Page 5 of Win You Over
“Alright gentlemen. You know the rules. You have two minutes or until someone taps out. The winner takes home the prize money.”
“And bragging rights,” I add with a smirk.
“And bragging rights, though Lord knows you don’t need anything more to gloat about,” the shady professor says with aroll of his eyes. Okay, so maybe there are other people who don’t particularly like me.
Holden nods in agreement, his eyes narrowing, and I return the gesture. I crack my knuckles, then move my neck from side to side before shaking out my arms.
“Bring it, pretty boy.” I pop my own mouthguard in, biting down on the plastic, my tongue running along the edges where it meets my upper gum. Holden’s nostrils flare, his jaw muscles clenching.
This is going to be fun.
“Gentlemen, touch fists and let’s get this fight started.”
Holden’s knuckle connects with my right eye, bright spots dancing in front of me from the impact. Everything outside of this ring has turned to static as I backpedal, stepping away from him in time to miss another hit. With him advancing towards me, I duck forward and land a fist to his stomach, then follow it up with three more swift jabs, causing him to stumble backwards.
He rights himself, shaking his head and squaring his shoulders as he comes at me again. I raise both fists, bouncing on the heels of my feet as I block his jabs. We get locked in a dance of back and forth. Jab after jab, we dodge each other’s hits until he catches me off guard with a right hook kick to the ribs. The impact sends me reeling to the side, and he takes the opportunity to deliver a series of fast, painful kicks to my obliques.
Pain lances through my thigh, and I throw myself forward, grappling for his shoulders and hauling him closer to me. Hisown hands land on my neck and he holds on tight, his fingers digging into my skin.
The move brings our bodies closer together and I lift my knee, delivering a powerful blow to his stomach. Holden’s grip loosens and I do it again, until he’s reeling back, blood dripping from an open wound above his eye as he lifts his fists in defence. He comes at me again, his foot connecting with my ribs, but it doesn’t deter me as I dive forward, grabbing him around the waist. He lifts his knee to fight me off, but I keep my lower body out of his line of attack and use my added weight advantage to pull him down to the ground with me.
With my bigger body over his, I lean one arm over his clavicle and use my free hand to punch him in the gut. He’s snarling beneath me, like a trapped wild animal, thrashing around to gain the upper hand. But it’s not enough. With my legs pinning him to the ground, I rear up and deliver a quick succession of punches. Holden lifts his arms to protect his head, no longer fighting back.
His body slackens beneath mine, admitting defeat, yet I don’t stop my delivery until the ring announcer hauls me off him, lifts my arms in the air and declares me the winner.
I am once again undefeated. My body buzzes with excitement, adrenaline pumping through my veins. The crowd goes wild, cheering my name and I do a lap of the ring before coming to stand in front of Holden, who has found his feet and is leaning against the side of the ring, breathing heavily. He has blood trailing down his forehead and from the side of his lip. He’s covered in sweat, his skin glowing red beneath it. Behind him, his friend hovers with a bottle of water and a towel.
Spitting out my mouth guard, I offer him a smile and a hand. Ever the gentleman that my mom taught me to be.
“Good fight,” I say, still holding out my hand to him. “I’m a nice guy, so even though you lost, you’re welcome to party with us after. Enjoy a drink or two of that prize money.”
He doesn’t take my hand, just takes out his own mouth guard, looks me directly in the eyes, then promptly spits in my face.
Hot.
Lifting a hand, I wipe it from my skin and smirk, before leaning forward to whisper in his ear.
“How do you always know what I like? You really should stop teasing me.”
I laugh and he growls under his breath, presses both hands to my chest and pushes me away before climbing out of the ring and into the arms of his waiting friend. Maybe I shouldn’t try so hard to rile him up, but fuck, it’s fun.
Losing sucks, I’m sure. I wouldn’t know firsthand because I never lose atanything. But the look of defeat on Holden’s face makes it pretty clear that it does.
Chapter 3
Holden
It’s been almost a week since the fight and my body still aches when I move. There’s a bruise around my eye and a cut on my lip that is only now healing. It’s the blow to my ego that hurts the most, though. That and the single digit balance on my bank account. God, how badly I wanted that money.Neededthat money.
I’m sitting on my bed, a book in hand, when my phone chimes. My lips tip into a small smile when I see it’s a message from my mum.
Mum: Hey, my boy. Haven’t heard from you all week. You okay? Do you need some money? Are you eating enough? How is Theo?
I shake my head at her myriad of questions. If I’m honest, yes, I need some money, but I’ll never take it from her. She and my stepdad work hard to put food on their own table. Having twin baby girls is not cheap.
Me: I’m fine, Mum. I don’t need any money, thank you.
I hit send, then look down at the rapidly cooling, congealing bowl of ramen on my lap before quickly typing out another message.
