She lifted her veil as she made her way toward him, and his heart slammed into his chest.

“I love you! I cannot go through with this wedding.” She leaped into his arms. He instinctively placed his hands on her waist as she clung to him.

“What the...” But he didn’t finish what he was going to say because she pressed her lips to his and all rational thought left his brain. His arms tightened around her and the silence of the stunned crowd matched the skip in his heartbeat.

She broke the kiss a bare second after it had begun, leaving him feeling shorted.

“Do not say a word.” Her warm breath teased his ear, rousing a fire in his belly. “If you tell them you have the wrong wedding, my brothers will beat you to a pulp for kissing me. I suggest we take advantage of the surprise and run.”

* * *

Running Away with the Bride
by Sophia Singh Sasson is part of the
Nights at the Mahal series.