Page 10 of The Mafia's Surprise Gift

“It’s no problem,” he said in smooth tones. “Those stands have hands of their own, just waiting to grab onto an unsuspecting piece of clothing. So eager to be on the ground.”

When he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled together, and his pupils twinkled. My heart skipped a beat, unable to look away, and when my own laugh reached my ears, it sounded strained.

“Ain’t that the truth.” I swallowed hard, forcing myself to calm down. “Thank you for saving me the embarrassment. I didn’t plan on spending the next twenty minutes cleaning up every birthday greeting this store has to offer.”

“It’s no problem.”

The handsome stranger took a half-step back, and a strange yearning rose in my chest. A desire to say something else and prolong the conversation just so I could look at him a little bit longer rose in me. His jaw was so sharp it could cut glass, and even the sharp, downward angle of his brows could be scary. All in all, he looked rather intimidating if not for the wide, charming smile that added a sexy, boyish charm to his good looks.

“Oh!” Suddenly, the stranger yelped, and I glanced down in time to see Zack swiftly kick him in the shin.

“Zack! What are you doing? We don’t kick people! Oh, my God, I’m so, so sorry. Zack, what has gotten into you?”

Torn between scolding my son and apologizing to the stranger, I didn’t know where to focus first. The last thing I needed was for this to turn into a much bigger argument, nor did I want to yell at my son in front of a stranger, but it seemed I had no choice. Zack’s face was thunderous as I dragged him away from the stranger, but as I turned back to the man to offer another apology, I paused.

He was crouched down to his haunches, eye level with Zack, and a gentle look graced his features.

“You know,” he said softly, “if you kick someone just below the knee, it hurts a lot more than the shin and you can sometimes make them fall over.” The man reached out and touched Zack’s bare shin, just below his knee, and to my immense surprise, a small smile swept over Zack’s face.

“And if you really want them to fall over, you can kick them on the back of the knee right here.” He moved his hand around Zack’s knee and gently touched him there, drawing a slightly wider smile from Zack.

“You have to be careful, though,” he added in a serious tone.

“Why?” Zack asked, trying to hide his smile. He was ticklish behind his knee, and the stranger seemed to have worked that out.

“Because if you stand too close when they fall, you could get squashed flat like a pancake!” He moved his hand around and lightly prodded Zack in the stomach, and Zack couldn’t hold in his shy laugh.

“Sorry,” Zack murmured. As his tantrum faded, his shyness won over and he tightened his grip on my hand. Meanwhile, I was in awe at how quickly this man had defused what was set to be such an explosive tantrum.

“I’m so, so sorry,” I said, utterly mortified that this man had been kicked by my child. “He’s grumpy because we had to leave our dog outside. I’m so sorry.”

“Relax.” He straightened up and flashed me that wide, gorgeous smile that somehow felt like it was just for me. It had to be since he looked so stoic and intimidating without it. “Kids are kids.”

“Do you have children?” I asked, reasoning that had to be how he was able to deal with the tantrum so easily.

“No, sadly not. I love children, but I’ve never had my own. Would need a lovely woman for that.” He winked at me, and my stomach somersaulted up to my heart.

So, he was single, was he?

“I’m Jian, by the way.”

“Mae.” I smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know where the allergy medicine is, do you?” Jian asked. “I’m kind of new in town and I don’t know where anything is.”

“Sorry, I don’t. I’ve been away for some years, actually, so things have changed since I was last here,” I replied, unable to look away from Jian while I stroked the back of Zack’s hand with my thumb. “But we could look together? I still need to find deodorant.”

“Oh, I know where that is!” Jian chuckled proudly. “Come on.”

Together, we wandered the shop looking for the allergy medicine and the rest of the items on my list. Zack had calmed down enough to go back to hiding behind my leg like he usually did in public places, but he always had a sweet smile for Jian.

It turned out that Jian was in town to help a friend, but he wouldn’t be staying long. I told him about my mother’s birthday, and when I remarked about his overly smart outfit, he laughed and said he had a strict boss.

By the time we headed outside, I was completely enamored with this man and his subtle flirting. Zack made a beeline for Dozer, who woofed softly and slowly stood up.

“What an adorable old puppy.” Jian smiled, reaching down and petting him.

“He’s my Grandma’s dog,” Zack said proudly. “But I’m going to keep him.”

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