by Nina West
I gasp with the sudden intrusion.
“I thought you missed feeling me inside you,” he whispers, his eyes at least showing a flare of heat now as they focus on my breasts, as he adjusts his hips.
“I do.”
He closes his eyes and lets his head fall back. “Well then, here I am, inside you. So, let’s fuck.”
This isn’t my Henry, but this is the Henry I get right now—one that’s hurting over the death of his father and the surprise visit by his mother. The closed-off Henry.
But I want to bring my Henry back to me.
Forgetting the oblivious world outside us, I settle my hands on either side of his chiseled face and lean in to place a tender kiss against his lips. I begin rocking my pelvis back and forth.
His mouth is unresponsive to me at first, but I don’t relent, sliding the tip of my tongue against his seam as my body naturally opens up and he slides in deeper. “Look at me. Please, Henry,” I plead softly.
After a few beats, eyes the color of a deep blue sea peer up at me. Into me. The veil normally over them is gone, showing me so much pain.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers.
I press my lips against his mouth again. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” His arms wrap around my naked body and he pulls me tight to him, his mouth working against mine now, in that slow, tantalizing way he has of kissing that makes me forget everyone and everything.
I’m barely aware that we’ve pulled up in front of Wolf Towers when Henry hits the lock on the doors and tells the driver through the intercom that we’ll be out in a few minutes.
My hair was pulled back in a tidy ponytail for the visitation. Henry works the elastic out with nimble fingers, giving him access to my thick mane of red hair. His hand weaves through it to seize the back of my head. “Have I ever told you how much I love your hair?” he whispers against my lips. “And your mouth. And your neck. And these....” He dips his head to gently clasp one of my hard nipples between his teeth. I gasp as he sucks, and grind my hips against him harder. After standing in heels for so long today, my legs are already tired. I can’t help the sigh of relief when Henry lifts me off him to set me down on the opposite bench.
I glance to the window, where Wolf Tower’s doormen stand just outside, primed to open the limo door and greet the building’s owner. “They’re definitely locked this time, right?” The last time we were caught in a compromising position in a vehicle, it was in the parking lot of the seedy Billy Bob’s because Henry mistakenly unlocked the doors. I have no interest in repeating that night.
Henry kneels in front of me and hoists my legs up onto his shoulders. “Yes. And they know better.” His heated gaze burns over my flesh as he studies first my breasts and then the space between my legs. He runs a finger through my slit a few times, teasing me. “Will you always get this wet for me?”
“Always.”
He lines himself up and then thrusts into me so hard that I can’t help cry out, more in surprise than anything.
One of the doormen’s head jumps toward the window, and then he discreetly takes several steps back.
I bite my bottom lip to keep quiet as Henry starts pumping into me at a hard and fast tempo, so hard that the Scotch in the bottle sloshes around. I can’t keep up with him, so I simply watch his beautiful face as it strains with concentration. Barely thirty seconds later, he lets out a deep groan and I feel hot liquid spurting into me.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.” He kisses the inside of one of my knees as he pulls out. I move to pull my legs down and get dressed, but he seizes the backs of my thighs and holds my legs up, pulling them farther apart.
Studying the view intensely as the sound of his ragged breaths complete with the music over the limo’s speakers.
“What?” I finally ask, feeling a touch self-conscious.
“I was just thinking about Margo’s tongue on you. About what that looked like.” He says it so casually.
Blood flows toward my clit at the memory of the grotto beneath the French chateau we left. I still can’t believe I agreed to that. I know I’m straight, and yet Margo Lauren is one of those sexual beings who could entice anyone to experiment.
And she wanted me.
“Did you like watching that?” I ask softly, daring to reach down and run a finger through my slit, now slick from Henry’s seed.
“Yes.” A devious smile touches Henry’s lips, but it drifts off just as quickly. “Do you want it to happen again?”
“I’d much rather have your mouth on me,” I answer truthfully. In the heat of the moment—like right now, as Henry holds my legs apart and I trail my finger over my wet, swollen clit—I’d probably agree to it again. That’s how Henry gets me to agree to most things, when I’m too wound up to care. “But what do you want?”
“I want you to experience enough to know what you want. So you never have any regrets later in life.”
“I already know what I want. You. Only you, Henry. Always.” My hand stills as I try to convey my feelings through our locked gazes, hoping he can see what’s inside my heart—utter adoration for him.
His eyelids shut with his deep sigh, as if suddenly too heavy to keep open. “Come for me.”
I slide my fingers over myself again. Ever aware of the people outside.
“Abbi....”
“I’m trying.”
“Try harder.”
Even though he just came, his cock is still fully erect. “I need your help,” I challenge in a playful voice.
With a smile, he shifts forward, close enough to lay his length against me, his tip reaching my clit. “Go ahead. Use it.”
This is new. I grasp his cock with my fist and begin rubbing him against me.
He hisses, stalling my hand.
“No, keep going,” he says through gritted teeth, unbuttoning the bottom of his dress shirt and pushing it out of the way.
So I do, reveling in the feel of his velvety smooth skin beneath my fingertips, trying to be gentle while I use his cock in place of my fingers to pleasure myself, keeping all my attention on Henry—and his plump pink lips that have touched every inch of my body, on his searing eyes that send shivers through me with every look, on his strong hands that grip my thighs almost to the point of bruising but not quite.
It’s not long before that familiar tingle begins running down my spine. My breathing is coming in short pants and I feel the urge to stretch my hips as wide as they can go.
“Now?” he whispers.
“Yes.”
“Thank fucking God.” Henry pushes my hand away and thrusts his cock into me once again, letting me ride out my orgasm with him inside. Not five seconds later, he’s releasing inside me again.
“Christ, Abbi,” he mutters, his chest heaving. “What have you turned into?”
I smile. “Don’t make me wait so long next time.”
With a heavy sigh, he leans down to press a hard kiss on my lips that lasts five seconds. And then he’s pulling out and reaching for the tissue box. He quickly cleans himself and me off before tossing the balled-up paper into the trash. “You’re the one who told me to give Miles some time before he quits on me.” He begins buttoning his shirt.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
He chuckles. “Don’t ever apologize for needing that. And you got my mind off things for a bit.” With his words, that deep brooding look settles onto his face again.
I hesitate. “Has she tried to reconnect with you before?”
His jaw tenses, and for a moment I think I’ve ruined things by prodding. “Once, about ten years ago, around the time I got my trust fund.”
“So you think she’s after money?”
“I don’t know. It could have just been a coincidence. She got a huge settlement in the divorce.” He loops his tie around his collar and begins fussing with it.
I reach for my dress—because I need to get dressed—but I move slowly, hoping to get more out of him. “Did she ever give you a r
eason for leaving?”
“Does it matter? What kind of mother abandons her kids like that?”
“A horrible one,” I agree. “I’m just wondering if there’s more to the story. Maybe something that happened between your parents. Did your father ever say anything about why she left?”
“Because she wasn’t happy.” He yanks first his briefs on, then his pants. “Because she was a selfish woman who expected to be the center of attention all the time. And when he didn’t give that to her, she started looking elsewhere for it.”
“So she had an affair?”
“At least one.” His fingers fumble with his belt. “And now my dad’s gone and she’s hovering. It’s rather convenient, with the inheritance ready to be doled out. I don’t know exactly what my father gave her in the divorce settlement. He refused to talk about it. The family businesses were out of reach; the prenup made sure of that. But I know she was taken care of.” He sighs. “He may not have been the most loving man, or able to give her everything she wanted, but he did love her in his way, and she broke his heart. He never remarried after that.”
I reach for him, to straighten his tie, but really just to touch him. “She didn’t just break his heart, did she?”
His throat bobs with a hard swallow.
“I don’t mean to push, Henry, but it’s time you faced her and let go of all this anger you’ve kept bottled up for her. I think it’ll go a long way in you moving on from the pain she’s caused you.”
He regards me for a moment, his gaze unreadable. “Maybe you’re right.”
I offer him the smallest smile. Inside, my relief is exploding that he might listen to me.
He tugs at my dress, still in my hands. “I really need to get back to work, given I’m losing most of tomorrow, too.”
Right. Tomorrow is the funeral.
I pull on my bra and dress quickly. I reach for my panties but Henry seizes them. He bunches them up in his fist, and then sticks them in his pocket.
I giggle. “What are you doing?”
“Reminding myself what’s important.”
“My underwear is important?”
“No. You. You’re important,” he murmurs, smoothing my hair off my face. “Giving you what you need is important. Keeping you happy.”
My heart swells. “I’m happy as long as you’re in my life, Henry.” I love you. It’s on the tip of my tongue and I’m so damn scared to say it.
“I’ll see you tonight.” He hits the button to unlock the door.
The doorman must have been waiting for the sound because he immediately reaches for the handle.
I stand on the sidewalk for a moment to watch the limo pull away, ignoring the knowing looks.
My heart brims with adoration for that man.
Chapter Three
“When was the last time you were at a funeral reception?” I murmur, taking in the Manhattan Wolf’s sprawling ballroom and the bustling crowd gathered from a small dais off to the side.
“Last January. My grandmother’s. They held it in a church basement.” Miles’s nose scrunches up. “It smelled like mothballs and cat piss.”
I giggle. “Let me guess, they had long tables along the walls, with platters of egg and tuna sandwiches.”
“And cucumber. With the crusts cut off. I actually like those ones.”
“Yup. Sounds like every funeral reception I’ve ever been to.”
But here, tuxedo-clad servers weave through the crowd, carrying delectable canapés and crystal flutes of champagne in a setting that can only be described as lavish. I guess it’s only fitting for a man of William Wolf’s stature.
Miles makes a sound of agreement through a mouthful of quiche, his brown eyes searching for Henry, who’s by the shrimp ice sculpture, speaking to several older men. “Thanks, by the way. I got a whole hour last night with him. Almost uninterrupted. And he was in a half-decent mood.”
I smile, even as my cheeks flame. “That’s more than I got with him last night.” I drifted off on the sectional couch, watching the sky as a spectacular storm rolled through, and then found myself lying in bed next to him when I awoke, unaware of when exactly he came home and moved me.
“But you’re definitely getting something, aren’t you?”
I spin around to find Belinda standing behind me, her arms folded over her ample chest. As usual, the Wolf cove general manager is dressed both provocatively and inappropriately, in a fitted black dress that’s buttoned down the front and looking ready to burst from her curves.
It was only a matter of time. I avoided her sharp, knowing gaze earlier as I walked alongside Henry in the funeral procession, at his insistence. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid her forever.
“Give us a minute, Miles?” she says, adjusting her stylish horn-rimmed glasses.
With a nervous glance at me, he ducks away, likely sensing the tension swirling around her like a cyclone. She was the first to accuse Henry of employing me for the sole purpose of having an assistant to screw while in Alaska, even though she couldn’t see the attraction. But she also couldn’t see any other reason for my being there. I didn’t meet Wolf Hotel’s hiring standards.
He vehemently denied anything besides a professional relationship between us. He had to—his father was breathing down her neck to find out whether his son was keeping in line, given the mounting legal issues around Kiera.
And she bought it.
Belinda leans over the railing. “Innocent little farm girl, indeed.”
“So when did you get in?” I ask lightly, trying to steer the conversation away from our deception.
“Henry says it started after you left Alaska?”
I feel her inquisitive eyes dissecting me as I try to grab Henry’s attention. “So how’s Wolf Cove doing?”
Her red-painted lips twist in thought as her gaze drifts to Henry. He’s watching now, and he shoots Belinda a warning glare. I sense her changing her mind about whatever she was going to say. “It’s fine. But I’m leaving, thank God.”
“Really? They still have another month before they close down for the season.”
“Everything’s in place to run smoothly. I was only there for start-up. Henry wants me in Barcelona.”
“To the Wolf that’s at risk of shutting down?” Where Henry was supposed to go after France.
“That’s the one. I’m flying out in a few days, after I get organized.” She pauses. “Will you be going with Henry when he goes?”
Just the thought of Henry leaving again makes my spirits sink. “No. I need to get back home to help out with the farm and my family.”
She frowns at a chipped nail. “That’s too bad.”
I can’t tell if she’s being sincere.
And I also can’t help but look at those lips of hers and think about where they’ve been on Henry. He said it was only the one night. I don’t doubt that she’d happily take another. What woman wouldn’t? “Why do you say that?” I ask, unable to hide the wariness in my voice. Is she going to make another play for him?
“Because his mood swings have been horrendous lately and I’ve finally figured out why. He’s much more tolerable—actually, pleasant—to work with when you’re around him, and he’s a fucking bear when you’re not.”
My face splits with a smile.
“You’re not supposed to find that amusing.”
“It’s not that. It’s just....” My words fade, because I don’t want to get into a heart-to-heart with Belinda over Henry, but she has no idea what she’s just confirmed for me—that Henry misses me. That our time apart isn’t just hard on me.
For a man who isn’t good with expressing emotions, actions do speak louder than words, and he expresses his hurt through anger.
Belinda studies me for a long moment. “How is your father doing?”
“Much better, thanks.” We spend a few minutes talking about my father’s tractor accident before the conversation dwindles and her gaze drifts over the sea of heads. When her face pinch
es up with distaste, I don’t have to ask to know that she’s spotted Scott Wolf.
And he’s in deep conversation with his mother.
“Who’s that woman he’s speaking to?” Belinda asks, frowning curiously.
“Not sure,” I lie, my gaze searching out Henry. Has he seen her? Does he know she’s here? If he does, he’s masking his feelings well.
“Someone should go and warn her that she’s talking to a lecherous snake,” Belinda mutters, looking ready to lean over the rail and spit.
She gave birth to that lecherous snake.
And they seem to be on much better terms than she and Henry are. She’s smiling at Scott, and his hand is settled on her delicate arm in a familiar, affectionate way. In a way that makes me wonder when they actually reconnected. I have a feeling it didn’t just happen yesterday.
But why is she here again? Henry made it clear yesterday that she’s not welcome. How does she even have the nerve to show her face? I’m disgusted by her, but also curious to understand her more. And, while I’m at it, to make sure she knows how badly she hurt her son.
But it’s not my place to do that. And, besides, Henry would kill me.
“Well, I’ve made my appearance,” Belinda announces, cutting into my thoughts. “I hope I see you again soon.” She hesitates. “And, whatever you’re doing to Henry... keep doing it. I’ve been going whole days without him biting my head off about something. It’s been nice.” I smile as I watch her saunter away, her hips swaying.
That was my first encounter with someone from Wolf Cove who I lied to about my affair with Henry, and it wasn’t so bad. Maybe it won’t be so bad, when the staff finds out about Henry and me, as they no doubt will—and soon. My smile grows wider, as I think about what Amber and Katie will say. And Tillie will be through-the-roof jealous.
I find Henry watching me, a curious frown on his face.
What’s that smile about? he mouths.
You, I mouth back.
He chuckles and opens his mouth to respond when a man grabs his attention and pulls him into a conversation with several others.
I take the chance to search out Crystal again. She and Scott are still talking, but now his arm is around her shoulders and they’re heading past the crowd of people, toward the terrace.
