Runaway Bride Part II

The feel of warm sunlight streaming through a nearby window stirs me out of a deep sleep. Before I even open my eyes I can feel my lips beginning to curl into a giddy smile that I can't even begin to suppress nor would I ever want to.

Last night, I had been all set to marry Jack, to become his wife and partner in life…to be the mother of his children someday…to settle down in Gotham. Then, Bruce had arrived at my wedding rehearsal and turned my world upside down in that infuriating way that he always has.

He told me that he loved me…has been in love with me for years, but he hadn't been able to tell me out of fear. I remember the look of pure anguish that swam in his azure eyes as he confessed his feelings for me, could practically taste his fear that seemed to permeate the very air around us. It had been near suffocating.

For the first time since I had met him, Bruce seemed so small tome, so completely vulnerable and broken. He had allowed me to see parts of himself in that brief encounter that he'd never let me see before, all the sharp and jagged and dreadful parts of him, the pieces that he was too scared to show anyone. It had all been right there for me to see and I had reacted so badly.

I have loved him for so long, gently prodding him and alluding to something more with him only to be shoved aside as if I never meant anything to him past being his teammate. All of my anger and hurt and frustration had come pouring out in that moment of unexpected revelation as the tears slipped down my cheeks. He had kissed me and it had been wonderful, but then I had slapped him, my fury fully taking over as realization flooded me. I was betraying Jack.

I had been waiting for Bruce for so long, finally moving on and finding love with a good man who treated me just like the title that I bear as the daughter of a queen. I thought that I had gotten past my feelings for Bruce, but, in that singular moment, all of those feelings of love and lust, desire and need came rushing back to the surface just as strong and burning just as bright as ever before. It was like the last several months with Jack had never existed.

The revelation had been terrifying and exciting all at the same time, overwhelming me with the intensity and the strength of my feelings for him. They had never truly died or diminished in the least despite my best attempts to bury them and forget that they ever existed, telling myself he was nothing more than a friend.

I thought that Jack had no idea what had happened last night between Bruce and me when he had found us in the garden, never knowing that I had been in love with another, but he somehow knew. He had put the pieces together and figured out that Bruce was the man that I loved despite me never telling him about it.

I had refused to talk to Jack about the incident with Bruce last night, insisting that everything was fine…that we were still fine. This morning, however, had been a very different story. After a sleepless night, I had found myself needing to talk to my fiancé, to confess to him the truth. It was only fair that he knew where my heart lay.

I'll never forget the expression on his face when he came to my room this morning and saw me in my wedding dress that I chosen just for him. His expression of joy mingled with a sense of sadness that I discovered in his eyes. That's when I had realized it.

He already knew.

Jack told me that he had always felt that I had been holding a piece of myself back from him, my heart actually belonging to another, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. He had thought with time that I'd eventually come to truly love him. After seeing me with Bruce last night, he finally understood who that man was and just how much I loved him.

I kissed him in that moment of heartbreak, tears in my eyes as I told him how very sorry I was that I hurt him. He had gently cupped my face, kissing me on the forehead before telling me that he only ever wanted me to be happy. He had hoped that he could be that person, but, deep down, he had known it wasn't him. He told me to go and find happiness.

That was when I had run away…a runaway bride desperate to find the man that she truly loves with her whole being.

I open my eyes to find Bruce lying there on his back beside me, his expression so serene as he sleeps that it nearly makes me want to cry. I had actually been able to bring him a measure of peace and happiness in the midst of a life punctuated with such heart-rending pain. The thought alone fills me with warmth and contentment that I feel clear to my toes.

Hera, I love this man so much.

I'll never forget the look on his face when he opened the door to find me standing there in my wedding dress, hair mused from flying from New York City to Gotham just to see him. The vulnerable eight-year-old boy that I had seen last night was suddenly standing right there before me once again; afraid to believe I was actually standing there before him.

Then, I told him that I loved him too and the man that I knew was back again. This time, he was no longer afraid, no longer pushing me or running away, but pulling me to him and kissing me so passionately that I felt it to the very core of my being. I knew in that moment that I had made the right decision. I was where I was supposed to be with the man who had stolen my heart almost from the very beginning.

He picked me up in his arms, carrying me upstairs to his bedroom…the very room we haven't left all day. Making love with him was more perfect than anything that I have ever imagined or dreamed it could be. We would fall asleep tangled in one another's arms only to awaken the other all over again with a kiss or a caress in the most intimate of places. Then, passion would flare so hot I swore at times that it would consume us whole. It had never been like this with Jack, further confirming that I had been right in following my heart here to Bruce.

Glancing at the clock, I find that it's already late afternoon…almost dinner time. Alfred had graciously parked a cart laden with food and drink outside of the bedroom, no doubt over the moon about the fact that Bruce and I had finally found our way to each other. Hera, I've missed Alfred and his fabulous cooking.

Deciding Bruce has slept long enough, I reach for a strawberry from the plate on my bedside table. I take a bite of the fruit before turning to face my prey again. I stealthily slide over him as the sheet covering us slips down my back, careful not to wake him just yet as my lips softly find his.

His hands instantly descend on my hips like a steel trap that has just been sprung, gripping me firmly and keeping me on top of him. He immediately responds to my kiss, moaning deep in his chest with the taste of the strawberry on my tongue. He is most definitely fully awake now and rapidly growing ready for another round of love making.

I break the kiss, smiling down at him with mischief no doubt shining in my eyes as well as my heated desire for this man. He looks up at me with love and lust in his penetrating gaze and I feel it rake over my skin in anticipation of what is about to come again. His one hand releases my hip, moving up to brush my hair behind my ear before coming to rest against my cheek.

"You are so very beautiful," he softly murmurs with a sense of awe lacing his voice. "You have no idea how many times I've forgotten how to breathe whenever I look at you."

No one ever looks at me the way that he does. Jack had a look of adoration when he stared at me, but it never did to me what Bruce's stare alone can. When Bruce looks at me, my stomach flips and my breath catches, my heart quickens and I feel warmth erupt in my belly. I instantly feel such a rush of heated longing as if his eyes alone could seduce me, peeling back all my layers to see directly into my soul as if he's known me long before I ever left Themyscira.

His look is filled with a mix of ardor and admiration, a yearning so bone deep it's almost primal in nature. It awakens such a raw need inside of me that only he has ever been able to touch or awaken, only he has ever been able to satiate if only for a little while.

"I know I don't deserve you, Diana, but I'm going to do everything in my power to try to make you happy," he tells me, sincerity reflecting in his eyes.

"It's not about deserving me, Bruce," I reply with a shake of my head, pausing to brush my lips against his in reassurance. "It's about allowing yourself to accept me into your life…to accept love and happiness in your life. That's what I want to give you more than anything."

"You already have, Princess," he insists. "Now, it's my turn to show you the same."

"You have nothing to prove," I try to assure him with a gentle shake of my head.

"I know that I hurt you, not only last night but for the last three years," he tells me with great anguish. "Being with me is not going to be easy. I can be very hard to deal with. I'm moody and I brood…I ignore everyone around me when there's a case that needs to be solved. I'm thoughtless and stubborn. I'm—"

I place a forefinger on his lips to silence him, my forehead creasing. "I already know all of that about you, Bruce, and I love you anyway," I reply. "I've always loved you."

He releases a shaky breath before his lips begin to kiss my finger. He takes the tip of it into his mouth, sucking greedily on it as his tongue begins to swirl around it. His piercing blue eyes darken with a lustful storm that I know he's desperate to unleash on me all over again and I can hardly wait.

He releases my finger as he sits up, his mouth colliding with mine as his arms circle around me. He kisses me with a fierce hunger that is quickly driving me crazy. Retreating for air, he nuzzles my throat with his lips and nose, inhaling deeply and moaning softly as his fingers trace an exploring path over my skin.

"I've been in love with you for so long," he murmurs, his fingers digging deeply into my hips as if holding on to me like a lifeline. "You have no idea how half-crazed I've been thinking that I'd lost you to Jack, imagining you in his bed."

"Is that why you started drinking?" I softly ask, my fingers threading through his black hair as I gaze into his eyes.

He pauses in his assault to pull back to look at me and I immediately regret my words, missing the feel of his mouth against my skin. "How did you know about that?"

"I smelled it on you last night," I admit, biting at my bottom lip. "You looked like hell, Bruce. It wasn't that far of a stretch."

"I might as well have looked like it because I've been living in it ever since you started dating Jack."

"Bruce, why didn't you ever say anything to me about it? Try to fight for me?" I question him. "I would have given you a chance."

He averts his eyes, unable to look at me as he searches for the words to explain…to justify his actions for the last several months. "I was terrified of you," he softly admits.

"Of me?" I gasp the question, stunned by his answer. "Why?"

"No one has ever been able to get to me like you have, Diana," he begins to explain. "You found your way into my heart and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it or escape it. I didn't know how to handle it so I tried to shut you out, to keep you at arms' length.

"You were the first person to make me want to build a life with since Andrea. I was terrified of letting you in, but I was also terrified of letting you go. I've been so miserable, but last night I decided that I was tired of being a coward. I was sick of you not knowing the truth. I knew I had no right in coming there and telling you that I loved you the night before your wedding, but I couldn't bear the thought of you walking down the aisle towards another man and not knowing how desperately I love you."

Tears begin to blur my vision as I gaze at him, feeling overwhelmed by his heartfelt confession. It's not like him to share his feelings and now he's opened his heart to me twice since last night. I remind myself it won't always be like this, but I'll gladly take these little moments when I can get them.

My lips find his in a gentle, reassuring caress that gradually becomes anything but gentle. It's fierce and full of fire, rough and passionate and demanding. It's forgiving and accepting and it's full of truth—truth about what we actually feel for one another, truth about our deep-seated need for each other, the truth about how right this is.

There are no more secrets between us now, no more hidden fears left to expose to the light. Our souls have been laid bare and I know with every fiber of my being that we may bend at times with whatever may come our way in the future, but we won't break. We have each other now and that's enough.

He possessively grasps my torso, his thumbs caressing my ribs and slowly driving me crazy with need for him. We begin to make love all over again, our breathing growing erratic. The air is filled with our mutual gasps and moans as we express our pleasure and the sheer enjoyment we're finding in each other, letting one another know what excites us and what makes us completely lose control.

Fingers stroking…the mingling of our hot panting breaths as we come together as one feels like the first time all over again despite the fact this is our fourth…no, our fifth time giving ourselves to each other. His wandering hands set my skin on fire, each of his kisses scorching my flesh and I readily return the passion.

He's all muscle and strength, so much power and passion tightly restrained in a mortal body being fully unleashed once again on me like a fierce tempest. I've longed for this for what feels like forever and now he's all mine. This love…this passion is for me and only me and I will never let him go.

All too soon, we're lying tangled up in each other's arms, unable to tell where he ends and I begin and I wouldn't want it any other way. I lightly trace over the countless scars on his chest with the tip of my forefinger, wishing that we could stay here like this forever.

The world is waiting for us out there, our responsibilities and duties vying for our attention and no doubt attempting to keep us apart. I know I'll have to share him with Gotham and with the League as well as the world. It's going to be difficult, but I hope that he's willing to try to make time for us, to put some effort into this relationship.

He repeatedly runs his fingers through my hair, both of us just savoring the feel of our bodies connected like this…skin against skin as we laze in the afterglow of love making. I've never felt so content or happy in my entire life than I am right now. I know that it won't always be like this, though.

There will inevitably be times that we'll end up butting heads, arguing and refusing to back down. Our arguments are somewhat legendary amongst the League, considered to be the two most obstinate members in the Justice League. We always come away with great respect for one another despite the fact we're angry with each other. I can't help wondering how things will change between us now that we're lovers.

Lovers.

That word alone sends tingles racing through my body knowing that we're lovers now. Yesterday when I woke up, I had no idea that I would be in Bruce's bed today, giving and taking pleasure…sharing such overwhelming passion. I can't help but feel horrible for hurting Jack, making me wonder what he's doing now.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks, breaking through my reverie.

There's almost an apprehensiveness to his question that piques my curiosity as to what he has been thinking about or better yet worrying about. "You and me…how I'm here with you instead of with Jack," I sheepishly confess, turning my head to press my face into the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry, Princess," he murmurs, kissing the top of my head. "I know that I made a mess of everything."

I lift my head to gaze at him, my fingers caressing his chest. "It's not exactly all your fault, Bruce," I tell him. "I wasn't being honest with myself or Jack about my feelings. My heart belonged to you, but I ignored that fact, telling myself that I could move on and find love with someone else. I wasn't being fair to Jack."

"But you didn't know how I felt about you," he points out.

"No, but I shouldn't have forced a relationship that wasn't what I truly wanted," I admit. "I just hope that Jack can learn to forgive me someday."

He leans down and presses his lips to mine, his mouth and tongue stirring a heated hunger in me that curls my toes. I hook my leg further over his, pressing myself against his hip to show him my need for him. He finally retreats much to my dismay, but continues to hold me close against him.

"If he truly loves you, Diana, he'll want you to be happy," he reminds me. "Me, on the other hand, probably not so much. I have a feeling that he'll hate me for many years to come."

"I'm sorry, Bruce," I apologize, kissing his chest.

"Don't be," he says. "I have you and that's all I need in my life."

"I love you," I whisper as I move to lie on top of him, my lips finding his again.

"I love you too, Princess," he murmurs as his hands begin to roam over my back and I know in that moment that dinner is going to have to wait until later. Right now, we have a different appetite in need of satisfying.

With a squeal of surprise, I suddenly find myself on my back, his large masculine frame hovering over mine. "Promise me when we get married that you won't be my runaway bride," he teases me, but there is a sense of real fear invading his eyes.

"Never," I promise him. "Once was more than enough."

With a grin, he leans in and kisses me, his weight fully settling over me as the hunger that never seems to completely die between us comes to life all over again.