Page 2 of Dead Ball Situation

Sacha smiled as the words came through the speakers, drowning out the music.

Bandit took back the glass he had just handed Sacha and set it on the table. “Work time is over.” He grabbed Sacha’s hand. “It’s time to enjoy yourself.” Bandit headed for the dance floor, with Sacha in tow.

Sacha tried not to obsess about the sensation of Bandit holding his hand. This wasn’t a fantasy he could let grow. But then he was in Bandit’s arms, and his heart did something funny. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Bandit’s face. For the first time, Sacha saw the same gut-wrenching desire he felt staring back at him. But again, it was a wedding. People got weird at weddings. It was like the whole thing made people worry they would be alone forever. There was love in the air and all that. Sacha had to make this less personal.

“You look very handsome tonight.” Holy shit. That was not making things less personal. He needed to keep his mouth shut. Apparently, words intended to just fall out.

Bandit’s smile made Sacha forget his own name, much less any promises to himself to be quiet. “You always look stunning. I just occasionally clean up a little okay.”

The claim fired something to life inside Sacha. Something fierce. It showed in his voice. “What is this cleaning up nonsense? You are a very beautiful man. I am making lots of people jealous right now.”

Bandit’s huge grin never dimmed until he pulled Sacha even closer. That was the moment Sacha saw his mistake. He had been goaded into showing his hand. Bandit’s expression said he knew it too. The music slowed even more and so did they. Bandit left no room between them. For a moment, Sacha thought Bandit would kiss him. At the last second, Bandit either changed his mind or always intended to keep things sweet. His lips swept Sacha’s cheek. They lingered there. Sacha’s heart never stood a chance against someone so much more than him. He didn’t know how to explain that thought. But Sacha was just a struggling cake designer turned wedding planner. Bandit was a star. People knew his name. Not just that. People wore his name on their backs and chanted it in stands all over the world. His face was on TVs with people cheering for him… lusting for him. It was only dumb luck Sacha had even landed in his sphere. They shared a mutual friend. That was all. Bandit would walk away from this dance and leave Sacha behind. Likely, he would never think of this again. Sacha would never think of anything else.

The songs continued, and Bandit never let him go. Even as the music moved from slow to fast and back again, Bandit kept him glued to the dance floor. Finally, the crowd wound down to only a few stragglers. Sacha had to beg out. He had more work to do. Still, Bandit held his hand as they left the dance floor, and Sacha was beyond the point of no return. Bandit was all the way beneath his skin.

“I’ll stay until you’re done tonight so I can walk you to your car.”

Even as disappointment washed over him, Sacha knew it was for the best. He had known nothing would come of this and should be grateful for it. “There’s no need. We are in a very secure location. Nothing will happen to me here.”

Bandit shrugged. “I won’t be able to relax until I know you’re safe for the night.”

That was sweet. “If you must.”

Bandit’s laugh eased the pressure in his chest. “I can go stand over there.” He motioned toward the champagne fountain. “If my company is that bad.”

Sacha rolled his eyes. “No need to be dramatic and dig for compliments. You know I like your company.”

The triumph in Bandit’s expression let Sacha know he had walked straight into another of Bandit’s traps. “Good. How can I help?”

Sacha studied the backyard of the compound the couple had been loaned for the wedding. The ocean backdrop looked beautiful. The last few lingerers were being led away by the heavy security the owner had hired. Sacha didn’t know much about him except he was someone important. A crew had arrived, and the inflatables were already deflated. A cleaning crew worked to clear away the mess. All the equipment and whatnot would be picked up by the rental company.

Sacha motioned toward the table filled with gifts. “I told Baylor I would take care of ensuring his gifts got delivered to their house so he would be free to go straight to their room. So, really, that’s all I need to do.”

Bandit nodded. “Cool. You grab a stack, and I will too. We’ll have this knocked out in no time.”

In unison, they moved to the table and grabbed boxes. “I’m thinking I’ll have to make more than one trip. Luckily, their place isn’t that far. When I offered to do this, I didn’t consider how many gifts a celebrity would get.”

Bandit chuckled. “Yeah. This is a little crazy. I can’t imagine they need any of this.”

“They asked people to donate to the Kapra Foundation in lieu of gifts, but it doesn’t look like anyone listened.”

“I did.” Bandit sounded serious and so at odds with his earlier self. “The Kapra Foundation works to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home victims of sex trafficking. They mostly work with kids. That’s something that should be important to everyone, but for Baylor, that probably means everything.”

Sacha nodded as he listened. “I imagine it does. Even though I don’t have the same funds as the people attending tonight, I donated as well. Admittedly, I didn’t really look into the foundation. I just hit the donate button. It was Baylor’s wish, so…” Sacha shrugged.

Two huge guards appeared at their sides, carrying more gifts and distracting them from their conversation. Even though Sacha was grateful for their help, they cut down on the amount of time he got to spend with Bandit. The guards offered to help deliver the gifts, ensuring everything made it in one trip.

Bandit saved his mood from spiraling. “I’ll help you unload all this at Baylor’s. That’s where I’m staying while I’m in town anyhow.”

Sacha froze. He had been way too busy prepping the ceremony and reception to realize that tidbit. A nervous laugh escaped him. “Yeah. Me too.”

Thankfully, Bandit immediately made things less awkward. “My parents are staying as well.”

“That’s nice.” His parents would definitely stop Sacha from doing anything he couldn’t take back.

Bandit nodded. “Chipper put them in a room in the back corner of the house, so they shouldn’t even hear us banging around.”

Everything inside Sacha stilled. “Banging around?”

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