The Best of June (4 page)

She seemed to be deep in thought as she stared out over the water of Puget Sound.
Is she local?
He couldn’t believe this woman was supposed to be his gift. Who’d sent her? His friends? He would find out soon. Right now, he wanted to appease his curiosity.

Who are you, pretty woman?

He took a step forward then stopped, suddenly feeling like a schoolboy. Uneasy. Damn. He was actually hesitating. The fuck.

What’s your problem, Henry?
He’d done this before. Many times, in fact. He wasn’t green anymore. And this woman was no different from the others. Just say hi, he thought. But before he could do so, she must have sensed his presence because she turned around quite fast.

Henry was surprised too. Damn. She looked like an angel in a blue dress. The only things missing were her wings. He took his fill while trying to draw a breath. A tightness settled in his chest. His heart started beating like crazy.

Her facial bones were carved delicately, eyes were big. She had a friendly and cheerful mouth and she stood straight in a regal posture. She may have a face of an angel, but surely this one was no angel. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be standing here right now.

A hint of red colored her cheeks. The wind must have whipped the pretty color into them.

“Hello,” he greeted.

The woman took a deep breath then licked her lips. She obviously was uneasy. “Hello,” she replied.

Oh, hell.
She had a bedroom voice too. Soft, melodious, which fucking caressed his balls. “Nice view.”

She turned halfway to look at the water. “Yes. I love it.”

“I’ve never been up here.”

“Never?”

“No.” He closed the distance and stood beside her. But not close enough to touch. “Water. The best view anyone could have.”

“What about the mountains and the night lights? The Pacific Northwest is known to offer both.”

“I like those too. If you were to choose one, which view do you prefer?”

“The water.”

“Why?”

“It is ever-changing. Every time you look at it, nothing is the same. Like the shadows the sun casts over it are always different.”

Good answer.
Maybe she’d been briefed and had been told that he liked the water and to sail. “I agree. Do you like sailing?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never done it before.”

“Really? That’s just sad,” he said, kidding.

“Not sad at all, especially since I don’t really know what I’ve been missing.”

“Should I tell—?”

“No!” she said, laughing. “If you tell me what I’ve been missing all my life, I’ll lie awake all night wondering about it.”

Henry chuckled. “All right.” Offering to take her out sailing sat at the tip of his tongue, but he held it. This woman, whose name he had yet to learn, could be looking for a man with deep pockets to snag. He needed to be careful. Beautiful or not, she was a total stranger.

“Not all of us are lucky like you, you know.”

Lucky.
If missing dinner because he’d failed to get an A in his class, or getting whipped by his dad’s crop because he didn’t excel in horseback riding, or even going to high school without money for lunch because he didn’t apply for the student body president position was considered lucky, then he’d rather be fucking unlucky.

Lucky was his mechanic, Moreno. Henry had shared dinner with Moreno’s family. He’d watched them treat each other with love, affection, respect and trust. They knew how to appreciate what they had and were thankful that they could eat three times a day. He’d rather share a simple dinner with Moreno than sit with his parents at a long dining table while his dad talked about how insignificant Henry’s dreams were. “I think we are all lucky in certain areas.”

The woman looked at him with a smile that warmed him. “I know.”

He noticed a bottle of wine sitting in a silver ice bucket. “Should I pour us wine?”

“No, thank you.”

Okay. He hadn’t expected that. Usually wine or champagne would be the first affair of the meeting—kind of like an icebreaker and a good way to calm each other’s nerves. Well, they had already broken the ice anyway.

“I was told you’d be up here. Did I keep you waiting?”

“No.”

“Am I right to assume that you already know my name?”

“Yes.”

“Care to tell me yours?”

“June. My name is June.”

Beautiful name
. He wondered if that was her real name. Most likely not. “Where are you from, June?”

She waved her hand in the air, but didn’t answer him. Even with the subdued lighting from the lamp and her makeup, he could tell she was a young woman. Early twenties, maybe. A lock of hair that fell on the side of her face teased him. He wrapped the soft hair around his index finger, all the while watching June’s face. Man, he could just stare at her all night.

“Your eyes…”

“Big and gray, I know. Like the wolves, not zombies.”

“Zombies?”

“Yeah. I was told that before.”

“I’ll go for the color of thunderclouds. I think there’s a hint of blue in there, like a grandma’s steel-gray hair. Kind of unusual color.”

“They are real, if you need to know.”

Henry grinned. He’d just seen a glimpse of who she was—a woman with a sense of humor. Just like that and she didn’t look uneasy anymore. “Wait, let me see.” He cupped her chin and stared at her beautiful eyes fringed with thick lashes. He laughed when June crossed her eyes. “I’ve seen your eye color before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. From a movie,
Chuckie
. The killer doll, you know.”

She surprised him when she bared her teeth, mimicking Chuckie. Henry let out a good laugh.

“You just stepped on my self-esteem, Henry Colchester.” June punched him on the arm playfully.

Henry caught her tiny fist and didn’t let go. He rubbed her knuckles without taking his gaze off her. June’s cheeks, he noticed, turned a lovely shade of pink. “Honey, when making a fist, you need to tuck your thumb like this.” He positioned her thumb so the tip was pressed against the fold of the second knuckle of the forefinger. “This is the Isshin Ryu style. It’ll keep you from getting your thumb broken.” Before letting go, he raised her fist to his lips and kissed her knuckles. The contact had an immediate result. His dick hardened.

Okay. Why the fuck did I do that? I’m just here to check this chick out.

With one look at June, any man would react the same way. But he wasn’t sure if he should jump at the opportunity. What he should do is find out why he was here. Henry let go of June’s hand.

“Thanks. You know Karate, or do you box?”

“I like to box. A good way to release my anger.”

“Oh, dear. Do you get angry a lot?”

“Depends.”

June moved away from him. “On?”

“Where I am, who I’m with.”

“I hope being with me won’t make you angry.”

“No.”
Just my dick is angry right now.
“Stop moving away from me. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.” He took a step closer to her. “You’re very beautiful, honey.” He cupped her face with his hand, running his thumb on her smooth cheek. “But what are you doing here?”

Delicious. It was the only way to describe the way his hands felt on her skin.

June returned Henry’s stare. She couldn’t believe she was actually looking him as he touched her face. Only a minute ago, she had been in a panic. Her stomach churned with anxiety and nervousness. But now, it all went away. In such a short time, he’d made her feel comfortable with his easy smile and wit. He had that friendly aura around him that Vivienne had told her about. No wonder he’d been popular among the employees. He wasn’t a snob.

This wasn’t what she had expected. She’d felt a strong pull toward him. Drawn like a moth to a flame. As if they’d known each other forever, and he’d called her honey. She didn’t know what to make of that.

“June?”

She placed her hand on his chest and felt Henry’s heartbeat beneath her palm. Somehow, that excited her. Henry didn’t step away. He didn’t seem repulsed by her touch. Maybe he liked her. That was a good sign. Now she should take advantage of the opportunity. Make him
want
her. Feeling bold, she took another step closer to him.

Henry gave her a smile that sent her pulse beating fast. His eyes were almost half mast, but she could see fire in them. This close, she could tell he’d been drinking. Exactly what Vivienne had said she should hope for. Henry would most likely have a hazy memory of tonight’s
event
.

She was about to answer his question when she noticed a small scar beneath the tip of his left eyebrow. Tracing it with her finger, she thought about the pain he’d had to suffer. “What happened?”

“Belt buckle.”

“When did you get this?”

“When I was in junior high.” Henry frowned.

“Must have had hurt really bad.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t cry. The pain only made me mad.”

“Let me have a look.” She placed her hands on Henry’s cheeks then slowly urged him to level his eyes with her. “I hope whoever gave this to you got a good smack.”

“No.”

“Why? Was he bigger?”

“You could say that.”

“Is the person responsible still around?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me who he is and I’ll poke him with my heel.”

“My dad.”

“What? You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

“Well, in that case I hope he didn’t get any sleep that night. It’s not right to hurt someone you know would never fight back. I’m sorry he did this to you.” She kissed his scar.

Henry covered her hands with his. “Aw, honey. You’re making it hard for me to resist you.”

“I don’t want you to resist me.”

Just like that, she found Henry’s lips on top of hers.

It was a soft kiss that gently covered her mouth, but her nerve endings came alive at the touch of his lips, stimulating desire—desire that found a pathway to different parts of her body. Lord, that sweet feeling of arousal from the pit of her stomach made her moan for more.

He sucked her upper lip before tracing the outline of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. June shivered. Henry cupped her face with his hands as he continued to tease her open mouth with his tongue. June kissed him back as aching need grew deeper and warmer inside her. When her tongue touched his, Henry drew her in to him gently. June’s knees went weak, but he wrapped his strong arms around her waist to keep her from falling. Warmth quickly enveloped her. Henry molded his big hands on her ass, bringing their bodies together. June sighed at the sheer pleasure of having his erection pressed against her. Intense desire urged a ragged gasp from her.

Henry began to nibble at her earlobe. “Too much?”

“No. Too good. I’ve never…”

“Never what?”

“Kissed a man the way I’m kissing you.” Oh, dear. Did she just say that wrong?

“I like the way you kiss. You’re so damn beautiful, you know that?” Henry brushed his lips over hers as he spoke.

“If you say so.”

“Oh, I say so.” He pulled her lower lip with his thumb. “You taste marvelous and I want you.” He angled his head then took possession of her mouth. This time, his lips were hard and searching.

June loved the taste and feel of Henry. She quickly lost control of her own body and let him wrap his arm around her as though she belonged to him. This man she dreamed about, who held her tightly, would be the extension of her body and hopefully the father of her baby.

June didn’t fully get a chance to digest her thought when Henry picked her up and carried her toward the bed. She clung to him, inhaling his scent. He felt so hard against her. So strong. Henry eased her down on the bed. Heart hammering, she reached out to touch his cheek. “You are beautifully made.”

Henry chuckled. “I’m glad you find me beautiful.”

June thought she would burst into million pieces when Henry began undressing her. She imagined that they were in love and this moment was the first time for them to be together. Then her baby would be conceived out of love.

Naked, Henry stopped kissing her to stare at her body. June thought she might be on fire from embarrassment and the heat of Henry’s stare. Without thinking, she covered her breasts. When she noticed his frown, she lowered her hands and touched Henry’s arms instead.

Henry removed his shirt then began unbuttoning his fly. But he didn’t take the pants off. “Honey, you’re exquisite.” He nibbled kisses along her neck, shoulders and the tops of her breasts. “Beautiful,” he whispered then sucked her nipple.

June nearly came off the bed. “Oh, God.”

“Hmm…” Between licking and sucking, he pleasured her. He trailed kisses down her belly until he reached her pubic mound.

“Henry…”

“Spread your legs, hon.”

June hesitated a full second before complying.

“That’s it.”

Her pleasured moans sounded loud in June’s ears as Henry ran his fingers along her seam, barely touching her clit. “Oh, my God, Henry.”

While she gripped his hair, Henry gave her one long lick. June nearly came off the bed. Henry gripped her ass while he gave her unimaginable pleasure. Never in her life had she experienced this kind of rapture. Not even when she’d imagined Henry in bed with her. His touch, his kisses made her hot, wet, and good lord, she wanted him inside her.

Henry drew back and gazed at June. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Perfectly proportioned with smooth skin, rounded breasts enough to fill his hands and a small waist that any woman would envy. With his gaze on June, he spread her wide then gave her clit a long lick. Her skin turned darker pink. “Tonight, you’re mine,” he said, so proud to see passion in her eyes.

June let her thighs fall apart, giving him more room and access to her pussy. She writhed and moaned while gripping his hair. Damn and fuck, he loved her taste. Using two fingers, he slowly thrust them inside her. She was wet and tight—real tight.

Henry looked down at his fingers buried deep inside her. Their skin colors contrasted. Hers was creamy white, and his bronze from constant exposure to the sun. For a moment, he let his fingers mimic the age-old mating ritual. Then, slowly, he lowered his mouth to feast on her. His tongue encircled her engorged clit before he sucked it, hard.