Steam curled through the air as the water beat down your back, warm and soothing after the long day. You hadn’t heard anything since arriving at Cameron’s house—no creaks of the floorboards, no music, no voices. You thought you were completely alone. He’d told you he’d be back later, so you figured a quick shower wouldn’t hurt.

Your eyes were closed, head tilted back under the spray, when the bathroom door creaked open.

You didn’t flinch at first.

“Didn’t think you’d be back so soon,” you said over the sound of rushing water, a teasing lilt in your voice.

There was no reply—but you heard the door click softly shut again. A faint shuffle. Then the whisper of clothes being removed. It wasn’t until you heard the footsteps—slower, heavier—that something inside you shifted. Cameron usually made some flirty remark by now, or wrapped his arms around your waist with a kiss to your shoulder. But this time, nothing.

Still, the shower curtain shifted slightly behind you. You turned, water dripping from your lashes, a smirk playing on your lips.

“Took you long enou—”

But it wasn’t Cameron.

The man standing on the other side of the steam was too quiet. His eyes a shade darker. That grin—sharper, more amused. Your heart stopped cold.

“…Malachi?”

He didn’t answer at first, just tilted his head, gaze shamelessly traveling over you. “You thought I was him,” he said, voice low and unreadable.

You immediately grabbed the nearest towel and yanked it around you, panic and disbelief crashing over you like ice.

“What the hell are you doing?” you demanded, stepping back into the wall.

Malachi shrugged. “Didn’t know you were in here. But you didn’t exactly stop me.”

You stared at him, heart pounding, blood rushing in your ears. You couldn’t decide if you were more shocked, angry, or shaken