“But he didn’t know the half of it. That it wasn’t just his refusal that had haunted her. It was him. Everything about him.”

“When he was preparing for a big fight, his trainer would take him mountain climbing to build up his hand strength and endurance. Max’s favorite piece of advice? Don’t look down until you reach the summit. Galen had asked why, thinking Max would give him some inspirational shit about the satisfaction of seeing how far he’d come at the end or something. Instead, Max had snorted, “Because it’s fucking scary.”

“She may have mentally relegated him to the friend zone, but the rest of her hadn’t gotten the memo”

“An image of that sexy, soul-searching stare sent a bolt of heat through her. Sexy? It wasn’t sexy. It was…invasive. And annoying.And sexy.”

“He wore a threadbare white T-shirt that should’ve been as noteworthy as a bowl of oatmeal. Instead, it clung to his chest like it had aspirations of taking over for his skin. Hell, she’d have the same life goal.”

“Oh my God. I kneed him in the wiener. And oh my frigging God, it was like stone.”

“Hell, who was she kidding? The only thing that could clear her head today would be a lobotomy.”