" 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. Somethi
ng 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.
Henry (The Beck Brothers) Page 6
