Page 1 of Dead Ball Situation

Chapter One

The way countless grownpeople bounced inside a bouncy house while others played various lawn games blew Bandit’s mind. It also warmed his heart. Baylor deserved this happy wedding that showed exactly how much joy Chipper would bring to his life. Baylor had been his best friend since he was too young to recall. Hell, Bandit’s parents were here. Since they had traveled over three thousand miles just to watch Baylor marry, that showed exactly how deeply entrenched Baylor was in his life. It had always been the two of them. Bandit prayed that didn’t change.

While this wasn’t the first time Bandit had watched Baylor marry, it was still different. The first time, Baylor had married one of Bandit’s teammates. That had kept him close. Now, whileBandit still played pro soccer for New England, Baylor would live in California with the larger-than-life MMA champion he had married. Bandit had a bad feeling this time would be the time he never really saw Baylor any longer. The thought had him fighting the urge to massage his chest. Bandit knew a lot of people. He had a lot of friends. There was no one like Bay. Baylor was his person.

“I think we’re going to head back to Baylor’s. Your dad is getting tired.”

Bandit nodded and accepted the kiss his mom placed on his cheek. “Be careful. I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast.”

His mom, June, swiped her lipstick from his cheek. “Okay, baby. Don’t party too hard.”

Bandit snorted.

June walked away, chuckling. She knew Bandit was a little too serious. He didn’t really cut loose. All he did was practice and perfect his game. He didn’t jump around in bounce houses or get tattooed just because there was an artist there. Bandit knew that was why Baylor had never looked at him the way he looked at Chipper. Baylor needed someone to offset his too serious nature. They were too much alike. That made for awesome friends. He supposed romantic relationships needed something more. Something he didn’t have.

Bandit grabbed another glass of champagne while telling himself he could be fun. He had no idea where to start, but he could.

“Are you having a good time?”

Bandit glanced over.

Chipper waited for a response. He had really sweet brown eyes at odds with his cut body. Bandit had known him for a long time. He was glad Baylor found him.

“Yeah. I’m on like my third glass of champagne. After this, I might wander over to that adult-sized ball pit. I’m not getting in, but I’ll check it out.”

Chipper laughed. “Third glass? Those are rookie numbers. Take another one. One for each hand is the way to go at—whoa.” At Chipper’s sudden veer off topic, Bandit followed his line of sight. Baylor’s assistant, Sacha, worked on keeping things running smoothly nearby. When he saw them looking his way, he immediately turned his head, as if uncomfortable with the attention.

Bandit’s blood boiled. He really hated the thought of getting wiped across the floor by an MMA champ, but fuck. This was the guy’s wedding, and he was already checking someone else out. Bandit tried to stay calm and keep his tone light. He chuckled. “What was that whoa all about?”

Chipper shook his head and went back to gathering glasses of champagne. “Nothing. I’m staying out of it. Forget that happened.”

His blood pressure ticked higher. “No, really.” This time, his tone didn’t cooperate. He sounded a lot less cordial.

Chipper eyed him, as if realizing Bandit’s thoughts. “Fuck. Baylor will kill me. Sacha is his friend and you’re his best friend, but…” He spent a moment chewing his bottom lip. Finally, he sighed. “Please don’t get me murdered on my wedding night, but when I looked up a second ago and caught Sacha looking at you, it was… intense.”

Bandit glanced Sacha’s way. The moment he did, Sacha looked away again. “He’s not looking at me. Likely, he was just lost in thought. It happens to me all the time. I can’t tell you how many times people have thought I was staring at them while my head was just somewhere else.”

Chipper snorted and put a second glass of champagne in Bandit’s hand. “Cool. Tell yourself that so Baylor doesn’t choke me.” He paused and stared at nothing for a second. “I should find Baylor. I don’t hate the idea of him choking me.”

Bandit shook his head as Chipper walked away. He was a mess and impossible to hate. Before Bandit could stop himself, his gaze slid Sacha’s way again. Sacha turned his head. Damn. Had he really been looking at Bandit? That sounded way too good to be true, and Bandit couldn’t let that thought take root in his head. He had to see Sacha all the time. Sacha ran a majority of Baylor’s wedding planning company now. With quite a bit of Baylor’s supplies stored at Bandit’s place, they spent a ton of time in each other’s company. He couldn’t lie, though. Bandit would kill for a night with Sacha.

Sacha was originally from the Ukraine. He had come to America as a child but hadn’t lost the thick accent. He was tall and lanky—just like Bandit. In fact, they stood eye to eye and Bandit was six three. He found that incredibly hot, especially since Sacha had the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. They were always lined with dark eyeliner. He smelled good too, but Bandit knew his limits. There was no way Bandit could bag someone like Sacha. He might play pro sports and make damn good money, but Sacha was the kind of beautiful that knew its worth, while Bandit was red-haired and skinny with freckles. He had never stood out in a crowd in a good way. Not for his looks, anyhow.

The idea kept nagging at him. Bandit polished off his third and then his fourth champagne. He grabbed his fifth and decided to check out Sacha on the sly. While keeping his face turned away, his eyes slid toward Sacha. This time, he caught him staring. Whoa. Sacha might be lost in thought and not realize he was staring, but if that was his resting face, he would burn a man to the ground when they had his attention.

Sacha kind of wanted to slap himself. Something about watching Baylor get married was under his skin tonight. Bandit was there and Sacha couldn’t stop staring every time he looked away. Hewas just so beautiful. On the inside too, and that shit was hot as hell. He had red hair, but his eyes were light blue. It was the rarest combination in the world. Sacha knew. He had looked it up. That summed up Bandit, though. He was a rarity. His looks bordered on boyish. He would be one of those men who looked young forever. Sacha hated how badly he craved him. He forced himself to stop looking. It was a wedding. People got frisky and went home with people they didn’t know. The last thing Sacha could handle was seeing Bandit leave with someone else. He had to focus on keeping this reception moving along.

A glass of champagne appeared in front of him. “You should take a break. No one expects you to work all night.”

Sacha took a breath. Bandit’s usual sweet cologne washed over him. He closed his eyes and savored the smell for a second before turning. As always, those blue eyes captured him. A smile lit his face before he could stop it.

“Hey.” He accepted the glass. “I know this, but Baylor means a lot to me. It’s important he gets his special night.” As he made the claim, Sacha’s gaze moved to where Baylor stood with his sexy new husband. The child who had acted as ring bearer held Baylor’s hand and spoke animatedly. Baylor hung on every word. Sacha shifted his focus back to Bandit. Bandit stared at Baylor wearing a huge grin. He had wondered more times than he should if there had ever been anything between Baylor and Bandit. Sometimes, he swore he caught Bandit looking at Baylor in just a certain way. It was probably in his head.

Bandit met his stare again, stealing his breath. “Everything is already perfect. Your job is complete.”

Music began catching their attention again. As they looked on, Chipper led Baylor to the outdoor dance floor Sacha had set up. Well supervised being set up.

“The grooms’ first dance, everybody.”

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