us in the hall.”
I laughed. “Is that before or after you ratted me out?”
“It’s why I ratted you out. He was so pissed at what I had to say about you that he stormed away and forgot all about what I was doing.”
Shaking my head, I wrapped my hand for the last time and ripped the tape from the roll. Our eyes met when I glanced up, his filled with mischief.
“You’re an asshole. Don’t let anybody ever tell you different.”
He flashed me his widest smile, one that had dropped the panties of several women at the bars we used to frequent. Laughter shook his shoulders, but the humor was lost when his expression became serious.
“Is your head in this? Be honest with me. I can’t watch you die out there. I won’t.”
I reached up, and he locked his hand with mine.
“I won’t die tomorrow night. I’ll walk out of that ring wearing the bastard’s blood.”
“You better.”
He tugged me to my feet, and we walked into the ring together. Grabbing the strike pads, he held them up, feet set at shoulder width, his expression that of a fighter who understood that walking into the pit was no laughing matter.
Still, that wouldn’t stop him.
“So,” he said, a glimmer behind his eyes as he took the first few warm up punches I threw. “What was princess pussy like? I could tell just by talking to her last night that Lisbeth still has the vanity of all the Rose family members despite what you’ve done. Did you fuck it out of her? Did she cry?”
Throwing my arm and shoulder harder, I knocked him back a step. “That reminds me.”
His brow cocked. “Of?”
The next punches I threw drove his back against a wall, his hands pulling the pads together to protect his chest and stomach.
“Touch Lisbeth again, and I’ll knock your teeth out for it. The only man who lays a hand on her in this house is me.”
He laughed, shoving my punches off with the pads.
“I can’t believe it. Callan Rose is falling hard. I’m happy to have a front row seat for it.”
My foot impacted his shin, and he fell to the ground. Rolling to his back, he kept laughing because pain was nothing to us, not when we’d learned to enjoy it.
“Maybe we can double date when you finally give me Haley. I promise to be nice to Lisbeth next time.”
Shaking my head, I reached down to drag him to his feet, set my body again and waited for him to take his position.
Eyes on my face, he grinned.
“I know that look. You’re about to beat my ass, aren’t you?”
Rolling my neck over my shoulders, I breathed out and fisted my hands.
“You better fucking believe it.”
Lisbeth
It was useless trying to get anything done for the day. My body ached from being with Callan, exhaustion plaguing me for the few hours of sleep I’d managed after we both had run out of strength. I didn’t remember falling asleep next to him, so I was surprised when my eyes opened in the morning to find I was on the mattress and not on the floor.
Hope had trickled in for just a second, the idea that despite his warnings, things had changed.
But then he’d walked out of the bathroom, steam rolling out to caress his naked body, and his voice had roared through me to remind me who we were despite everything that happened.
I should have known better than to hope. But there was no guarding my heart from it. I was crushed to hear his words, torn apart when his eyes caught mine, and in them, I only saw the same hatred and pain as before the moment we’d caved to the wants of our bodies.
“Is everything okay with you, Lisbeth? I’ve had to clean up after you all day. I’m not sure why you’re even trying.”
Glancing over at Holly, I frowned to see her cleaning the streaks from the windows I’d just finished. Her eyes flicked down to the marks on my neck, worry eating at her even if she’d managed to keep from asking about them.
I could see the questions, though, could hear them.
“I’m fine. Just didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Whatever restraint Holly had before was lost at my answer.
“Did he do that to you? Mr. Rose? You weren’t-“
Her voice trailed off, softened.
“You weren’t dragged to the lower levels again, were you?”
Fear caressed her voice, the sound of it highlighting what was so obvious in her careful expression.
“No.”
She sighed, shoulders withering