Page 19 of Leather and Longing
Paul carried the chair into the large bathroom and set it down in front of the pedestal wash basin. “Ready.” He letAdam find his own way to it, his instincts telling him that was best. Adam moved cautiously, hands reaching out to touch the porcelain and then feeling for the chair. He sat down, and Paul took a clean towel from the bale in the corner, draping it over Adam’s chest and down over his shoulders. He picked up the hair trimmer and was disconcerted to find his hands were trembling.
“Well,I’mready,” Adam said dryly.
Paul regarded him for a moment, trying to work out how best to achieve his task.
“I always find, when shaving someone, it’s a good idea to stand in front of them,” Adam added. “Cutting and shaving someone from the side can be awkward.” He stretched out his long legs in front of him, feet together, and then patted his thighs. “Why don’t you straddle my legs? That way, you have everything within reach.” There was more than a hint of teasing amusement in his expression.
The thought of standing astride Adam’s legs, his own spread wide, was enough to have Paul’s dick filling and send the blood rushing to his cheeks.
“I’ll manage,” he said, cursing his voice that cracked on the last syllable.
“Only wanted to help.”
In that moment, it was obvious to Paul his employer was enjoying himself. He cleared his throat and began to trim Adam’s beard, cutting it as close to the skin as he could. Adam’s jawline was firm beneath the coarse black hair. The thought of that beard rubbing against his cheek while Adam kissed him sent a shiver skating down Paul’s spine.
Kissed him?
Paul began to think Taylor, Mark and Sam had a point. It had been far too long since he’d gotten laid. He pushed the deliciousfantasy aside and concentrated on his task, the trimmed hairs catching in the towel.
“You all right?”
Paul became still. “Yes, why do you ask?”
Adam gave a shrug. “Had a feeling for a moment back there that you were… distracted.” He reached up and stroked his jaw. “Are you ready to shave me?”
Paul nodded, and then cursed himself for forgetting. “Yes. D’you want me to use the disposable razor or the straight blade?” He took the towel from around Adam’s neck and shook the hair into the bin by the basin. Then he replaced it over Adam’s chest once more, leaving his neck clear.
“That would depend on the sharpness of the blade,” Adam told him. “It’s been a while since I used it.”
Paul opened up the razor and carefully felt along its silvery thin length with a fingertip. “Oh, it’s sharp enough.” He closed it up and laid it on the shelf above the basin.
“Have you used one of these before?”
“Once.” Paul’s dad had let him shave him when Paul had begun shaving seriously. It had been a scary experience.
Those dark eyebrows lifted. “Should I be concerned?”
Paul ignored the slightly mocking tone and filled the basin with warm water. He sprayed shaving gel into his palm, worked it into a thick lather and then smeared it all over Adam’s jaw and neck. After washing his hands, Paul picked up the razor and carefully, so carefully, scraped it in a downward motion over Adam’s face, starting near his ear. Adam sat still but for the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath the towel.
Their closeness, so close that Paul swore Adam could feel Paul’s breath on his cheek, the care Paul was taking with the blade, the way he never took his gaze off Adam’s face, and those eyes….
Paul swallowed. There was something about the situation that he couldn’t put his finger on, something to do with the way it looked, Paul in front of Adam, the heady silence woven between the two of them. It felt… intimate. Sensual.
And it was turning him on.
He worked steadily, rinsing the blade and tilting Adam’s head now and then to provide a better angle. When he lifted Adam’s chin with a couple of fingers to work on his neck, Adam gave a half smile.
“Careful, now.”
As if his nerves weren’t bad enough to start with.
Paul took a deep breath, leaned in closer and scraped the sharp blade up Adam’s neck, going slowly as he neared his Adam’s apple. When the skin was devoid of hair and Paul straightened, both men exhaled. Paul let the water drain before running fresh warm water into the basin. He dipped a washcloth into it, wrung it out and then wiped over Adam’s now smooth face.
“Well? Does that look better?” Adam’s voice held the merest hint of sarcasm. He rubbed his hand over his bare skin.
Paul stepped back to assess his handiwork.
If ‘better’ means I have this urge to brush my lips along your jawline, and I’m as hard as a fucking rock, then yeah.
