He sucked in breaths, willing his brain to remain in control. And yet…this was exactly what he’d come here for.
A distraction from the complete disaster with Lady Victoria.
He circled around back, and before Brookhaven could dart out of the way, he raised his fist in an uppercut, slamming his knuckles directly into the other man’s jaw.
Brookhaven’s head cracked back. His teeth clacked together loudly.
When he shook his head and met Chase’s gaze, Brookhaven let out a laugh. That wild, rolling sound that was infamous in the ton. The man thrived off a good fight.
They circled each other again, looking for an in, an opportunity to slam the other man with a punishing blow. At long last, after several more hits were exchanged, he began to feel the weight lift.
This was what he required.
Not gin.
Gin would let his mind float to her.
This would take his mind off of her, off her terse voice, off her challenging stance, and off the way he surely wanted to take her out of the damn situation that her father had so blithely put her in.
Victoria Kirby did not deserve to be at the mercy of a man like her father. In fact, she deserved to be at the mercy of no one. And he was going to do whatever it took to make sure she was never put in such a position again.