Kai Holloway has always been better at taking a punch than letting people get too close. Inside the ring, he's the Mad Hatter—unpredictable, reckless, and just unhinged enough to smile when someone hits him. Outside of it, he's an artist with a sharp mouth, a collection of bad habits, and absolutely no interest in letting anyone figure out what hides behind the grin. Boxing makes sense to him. There are rules, there's a bell, and when someone wants to hurt you, at least they're honest enough to wear gloves. Dante Moretti knows those rules better than most. As the son of a boxing gym owner, Dante practically grew up between the ropes. Known as Cerberus in the ring, he's skilled, stubborn, and painfully aware that being good has never felt quite the same as being good enough. He knows where he belongs, what is expected of him, and exactly how complicated life can become when boxing, family, and expectation all occupy the same four corners. Kai was never supposed to become part of that complication. One night. No expectations. No promises. No reason for it to happen again. Except it does. And then it happens again. Suddenly, the guy Dante was supposed to forget keeps showing up at his gym, getting under his skin, challenging him in and out of the ring, and making it increasingly difficult to remember why keeping things simple sounded like such a good idea. Kai isn't looking for anything serious, Dante has enough to deal with already, and neither of them intends to be the first one stupid enough to make this mean something. After all, they're boxers. They know how to protect themselves. The only problem is that some fights don't happen inside the ring—and sometimes the person standing across from you isn't the person you're actually fighting.