all deserved a chance at happiness and honestly, with their mother around, they would never get
to be completely happy in their relationships. She was always there nagging and needling. Henry
needed a break too.

Anne stood there, staring at Sebastian as if she's never seen him before, " You don't mean that", she
whispered.

" Yes, I do", he said evenly.

Anne looked at Henry, her eyes brimming with tears, " Henry?"

Henry would not feel guilty. " I love you mom, but I'm behind Sebastian on this, I need space"

Anne nodded, " Okay fine, you don't want to see me anymore, fine", she said, her voice trembling.

Henry and Sebastian watched as their mother grabbed her purse and stormed out. Henry
blew out a breath and dropped his head back onto his pillow. He watched Sebastian run a shaky hand
through his hair as he turned and went back over to look out the windows.

" You okay man?", Henry asked.

Sebastian shook his head, his hands gripping the sill. " Did I do the right thing?", he rasped.

" Yes, maybe having some time away from us will give her some perspective, make her see how she's
been", Henry said.

" I think if she hadn't brought up Victoria I wouldn't have lost it like that", Sebastian sighed.

" Yeah, but she did. I think she needed to be put in her place Sebastian. And dad is on our side. He'll
get her to open her eyes", Henry assured him.

Sebastian nodded, " I hope you're right, cause if not, I just tore our family apart", he said, his voice
heavy with guilt.

" It'll be fine Sebastian", Henry said.

Sebastian just nodded then turned and smirked at Henry, " You just told mom that you loved Claire"

Henry smiled softly, " Yeah"

" Have you told her yet?"

Henry's smile fell, " No"

" What are you waiting for?", Sebastian asked curiously.

" I want to be able to show her that I love her, not just say the words", Henry said, flushing with
embarrassment that he just admitted that to his brother.

Sebastian chuckled, " Aw brother, you're such a romantic"

" Fuck you", Henry grunted.




Henry got discharged later that night. All the tests came back fine and the CAT scan was
clear. They had kept him overnight just to keep an eye on him with the concussion. Now he got to go
home with pain meds and an order to take it easy for a week or so. Claire drove him home. Their ride
to Henry's had been quiet. Henry slept most of the ride because of the Percocet's that he was now on.
Claire also thought that he didn't want to go into details about the fight him and Sebastian had with
their mother. But she knew it had been bad.

Claire followed Henry into the house. He slowly made his way into the kitchen from the
garage. While Henry went into the living room, Claire ran his bag upstairs to his bedroom. When she
came back downstairs, Henry was lounging on the couch, remote in one hand, the other was tucked
behind his head. He flipped through the channels, stopping when he got to Pawn Stars. Claire walked
over and stopped next to him.

" Do you need anything before I go?", Claire asked.

Henry lifted his gaze, " You're leaving already?", he asked, frowning with disappointment.

" I really need to get home to Ethan, I'm sure he's driving my dad crazy by now", Claire said, a
regretful smile on her face.

Henry nodded, " Right. No, I'm fine, give Ethan a hug for me", he said giving her a small tired smile.

Claire watched him for a moment. " You want to come and stay with me for the night?"

Henry's eyebrows shot up, " Really?", he asked hopefully.

Claire smiled, " Really, I would feel better knowing that I would be there to take care of you too"

Henry smiled, " Seems like that's all you do, take care of me"

Claire shrugged.

" Okay, let me just go grab some stuff", Henry said, turning the TV off. He held out a hand for Claire
to help him off the couch.

Claire took his hand and pulled him up. Henry grunted as he pulled up into a sitting position.
He took a moment before getting to his feet. Claire waited while Henry repacked his bag with clean
clothes. When he was ready, they headed to Claire's apartment.

It was around 8:30pm when they got to Claire's apartment. She unlocked the door and

walked in with Henry right behind her. Her dad was sitting on the couch, watching TV. He looked up
when the door opened. He smiled at her before his eyes flicked to look at Henry. Frank's smile
widened slightly as he got up from the couch.

" Henry, you've been freed?", Frank teased as he shook Henry's hand.

Henry chuckled, " Yeah, thank god"

Frank's gaze landed on the bag in Henry's hand. " You staying?"

Henry nodded, " Claire wanted to be with Ethan, but she wants to make sure I'm taken care of too"

Claire's dad turned his warm, loving gaze on her. " That's my Claire with her heart of gold"

Claire flushed, " Dad", she whined, embarrassed.

Frank chuckled, " Ethan's sleeping, I'll head out, get out of your hair", he said, giving Claire a hug and
a kiss on the cheek.

Frank then gave Henry a hug and a pat on the cheek before heading out the door.

" My dad really likes you", Claire grinned.

Henry smiled, " That's a good thing"

Claire nodded, " It is"

They stared at each other for a moment. They still hadn't talked about what this thing was
between them. The kiss they shared had been amazing but it was brought on by strong emotions. Did
Henry actually want a relationship with her? He hadn't given her any signs that he did.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Henry dropped his bag, closed the distance between
them with a couple steps, grabbed her head and kissed her hard. Claire let out a shocked little squeak
as she grabbed onto his t-shirt so she didn't loose her balance. Henry nipped at her bottom lip, letting
her know he wanted in. Claire complied, parting her lips for him. Henry dove in, claiming her mouth
with his.

Henry moved forward, backing Claire up until she bumped into her dinning room table.
Their kiss was hot, needy, passionate and desperate. Henry grabbed Claire by her hips and lifted her
onto the table. He then nudged her knees apart and pressed himself between her legs. Claire could
feel the hard hot ridge of Henry's erection pressing against her core and she couldn't help but moan.
Claire clung to Henry's shoulders as he bent her over the table until she was laying on it. She
wrapped her legs around his hips. Henry drug his mouth down to her neck. He curled his hips
forward, rubbing his erection against her. A groan escaped him.

" Henry", Claire panted, " Are you sure you're up for this?"

Henry ground his erection against her again, " What do you think?", he rasped.

Claire smiled then gasped when Henry's big hot hand slid under her shirt to cup her breast.
His thumb brushed over her nipple causing her to arch up. He brought his mouth back up and kissed
her again.

" You have...no idea...how long...I've wanted this", Henry murmured between kisses.

Claire moaned in response. She did know, because she was sure she had wanted it just as long.

Henry moved to pull her shirt off but then Claire remembered, " Oh Henry, hold on"

Henry froze, " What?", he asked, pulling back to look at her.

" We need to move to the bedroom, I don't want Ethan walking out here and getting an eyeful"

Henry smiled, " Yeah, that would be bad"

Henry straightened, pulling her up with him. Claire caught the wince that he tried to hide. She
opened her mouth to suggest they wait but Henry shot her a look that told her not to argue, he wasn't
going to change his mind. So Claire took Henry's hand and led him to her bedroom, where she shut
and locked the door.






Henry grabbed Claire around the waist and pulled her up against him. He leaned down and
kissed her. God he loved kissing her. He threaded his fingers through her silky hair and cupped the
back of her head. Claire slipped her hands under his t-shirt then slid them around and down the back
of his sweatpants. He wasn't wearing any underwear and she let out a surprised little noise when she
realized that. She gave his ass a squeeze, making him smile against her mouth.

Claire yanked Henry's t-shirt over his head. He still had the binding around his ribs. The
room was dark but he could see her frown as she looked at it. Her hands drifted over his chest and
down over the binding to his abs. Half of his cock was popping out over the top of his sweatpants. He
wasn't small, or even average for that matter and a pair of sweatpants with no underwear would not
contain him. The tip of him reached his navel. He's had a couple women refuse to have sex with him
because they were afraid that it would hurt.

Claire looked down at him then her eyes flew up to meet his. They were wide and her mouth was
gaping open in shock. " Henry! You're huge!"

Henry laughed. He couldn't help it, her face was hilarious. " Is that going to be a problem?", he asked,
praying that it wasn't.

" Um no, but damn!", Claire exclaimed, looking down at him again. She then pushed his sweatpants
down until they pooled at his feet. " Wow", she breathed, wrapping a hand around him.

Henry closed his eyes and let her touch him. He hadn't been with a woman since he met
Claire, and that was about 4 months ago. That was a long time for him to go without sex. He felt ready
to explode. But he hadn't wanted anyone else, only Claire. Henry pulled her hand off and pushed her
onto the bed. He kicked his sweatpants away then moved to stand in front of her.

" Take your clothes off", he demanded, taking himself in hand and stroking slowly.

Claire's eyes locked onto what he was doing as she quickly undressed. Henry's breath caught
when she was finally naked. Shit, she was stunning. Her breasts were large with a light pink nipple
that he had always found attractive on women. Her stomach was flat and toned. Her hips flared
slightly. And she was completely bare between her legs. It took everything Henry had not to come
right then and there.

" Fuck Claire, you're gorgeous", He said hoarsely.

Her eyes flicked up to his, " So are you", Henry smiled.

" We're gonna need to go slow Henry, I haven't had sex in almost three years", she whispered,
sounding a bit embarrassed.

Henry's mouth dropped open. " You haven't had sex in three years?"

Claire shook her head and bit her lip, " No, other then Zack, I really haven't even dated anyone, I've
been so focused on Ethan that men weren't a priority"

Henry was stunned. But damn, that made him feel unbelievably good. He moved closer and bent over
her, kissing her soundly before saying, " We'll go slow and I will make sure you're ready", he
whispered against her lips as he slipped his hand between them, his fingers finding her already wet.

Claire's breath caught and her eyes closed when Henry touched her. Her legs fell open,
giving Henry better access. He slipped a finger inside of her before sliding it up to her clit. He drew
circles around the little nub, making Claire gasp and moan. The sounds coming out of her were
making him ache to be inside of her. But three years without sex and him being as big as he was, she
needed to come a couple times before he could try to enter her.

Henry worked her clit with his fingers. She came incredibly fast, which made Henry smile.
He then kissed his way down her body while she was still coming down from her orgasm. Henry
knelt on the floor beside the bed and grabbed her hips, pulling her to the edge. He then pushed her

legs apart and lowered his mouth to her. Claire cried out and grabbed his hair. He didn't know
whether she wanted to push him away or pull him closer. Claire moaned and panted and undulated
under his mouth. She tasted like heaven. She was so beautiful and his heart was ready to burst with
the love that was overwhelming him. He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. And he was
going to tell her tonight. He was going to make sure she felt every ounce of his love for her.

Claire's grip on his hair tightened and she cried out his name as she came hard. Henry lifted
his head and smiled when her hands fell limply to the bed. Her chest was heaving, thrusting her
breasts up. Henry moved up her body. He wrapped an arm around her waist and drug her farther onto
the bed. His ribs protested slightly but he ignored it. Nothing was going to stop him from making love
to Claire.

That's when Henry remembered, " Shit", he bit out.

" What?", Claire panted.

" Condoms, I don't have any, do you?", Henry asked.

" No, but I'm on the pill", Claire said.

Henry breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to make love to her and that almost didn't happen.
Henry settled on top of her, his hips wedged between hers. He reached down between them and
positioned himself at her opening. He waited until Claire opened her eyes and looked at him.

" Ready?", Henry asked.

Claire nodded, " Yes, I want you so bad", she whispered.

" God, I want you too", Henry groaned then gathered her up in his arms as he started to push his way
in.

Henry stared down at her while he worked his way inside of her. She was so tight. So tight.
They were both gasping by the time he was fully sheathed. Henry dropped his forehead to Claire's
shoulder and took a few deep breaths.

" You okay?", Claire breathed.

" Don't move or this will be over before I even get started", Henry grunted.

" Okay"

Henry got himself under control so that he could start moving. He pulled back slowly before
thrusting forward. Claire let out a low moan. Henry started off slow but then picked up the pace. He
pushed up onto his hands so that he could look down at the gorgeous woman under him. Her breasts
bouncing with each thrust, her flushed cheeks, the look of ecstasy on her face. Henry looked down to

watch himself gliding into her but had to stop or he was going to loose it.

Claire reached up and grabbed the back of his neck to pull him down. She kissed him hard,
smothering a scream that ripped up her throat as she started to convulse around him. Henry couldn't
fight it any longer, with a few final thrusts, he came, almost passing out from the intensity of it. He
collapsed on top of Claire but kept his weight on his forearms so he didn't crush her. He buried his
face in her neck while he tried to calm his racing heart. That had been the best sex he's ever had.
Henry lifted his head to look down at Claire. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted.

Henry brushed a piece of hair off her face and kissed her softly. " I love you Claire", he said, his lips
brushing hers.

Claire opened her eyes and smiled, then she kissed him tenderly and whispered, " I love you too
Henry"

Henry smiled against her mouth before kissing her again, this time like his life depended on it.


Chapter 12

Henry woke to the smell of bacon and his ribs aching. He just might have over did it last
night. He made love to Claire three times last night and it was totally worth going through a little pain
this morning. She was incredible. Sexy and sensual. The sounds she made, shit, just thinking about it
made him hard.

Henry rolled out of bed and grabbed his sweatpants off the floor. After yanking them on, he
put his t-shirt back on. No doubt Ethan was up. Henry didn't want Ethan to see his battered ribs.
Henry then saw his bag sitting in front of the dresser, Claire must have brought it into the bedroom
this morning. He went over and grabbed his toiletry bag, which had his pain meds and toothbrush then
he headed down the hall to the bathroom.

After brushing his teeth and going to the bathroom, he took one of his Percocet's to ease the
pain in his ribs. Leaving his bag in the bathroom he shuffled into the living room where Ethan was
watching Yo Gabba Gabba. Beyond the living room was the kitchen where Claire had her back to him
where she stood at the stove. Henry smiled. This felt so right.

Walking up behind the couch, Henry bent down and gave Ethan a kiss on the top of his head.
Ethan look up at him and smiled before looking back at the TV. Henry was no match for Muno and
Brobee.

Henry moved into the kitchen where he sidled up behind Claire and wrapped his arms
around her waist. He nuzzled his face into the side of her neck, making her giggle and squirm because
he was tickling her. Damn, it felt good to be able to touch her like this. Whenever he wanted.

" Morning, love", Henry murmured, kissing her cheek.

" Morning", She smiled, turning her head for a kiss on the lips.

" How you feeling?", Henry asked.

" A little sore", Claire admitted, " But I'll be fine, I've just been out of the game for too long"

Henry chuckled and gave her a squeeze before going over to the Kuerig and picking out a dark roast
from the carousel next to it.

" How are your ribs?", Claire asked, sending him a concerned glance over her shoulder.

" Achy, I just took a Percocet", Henry replied as he went to grab the creamer from the fridge.

Claire nodded and turned back to the bacon and eggs that she was cooking. Henry fixed his
coffee the way he liked then turned and leaned back against the counter. He took a sip of his coffee,
watching Claire over the rim of his mug. He felt so blessed to be here with her and Ethan. So lucky to
have the chance to be a part of their life.

When the food was ready, the three of them sat at the table to eat. Ethan sat in his booster
seat across from Henry. Claire put scrambled eggs on Ethan's plate before scooping some onto
Henry's and then her own.

" So are you going to tell me what happened with your mother yesterday?", Claire asked before
crunching down on a piece of bacon. She looked gorgeous in the morning. No makeup, strawberry
blonde hair up high in a messy bun, sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Henry sighed and poked at his eggs, " Sebastian totally freaked on her, told her to stay out of our
lives. He was livid. I've never seen him that angry before", he said quietly.

Claire watched him warily, " What did you say?"

" I agreed with him", Henry snorted. " I need a break from all her sh...stuff. She said some nasty things
about you and blamed my defense of you on the drugs"

" I can't understand why she doesn't like me", Claire huffed.

" It's not you, it's her. She doesn't like any women getting close to us. She thinks she'll lose us
somehow if we're with someone"

" Well she lost you anyway", Claire murmured.

" Yeah, for now. I'm hoping she sees the error of her ways and apologizes", Henry said, taking a sip
of his coffee.

Claire snorted, " Don't count on it, your mom seems pretty stubborn"

Henry nodded, " Oh she is, but I'm sure my dad is going to flip on her too, get her to think for once"

They talked a little more about Henry's mother, then moved on about work. They both
decided it would be best to keep their relationship quiet at work. It would only complicate things for
Henry when it came to having respect from his employees. They already had enough rumors going
around about them, but they were just that, rumors. No one had any hard evidence and they weren't
about to give it to them. So come Monday morning, they were going to go into work and act like they
always did around each other. Friendly and professional.





Henry sighed as he sat behind his desk Monday morning. It felt good to be back. He hated
being out of work. His whole routine had been screwed up. He needed to get back to business. Get
back on his schedule. His ribs were feeling much better and he was even able to take the binding off.
It was starting to bother him anyway. Everyone had been really nice when he walked in also. Asking
him how he was and telling him they were glad he was okay and back.

A knock on his door almost had him groaning out loud. Already it was starting. But when the
door opened and Claire walked in, his irritation fled. He smiled brightly at the gorgeous woman
sauntering into his office with a coffee and bag of food in hand. Claire looked great this morning. She
was wearing a modest but sexy royal blue dress that made her eyes pop. Her strawberry blonde hair
was pulled to the side and a loose braid hung over her shoulder to touch the top of her breast. Thank
god he was sitting behind his desk because his cock was liking the way she looked today. Well,
everyday for that matter.

" Good morning Henry", Claire smiled gently, stopping in front of his desk to place his coffee and
most likely a sausage, egg and cheese on an plain bagel, down.

" Morning, Darlin'", Henry grinned, reaching for his coffee.

" You have a shit-load to catch up on, so I scheduled a meeting with Asher in twenty minutes so he
can catch you up", Claire said, in business mode. She was sexy in business mode.

" Okay", Henry said, taking a sip of his delicious coffee that Claire always fixed so perfectly.

" And I'm still going through your phone messages, and after that I'll start on your emails"

Henry nodded, grabbing the bag and opening it. He pulled out his sandwich and unwrapped it, taking
a bite. He groaned and closed his eyes. " So good", he moaned.

Claire snorted, " Okaaaay, you enjoy that and I'll get back to you in a little while", she said as she

turned and started for the door.

Henry watched her ass sway as she walked in her high heals. The dress hugged her perfectly
shaped ass, an ass he's seen naked and bent over in front of him. If he didn't have a mouthful of food
he'd probably drool. And damn her legs were so fucking nice. The dress stopped about mid-thigh. Not
really short, but still showing off her amazing legs.

Claire grabbed the doorknob then sent a saucy glance over her shoulder, " Quit staring at my ass,
Beck", she purred and winked before walking out.

Henry had a feeling keeping their relationship a secret in the office was going to be fun. He smiled to
himself. Yes, very fun indeed.





Claire giggled. She was definitely drunk. Henry had taken her out to dinner for their 3 month
anniversary, where she drank just a bit too much wine. Her dad had Ethan for the night because she
planned on staying over at Henry's for the night. It was about 9 o'clock when they walked into Henry's
kitchen from the garage. Claire had had her hands all over Henry in the car and she could tell he was
fighting for control. But she liked when he lost control. It was sexy as hell.

Henry shut the door to the garage then grabbed her and pushed her up against it. Claire let out
an excited squeal before giggling again. Henry's hard body was pressed against her, his mouth
dropping down to devour hers. Henry's hands slid up the back of her thighs to squeeze her bare ass.
She had worn a thong with the dress she had on.

" You like to drive me crazy don't you?", Henry growled, nipping on her bottom lip.

" Uh huh", Claire giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck so she could lift her leg and hook it
around his waist.

Henry groaned, " You want me to fuck you against the door?"

" Yes", Claire breathed, finding that the thought had her completely turned on.

Henry kissed her hard, stealing Claire's breath away. She was so caught up in the kiss that
she didn't even realize that Henry had undone his pants and pushed them down his thighs. She felt him
yank her thong aside, then he lifted her, his hand gripping her right under her ass. When she came
down it was right onto him. Claire cried out into him mouth and locked her ankles together. Henry's
chest was pressed against hers, holding her against the door.

Henry thrust up into her hard and fast. Claire cried out. Henry's lips brushed hers as he
pumped into her, his hot panting breaths mixing with hers. Claire could feel herself getting close. She

gasped Henry's name and grabbed handfuls of his hair, pulling his head back. Henry cried out and
pumped harder. His fingers dug into the flesh of her ass and she knew she was going to be bruised in
the morning. Not that she cared.

Claire banged her head back against the door and screamed as she came hard. Her thighs
locked tight around Henry's hips as she convulsed around him. Henry cursed and slammed into her a
couple more times before thrusting in to the hilt and staying there. A hoarse shout escaped him. Claire
could feel him pulsing inside of her. She nipped at his exposed neck. She still had his head pulled
back.

" Henry?! Is everything okay in...", came his mother's worried voice before she let out a startled cry.

Claire and Henry both whipped their heads around to stare wide eyed at his mother, Anne,
who was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, she must have walked in the front door. She was
frozen, staring at them, her eyes wide, her face red and stricken.

" I...I...", She stuttered.

" Jesus Christ mom, turn around!", Henry snapped.

Anne seemed to snap out of her frozen state and whirled around, placing her hands over her face. "
I'm sorry, I didn't know, you sounded...never mind", she said, obviously mortified.

Henry put Claire on her feet, trying desperately not to smile. Claire didn't really give a shit
cause she was drunk. She smiled wide. Henry pulled Claire's dress down before pulling his own
pants back into place. Lucky they were only around his thighs and not dropped down to his ankles.
Claire's legs around his waist probably obscured his bare ass from his mother's view. Claire grabbed
Henry's face and kissed him slowly.

" That was hot, I'm gonna go to the bathroom", She whispered before headed out of the kitchen.




Henry watched Claire stumble past his mother and down the hall to the bathroom. He shook
his head. Damn, he loved her. She was fucking incredible. The past three months have been the best
of his life. They worked great together, both in the office and out. He was practically living in her
apartment with her and Ethan. But he had plans to change that. He wanted them to move in with him.
He wanted to ask Claire to marry him. He just needed to get a ring.

" What are you doing here?", Henry asked evenly.

" Are you decent?", She asked warily.

" Yes"

Anne turned around, unable to meet his eyes. Yeah, he got there. She just walked in on her son having
sex against a door. That was definitely awkward.

" I knocked and even rang the doorbell, I knew you were home because I looked in the garage
window and saw your car, so I just used my key, I'm sorry", Anne said, wringing her hands together.

Henry frowned, who was this person? Definitely not his mother. His mother would have had
a fit about what she just walked in on. He hasn't seen or talked to her since that day when Sebastian
ripped her a new one in the hospital. Maybe she changed. He hoped she changed. He didn't want to
get married without his mother there. No matter how much shit she put him through, she was still his
mother and he loved her.

" Why are you here so late?", He asked, going to the fridge for a bottle of water. " Do you want
something to drink?"

Anne shook her head, " No thank you, I figured you would be home and I hoped to speak with you",
she said softly.

Henry took a big gulp of water, set the bottle on the counter behind him then leaned against it. He
crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a nod. " Okay"

Just then Claire walked back into kitchen. Anne eyed her warily. Claire walked over to Henry, she
had taken off her heals so the top of her head only came up to his shoulder. " Hi", she murmured with
a sexy smile on her face as she looked up at him.

Henry smiled, " Hey", he said warmly, tucking her hair behind her ear. He then looked at his mother, "
Go ahead"

Anne opened her mouth then closed it before a pained look crossed her face, " I wanted to speak with
you alone", she said.

Henry took a moment to consider it. He then grabbed the water bottle and handed it to Claire, " Here
babe, you need to drink some water. Why don't you go upstairs, get changed and get in bed, I'll be up
in a little bit"

Claire took the bottle, gave him a kiss then left the room without a word. Henry listened for
his bedroom door to shut before turning back to his mother. She gave him a tentative smile and moved
a bit closer to him.

" I've missed you", she said, her voice trembling as she gave him a watery smile.

Damn it, his mother never cried. How was he supposed to handle this? And he didn't want to
say things he didn't mean. So he just kept quiet. He hadn't exactly miss her. She had been nasty to him
and he had been pissed beyond belief with what she had said about Claire.

" I want to apologize", she started, watching Henry as if to gage his reaction.

Henry nodded and waited.

His mother paused, looking as if she was choosing her words carefully. " I have been selfish. I
wanted to keep you boys close. Sebastian brought forth all my worst nightmares by moving across the
country for a woman. A woman who I knew in my heart would hurt him someday. I wanted to protect
you boys from being hurt. You all have grown into such amazing men and I just couldn't bare the
thought of anyone hurting any of you. I know now how wrong I was and I hope that you can all forgive
me", she said, tears running down her face.

Henry searched her teary gaze. He knew his mother could be manipulative so he was a bit
hesitant to believe her completely. He thought she was being sincere. The tears definitely looked real
as did the anguish on her face.

" I need more then just words from you mom, you need to prove to me that you've changed", Henry
said quietly.

His mother nodded furiously, taking another step forward. She was only a foot away from his now. " I
will, I'll do whatever it takes to have my sons back in my life"

Henry nodded slowly as he watched the hope light her eyes.

" One other thing", Henry said.

" Okay", replied his mother.

" Did you really mean what you said about Claire? And I want the truth", Henry asked, watching her
warily.

Anne closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, he knew she was going to be completely
sincere and open, " At the time, yes, I meant it. But now, after looking back, I believe she loves you
deeply and would rather die then hurt you. That heart-wrenching sob she let out after the crash was
enough to tell me that. But I was so blinded and so close minded that I hadn't seen it at the time, I just
wanted you all for myself. I couldn't stand the thought of another woman taking care of you after such
a horrendous event. You're my baby and I know you don't understand yet, but when you have your
own kids, you will"

Henry shook his head, " I do understand. Claire's son Ethan has been in my life now for about 7
months, and I've been with them almost everyday of the past three months. I love that little boy so
much. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him. So I do understand now how you were
feeling and I'm sorry for pushing you away that day. But you had always been so overbearing and I
didn't want to be smothered, I was beyond vulnerable and I needed Claire in my bed. There was
nothing sexual about it. She just held me, didn't ask questions, didn't want a recap of what happened.

She was just there to comfort me. And I know you, you would have been all over me trying to find out
what exactly happened"

Anne nodded, " Probably", she admitted.

Henry smiled slightly. " I love you mom, and I do want you in my life. You don't need to be nasty to
get your point across. We can talk and have civilized conversations about things. But you have to
realize that we're not going to agree with you all the time. We also need to make our own mistakes
and find out things for ourselves. I think your opinion would matter more to us if you would just talk
to us instead of dictating and berating us"

Anne took a deep breath and blew it out, " That's what your father said, and I promise, I am working
on being a better mother to you boys. I've started going to therapy to work on my issues". Henry's
eyebrows shot up and Anne scoffed, " Oh don't look so surprised. I knew I was a bitch but I didn't
care. Sebastian was right for doing what he did. He opened my eyes"

Henry smiled warmly. Glad his mother admitted that, " Have you talked to him yet?", Henry asked.

" He won't return my calls, so I decided to come to you first, knowing you would listen. I was hoping
you could talk to him", Anne sighed.

" I'll try, he can be belligerent sometimes", Henry snorted.

" I'm sure he gets that from me", Anne smirked.

Henry laughed, " No comment"

Anne chuckled, but her smile faded quickly, " I love you Henry, I hope you know that"

Henry nodded and closed the distance between them, pulling her into a hug, " I do, mom".
They hugged for a moment before Henry eased back, putting his hands on her shoulders.
" I want one more thing from you"

" Name it", Anne said, looking up at him.

" I want you to apologize to Claire"

" Already on my list", Anne said with a sharp nod.

" Not tonight though, she's drunk", Henry said with a lopsided grin.

Anne bit her bottom lip, " I was wondering, she kinda staggered out of here"

Henry laughed quietly, " Yeah, so you can do that another day"

" Okay", Anne agreed.

Chapter 13

Sebastian rolled his eyes as he threw back his beer. He was listening to Henry tell him,
Quinn and Christian about what their mother said when she showed up at his house a few night ago.
Henry called a brother meeting at a pub in Center City. So the four of them were sitting around a
table, drinking beer and discussing their mother.

" She seems sincere, she even apologized to Claire yesterday in person", Henry said with a shrug.

" Really?", coming from Christian, who's eyebrows had shot up in surprise.

Henry nodded and sipped his beer. " It was a very heartfelt apology, Claire got teary-eyed"

Christian's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. " No way!"

Henry smirked at Christian's reaction. " It's true"

Quinn, the ever stoic one of four of them, asked in his deep raspy voice, " Is she really going to
therapy?", his tone saying that he was doubtful.

" I called dad and he insisted that she's been going for two months now, he's even gone with her a few

times, their working on their marriage also"

Sebastian snorted, " I think she's full of shit. There is no way she can change a lifetime of habits in a
few months"

Henry frowned, " She's trying Sebastian, I never said she was going to change overnight, but she is
working on it"

" Believe that if you want but I don't trust her", Sebastian grunted, finishing off his beer and motioning
to the waitress for another one.

" Can't you at least talk to her?", Henry asked.

" Nope, not happening", Sebastian dismissed immediately.

" Sebastian", Christian admonished.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at him, " What?"

" Come on, she's our mother, you have to talk to her eventually", Christian said sadly.

Sebastian snorted, " No I don't", then looked up at the blonde waitress with the huge titties and gave
her a rakish grin, " Thanks dollface"

She gave him a flirty smile before turning to go back to the bar. She really wasn't all that
good looking but she had a bangin' body. Sebastian's divorce had been finalized about a month ago.
He's slept with about 5 women since then. All one night stands. He was not doing relationships
anymore. He was done with that shit. Love apparently wasn't for him, so he was gonna fuck whoever
he wanted, whenever he wanted. No more being tied down. He was only 32 and he was going to live
it up while he still could.

" You assholes can do whatever you want, but I'm not interested. My life is great without her in it",
Sebastian said, sipping his new beer.

" That's cold Sebastian", Quinn murmured, eyes narrowed at him.

" Hey! You were not there and didn't hear the shit she said. Honestly Henry, I'm surprised at you, I
thought you were on my side", Sebastian said, shaking his head in disgust.

" Don't even go there, you know I was just as pissed as you, but sometimes you got to forgive and
forget. And I'm not saying I totally forgive her or trust her, but I'm trying to give her a chance to prove
herself, that's fair", Henry argued.

" Well, I'm not ready to do that, so lets just drop it", Sebastian snapped.

Sebastian leaned back in his chair while his brothers moved on to talk about something else.
He wasn't really listening. He scanned the crowd, looking for a chick he could possibly take home or
go home with tonight. There was a group of four women at the bar, none of them were even remotely
attractive. There were a bunch of tables with couples, a few groups of guys and one other table with a
few girls who were waaaay too young for him. Although they kept glancing his way and giggling.

The front door opened not a minute later and Sebastian caught a flash of light blonde hair. He
tilted his chair back to get a better view. The woman walking in had light golden blonde hair that was
parted on one side and pulled back where it was tied at the back of her neck and rolled into a bun.
Normally the severe hair would not be attractive. But the woman's face was stunning and the hair fit
her heart shaped face.

Sebastian was all for the blondes. Victoria had been a brunette, so right now, they totally
turned him off. This woman glanced back and forth, eyes scanning, as if looking for someone before
heading over to the bar. She had on minimal makeup, just enough to accentuate her already beautiful
features. Her eyes sharp and even at the distance he was at, he could see that they were light blue. She
had a cute little nose and sinful bow shaped lips that were the most luscious shade of pink.

She was wearing a light gray fitted pant suit. Usually Sebastian would not find this at all
sexy, but damn could this chick rock it. She had on a white blouse underneath the coat, which was
unbuttoned at the neck but not low enough to show off any cleavage. She stood at the end of the bar,
talking seriously to the bartender.

Sebastian got up, murmuring to his brothers that he'd be back and headed over to the bar.
Sebastian sidled up next to the bombshell. He looked her up and down. She had on black pumps that
were probably about 3-4 inches high. Even with the height of the heals, she only came up to his chin.
So she was much shorter then he was used to. Victoria had been 5'10. Sebastian was 6'4, so her
height had fit him perfectly. But this chick was something new. Even the other women he'd been with
since Victoria had been taller.

" Hey sweetheart, can I buy you a drink?", Sebastian asked, interrupting her conversation with the
bartender. He leaned his forearms on the bar to get closer to her eye level.

She turned to look at him, her face serious, her blue eyes hard and irritated. " You need to get out of
my face", she snapped.

Sebastian smirked and he saw her eyes flare. " Oh feisty, I like it", he purred, glancing at her chest
before dipping lower. That was when he caught sight of the badge clipped onto her belt.
" You're a cop, huh?", he asked, eyebrow raised as he reached out to finger her badge.

In the blink of an eye, she had his finger bent back so far that it almost touched his wrist.
Sebastian cried out in agony as he was forced to drop to one knee. His free hand gripped the edge of
the bar so that he didn't fall completely to the floor.

" I'm a detective and if you ever touch me again I will do more then bend your finger back, now get

out of my face before I arrest you for obstruction of an investigation", she hissed merely inches from
his face.

Sebastian yelped as she abruptly let go. He clamored back to his feet and clutched his battered hand
to his chest. " Shit, you could have just said so instead of practically breaking my finger", Sebastian
spat angrily.

She stared at him in disbelief. " Are you still standing here?"

Sebastian bit back a nasty retort. He was sure she would definitely arrest him if he said
anything else. He glared at her for a moment before turning and heading back to his table. His brothers
were all standing, expressions of shock on their faces. Shit, they saw the whole thing. Sebastian
shoved his way through the tables. Dammit, he was pissed. And embarrassed.

" What the fuck was that?", Henry asked as Sebastian sat down next to him.

Sebastian rubbed his aching middle finger and shook his head, " Nothing, don't worry about it", he
muttered.

" Sebastian, that was not nothing", Quinn said.

" Just sit down and shut up", Sebastian bit out.

His brothers sat.

" Dude, is she some kind of cop or something?" Christian asked.

" A detective", Sebastian answered.

A round of "Ah's" came from them and they didn't ask any more questions. Thank God.
Sebastian really didn't need to be humiliated anymore then he already was. He glanced back at the
detective to see that she was gone. Good. He hoped he never saw that bitch again.


Claire woke to the sound of Ethan ’ s squealing laughter followed by Henry's deep masculine
chuckle. She smiled. Henry had let her sleep in. He never ceased to amaze her with his
thoughtfulness. She couldn't remember the last time she got to sleep past 7am. She looked at the clock
and her eyes almost bugged out of her head. It was 10am. Claire couldn't believe it. She sat up and
rubbed her eyes. Claire then pulled the covers off and got out of bed. She went to the bathroom before
heading out into the living room.

Henry was chasing Ethan around the couch, pretending to be a monster. Claire smiled and
crossed her arms over her chest as she watched. Ethan was giggling while Henry roared. Henry then
tricked Ethan by changing direction. He scooped Ethan up and tickled him. Ethan squealed and kicked
and laughed.

This was exactly what Claire had hoped for her life. A man who adored her son and loved
her like crazy. For the past three months, they've been a family. Henry had been staying with her and
Ethan at the apartment. The only time he went home was for changes of clothes and to take care of his
mail.

" Hey! Look Ethan, mommy's awake!", Henry called.

" Mommy!", Ethan cried excitedly.

Henry put him down and he ran to her. Claire picked him up and hugged him. Claire carried Ethan as
she went to Henry for a kiss. " Morning", she murmured.

" Good morning, love", Henry smiled down at her.

" Thanks for letting me sleep late", Claire said.

" You are most welcome", he said and kissed her again.

" Did Ethan eat yet?", Claire asked.

" Yup, we had oatmeal with apples and cinnamon", Henry grinned proudly.

" Ooo, sounds yummy", Claire said, and looked at Ethan, " Was it yummy?"

" YEAH!", he yelled, throwing his arms up.

Henry and Claire laughed.

Since it was a Saturday and such a beautiful day, Henry suggested they go to the park. So
after everyone was showered and ready, they left. Ethan had a great time. At around 1:00, they headed
back to the apartment for Ethan's nap. Ethan wanted Henry to put him in bed. Henry was more then
happy.

Claire was in the kitchen getting a drink when Henry returned. Henry sat on a stool at the
island counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. He rested his chin on his hand and
watched her move around the kitchen.

" What?", Claire asked with a smirk.

Henry shook his head and straightened up, " I want to talk to you about something", he said seriously.

" Okay", Claire said slowly as she walked over to the counter and stood opposite of him.

" You know I love you...", Henry started and Claire cut him off.

" You better not be breaking up with me", Claire said, frowning.

Henry looked at her like she was crazy, " Are you fucking insane?", he asked incredulously.

Claire laughed, " Sorry, go ahead"

Henry huffed, apparently not finding it funny at all. Apparently he had something serious to say. Claire
watched him, a bit warily as he continued. " Anyway. I love you, and I love Ethan and as much as I
like your apartment, I think it would be nicer for all of us at my house. Ethan could have a play room
and a back yard and a pool", he said, his green eyes meeting hers, his apprehension at what she would
say was very clear in his steady gaze.

" You want us to move in with you?", Claire asked softly. She had been waiting for him to bring up
the subject for a couple weeks now.

" Yes", He said firmly, his mind made up. " I want you to get rid of this apartment and come live with
me at my house. I want you and Ethan in my life forever"

Claire studied him for a moment, cocking her head slightly, " What would your mother think about us
living together without being married?", she asked, they had yet to talk about marriage, but Claire had
hoped that's where their relationship was headed.

" I don't give a shit about what she thinks", Henry grunted.

" Okay. Is marriage going to be something you want eventually?", Claire asked quietly.

Henry's gaze softened and he slid his hand across the counter to cover hers, " Baby, I am looking
forward to the day when I can call you my wife"

Claire's eyes stung with the threat of tears, " Henry", she whispered.

Henry laced his fingers in her and pulled her until she had to round the counter. Henry tugged
her so that she stood between his spread knees. He cupped her face and kissed her lovingly on the
lips.

" I love you", Henry murmured against her lips.

" I love you too", Claire breathed, kissing him again.

" So? Will you move in with me?", Henry asked, using his thumbs to stroke her cheeks.

Claire nodded, " Yes"

Henry smiled brightly, showing off those dimples that Claire thought were so cute. He then

wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to his chest. His mouth slanted over hers, kissing her
passionately. Claire's life couldn't get any better then it was at this moment.





Henry propped his fists on his hips as he tried to catch his breath. Christian was bent over,
hands on his knees. They had just carried all of Claire's boxes of clothes up to Henry's bedroom.
There were 5 of them and they were all filled to capacity, which made them heavy. Where she kept
all these clothes in that little apartment boggled Henry's mind. Luckily, he had a huge walk in closet
that had plenty of empty space. He wasn't a clothes whore like Christian.

" Thank God that was the last one", Christian panted as he straightened.

" Yeah", Henry agreed.

They headed out of the bedroom and down the hall where Henry had cleared out one of the
guest bedrooms and painted it green like Ethan wanted. When he walked into the room, Sebastian was
sitting on the floor putting a new shelving unit together for Ethan's toys.

" How's it going?", Henry asked.

Sebastian gave him a thumbs up without looking up from checking the directions. Henry
smiled then followed Christian downstairs. The front door was open and Quinn was carrying in a box
of toys. Ethan was sitting in the living room watching tv and Claire was in the kitchen making
sandwiches for lunch.

Henry was in a ridiculously good mood today, couldn't stop smiling. Him and Christian went
back out to the rented U-Haul truck to grab some more boxes. Claire had gotten rid of most of her
furniture and kitchen stuff because she wasn't going to need any of it. So it was pretty much all
clothes, toys, pictures, sentimental stuff and decorations for the holidays.

After carrying in the last of the boxes, they all headed into the kitchen for lunch. Claire had
made turkey sandwiches with lettuce and tomato. They all sat around the table. Henry sat at the head,
with Ethan on a booster seat on his right while Claire sat to his left. Sebastian sat on the other side of
Ethan, Quinn sat next to Claire and Christian was at the other end.

Ethan had a hot dog, which he finished before everyone else. He turned to Henry when he was done.
He pushed his chair away from the table and said, " All done, I get down Daddy?"

Henry froze, his eyes wide as he stared at Ethan in shock, his mouth full of sandwich.
Sebastian started choking on his beer. Claire had gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
Christian and Quinn both stared at Ethan with their mouth gaping open.

Ethan didn't seem to notice that everyone was staring at him because he asked again, " Daddy, I get
down?"

Henry slowly placed his sandwich down and pushed up from his own chair. He unbuckled
Ethan and set him on the floor. Ethan said "Tank You" and ran off into the living room. Henry dropped
back down into his chair and swallowed his food. He glanced at each of his brothers then Claire.

" He just called me Daddy...twice", Henry said, dryly.

Claire's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Her hands moved down to cover her heart. " Well, you've
been acting like his dad, so it would seem that he sees you as such"

" Congrats Pops, it's a boy", Sebastian grinned.

Henry was so taken back by the humor that he threw his head back and laughed. Everyone
else joined in. Once the laughing quieted down. Henry reached over and took Claire's hand and
kissed her knuckles.

" Is it alright with you?", Henry asked softly.

" Of course it is", Claire insisted.

Henry gave her a lopsided grin, " Love you"

" Love you too", Claire smiled.

Henry couldn't stop smiling. He never expected to Ethan to look at him in that manner. He
always thought Ethan would be calling him Henry for the rest of his life. But he was totally okay with
being called Daddy. He never thought he'd ever be a father. Had never really wanted to be one until
he met Claire and Ethan.

" Ew, knock it off", Sebastian grumbled before taking another bite of his sandwich.

Henry chuckled and gave Claire's hand a squeeze before letting her go.

Claire put Ethan to bed around 8pm that night. He was exhausted and had been falling asleep
on the couch watching his show. Henry had followed them upstairs so that he could get changed into
some sweatpants. He had just pulled them up when Claire walked into the bedroom.

" He is out cold", She smiled and sauntered over to him.

Henry sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her to stand between his legs. " Good", he rumbled,
slipping a hand under her shirt to cup her breast.

Claire smiled sexily, " Mmm, what do you want?", she purred, draping her arms over his shoulders.

Henry moved his hand around to her back and unhooked her bra, " You", he murmured.

Claire then pushed him so that he fell back on the bed. Henry tucked his hands behind his
head and watched as Claire bent over him and started kissing his chest. Her mouth was hot, her kisses
searing his skin. Henry groaned, his eyes fluttering shut. He felt Claire's tongue flick over his nipples
before kissing and licking her way down his body. She grabbed the waistband of his sweatpants and
underwear and yanked them off his body. She quickly tossed them aside and went back to what she
was doing.

Her lips brushed over his hip bone and Henry hissed at the idea of where she was headed.
His whole body was coiled tight with anticipation. He loved when she went down on him. She was
so good at it. She took her time, which drove him crazy but he liked it.

Her breath was hot as she moved closer to where he wanted her to be. Henry groaned a
curse when she flicked a tongue over his balls then sucked one in her mouth. She did the same to the
other one before licking up the underside of his cock from base to tip.

" Fuck baby", Henry panted, lifting his head to look down at her.

She gave him a sexy smile then swirled her tongue around the tip of his cock. Henry dropped
his head back and grasped the comforter under his hands. He felt one of her hands wrap about the
base, lifting his cock off his belly. Then her sinful mouth was around him, sucking him as deep as she
could.

He had to watch her. He lifted his head again and watched his cock disappear into her
delicious mouth. Henry's hips rocked on their own accord in time with her rhythm. His hands found
her hair to keep it from obstructing his view. Plus he liked that he had control of her head. Her hand
pumped while her mouth sucked and licked, bringing him closer and closer to the edge.

" Claire", Henry warned, knowing she didn't like him coming in her mouth.

Claire ’ s mouth came off him with a pop, her hand continuing to stroke. Henry came with a
shout, his body arching up off the bed. Claire's hand slowed as he came down from his orgasm. Henry
panted hard as he lay boneless on the bed. Claire chuckled and let him go. He heard her pulling
tissues out of the box on the bedside table. He didn't have it in him to move.
She dropped the tissue box next to his head.

" Clean up, then we can watch a movie", Claire said, dropping a quick kiss on his mouth.

Henry just grunted, making Claire laugh as she walked out of the room. That had been
incredible. It seemed like it was better every time. Just like the sex. Claire was a firecracker in bed.
She liked it hard and rough sometimes, while other times she wanted soft and tender. Henry was the
same way. He also liked to dominate at times and other times he liked to be dominated. They were
great together in and out of bed. He guessed some people were just meant to be together.

Chapter 14

Henry stared at the first Christmas tree he's had since moving out of his parents house 15
years ago. He never decorated for the holiday's. Didn't see the point. It was just him who was going to

see it, so he never bothered. But this year he had Claire and Ethan.

Claire had some decorations and a small three foot tree that she brought with her when she
moved in. But that wasn't going to do. Henry went out and bought an 8ft pre-lit tree and set it up in the
corner of the living room, next to the fireplace. Claire and Ethan were out at a play date with one of
Ethan's little friends from daycare and Claire had no idea that he went and got a tree and a shit load of
other decorations. He started decorating the tree while he waited for his brothers, who he
blackmailed into coming over to help him decorate.

" Holy shit, that's a big tree", Came Christian's voice from behind him.

Henry glanced over his shoulder to see Christian and his best friend Shea Dempsey. Henry
smiled and went to greet Shea, who he hasn't seen in at least a year. Christian and Shea have been
friends since pre-school and Henry considered him a brother. Shea was the tall, dark and handsome
type. His short hair was a dark chestnut, his eyes were a dark chocolate brown and he had build close
to how Christian was built, lean and toned. He kept a short goatee, had since he started to grow facial
hair.

" Shea, my man", Henry said fondly and pulled the shorter man into a big bear hug.

Not that Shea was short, he was 6'2, but he was shorter then both Henry and Christian.

Shea laughed and patted Henry on the back, " Good to see you too Henry"

" Where have you been?", Henry asked as they separated.

" I was in Europe with my family. I just got back yesterday", He said with a bright smile and a glance
at Christian. Obviously he was glad to be back with his best friend.

" Nice, glad you're back", Henry said, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

" Me too, I missed you guys", Shea said with a warm smile.

" We missed you too, now get to work, I got a lot of shit to decorate before Claire and Ethan get
back", Henry said, bending down to pick up a box of decorating to shove into Christian's arms.

" When the hell did you turn into a family man, Henry?", Shea chuckled, his brown eyes sparkling
with amusement.

" Since I met the love of my life", Henry said with a wink.

" Good God, gag me with a spoon", Sebastian grumbled as he walked into the living room from the
kitchen. He apparently came in through the garage.

Henry rolled his eyes as Sebastian greeted Shea and Christian. Sebastian was becoming

really jaded. It made Henry sad that his brother had lost all faith in love. All women for that matter.
They were now just things that he used to get off. Not that Henry could really blame him after what
he'd been through. But it's been months and Henry had hoped that he would have gotten over it a little
bit.

Quinn was last to arrive. He said hello to everyone and quietly grabbed a box and started
helping Henry with decorating the tree. Always impassive, his brother Quinn was. Sebastian headed
outside to put up some lights while Christian and Nolan started on putting lights up in the living room.

Within a couple hours, they had the place decorated and lit. Henry stood outside with his
brothers and Shea looking up at the colored Christmas lights and strands of garland trimming his roof
and windows. Henry smiled. Ethan was going to love it. They all headed back inside for a beer and to
warm the fuck up. It was freezing out. Henry glanced at the clock in the kitchen. Claire and Ethan
should be back any minute.

" I have something to tell you guys", Henry said, pulling the fridge open and handing out beers.

" What's that?", Sebastian asked, cracking open his bottle of Guinness.

" I bought Claire a ring, I was planning on proposing on Christmas eve", Henry said, actually feeling
nervous about it. He knew Claire would say yes, but still...

Christian was first to react with a wide grin, " Congrats Henry", he said, giving Henry a hug.

" Congrats brother", Quinn murmured quietly, giving Henry's shoulder a squeeze.

Shea congratulated him and gave him a hug. Henry then looked at Sebastian. Sebastian was
his best friend. Out of all his brothers, Sebastian was the one he was closest with. He wanted him to
be his best man. And he would be upset if Sebastian wasn't happy for him.

Sebastian sighed, " What? You know I love Claire". Henry did know that, Sebastian and Claire were
buddies.

" And?", Henry prompted.

" I hope you're not going to end up like me?", Sebastian winced, but his eyes were sparkling with
amusement.

" Bastard", Henry grunted and sipped his beer.

" Don't fuck it up", Sebastian snarled, glaring a warning at Henry. And Henry knew that that was the
closest he was going to get to a congratulations. Sebastian didn't believe in marriage and love
anymore. So saying congratulations went against that.

" I'll try not to", Henry said dryly, rolling his eyes.

Claire was shocked when she pulled up the driveway. The house was lit up with colored
Christmas lights that had Ethan squealing in the backseat. She pulled into the garage, got Ethan out of
the car and headed into the house. She walked into the kitchen to find Henry, his brothers and a man
she's never met standing around the island drinking beer.

" Lights daddy, lights!", Ethan cried excitedly and went running to Henry.

Henry smiled brightly and scooped up the little boy, kissing him on the cheek. " Do you like them?"

" Uh huh", Ethan nodded furiously.

Henry kissed Ethan's forehead, " Well good, cause there's more"

" YAY!"

Henry chuckled then moved away from the group to give her a kiss on the lips, " Hey Darlin'"

" Hi Henry, the lights are amazing", Claire said in awe.

" You're welcome", Came Sebastian's disgruntled snort from behind Henry.

" I see you had help", Claire chuckled.

Henry nodded, " Yeah, I never would have gotten it done in time without the guys. By the way, Claire
this is Shea, Shea this is my girlfriend Claire and her son Ethan"

The gorgeous dark haired man stepped forward and shook her hand. He smiled and Claire was sure
he'd broken a thousand girls hearts with it. " Nice to meet you"

" You too", Claire replied.

" Shea is Christian's best friend", Henry said, answering her unspoken question.

Claire nodded, then went around to give his brothers hugs and kisses. " Thank you guys for doing this"

Of course they all shrugged it off like it was nothing, but Claire knew how much work it was
to decorate, especially a big place like Henry's house. Henry then took her hand and pulled her into
the living room. Claire gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth when she saw the huge tree and
all the lights and other decorations. He did this for her and Ethan.

" Henry", Claire breathed, squeezing his hand.

" Do you like it?", He asked quietly.

Claire responded the only way she could, she grabbed his face and kissed him. Henry
wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her closer. The kiss didn't really last long because
Ethan started pushing her away.

" No mommy, no kiss daddy", Ethan said with a frown.

Low masculine chuckles filled the room behind her. Claire glanced behind her to see Henry's
brothers and Shea smiling softly. Even Quinn had a touch of a smile on his handsome face. She
guessed even the most stoic of men had a soft spot for Ethan. She was glad that she had so many great
men in her life for Ethan.

Ethan squirmed out of Henry's arms and ran to the tree. He stopped in front of it and looked
up. Henry pulled Claire into his arms and kissed her softly on the lips. Claire cupped his face, kissing
him a few more times.

" Thank you Henry", She whispered, her lips brushing his.

" You're welcome baby", He smiled warmly.

Later that night, after the guys left and Ethan was in bed, Claire went up to her and Henry's
room to get changed into something more comfortable. She pulled on sweatpants and a long sleeved t-
shirt then went into the bathroom to wash her face. She was patting her face dry with a towel when
two strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Claire shrieked while Henry chuckled
against her neck.

" Jesus Henry, you scared the shit out of me", Claire panted, placing a hand over her racing heart.

" Sorry", he mumbled, but she could feel him smiling against her skin. He was so not sorry.

Henry squeezed her a little tighter and sighed. " I love you Claire", he murmured, propping his chin on
her shoulder so he could look at her through the mirror in front of them.

Claire smiled softly, " I love you too Henry"

" Are you happy with me?", He asked.

" Of course I am, why do you ask?", Claire frowned.

Henry shrugged, " Just curious, I want to be sure I'm making you happy"

Claire turned in his embrace, she cupped his face and stared up into his gorgeous green eyes.

" There is no one in this world who could make me happier than you do", she said sincerely.

Henry stared at her for a moment before crushing her mouth with his. The kiss was frenzied
and desperate. Henry scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom, without breaking their kiss.
He laid her down and covered her body with his. Claire's legs instinctively wrapped around his hips.
Henry's hands were all over her as his mouth plundered hers.

The next thing Claire knew, they were both naked and Henry drove into her to the hilt. Claire
cried out at the intensity of the pleasure he caused. Henry buried his face in her neck and groaned long
and low. He shuttered on top of her before slowly pulling back and pushing back in. Claire gasped
and dug her nails into his back. He always felt so fucking good. She didn't know if it had to do with
his size, or the way he moved or the fact that she loved him, but it was always so damn good.

They came together, gasping and clutching at each other while screaming each other's name.
Once they came down from their highs, they got cleaned up and got in bed. Henry snuggled up behind
Claire, pulling her close and tucking his face against the back of her neck. They always fell asleep
this way and they always woke up with Henry laying half on top of her. Claire never thought that
when she met Henry that he was the kind of guy who liked to snuggle and cuddle. But Henry was very
touchy feely. He liked to give and get affection. Which Claire loved because she was the same way.





Henry growled as he banged on his keyboard. His stupid computer was acting up again. He
went to rake his hand through his hair but stopped himself. He didn't want to mess his hair up. Claire
had styled it this morning and he really liked what she did. Henry dropped his hand and shoved out of
his chair. He paced over to the window, hands on his hips. He closed his eyes and took a few deep
breaths to try and calm himself. He always got so irritated when it came to computer stuff.

Henry glanced over his shoulder when he heard his office door open and close. Claire
walked in, a small smile on her face. She sauntered over to him in her ridiculously high heals that
brought her almost eye level with him. Damn, she looked sexy. Henry fought the erection that
threatened to tent his pants.

" Hey", He said as she came up next to him.

" Hey baby, what's wrong?", She asked, cocking her head in curiosity.

" My computer is being a dick", Henry snarled.

Claire chuckled and started over to his desk, " Let me see if I can fix it"

Claire went over and bent over his desk. She placed her hand on the mouse and started
clicking. Henry couldn't help himself, he sidled up behind her, sliding his hands over her hips. He

pressed his ever growing erection against her bottom and groaned low in his throat. Claire glanced
over her shoulder, eyebrow raised.

" I swear Mr. Beck, you are insatiable, you already got some this morning", Claire murmured.

Henry leaned over her and nipped at her exposed neck, " I will never get enough of you", he rasped.
Henry slid his hands up her sides to cup her breasts.

" Henry", Claire warned.

Yeah, he knew he was pushing it. They were at work. No one knew that they were together.
They made sure that they didn't touch in a more then friendly way while they were there. But he just
couldn't help himself. Everyday he fantasized about bending Claire over his desk and taking her.

Henry pressed himself more firmly against her, his fingers brushing over her nipples through
her thin shirt. Claire's breath caught and she straightened, turning her head so that she could kiss him.
Her fingers slid into the hair at the back of his neck as her lips teased his. Henry brought one hand up,
slipped it into the top of her low cut shirt and into her bra where his fingers played with her hard
nipple. Claire moaned against his mouth and ground her ass back against his extremely hard cock.

" I fucking knew it!", came Asher's victorious cry as the door slammed shut behind him.

Henry and Claire flew apart. Claire pressed both hands to her chest as her face flushed
bright red. Henry shifted himself in his pants so he wasn't sporting a tent. Asher wore his shit-eatin'
grin as he walked up to the other side of Henry's desk and planted his hands on it.

" I knew it! I knew you two were together!", He said smugly, looking back and forth between them.

" Did you even knock?", Henry muttered, dropping down into his chair.

" Fuck no, I've been trying to catch you two for months now", Asher snorted.

Henry rolled his eyes then glanced at Claire, who now had her arms crossed over her chest as she
glared at Asher.

" I can't believe you guys, how could you not tell me?!", Asher snapped, his smile gone, anger filling
his eyes.

" We didn't want anyone at the office to know", Claire said simply.

Asher narrowed his eyes at her, " I get that, but we're friends", he said, turning back to Henry.

" And you have a big mouth, you would have done or said something to out us", Henry said, raising an
eyebrow, challenging Asher to disagree.

Asher opened his mouth to then snapped it shut. He straightened and crossed his arms over his chest, "
Alright fine, you're probably right"

Henry snorted and shook his head.

" So how long has this been going on?", Asher asked.

" 4 months", Henry said.

" Asher, you can't say anything to anyone", Claire said seriously.

Asher sent her a dirty look, " I won't"

" Seriously, if you let this slip, I will fire your ass so fast...", Henry started.

" I get it! I won't say anything to anyone. Fuck", Asher grunted. " Are you ever going to tell anyone?",
he asked after a moment of silence.

Henry shrugged, " I don't know, we'll see"

" Well, I'm glad that you two are finally together, you are definitely meant for each other", Asher
murmured softly.

Henry gave him a grateful smile then shooed him out the door. This time Henry locked it after it was
closed. He turned back to Claire, intent on living out his fantasy.

Chapter 15

Sebastian walked in Henry's front door. It was Christmas Eve and Henry was having dinner
at his house. Henry was also supposed to propose to Claire tonight. Sitting in the living room were
his parents, Claire's dad Frank and Ethan. Ethan was sitting on his mother's lap while she sang Itsy
Bitsy Spider with a loving smile on her face. Sebastian stared at her for a moment. Was that really his
mother? The condescending bitch? Henry had told him that she's been changing but he hadn't believed
it.

His mother Anne glanced up to him, her smile slipping slightly. The pain and anguish in her
eyes was clear as she looked at him. Sebastian gritted his teeth and headed into the kitchen where
Claire was flitting around the kitchen, getting dinner ready. Henry was setting the table and Christian
was putting a case of beer in the fridge.

Sebastian walked over to Claire, who had her back turned to him, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "
Hey lovely", he said, using his nickname for her.

Claire smiled over her shoulder at him, " Sebastian! Hi!", she exclaimed then turned and hugged him.

Claire was one of his best friends now. They really had the whole brother-sister connection
going. Yeah, he thought she was gorgeous and sexy but he really didn't see her as more then a friend.
She was Henry's woman, always had been, always will be. He was glad that she was going to be his
sister-in-law. He loved her and trusted her and she was the best thing that had ever happened to their
family.

Claire let him go with a bright smile then he couldn't help but return. Leave it to Claire to put a smile
on his face when he wanted to do nothing but scowl. " Grab a beer, relax, dinner will be done soon",
she said, turning back to what she was doing.

Henry walked over to him when he was done with setting the table and clapped him on the back. "
Hey man"

Sebastian gave him a brotherly hug, " Hey"

Henry raised an eyebrow, " You okay?", he asked, knowing exactly what was bothering Sebastian.
Damn him.

Sebastian shrugged, " I don't know...I...she...fuck...", he stuttered, not knowing how to express what
was going on in his head at the moment.

Henry nodded and slipped his arm around Sebastian's shoulders. " Let's go talk", he said, leading
Sebastian down the hall to his office. Once inside Henry shut the door then sat on the couch, crossing
his arms over his chest and waited. Fucker.

Sebastian sighed and raked a hand through his hair. " I just wasn't expecting to walk in and see her
singing baby songs to Ethan, I was expecting tonight to go as all the other family gatherings have gone
over the years, with her nagging the shit out of us"

" I've been trying to tell you that she's working on changing, she wants to be part of our lives and she
knows the only way to do that is by changing her old habits. She's been great with Claire. They've
even gone out to lunch a few times just the two of them. Claire says mom has really opened up a lot to
her about her feelings. She's also been amazing with Ethan, loves him to death. She's been asking to
babysit him more and more"

Sebastian frowned, " Really?", he asked, hesitant to believe what Henry was telling him.

" I wouldn't lie to you Sebastian, you know that. She misses you. She's desperate to apologize to you
and start over", Henry said, leaning forward, propping his forearms on his knees. " Do you think you
could at least talk to her?"

" Fuck...I don't know", Sebastian sighed, closing his eyes, " I want to stay mad at her, I want to make
her suffer for what she put us through, I want her to understand that I'm not a pushover and I won't take
her shit anymore"

" It's been four months since you've talked to her. And believe me when I say she's suffered. I can't
tell you how many times she's come crying to be because you won't talk to her", Henry said softly.

Sebastian's eyes flew open, " Crying?", he asked, not sure he heard right.

" Yes, crying, like tears running down her face"

Sebastian shook his head, " Mom doesn't cry"

" She does now and it's killing her that you won't even let her apologize", Henry sighed and stood, "
I'm not telling you what to do, I just think you should give her a chance. She does love you, you're her
son"

Sebastian took a deep breath and blew it out, " I'll see how tonight goes then I'll think about it", he
said.

Henry nodded, " Fair enough", he said, moving towards the door.

Sebastian followed him out and back into the kitchen. Quinn was walking in, a couple of
store bought pies in his hands. Quinn placed them on the counter then gave Claire a kiss on the cheek
and Christian handshake. Sebastian moved in to give Quinn a handshake after Henry forced him into a
hug. Quinn wasn't an overly affectionate guy. And he was far from emotional. The only time Sebastian
saw Quinn show emotion was when they thought Henry had perished in that plane crash. Sometimes
Sebastian got jealous of how well Quinn could hide everything. The rest of them wore their hearts on
the sleeves.

" Hey dickhead", Sebastian greeted him with a smirk.

Quinn rolled his eyes, " Can't you come up with something new?", he asked, his tone bored, his voice
it's usual deep rasp. Him and Henry sounded a lot alike. Henry's voice had that rasp to it too.

Sebastian chuckled, " I'll work on it"

The corner of Quinn's mouth lifted slightly, the only indication that he found that amusing.
Christian stepped up next to Quinn and gave Sebastian a wary glance. Sebastian knew Christian was
nervous about how he was going to be with their mother there. This was the first time he's seen her
since blowing up on her. And Christian, being the pacifist that he was, wanted everyone to get along.

" Don't worry Chris, I'm on my best behavior tonight", Sebastian said. He wasn't going to ruin Henry's
night with being nasty to their mother.

Christian nodded slowly, " Maybe you shouldn't drink", he said cautiously.

Sebastian sighed, " I'll be fine"

Christian looked skeptical but let it go. He knew he couldn't win an argument with him.

Sebastian helped Claire put dinner on the table while Henry got Ethan set up in his booster
seat. Everyone sat down and started passing around the amazing smelling food. The conversations
were light and happy. And Sebastian couldn't help but watch his mother out of the corner of his eye
all through dinner. She joined in the conversations, laughed and seemed to really be enjoying herself.
His father was absolutely beaming. Sebastian hasn't seen his dad this happy in years. Maybe his mom
really had changed for the better.

Seeing his mom like this really made it hard for him to hold onto his anger and his grudge.
He found himself engaging in the conversations she was in. Not that he talked to her directly, but it
was close. He was sitting across from her and next to his father who was at the end of the table. Ethan
was on his other side. His father more then once grabbed his forearm and gave him a squeeze, his

eyes letting Sebastian know that he appreciated the little bit of effort that he was putting in towards
his mother.

After dinner, they had dessert and coffee. While Claire and his mother cleaned up, the men
went into the living room. Sebastian watched Henry pull Ethan onto his lap and talk quietly to him.
No doubt going over what he wanted Ethan to say to Claire for the proposal. Sebastian knew that
Henry wanted Ethan to be part of it. Sebastian felt a twinge of jealousy at what Henry was getting, a
beautiful wife and a son. That should be Sebastian. The thought made Sebastian hate Victoria even
more. She took everything away from him. Fucking bitch.

When Claire and Anne came into the living room, Ethan went running to Claire. She picked
him up and moved closer to Henry, who was standing next to the tree. He didn't look nervous at all.
He was simply smiling, all the love he held for Claire brightening his already bright green eyes.

" Mommy! Look present!", Ethan cried and stretched to reach the little box that Henry had set on one
of the higher branches.

Claire looked confused but turned her back on the room and lifted Ethan up a little higher so
that he could reach the box, just like Henry had planned. Sebastian smiled and shook his head as
Henry got down on one knee behind her. Sebastian saw his mother's eyes widen as she slapped a
hand over her mouth. His dad smiled wide and pulled his wife into his arms. Claire's dad Frank went
over and placed a hand on his dad, Henry's, shoulder, a warm smile breaking out across his face.

After Ethan grabbed the box, he squirmed to be put down. Claire obliged, setting him on his
feet. Ethan went to Henry, standing in his arms. Claire turned and flinched as if she was slapped.
Sebastian stifled a laugh. She looked so confused and shocked. Ethan opened the ring box with
Henry's help then held it up to his mother.

" Mommy, you marry Henwee?", Ethan asked sweetly.

Sebastian blinked back a rush of unexpected tears. What the hell? Ethan's little voice just
tugged at his heart and he couldn't believe that he was actually getting choked up by his brother's
marriage proposal.

Claire gasped and covered her nose and mouth with her hands. Sebastian could see the tears start
rolling down her face as she dropped to her knees in front of Henry and Ethan. " Really?", she
croaked, covering Ethan's hands as he held the ring box.

" Really Claire, I love you with my whole heart and I want us to be a family, will you marry me?",
Henry asked, looking a little teary eyed himself.

" Oh my god, Yes Henry, Yes!" Claire cried, throwing her arms around to two of them.

Henry smiled as he kissed her. Once Claire let them go, Henry pulled the ring out of the box
and slipped it onto her finger. Claire smiled shakily and looked down at the ring. It was a gorgeous

ring. Henry did good. Claire gave Ethan a kiss before turning back to Henry for another kiss. After
they got to their feet, everyone gathered around to congratulate the couple. Sebastian was last.

Sebastian pulled Claire into his arms, " Congrats sister", He murmured, kissing her cheek.

Claire laughed and sniffed, wiping tears from her cheeks as she pulled away, " Thanks Sebastian".

Sebastian then pulled Henry into a hug, " I'm glad you're happy, Henry", he said quietly, kissing his
brother's temple before pulling away.

Henry smiled and thanked him.

After popping open a bottle of champagne and toasting the newly engaged couple, Sebastian
went to the bathroom. He finished drying his hands and opened the door to find his mother pacing
nervously in the hallway in front of the door. When she heard the door open, her head shot up, her
eyes meeting his as she twisted her hands together.

Sebastian watched her struggle to say something, so he waited.

" Sebastian...can we...can we talk?", she asked hesitantly.

The hope and desperation in her eyes broke apart his resolve. He sighed heavily, " Yeah"

His mother blinked rapidly and gave his a watery smile. Sebastian went into Henry's office.
Anne followed. Sebastian closed the door and went over to sit on the brown leather couch. He leaned
back into the corner, resting one arm across the back and the other on the arm of the couch. He knew
he looked relaxed and nonchalant. But on the inside he was in turmoil. His stomach rolled uneasily
and his heart raced.

His mom sat at the other end of the couch, perched on the edge of the cushion. Her hands
clasp together tightly. Sebastian watched her, his chest constricting with the need to comfort her. It
was easy to not care when he didn't see her. But she was his mother and he did love her. And seeing
her so nervous and tense was bothering him more then he wanted it to.

" Sebastian", She started, looking over at him, a tear streaming down her face, " I don't even know
where to begin to apologize for everything I put you through. I hate myself for the way I acted and
treated you and your brothers. I never ever wanted to push you away. I only did what I thought would
keep you close, not realizing that I was doing just the opposite. I'm so sorry and I can only hope that
you can find it in your heart to forgive me", she said, her voice trembling and cracking the whole time.

Sebastian stared at her, trying to keep his face schooled. He didn't want her to know how
torn up he was inside. Part of him wanted to forgive her but the other part wanted to remain pissed at
her. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to say.

" You don't have to say anything", Anne said, as if hearing his thoughts, " I just wanted the chance to

apologize to you", she murmured and stood, leaving the room quickly.

Sebastian closed his eyes and dropped his head back. Well didn't he feel like the biggest
dickhead in the world now. Why was she getting to him like this? Because she was acting like a
completely different person, that's why. She hadn't been a bitch once. She was acting like a normal
loving mother and grandmother. It was throwing Sebastian for a loop. He groaned and stood up,
leaving the office to join the rest of his family.






Claire glanced at Henry through the mirror as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail on top of
her head. Henry was brushing his teeth before bed. Her fianc é . She smiled softly to herself. She
never expected Henry to propose so soon. But she couldn't be happier. She loved him and wanted to
be with him forever. Even though they've only been together for four months, they've known each
other almost a year now.

Claire was already thinking about the kind of wedding she wanted. Just something small and
simple. She didn't have a lot of friends or family. So having some big event would be silly. She also
wanted to get married soon. There was no need for a long engagement.

" So I was thinking...", Henry started, spitting toothpaste into the sink and rinsing his toothbrush.

" Okay"

Henry put his toothbrush in the hold and leaned his hands on the counter, his intense green gaze
watching her through the mirror. " I was thinking that since we're getting married, I should adopt
Ethan, that way he doesn't ever have to question who his father is"

It took a moment for what Henry said to sink in, and when it did, Claire burst into tears.
Claire covered her face with her hands. Henry pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

" Baby, these are happy tears right?", Henry murmured into her hair.

" Yes", Claire hiccuped against his chest.

Claire got herself under control and moved out of Henry's embrace. She grabbed a tissue and
blew her nose and dried her face. She looked up at the incredible man standing half naked in front of
her. Claire shook her head. She could hardly believe this was happening. She never thought she'd be
lucky enough to find the love of her life, let alone a man who loved her son like he was his own.

Henry reached out and stroked his knuckles over her cheek, " What are you thinking?", he asked
softly.

" I never thought Ethan would ever have a father. For so long I though it was just going to be me and
him for the rest of our lives. But I love that you love him so much and I would love for you to adopt
him", Claire said with a shaky smile.

Henry smiled lovingly and took the two steps it took to close the space between them. He
slipped the hand he had on her face down to the back of her neck then dropped his head down to kiss
her soundly. Claire sucked in a sharp breath and wrapped her arms around his waist. God, she loved
this man and she couldn't wait for them to become the family she always wanted and never thought
she'd have.




















Epilogue

Henry and Claire had a small wedding 3 months later. Claire had looked stunning in her
wedding gown. Henry had cried like a baby. Sebastian had laughed his ass off too. But Henry was
happy and that's all that Sebastian really cared about.

It took almost a year, starting from when Henry and Claire got engaged, but the adoption
papers had finally gone through. So Ethan was officially Henry's son. Ethan already thought of Henry
as his dad anyway so the only thing they had to do was change his last name to Beck.

Claire had announced that she was pregnant on Henry's 35th birthday, to everyone, including
Henry. He had no idea that she was pregnant until he opened up his present in front of everyone. She
had framed the picture of the first ultrasound for him. Once again, Henry cried like a baby. Sebastian
had never seen Henry cry so much. It's not like he could really blame the guy, the two times he
bawled like a pussy had been big events in his life that he never thought would happen to him. So

Sebastian understood why he got so emotional.


9 months later...


" He's beautiful", Sebastian whispered in awe as he stared down at the tiny baby in his arms.

His heart filled with so much freaking love that he swore it would burst. Sebastian couldn't
tear his eyes away from the little pink face peaking out of the blankets he was swaddled in. Sebastian
stroked the baby's soft fuzzy head as he rocked gently in the rocking chair. Claire had just given birth
to the little munchkin a hour ago.

" You're a natural Sebastian", Claire commented from the hospital bed next to him.

Sebastian smiled but refused to look away from the baby.

" Is anyone else going to get a turn Sebastian?", Came Christian impatient voice from somewhere in
the room, Sebastian was too busy staring at the baby to care.

" No", He said, tracing a finger down the side of the baby boy's cheek.

Henry chuckled softly, " I've never seen you so enamored before"

" Whatever, I'm taking him home with me so I can stare at him forever", Sebastian murmured.
That's when Sebastian heard Claire's soft sob. Sebastian looked up in horror at her. She had her face
in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she cried, " Jesus Claire, I was only kidding", he said quickly.

Claire shook her head, lifting her face from her hand, " I'm sorry, it's hormones, I can't help it, I know
you're kidding, I've just never seen you like this, you're being so sweet", she cried.

Sebastian turned a tortured gaze to Henry, who was sitting on the edge of the bed by Claire's knees.
He was patting and rubbing her thigh. Henry shook his head, " It's fine Sebastian, it really is
hormones"

Claire waved a dismissive hand and grabbed the tissue box from the table next to her bed.

" Alright, it's my turn", Christian said firmly and moved in front of Sebastian.

Sebastian sighed heavily, " Fine". He stood up and handed the baby over to Christian who sat down
in the rocking chair with him.

Sebastian went to Claire and sat down next to her hip, turning so that he could face her. He
grabbed a tissue and dried her cheeks. She looked beautiful even though she just went through a 12
hour labor to push out a 7 lb baby. She gave him a watery smile. Sebastian loved his sister-in-law to

death.

" You did great today, you made a beautiful baby", he said softly then kissed her forehead.

Claire burst into tears all over again and wrapped her arms around his neck. Sebastian hugged her
back. " Thank you", she croaked.

After Claire collected herself, Sebastian turned to put his arm around Henry's shoulders,
who was sitting next to him on the bed. They watched their youngest brother rock and coo to his
nephew. Sebastian never thought that he'd want kids, but after today he didn't think he could go
through the rest of his life without them. He still might not want a relationship but that didn't mean he
couldn't have kids eventually.

" Uncle Bastian, can I sit with you?", came Ethan's voice from in front of him.

Sebastian looked down at the new big brother, " Sure buddy", Sebastian said, hoisting the nearly 4
year old onto his lap. Sebastian turned to Henry, " So, what's his name gonna be?", he asked.

" Henry Michael Beck III", Henry smiled proudly.

Sebastian smiled and gave his brother's shoulder a squeeze, " I like it"

After everyone got a turn with the baby, he went back to Claire and everyone left so that she
could feed him. Out in the hall, everyone milled around talking for a little while before they started to
disperse. Sebastian was the only one left. He really didn't want to leave, he wanted to wait for Claire
to be done so that he could hog the baby some more. This was the first baby he's ever held and he
found that he was now addicted.

" Uncle Bastian?", Ethan asked, tugging on the hem of his t-shirt.

Sebastian looked down at his little buddy, who had grown so tall and was starting to look more and
more like a little boy then a baby. " What's up?"

" Can I stay with you tonight?", he asked hopefully.

Sebastian's eyebrows flew up, " Really?", he asked, shocked.

Ethan smiled and nodded.

Sebastian looked at Henry. Henry shrugged, " It's up to you, but it would let me stay and help out
Claire with the baby tonight"

" Alright then, it's settled, you're coming with me buddy", Sebastian smiled and held out his fist. Ethan
knocked his own little fist against Sebastian's and jumped up and down, shouting,
" Yay!"

Sebastian was a bit nervous. he's never babysat a kid before. He didn't want to fuck up.
Sebastian looked back at Henry, who for the first time since Sebastian showed up, looked completely
exhausted. Whether he was nervous or not, Sebastian would do this for his brother. Sebastian put his
arm around Ethan's shoulders.

" Try and get some sleep Henry", Sebastian said, giving his big brother's face a pat.

Henry smiled wearily, " I'm gonna try, thanks for doing this Sebastian", he said sincerely.

" No problem, I'll call you in the morning", he replied.

Henry nodded and crouched down in front of Ethan, " You be good for Uncle Sebastian okay?", Ethan
nodded vehemently. " Good, I love you, see you tomorrow, don't be afraid to tell Uncle Sebastian
when you need something"

" Okay daddy, love you", Ethan said, giving Henry a hug and kiss.

Henry stood and Sebastian pulled him into a hug, " Love you daddy", he said in his best little kid
voice.

Henry laughed and shoved him away.

" Alright little man, lets go", Sebastian said, holding his hand out for his nephew.

Ethan eagerly took it. They waved to Henry as they headed down the hallway. Sebastian's
apprehension eased. He could take care of a kid, especially one who could talk to him. He would do
anything for his brothers and if Henry was able to get some rest tonight then he would do what he
could to help. Sebastian glanced down at Ethan to find him smiling adoringly up at him. Sebastian
smiled. Yeah, he could do this.

Coming Soon...

Chapter 1

How the hell Sebastian got roped into this he will never know. One kid was kicking and
screaming because he didn't want to go to bed while the other one wailed because his brother woke
him up with his screaming. Fucking Henry and Claire. He was never letting them go out on a date
again. Sebastian bounced the two month old Henry in his arms while he waited for Ethan to stop
having his fit. What the hell had made him volunteer to babysit? It was Claire and her pleading blue
eyes. She had said that she and Henry needed a date night and that he was the only one she trusted
with the baby. Sebastian being his arrogant self thought that he could handle two kids at once. What an
asshole!

A screaming four year old Sebastian could handle, but the baby broke his heart. His arms
were flailing, his face was bright red and his little bottom lip was sticking out. Ethan was on the floor
in the living room, kicking and pounding his fists on the floor. Sebastian had had about enough of the
four year old. He put Henry in his swing and turned it on with the music. Then Sebastian went over

and picked Ethan up by his arms. Ethan immediately went limp. Sebastian gritted his teeth. He hated
when the kid did this.

" You can go have your fit in your room mister", Sebastian snapped, tossing Ethan over his shoulder.

Sebastian stomped up the stairs with Ethan beating his little fists on his back. Did he do this
for his parents? Sebastian was going to have to find out. Once in Ethan's room, he dumped the kid on
his bed, turned the nightlight on then left, shutting the door firmly behind him. Sebastian sighed
heavily and headed back downstairs to deal with the still wailing Henry.

Sebastian had thought that he wanted kids. He snorted to himself. Not after tonight. Fuck this
shit. Babies were cute and all but he was going to be happy to give these two back. Not that little
Henry was a problem, he didn't really know any better. He was just doing what baby's do. But Ethan
and the fits he's been having all night were irritating as fuck. No wonder Henry and Claire needed a
break.

Back in the living room, Sebastian turned on the video monitor and set it for Ethan's room.
Ethan was curled up under his covers, fast asleep. The kid had obviously been tired. At least one was
out. Henry was still whining a bit in his swing. At least he wasn't full out crying anymore. His little
lip was still sticking out though. Sebastian glanced at the clock. The kid was probably hungry, again.
Sebastian left him in his swing and headed into the kitchen.

Sebastian prepared a bottle of breast milk Claire had pumped ahead of time and went back
into the living room where Henry was gearing up for another bout of screaming. His face grew red
and his itty bitty fists started pumping. Sebastian went over and scooped him up then went over to the
glider and settled into it. As soon as the bottle was in Henry's mouth, he started sucking away. His
little hand wrapped around Sebastian's thumb, his bright blue eyes staring up at him.

How he had become so comfortable handling a baby was a mystery. He'd never even held a
baby until Henry was born. It just seemed like second nature to him. Claire had called him a natural.
And every time they were together, she somehow commented on how great of a father he would make.
Well, he was content with just being an uncle, fuck you very much. Especially after tonight. This was
the first time he actually babysat all by himself. He was proud of himself. He thought he was doing a
damn good job so far.

Sebastian burped Henry when he was finished. The kid practically passed out when he was
done so Sebastian brought him upstairs and put him in his bassinet in Henry and Claire's room. When
he got back downstairs, he flopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. Sebastian rubbed his
suddenly tired eyes and tried to focus on Sons of Guns, his favorite show.

Sebastian jolted awake, not even realizing he fell asleep. His heart pounded as he looked
around the living room. Something had woken him, but he wasn't sure what. He checked the monitor,
both kids were still sleeping. He checked the clock on the wall, he was only asleep for an hour. That's
when he heard the scratchy-scraping noise coming from the back of the house. Adrenaline raced hard
and fast through his body. Someone was trying to break in. No fucking way!

Sebastian pulled the SIG 40S&W out of the ankle holster he always wore and stood.
Working as a gunsmith in a gun shop kinda had Sebastian a bit paranoid about going anywhere
without his gun. He's heard so many stories and has seen so many weirdos buy guns that he was wary
of people he didn't know. So Sebastian had gotten a permit to carry as soon as he turned 21 and has
been carrying a gun on his person ever since.

The scratching continued. It sounded like someone was trying to pick the lock on the back
door or something. Sebastian left the lights out as he crept along the wall of the hallway that lead to
the kitchen. Peeking into the kitchen, he could see the back door, the top half of which was glass. Only
thing was that the glass had a shade in between the panels and it was closed. He couldn't see who was
on the other side. If it was Henry and Claire, they would have come in through the garage door. So
whoever was at the back door was not welcome.

Sebastian saw the small flash of light cross the window. Fuckers had a flashlight. They must
have climbed the wrought iron fence that surrounded the property because they couldn't just walk up
the driveway, there was a gate. Sebastian heard one voice curse while another shushed the first one.
Okay, so far he knew there were two, maybe more. He should call the cops, but he left his phone on
the table in the living room. There was no way he was going back and letting these assholes get any
further then the kitchen. Sebastian had kids to protect and he'd die before he let these scumbags get
anywhere near them.

The lock clicked and the world seemed to move in slow motion. Sebastian let out the breath
he was holding and waited as the door opened. He knew the laws in PA and as soon as those
shitheads entered the house he was going to shoot them. He was defending himself and the lives of
two children. He would not be at fault if he managed to kill someone. Not that he really cared either,
as long as Henry and Ethan were safe.

Sebastian saw two figures step into the house. Sebastian dropped into his shooting stance,
aimed and pulled the trigger. There were only two of them and they were both wearing dark clothing
and skull caps. Sebastian had a reputation for being one of the best shooters in the state. So he knew
that he would hit whatever he was aiming at, even in the dark.

Pop, pop...Pop, pop!

The lead guy dropped like a sack of potatoes. No scream of pain or anything. Sebastian knew
in that moment that he had killed a man. The second guy got spun around, screamed in pain as he
slammed into the doorframe then scrambled to get away. Sebastian let him go, no doubt the gunshots
would wake one or both the kids. He watched as the man disappeared into the darkness of the
backyard. Sebastian waited, his gun still trained on the backdoor just in case he decided to come
back.

" Uncle Bastian, I heard a noise", came Ethan's sleepy voice from behind him a minute later.

Sebastian didn't move, " Listen closely bud, go get me my phone off the table in the living room", he

said in as calm a voice as he could manage.

Sebastian heard Ethan's bare feet slap on the hardwood floors towards the living room. He
came back a minute later. Sebastian just held out his hand behind him until Ethan pressed the phone
into it.

" What are you doing?", Ethan asked curiously.

" Ethan, I need you to go back up to your room and shut the door, don't come out until me or your
parents come get you, do you understand?", Sebastian said in a low serious voice.

Ethan must have understood the seriousness of the situation, because he said okay and quickly did as
he was told.

Sebastian called the police then moved to the control panel in the hallway that worked the
gate to the driveway. Sebastian hit the button to open the gate and then went to the front door. He
opened it quickly before moving back into the kitchen and turned on the light. Tucking his gun in the
back of his jeans, Sebastian moved towards the man sprawled out just inside the backdoor, a pool of
blood spreading out from under his head. Holy shit. Sebastian blew half the guy's skull off. Sebastian
swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat. He refused to throw up.

A few cops barged in the front door, while some appears at the back door. He was ordered
to put his hands up. One of the officers moved up behind him and pushed him against the counter,
ordering him to place his hands on the top of it and spread his legs. Sebastian did as he was told. The
officer asked him what happen while he was being frisked. The officer removed his gun from his
pants, popped the clip and removed the bullet from the chamber, placing them all on the counter out of
Sebastian's reach.

Sebastian told the officer what had happened in as much detail as he could remember.
Sebastian could hear both kids crying and he couldn't help but glance at the ceiling repeatedly. The
officer seemed to notice his distress about the kids and let him go get them and bring them into the
living room.

Sebastian cradled Henry in the crook of his left arm while he held Ethan against his leg with
his right. Ethan was hugging his thigh, his head resting against Sebastian's hip as he rocked them
slightly side to side. Henry had settled back down and Ethan just sniffed and rubbed his eyes.

Sebastian heard a female voice snap at someone and lifted his gaze to the front door. A
gorgeous blonde walked in, a fierce expression on her pretty face. Her light hair was parted on the
side and pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck. She was wearing black dress pants and a
tailored white button down blouse. Her badge and gun were clipped to her belt. Sebastian had a flash
of deja vu. His eyes widened as he realized who she was.

" You've gotta be kidding me", he muttered and hung his head. This was the bitch who bent his finger
back at the bar over a year ago.

The gorgeous detective moved farther into the living room, her shrewd gaze taking in
everything. Finally her eyes settled on him. He saw the flicker of recognition in her eyes before her
gaze swept over the kids. Surprisingly, her gaze softened and a small smile lifted her pink lips.

" Mr. Beck, I'm Detective Reynolds", she said, holding out her hand.

Sebastian eyed it warily, " You going to actually break my finger this time?", he asked, narrowing his
eyes at her.

She rolled her eyes at him, " Not if I don't have to"

Sebastian snorted and shook her hand.

Before she could ask any questions, Sebastian heard Henry's frantic voice just outside the front door.
" This is my house! What the fuck do you mean I can't go inside?! My kids are in there!", Henry
shouted angrily.

Sebastian glanced at the door then back at Detective Reynolds, who had turned and walked
to the door. She stepped outside and Sebastian could hear her ask Henry for ID. He snapped at her
that this was bullshit, but must have shown her his ID. She stepped back inside with Henry and Claire
on her heels. Both looked terrified.

" Sebastian! What's going on? We pulled up to see tons of cop cars", Henry said roughly, rushing over
to him and the kids.

Claire sobbed in relief and took the baby from him, clutching him close to her chest. Ethan
wrapped his arms around her waist. She held him to her with one hand. The weight of what just
happened seemed to hit him out a nowhere and he just stared at Claire and the kids. Jesus Christ, what
if it had been Christian here watching the kids? What if he hadn't woken up in time?

Henry's strong hands grabbed his shoulders and shook him, " Sebastian?!"

Sebastian flinched, his gaze flicking to Henry who was right in front of him all of a sudden. "
I...uh...someone broke in the back door, I shot them", he whispered.

Henry's eyes widened in horror. He let go out Sebastian and started for the kitchen.
Detective Reynolds was right behind him, calling for him to stop, not to go in there. Sebastian
squeezed his eyes shut, and waited. Henry's horrified shout came no more then a few seconds later.
Henry stumbled back into the living room, Detective Reynolds in tow with a grim expression on her
face. Sebastian looked at his brother, who had turned deathly pale.

" Sebastian", He choked out.

" I'm sorry Henry...", Sebastian started. He knew Henry had to be disgusted that he killed someone in

his house, but he had no choice.

Henry gripped him up by the front of his t-shirt and shook him hard, " Don't you dare fucking
apologize to me!", he shouted in Sebastian's face, his nostrils flaring with the force of his panting
breaths.

Sebastian frowned, confused.

Henry clasped the sides of his neck, tears welling up in his eyes. " You...you killed someone to
protect my kids", he said, his voice trembling. Claire gasped behind him. Henry blinked and the tears
rolled down his face, " I don't know how I will ever be able to thank you", he choked, dropping his
forehead to Sebastian's.

Sebastian felt his own eyes well up. Goddammit. He clasp the back of Henry's neck, " You know I
would never let anything happen to those kids, not as long as I'm breathing", he rasped.

Henry wrapped him up in a tight hug. They both tucked their faces into each other's neck. Sebastian
just let the tears slid down his face, not really caring who saw.

Once they broke apart, Henry gave him a pat on the face, " I love you brother"

" I love you too", Sebastian nodded.

Claire moved forward. Henry took his sleeping son from her arms and kissed him softly.
Then he crouched down and pulled Ethan into a hug, kissing him on the temple. Claire cupped
Sebastian's face, her eyes full of love and adoration. She gave him a kiss on the lips then hugged him.
Sebastian wrapped his arms around her.

" Thank you", she whispered.

Sebastian just nodded. He hadn't expected the gratitude. He knew they would be thankful that
their kids were okay. But he had killed someone in their house. He thought they would be pissed off
and disgusted with him. He killed someone. But they had nothing but love for him. It eased his heart.
He had been so afraid that they would cut him out of their lives after this.

" I'm sorry to interrupt, but I really need to interview Mr. Beck", came the soft voice of Detective
Reynolds from behind Claire.

Claire let Sebastian go, " Oh yes, I'm sorry", she said quickly and wiped the tears from her face as
she went to Henry and the kids.

Henry looked at Sebastian, " I'm going to call mom and see if we can stay there for a little while until
the house is taken care of"

Sebastian nodded, " Good idea"

Henry nodded back. Then him and Claire got an escort upstairs so that they could pack some
bags. Sebastian scrubbed his hands over his face roughly and sank back into the couch behind him. He
shoved his hands through his hair then leaned forward, placing his forearms on his knees. He lifted
his head to find Detective Reynolds sinking down onto the coffee table in front of him.

" I need to ask you some questions", She said, cocking her head to the side.

Sebastian nodded and cleared his throat, " Alright"

She pulled a little note pad and pen from her back pocket and flipped it open. " The two little boys
are your nephews?", she asked in an offhand manner.

" Yes", Sebastian said roughly, having to clear his throat again. Damn his emotions.

" They're cute", she smirked.

Sebastian stared at her for a moment, realizing that she was trying to lighten the mood a little.
Sebastian smiled softly, " Yes they are", he agreed.

" They were sleeping when everything happened?"

" Yes, thank god"

Detective Reynolds nodded solemnly in agreement. " Can you go back and start from the beginning,
tell me what happened"

Sebastian sighed but retold his story. She asked questions throughout, making sure she
understood everything correctly. She asked where he worked and how he got so proficient with a gun.
She asked him if he had been drinking or had taken any drugs. She asked if he had anyone who would
have wanted to hurt him. Sebastian couldn't help but admire her, she was completely thorough in her
investigation. Sebastian answered all her questions honestly and she seemed to know that. Which he
was glad for.

" Alright Mr. Beck...", she started as she stood.

" Sebastian", he corrected, looking up at her.

She gave him a nod, " Sebastian, I'll be in touch", she said and handed him a business card, " Call me
if you remember anything else"

Sebastian nodded, " Will do", looking down at her card. Detective Raelynn Reynolds. Raelynn? That
was different, he liked it.

She gave him a tight smile then headed into the kitchen. Sebastian watched her go. Damn she

had a nice ass. Those pants really showed off the heart shape of it. Henry and Claire came back
downstairs with four bags, plus a couple of garment bags that probably held Henry's suits. Sebastian
got up and grabbed a couple of the bags from Henry's shoulders.

" Thanks", Henry said, " Listen, why don't you come to mom's for the night. I don't want you to be
alone"

Sebastian thought about it for a minute. Sebastian and his mother had gotten into a huge fight
and he hadn't really been speaking to her. His mother had been working on bettering herself and she
apologized to him over a year ago. He still wasn't sure what he wanted to do about it, because she
had said some really nasty things to him. But he didn't want to be alone right now either.

" Alright, let me make sure it's okay for me to leave, I'll meet you over there", Sebastian said.

Henry nodded. " Okay"

Sebastian helped them get everything in the car then went back inside to find Detective
Reynolds. He found her in the kitchen, squatting down next to the body, gloved hands leafing though
his wallet. Sebastian cleared his throat to get her attention. Her blonde head snapped up and her now
cold light blue eyes glared at him.

" Mr. Beck, you don't need to be in here", she snapped, straightening up.

" It's Sebastian, and I just wanted to ask if it was okay for me to leave", he said, biting back his
irritation at her three-sixty change in demeanor.

Her eyes scanned his face before she looked back down at the wallet in her hands. She
pulled something out of it then walked over to him. She held up the drivers license with the name and
photo of the man he killed on it.

" Did you know this guy?", She asked evenly.

Sebastian stared at it for a moment then shook his head, " Never seen him before"

She watched him intently, probably to try and decipher if he was lying or not. She nodded slowly, "
Okay then, you can go, we'll lock the house up when we're finished and have a patrol car sit outside
for a couple days. Once we get the body out of here, I'll call a clean up crew that can take care of the
mess, just don't leave the state Sebastian, I'll probably have more questions for you once this
investigation gets moving"

" Okay, thanks for your help", he said quietly and turned to leave.

" Oh and Sebastian?", she called.

Sebastian turned his head, giving her his profile. He waited for her to continue.

" You might want to seek counseling. You shot and killed someone tonight, whether it be in self
defense or not, you need to talk to someone", She said gently.

" I'll think about it", he mumbled then left.