Chapter 11
Claire
I didn’t think I was nervous. I told myself I wasn’t.
But as the lights dimmed and the announcer’s voice boomed through the arena, my stomach twisted into something tight and unfamiliar.
I didn’t understand the logic of fighting or the appeal of stepping into a cage with another person and agreeing to hurt each other for sport.
Yet when Asher walked out under those lights, everything in me locked in.
He looked different. Bigger somehow. Controlled and focused in a way that was unnerving.
The crowd started chanting his name, and my chest vibrated with the sound of it.
“See?” Soleil shouted over the noise. “He thrives on this.”
I barely heard her. The cage door shut. The bell rang. And suddenly I understood that it wasn’t about violence. It was about precision. The first exchange made me flinch. The sound of glove against skin echoed through the arena, and I winced when Asher took a hit to the ribs.
“Crap, that’s bad,” I breathed.
Jonah laughed beside me. “You’re not built for this, Segal.”
“I don’t like fighting,” I muttered.
But I didn’t look away either. When Asher landed a clean jab-cross-leg-kick combination, the crowd exploded and I found myself yelling without realizing it.
“Yes!
Soleil turned slowly, eyebrows raised. “Look at you.”
“I want him to win.” I shrugged.
“Obviously,” Elise teased.
The second round was worse. The fighting was faster and closer. Sweat flew under the lights. When Asher got caught with a hook that snapped his head slightly to the side, my heart jumped into my throat.
“He’s fine,” Jonah said casually. “He’s fought worse.”
“How do you know?”
“This isn’t our first time watching him,” Soleil replied. “We’ve been coming for years.”
She leaned closer, lowering her voice just enough to make it feel personal. “He’s different after fights.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
She shrugged one shoulder. “Adrenaline high. Wired. Intense.”
Jonah smirked. “He usually doesn’t head back with us.”
I frowned. “Why not?” I got the feeling that there was meaning behind his smirk.
Soleil gave me a look that made my stomach dip. “Because he’s not exactly in the mood to go home and sleep, if you know what I mean,” she waggled her brows.
“Just tell her. She isn’t a baby. He likes to get laid,” Jonah deadpanned.
“Oh.”
“Jonah,” Soleil elbowed him. “She isn’t that type of girl.”
Her comment made me blush even if I tried to hide it. They must have seen me as a prude, which I kind of was. Having a crush on a man like Asher was completely out of my element.
“He gets worked up,” Elise added bluntly. “Finds a groupie. Burns it off.”
The air felt thinner. For some irrational, possessive reason, I didn’t want to examine it, because it bothered me.
I imagined him all sweaty and pumped full of adrenaline, breathing hard after a win.
The intensity in his eyes. The way his jaw clenched when he focused.
The idea of him turning that energy toward someone else made my skin feel too tight.
Heat curled low in my stomach before I could stop it.
I blinked, snapping back to the present as the crowd roared.
The bell rang. Asher had his opponent backed against the cage, driving forward with controlled aggression. A takedown. A scramble. Then a tap. The referee stepped in, and the arena erupted in cheers and applause.
“He won!” Elise shouted. “Holy shit.”
I didn’t realize I was standing until I felt Soleil grab my arm, jumping up and down.
Asher rose slowly, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his back.
He lifted his gloves briefly as the announcer declared his name.
I couldn’t stop staring. He looked almost feral.
Alive in a way that made my pulse hammer.
When he glanced toward our section, our eyes locked. Something in my chest shifted.
After what felt like forever, we were allowed near the back while he showered and got checked out.
The hallway buzzed with post-fight energy.
There were trainers, fighters, and a lot of noise.
When he stepped out of the locker room with damp hair and a hoodie pulled over his broad shoulders, the atmosphere around him changed again. He seemed more relaxed.
“Nice job, Ash!” Jonah called, clapping him on the shoulder.
Soleil hugged him quickly. Elise grinned and congratulated him.
“You scared us,” I said before I could stop myself.
His eyes flicked to mine.
“I’m fine,” he smirked.
“Obviously,” I muttered.
He looked at the group. “You guys heading back?”
Jonah nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’ll follow,” Asher said.
Soleil blinked. “You’re coming back tonight?”
“Yeah,” he said like it was obvious.
Relief slipped through me before I could contain it. Then his gaze settled fully on me. And my skin heated instantly. Something unspoken passed between us. He looked away first. I felt dumbfounded until I blinked the stupid away and followed everyone out to the car.
The drive back to Val-du-Lys was loud. Jonah replayed the takedown like he’d been inside the cage himself.
Soleil argued about which strike had shifted the momentum.
Elise kept saying she’d almost had a heart attack in the second round.
I nodded at the right moments. Smiled when they laughed.
But I was somewhere else entirely. Asher’s eyes when the referee raised his hand.
The way his chest rose and fell after the fight.
The way Soleil had said he never came home with them.
By the time we pulled into Maple Valley, my nerves were still humming.
The others climbed out of the car, stretching and yawning, calling goodnight and heading to their cabins.
I said goodnight too, but I didn’t go inside.
I was too worked up, so I started walking.
The orchard at night felt bigger. Quieter.
The trees stood like silent witnesses, shadows stretching across the dirt rows.
The air was cooler now, the kind that brushed against overheated skin and made you aware of every inch of yourself.
I told myself I just needed to burn off the leftover adrenaline. It wasn’t mine, but it felt like it.
I replayed the fight in my head. The hits.
The way I’d flinched when he took one. The way I’d cheered when he landed one.
The way my stomach had twisted when Soleil mentioned groupies.
I hated that I cared. You’re here for Sophie.
I wrapped my arms around myself, exhaling slowly.
Ever since she disappeared, I’d felt like I was on a mission.
I had to understand what made criminals behave the way they do.
What happened to the people who disappeared.
I had been so consumed by all of it I didn’t allow myself to live.
I focused on school with the intention of getting into a good grad program.
I followed through with my plans only to realize that maybe I was chasing a ghost.
I slowed near the edge of the orchard clearing and that’s when I saw him.
Asher stood in the distance near the outdoor training area, gloves off, hands braced on the heavy bag like he’d just finished another round.
His head was tipped slightly forward, breathing steady, shoulders rising and falling.
Even from here, I could see the intensity in the way he held himself.
The fight hadn’t fully left him yet. It still clung to him like heat.
He looked up and our eyes met. Butterflies danced in my stomach, and for some reason, this felt more dangerous than confronting Nico Mercier.
Maybe because I had never met a guy who caused this kind of reaction in my body.
“What are you doing out here this late?” he asked, panting.
“Couldn’t sleep. Too worked up,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. I didn’t want him seeing the effect he had on me.
“Me too,” he said, and his words hung there in the dark, heavy.
“Congratulations on the fight,” I said, because I didn’t have something better.
“Thanks for coming, it’s always nice to have support,” he said, and then he moved the punching bag to the side and walked toward me. He wasn’t wearing the hoodie anymore, just a wife beater that clung to his muscles like a glove.
“Does your family not go out to see you?” I asked, then instantly regretted it. “Sorry. None of my business.” I dropped my gaze to the dirt.
“They used to, but everyone is busy these days. The fights don’t feel like that much of a big deal anymore,” he explained.
I nodded. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. It was interesting. You don’t seem like a fighter.”
That made him laugh. “Really, why’s that?”
“I don’t know. I just got this wholesome vibe from you, like you enjoy being outdoors,” I said, and his eyes locked with mine.
“I’ve never been called wholesome before,” he chuckled. “I always loved the outdoors. Growing up in a place like this meant there was a lot to explore, but I had some anger issues growing up and the fighting was a way for me to channel that,” he explained.
“Are you still angry?” I asked. “I mean… sorry. You don’t have to answer that.”
He grinned like he found me amusing, or maybe cute. “Nah, it’s not a big deal. I’m over the anger for the most part. I still fight because I’m good at it and I want to save up money.”
I nodded. “I was angry too after Sophie disappeared. I put all my energy into school. Into learning how to find her. And now it feels like that will never happen, and I don’t know what I’m doing.
I’m working on a master’s degree in criminology because I was obsessed with cracking her case, but I can’t imagine myself researching crimes my whole life,” I confessed, then added, “Sorry, that was TMI.”
He laughed. “It’s the most honest thing I’ve heard you say. I wouldn’t worry. You’re young. You can choose a different path.”
He took a step toward me and his hand cupped my jaw. His thumb brushed my cheek and my body exploded with heat from that simple touch.
“You should get some rest. Early morning tomorrow,” he said gruffly.
I was hoping he was going to kiss me, not shoot me down. “What path other than fighting would you choose?” I asked.
He dropped his hand and looked at the space around us. “I’d run the orchard, maybe make some ciders, possibly grow some grapes and make wine.”
“So, I was right. You’re happy working the land,” I said to him. I don’t know why I kept the conversation going other than I felt stupid about the fact that I wanted him to kiss me, and he didn’t.
“You were right,” he sighed, and his gaze locked on mine. “You should go to sleep, Claire. I’m close to doing something I shouldn’t do, and I don’t want to be anybody’s regret.”
His admission stunned me. I felt like my tongue was tied and then. . . “I wouldn’t regret you,” I finally said.
He squeezed his eyes shut. “It’s taking everything in me to be a gentleman right now. I need you to go to your cabin. Trust me, I’m in a mood.”
Soleil’s words about him being worked up after fights entered my mind and I understood what he was saying.
I wanted to tell him I felt the adrenaline too.
That I wanted him to touch me and do things to me that I’ve only imagined in my wildest dreams, but I held back, not wanting to be too needy.
Besides, I don’t think he would want a virgin tonight.
It sounded like he needed someone with experience, and that wasn’t me.
“I’d take you up on your mood, but I, um, don’t have any experience,” I said, and with that I turned on my heel.
His jaw dropped and the look on his face felt like a small victory.