Chapter 24
Magnus
Flopping face first into the huge bed that is the centerpiece of the honeymoon suite in the hotel in Cancun, I groan with relief. “I’ve never in my life had such a stressful travel experience,” I complain as Trent’s weight joins mine.
Our flight was delayed on the runway, and our connecting flight took off without us, but we managed to get on another airline’s flight to Mexico, then when we landed we were delayed by customs. It took four hours to get that sorted, and by the time we found a taxi to take us to the hotel, it was well after midnight and the nighttime taxi rates are higher.
The guy was nice and got us to the hotel quickly, and Trent tipped him extra because everything about getting here was awful except him.
“Genuinely surprised we made it here before they gave our room away,” Trent agrees as his hand finds my calf and then he starts taking off my shoes. “The kitchen is open twenty four hours. I’m going to order room service; do you want a meal or a snack?”
“Food,” I groan as my shoes thunk to the floor. I curl up on my side, turning to face him and pulling my feet onto the bed. “How are you not completely exhausted?” He looks so much better than I feel.
A half smile appears on the right side of his face, and he reaches over to stroke my curls.
“I am, but I can’t sleep on an empty stomach, and I fully intend to sleep in tomorrow.
This is a vacation, even if we are filming, and I’m going to enjoy it.
Spring break in Cancun. Woo.” He laughs and stands, walking over to the phone where the room service menu is.
“So far, I’m not impressed, but I might change my mind after food, a shower, and a whole night’s sleep.
” This last week has been as exhausting for me as for any of my students.
Keeping up with teaching, grading, and my own student work has taken up more time than I expected.
Thankfully, Trent was able to keep our subscribers entertained with his solo vids while I was busy.
His hand comes down on my butt, and then he starts talking into the phone, using four years of high school and three years of college Spanish.
Damn that’s… Well, I don’t know, but I love that he’s comfortable enough in a second language to order over the phone.
Hmm, if the way my dick’s reacting to listening to him using Spanish is any indication, I guess I think fluency in a secondary language is sexy.
That’s new. I like it. I like knowing my dick enjoys a working mind and the discipline of learning a new skill. That feels good to me.
When Trent hangs up the phone, I turn, stretching out with my arms behind my neck and smiling at him. “So, it turns out I might be a little sapiosexual.”
Trent arches a brow at me. “I’ve heard that word, but I have no context for it.”
“Sexually aroused by intelligence,” I explain with a shrug as Trent pulls his shirt over his head. My stomach dips with nerves, but I reassure myself that Trent isn’t going to judge me for my preferences.
He grunts thoughtfully. “That would explain Dr. Castonia.”
I grimace at the reminder of the woman who facilitated one of my graduate classes last semester.
Just before the first week of school, I met her at a conference for educators that I was keynoting.
We enjoyed each other’s company at a social event, and enjoyed each other’s company in the privacy of my hotel suite afterward, and then she ended up being the professor for my biomedical ethics course.
Regrettably, I was unequipped for how to deal with having had sex with my professor, so I dropped the course, delaying my advancement in gaining a master’s in neuroscience.
“I was very interested in sex with her after we talked,” I admit with a sigh. “It also explains my sexual interest in a few others.”
Trent chuckles as he digs around his suitcase, pulling out a pair of blue pajama pants with tacos on them.
He strips his pants and underwear off in one go and pulls the pajamas on, and a little thread of giddiness winds through me knowing that we’re comfortable nude together now.
There’s a strange sort of freedom in that.
I don’t have to worry about his privacy and modesty like I do about the guys in the locker room before or after my workout.
That’s a nice advancement of the intimacy of our friendship.
“What made you suddenly aware of your preference for intelligence?” he asks, fluffing up the pillows and sitting against the headboard.
I move so he has room to stretch out his feet, following his lead to get in my own pajamas. “I was turned on by your fluency in Spanish,” I explain, pulling out one of the two pairs of shorts I’m capable of sleeping in. “I prefer sleeping nude,” I grumble as I toss them on the bed.
Trent snorts and coughs, pulling my attention to him as I start unbuttoning my shirt.
“What?” I ask, not sure why he’s looking at me like he can’t believe I said what I said.
“I’ve mostly lived on my own since I was old enough to learn how to masturbate.
I’ve been sleeping naked since I was fifteen.
I only put clothes on to sleep when I have to share a room, and I try to avoid that as much as possible.
” I shuck my shirt and let it drop to the floor, and then push my trousers and briefs down together.
Trent grabs his shirt off the floor and tosses it at me, and I catch it as he says, “You’re privilege is showing there, man. Better hide it quick.”
I roll my eyes and pull his dirty shirt over my head. It fits loose and smells like him, which is comforting and nice. Plus it falls mid-thigh and covers all my private bits. I wonder if he’d be mad at me for wearing this instead of my shorts?
Trent’s eyes wander down and up me, assessing, studying… I don’t know what he’s thinking, but his face has that affectionate softness he gets when I do something he likes, so maybe he’s not upset with my stealing a shirt to sleep in instead of shorts.
“You can have a clean one,” he offers, pointing to his suitcase.
I sniff the shirt again and shake my head. “It smells like you, and I like that.”
Trent’s smile broadens beyond mere affection to delight, but the knock at our door for room service stops whatever he was going to say.
He strides to the door and opens it, allowing the room service attendant to push the cart in.
He tips the woman as she eyes us, then she leaves and he pulls out a chair from the table.
“Come on, Magnus. Food, shower, sleep.”
I take another sniff of Trent’s shirt as I rise to join him. “I might wait for the shower until tomorrow.”
He sets a plate in front of me with empanadas and papas on it and sits next to me with his own plate.
“Sounds good. We can film a shower together in the morning. We’re supposed to trade handies, but if we do that during a live stream, we can post the shower scene after.
Get some practice with touching each other, but keep the awkwardness real by making it our first time. ”
Butterflies erupt in my stomach at the reminder that we’re actually touching each other for real this time. Not like when we were photographed together and he was barely touching me and I didn’t even get to touch him. “That’s surprisingly nerve-wracking,” I comment, putting a hand over my stomach.
Trent leans in and connects us shoulder to shoulder. “If you don’t want to do it, or if you’re not prepared to do it yet, we can wait. It’s not like we have to rush into things, no matter what our subscribers say.”
His reassurance and focus on consent and comfort helps calm the butterflies.
“I’m ready. I just have to deal with the stage fright that always comes when I’m teaching a new group of students, or in this case, trying something new for the channel.
With you there, it should be fine. I’m very comfortable with your dick. ”
Trent chuckles softly and pushes a little harder into my shoulder. “I’m probably cheating since I’ve already done this once before.”
I finish the bite of meaty cheesy goodness and set my fork down.
There’s leftovers, and they’re good, but I’m just too tired to keep eating.
I lean into him and he shifts his arm, dropping it over my shoulders and pulling me in for a cuddle.
“It’s not cheating, and I’m glad at least one of us isn’t going to be a nervous wreck. ”
He hums softly and brushes a kiss against my forehead. “It’ll be fine, and if it isn’t, we can stop. You don’t ever have to do anything you don’t want to do, Magnus, and that includes touching me.”
Drifting through that stage of pre-sleep, I remember how he was during the photoshoot and smile. He is always going to be the guy that makes sure I’m not doing anything I don’t consent to, and that is swoon-worthy, I think.
Consent is soooo sexy.