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shakes his head. “I never said it was a set up. You’re jumping to conclusions. And if the whole thing was a set up, I would like it noted that I was only driven to such extremes because both of you are idiots.”
    “Hey, didn’t you call me smart earlier today?” I make a grab for my tequila shot but Tripp keeps it away from me. “And no matter what fancy speech you give me, it doesn’t change the fact that Cage wants nothing to do with me. If he’s been secretly longing for me for two years, why is he sitting over there instead of talking to me?”
    “Oh, fuck it,” Tripp says. He picks up my tequila shot, and downs it himself, then stands up.
    “That was mine,” I say in shock. Tripp is never anything less than polite. I can’t believe he’s doing this. He walks away from me. So much for being my hero.

Chapter 8
    Cage
     
    I fume silently as my brother flirts with the woman who’s stolen my heart. I can’t understand why he keeps pushing me toward her than snatching her up for himself. Fucking bastard. Besides, if Lily is off limits for me she should be off limits for every fighter, including Tripp. Hell, maybe she should be off limits for every other man in the universe. I fantasize briefly about stomping over there and carrying Lily away on my shoulder like a caveman.
    “Cage,” Tripp says right beside my shoulder, startling me.
    “I thought you were talking to Lily,” I say.
    He shoves me. It’s not what I was expecting him to do and tilt sideways on my bar stool before I can catch myself. “What the fuck, man?”
    “What’s wrong with you?” Tripp shouts, shoving me again. I’m ready for it this time, and I hold my ground.
    “I’m not the one pushing people around,” I say.
    “Why are you so goddamn stubborn?” Tripp rakes his hands through his hair. “Lily was the best pussy we’ve ever had and you’re just going to let her walk away?”
    I shove Tripp so hard he staggers back a step. “Don’t you ever talk about Lily like that, do you hear me? She is not some lay you can go and brag about. She’s fierce, funny, and amazing. If I ever hear you talk about her like she’s nothing but a piece of ass, I will punch you so hard your head will come out of your ass.”
    Tripp breaks into a grin. “No shit. Have you ever considered telling her that?”
    I blink. Then blink again. “No.” What was Tripp doing?
    Tripp sighs. “You care about her. Everyone in the gym knows you two are crazy about each other. The only ones blind to it are you and her.”
    I shake my head. “No, it isn’t like that. For one, her dad definitely doesn’t know. He’d kill me.”
    “He knows. Maybe you should try talking to him about it.”
    My head is too light. Lily’s dad is going to kill me. “I can’t tell her how I feel. I’m a fighter. She wants nothing to do with me, for good reason. She’d be better off if I leave her alone.”
    “Isn’t that her decision to make? Lily is a grown woman, and a smart one at that. She knows what’s best for her.”
    Tripp is right. I’ve never given Lily a chance to tell me her side of things. I’ve been selfish and scared. I’m so scared of hurting Lily in the future that I’m hurting her in the present. If she wants to risk everything on a knuckle headed fighter like me, that’s her decision to make, not mine.
    Tripp claps me on the back. “You might want to start with the part where you fucked her then walked out on her.”
    Shame rushes through me. I did exactly what I just told Tripp not to do. I treated Lily like a one night stand. I acted like a total dick. “She’ll never take me back.”
    “Try her.”
    I take a deep breath and walk over to where Lily is sitting in her booth, watching me with wide eyes. “Lily…” I’m at a loss for words. I don’t know how to apologize for the huge mess I’ve made. “I’m sorry. I should have been there when you woke up. I was so afraid of not being good enough for you that I sabotaged our