Chapter 31 The Emotional Baggage Game
The Emotional Baggage Game
Two days later
“So, you’re coming after all?” Fletcher’s mom asked, sparing any excitement. “I’ll make sure your room is ready for you.”
“It’s okay. I’m not staying at the house; my apartment is a lot closer to the stadium, so it makes more sense for me to stay there.”
“Sounds good, sweetie. When will you be landing?”
“I’m not sure. I just got back from California. I’m going to pack my bags and be on the next flight out,” Fletcher told her. “You can tell Dad that Taylor Piers will be here for the next two weeks of camp.”
“Oh, really sweetie?” His mom perked up. “He’ll be so pleased to hear that! Will he be joining us for the Fourth?”
Fletcher looked over at a shirtless Taylor as he held two white polos up, trying to decide which to wear. Gretchen pointed to the one on the left with navy blue stripes.
“I think so,” Fletcher told her. “I have to finish packing, but I’ll send you my flight information. Maybe you can have Lauren pick us up from the airport,” Fletcher suggested.
“Sounds good, sweetie. I’ll see you when you get here.”
Fletcher hung up and put his phone in his back pocket.
“Was she excited to hear from you?” Taylor asked him carefully.
“She was excited to know that you were coming,” Fletcher told him, sounding indifferent, but quickly smiled as Taylor walked over and kissed him on his cheek.
“Are you excited that I’m coming?” he asked Fletcher softly. Fletcher couldn’t help but blush. God, he was so in love with Taylor. Like crazy, sickly in love. He wanted to be attached to him at all times.
“So excited. Don’t forget your swimsuit,” he grinned. Taylor smiled and pressed a few chaste kisses to Fletcher’s lips.
So. In. Love. How the hell was he going to spend two weeks in Florida pretending they were just friends?
Fletcher wrapped his arms around Taylor’s waist. “No springs,” Taylor warned.
“Yes springs. You made me go death hiking.”
Taylor shook his head with a petrified look in his eyes. “You shouldn’t have told me about the gators and the snakes.”
“If you’re coming to Florida without knowing the golden rule then you’re an idiot. You’re welcome for saving your life.”
“No way you’re swimming with snakes and gators,” Jesse called out from his room.
Gretchen let out a laugh. “I feel like it’s common sense that there are gators and snakes everywhere. Haven’t you seen the crazy Florida wildlife videos?”
Taylor made a pouty face. “Your state is evil,” he told Fletcher.
He thought it was so cute how much of a big baby Taylor was.
Actually, it was funnier than it was cute.
The guy despised basically any sort of wildlife that wasn’t warm-blooded.
He decided not to tell Taylor about the scorpions, silverfish, iguanas, and all the other lovely Florida creatures.
He didn’t think Taylor would even step on a plane if he did.
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” he assured Taylor. “I can’t believe I told Sánchez we were going to fucking Florida.”
“You’re not going to Florida without me,” Taylor told him. “And two weeks is too long to be apart. I might die, Fletch,” Taylor told him dramatically. Fletcher just looked at him with a giddy grin.
“You sound disgusting,” Jesse called out from his room. “It’s actually making me sick,” he whined.
“Oh, hush it,” Taylor sneered. “You’re just jealous you don’t get to go to Miami.”
“How big do you think Florida is?” Fletcher asked him with an edge of concern.
Taylor shrugged. “Can’t we just wake up early and take a day trip? It’s gotta be, like, three hours max, right?” The face Taylor made was adorable.
Fletcher wrapped his arms around Taylor’s neck. He ran his hands through Taylor’s hair. “Try six, honey. Miami is more of a weekend trip. Unless you wanted to fly.”
“How much would that set us back?”
Fletcher chuckled. “My family has a private jet.”
“Holy shit,” Jesse called out. “I didn’t know hockey players made that much.”
“They don’t,” Gretchen told him from Taylor’s room with an eye roll. “Fletcher’s family is just rich.”
“We’re comfortable,” Fletcher said casually. Taylor scoffed and gave him a quick punch to the stomach and Fletcher folded over in pain, coughing up air. “What was that for?” He whined.
“We’re comfortable,” Taylor mocked as he walked back over to his suitcase and continued to pack.
* * *
After they made sure Jesse and Rocco were settled in, Gretchen immediately set up an appointment for him to get groomed. Taylor and Fletcher drove back to his place. Taylor left his truck at the Pancek’s so Jesse could use it to get around, so they were in Fletcher’s rental car.
“I can’t believe you are still driving this thing,” Taylor told him in disbelief. He reached over to the hand Fletcher had on the steering wheel and grabbed it to hold with his own. He pulled Fletcher’s hand up to kiss his knuckles before setting their intertwined hands back on his lap.
“We’ve literally had no time for me to go car shopping. And if we do have a sliver of free time it’s spent in my apartment. You’re literally holding me hostage in my own home, babe.”
“I know. I’m so evil,” Taylor rolled his eyes. “You still have a car in Florida, right?” he asked.
Fletcher nodded. “A Range Rover. It’s at my parents’ house. I think my sister is trying to steal it from me.”
“Why are you so interested in mom cars?” Taylor chuckled.
“Maybe I’ll get a flashy-bling-bling car like Douglas,” Fletcher joked.
“I’ve been thinking of getting a new car. Or truck, I guess,” Taylor admitted.
Fletcher glanced over to him and gave him a confused look. “But you love your truck,” Fletcher said softly.
“I’ve been thinking about giving it to Jesse. He still doesn’t have a car and I’d hate for him to be in D.C. without one.”
Fletcher smiled. “You’re so sweet. I’d never just give my sister a car,” Fletcher told him. That was probably a huge difference between him and Taylor. Especially considering their vastly different upbringings. Taylor was a lot less selfless than he was.
Taylor brushed his thumb across the top of Fletcher’s hand. “Not as sweet as you, Fletch.”
“Oh, God, don’t give me a boner while I’m driving,” Fletcher jokingly whined. He truthfully felt like he was on the brink of sporting one. Anytime Taylor called him sweet was like an instant Viagra.
“All I have to do is call you sweet and you grow a hard one?” Taylor asked in disbelief.
“It’s embarrassing,” Fletcher said, shaking his head. Taylor let go of Fletcher’s hand to place his hand over Fletcher’s growing bulge. Fletcher involuntarily thrusted his hips up to increase the pressure. “Fuck, baby. I’m kind of driving right now.”
Taylor lazily swiped a finger along the outline of his erection that begged to be let out of his sweat pants. They still had ten more minutes until they got to Fletcher’s apartment. His breath hitched as Taylor rubbed his finger over the crown of his cock through the material of his pants.
“You think you could leak all the way through these?” Taylor asked him seductively.
Each stroke was like fire as Taylor rubbed excruciating circles over the head.
“I think so,” Fletcher told him. His breath was shaky.
“Hey, I need to focus on the road,” Fletcher warned.
He gripped the steering wheel tight with both hands as Taylor continued to rub him.
His legs twitched as Fletcher forced himself to focus on his driving.
But it was nearly impossible with Taylor teasing his tip.
“Does it feel good?” Taylor asked huskily. He could probably feel Fletcher’s cock twitch beneath his pants. Fletcher just nodded, unable to say anything else.
“Do you think you can last the rest of the way there if I kept teasing your pretty little cock?” Taylor asked in his kinky bedroom voice. Fletcher really wanted to throw all cautions to the wind and tell Taylor that it was game on, but he needed to get them home safely.
“It’s not little,” Fletcher argued through strained breaths.
“But it is pretty,” Taylor cooed. “Such a pretty boy, Fletcher.”
“Holy fuck, Tay,” Fletcher panted. He was most definitely fully hard now. “You can’t use your kinky bedroom voice while I’m driving.”
“Yes I can,” Taylor argued. “Your face is so red, Fletch. Do you like it when I talk to you like this?”
“You know I do,” Fletcher answered. Five minutes away. He could do this.
“Have you been a good boy today?” Taylor asked.
“I don’t think that’s up to me to—Fuck!” He cried out. “It’s not up to me to decide that.”
“Who decides it, Fletcher?”
Fletcher bit down on his bottom lip to conceal a moan.
“Tell me, Fletcher.”
“You do,” he whimpered. He didn’t know if he was going to make it. This was torture.
“And why is that?” Taylor asked him. He was insane.
Fletcher clenched his jaw. Driving. You’re driving. Focus on your driving. “Because I’m your boy.” Fletcher could feel a jolt of electricity run through his entire body.
“Whose boy, Fletcher?”
“I’m Taylor’s boy. Oh, God. Fuck, Taylor. This fucking hurts,” he groaned.
Taylor let out a chuckle. Like he was a fucking evil villain.
He sped up his speed and Fletcher was so worried his legs would shake so hard that his foot would come off the pedal.
They were so close. Metaphorically and physically.
Fletcher let out a sigh in relief as he spotted his apartment building in the distance.
“You’re my good boy, Fletcher.”
“I’m your good boy,” he panted.
“You’re my sweet boy.”
“I’m your sweet boy. Baby, if you make me come in these pants, I will be so mad,” he cried out.
He quickly looked down and groaned when he noticed there was in fact a wet spot on his sweats. “You’re fucking crazy, Taylor,” Fletcher shot out. He pulled into the parking garage and pulled into the first available spot before yanking Taylor’s head to him and kissing him.