Page 74 of Face Off
“His sponsorship.” The words taste bitter. “He reminded me the only reason I even still have this job is because he insisted. That management wanted me gone after Murphy complained, but he forced them to keep me or he’d take his money.”
Ollie’s face hardens in a way I’ve never seen before. His arms tighten around me, protective, furious. “That’s not on you. That’s him. Don’t you dare carry that weight.”
“But it is on me,” I whisper. “He’s right. I was reckless with Murphy. I thought it didn’t matter, that no one would care. And now…” My voice breaks. “Now I’ve dragged you into it, too. If you lose your contract?”
“Stop.” Ollie’s tone is fierce, his hands gripping my shoulders until I meet his gaze. “You didn’t drag me anywhere. I’m here because I want to be. Because I chose you. And if your dad doesn’t like it? Tough. He doesn’t get to dictate my life. Or yours. You’re an adult.”
Something inside me fractures. Not from his anger, but from the raw conviction blazing in his eyes. Nobody’s ever fought for me like this before. Nobody’s ever told me I wasn’t too much trouble, too much risk.
My voice is a whisper. “What if he’s right, though? What if I ruin everything for you?”
Ollie exhales sharply, then cups my face in both hands, thumbs brushing away my tears. “Then I’ll rebuild it. With you. But you won’t ruin me, Chlo. You make me better. You’re my anchor, not my downfall.”
The words hit harder than any of my father’s barbs. They melt something frozen deep inside me.
I collapse against him again, clinging tight. “I don’t deserve you.”
“You do.” He presses his lips to the top of my head, voice steady and sure. “You deserve everything. And I’m not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever.”
The sob that escapes me isn’t all pain this time. It’s release. It’s hope. It’s the terrifying possibility that maybe I’m not the girl my father says I am.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
OLLIE
Chloe’s still trembling when I carry her through the flat, arms tight around my neck like she thinks I’ll vanish if she lets go. She’s light in my arms, but the weight of what she told me earlier, about her dad, about the threats, about the way Murphy hates her, sits heavy between us.
I don’t set her down right away. I hold her close, breathing her in, steadying myself with the faint scent of her shampoo and the feel of her heart hammering against mine.
“You’re safe,” I whisper into her hair. “I’ve got you.”
Her grip loosens just enough that I can ease her onto the sofa. She’s flushed from crying, cheeks blotchy, eyes red. Beautiful, even like this. Especially like this.
“Sorry,” she mutters, swiping at her face like she’s embarrassed.
I crouch in front of her, take her wrists gently, lower her hands. “Don’t you dare apologise. Not to me.”
For a second, she just looks at me, like she’s waiting for me to flinch, to second-guess, to back away now that I know the full story. But I don’t. I can’t. My chest feels too tight, too full.
“Chlo,” I say softly, “I’m in this. All of it. I don’t care how difficult it gets. I’ve told you already, I’m not going anywhere.”
Something flickers in her eyes then, fear, hope, maybe both, and when she leans forward, lips trembling against mine, I know she’s testing me. Asking if I’ll keep pulling her close, even when she tries to push me away with all her baggage.
I answer with my mouth, kissing her like she’s the only thing keeping me alive.
The kiss turns desperate fast, all teeth and tongue and breathless little gasps. She climbs into my lap without hesitation, straddling me, fingers fisting in my hoodie like she’s holding on for dear life.
“Bedroom,” she pants against my mouth.
I shake my head, palms sliding up under her shirt to the warm skin of her back. “Here. Now. I need you to feel it, Chlo. Need you to know I’m not going anywhere.”
Her groan is low, needy, and it makes my cock throb painfully against my jeans. She grinds down instinctively, and my head falls back against the sofa, eyes squeezing shut.
“Christ,” I rasp. “You’re killing me.”
She smirks, though it’s shaky. “Not the worst way to go.”
I laugh, then cut myself off with another kiss, hands already tugging her shirt over her head. She’s bare beneath, nipples pebbled and aching. I suck one into my mouth, rolling my tongue over the sensitive peak until she gasps, arching into me.
