Page 1 of Heal Me, Love Me

1

Keaton

My entire bodycontinued buzzing with adrenaline after my win, and sweat dripped down my back under the harsh lights.

As soon as the ref lifted my arm, Coach Luis clapped me on the back hard enough to nearly send me stumbling, and Devon gripped the back of my neck and said, “That’s how you fucking do it.”

After celebrating in the ring, a physician stopped me before I could make it back to the locker room, shining a light in my eyes, checking me for cuts, and making sure my joints still worked. Once I was medically cleared, I finally made my way backstage.

The hallway behind the curtain was crowded with people moving in all directions—coaches, fighters, commission staff, and security. Someone shouted for water, while another person laughed so loudly it rang out above the rest of the chaos. The smell of sweat and disinfectant lingered everywhere. I clocked it all, but my focus kept drifting as I scanned the area for Rowan.

Coach Luis got pulled aside by another staff member while I followed Devon back to a quiet corner of the holding room,where no one else was hanging out. He handed me a bottle of electrolytes and a protein shake. “Damn, Keaton, you looked great out there.”

I twisted the cap off the sports drink and drained half the bottle in one go. “Yeah, but the other guy was sloppy.”

“Because you made him that way,” he corrected. “It takes talent to make an opponent leave openings, and that’s why you won.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate that.” Praise from Devon wasn’t exactly rare, but it usually came with ten other things to improve on, so his positive words meant something to me.

Taking another drink, I glanced past him, expecting at least a couple of the guys to make their way back to where we were since I was the last Titan Elite fighter of the night. I didn’t see anyone, but I kept searching for Rowan anyway.

He’d won his fight too, and if Devon thought I’d looked good, I had nothing on my boyfriend. One minute, he’d been walking to the cage, completely locked in, and the next, he’d had his opponent tapping out.

While I’d been watching him out there, I’d started thinking things I had no business daydreaming about right before my own bout. It also had me wanting to find him the second I won, drag him somewhere private, and?—

“You listening to me?”

My attention snapped back to Devon. “Yeah.”

He lifted a brow. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“Sorry.” I tossed the empty bottle into the recycling bin. “Still a little amped up.”

“I get it.” He stepped a bit closer, close enough that I caught the familiar scent of his cologne. Not long ago, I’d associated that scent with late nights, stolen kisses, and time spent in his bed. Now it did nothing for me and hadn’t for a long while.

“You should be proud of your performance,” he continued. “I wouldn’t be surprised if some important people took notice of you.” He deliberately held my gaze, as if he wanted to make sure I understood exactly what he meant.

Of course, I understood. I was pumped about what opportunities my performance tonight could bring. Normally, Rowan was the first person I wanted to talk with about it. Instead, I kept wondering why I hadn’t seen him yet.

Devon’s hand landed on my shoulder, making me flinch. “You and I make a good team.”

Something in his voice made me take notice, something I hadn’t heard in a while.

I didn’t realize he was leaning in until his mouth brushed mine, and I froze. Not because I wanted him to kiss me, but because there’d been a time when I hadn’t thought twice about it. And it seemed it was something my body still remembered, even without wanting to.

Finally, my head caught up, and I shoved him in the chest. “What the fuck are you doing?”

He stepped back with a mildly annoyed look on his face. “What? I’m just happy for you. Relax.”

“Relax?” I snapped. “You just kissed me.”

He shrugged as if it weren’t a big deal. “Yeah, I did.”

“Why the fuck would you do that?”

He studied me for a second, appearing completely unfazed. “I thought that since you’ve proven yourself, we could finally stop pretending there’s nothing between us. No one is going to assume you’re getting special treatment anymore.”

To be fair, things hadn’t ended badly between us, and although we hadn’t put a label on it, I believed we’d both been exclusive during our time together. It probably didn’t help that, up until Rowan came back, Devon and I would get a little flirty when no one else was watching. But I’d thought it wasjust something fun between two people with history, not an invitation for something more down the road.