Page 22 of Hensley Manor
He took a drink before turning the cup between his hands, his gaze cast downward. “Mother was overjoyed, though. She said she always suspected, even when I was a young boy. She believed there was no woman in the world good enough for me, so it might as well be a dashing young gentleman who captured my heart.”
Ian paused to smile, and I mirrored the action, although my heart kind of broke for him.
He continued, “After my father passed away, she was free to express how happy she was for me without his constant disapproval. She even introduced me to my ex-fiancé.”
I wanted to ask about his ex, but my lips wouldn’t move. If he wanted to tell me, he would.
The bell above the door dinged as a group of teenagers entered the coffeehouse, bundled from head to toe in winter hats, scarves, gloves, and thick coats. By the dusting of snow on their clothes, I suspected they had just finished with an epic snowball fight and were coming in for a hot drink to warm up.
“My dad and I used to have snowball fights,” I said, and an ache formed in the center of my chest at the memory. “I know it’s hard to see these days, but I got a lot of my humor from him. He was always cracking jokes. When I came out to him, it was winter break of my senior year, and his response was to throw a snowball at my face. I was all, ‘What the heck was that for?’ And he grinned and said, ‘Gay or straight, I can always kick your ass in a snowball fight.’ Then he hurled another one toward my head.”
Ian chuckled into his coffee and used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth.
I peered at him over the top of my cup, finding him too adorable.
“If only all coming out stories were so happy,” he said.
“Yeah, I stressed out bad over it. Made myself sick because I was so scared, you know? But they accepted me. Mom gave me a hug when I told her and said, ‘You’ll always be my baby boy. Now dry those tears and eat a cookie.’”
“Eat a cookie,” Ian repeated with a light laugh. “So, you have a sweet tooth, too, I take it.”
“Totally. Cookies, pie…pumpkin cheesecake.”
He smiled. “I knew I’d win you over with my cheesecake.”
Win me over?I was already won.
I had walked through life in a type of zombie-like state for so long. And with one handwritten note and a smile that took away the chill in my bones, Ian Hensley had captured my attention unlike any other man had before.
Conversation remained light as we finished our coffee, neither of us venturing into deeper topics. The more I talked to Ian, the more I liked him. He was more than a pretty face, and even though my jeans went through periods of becoming a little tight when I stared too long at his lips or the bobbing of his Adam’s apple when he swallowed his coffee, I found his mind just as hot as his looks.
Afterward, we exited the coffeehouse and walked along the sidewalk at a leisurely pace. We’d been out for a few hours, but I wasn’t in a rush to return to the manor. Spending one-on-one time with him was nice.
“Any other errands for the day?”
“Just one,” Ian answered, touching the small of my back as he stopped walking and turned to the nearest shop. The pressure of his hand lifted, and though it had been short-lived, I missed it. “I need to schedule a toy delivery.”
“Okay, Santa.”
His answering chuckle made my blood rush south, and I breathed deeply through my nose. My attraction toward him was strengthening, as was my desire to throw him on a bed and ride his dick until morning. And God, I bet he had a great one.
Entering the toy store, I was instantly transported back to my childhood. My six year old self would’ve had a field day in Ian’s store; running along the aisles, touching all the toy cars, and picking up the model planes. A train circled the top of the store, its horn sounding each time it passed the large North Pole display on the right side of the room. Near the display were elf inflatables and reindeer stuffed animals surrounded by fake snow.
And an oddly familiar mechanical Santa Claus that waved.
Ian lightly touched my arm to get my attention, and the contact sent a jolt of electricity through me. “I’m going to make sure everything’s in order. You can look around if you want.” The gleam in his eyes was like a ray of sunlight coming through a break in the clouds on a stormy day; beautiful and welcoming. “I won’t be long.”
“Okay, cool. My inner child is kinda freaking out in this place.”
“Do you want a toy, Cole? I have aninwith the owner and can cut you a deal.”
“Maybe.” Smirking, I bumped his shoulder. “Depends on the toy.”
“I regret to inform you we don’t carrythosekinds of toys here.” Ian arched a brow.
I snorted so loud that the lady browsing toys in the next aisle over jumped.
My smile refused to fade even after Ian walked away. What the hell was this feeling? I felt like a little kid who’d just been told they could stay up late and eat chocolate chip cookies. Ian was better than cookies, though. He was…someone special.
