Ray was pretty sure that they were taking up the whole hotel, which wasn’t all that big. But what it lacked in size, it made up for in quaint charm. For the next month, this was going to be their home, and it was an appealing one.
Everyone was exhausted, and it was not difficult to convince the kids to go to their rooms right after dinner. Paris time was eight hours ahead of Seattle, and the real wonder, Ray figured, as he stumbled off to the room he was sharing with Simon, was that they hadn’t all just outright fallen asleep in their food.
“I feel drunk,” he admitted, putting a hand on the wall to hold himself upright and watching in dull amazement as Simon slid the key card into the door. A relatively simple operation, but the sort of thing that was quite beyond him at this point.
“You’ve heard of jet lag?” Simon asked, giving him a smug, amused little look that lacked all malice. It was just gentle teasing and seemed almost affectionate, so it didn’t bother Ray. “That’s what this is. Jet lag. You’ll be better tomorrow.”
Ray groaned softly, his head feeling like it was packed with high-density layers of cotton padding as he fell into the room. The moment he was inside, and the door was closed, he stripped his shirt over his head and dropped it heedlessly on the little couch. His pants followed soon enough, and it was a blessed relief not to have the fabric against his skin.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a man stripping for me the moment we get into a hotel room,” Simon commented, his tone wry, and if Ray had had any doubt about Simon being attracted to men, that would have pretty much tossed it out the window. Honestly, though, it didn’t surprise him at all. It just meant that the signs he’d been getting were correct.
“I’ve been wearing these clothes since Seattle,” Ray replied, turning around to give a quick grin that was probably too flirtatious to the other man. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this dirty in my entire life.”
“Having a shower will help. You’ll sleep better,” Simon predicted, and Ray tried not to stare or to care when Simon slipped his shirt over his head. He couldn’t help but steal a peek, though. Simon was slender and tight, although more muscled than Ray would have expected. He clearly took care of himself.
Why did he care, though? That was the real question, and Ray was somewhat distracted as he went into the bathroom, peeled off his underwear, and started the shower going nice and hot. Why on earth should he even care that Simon was in the other room, maybe completely naked? It wasn’t like Ray had never seen a naked man before, and it had never caused him to look twice.
A wave of dizziness hit him, and his eyes seemed to want to drift closed no matter how hard he tried to keep them open. He had had no idea how much a nine-hour flight would mess him up, and his forehead drifted forward to rest against the cool tile, just for a moment or two, to rest his eyes.
“Ray,” someone said, and Ray groaned softly, struggling back into something that passed for wakefulness, if only just. “Ray, you’ve been in the shower for half an hour. Time to go to bed.”
He felt a strong arm wrapping around his waist, supporting him as the other hand turned off the shower. A clean white towel was wrapped around him, and he was ushered out of the bathroom.
It had been a long, long time since anyone had taken care of him like this. Part of him was ashamed to need it. Mostly, though, he was grateful, being guided towards the bed and then eased down onto it.
Why he did it, he would never know. Maybe it was just the jet lag, lowering his defenses just enough that he could break through them. But as he lay with his head on the deliciously soft pillow, Ray smiled up at Simon and hooked his fingers behind his head, stopping him from getting away.
“Thanks,” he murmured, and then he did something that he really shouldn’t have. Even at the time, as dazed as he was, he knew it. But it was like that knowledge somehow didn’t break through in time to stop his actions.
He arched his back, raising his head off of the pillow as he drew Simon’s head down to his own. Their lips met in a soft kiss, breath mingling, as for the first time in his life, Ray kissed another man.
Chapter Six
Simon
Simon wasn’t doing that much better than Ray was. The only thing that was saving him from being just as loopy as Ray was was that he had the experience to know what was going on. So when Ray started to strip, Simon was pretty sure that he stared like an idiot. He couldn’t even help it.
The whole trip so far had been driving Simon insane. Ray was just so gorgeous, and on top of that, he had this whole innocent thing working for him, which just plain wasn’t fair. The way he’d fallen into Simon’s lap, for instance. From some guys, that would have been a clear sign to go for it, but from Ray, it seemed more likely that it had been an accident.
Just his luck. The first guy he had been in any way interested in since Nick and the guy had to be off-limits. So completely off-limits. Although, was that the truth? What would the rules be around that, according to the school? Were teachers allowed to hook up with their students’ parents?
He had never had any interest in checking that out before. He had to figure that, at the very least, it would be frowned on. Not to mention, what would poor Ashley say? Although, was there any reason that anyone needed to know?
His mind spun in circles, and he was stunned when he looked at his phone and saw that Ray had been gone for nearly half an hour. That was concerning. As tired as he had been, Simon had been expecting him to come back in a few moments, just enough to rinse off the sweat.
What should he do? He hadn’t heard a crash, so Ray probably hadn’t fallen. When Simon came close, he heard the sound of the shower going, which heavily implied that Ray was in there, naked, dripping wet. A mental image that Simon didn’t particularly need, and which had his deprived cock stirring to life instantly.
“Ray?” he called, tapping lightly at the door. There was no answer, not then and not when Simon knocked harder, which made Simon’s struggle quite a bit more difficult. It was highly inappropriate for him to walk in, but what if Ray had hurt himself?
He knocked again and then sighed softly. When it came down to it, he couldn’t just leave Ray. He didn’t have it in him. And if he got in trouble for it, so be it. So he pushed open the door, once more calling Ray’s name, and once more getting no response.
And no wonder. The shower door was clear glass, and even through the fog, it was obvious that Ray was sleeping, standing up against the wall. He was perfectly fine, for now, but he was lucky to be so. And that could change any second.
There was no choice anymore, and Simon sprang into action. He was even a gentleman, he didn’t so much as peek, although he had to admit that he was curious. But he just wrapped his arm around Ray and eased him out of the shower, getting him wrapped in a towel.
One thing that he couldn’t help but notice. Ray, in clothing, was obviously a slim man. But without them, it was obvious that he was slender, almost to the point of emaciation. This was not a man who had been eating well. And Ashley, who was also tall and slender, did not have the same quality.
Ray was not eating enough so that his daughter could eat. If Simon had had it sufficiently together, he would have wanted to ask about that. But he didn’t, and neither did Ray, and it was none of Simon’s business. Except how could he know about someone going hungry and not want to do something about it?
