One Choice (Hogan Brothers 2)

She didn’t hesitate in walking up to him, her arms wrapping around him from behind. “Not answering you. Going radio silent.” He remained quiet. “I’ve never spoken about Ryder before. To anyone.” Her voice cracked, and he nearly broke down and faced her. “Telling you how I felt, the guilt swamping me over me living and him dying. No one else knows that.”

He did turn then. Their gazes clashed. Both full of anguish over her actions.

“I needed to figure a few things out. I wanted to be sure about my feelings before I made any decisions.”

“What decisions?”

“You… Me… Us.”

“What’d you come up with?”

“I love you, Levi.” Fuck. He softened. “More than anything I’ve ever felt before.” Her gaze lowered to his gloves. “I would do anything you asked of me. I’m sorry I hurt you the past couple of days.”

Leaning down so their foreheads touched, he murmured, “No more of this cutting me out shit, Hayes. I don’t fucking like it.”

“I promise.” Pushing up onto her toes, her lips met his, and they exploded from there. His arms wrapped around her waist as she climbed his chest, so he was holding her in his arms.

Her hands roamed every available piece of flesh she could reach as he squeezed her ass in his hands and plundered her mouth with his tongue. They dueled and made out like horny teenagers until Casper came bursting in on them.

“Knuckles, let’s go!”

Hayes slid down his body as he let her go. “You fight Tiny tonight, right?” Her words were barely spoken.

“Yup.”

“I’ll see you after.” Her hand slid down his chest as she walked away to meet her friends.

“Not a fucking word, Casp,” he growled when the man attempted to speak. He was so fucking done with the prick and his attitude towards his girl.

“Your funeral.” He smirked.

It wasn’t until he was announced and on his way to the ring that he understood Casper’s words.

“Oh my God,” Hayes whispered, horrified at seeing Rocko in the ring instead of Tiny.

“What’s going on?” Brett asked her confused.

“That’s the wrong guy.”

“What? How’s that the wrong guy?” Alyssa asked.

“Tiny was supposed to be his opponent.” She was scared. Levi wasn’t prepared for this fighter yet. “Casper, you son of a bitch!” she screamed at him as he entered the ring to announce the fight.

Her eyes were glued to where Levi would come out, and as he appeared, she knew the exact moment he saw who he was up against. His eyes narrowed, his body tensed, and his breathing picked up. He was pissed. And rightfully so. Casper had screwed him over.

Looking around the ring, she hoped that Cam might be there. The fight started, and the opponent charged Levi like a raging bull. She cringed when the hit took both men to the mat. Rocko was on top of Levi, striking blow after blow against his kidneys and face. Wherever the punches connected, Levi struggled to protect himself. It was only another minute before the crowd started booing and cursing Rocko as they picked up on what was happening.

Hayes could see Levi tiring and worried that he wasn’t going to walk out of the cage on his own two feet.

“Come on, Levi! Kick his fucking ass!” Brett cheered beside her.

Lys chimed in too. “Slay him, Knuckles!”

Mustering up her own courage, she started shouting with them. “Take him out, Levi!”

The big guy began tiring out and pulled back from Levi’s body by a fraction, and that was all he needed to get the upper hand. He swung high with a hit to the man’s temple, knocking him off his feet as he tried to stand. She watched in fascination as Levi retaliated in the same way that his opponent had come at him, only pinning him against the cage instead of the mat.

His knee connected with Rocko’s thigh before he went in with a tornado of movement, hitting the man anywhere he could. When Casper started shouting for Rocko to attack, she saw the way Levi’s muscles rippled with rage. He assailed the fighter with every ounce of strength he had left in his body until one last shot to the head sent him careening to the ground with a thud and blood dripping from his nose and mouth.