Page 154 of He's the One

Theo thought his heart was going to burst with joy. This was the father he’d wanted as a boy and though he was no longer a boy, it wasn’t too late.

Getting a drunk Theo out of the maze proved tricky. Col was trying to show him they could pick a path by stepping on the dry slabs but Theo walked round in circles getting wetter and wetter. Col could hear the marquess and James laughing. Col had to rescue Theo as he started to go round again.

“How can you get lost so easily?” Col took his hand.

“I knew you’d rescue me. You always will. My hero.”

Crawling out through the folly tunnel was also an adventure. Theo managed to climb over Col and started to kiss him. Col had a struggle to persuade Theo to continue moving. Being kissed by an intoxicated Theo was a turn on.

Once they’d emerged, they were dirty as well as wet, and Theo was shivering. Col put his arm around him and headed for the stable block.

“Are you feeling sleepy or adventurous?” Col asked. “I’m hoping for one and not the other.”

“What about oneafterthe other?”

“I’m suspecting I’m not going to get a choice over which is first.”

“A shower will wake me up. Especially if the pipes have decided to run cold today. We can put our clothes in the washing machine. Oh, I’ve gone hard thinking about your underwear tangling with my underwear. Am I drooling? Is it attractive?”

Col smiled. “Don’t forget to take those finds out of your pocket before you wash your jeans.”

“You think ofeverything.Oh, look at that butterfly.”

Col grabbed Theo’s arm as he was about to nosedive into an herbaceous border. “If I did think of everything, I’d have drunk all that champagne and not let you have any.”

Theo pouted. “I wanted to celebrate.”

“I know you did, babe.”

Theo beamed at him. “You called me babe.”

“I did.”

“I can’t think about Felicity.” He gulped.

“I know. It was a lot to take in.”

“You don’t even know my name.” Theo fumbled for his key, checked every pocket, starting to panic until Col took over and found it for him. “Oh, do that again,” Theo whispered. “You were so close to the treasure. I wanted to beep.”

“What’s your name?” Col asked as he helped Theo up the stairs, or rather made sure he didn’t fall backwards as he made his way up.

“Wulfric Anselm Wentworth Theodore Wetherby…er. Not sure I got those in the right order. And I might have missed one.”

“Theodore’s not your first name?”

“No, but I liked it best so when I reached the age of four, I wouldn’t answer to anything else.”

Theo started to take his clothes off the moment they reached the top of the stairs. Col retrieved the coin and the brooch from Theo’s pocket and put them on the work surface. When he turned, Theo was trying to wriggle out of wet jeans.Not easy.

Finally, they were both naked and everything, including their trainers, had been put in the washing machine. Col turned it on and when he looked round, Theo was asleep on the floor. Col picked him up, carried him into the bathroom, and put him in the shower. Cold or not, they both needed to wash. Col grabbed a couple of towels and dropped them on the bathmat. He mentally crossed his fingers as he turned on the water, relieved when it ran warm.

Theo turned his face up from where he was curled in the shower tray. “Ahhh.”

Col washed Theo’s hair and Theo moaned. “That’s so good. I can’t remember anyone ever washing my hair for me. It feels… Ohhh… Do you still love me?”

“Am I seeing you at your worst?”

“Have I thrown up yet?”

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