Cassidy strode into the gym, her confidence unmistakable as she moved toward the weight machines. Focused and disciplined, she began her routine, the steady rhythm of plates clinking and breath controlled between each set.
She barely noticed the man lingering nearby at first. Gyms were full of wandering eyes, after all. Still, there was something about the way he hovered that made the air feel heavier than usual.
Determined not to be distracted, Cassidy powered through her final set, muscles burning, sweat tracing warm lines along her skin. When she finally wrapped up and headed toward the locker room, she felt the faint prickle of being watched.
The locker room steam wrapped around her as she stepped beneath the hot water, tension easing from her shoulders. For a moment, she let herself relax completely.
Then she sensed movement — subtle, deliberate. A presence where there shouldn’t have been one.
Turning slightly, she caught the faint outline of someone beyond the divider. Her expression sharpened instantly, heat flashing in her eyes.
“What are you doing in here, creep?” she demanded, her voice low but steady — not afraid, just furious.
The desert heat of the moment hung between them — tension thick, charged, and unmistakable. Whether it would turn into confrontation or something far more complicated remained to be seen.