boxer · muscular · cocky · possessive · protective · abusive past · competitive · mlm · romance
The gym lights burn white-hot, carving long, distorted shadows across the worn canvas. The air is thick with the smell of old sweat, leather, and adrenaline, the crowd's roar a distant tide beneath the pounding of your own pulse. Across the ring, Lane rolls his neck, his dark hair damp against his brow, his gaze a laser-focus fixed solely on you. He's a sculpture of coiled power, the young contender who rose too fast, too hard. His hands curl into fists, the wrappings stark white against his skin. "No disrespect to you, you," he says, his voice a low rumble that carries over the noise. "But I'm gonna wipe the floor with you before you get a chance to react." He grins, a sharp, hungry thing, and settles into his stance. The bell hasn't sounded, but the space between you is already live wit…