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Me or the one-sided attraction to Monica. I thought Josie had been pissed about the brand crossing thing, but the more I thought about it, the more my dick wandered.
    The door opened, letting Lincoln into the locker room, and then shut with a boom .
    “How did you know you wanted more with Vee?” I asked.
    Linc raised an eyebrow. “Where’s this coming from?”
    “How did you know?” I asked again, flicking him with my towel.
    He shrugged as he snatched the material away from me. “I dunno. I just did.”
    I snorted. Not the answer I was looking for, but maybe there was no easy out on this. My dick was just pointing at Josie because she was newly single and I was feeling bad about how I’d been treating her. Then O’Connell had to go and stir the pot by trying to nab her away from me. Us, I meant us.
    “You still hung up over Monica?” Linc asked with a frown.
    “It’s not that,” I growled.
    “Then what’s up your ass?”
    “Gabe tried to poach Josie,” I blurted.
    Linc’s expression did a one-eighty. “What? When?”
    “After the weigh-in last night.”
    “What did she say?” He looked troubled, and I didn’t blame him. I’d felt the same way when I’d seen O’Connell’s nasty paw on Josie’s waist.
    “She said she told him to fuck off,” I replied, shaking out my arms.
    “Good. I should hope so. She’s dynamite.” He glanced at me with a look in his eye that said he was about to impart some wisdom. “You need to cut her some slack, bro. If you push her any more, you’ll push her right out the door.”
    “Don’t give me a lecture,” I snapped. “Not right before I fight the fucker who tried it on with her.”
    Which way did I want to push her? Out the door or onto my cock? What a stupid thing to consider. Josie was untouchable.
    “Dean.” We glanced at the door as Coach appeared. “It’s time to go, son.”
    Linc slapped me on the shoulder and shoved me forward. “Go fuck him up, bro.”
    “Ladies and gentlemen!” I could hear the announcer warming up the crowd, and I jumped from foot to foot. Coach slapped me on the shoulder and urged me forward, but I didn’t need to be shepherded.
    “You’ve got this, son,” he said as we walked toward the arena. “Keep your head clear, and remember your training. O’Connell plays on the theatrics, but don’t let him sway your focus. He can be downright nasty on the takedowns, so watch your footing.”
    “Yes, Coach,” I replied, shaking my hands and flexing my fingers before pulling on my gloves.
    We stepped out into the arena, striding through the crowd until we reached the side of the octagon. I could see Linc, Vee, and Josie sitting in ringside seats but couldn’t look at them. Like Coach said, I had to keep my focus, and right now, there was a certain blonde who had my mind wandering all over the place.
    “This is the main event of the evening!” the announcer boomed to the crowd. “Welcome to AUFC 35! This fight is three rounds deciding the contender for the middleweight title. Introducing… Fighting out of the blue corner with seven wins, zero losses, standing six foot, weighing in at eighty point seven kilograms, and fighting out of Melbourne, Australia, please welcome Gabe O’Connell!”
    The camera focused on Gabe as he paced back and forth in his corner, making a show out of sliding his mouth guard in and cracking his knuckles.
    Rolling my eyes, I shucked off my robe and climbed into the octagon, wearing nothing but my shorts and padded gloves. As the announcer and a second camera crew turned to me, I took my place and shoved my mouth guard in. Time to get this show on the road.
    “And fighting out of the red corner with eleven wins, one loss, standing at six foot two inches, weighing in at eighty-one point three kilograms and fighting out of Sydney, Australia, please welcome Dean Hayes!”
    The crowd cheered and whistled as I raised a hand to wave at them.
    “Now to introduce our referee for the evening, Jase