Table of Contents
Legal Page
Title Page
Book Description
Dedication
Trademarks Acknowledgement
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
New Excerpt
About the Author
Publisher Page
A Totally Bound Publication
The Best of June
ISBN # 978-1-78430-547-5
©Copyright Tierney O’Malley 2015
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright April 2015
Edited by Faith Bicknell-Brown
Totally Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorized or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2015 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN
Totally Bound Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Sizzling and a Sexometer of 3.
The Blue-Eyed Four
THE BEST OF JUNE
Tierney O’Malley
Book two in The Blue-Eyed Four series
Only one woman can change the course of Henry’s life.
The beauty behind the lies…
Juniper Ivy Greenwald is beautiful, charming and desperate. She needs to get pregnant before going into cancer treatment. Employing her best friend’s help, she pretends to be a gift to the very handsome Captain Henry Colchester and sleeps with him. After three wonderful nights and days together, her plan to get pregnant comes to fruition. All she has to do is keep the truth from him. But there is one problem—her parents.
The handsome, blue-eyed man will unveil her…
Maritime Captain Henry Colchester is bent on building his empire before settling down. But before he even mounts his new certificate on the wall, news that he has impregnated June—the woman he spent three nights with and whom he can’t forget—reaches him. Surprised, he can’t believe June isn’t what he thought her to be—a call girl. Worse, June’s parents threaten his family’s name if he refuses to marry her. With his reputation on the line, Henry’s parents promise to give him half of his inheritance if he marries June then he’ll get the other half after the baby is born and he divorces her. He agrees. But a few months into their marriage, he finds himself in love with his wife. And the reason behind her lies shocks him to the core.
Dedication
I love you always.
You and Me.
Forever…
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Motel 6: G6 Hospitality IP, LLC
GPS: The United States Government
Slurpee: 7-Eleven, Inc.
7-Eleven: 7-Eleven, Inc.
Cheerfulness Taught by Reasons: Robert Browning, public domain
Meeting at Night: Robert Browning, public domain
Ralph Lauren: The Polo/Lauren Company, L.P.
Home Depot: Homer TLC, Inc.
Twilight Zone: CBS Broadcasting, Inc.
Cinderella: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Mascarpone: Colomer and Moreno, S.C.
Popsicle: Conopco, Inc.
Fifty Shades of Grey: Fifty Shades, Limited
In Between Love: BMG Rights Management US, LLC
Ziploc: S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc.
Google: Google, Inc.
Wikipedia: Wikipedia Foundation, Inc.
Winnie the Pooh: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Monster: Monster
JobSource: Kraferd
Mean Girls: Paramount Pictures Corporation
Tinkerbell: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Yves Saint Laurent: Yves Saint Laurent
Washington Mutual: JPMorgan Chase and Co.
Nieman Marcus: NM Nevada Trust
Baby and Co: Baby and Co.
Mario’s: Internacional Olivarera, S.A.
Canopy Blue: Canopy Blue
Walmart: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Downton Abbey: Carnival Film and Television, Limited
Facebook: Facebook, Inc.
Urbanspoon: Zomato USA, LLC
Coke: The Coca-Cola Company
James Bond/007: Ian Fleming/Eon Productions
Prologue
“Maybe we should sit down, June. You’re walking like a zombie.”
“I feel like one.” June let out a deep sigh. Thankful for having her best friend with her, she sat on the wood bench outside the Pink Door restaurant. “Tired,” she whispered. She dug her nails into her palms. It hurt, but she couldn’t open her hands to relax.
“Well, it’s good that we stopped here then. Bus stop is another block away.” Vivienne sat beside June then looked behind them. “Want to go inside? We’ve walked by here many times but never tried this restaurant.”
“Expensive.”
“I heard this restaurant’s owner is hot. Should we take a look?”
“Don’t feel like eating, Vi. Besides, it looks closed.” She knew Vivienne was trying to cheer her up. Right now, though, cracking a smile was impossible.
“I don’t see a closed sign. Come on. Let’s go in. We can talk over a cup of coffee. Maybe if the waiter is hot then the topic about your condition won’t be that bad.”
June smiled at her friend she couldn’t live without. “Doctor Sanders just dropped a bomb on me. I have ovarian cancer. I think even if the waiter serves us food naked, he wouldn’t be able to make any talk about cancer easy.”
“Yeah. But at least we’ll get to see his dick.”
June couldn’t help it. She laughed. “Oh, Vi. What am I going to do with you?”
“Feed me with your awesome cooking. That’s all I ask.”
“Next time, Vi, we’ll go inside. For now, I just want to sit here. It’s sunny.”
Vivienne sat beside her then let out a loud sigh. “All right.”
Two years ago, June had been drugged and raped. She hadn’t thought she’d recover from it. But her friends, Vivienne and Craig, had helped her shove that painful past
deep in the bowels of her memory. Now, this. “Another dark cloud to block my sunshine.”
“Another…if you’re talking about what happened two years ago, forget it. Remember, we made a promise to not talk about it. How’s your back?”
“I’m fine.”
“So what do you think about Doctor Sanders’ advice?”
June pointed her gaze on the pet store across the street. “He said ovarian cancer cells aren’t easy to remove and quickly spread into the abdomen where the nasty cells could hide. Chemotherapy could shrink the tumor, which would make the removal easier. Surgery and chemo sounded so scary but thinking about cancer cells growing inside me is even scarier. Doctor Sanders said it over and over that whichever treatment I decide on, there would be a downside to it—infertility.”
Vivienne sighed. “I don’t like that word. Sounds like there is something wrong with a woman’s body.”
“Vi, there is something wrong with me.”
“I know. So what about his suggestion of freezing your eggs? He could refer you to an affordable fertility clinic. It would be the best way to start.”
“You know my financial situation. Affordable to some is expensive for me. I don’t even have health insurance.”
“We can talk to Craig.”
“No.”
“No?”
June looked at her friend then slowly shook her head. “I’m thinking of a different solution.” All her life, she’d been an obedient daughter, had done only what other normal kids tried because of immaturity and peer pressure, like eating marijuana-laced brownies in high school. But she’d gotten sick and suffered from a panic attack so she’d never tried it again. Her parents had known about it. She’d never kept a secret from them—except about the alcohol and drug facilitated sexual assault. They hadn’t needed to know that. Now it seemed she’d add another secret to her list. Her nose began to sting. June closed her eyes to stop the tears from flowing, but there was no stopping them. As soon as the first tear fell, a sob escaped her.
“June? Talk to me.”
June wiped her cheeks with the pads of her fingers. “I want to have a baby someday. A little boy or girl who’ll run around the house, giving Mom and Dad something to laugh about.”
“June. You’re making me cry.” Vivienne sniffed.
“Vi, there is no guarantee that my eggs would survive if I freeze them. Besides, even with the inexpensive agency, I would still have to spend thousands of dollars.”
“What are you saying?”
“Vi.”
“Yeah?”
“I want to get pregnant.”
Chapter One
Two weeks later
Henry Colchester held a glass in his hand. He gently spun the fragile stem between his thumb and index finger. He’d been smiling to everyone until his fucking lips felt about to crack. Damn, he hated parties. He’d rather be out sailing. He spotted his business partner, John Stevenson, making a beeline toward him.
“Hey there, partner. Some party, eh?” John waggled his eyebrows. “Lots of hot legs.”
Like him, John loved women, but he wasn’t crazy enough to settle down. “I know. What’s new, John?”
“Talked to the owners. They want our answers before the bidding. They’re interested in selling their ships to us, Henry, instead of going through the bidding—which is big. They trust us.”
“I wish they would trust us with their ships before we purchase them. It would make our financial problem a little lighter.”
“I know. We’ll get the money. For now, how about we enjoy this party, huh? Your parents are over the moon. Heard them bragging about your wonderful accomplishments.”
“They’ll never pass on an opportunity to brag or spread the Colchester name and make it known that Judge Richard Colchester raised a fine young man.”
The surprise party was thrown in his name. His parents’ idea. They’d said he had finally accomplished something and it was only right the whole community heard about it.
Funny, only a month ago, they’d had a blowout. Dad had called him an embarrassment, a failure, not good enough to deserve the name Colchester. A name that his great-great-granddaddy had protected and worked hard to be respected.
Well, he supposed Dad was right. He didn’t deserve to hold the Colchester name. After all, he’d brought the cops to their gated mansion many times because of fights, bad decisions and women. He’d gained the reputation of a womanizer, rascal and his father’s nightmare.
But he wouldn’t be all of those things if his parents hadn’t tried to mold him the way they saw fit. Oh, yeah. When he had refused to follow his father’s footsteps, everything had changed. In his father’s eyes, he’d become nothing but an obstinate, ungrateful son. His fascination with ships and naval crap, Dad believed, was nothing but a waste of time.
But he’d proven his parents wrong—and voila! Now, he’d not only gained their respect but they looked at him differently. An accomplished son. A captain. Fucking sad, though, that his parents were proud because of his newly gained title. That was it. Without it, he was just a nasty shit to them.
It’s all a damn pretense.
He didn’t fucking care. All that mattered now was that he had elevated to a new status on his own, without the influence of his family name. He didn’t have to live behind his parents’ shadows. Finally, he would be recognized not as the son of Judge Richard Colchester, but as Captain Henry Colchester.
Henry looked at his parents laughing with his girlfriend Stacey, the mayor of Seattle and other mucky-mucks. He couldn’t tell who was sucking up to whom.
“Man, Stacey is looking sharp tonight.”
Henry grinned. Stacey was the only one he cared for in this room. Everyone else could all go fuck themselves to hell. “She always does.”
“You keeping her?”
Stacey looked in his direction, raised her glass, winked at him then went back to talking. Damn, she looked so hot tonight. He loved it when she wore those red high heels and that short, strapless black dress. Easy to take off her slender body. He’d bet she wore a thong underneath and no bra. Henry suddenly felt uncomfortable. Heat from his belly traveled down to his now-excited cock.
Stacey, five years older than him and a modern woman in so many ways, had been a friend of the family. Eight months ago, they finally crossed the barrier between friends and lovers. Stacey had been a great bed partner and one he could always count on to open her door so he could crash at her place—provided he lowered the toilet seat after he used it. Otherwise, she’d go fucking crazy.
She was a wildcat, uninhibited and damn it, she knew how to please a man. Stacey never expected anything from him. A perfect girlfriend until she turned thirty-two. Now, she wanted more—a ring on her finger.
Marriage, however, had not made it on his list this year. A wife and kids had no room in his mind. What he wanted had been to start his own maritime business. Family later.
“I might, John. I just might.”
“Well, she’s coming. I think I’ll go refill my glass.”
Stacey left the group then walked toward him, a big smile on her face. The subtle scent of her perfume reached him. Aw, man. He wanted to snatch her and take her someplace where he could slide that dress up her thighs and taste every inch of her. She had just come back from her three-week trip to Italy, but they hadn’t gotten to see each other for another two weeks. He’d been out of town busy with meetings and getting his licenses and certificates. Damn. It had been a month and a half since he’d had her. It had been fucking too long. Henry’s dick hardened, his balls damn heavy.
Shit. He shifted from his position, glancing around, hoping no one could see his erection. “Hey there.”
“Hey back.” Stacey bit her lower lip. Hard to believe this man belonged to her. Well, not on paper yet, but in her book he was hers. Blue-eyed with firm and sensual smiling lips, over six feet tall, with a beautifully proportioned body that she fantasized about practically all the time, and now with
a sexy title to go with his seductive name. Henry. Oh, she loved whispering his name, especially when his mouth was between her legs. But she wanted more than just fantastic sex. She wanted his name and everything else attached to him. Sadly, last time she’d broached the subject about taking their relationship to the next level, he’d just given her a lopsided grin and explained what he wanted in life right now. It was a hard blow to her gut, but she wasn’t giving up. Before the year was over, she’d have his ring around her finger.
Henry touched her cheek with his index finger. “Enjoying the party?”
“Yes. Unlike you.”
“Me?”
“Only you would hide in the corner and scowl when a party is in full swing.”
“You know I don’t throw a party and invite gnats, crocs and leeches to have fun.”
Stacey met Henry halfway when he leaned in for a kiss. The moment their mouths met, she knew she would wage war with anyone who dared try to take him away from her.
“Want to get out of here?”
Drat. Of all times, why ask her now? She had a meeting with the assistant district attorney. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Where were you when I wanted you?”
“You already know. Busy mapping my moves. So, yes or no, Stays?”
Oh, she loved it when he called her Stays. Stacey leaned her forehead against Henry’s chest. Shit. She didn’t like saying no to Henry, but it was too late to cancel her meeting. “Damn it, Henry. Love the offer, but I have to say no. I’m leaving this party in a few minutes. I’m going to Olympia tomorrow. Need to leave early. Gotta love the life of a prosecutor.”
“Baby, you just got back.”
“I know.”
“How about if I take you to Olympia? We’ll stay in a hotel—”
“No. I won’t be able to concentrate if you’re with me. Besides, you have fans to entertain here, Captain. And this is not a good time.”
The Best of June Page 1