Page 24 of Behind the Mask

I covered her up. "Give me a minute."

He quickly left. I sighed and leaned my head against hers knowing I would have to get back in the zone. "I know I shouldn't ask this of you, but will you stay? I need you by my side right now."

It took her a couple of seconds as if she was contemplating but she nodded and moved her face to the crook of my neck. I heard her silent sobs as I held her close to me.

Eventually, she pulled away and got off. I got up from the bench and took a step close to her, tilting her chin up to mine. "Wait for me. We have more to discuss after the fight."

I closed the distance between us and crushed my lips to hers. I pushed everything into the kiss as I opened my mouth to hers. I groaned into her mouth as her vanilla scent invaded my nose. Her half-naked chest pressed against me as she moved closer. She gathered her hands through my hair and kissed me like our lives depended on it. When Olivia took control, it always left me breathless. She's been through hell and yet she was able to take control and be strong when needed.

She sucked my bottom lip in between her teeth before she pulled back. Her hands released my hair and cradled my face. "Don't do anything stupid, Axel. I mean it. I can't even think of seeing you arrested or..." she gulped nervously and looked away.

Though it was hard for her to get out, I knew the silent message she was trying to send. Somehow, she knew everything. She knew what I had done, and she knew how dangerous it was.

Removing my hand from her waist, I grabbed hers from my face and put it right onto the dog tag. Right next to my heart. "As long as you're by my side, I'll be fine. You have nothing to worry about."

She nodded numbly, and I faintly heard Mason calling my name telling me if I didn't hurry up, he'd personally kick my ass.

A faint smile appeared on her lips. "I guess you better go."

Putting my head into the crook of her neck, I pressed a soft kiss, claiming her. "Stay with Mason at all times." I heard her moan as I placed another kiss before pulling away. My gaze hardened on hers. “Do you understand?"

She nodded. She pulled her long-sleeved shirt over her head. She blew a kiss before leaving the locker room.

My hands curled into fists. Everything would be fine. We would be fine. But somehow even watching her faint smile, I knew she was hiding something else. I knew there was still something that she kept from me that would draw us apart.

Chapter Nineteen

Olivia

The place was crowded as there wasn't a seat left in the house. Axel wanted me to stay with Mason, but Lindsey shook her head no and said we were going to get front row seats. My stomach was in knots.

He told me that Vanessa was pregnant but what did that mean for us? Did he go with her to make sure she wasn't lying? Is he going to believe every word that comes out of her damn mouth? Could I even be with him knowing he got another woman pregnant? That was supposed to beme. We were supposed to have our happy ending, and although he wanted it, I wasn't sure we could have it. Just the thought of him kissing her and having his way with her like he does me is like a knife straight to my heart. There were so many secrets between us that it felt like it would be impossible to find our way back to each other.

Lindsey grabbed my hand and dragged me through the crowd. It was mostly men, but there were a few women too. When we finally made it to our seats, I rubbed my hands over the goosebumps on my arms, cursing myself for not grabbing my jacket from the car.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We have ashowfor you tonight!" I sucked in a sharp breath and ignored every word the announcer said after that because Axel was walking towards the stage.

Lindsey told me that when most fighters came out, they had a robe on, but not Axel. He came out like he was ready for some action. The perfect lines of his muscles moved as he flexed his arms trying to loosen up. The dog tags he had on earlier were now removed from his naked chest. His defined abs glistened in the light, and I swear I could hear a few moans from the girls behind me. His flawless face was stoic and unreadable, and his perfect lips were in a thin line. He went over to his corner as Mason began to tape his hands.

His sexy blonde hair was sticking up in every direction because he had been running his hands through it, and damn if he wasn't the sexiest man in the room. Axel was perfect. The breath caught in my throat when his blue eyes met mine. I licked my lips as the desire to have him burned deep inside of me. I wanted to claim him right there in the middle of the crowd and tell them that he was mine.

Each time I was around him, the more my desire for him clouded my mind. His eyes were still locked on mine, and without thinking my tongue slipped from my mouth to lick my lips, and as they did so, his eyes went directly to them. I could see the tick to his jaw as his gaze met mine once again, darkening with lust, with promise.

He turned away and kept his focus on the opponent. Which, I didn't even notice. He was relatively hidden beneath his hood, so much so that all I could see was the stiff outline of his body. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something didn't feel right. My hand grabbed Lindsey's arm and brought her towards me. "Do you know who the opponent is?"

"No, but apparently he's one of the best."

My hands were shaking as I tried to put them in my pockets, to keep them from doing something stupid. The opponent stood up and my pulse quickened. A feeling that I hadn't had in a while appeared in the pit of my stomach.Fear. The last time I truly felt this way was the same night I lost everything. The man took off the robe. I gasped. The ground shook beneath me. I was unsteady as I reached for Lindsey's arm.

It wasn't happening. It had to be a dream. A painful, horrifying nightmare. My gaze returned to Axel and as if he suspected something, his eyes narrowed in on me. I knew he was puzzling the pieces together in his mind and it would only be a matter of time before he figured it out. My pulse raced as the man that stole everything from me was the same man that was Axel's opponent.

As Brad rounded the ring, his gaze found mine in the audience. The corners of his mouth turned into an evil smirk as his eyes roamed over my body. Tingles spread up my spine. Being in the same room as him was disastrous. I couldn't gather enough air into my lungs. What were the odds thathewould be here as well?

Brad was up to no good. He was a menacing, rich,freak who thought he could do whatever he wanted. He acted like he owned the town and technically, he did.

"Liv, honey, are you alright?"

Lindsey knew what happened to me all those years ago, but she hadn't the slightest idea who the person was. I kept it a secret because I knew Brad would cause problems if anyone knew who exactly did it. Both he and his father threatened me over the years, and because his dad was the mayor, the son of a bitch could get away with anything.

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