Page 23 of Bad Run

I don’t want to take that night back. If anything, I want the opposite. More nights with her. Not just because the sex was out-of-this-world amazing. But because Gwen is amazing. She comforted me when I was hurting. She saw the real me, not a baseball player.

We sat on the rooftop, talking—just the two of us, hidden away from the rest of the world—until we went back to my hotel room.

I’ve wracked my brain for weeks, and I still can’t figure out what I must have done or said wrong to make her leave without saying goodbye. Without leaving a way for me to reach her.

“You okay, Taylor?” Cam asks.

Eyes still on Gwen, I answer, “Yep. I’m fine.”

“Doesn’t seem like you’re just fine, Captain.”

“Well, I am fine,” I snap, fighting the urge to roll my eyes at the Captain comment.

Cam has called me Captain since I joined the Evaders. He thinks I look like the actor who plays the superhero, but I don’t see the similarity.

I’m way prettier. Okay, that makes me sound like a dick. But it’s true.

“If you say so. But you’ve been ogling Gwen since we got here, and I’m pretty sure I saw little hearts in your eyes.”

“I think you’re seeing things. Just because you constantly stare at Talia with heart eyes doesn’t mean I’m doing the same now,” I lie. The last thing I want is for people to notice my infatuation and figure out that something happened between us.

My eyes find her again, and this time her aqua gaze flicks to mine.

A bolt of lightning hits me square in the chest. I grip the fence to avoid rubbing the growing ache behind my ribs, all while my cock twitches behind my cup.

Gwen quickly looks away, and I don’t know what’s worse: having her look at me or pretending like I don’t exist.

I royally screwed up when I accused her of withholding the truth. Deep in my gut, I know she didn’t purposely lie to me. I was just caught up in the moment. The anger at finally finding her and realizing we can never be.

It fucking hurt.

I’ve never connected with someone so quickly, but Gwen made it easy. She understood me because she felt the same way. Never good enough.

I force the last conversation with my father back into the dark recesses of my mind.

“Mmm. Sure, sure. I must be crazy then. You know G’s single, right?” Cam says. For some odd reason, the way he says G—as if he knows Gwen intimately—rubs me the wrong way.

“What do I care if she’s single?” My response is harsher than I mean it to be, making Cam chuckle.

“Cool. Then you won’t mind if I share that information with the other guys who are interested. I’ve seen quite a few of them checking her out, and I think I heard Lucas talking about wanting to ask her out.”

The thought of her with another man fills me with unhinged rage. Lucas Snell? Fuck no. I’d kneecap the little twerp with my bat if he so much as touched her.

“He can’t. She works here,” I say flatly, trying to hide my anger.

Cam throws his head back and laughs as if I said something ridiculous.

“So?” He scoffs.

“So? Her father is Ted. Montgomery. You know. Our boss.”

“So? Talia was Nico’s sister.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Fine. Do nothing and watch someone else come along and snap her up. Just know, being with Talia is the best thing that ever happened to me. It wasn’t easy, but the good stuff never is. So who gives a fuck about a bro code when it comes to the one?”

The one.