Chapter 72

Jake’s POV

The air in my home gym tasted like sweat and raw effort; music pounded through the speakers, a heavy bassline vibrating through the floorboards, matching the thump of my own heart.

I gripped the cold steel of the barbell, my muscles screaming, pushing for one more rep. Each lift was a way to burn off the coiled tension, the frustration from Daniel’s office earlier; Claire Hammond, Ellie, those losing deals—it was a damn storm, and I needed to feel something real, something simple, something I could control.

The burn in my biceps, the ache in my shoulders, that was real, that was mine.

I dropped the weight with a clang that echoed in the room, then stood, breathing hard, sweat dripping down my chest and back. My vision swam for a second, then cleared. I wiped my face with a towel, my skin slick. The raw energy of the workout filled me, a powerful hum under my skin.

I needed a shower, and maybe, just maybe, I needed something else too; I