The moment Desiree stepped into her room, she shut the door and pressed her back against it, her breath shallow. The silence that followed was thick, almost too still, but very much alive. Her pulse was beating fast, her skin hot, and her mind? It was a mess of thoughts she was trying every possible means not to accept.

She stripped and walked into the bathroom, turning the shower knob until a rush of cold water splashed down. The shock of it made her gasp, but it didn’t cool the heat that ...