Page 73 of Breaking the Habit

“Mm-hmm.” She sent him a lazy smile. “Already sad that you’re gonna have to take your arm off me soon.”

He laughed throatily. “I won’t tell John Stamos he’s been replaced.”

She swatted at his chest, pleased by the puff of vetiver and copper this sent her way. She could sniff his neck for an eternity and still need more. “Blasphemy.”

Levi eventually had to leave her to change in the locker room. Riley took the time to refocus, refill her coffee in the break room, and start acting like she was a functioning adult. Time to drop the sex coma, because she was here towork.

Today’s practice was going to have spectators. It was one of the few mid-league practices that would involve something of a small-scale fight ticket, so Riley needed to be on hand to capture the different rounds. Levi would be fighting against a few people, but others would fight as well—smaller-ticket fighters in the region, and some hopefuls from Travis’s training camp that wanted to take a stab at fighting a professional.

The back gym already buzzed with activity. Nowhere near the scale of the WFC league’s fight nights, but a stark contrast to what Levi’s practices usually entailed. Interested spectators already lined the octagon, staking out their spots around the cage. Travis had roped off a small area for Riley exclusively, like the thoughtful facilitator he was.

But the energy spiked after a while, and it wasn’t because Levi had come sauntering in like she expected. None of the fighters were here yet, though the number of fans continued to grow.

“Riley!” Melanie the receptionist waved to get her attention and trotted over. “Get over here!”

“What is it?”

“There’s a celebrity here!” Melanie craned her neck to scan the crowd. “See if you can get pictures!”

Riley paused in her prep work and reached for a different lens, one that would be better for portraits. “Okay. Who is it?”

“She’s a model,” Melanie said, grabbing Riley’s wrist and dragging her toward the crowd. “Her name is Titi—isn’t that cute?Titi.” Melanie laughed as they weaved through people. “Will you get my picture with her? I bet Travis will want to add her to the Hall of Fame.”

The Hall of Fame was a section of the employee lounge dedicated to pictures with famous people who came through. There werea lotof celebrities on that wall.

“Yeah, totally. Let’s hope she wants her picture taken.”

Melanie screeched a moment later, coming to a halt. She didn’t need to say anything for Riley to know exactly who it was.

Stars really did have a something special about them. Whether it was an aura or a confidence or simply impeccably flawless skin, they possessed something that separated them from the masses.

Titi was no different. Her skin gleamed, like she’d had the most amazing facial of her life, and that look, paired with high cheek bones and a crop top that exposed a toned, creamy belly, and flared pants that would look ridiculous on anyone other thanher, told Riley this woman was a celebrity inside and out.

“Titi, excuse me, can we talk for a second?” Melanie had a starstruck look on her face. Riley wasn’t sure how Melanie knew who Titi was, But she herself tended not to probe the tabloids anymore.

“Hi,” Titi breathed, her plump pink lips curling into a smile.

Riley smiled as Melanie introduced them and explained who they were, how much she loved her recent ad in Vogue, and then asked for a photo with her. Titi complied, offering the peace sign and an effortless grin that made the photo immediately Instagram-worthy. Riley couldn’t help but grin at the happiness in the pictures. Somewhere along the line, she’d turned into a sports and celebrity photographer. She wasn’t mad about it.

Titi was eventually pulled away by other fans, some girls who had made their way into the mock match. Riley drifted back toward the cage, glancing at Titi every once in a while. Meeting celebrities only reinforced how human they were, despite thesomething special.Titi went home at night and got into pajamas and maybe woke up in the middle of the night to pee because she drank too many detox juices, like every other health-obsessed Angeleno.

Attention shifted as Travis entered the gym, followed by Lex, Levi, and Cobra. A few cheers broke out. And then someone started the chant.

“LE-VI LEAD FIST.”

The whole gym got caught up in the chanting. Levi grinned and shrugged it off, playing the humble part. Riley snapped as many pictures as she could through the crowd as she worked to regain her spot by the cage.

She fiddled with her camera’s settings while Travis worked the crowd. He made a few introductions, explained the rules, and the fights began.

This was a cake walk compared to the high-intensity matches at the arena. There weren’t thousands of people pressing in around her, for starters; no bully photographers trying to put her in her place; and perhaps most of all, Levi’s hair was in a simple ponytail. Not his trademark fight night cornrows. That, over everything, signaled the relaxed nature of this practice.

Levi fought three rounds—first with Lex, then with two hopefuls from the gym—before he tapped out and other fighters took the stage. Riley kept an eye on Levi off to the side, something telling her not to pack up her equipment quite yet. Dressed in only his skintight fighting shorts and a fine sheen of sweat, he was male perfection embodied. Perfectly marked washboard abs. Biceps that flexed even when he didn’t move. His thighs granite slabs.

Levi had a small line of fans circling around him, looking for autographs. A few people had the fight night brochure from his fight the past weekend.

She grinned as she snapped pictures, feeling like a proud girlfriend.

The thought thudded through her, reminding her of the conversation that still hadn’t happened. Part of her was hesitant to bring it up. It seemed like an unspoken arrangement. They were up each other’s asses constantly—couldn’t they just assume?

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