Page 146 of Knot Happening Again

Mace's huge hand claps my shoulder as soon as I step out of the ring. "Damn, kid! You had me worried there for a second. What a comeback!"

I nod, distracted. "Thanks, man. Hey, did you see?—"

"She's backstage," Mace says, a knowing glint in his eye. "With Natalie and the others."

My heart leaps.

She stayed.

She's waiting.

I push through the throng of reporters and well-wishers, barely registering their congratulations. My skin itches, the need to see her, to touch her, overwhelming.

The noise fades as I enter the quiet of the backstage area. And there she is.

Ophelia stands with Natalie, both of them turning at my approach. Natalie beams, bouncing on her toes. "That was amazing!"

But I barely hear her.

My focus narrows to Ophelia.

She's breathtaking, as always. A loose tendril of hair falls across her face.

My fingers itch to brush it back.

"Thanks," I say hoarsely. “Uh… hey."

Ophelia meets my gaze. “Hey. Good fight.”

Her expression is guarded, but there's something else there. Pride? I’m afraid to hope.

I want nothing more than to pull her into my arms. To bury my face in her neck and breathe in her intoxicating scent.

To kiss her until we're both breathless.

But I don’t.

I can't.

“Thanks for coming,” I say instead, my voice rough. “Means a lot.”

She nods, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Well, I couldn't miss seeing you get your ass kicked, could I?"

I laugh, some of the tension easing. "Guess I ruined that for you in the end, huh?"

"I guess I'll forgive you," she says, her smile growing. Just a little bit, but still. It’s growing.

God, she's beautiful.

And when she smiles…

I want to make her smile like that every day for as long as I live.

But there's still a wall between us. I can see it in the way she holds herself, slightly apart from me. In the wariness that lingers in her eyes.

"Ophelia, I—" I start, not sure what I'm going to say.

That I'm sorry?

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