Chapter 13 #2
Reaching under himself, he gripped the base of his cock, which had been his first and last mistake because as soon as he touched his knot he came violently into his hand.
It splattered heavily over the blankets, and Taylor realised that Johnny’s arm had somehow worked its way back underneath his body and was rubbing his chest.
Panting and grunting against the pillow, Taylor screwed his eyes shut, because shit… that just happened. Johnny was silent and his hand had stopped rubbing his chest and fuck-a-duck Taylor probably looked like such a loser.
“Taylor Campbell,” Johnny said, voice tight, “we’re going to take a shower, then we’re going to go home and have a very long talk.”
Taylor squeezed his eyes shut, growling into the pillow. “You just love fucking talking, don’t you, JP?”
“I do.”
“Can we not? Can we just pretend like that didn’t happen?”
Johnny leant down, pressing his clammy forehead to the back of Taylor’s neck. “That’ll be a hard no.”
“Fuck. Fuck you. Well, we’re collecting the car from the restaurant and getting breakfast before any of that shit. Preferably drive-through because I need to order everything off the fucking menu.”
Johnny laughed. “That, I can do.”
“… and a double sausage and egg breakfast muffin, please,” he shouted into the intercom.
“Anything else?” the poor McDonald’s employee said as Taylor barked the entire menu at her.
His eyes slid to Johnny, who was sitting silently in the passenger seat. “Do you want anything?”
Johnny raised an eyebrow, the intensity of his gaze making Taylor snap his head back towards the microphone. “And a large Coke, bacon roll and three more hash browns, please. Fuck.”
He didn’t even wait for the girl to relay the order back before shoving the car into gear and bombing it over to the first window. In his haste, he scraped the car along one of the metal bollards, leaving black flecks across it.
Taylor grumbled and drummed his fingers across the steering wheel, leg bouncing uncontrollably next to the gear stick.
“Chill,” Johnny said, hand hovering over his knee. “Do you want me to drive?”
Taylor snarled, anger twisting hot and sharp in his belly.
“No, I don’t. I bet you’re finding this fucking hilarious aren’t you, JP?
Ha-ha, let’s laugh at Taylor because he’s an uncontrollable alpha-hole that nearly killed a man during a threesome, won’t stop biting his best friend and now can’t even fucking drive straight. ”
“Er, do you want sauce with that?” the server said, holding out some napkins.
“No, thank you,” he snapped back, snatching the napkins out of her hand and throwing them at Johnny. “Sorry,” he mumbled over his shoulder at the terrified looking girl.
“Taylor, no one is laughing at you.”
He looked Johnny up and down. “Oh yeah? So why’re you smiling? Why do you look like the cat that got the fucking cream cheese?”
“Cream.”
“Fuck you. It’s cream cheese if I say it’s cream cheese.”
Johnny sighed and shook his head.
“N-next window please,” the server stuttered.
“Oh, I’ll go to the next window alright,” Taylor growled, almost taking out another bollard as he went.
“Tay, will you just pull over and let me drive?”
“I can’t pull over, we’re in a fucking drive-through,” he said, but nevertheless unbuckled his seat belt and launched himself out of the car. Johnny spluttered and did the same, swapping seats just as the food arrived.
“One loaded breakfast wrap, brown sauce, no egg.”
Johnny smiled sheepishly, took the food, and dropped it into Taylor’s lap. “Just take a deep breath. You’re freaking out.”
“Eight hash browns, stack of pancakes, extra syrup.”
“I am not freaking out.” He was absolutely freaking out. “And don’t tell me to take a deep breath. I’m not a child. You aren’t my mum. My mum’s fucked off somewhere and—”
“Tay!” Johnny barked, suddenly leaning across the gap between the seats and clamping his mouth over Taylor’s.
There was a moment when they just sort of hung there, suspended in time like in Theo’s bedroom.
Johnny’s eyes were open; so were Taylor’s.
He blinked several times, convinced he was having some kind of lucid dream, because kissing your best friend in the dark was one thing, but in the cold light of the drive-through was—
Johnny pulled away, and Taylor nearly choked on his own spit.
“Um, do you want any extra milk and sugar with that?” The server’s eyes darted between them as she cupped a handful of milk sachets. She wasn’t alone, because it seemed as though McDonald’s entire fucking workforce had gathered behind the window to witness their little squabble.
“Thanks,” Johnny said, leaning through the hatch to take them out of her hands. He shoved them into the centre console before rolling up the window and driving off.
The sun was already pretty high, despite it being so early in the morning, and Johnny said he’d take the long way home so Taylor could eat the food.
“Do you honestly think Theo’s okay?” Taylor said, ripping open the breakfast wrap with his teeth just as they crossed the border between High Enfield and West Newton. He stared intently at Johnny’s face, waiting for any sign of doubt. Instead, he was met by a small, almost non-existent smile.
“Theo is just fine. He texted me earlier and said thanks for the shag.”
Taylor scoffed. “You got his number?”
“Of course I did. You were so hell-bent on us getting laid I thought it’d be rude not to. Plus, he did let us use his shower when in reality he should have just kicked us out.”
Taylor nodded as he chewed on a piece of bacon. “Nice guy. Emily, too. She’s a nerd, but in a cute way. She had this cool tattoo that went up her arm and I guessed it was Elvish. She seemed impressed.”
Johnny’s mouth twitched. “Yeah? What happened there, by the way?”
Taylor took a long slurp of Coke, then grimaced. “Ugh, they’ve given me diet. Disgusting.”
“Tay?”
“Oh, just… you know. Not really feeling it.”
Johnny let out a breath. “Why not?”
Taylor paused, half a pancake hanging out of his mouth. Inhaling through his nose, he closed the food carton and rested both hands on top of it.
Why hadn’t he been feeling it? She was hot and nice, and up until stepping into Theo’s kitchen she’d seemed like she was up for it. Except, his cock definitely hadn’t been.
He shrugged. “Dunno. I was more worried about you, I think.”
Johnny looked surprised at that, but carried on staring at the road.
Taylor was about to crack on with the hash browns when his phone started ringing and Isla’s name popped up on the car’s multimedia display. He and Johnny glanced at each other, because a call from the sergeant at 6:30 am was never a good sign.
“Sargie,” Taylor said, voice only cracking a little as he pressed answer.
“Oh, you’re actually up.” She sounded mildly surprised.
“Of course we are,” he replied, forcing himself to sound chipper.
It was unnecessary, because he and Isla had had a nice long chat about all his little ‘quirks’ the day before, and she had assured him that so long as he put on a friendly face to the public he could be as weird as he liked around her and the team.
Well, that was easier said than done.
“Good,” she said, letting out a long sigh. She sounded exhausted. “Would you and John-Paul mind coming in early? We’ve got reports of someone on the roof of Turtle Doves. The fire brigade are on their way with the lift, but they’re refusing to engage in case the kid jumps.”
“Kid?” Taylor said, dropping his Coke into the cup holder and sitting up straight.
“Yeah. Smoking weed. They’ve barricaded the door so the care staff can’t get to the roof.”
Johnny sighed and raked a hand over his face. He gave Taylor a look that said, You aren’t getting out of our little talk, you know?
To which Taylor narrowed his eyes and said, “We’re on our way, Sarge.”