His to Lose

I swore I’d never fall for him again.
He swore he’d never forgive me.
Too bad fate doesn’t care about promises.

When I sign the lease for my new physical therapy office, I’m ready to rebuild my life. Confident. Focused. Untouchable.
Until I walk into Apex MMA and see Jake Lancaster—the man I left behind.

He looks at me like I’m the enemy. Like every scar I carry is one I carved into him.
But when he touches me?
It’s fire. Fury. And everything we swore we’d never want again.

I tell myself it’s just physical. Old habits. Unfinished business.
But late nights in his arms feel a lot like home.
And when he demands the truth about why I left, the walls I built start to crack.

We’re a history written in bruises and apologies.
He thinks I’ll run again.
But this time?

I’m not running.
Not from him.
Not from us.

Even if it costs me everything.