He reassured Taylor and told him that he only loved him, but it didn’t work. He and Taylor were having this conversation whether he liked it or not. It wasn’t only Taylor who reminded Fletcher that his love was unconditional that he mustered upenough confidence to confess his feelings of doubt to Taylor. That he didn’t feel worthy of Taylor’s love.
Fletcher had hidden these feelings from not only Taylor but himself for so long that he couldn’t even properly voice them to Taylor. How was he supposed to describe a feeling to Taylor if he couldn’t even comprehend it himself?
Fletcher still thought it was too late. He had confessed to wanting to hurt Taylor and Taylor was going to leave him. But he didn’t.
He gave Fletcher the most heart-wrenching love declaration he had ever heard. It made his heart hurt so much from the intensity of it that he couldn’t even come up with his own. His mind was filled with thoughts of Taylor. He loved Taylor. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Taylor. He needed Taylor. He couldn’t breathe without Taylor. It was too much to deal with at once.
After Taylor pulled away from their hug, he and Fletcher finished packing for their early flight out. He and Taylor didn’t have sex that night. They slept holding each other. It was the first time that they had slept together as a couple without being intimate. And despite the gut-wrenching love declaration Taylor had given him, he woke up with the thoughts back in his mind.
He pulled back the covers and kissed every square inch of Taylor’s body. Every kiss was a love declaration. A way of telling Taylor the way he felt but couldn’t put into words. Taylor woke up as Fletcher took him into his mouth and looked down at Fletcher with an intense look in his eyes. He ran his hand through Fletcher’s hair and chanted “I love you,” as he came down Fletcher’s throat.
Fletcher needed to be closer to him. He needed Taylor sofucking badly. He reached for the lube and slicked his hole and stroked Taylor as he quickly got hard again. He straddled Taylor’s waist and rode him until Taylor quickly wrapped his arms around him and flipped them. Fletcher’s head landed on a pillow as Taylor thrusted into him. Every thrust was an “I love you.” Fletcher clung to Taylor’s body as Taylor pounded into him. He clawed at Taylor’s back like a wild animal, desperate to just have more. More Taylor. More. More. More. He was fucking insatiable.
He and Taylor locked eyes the entire time. They took turns cupping each other’s faces and kissing each other. Tears filled his eyes as Taylor picked up his speed, cradling Fletcher’s head to him as he worked himself in and out of Fletcher. So protective. So lovingly.
He spilled into Fletcher and flipped him over before tasting himself on Fletcher. He stroked Fletcher until he finished in Taylor’s hand. He brought his fingers up to Fletcher’s mouth to taste his arousal on his fingers. The physical evidence of their love.
They showered together and Taylor took him from behind, pressing Fletcher up against the shower glass. He stuck his fingers inside of Fletcher’s mouth and Fletcher sucked on them as Taylor pounded into him. Fletcher came even before Taylor did.
He didn’t know how they got to the airport with time to spare, but somehow, they reached their gate. Fletcher dragged him into the bathroom and dropped to his knees to taste him. When he felt Taylor get close he pulled off and let Taylor finish on his face. He needed to know what it felt like. Taylor grabbed a paper towel and carefully cleaned him before pressing a kiss to his forehead and telling Fletcher he was a good boy. Fletcherlived to hear that. It was the only kind of validation he needed.
It was torture not being able to hold Taylor’s hand as they waited to board. It was torture sitting in the standard first-class seats that didn’t offer them any privacy. It was torture riding back to the Pancek house and not being able to kiss.
Taylor announced to the Panceks that he would be leaving for Florida. Gretchen helped him pack as Fletcher told his mom that he was coming after all. Fletcher asked Jesse if he wanted to come, but Jesse told him that he had business to attend to in Seattle. Taylor pressed his brother for answers because of how sketchy it sounded, but Jesse explained that he had a friend from middle school he was meeting up with.
They got into Fletcher’s car and Taylor couldn’t keep his hands off him. They frantically made their way up to Fletcher’s apartment and made love.
“I’m so sorry, Taylor,” Fletcher told him softly. “I’ll never hurt you again,” he promised Taylor.
Taylor looked at him and smiled. “I know, baby boy.” Taylor leaned down and kissed Fletcher once more.
32
The Apartment Game
Taylor had only ever been in Florida to play hockey. No family vacation or field trips to Disney World. Just a whopping two days in the place where Fletcher had spent his entire life.
They retrieved their luggage and walked side by side as they waited for Fletcher’s little sister to pick them up. They both wore ball caps and sunglasses to attempt to conceal their identities as best as possible. Taylor didn’t know how well-known Fletcher was here. He couldn’t even believe there were actual hockey fans in the hottest place in the country.
“I see her,” Fletcher said as a white Range Rover approached.
Lauren was seventeen and had one more year of high school until she graduated. She didn’t really look like him, Taylor thought. Fletcher had kind of a puppy-dog look to him that made him popular and approachable. Definitely a strong resemblance to their mom. Lauren Armstrong, on the other hand, had the same intense look on her face as Sean Armstrong.She and Fletcher both had the same blue eyes, but while Fletcher’s hair was sandy blonde, Lauren had sun-bleached blonde hair that made Taylor think that she was outside a lot. Both Fletcher and Lauren also had the most amazing golden tan that even he envied.
Lauren pulled up to the arrivals area and put the car into park so Taylor and Fletcher could put their luggage in the back.
“Jesus, Lauren. It’s so messy in here,” was the first thing Fletcher said to his sister. Taylor noticed that too. Fletcher was definitely a clean freak, so he definitely was not happy to see the state of his car that had been entrusted to his sister.
“Can you just get in already?” Lauren complained. Fletcher slid into the front passenger seat and cranked up the AC. Taylor was secretly singing his praises because he had not been prepared for the Florida heat.
“This is Taylor Piers,” Fletcher told her. “He’s on the team.”
Lauren pulled her sunglasses up to her head as she turned around and smiled politely at Taylor. Definitely a Golden Armstrong smile that definitely said, “I don’t really care about you but I’m still going to be nice.”
“Nice to finally meet you. I’m a huge fan,” she told him honestly.
“Nice to meet you too,” Taylor said.
She pulled out of the Jacksonville Airport and they hit the highway. “Mom is waiting at the apartment so we can do a car swap,” she told Fletcher. “I’m sure you’ve missed driving in Florida,” she chuckled.
