Page 1 of Finding English

Chapter 1

Leaning back with his head on the soft cushion of the headrest, Henry English let out a long sigh. It had been three long years since he’d taken any kind of a vacation. Now he had six months to do whatever the fuck he pleased, when he pleased. Four thousand three hundred and eighty hours of nothing but relaxing, playing golf, getting in some surfing and climbing, and not thinking about work.

Aubrey Herbert, his work partner, was more than capable of handling whatever the criminals of Hereford threw her way over the next six months and if not, she could call in support from the other divisions to help her.

Closing his eyes, he thought of the cold beer he’d be having with his friends in just over two hours, after the flight from Heathrow touched down. Time with friends was what he needed to clear his brain of the fog of boredom that had descended over the last year like a heavy blanket. It was a touch of exhaustion he tried to convince himself as he settled again in the seat, his long legs stretched wide in front of him.

The jolt of someone bumping into him, a hand landing on his thigh close to his dick with an oomph, had him opening his eyes and coming face to face with a very luscious set of boobs and a pair of stunning hazel brown eyes that reminded him of autumn.

“Oh, heck, I’m so sorry.”

The woman lifted her hand from his leg, the tingle of her touch lingering as she rested it on the back of his chair for support, a slight tremor of turbulence making the cabin of the plane shake. She had a beautiful smile that lit up her entire face, showing perfect white teeth that any dentist would be proud of. A tiny scar near the brow of one eye drew his eyes, and he immediately found himself wanting to know she’d got it.

“No trouble, Miss…?”

Henry waited for her to fill in the gap as she continued to stare at him with a grin, her long dark brown, almost black, hair falling in thick waves about her shoulders and down her back. He guessed she was Latino by her coloring.

“Oh, sorry, you want my name?” The woman frowned and assessed him for a second. “How do I know I can trust you? I could give you my name and then you could get all stalkerish on me.”

Henry bit his lip to try and hide the grin twitching on his lips. This woman had done more to brighten up his day and pique his interest in two minutes than anyone had in years. “Well, I’m a police detective.”

“You don’t look like a police detective.”

Henry did smile then. “Oh, and what do I look like?”

The mystery woman angled her head back and forth as she took her time to run her eyes over him. There was nothing remotely sexual in the way she did it, and yet the sudden heavy ache in his balls said differently. Fuck, how hard up was he that this was turning him on?

“You look like a slick city banker or a business mogul.”

“A business mogul?”

She bit her lip, and he fought the urge to groan at the way her teeth nibbled on the soft skin. She was exactly his type. Not too tall, around five feet five, sexy as fuck curves that looked one hundred per cent natural, long hair, and eyes he knew would be sinful when heavy with desire. She was also a little bit bonkers, which after his years in the police force wasn’t his thing.

“Yeah, you know, like you do takeovers and ruin rival corporations before you even have your morning coffee.”

Henry chuckled at her. “I promise you I’m not either of those things. My life is much more boring than that.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?”

Her brow twitched, and he could tell she was taking this conversation entirely seriously. Reaching inside the inside pocket of his navy jacket, he grabbed his badge, showing her that along with his ID.

She looked at it, squinting slightly as she did, her nose screwing up in a cute way that him wanting to kiss her. “Hmm, seems legit. My name is Cassie Alvarado.” She thrust out her hand, and Henry took her silky soft skin against his own rougher one.

“It’s nice to meet you, Cassie. I’m Henry English.”

“I like that name, it’s very…” she paused, searching for the right word and he smiled again.

“English?” he supplied helpfully, and she bestowed one the huge grins he’d already come to love upon him.

“Yes, very English.”

The overhead light flashed, and the seat belt signs came on cutting their rather enjoyable exchange short.

“I should get in my seat before we land. It was nice to meet you, Henry English.”

“It was very nice to meet you too, Cassie.”

She offered him an awkward smile and a little wave before she walked down the aisle toward the front of the plane. Henry watched her go with a grin on his face. He slid his belt on, heard a huff beside him, and turned to see the old lady he’d been seated beside glaring at him.