Page 44 of Bad Run

Great.

I will never hear the end of it when he spots me. Leaving without a word to him or Blake was a terrible idea. They are going to have a million questions about why I disappeared. None of which I plan to answer.

What happened last night will stay between me and Gwen.

Reed grabs his suitcase from the trunk of the car and places it on the curb. As he looks over his shoulder, he spots me in the car and waves.

I was hoping he wouldn’t notice me. Pushing open the rear door, I thank my driver, who pops the trunk for me, and I climb out.

“’Sup, Taylor?” Reed sidles up next to me as I reach into the trunk and pull out my suitcase.

“Hey.”

“Dude, what the fuck happened last night? You just disappeared.” He stares at me, expecting me to give him the reason I left.

“Sorry. Uh, I didn’t feel good.”

“What?” Reed rears back, confused.

I don’t ditch my friends, and I never get sick, so I understand his confusion. But there’s a first time for everything, right? So, I use an excuse I know Reed won’t question. “Stomach trouble.”

“The shits? Damn, bro, that sucks.”

“Yeah,” I grunt, playing into my lie.

Over Reed’s shoulder, I see Gwen exit her car. We make eye contact for a moment. She looks away, staring at the ground, but I can see the hurt written all over her face. My stomach sinks. She probably fucking hates me after last night.

I didn’t mean what I said.

When Gwen entered the VIP section with her friend, my heart leaped out of my damn chest. She looked so damn sexy in that short pink skirt and flowy top. I almost jumped out of the booth to take her home.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her bouncing curls and mile-long legs. Legs that I want wrapped around my head and waist again.

The women Reed brought over had no boundaries. I didn’t ask, or want, the woman who sat in my lap to be there. Then Gwen walked off with that guy, and I lost my damn mind.

I followed her. Watched from afar. When he got too close, I got rid of him and cut in. My jealousy overrode my judgment, and things went too far.

There are no words to describe how fucking hot it was to have Gwen come in sixty seconds. Her moans, the feel of her ass rubbing against my dick … it felt incredible.

Of course, I came in my pants, and I sure as hell couldn’t go back to my friends with cum-filled boxers.

Gwen hustles the last few feet and pushes through the doors in a hurry. She disappears inside as Reed turns his head to see what I’m looking at, but comes up empty.

Reed shakes his head and grabs the handle of his bag. “You’re being really fucking weird.”

I don’t know if it’s the hurt look on Gwen’s face or purely her absence in my life, but I do something I promised myself I wouldn’t.

I chase her.

The need to make things right between us before I go on the road overrides all logic. I need to apologize. We can’t be together, but I don’t want her to hate me. I don’t regret our night or our dance. Just bad timing and complicated circumstances.

With a groan, I clutch my stomach. “You know what? My stomach is doing that … thing again. Will you grab my bag for me?”

“Yeah, of course, dude.” I rush off before Reed can finish his sentence, but I hear him shout at my back, “Get some Imodium so you don’t shit your pants during our game tomorrow.”

“Will do. Thanks, McKay.” Over my shoulder, I wave at him and rush through the entrance.

Gwen is nowhere in sight.