Steam (Homecoming Hearts #4)(48)

If there was the slightest possibility Trent wasn’t straight, though, Ashby was willing to be the one to find out.

Housekeeping had left a couple of lamps on by the lone bed that had seemed so ominous yesterday. It was just enough for Ashby to make out everything of Trent. His perfectly trimmed stubbled jaw. His glossy, dark hair falling to his shoulders. The lines of his sculpted muscles under his white shirt.

Ashby was still dressed aside from his jacket and tie. He was too afraid to take the plunge and kiss Trent just yet. So to ease himself in, he reached up and began gently pulling at the cravat around Trent’s neck, loosening the material to expose his skin.

“There,” Ashby whispered. He dropped the material to the floor where it pooled alongside his own tie, the two pink shades almost identical. “Now we’re even.”

He expected Trent to laugh at him or tell him to hurry up and kiss him. Instead, he watched silently as Ashby next got to work on the buttons of Trent’s waistcoat. There were only three, so he was soon slipping his hands over Trent’s rock-hard shoulders, pushing the silky garment off his body and onto the carpet.

Ashby exhaled slowly. He would have thought that Trent watching him would have made him feel anxious. But that was what was so different about Trent and the likes of Gordon. Trent made him feel empowered.

That was the last time Ashby would allow himself to think about Gordon. He was the past. Ashby wasn’t sure what the future might hold, but his present was standing patiently in front of him. Trent. Ashby couldn’t quite believe this was really happening, but it was.

He took his time tracing his fingers over Trent’s body, exploring the well-defined lines hiding beneath the cotton. Every now and again he looked up to gauge Trent’s reaction. He was breathing heavily. They both were. Ashby was trembling in anticipation, his pulse loud in his ears. But although he was clearly affected, Trent didn’t react other than to watch Ashby work.

“Is this okay?” Ashby asked, his voice a mere rasp.

“Yes,” Trent replied.

Ashby ran his hands up Trent’s flanks and over his pecs. “Have you…really never done this with a man before?”

Trent shook his head. “No.”

Ashby bit his lip. His hands came to rest on Trent’s biceps. “And…you’re sure you want to do this with me?” Ashby thought that was lunacy. He wasn’t worthy of such an honor. “You could have anyone. I’m…I’m just so...” He trailed off in embarrassment.

But at that, Trent did finally move. His hands lifted immediately to cradle both sides of Ashby’s face. “You’re so amazing,” Trent said. “I don’t know why you can’t see that.”

Ashby couldn’t help but look into his beautiful brown eyes. “You hear a thing often enough,” he said, his voice trembling, “I guess you start to believe it. Shallow. Useless. Unremarkable.” He cleared his throat. He hadn’t meant to say those words out loud. “Uh, you know, things like that.”

“How about,” Trent said slowly. He leaned in so Ashby naturally closed his eyes. The kiss didn’t come on his lips, though. It landed carefully on his left eyelid. “Worldly.” His right eyelid. “Kind.” His right cheek. “Charming.” The tip of his nose. “Beautiful.” He rubbed their noses gently together in an Eskimo kiss. “And sexy as hell.”

Ashby laughed nervously. He was definitely not bloody sexy. He knew he was good looking. But he couldn’t agree that his slim, pale body instilled any kind of sexual desire in a red-hot man like Trent.

“Oh, you don’t think so?” Trent said. There was a playful tone to his voice.

Ashby risked peeking out through his eyelashes and grimaced. “No,” he said, trying not to giggle again. But he felt like maybe that was what Trent wanted.

He dropped his hands from either side of Ashby’s face and used one hand to expertly push the buttons on Ashby’s own waistcoat through their holes. The other hand held onto Ashby’s hip. Ashby begged his heart not to explode, because it would be a dreadful shame to kick the bucket now and miss out on this divine experience.

Trent made short work of the vest and then started on the shirt, this time using both hands to slip the many buttons free and expose Ashby’s chest. In no time he was running his hands over Ashby’s flesh, along his shoulders and arms to divest him of the shirt, then down his chest.

“You don’t think this is gorgeous?” Trent asked as he wrapped his fingers around either side of Ashby’s ribcage. The span of his hands was so large it felt like he was holding the entirety of Ashby’s torso.

“Um, no,” said Ashby. If he was honest, he was certainly feeling pretty sexy right then. But he wanted Trent to keep on convincing him some more.

It worked like a charm. Trent smiled lazily at him before dropping his head and kissing the side of Ashby’s neck. “This is very sexy,” he mumbled against Ashby’s skin. “I was looking at this little bit earlier.” He kissed his way along to the base of Ashby’s throat.

Ashby moaned and dropped his head back. “Oh my god,” he moaned. “This can’t be happening.”

“Why?” Trent asked. He kissed back up and along Ashby’s jaw. His hands were exploring Ashby’s stomach, tickling his tummy and making Ashby squirm in delight.