Dallas by Tarin Lex

Dallas
I dreamt that I kissed Kenzie Stone.
When I wake up in the hospital and start to remember what really happened, my chest hurts—for all the reasons.
My last fight that ended my career.
My dream of Kenzie—just that. A fantasy.
Kenzie is thirteen years younger than me. She’s a smart, beautiful girl.
And she’s one of my best friends.
She’s on her way to the top.
The least I could do is back off and let her climb.
It’s a shame…because I’m falling in love with her now.
And knowing that, I refuse to let her go.

Kenzie
My friends mean the world to me, especially Dallas.
When he hurts, I hurt. Where he’s hurting, I feel it there too.
We’ve gotten so close over the last year, sometimes I think I can read his mind.
But the pain of Dallas’s many losses—the end of his MMA career; his wife who passed away eight years ago—gets buried so deeply, not even I can get to it.
All I can do is love him.
That comes easier than I ever thought possible.
I love him…
And I’m starting to suspect he loves me too.
The question is, will our friendship first make love burn brighter—
Or will we go down in flames?