V stormed into the locker room, muscles taut, mind a storm of frustration and dark obsession. Every movement from the sparring session replayed in his head—every close brush, every block, every impossible moment where Kat had held her own against him. He needed release, needed to shake the tension coiling inside him, and the shower was the only place he could think to go.
Steam curled thickly around him as he stripped, leaving nothing between him and the air but the pale gleam of skin and the water running down his shoulders, chest, and torso. Every muscle was coiled and glistening, taut with power and the storm of his own frustration.
Kat, wandering into the locker room for who-knows-what, froze mid-step. Her eyes went wide. She shrieked instinctively and slapped a hand over her eyes.
"Oh—holy hell!" she gasped. "I—I didn't—"
V's brow lifted, jaw tight, lips pulling into a smirk that was both dangerous and darkly amused. "You aren't supposed to be in here," he said, voice low and dangerous, every word dripping with warning.
Kat, still covering her eyes, tried to back up toward the door. "I'm—I'm leaving! I swear! I didn't see anything!"
But V stepped closer, water dripping from his hair and shoulders, every inch of him a living storm of control and raw danger. He caught her wrist firmly before she could escape.
Kat froze, heart hammering, sweat and steam mixing on her flushed skin. "Let go! Seriously! I—ugh!"
V didn't move, didn't flinch. His piercing gaze met hers, smoldering with intensity. "You can't," he murmured, low, deadly. "Not yet."
Her pulse raced. "I—I should go!"
"You're already here," he said, voice dark, calm, commanding. "Might as well face it."
Kat's knees felt weak, every instinct screaming to flee. But she couldn't look away, not fully. Every muscle, every line of him, every glint of water on his skin burned into her mind.
"I'm going—now!" she whispered, voice trembling despite herself.
V's hand tightened slightly on her wrist, holding her firm. "Not until I say so," he said, his voice dropping lower, a growl that sent shivers down her spine.
The room felt impossibly small, the steam curling thick around them, mixing with the tension that radiated from V like fire. Kat's breath caught, pulse hammering, torn between fear, fascination, and the undeniable awareness that he was completely, unapologetically naked—and dangerous beyond reason.
Her hand twitched instinctively toward her eyes again, but curiosity betrayed her, and she peeked just long enough to catch the sharp lines of his chest, the dark strength in his arms, the raw presence of a predator who didn't just dominate the room—he dominated her attention.
V didn't break eye contact, didn't shift, didn't apologize for the chaos he created. The storm in his eyes reflected the chaos in her chest, and for a long, tense moment, neither moved, neither spoke.
Finally, Kat swallowed hard, heart thudding, and yanked her hand away. "I'm leaving!" she hissed.
V's hand tightened, not harshly, but impossibly enough to halt her retreat. "Not yet," he murmured again, dark, unyielding, every inch of him radiating the warning she was helpless to ignore.
Kat's pulse thundered in her ears, a mixture of panic, awe, and the dizzying pull of the man standing completely naked before her, and she realized she had no idea how she was ever going to survive being in the same room as him.
Kat yanked at his wrist again, heart hammering, body tense with panic. "Let me go! Seriously, V! I cannot deal with this right now!"
V didn't release her. His eyes were dark, stormy, and unreadable, every muscle coiled like a predator about to strike. "Oh, you can deal with this," he murmured, voice low, dangerous.
Before she could pull away again, he moved—fluid, unstoppable. One firm step and he had her pressed against him, chest to chest, heat radiating, heart thudding impossibly fast against her own.
Kat screamed, flailing, trying to shove him back, but he was unyielding. "V! Stop! Stop!"
"You're not leaving yet," he growled, and then—suddenly—the water surged. With a swift, deliberate motion, he grabbed her and dragged her under the stream with him.
Water slammed over them, cold and shocking, pulling the breath from her lungs. Kat gasped, panic setting her body on fire as she thrashed, trying to claw her way free. "Get off! I cannot breathe! Let me go!"
V's strong hands held her close, steady, commanding. "Breathe," he said, voice harsh, clipped, impossible to ignore. "Relax. Just breathe."
Kat sputtered, coughing, swallowing water, heart racing. She tried to shove him again, but the force of his body pinned her against the hard tile of the shower wall. His grip was unyielding—protective, possessive, and entirely terrifying.
Her panic warred with the magnetic pull of his presence, the way the heat from his skin seeped through her, the way his eyes locked on hers even under the water. "You're insane," she gasped, shaking her head, trying to fight the surge of awareness his proximity brought.
"I'm not insane," he said, low, growling almost in her ear. "I'm just... tired of you running from me."
Kat's chest heaved as she fought for air, for control, for any sense of reason. But with V, reason felt like a fragile illusion. The water, the closeness, the raw, dark intensity of him—it all coiled around her like a living thing, and for one heart-stopping moment, she froze, caught between terror and an undeniable pull she could not fight.
Finally, he eased her back upright, letting the water cascade over both of them. Kat gasped, drenched, shaking, glaring at him with a mix of fury, fear, and flustered disbelief.
"You—you—" she spluttered, hands shaking, "you are completely insane."
V's lips curled just slightly, dark amusement flickering in his eyes. "Maybe. But you—" His gaze roamed over her, piercing, unflinching, "...you're just as insane as me."
Kat took a shuddering breath, backing toward the shower door, gripping it like a lifeline. "I'm out," she said, voice sharp, defiant. "Out."
V didn't release her immediately—just held her gaze a heartbeat longer, and then, finally, he stepped back, water dripping from every taut muscle, leaving her standing soaked, shivering, and wildly conflicted.
V's dark eyes followed her every shivering movement, a dangerous smirk tugging at his lips. "You do realize," he drawled, voice low and teasing, "you have to walk all the way back to your room like that"?
Kat froze mid-step, heart skipping a beat. Her cheeks flared bright red as she shot him the dirtiest look she could muster, water dripping from her hair and clinging to every curve of her body. "You're unbelievable," she hissed.
"Oh, am I?" he murmured, stepping closer, tone playful but edged with something sharp. "I am just stating the facts."
Kat took a deep breath, glaring at him with all the fury she could muster—and then, in a moment of pure, defiant spite, she peeled the wet clothes from her body right there in the locker room. Droplets of water fell to the tile as she stood completely bare, defiance blazing in her eyes.
V's jaw flexed, dark amusement and lust flickering in his gaze, but he said nothing, letting her have her moment.
Kat turned her back to him deliberately, raising one hand and giving him the largest middle finger she could manage, a triumphant smirk on her face. "That's for being a complete jackass," she said, voice dripping with sass.
She grabbed his discarded shirt from the floor, shrugging it over her shoulders. The fabric clung to her damp skin, and for a second she relished the modest coverage it provided.
"Happy?" she asked, still smirking, giving him a final, pointed glance before turning on her heel.
V watched her leave, water dripping from his taut muscles, smirk deepening, dark amusement dancing across his features. She didn't care—she'd made that perfectly clear.
Kat strode out of the locker room, wrapped in his shirt, middle finger still fresh in her mind, every step radiating confidence, defiance, and the kind of unshakable fire that made him spiral in ways he'd never admit.
