“Channing and I never had anything though.”
“Do you think that matters to guys? In Channing’s mind, you were his. Or at least you were going to be his. It was a done deal. I don’t know if he really liked you or if he sensed you and Hudson had a connection, but Channing is out for the kill.”
“He wouldn’t hurt Hudson though, would he?”
“Are you joking?” Justin’s laugh sounded tormented. “He’s out to hurt him. I think tonight is going to be the fight of the century.”
“They can’t do that.” My face paled. “It’s illegal to harm someone else.”
“This is the world of underground fighting, Riley. Don’t you understand that yet? There are no rules or cares. Everyone has their eye on the prize.”
“But all you guys are so nice.”
“There’s a reason why the two who are fighting the championship are Hudson and Channing. Neither one of them gives two shits about anyone else.”
“That’s not true.” I shook my head. “Hudson’s a good guy.”
“I don’t know why you’re defending him. It seems to me he f**ked you and left.” Justin’s eyes looked at me in apology. “I’m not trying to be rude.”
“I know.” I bit my lip and looked down. My mind was filled with a million different thoughts, and I didn’t know if I would be able to watch the fight without throwing up. “Excuse me.” I gave Justin a short smile. “I’ll be back.”
“Okay.” He sat down in one of the plastic chairs and I quickly walked away from him.
I made my way to the locker room, trying to ensure that no one was looking at me. I pushed the door open and walked in quickly. I saw Channing and his group of friends in the far right corner and I moved swiftly to make sure he didn’t see me. I walked to the other side of the locker room and that was when I saw Hudson and Luke standing there.
“You’re doing a good thing, bro.” Luke was grinning at Hudson and egging him on. I paused and decided to watch them for a few minutes before I spoke. I thought it was odd that Luke looked so cheerful now. “Maybe when you win the money, you can dedicate the win to Clara.”
“I don’t think that’s appropriate.” Hudson shook his head.
My breath caught as I stared at him in his black boxer shorts. His tattoos seemed to glow as he stood there, and I wondered at how I had ever thought they were gross. They looked magnificent. He looked magnificent. So powerful and so strong. I swallowed as I stared at his chest and biceps. He looked fitter than I’d ever remembered him being. I wanted to walk over and touch his chest. I wanted to feel his hard body against mine. I wanted his lips to crush down on mine. I wanted him to tell me that everything was going to be okay. I wanted him to tell me that he forgave me.
“You know, Clara knew about you and Riley.” Luke’s voice changed and my breath caught as he spoke.
“What are you talking about?” Hudson’s voice was angry.
“She knew that you had a thing for her. We all knew.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You think she didn’t realize you were being cold to her that summer? Do you think she didn’t see how you used to watch Riley? Do you think she couldn’t tell that you were distant with her?”
“How would you know that, Luke?”
“She...she called me.” I watched as Luke’s face went white. “We were friends.”
“I don’t really remember you guys being friends.” Hudson frowned. “I don’t really remember you talking much at all.”
“Well, I’m just saying you need to win this.” Luke sat on the bench.
“That’s what I’m trying to do.”
“Just think how many girls you’ll get if you win.”
“I’m not doing it for girls.”
“But it’s a great side benefit, right? A bunch of hotties bending over for you?”
“Luke, I think you better leave.” Hudson turned away from him and I could see that he was angry.
“Okay, well, good luck.”
“Thanks.”
I watched as Luke walked away from Hudson before approaching him. My heart was beating fast and I could feel the nerves jumping in my stomach.
“Hey, Hudson,” I said lightly and watched as he turned around to face me.
“You shouldn’t be here.” His eyes lit up as he dismissed me. His eyes were what gave me hope and a little bit more nerve.
“I had to come and see you before the fight.”
“What did you want?”
“You don’t have to be mean.”
“What do you want, Riley?” He sighed and looked into my eyes. “I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want to talk to you.”
“I wanted to wish you luck. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” I looked down at the floor, feeling incredibly hurt.
“Thanks for the good luck.” His voice was hoarse.
“Do you think you’ll ever stop hating me?” I asked softly and looked up at him again. His expression changed and I could see a flow of different emotions cross his face.
“I don’t hate you, Riley. I could never hate you.”
“I know what I did was wrong.” My voice caught and I stopped talking.
Hudson stood up and slowly walked towards me. His hands made their way to my face and he tilted my chin up to look at him.
“Listen to me, Riley. You did nothing wrong. You are a beautiful, wonderful human being.” His eyes blazed into mine. “Never ever forget that.”
“Why did you leave me at the campsite?” I asked him, trying not to cry.
“I left because someone I know was in an accident.”
“Oh, no,” I gasped.
“She’s okay now.”
“You haven’t called me.”
“I have nothing to say.”
“Because you hate me!”
“Riley,” he growled and pulled me towards him. “If you only knew how false that statement is, you’d never say it or think it again. If you only knew how much I cared for you.”
I looked up at him with wide eyes. “How much?”
“This much.” His lips found mine, and I grabbed the back of his head as we kissed passionately.
I ran my fingers down his back and slipped my tongue into his mouth while biting down on his lower lip. He pushed me back into the lockers and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he groaned as his hardness came crashing into me. He eyes stared into mine with a dark gleam, and he leaned back a little bit and groaned. His mouth fell to mine again, and his hands gently held my ass. His fingers squeezed my butt cheeks, and I ran my hands through his hair. Our kiss deepened and I felt as if I were somehow flying through the air on wings of a dove. My whole body felt weightless, and I kissed him hungrily, wishing that all my other worries and problems would disappear.