Chapter 9

Marcelo swallowed. Much as he was comfortable with his personal servant’s presence and assistance for all his daily hygiene practices, and even after sharing significant intimacies with Efren last night, the idea of washing himself in front of his new husband gave him pause.

However, the idea of not removing the day’s travel grime before sleeping next to Efren was even less appealing, so Marcelo set his jaw and followed Efren’s lead—to act as if there was nothing unusual about their situation. And for Efren, perhaps there wasn’t. Marcelo began with the least-revealing task—to clean his teeth.

Marcelo rinsed and spit into the supplied cup as demurely as he could while performing such an innately indecorous act. Efren managed to accomplish the same with less overtones of priggishness, and Marcelo raised his chin another notch, determined to make it the rest of the way through this simplest of routines without seeming so discomfited.