Page 74 of Acid

“Fighters, ready!” the ref shouts, and I turn to see Ollie watching me closely to see what I’m going to do.

Fight him and punish him for the past I’m surprised hasn’t broken him, or run into his arms and never let him go….

Sniffling, I wipe my tears and shake my head before I run toward Ollie. He stands straight and catches me as I jump. He throws his arms around me as I wrap my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck, my face planting in his throat, and I sob.

“Fuck, Tinker,” he chokes, “don’t cry, sweetheart….”

His arms tighten around me as my body shakes and half the crowd groans and complains about losing while the other half cheers.

“Alright, if you bet that she’d kick his ass, pay up. If you bet that she’d run into his arms, come collect your winnings!” a voice says in the mic, and I choke out a laugh before cupping Ollie’s chiseled jaw.

“You’re back,” I cry, my tears falling.

He cups the back of my neck and replies, “I’m back….” He grins. “And I’m never leaving you again, I promise.”

I sob with relief and kiss him, causing the crowd to cheer louder. His tongue tangles with mine, and I grip his jaw tighter as I tilt my head, deepening the kiss.

I’ve missed him, I’ve missed him so much….

Ollie breaks the kiss before he places his forehead against mine, and asks, “You ready to fight, Tinker? Or would you rather see me kick the shit outta my brother?”

A smile spreads, and I whisper, “You better win, Ol. I’m placing $300 on you.”

He grins, his eyes racing between mine, looking for something, before his body relaxes, and I kiss him to reassure him.

He wanted to see if I was disgusted, but I’m not. Every letter he sent and the agony he expressed showed how much he adores his brother, and what he went through just to save him from his fate, makes him selfless in my eyes. Every letter expressed why he didn’t think we could be together, how his mind controlled him with his fears.

Oliver Mathews is strong and protective, and he’s mine; he always has been.

I break the kiss, pecking his lips one, two, three more times, before I jump down and say, “Kick some ass, Ollie!”

He smirks. “For you, always….”

Piston walks over to me, his shirt gone, and he kisses my forehead before murmuring, “I love you, little sister.”

I sniffle, side-hug him, and reply, “I love you, too, but I’m still betting on my guy.”

Piston grins. “Yourguy, huh?”

I lock eyes with Ollie and nod, confirming, “Yeah, my guy….”

Ollie grins, and I walk backward before Steal helps me out of the ring, taking me in his arms. I squeeze around his neck tight as my feet dangle, and he walks down the steps.

“Thank you,” I whisper as he lets me down, and he nods as Cassidy’s arms wrap around me from behind. I ask her, “You bet on Ollie, right?”

She snorts. “More like 50/50. Those boys would kill me otherwise, though I did bet you’d run into his arms, and so did Nat, even if she can’t be here tonight.”

I laugh but nod as I look at the ring. Ollie gives me a wink before he gets into a fighting stance, and the ref blows the whistle.

Piston runs first, trying to dominate Ollie, but Ollie sees it coming and ducks, spinning around. Piston quickly turns and blocks a hit to the left, but Ollie gets him in the ribs with his right hook, and the crowd cheers.

“This has got to be the best fucking fight we’ve had in years, two Huntsmen brothers, blood at that,” Viking says he walks over, and I raise a brow at him.

“Want a go?” I ask, and his eyes widen comically, and he stutters, “Fuck no. I-I’ve seen you fight, remember, and if I even get one hit on you, I have a whole fucking club and a doctor on my ass.”

I laugh as Cass places her forehead on my shoulder, her body shaking with laughter as the crowd cheers. We all watch as Ollie kicks Piston’s butt; well, Cass and I watch, along with Viking, who takes my bet. Steal, though, he keeps his eyes on Cass, though she ignores him.

I give him a slight smile, which he returns, noticing my attention before I look back at the ring.

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