Page 94 of He's the One

Col gaped at him. “Mr Speedy.”

“Only with things that are delicious.” Theo moved a little nearer to the remains of Col’s ice cream. “That looks so good, just sticking up in the air, all drippy and chocolatey and tempting. Like a mini-ice cream with an enormous hard Flake.”

“Want a bite?”

“You are too good to be true.”

Col held it out. Theo dropped his head over it and as he looked up into Col’s eyes, he took the entirety of what was left into his mouth. Col laughed.

Theo moaned, chewed and swallowed.

“Oh fuck.” Col stood up and adjusted his trousers.

“Come and sit down again.”

“Not a good idea.”

“I have pictures of the plans for the folly on my phone.”

Col dropped down next to him.

“It’s tall and sturdy,” Theo said quietly. “It must have been an impressive erection when it first went up.”

Col’s shoulders began to shake.

“What do you think? Can you make it stand tall and proud again?”

“You’re not helping.”

“Surely your talented fingers can work a miracle and restore the tower to its full tumescent glory.”

“Enough!” Col pushed to his feet. “Send me that picture.”

Working was the only way he was going to fight off the urge to drag Theo down and…do things to him. He went back into the ruins and carried out more stones. Theo still sat there smiling at him.

“Do you need to take your shirt off?” Theo asked. “I won’t mind.”

“No.” Col chuckled as he shifted another section of the wall. “Oh, what’s this?” He picked up an earless stone rabbit and took it to show Theo. “Let me see if I can find the part that broke off.”

He came back a few moments later with the ears. Theo was stroking the stone.

“Felicity loved this. Can you mend it?”

“I don’t know how close to perfect I could get it but yes, I can mend it. I’ll take it home. I don’t have the right tools here.”

“Will you stay for something to eat tonight?”

Col nodded. “Want me to come with you to copy the files off the computer? And have a look in the cash box, even though you think it’s too late to find anything? Plus, you can show me the actual plans for this folly.”

“And?”

Col raised his eyebrows. “What else?”

“Go through what we find? Thoroughly check it all out? Make sure there’s nothing hidden that we’ve missed? Do an inch-by-inch search, looking for something exciting? Investigate the unknown? Boldly go where no man has—”

“What’s for dinner?”

“Food.” Theo pushed to his feet. “I need to go and check I have some.”

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