“Dammit Marcus,” I growl, ‘I told you I wasn’t interested in fighting for you.” I glare over at him, arms crossed over my chest, pissed beyond belief that he played me. If my head wasn’t so fucked up over Kat, I would have seen right through his bullshit when he called me this morning. Instead, I was too busy freaking the hell out over where she’d gone and why, so I didn’t pay much attention. Now, because I’m a damn idiot, I’m going to be fighting tonight instead of watching and trying to figure out what I’m going to say to Kat.

He grins like the asshole he is, highlighting the two gold teeth taking the place of the ones he got knocked out back when he was a boxer. When I don’t relax my stance, the smile fades, and he sighs, rubbing one hand down his face. Holding out the other, he tries to reason with me. “Look, Clay, I need you to fight. My guy who was supposed to be here tonight got hurt at last night’s fight, and I can’t have him out there again. He’ll lose for sure, and I’ll be out all the money I put up for him.”

“I get it, but Marc, fighting isn’t my thing. I was a football player. Just because I use the punching bags and shit in the gym doesn’t mean I’m trained for this kind of thing.” I gesture at the room around us where guys, some of whom make me look small, talk to their trainers and get ready for the fights to begin. I don’t mention the fact that I invited Kat here for the express purpose of hashing things out with her. It would only have Marcus and Liam making jokes at my expense. And honestly, I don’t even know what I’m going to say to her. I know she’s probably freaking out about last night, and I need her to know it wasn’t just a one-night thing for me. I want more than that with her. I just hope she wants that too.

Liam’s voice grabs my attention. “Your girl just walked in.” My mind immediately goes to Kat, so I go over to where he’s looking out at the crowd.

“Where?” I ask, not seeing her.

He points out into the sea of bodies. “Right there.” I still don’t see it, but then he clarifies, “See, Meghan’s standing right in front.”

I step away. “She’s not my girl.” Hell, she hasn’t even been a friend since the frat party a few weeks ago, the night things started changing between Kat and me.

Liam scoffs. “Well, if she isn’t yours, you won’t mind if I go talk to her.” He says it like he thinks I’m going to balk, but I honestly don’t care.

“Do whatever you want, man.” He gives me a look that says he thinks I’m full of shit, so I lay it out for him. “Dude, she’s great in bed, but I never wanted anything more with her. If you want her, have at it. I. Don’t. Care.” I don’t know a way to make it any plainer than that. Meg is a great girl; she’s just not the girl I want.

Liam holds out a fist for me to bump, then heads out of the room, his chest puffed out in a way he thinks girls find attractive. It usually works for him, so I guess they do. Just one more reason I’ll never understand women. Before Marcus can start back in on his shit, Max comes storming in, frown on his face and looking more pissed than I think I’ve ever seen him. He turns to Marcus and says, “I need to talk to my brother.” Marcus just looks at him, and he grits out, “In private.” Putting his hands up in a placating gesture, Marcus scuttles past Max to go out into the gym area, leaving the two of us in here alone.

“What the hell are you doing, Clay?” Max explodes. His arm sweeps around the room we’re in, but his eyes never leave mine. “Dad would have your ass if he knew you were here to fight. He wouldn’t even want us here to watch. This shit is illegal, and if we get put in jail, he is not going to bail you out when he finds out you were one of the fighters.”

I run a hand through my hair and look away. “Fuck Max, it’s not like I wanted to fight tonight. I’ve been telling Marcus since the fall that I’m not interested in being one of his guys.”

“Then why are you here?”

My mouth opens, but I close it, unable to tell him the truth. I can’t say “well, I was too busy worrying about Kat and how she felt about last night to pay attention to what Marcus was asking me to do.” He stares at me, eyes narrowed, waiting for an explanation, but I’ve got nothing. Finally, I shrug. “It seemed like a good idea at the time?”

“Bullshit,” Max shouts, putting his hands on my chest and shoving me backward.

I’m so surprised by the action I stumble back an extra step before catching myself. “What the fuck, Max?”

His hands drop to his sides, flexing into a fist before releasing twice. “Don’t fucking lie to me.” I have no idea what he thinks I’m lying to him about, but he’s quick to clue me in. “I saw her this morning.”

My back stiffens. “Max …” I start, but he cuts me off.

“No.” He glares up at me, betrayal obvious in his expression. His breathing gets choppy, and for a second, I think he might actually hit me. “I can’t … you fucked Kat! How could you do that to me?”

Uh … say what now? “How could I do what to you?” I ask slowly, confused at the direction this conversation has taken. “It had nothing to do with you. And, for the record, it’s none of your damn business.”

“Oh, that’s such bullshit. You fucking Kat had everything to do with me. Goddammit Clay, you knew she had a thing for me, and you just couldn’t handle a girl wanting me more than they wanted you, so you took her away from me. She’s nothing more to you than a piece of ass, a way to show me that no matter what, you’re better than me.”

When he stops his bitching, Max is breathing heavily, his cheeks ruddy with anger and his nostrils flaring. The only thing I can do is look at him. Is that honestly how he sees me? He’s my brother. Yeah, I give him shit constantly, but if I thought there was actually something between him and Kat, I never would have gone there. He’s been saying all semester that he’s into Sophie, not Kat, but now that I went there he’s all butt-hurt? I don’t get it. “What the hell are you talking about? You didn’t want her, remember? And besides, you have a friggin’ girlfriend. I’m sure Sophie would love to hear you talking about Kat the way you are right now.” It’s a dick move, bringing up the girl, but I’ve got enough conflicting emotions about what went down with Kat last night. I’m not going to let my brother cheapen it.

“Maybe, if Kat were who you wanted, you would have manned up a long ass time ago, taking what she was offering to you.” I step up to him, so we’re standing toe to toe, the fact that I’m a few inches taller forcing him to look up at me, and push my index finger into his chest. “That’s all on you, pal.” I lean over just a little further to say, “Someone was going to notice her eventually. Not my problem you weren’t prepared for that inevitability.”

I expect him to shove me back again, or same something dickish, but he doesn’t. His face blanks like a shutter comes over it at the hard truths I’ve given him. Before I can ask if he’s okay, Max turns and leaves the room, slamming the door and leaving me to stare after him, wondering if there was a way I could have said that a little nicer. Screw it. Tough love is necessary at times, and this was one of them. If my brother had asked how I felt about Kat or asked his questions in a way that didn’t make it out like I’m an asshole who only slept with her to one up him, I would have told him just how wrong he is. He’s the one who chose to act like I took away his favorite toy.

Marcus walks back in not a minute after Max storms out, chest puffed out and smiling smugly. “Tonight’s going to be a good night.”

“Why?” I ask warily, not taking my eyes off him. I don’t like the tone of his voice or the way he’s basically preening in his suit. It’s the first time I’ve seen him dressed up. Normally, at the gym, he’s wearing sweats or cut off shorts and a wife beater.

He gestures out to where the crowd is getting louder. It’s packed in here tonight, and the guy you’re fighting is new. He’s never fought before, and no one knows much about him other than that he’s huge. Just his size, the fact that he has at least forty pounds on you has everyone betting on him to win. But, they don’t know you like I do. You’ll beat his ass, if only because people think you can’t.” His smile widens, and the look in his eyes turns calculating. “Plus, you’re pissed. I don’t know how much of it is because you didn’t want to fight tonight, and how much is because of whatever your brother said before he stormed out looking for his own fight,” Marcus looks down at his watch, then claps me on the shoulder. “Let’s go, son. Only ten minutes until your fight.”

He leaves, not waiting for me to follow. I say a silent prayer I don’t get my ass kicked, but I know he’s right. I don’t ever like to lose, and I’m just angry enough to take out my emotions on the jackass I’m meeting in the ring. I blow out a long breath, shaking out my hands a final time before I come out behind him. My eyes immediately search the room for Kat, seeing her standing at the back with Anna on one side and Max on the other. My hands immediately clench into fists, and I have to force myself to relax them. Our eyes meet, but she breaks the connection right as something flashing in hers. I want to ask what’s wrong, but it will have to wait until after the stupid fight. There’s no way I can get to her right now, and even if I could, I don’t have the time to coax it out of her.