I train until my lungs burn, but nothing prepares me for Knox at dawn, his body so much larger that the deck shrinks around him. Those powerful thighs make mine seem small, the scar on my collarbone a reminder I don't measure up. Yet the pull of his size draws me closer every time we share the water.

The center could close, taking everything if our secret slips out. I should keep my distance like the smaller man I am. But the thought of yielding to his mass breaks my resolve and leaves me aching for the cage.

The equipment cage door shuts and Knox tells me to stay where I am.