17. Nash

CHAPTER 17

NASH

When Nash opened his door, Taylor spilled into his apartment looking like an agitated pink marshmallow. A soft pink marshmallow on two very sexy legs who flung his arms around Nash and started talking a mile a minute.

"Please tell me that I'm not insane," Taylor began.

Nash stiffened. If Taylor was having a breakdown about the three of them, Nash was seriously going to call the whole thing off. Insecurity was one thing, but a constant stream of it was more than he could take.

But then Taylor continued, "I left him in my house. I don't even know him. Well, I do. Sort of. But I don't. And I brought him home like a stray cat and just left him there. But he looked like he needed some safety and some solitude, and I think he's harmless."

Who was in Taylor's house? What? Nash tried to wrap his head around all the things Taylor had said, but nothing was making sense yet.

"Come all the way inside and sit down. I'll get us a beer and you can start at the beginning. Okay?"

Taylor exhaled and gave Nash a nod. He looked relieved already. Like he didn't even need Nash to solve whatever problem he'd invented for himself, he just wanted someone to listen to him.

"You look pretty tonight," Nash told him. Taylor wasn't always in pretty things like this now. Often he still saw Taylor in a lot of familiar things. But this pink sweater was new and so was the shimmery eyeshadow he'd chosen. It was times like this when Taylor really looked like a princess. All soft and sweet and looking for reassurance from his knight in shining armor. One of them, anyway.

Taylor's cheeks pinked, and Nash brushed a kiss against his mouth before pulling away. "Go get comfortable and I'll get the drinks."

Nash entered the living room to see that Taylor sitting on the couch. He'd drawn his legs up next to himself and was busy covering up with the quilt Damon brought over one day and had never taken home. He handed a beer to Taylor and sat down next to him, raising his arm and draping it over the back of the couch so Taylor could snuggle in close.

Taylor took a sip of his beer and let out a sigh. "His name is Mickey Sharp. He was a couple years ahead of me in school, but he was nice. Everyone liked him. He was a track athlete, but he was friends with everyone. And he didn't hang out with people who were jackasses, you know. Anyway. Right before his graduation, he vanished. No one seemed to know where he was."

Taylor went on to explain how he found him dumpster-diving behind the diner and how he'd been reluctant to go inside. Which, if he'd just been scrounging in the trash, he was probably too embarrassed, something Taylor picked up on.

"So he's showered and fed and sitting in my house while I'm not there. Sure, the one thing I have to steal are plants, but it's weird, right?"

"It's a little weird. But I trust you, and I trust your instincts. If you think Mickey is harmless, then you're probably right."

"He looked too exhausted to cause much harm. Honestly, I think a strong wind could knock him over."

Taylor relaxed now that Nash had reassured him. It was nice to be there for Taylor, who had no lack of people to support him. And that he'd chosen Nash, when he could've called anyone, made Nash's heart swell.

"I think you did a very nice thing."

"And it probably won't bite me in the ass." Taylor laughed and took a sip of his beer before leaning in closer and resting his head on Nash's chest. "All the way over here I kept feeling more and more stupid. Granted, it's not an everyday occurrence, but he seriously looked like shit. Like he was ready to fall over."

"I wonder what happened to him."

"Me too, but I didn't ask. Do you know how hard that was? But I have two brothers who are forever in my business so I know how it feels to have people try to pry things out of you that you don't want them to know. So I chattered away like a squirrel on speed and probably made an ass of myself. But, at least for tonight, he's safe and warm."

"You're an amazing man, Taylor Bennett." Nash dropped a kiss on Taylor's head and felt him shrug.

"I mean, thanks, but it's sort of ingrained in me, you know. Dad has always been the first one to help someone up. I guess I'm just a younger, pinker version of that," Taylor said, making both of them laugh.

Nash knew all about Ethan Bennett and his brand of quiet help. The way he made sure that his sons were taken care of and all his sons' friends were taken care of. The way Ethan asked about Nash and his writing with more interest and enthusiasm than Nash's own family. In a stormy life, Ethan Bennett was a lighthouse, offering guidance so you didn't bash yourself on the rocks and go under. Fire night had likely started because one of his kids' friends was hungry and cold, and cooking food out back on the fire was something that no one could resist, no matter their pride.

Taylor's stomach growled like a rumbling volcano in the previously silent room. Nash laughed. Kissing Taylor's head again, he extracted himself from their snuggle session on the couch. "I'll get dinner started."

"I'm early. It's fine." Taylor's stomach argued with that statement. "Okay, maybe I am a little hungry. I made a pot of chicken soup for Mickey and to make him feel like I didn't go to any extra trouble for him, I had a bowl of mostly broth."

"The god of your stomach is displeased with your meager offering."

Taylor spun around on the couch. Hanging his arms over the back, he stared at Nash as he started to gather things from his pantry. "What are you making my stomach god? I thought you'd just order something, to be honest."

Taylor deserved a home-cooked meal. Sure, Nash could have ordered food, but he wanted to cook for Taylor. It was odd, because Damon didn't care about things like that. He was just happy to have food put in front of him. But Taylor was always cooking for other people, so it was important to Nash that he do this for him.

"It's not anything special, I'm afraid. But it'll be hot and home-cooked and you don't have to lift a finger."

"Just sit here and look pretty?" Taylor took a sip of his beer, unable to hide his smile as he did so.

"Something like that." Nash threw together a quick chicken fettuccini with mushrooms and onions. He was no baker, and he wasn't about to experiment on Taylor, so he'd purchased garlic bread earlier in the day. It wasn't the best idea, now that Nash thought of it. But if they both had garlic breath, did they cancel each other out?

While Nash put dinner together, he and Taylor chatted and Nash wasn't surprised with how smoothly the conversation flowed. Things with Taylor had always been like that. He was an easy guy to talk to. But now there was a depth to the once shallow chitchat. Superficial small talk had gone out the window, and they were connecting on a deeper level now.

And it was so effortless. Almost too easy, but Nash banished that little shred of doubt to the corner and plated their food. He'd planned to set the table all romantic, but with Taylor showing up early, it had slipped Nash's mind.

"Sit," Nash said, putting the food on his small dining table that he seldom used for this purpose. Returning to the kitchen, he dug into the drawer for the pack of candles he'd bought for this occasion. Lacking proper candlesticks was a problem, until he spied the empty beer bottle sitting on the counter. Nash grabbed a matching bottle from the recycling and shoved the bottom of the candle into the mouth of the bottle.

Grabbing the pack of matches, he went to the table where Taylor sat, a soft yet amused look on his face. Nash set the beer bottle candle holders down and immediately felt like an idiot.

"I'd planned to have something nicer," he began, but Taylor swiftly interrupted.

"No, this is perfect." Taylor beamed at him all bright-eyed. "It really is, I promise. It's better than anything I could have ever dreamed about. And trust me, I did plenty of that."

Nash couldn't breathe through the sudden swell of emotion that rushed through him like a tsunami. Taylor's sweet nature was something Nash hoped he never lost, especially when he gazed at Nash like he was the best thing on the planet. Nash lit the candles and, after killing some of the other lighting in the apartment, he took a seat opposite to Taylor.

"Just how much dreaming did you do about this?" Nash asked once he sat down.

Taylor looked sheepish, and he lowered his gaze when he answered, concentrating very hard on spearing a piece of chicken. "Probably from the moment we met. I'd always had a thing for both you and Damon, since it's honesty hour."

"Always?"

"Even before I saw the two of you kissing, which was super fucking hot by the way."

Taylor deserved reciprocity, although he didn't ask. Nash figured he wouldn't. Maybe he didn't want to know how long Nash had thought about him in a way that went beyond friendly and would likely put his friendship with Colby in jeopardy if he knew.

"It wasn't when you started to wear makeup and dress differently. Your bravery in that regard and your confidence is breathtaking, but I've liked you for some time too. It's part of the reason I was so angry with Damon the last time we were there for fire night."

Taylor's smile danced in his eyes. "I hope you don't hold that against him anymore. It seems to be working out for the best."

"All is forgiven." Nash held Taylor's gaze until they both went back to eating, doing nothing to stifle the smiles they shared.

After that, dinner was a quiet affair. It was mostly soft glances and gentle compliments. Taylor had the look of a man who was savoring every bite of food and drop of conversation and filing it all away in his memory bank for later.

When the meal was over, Nash cleared their plates and doused the candles. He and Taylor ended up on the couch under that quilt of Damon's and they chose a movie they'd both seen a million times. Each of them knew they wouldn't be watching much of it.

By the time the opening credits were done rolling, Nash had his arms around Taylor. Neither of them was watching the screen. Instead, they were making out. Taylor's sweater was impossibly soft, and his kisses started out that way, but they soon heated up and his wandering fingers slid under Nash's shirt. Hot hands caressed Nash's bare skin, gliding up farther and farther, tickling over his ribs. Gentle fingers brushed across Nash's nipples.

Nash responded by deepening the kiss. He buried a hand in Taylor's hair and tilted his head, opening him to Nash. Taylor squirmed in Nash's arms, either trying to get away or get closer—Nash wasn't sure. He was too busy enjoying the way Taylor felt in his arms. The way he kissed Nash back like he was sure of what he wanted. Taylor's hand slid lower and lower, and Nash groaned when Taylor cupped his dick through his pants.

"Can I?" Taylor asked pulling out of the kiss to pepper Nash's neck with them instead. His hands moved up again, though not too far, and he fumbled with the button of Nash's pants.

"Can I?" he asked again, brushing his lips against Nash's neck, sending shockwaves of shivers through him.

"Please," Nash said. Because he couldn't say no. Didn't want to say no. He'd been so relieved earlier to find out that the three of them were on the same page regarding taking their relationship to the next level. Whatever bit of magic had made this happen, Nash was going to hold on to it with both hands and not let go.

Taylor made a pleased sound and popped Nash's pants open. With skill that said he'd obviously done this before, he freed Nash from the confines of his pants. Taylor's hand on his cock felt illicit at first, and he absolutely didn't think of the fact that this was Colby's little brother. Because in this moment he wasn't. He belonged to Nash. And he kissed Nash like he knew that. Kissed him hard and deep with so much emotion in it, lust and want and other things all tangled up together to create this powerful cocktail that had Nash's head swimming even before Taylor's knees hit the floor and he slotted himself between Nash's legs.

A perfectly pink tongue shot out and he flicked it against the head of Nash's cock, teasing him right out of the gate. Then Taylor leaned in and licked Nash's shaft from base to tip before taking the head into his mouth.

While it wasn't that Nash had anything against virgins, everyone had different levels of experience and that was fine. But Nash was secretly glad that Taylor knew what he was doing. That Nash wouldn't have to teach him the basics when it came to fucking and sucking. That the awkward first times were out of the way and they'd both grown into men who knew what they liked and knew how to find out what their partners liked without all the shy fumbling.

Nash sank his hands into Taylor's hair, earning him a pleasure-laden hum that went straight to his balls.

"Fuck me," Nash exhaled with a groan.

Taylor's slender fingers cupped Nash's balls, then Taylor released Nash's cock and went to work on those instead. Nash tilted his head back and spread his legs wider while Taylor swirled his magical tongue all over Nash's sac, taking one ball into his mouth. Then the other. Then, miraculously, both at once for a short time.

Raising his head, Nash pried his eyes open and pinned his gaze to Taylor, watching as he jerked Nash. Saliva ran out of the corner of his mouth when he finally released Nash's sac and went back to sucking his cock. Fuck, Nash was close, ready to burst.

"God, that's divine," Nash said, noting the way Taylor's eyes lit up at the praise.

He was also suddenly aware of Taylor's right arm, jerking fast, and the way Taylor's eyebrows knit together. The increased urgency in the way he sucked Nash, like he needed Nash to finish first.

Nash could've come in Taylor's mouth. Could have watched him drink his cum down. But he pulled Taylor up to him instead. He and turned them so fast his head spun, until Taylor was on the couch underneath him, writhing and begging. His hands tugged at Nash's shirt, so he sat up, breaking their kiss long enough to yank it off over his head and toss it.

Taylor slid out of his sweater in record time and then they were bare-chested, pressed together, panting and kissing. Sloppy, wet, messy kisses that were half tongue, half desperation. All of it was mind-blowingly hot. Taylor gave as good as he got. He didn't just lie there and wait to get what he wanted—he reached for it. Taking it with both hands.

And what he wanted was Nash's pants down further. He shoved at them, pushing them down and baring Nash's ass. Then he grabbed the globes of Nash's ass and hauled him closer, wriggling underneath him while he used his body to beg Nash for more friction.

Nash trailed his hands all over Taylor. Wherever he could touch, he did. And maybe later he'd do it again. Next time he'd pay more attention to the way Taylor looked, or the softness of his skin, or the dark treasure trail that Nash had wanted to kiss. But now all he could manage was to hang on as he and Taylor rutted against each other like wild things that couldn't exist without what came next.

Taylor tilted his head back, and his body went rigid. Nash kissed Taylor's throat. His neck. Collarbone. Shoulder. And Taylor let out a guttural groan…then he was coming. Bucking and grinding and gathering Nash in his arms and holding him as tightly as he could. Then he was kissing Nash again. Delving his tongue into Nash's mouth, he twitched and whimpered underneath him. And then, holy shit, Nash's release hit him like a ton of bricks, obliterating him completely.

He jerked against Taylor as he covered both of them with his sticky release. Neither of them cared, though, because they kept kissing. Slower now. Less frantic than it had been a minute ago. Nash's heart felt soft and full, and he kissed Taylor until his face ached from kissing and the cum had dried to their skin, flaky and uncomfortable.

"We should shower before bed," Nash whispered into Taylor's neck. Taylor had his arms around Nash and he held tight, but the rest of him was relaxed and lazy now. Exhausted and sated, just like Nash.

"You want me to stay over?" Taylor asked, almost unsure whether he wanted to know the answer.

"Of course I do." And it had less to do with the fact that Taylor had a former classmate who'd suddenly reappeared sleeping on his couch and more to do with the fact that Nash wanted to curl up and sleep with Taylor in his arms. The only possible way the night could've been any better was if Damon was there to crawl into bed with them.