Connor nodded at me and walked off to do as he was told.
I stepped back, my body leaning forward as I braced my hands on my knees to catch my breath.
The violence was too thick at that moment, and while I should have felt bad for hurting Jacob and knocking him out of the fight, I couldn’t gather my thoughts enough to get them under control.
Just outside the room, Haley and Lisbeth stood watching, their eyes filled with concern for Jacob...and for me.
Lisbeth, especially.
I straightened my body and stared down at my best friend. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do this.”
“What the fuck ever, man. You’ve been a raging dick since you showed up this morning. I don’t know what the hell is going on with you, but get that shit under control.”
Had it been any other person speaking to me the way he did, I would have made an example of what happens to those who challenge me. But Jacob was loyal to me, a brother in every way but blood. For that, I’d allow the anger.
Not that he was wrong to feel it. While it was true he was practicing for a fight that carried heavy consequences, sparring was never intended to be a full match. Care was to be taken between opponents, patience given.
Jacob had lost his focus, but I’d been wrong to take advantage in such a violent way.
I shot a look at Haley, and when I caught her eyes, I inclined my head toward Jacob. She rushed over immediately, her hands gentle as she reached for him. Their voices were a whisper beneath me as I turned to watch Lisbeth shrink back.
She blamed herself for this, that much was obvious in the concern lining her face, and while she may have been part of the cause, she wasn’t the one at fault.
Closing the distance between us on a long legged stride, my hands went to her waist, a squeak sounding in her throat when I lifted her up to walk her from the room.
Instantly, her legs wrapped around my hips, her arms coming up to lock over my shoulders as she ignored the sweat running down my body.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I didn’t think we’d cause that.”
But I wasn’t in the mood to talk, wasn’t in the mood to console her. Especially not after her body folded around mine on a teasing promise.
All I wanted at that moment was to take what she would give, to drain the adrenaline inside me until I could shake off the rage that held me captive since the time I’d walked from Franklin’s office.
I walked us into the showers before I answered her, our bodies and clothes soaked as soon as we moved beneath one of the powerful sprays of water.
Pressing Lisbeth’s back against a wall, I growled when her legs tightened around me, my hand coming up to grab her face and force her mouth open.
Speaking against her lips, I warned, “Do me a favor and shut up.”
My mouth dipped to hers, her body melting with the need to submit, my grip loosening as she danced her tongue across mine regardless of the threat of my teeth or the violence she’d witnessed as soon as she’d walked into the gym.
The trust I felt in her was staggering, a woman unafraid despite everything I’d already done. It was almost as if she knew I needed her to help balance me, as if she somehow could read my thoughts and become the only influence that would calm me down.
Trailing my lips down her neck, I shuddered when she tipped her head back to give me full access to her throat, a move that shattered me in place while I took full advantage.
Lisbeth moaned as my teeth dragged across her skin, her hips moving against mine, fingernails gripping my shoulders to help chase away the tension that kept them bound for hours.
So fucking hard that it was painful not to be inside her, I didn’t wait for permission to run my hand up her thigh beneath her skirt, fingers ripping her panties aside to explore skin that was swollen and ready, heat that was slick with arousal.
She moaned as my thumb circled her clit, her lips finding my mouth as I shoved my shorts down, notched my cock at her opening, gripped her hips and claimed what was mine.
It didn’t matter that I’d exhausted her the night before, didn’t bother her that my temper was on edge with the threat