“Do you want to lean on me?” Josh asked.
There was nothing Felix wanted more. His head spun, and his legs felt wobbly. But he didn’t want to appear weak in front of Thea’s brother. As if he couldn’t handle a bit of pain. Right now, though, he’d do anything to make it stop.
“It wasn’t his fault,” said Thea. “He was minding his own business, and then…”
“I don’t want to know,” Josh said. “Are you okay, mate?” he said directly to Felix this time. “You’re looking a little pale.”
The heat had left Felix’s face, and now he just felt clammy and a little shaky. Perspiration coated his brow.
“Hurts,” he ground out through his teeth as he came up to half-standing.
“Okay. Let’s get you to the bar and get some ice. I’ll see if the hotel has some antihistamines and painkillers. Thea, you take Ammy back to Kitty and tell Daniel I won’t be long. I should have Felix back to normal soon.”
Felix gave Thea a sheepish smile as Josh helped him hobble into the hotel bar. The crowd parted before the two of them, like Moses cleaving the Red Sea, and within a couple of minutes, he sat with his feet up on a banquette with a giant slab of ice resting between his thighs.
Josh sat opposite Felix, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. You took a direct hit. At least the ice should help with the swelling.”
Felix sucked a breath in between his teeth as he moved on the leather. Judging by the tightness in his trousers, his balls had swollen up to triple their usual size. What if he lost the use of them? Would he ever ejaculate again?
“Thanks for your help, Josh. I’m not sure I deserve it.”
“No, you don’t, but now that you’ve compromised her in public, I expect you to marry my sister before the summer.”
Felix’s mouth hung open. Did Josh know about the incident at the chocolate fountain, too? He’d suspected the small-town gossip mongers would have gone into overdrive at Thea’s rather public chocolate boobing.
“Relax. I’m only joking. I’ll be honest, though. You have a lot to apologise for. You hurt a lot of people.”
Felix hung his head.
“But Thea likes you. So you can consider yourself on probation.”
“Thea likes me?” Felix asked, desperate for more information.
Josh shrugged. “Well, you wouldn’t be here if she didn’t. My sister doesn’t let just anyone into her life. Or let them spend time with her daughter. I don’t know how you managed it, but I’ll warn you. If you even vaguely mess her around or repeat any of your previous behaviour I’ll strap you down, smear you in honey and set an entire hive of bees on you.”
Josh clapped a speechless Felix on the shoulder, stood up, and exited the bar towards the hotel reception.
The pain in his groin magically lessened, and the corners of his mouth ticked up. Thea liked him. She likedhim. Maybe just as a friend, maybe more, but hell, it was a start.
20
THEA
Thea swept her eyes over the timber ceiling as she left Barrow Manor’s chapel. Dark wooden beams spanned the roof above, casting long shadows onto the guests as the sun struggled through the tiny windows. The gloom didn’t match her mood, though. She snickered under her breath at the memory of the ceremony.
The vicar, a bumbling elderly gentleman, had given a very long sermon on the evils of sex before marriage. Thea had to smile. She could just imagine Daniel pinching his skin through his trouser pocket to keep from giggling. Had somebody tipped the Chaplin off beforehand about the groom’s past?
Somebody had farted loudly during the ring exchange, and things had almost ended in disaster when Ammy had announced to the vicar that Daniel was quite keen on pussies. He’d adopted one of Thea’s kittens last year.
After Ammy’s pussy revelation, Felix had attempted to stifle a laugh but, along with a few other guests, had failed miserably. He’d sat next to her, shoulders shuddering and tears running down his cheeks. Maybe Josh had spiked his antihistamines, orhe was experiencing a delayed adrenaline rush after the bee sting.
Felix’s reaction had drawn stares, and, at a loss for how to stop him, Thea had nudged her leg into his. Her breath thinned at the memory. He’d returned her gesture. Had pressed his solid thigh back against hers, and the place where their bodies met became the only thing she could focus on. It was only a leg, but somehow, it felt like so much more. Like an understanding. A truce. A promise.
She’d held her breath, skin alive, until after a pause, he’d brought the back of his knuckles to her knee and opened his hand.
Thea stared at his offer of peace for three full breaths before slowly moving her palm to join his. And the second he’d intertwined his fingers through hers, her heart had pounded so hard she thought her chest might explode.
Felix had held her hand for the rest of the ceremony, his thumb gently brushing over her skin, stroking away her loneliness, the simple action unlocking all the tension she’d held since they arrived at the hotel. Since they’d first met.
