“I guess I made that kind of awkward.” Tristan cleared his throat, but it didn’t strengthen his voice when he spoke up again. “I didn’t mean to point it out and embarrass you. It sort of—”
“Embarrassed?” Henry shook his head, finally breaking through the quiet that hung around him. “I mean, I was, but not because you said something. Because I popped a boner at a boner-free event.” He smiled sheepishly, finally lookingnearTristan, but still not making eye contact. “Wasn’t quite expecting that.”
“Join the club.” After another couple of seconds, Tristan jumped up. He apparently wasn’t frozen like Henry. He drew the blinds and the curtains, then jogged over and flicked all the locks on the door... but not before slipping out thePrivacy Pleaseplacard. “You know... you’re hot, right?”
Henry nodded, resisting the nervous giggle that pressed to escape. “I’ve been told.”
“And you’re gay?”
“Two for two.”
“And you know that I’m gay too?”
“I’d guessed.”
Tristan was apple red, but he nodded. “So... this is... stop me if this isn’t cool, okay? Because this is not something I would ever do normally.”
Don’t read into it. It could mean anything.Henry’s dick didn’t listen and didn’t soften at all. It was certainly ready for things to go in an amorous direction if that’s how the evening turned.
AndGoddid Henry hope it would.
Oh god, what am I doing? Am I really trying to do this?One hard-on and some mild compliments from Henry, and Tristan was jumping to all sorts of conclusions, making plans... and ready to get down and have naked time. It was two hundred and fifty percent crazy, and already in motion.
“You can either bang it out of your system or you can ignore it.”
Lucia’s comment played in his head, and before he knew it, his lips were moving. “Just... stay there.”
Henry quirked an eyebrow. “What?”
“Do you trust me?”He has no real reason to.
A nervous chuckle slipped past Henry’s peachy, all-too-inviting lips. “I mean, unless this is a whole Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan kind of thing.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
“You’re gay and you don’t immediately recognize violent early nineties figure skating scandals?”
“Oh, that one. I’m not going to break your knees with a police baton.”
“Then I trust you.”
Tristan nodded with a smile, then reached over and turned off the lights, plunging the room into the endless dark that only hotel rooms seemed able to produce. Now hidden, he raked a hand across his hair and swallowed hard. “Like I said... chime in if you’re not cool with anything.”
Henry cleared his throat in the dark. “You got it.”
Of course, all that darkness, with its glorious ability to hide Tristan’s imperfections, also hindered him getting back to the bed. He already didn't see too hot without his glasses. Surprisingly enough, his night vision wasn’t amazing, especially without them on. He stepped slowly, trying not to stub his toes.
Which he did. He banged against a hard edge on his way over—probably the stupid dresser/entertainment center—and fell to the side. His face didn’t hit the floor, though. It hit... soft cotton that smelled faintly of coconut. His cheek grazed against something hard and warm that confirmed his suspicions.
Henry’s voice growled from above, just in case there’d been any doubt left. “Did you... fall face-first into my crotch?”
“I may have.” Tristan spoke without removing his head. Past the coconut and the smell of detergent coming from the fabric, there was sweat and musk and arousal... and cookies. Henry still smelled like cookies under it all, and they were the sexiest cookies in the world. “I can’t see very well. This was supposed to be a lot smoother and suaver.”
“It’s, uh, working fine for me.” Henry’s voice cracked a bit there. He coughed quietly before speaking again. “If I’m reading your signals right... you were going to end up down there anyway?”
“That was the plan.” The blessed dark hid Tristan’s blush. Not that it really mattered. This was hardly the first time his face had gotten all hot and bothered this evening. “I figured we could... make a tabloid-worthy scandal for the show.” His heart leapt higher, out of his chest and into his mouth to make speaking nearly impossible. “Just... if you’re not comfortable with it—”
“Are you kidding?” Another little vocal crack from Henry that was way more endearing than it probably would have been from anyone else. “Sexy guy like you with your face... where it is, and you think I’m saying no?”
