Mason has spent seven years fighting his way to the top of the cage. He knows exactly how to read an opponent, hide a weakness, and survive a brutal round. What he does not know is what to do with Tessa. A damaged shoulder is threatening the champion's future, but Mason refuses to let anyone see how close he is to the end of his career. Then a wedding puts him in Tessa's path, and instant attraction hits harder than any punch he has taken. She is independent, sharp enough to challenge him, and completely unimpressed by the control Mason is used to having inside the cage. Their chemistry is immediate, but desire is the easy part. Distance, jealousy, old habits, and Mason's secret injury turn every step toward a real relationship into another test of trust. As winter closes in and the pressure of fighting follows him outside the arena, Mason must decide whether protecting himself is worth losing the woman who refuses to be treated like something he can simply claim. Tessa can handle heat. What she will not accept is half the truth. For a man who has built his life around never backing down, the hardest fight may be learning when love requires him to lower his guard.
Mason has spent seven years fighting his way to the top of the cage. He knows exactly how to read an opponent, hide a weakness, and survive a brutal round. What he does not know is what to do with Tessa. A damaged shoulder is threatening the champion's future, but Mason refuses to let anyone see ...