Men of London 02 - Sight and Sinners (14 page)

Draven ran fingers through soft hair, and smiled as he placed a kiss on the top of Taylor’s head.

“You’re amazing at this stuff. No one who has seen what you can do could doubt you know, least of all me. I was an arsehole, I admit it. I didn’t believe in you, but now I do.”

Taylor grimaced. “You don’t have to flatter me for sex. I’ll do you for free.” But he shot a quick smile at Draven as he swung his legs out of bed. “I need to take a piss. Don’t go far.”

He disappeared out of the bedroom and appeared back a few minutes later. He climbed into bed and Draven grumbled.

“Christ, you’re frozen. Come here, let me warm you up.”

They snuggled back up under the duvet and Draven was half asleep when Taylor spoke sleepily.

“So this woman I saw. Do you think it was the wife?”

Draven opened a groggy eye. “I dunno. Maybe the wife was lying. Would you recognise the voice if you heard it? Or her appearance from the back?”

“I think so.” Taylor’s voice was uncertain. “Definitely the voice anyway.”

“Well, maybe we’ll take a trip to Drew’s house. Pay our respects to the family. We might get lucky and you might recognise who she is.” He was aware of Taylor’s body stiffening beside him.

“I don’t want to see them. I have no place there,” he muttered stubbornly.

Draven sighed. “It’s for Drew, Taylor. We’re trying to solve a murder, because to me that’s what this is. Someone drove him to kill himself and in my book that’s murder.”

Taylor huffed quietly. “You sound like that guy in
Hart to Hart
. The factotum guy who travels around with them.” He put on a terrible accent. “I take care of both of them…which ain’t easy; ’cause when they met it was murder.” He pronounced it
moi-der
like the man in the TV show, and Draven groaned theatrically. He noticed Taylor didn’t object to going anymore though. He must have really liked Drew.

“God, not only are you reminding me of bad American TV shows, you really mangled that accent. Go to sleep, Tay. I’ll see about getting us in to see the family in the morning. Then if you’re a good boy to me,” he made the words as suggestive as he could, “I’ll take you to an early dinner.”

Taylor cuddled up against him with a chuckle and Draven felt the prod of a semi-hard erection in his back.

“’Kay. Sleep tight. If you fancy taking advantage me in the middle of the night, just wake me up.”

Draven smiled in the darkness. “I’ll bear that in mind. G’night.”

He lay for a while listening to Taylor fall asleep and the sound of his steady breathing. He was relieved that Taylor seemed to have forgotten all about Draven spilling his guts out about his throwaway family comment.

Perhaps for the time being, that was the better option. The more Draven told people about Jude, the more likelihood they’d have an opinion on what he should be doing. Just like Doctor Frederick at the hospital. For a while longer, Jude was his and no one else’s. The decision he needed to make was buried deep inside him and for the moment, he didn’t want it letting out to take root and bear fruit.

Chapter 8

The following morning, Taylor woke around eight and watched Draven sleep. His dark blond hair was mussed, his lips twitching in some dream, and his hands curled into the duvet as if in the throes of a pleasurable dream. Hands that had caressed Taylor, driven him crazy with want and finally ended up releasing him from the pent-up sexual frustration he’d had.

The memory of their rather energetic and raunchy love-making session echoed in Taylor’s mind, his body still sore from being so fully taken and possessed. He reached out a hand and touched Draven’s cheek and was rewarded by the glint of sleepy grey eyes as Draven awoke. For a moment both men stared at each other, dark chocolate meeting stormy seas and for a moment, the world ceased. It was as if somewhere, somehow, they were the only two people on earth.

Then the spell was broken by a loud knock at the door.

“Taylor. Get your debauched arse out of bed. There’s a phone call for you.” Leslie’s voice reverberated through the door and Draven grinned, his face mischievous.

“He’s got your number, Mr. Debauched. I still have a beautiful memory of you riding my cock as if I were a thoroughbred stallion.” He sat up in bed, the duvet falling to his waist and revealing a semi hard-on in the process.

Taylor flushed as he got out of bed. “Yes, well, I was a little horny last night.” He pulled on a pair of shorts, not missing Draven’s interested glance at the fact they were rather tight and clingy and showed everything off to best advantage.

“Taylor, are you in there? The person said he’d call back in five minutes. Get off that man and get dressed.” Leslie’s voice was amused with a hint of impatience and Draven chuckled.

“He sounds like a real peach,” he remarked as he swung his leg out of bed and padded naked to the door. “Maybe I should surprise him.”

Before Taylor could object, Draven had opened the door and stood there revealed in all his glory to a wide-eyed Leslie, who looked as if he had been about to knock. He was dressed in plum-coloured silk pyjamas that clung to his slim frame.

“You were looking for Taylor?” Draven drawled lazily, his cock bobbing as he scratched his balls.

Leslie smiled widely and looked pointedly down at Draven’s groin. “I don’t blame him for being distracted with
that
at his beck and call,” he said silkily. “I can see why he likes you so much.” His eyebrows rose in a question. “Is there room for one more when you guys play next?”

Taylor sniggered, both at Draven’s look at Leslie’s calm reaction to him being naked and at the look of discomfort that crossed his face at the question. Taylor knew Leslie was joking—he had a specific aversion to threesomes or more and for Leslie, a free-minded spirit, he was considered quite a prude on the subject. Taylor had often been on the receiving side of Leslie’s lectures about love making being between two people and another person simply making things complicated. Taylor himself had no such aversion and had been a willing participant in such situations before. He waited now to see what Draven would say.

Draven cast a quick glance at Taylor, who kept his face blank. “Uhm, I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he said carefully, with another glance at Taylor. “I mean, I’d really prefer to have Tay to myself, nothing against you, but I think, you know, sex is between two people.”

Leslie gave a loud squeal of pleasure and wrapped arms around Draven’s neck. His cock was pressed against cool silk and it twitched at the friction of being accosted by what seemed like an octopus.

“Good for you, Tay. You found another believer.” He pulled away and then licked his lips lasciviously. “And what a believer he is. Hung like a fucking rhinoceros.”

Taylor laughed as he pulled Draven into the bedroom. “I’m pretty pleased too. Now you’d better get dressed,” he motioned at Draven then turned to Leslie. “Any idea who it was on the phone?”

Leslie shrugged. “He was from work, wondering whether you were going on in today. Chris something or the other.”

Taylor frowned. “I’m on a few days’ leave this week, he should know that. I’ll give work a call in a minute, remind them I’ve got the time off. Draven and I have some plans today.”

Leslie grinned. “Do they involve you two locking yourselves in the bedroom and rutting like rabbits?”

Taylor shook his head, smiling at that thought because, honestly, he liked the sound of that. “No, you idiot. We have to go visit someone for the case Draven’s working on.” He waved at Leslie. “Now be gone with you so we can get dressed. I think you’ve seen enough of my guy for one day.”

He smiled politely at his friend, pulled Draven back into the room and closed the door firmly. There was a snort of laughter from the other side.

“You two are so going back to bed and doing the bunny thing. I just know it!”

Draven raised an eyebrow as he stood there, still magnificently nude. “Is he right?”

Taylor snickered. “Much as I fancy that idea, no.” He opened the scratched and pitted door of his small wardrobe and took out a threadbare but clean towel. “We’re going to shower and go and do this thing with Drew’s family.” He handed the towel to Draven who wrapped it around his waist. It covered his private bits but left little to the imagination. As Draven had already been revealed in all his glory, Taylor didn’t think he’d mind a little more “flasher” activity. “The bathroom is at the end of the hall. Take a shower and I’ll be in after you. Then we can get this whole visit out of the way.”

Draven reached out a hand and caressed Taylor’s jawline gently. “Are you okay with this? You’re not going to have another meltdown, are you? Because I don’t think I want to see you lose it again.”

Taylor’s eyes softened. “I’ll be fine. It’s just listening to her voice and seeing if she’s the same woman as in my dream, right? As long as I don’t touch anything while I’m there, it’ll be okay. That seems to be when these things spark it off.”

Draven opened the door and peered out into the corridor, looking for the all clear. “Feel free to join me in the shower if you like,” he said mischievously as he padded barefoot down the hallway.

Taylor chuckled. “Not likely. The shower barely fits one person, let alone two doing the vertical hump. Maybe we can try that out at your place.”

“I heard that!” came a sing-song voice from Leslie’s bedroom. “Dirty bastards, the two of you.” His comment was followed by a loud snigger and Taylor rolled his eyes. He loved his friend but he was like a damn jackdaw, all cheeky, bright-eyed and inquisitive.

He grabbed another towel and followed Draven down into the bathroom. He might not be able to fit into the shower, but there was nothing to stop him lusting after the man while he was naked with water running down his body.

*****

An hour later they were in Draven’s car, on their way to Drew’s home on Crooked Mile in Waltham Abbey. Draven said he’d been there a couple of times before when he worked with Drew on the ultra-secretive case he’d had when he’d helped him with his business espionage issue. Taylor was dying to hear that story but Draven was very close-mouthed about it. Like he was about a
lot
of things about himself, Taylor had to admit. Thinking about that, he shot a glance at Draven as he drove. He wanted to ask about his ultimatum on “I’ll tell you mine, you tell me yours” but wasn’t sure whether he wanted to chance any fallout when the man was driving.

Draven turned and smiled at him. “You okay there? Is my driving up to scratch?” His voice was teasing.

Taylor grinned. “Yeah. I don’t think I’ll be puking my guts out anytime soon.”

Capable fingers threaded the wheel as Draven manoeuvred his way around a large farm trailer.

He seems in a really good mood. I guess now is as good a time as any to ask.

“Draven, I still didn’t get my wish to find out what it is that makes you need to protect your family. You promised me the story and I’m holding you to it.”

He groaned inwardly as Draven’s fingers clenched on the wheel and hastened to qualify his statement. “I mean, I don’t want to pry but I’d like to share. You know stuff about me that I’ve never told anyone before. Hell, you’ve watched me pass out a few times and be sick in a street bin. You’ve definitely seen me at my worst.”

The silence echoed in the car and finally Draven turned and glanced at him. There was a slight frown on his face coupled with a look of sorrow in his eyes. Then his gaze shifted back to the front.

“It’s nothing dramatic, Taylor. Just a family tragedy that means I have a decision to make in the near future. One I really don’t want to make.” He scowled and Taylor laid a hand on his leg.

“Then tell me about it and maybe I can help.”

Draven frowned darkly. “It’s not something you can help with. Why all the curiosity about my situation, anyway?”

Taylor sighed heavily. Draven’s mood seemed to have changed within seconds, going from the playful demeanour of before to a moody individual hell-bent on keeping secrets.

“Fine, don’t worry about it. It’ll keep, I guess, until you’re willing to tell me. Far be it from me to force anything out of you.”

He stared forward, fingers tapping nervously on his jeans-clad leg. They drove in silence, the air in the car thick with tension. The busy road ahead looked like a ribbon of motorcars, exhaust pipes belching plumes of smoke, trucks whizzing past with no care as to the speed limit and endless paths of concrete and tarmac in view.

Finally Draven sighed and reached out and stayed his hand. “Three years ago my parents were killed in a car accident.”

Taylor swallowed. “I’m sorry, Draven. That must have been really tough to get through.” He didn’t really know what else to say. There was a deep quiet in the car before Draven spoke again.

“My little brother Jude was in the car with them. He survived.” He gave a sharp laugh with no discernible trace of amusement that Taylor could hear. “If you can call it that. He’s been in a coma ever since they pulled him out of the wreck. He was just heading for his sixteenth birthday.”