The door swings open, and Jacob fills the frame. He’s wearing a plain black t-shirt that stretches across his chest and the same black shorts he wore in the cage. His hair is damp with sweat and pulled back. The cut above his eye has been cleaned but not stitched. It’ll scar.
He steps inside and shuts the door behind him, leaning against it like he’s blocking my escape. His eyes are dark, unreadable.
“You ran,” he says simply.
I swallow hard and say nothing.
“You ran after what happened.” Jacob pushes off from the door, taking a step toward me. “After what we did.”
“I shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” I say, retreating a step for each one he takes. “What happened was… inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate,” Jacob repeats, the word hard in his mouth. “That’s what you’re calling it?”
“What would you call it?” My back hits a locker, cold metal seeping through my shirt.
Jacob stops, leaving a few feet between us. “You were never officially my doctor,” he counters, crossing his arms over his chest. “All our sessions were off the books. At your place or mine.”
“That doesn’t make any difference.”
“It makes every difference if it matters to you.” He takes another step closer, and I press harder against the locker.
“I know I crossed a line,” I say, my voice tight. “I know I violated every standard I’ve ever held myself to. I know I—”
The door bangs open, cutting me off mid-sentence. Renata strides in, beaming, then stops short when she sees us.
“Oh! Am I interrupting something?” Her eyes dart between us, reading the tension in the room.
“Doc was just congratulating me on the win,” Jacob says, not taking his eyes off me.
“As he should be! And we need to celebrate!” Renata walks toward me, arms outstretched. “Riley, you’re a miracle worker. Look at him! Shoulder’s perfect, full range of motion, no pain.” She pulls me into a hug before I can stop her.
Over Renata’s shoulder, I catch Jacob’s furious stare. His jaw clenches, his eyes narrowing as Renata squeezes me tightly. I carefully extricate myself from her embrace, aware of Jacob’s gaze tracking every point of contact between us.
“I can’t take credit for this,” I say. “Jacob did all the work.”
“Don’t be modest.” Renata turns to Jacob. “You need to shower and change. Everyone’s heading to my place for the after-party.”
“I should go,” I begin, but Renata cuts me off with a sharp look.
“You’re coming too. Both of you.” She points between us. “The heroes of the night. Non-negotiable.”
“Renata, I really can’t—”
“I said non-negotiable, Riley.” Her tone is light but firm. “I’ve got a bottle of that Japanese whiskey you like. The one you can’t find anywhere.”
I hesitate, and she pounces on the opening.
“Great, it’s settled. Jacob, hit the showers.” She snaps her fingers at him. “Five minutes. I want to get out of here before the crowd thins and traffic gets bad.”
Jacob doesn’t move, still staring at me. “We’re not finished,” he says quietly.
“Yes, you are,” Renata corrects. “For now.” She grabs my arm, steering me toward the door. “Riley’s coming with me. You can follow in your car when you’re ready.”
I throw a glance back at Jacob as Renata pulls me away. His expression is unreadable. Some masochistic part of me wishes I could stay and hear what he has to say.
But Renata is already pushing me through the door, chattering about the party and who will be there. The last thing I see is Jacob, standing alone in the middle of the locker room, watching me go with those dark, knowing eyes.
13