Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2013 Shawn Lane
ISBN: 978-1-77130-640-9
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: JS Cook
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ARRESTING LOVE
Shawn Lane
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Taylor Gershwin dropped the heavy box at his feet, mopped the sweat from his brow with a tissue, and declared, “That’s the last of it.”
Mike Hanovan took a slow sip of his coffee and looked up from his newspaper. His new roommate had been flouncing in and out of the first floor apartment for hours. The first load of stuff had been armfuls of brightly colored clothes. Then came box after box. Mike had no clue what was in any of them. He’d helped Taylor bring in most of the clothes, but then had gotten a phone call from work. By the time he was through with the call, Taylor had said he had only one or two boxes left.
Taylor’s furniture, consisting of a day bed and a chest of drawers, had arrived the day before with the help of Taylor’s friend, Archie, and Archie’s new boyfriend, Sean, the fireman from the second floor of the apartment building.
“What’s in those boxes anyway?”
“Oh, well, mostly things I’ve collected over the years. Pots, pans, dishes. My grandmother’s china.”
“Your what now?”
“Grandmother’s china. She left it to me. I can’t get married without it.”
“Oh.” Mike nodded. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Taylor tilted his head, his blond brows furrowed. “My loss?”
“Your grandmother,” he said patiently.
“Well, she’s not dead, sweetie. She wanted me to have it.” Taylor mopped his brow again. “I’m sweating. Gawd, I hate to sweat.”
It was an odd thing, the way Taylor said God. It was extended to be an extra-long word with a sort of w sound. But then Taylor was rather different than most guys Mike had ever met.
Mike had realized he was gay pretty much when he hit puberty, but up until recently he’d been attracted to guys like him. Rather macho, rough looking, biker dudes, tattoos. He hadn’t really been into the flamboyant types.
But when Taylor’s friend, Archie, had moved in, Mike found himself reconsidering what he found attractive. Taylor had helped Archie move in and Mike had noticed both of them right away. It had been summer and both were wearing tight little shorts and skin tight T-shirts.
For a while, Mike had flirted a bit with Archie, the dark haired one of the pair. But Archie was more interested in Sean, and really, Mike had been more attracted to Taylor anyway. When Taylor had called him about his advertisement for needing a roommate, Mike had decided he couldn’t have gotten luckier.
Taylor was simply beautiful, really. He had sea green eyes and golden blond curls framing his head, and high cheekbones with a smattering of pink. And Kewpie doll lips. And then of course there was his fuckable bubble butt.
Mike probably shouldn’t have agreed to rent to someone he wanted to have sex with. But well, he did and now Taylor was his roommate. And he had a feeling he would be torturing himself for a few days before he succeeded in getting Taylor into his bed. But he would.
“You want me to take the last of your boxes into your room?”
“Oh, could you? I’m exhausted.” Taylor fanned himself. “I need about three showers.”
Mike got up and picked up the two boxes Taylor had left in the living room. Neither of them seemed very heavy. “What are in these?”
“That last one has stuffed animals. And the other one has my bathroom stuff in it. Lotions, shower gel, bath salts. Oh, and a shower curtain. Do you mind if we put it up? It’s got dolphins and otters on it. I love sea creatures, don’t you?”
Mike blinked. He wasn’t sure how to answer that. Or any of it really. Stuffed animals? “Um, maybe. I’d have to see it first.”
“You’ll love it,” Taylor assured him. He led Mike into his bedroom and pointed to where he’d left the earlier boxes. “Right there on top. Thanks, Mikey.”
Mike set the boxes down and straightened. “Mike.”
Taylor waved his hand. “Yeah.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but closed it. Didn’t really seem worth it. He watched as Taylor opened the box on top and removed several stuffed animals. Dolphins, whales, star fish, and other assorted sea creatures.
“What are you going to do with all of those?” Mike asked.
Taylor’s smile was sunny. “They go on my daybed. Strategically placed, of course.”
“Of course.”
He glared at Mike, his eyes narrowing. “Are you laughing at me?”
Mike shrugged. “I’ve never really known an adult with stuffed animals. It’s a little bizarre.”
Taylor blushed and turned away but not before Mile saw his bottom lip tremble. “I like them.”
Great, now he felt like a gigantic ass.
“Hey.” Mike touched Taylor’s arm. “It’s okay if you like them.”
“It is?”
“Yes.” Mile smiled. “They’re kind of cute. And, um, whimsical.”
Taylor was once more smiling. “They are whimsical. And they make me happy.”
“Then by all means, place them strategically. And while you’re at it, might as well take out that shower curtain so we can put it up too.”’
“Yeah?”
Mike didn’t know when he’d become a softie. “Yeah.”
****
Taylor decided, as he got ready for bed his first night in his new apartment, the Neanderthal cop wasn’t as bad as Archie had made him out to be.
Sure, maybe Mike was a little rough around the edges. The first few times Taylor had met the man he’d done little more than grunt. But Taylor figured somewhere hidden inside the gruff, muscular tattooed cop was a smart sensitive soul.
And, Taylor had to admit, he was certainly easy on the eyes. He couldn’t decide what his favorite feature was on Mike. His drool worthy biceps? The six pack abs? Those sculpted pecs? Or maybe it was the striking, piercing gray eyes. The sexy five o’clock shadow? Or all that curly, close cropped dark hair.
Taylor smiled. Who cared? He was yummy. Probably too yummy to be Tay’s roommate. How the heck was he supposed to keep his paws off such masculinity? Honestly, he doubted he could for long. And it didn’t escape his notice Mike had been eyeing him with some interest as well.
A recipe for disaster? Maybe.
Taylor pulled on his plaid pajama pants and a white tank top and then grabbed the box marked “bathroom.” Earlier Mike had put up his shower curtain and Taylor had to admit it looked even better than he expected.
He walked out of his room and headed down the short hallway to the one and only bathroom in the two bedroom apartment. It was going to suck having to share such personal space. Tay liked to spread out all his lotions and gels and hair products. He also wore makeup on occasion. Normally all that stuff would be spread everywhere in his bathroom. He doubted Mike was the type to appreciate Tay’s more feminine side.
Taylor recognized he was a bit of an odd person. The rest of his living space had to be spotless. Especially his kitchen. But in the bathroom, he’d always allowed himself to have free reign to be sloppy.
He sighed as he entered th
e small, apartment-size bathroom. Mike had informed them when Tay had agreed to move in that he often wasn’t home. Mike worked long, hard days with Vice and sometimes didn’t come home at all if he was working a particularly difficult case.
Taylor had early morning hours as a short order cook at the breakfast and lunch diner where he worked. And four out of five weekdays he had classes at chef school. He wasn’t really sure how much interaction he’d even have with Mike.
This had been what he told Archie when his best friend had voiced an objection to him rooming with Mike. He knew Archie didn’t particularly like Mike. Probably because Mike had come on to Archie a time or two. Taylor wouldn’t mind, but Archie had always been hung up on Sean. And that had obviously worked out well.
Smiling, he bent down to open the cabinet under the sink.
“What’s all this?” Mike said, in his deep rumbling voice from right behind him.
Taylor jumped and straightened. “You scared me.”
Mike grinned. “Sorry. What are you doing?”
“Trying to find a place for my lotions, showers gels and, um, other stuff.”
“What other stuff?”
Taylor glanced away and mumbled, “Makeup.”
“What now?” Mike frowned. “Toys?”
He laughed at that. “No! Hell, I’d tell you about toys and anyway I keep those in my room, not in the bathroom.”
“Oh.”
Taylor could swear Mike was blushing now. And that reminded him. “Makeup.”
“You wear makeup?” The concept was clearly foreign to Mike.
“I don’t wear it all the time, but I do when I go to certain clubs or whatever.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Turning away to cover his embarrassment, Taylor glanced around the small bathroom. “You know what you need in here?”
“What?”
“One of those over the toilet cabinets.”
“You mean you want one for your stuff.”
“Well, yeah. They run about fifty to seventy-five at most stores.”
Mike reached into his back pocket and withdrew his wallet. He plucked out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to Taylor. “I don’t have time to go out and get one, so you go. If it needs to be assembled I can do that when I get home.”
Taylor scowled. “I can put it together.”
“All right, you do that, then. In the meantime, I’m tired and want to go to bed. Do you think you can let me use the bathroom now?”
“Oh. Sure.” He picked up his box. He might as well wait for the cabinet now. Relieved that he didn’t have to pay for it, Taylor smiled and waved the hundred. “Thanks for this.”
“Yeah. Sure. Goodnight, Taylor.” Mike gently pushed him out of the bathroom.
“Good night.”
Chapter Two
“You really put this together?” His best friend, Archie, asked Taylor the next afternoon as Taylor showed Archie the shelf unit behind the toilet. He’d already filled much of it with towels, lotions, shower gel, and makeup.
“Yes, I put it together. Who else?” He stood with his hands on his hips surveying his handiwork.
“The Neanderthal,” Archie suggested.
Taylor shrugged. “Well, he offered, but I said I could do it. Besides, he’s not so bad.”
“If you say so. I will say he has nice muscles, though. But he’s not even close to being as fabulous as Sean.”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course not. Has he started walking on water yet?”
“Oh hush.” Archie grabbed the edge of a shelf and shook it. “It feels surprisingly sturdy.”
“I don’t think it’s such a surprise.”
“Hmm. You didn’t leave him any room to put any of his stuff on it, though.”
“He didn’t need it before I moved in, why would he need it now?” Taylor sighed. “I would have preferred my own bathroom. It’s weird having to share a bathroom with a guy.”
Archie laughed. “You’re a guy.”
Taylor waved that away. “You know what I mean. Anyway, let’s go fix lunch.”
They left the bathroom and headed into the kitchen.
“So, are you settled in then?” Archie asked as Taylor started rummaging through the cabinets.
“I think so…as much as I can be. It’s not like I have a lot of furniture and stuff. And I don’t know. This seems better than renting my aunt’s converted garage. It was cold and drafty.”
“With bugs!”
“Yes.” Taylor shuddered. “I can’t believe this.”
“What?”
“All he has in here is ramen noodles, boxed mac and cheese, and crap to supposedly help hamburger taste better. All those bad ingredients in these processed foods. No way. Can you do me a favor and go into my room for one of my empty boxes?”
After Archie returned with a cardboard box, Taylor scooped up the packages of convenience foods and placed them in the box.
“Um, Tay. Are you sure you should be dumping Mike’s food?”
“I’m going to be a chef. I cannot have that stuff in my house. I’ll go to the store and get read food. Besides, I’m not exactly dumping them. I’m just boxing them up. Maybe he can donate them or something.”
Archie looked amused. “Are you going to start cooking for him?”
“If that’s what it takes to get him to stop buying that crap, sure.” He peered back in the cabinet and saw a few boxes of toaster pastry. “I should get rid of these, too, but I’ll leave him something in the pantry.”
“Kind of you.”
“That doesn’t leave us much in the way of lunch food. I guess we’ll have to go out for lunch and then I’ll get groceries after.”
“Sounds good to me.”
****
Mike came home to a quiet apartment and he paused in the threshold to wonder where his little powerhouse roommate had gone. He found he was rather disappointed Taylor wasn’t home. After an especially rough day, he’d been looking forward to a little bit of sunshine.
He closed the door and went down the hall to the bathroom to take a leak. Mike smiled when he noticed the over the toilet cabinet Taylor had already set up. He suspected some of his co-workers at the precinct might joke around about him having such a thing in his bathroom. For that matter they’d probably be unsure what to say about Taylor.
Mike was out at work, at least to those that mattered, but he knew most of them accepted him because he wasn’t much different than they were. But…Taylor. He was different. In a good way, though, at least as far as Mike was concerned.
After finishing in the bathroom, he headed to the kitchen to find himself something to eat. He’s almost stopped for fast food on the way home, but just wanted to get home. He was about to open the pantry cabinet when he saw the cardboard box filled with his usual convenience foods.
“What the hell?”
The apartment door opened with a bang and Taylor rushed in holding two big canvas bags filled to the top with what appeared to be groceries.
“Oh! You’re home,” Taylor said. “Can you take one of these? Weighs a ton.”
Mike walked over to him and took both bags. “I hope there’s something good to eat. I’m starved.”
“Then I arrived just in time.” Taylor followed him into the kitchen as he set the bags down on the counter. “How was work?”
“Hell,” Mike said simply. “You threw out my food.”
“I did not. I left them in the box. But, I’m not sure that can really be called food. In your line of work it’s more important than ever to eat healthy. Keeps the stress down.”
“I don’t really have time to cook.”
Taylor rolled his eyes. He actually rolled his eyes at Mike. “Many healthy dishes take no more time than those processed foods you buy. Besides, now you have me here.”
Mike smiled and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I do, huh? So you’ll be my own personal…chef?” He’s wanted to say slave. Sex slave actually. Right now he was so turned on by T
aylor his jeans were becoming too damn tight. But fuck, Taylor was hot and sweet.
“Yes, whenever I can. Of course, I have school and work. But I can also make you food that you just have to heat up. Just as easy as that box of noodles and salt you mix with hamburger.”
“Ah, I should have known a guy who wants to be a chef would be a food snob.”
Taylor nodded. “Now go sit down on the couch or something while I unpack this stuff and make you something to eat. You want a beer or something?”
“I don’t drink beer,” Mike said. “Or anything. I don’t drink alcohol.”
“Wow, really?”
Mike shrugged. “Never really cared for the taste. I see plenty of people messed up by drugs and alcohol in my line of work. I’d just rather not get in the habit.”
“Huh. I had no clue. Okay. Well, what do you drink then?”
“Right now I wouldn’t mind a cup of strong coffee.”
“All right,” Taylor said, moving to the pantry. “I assume you have coffee in here.”
“Of course.”
Taylor sighed.
Mike came to stand behind him and peered inside the cabinet. “What now?”
“The brand of coffee you have in here. It’s absolute swill.”
He was tempted to rest his hand on the small of Taylor’s back. Because damn, he wanted to touch him. Badly. But he resisted. For now. Instead he laughed. “It is, huh? That brand has been around in households for decades.”
Taylor wrinkled his nose and removed the container from the pantry. “Probably been using the same grounds for decades too.”
“I don’t go in for the fancy gourmet coffee.”
“I can see I need to turn you away from the dark side,” Taylor said. “But for now I’ll make this crap. Go sit down and I’ll bring it to you.”
Mike did as he was told—which now that he thought about it—had to be a first. But he made sure to sit on the easy chair instead of the couch so he still had a pretty good view of Taylor at work in the kitchen.
Arresting Love Page 1