Page 77 of Bad Run

It takes ten minutes for us to recite the traditional wedding vows and for the lovely woman presiding over the ceremony to pronounce us husband and wife.

After today, my life will never be the same. From here on out, my life will be the after-Lance era.

“You may now kiss the bride,” the officiant announces to a melee of catcalls, whistles, and cheers.

I barely register everyone’s cheers of congratulations as Lance places one hand behind my neck and the other on the middle of my back.

As it always does, my body ignites into flames under his touch.

My shaky fingers find the lapels of his jacket, and I grip the silky fabric in my fists. I hold on for dear life as he slowly leans forward.

Our lips touch, and the fire in my belly explodes as I sink into Lance’s embrace.

My body and brain are no match for the magnetic pull this man has on me.

This kiss does not align with our PDA rule of chaste pecks. No, this kiss is deep, languid, and full of desire. A simmering need that’s been bubbling below the surface of my skin since I had to leave him sleeping the morning after.

And yet, I couldn’t give one damn.

He tilts my head to the side and plunders my mouth with his tongue, wrapping it around mine in a feverish dance I wish would never end.

Lance is the first to pull back, but not before giving my bottom lip a nip.

“You broke the rules,” I whisper.

I’m met with a devilish smirk as he leans in and whispers in my ear, “I promise not to break any more rules until you do.”

Until I do?

His statement and the confidence in his words remind me of our chat in the café, and like I did then, I get the feeling Lance knows something I don’t.

I just can’t put my finger on what exactly that is yet.

twenty-five

Lance

Present

It’s been five days since Gwen and I went to Las Vegas and eloped.

Five days since I saw my beautiful wife in the flesh, and it’s driving me crazy.

We didn’t get to spend our wedding night alone because we stayed up gambling with our friends until I had to leave with the guys for a stretch of games in Arizona and Texas, and for the first time in my career, being on the road sucked.

All I wanted was to be back in LA, back with Gwen.

I pace the length of my living room, burning a hole into the rug, as I anxiously await her arrival.

Tonight, she is officially moving in, and I can’t decide if I’m more excited or terrified about her moving into my place. Probably both. I haven’t lived with someone since college, and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t count when you’re sharing a dorm room with a teammate who throws his sweaty jocks on the floor.

This is the first time I will be living with a woman. A woman who captivated me with her aqua eyes and her friendly personality. She had me wrapped around her finger as soon as she sat beside me on the cold concrete and spoke.

Now we’re married, and she’s going to be living in my home.

Tilting my head from side to side, I grip my neck and massage the tightness from my muscles. The tension makes the muscles in my neck and back hard as rocks.

It’s too late to back down now. I want Gwen, and that’s all that matters.