Chapter 129

Melanie’s POV

I practically blasted through my five-minute shower like I was defusing a bomb—steam hissing, soap sudsing—and all the while I fought the urge to conjure up a vivid mental image of Asher strolling in, dripping water and confidence. Because if I let that happen, I knew exactly where the rest of me would end up: curled in the corner, fanning myself, whispering sweet nothings at my thighs until they were either satisfied or I was mortified. Either way, once I’d started, there was no stopping—like trying to quit caffeine cold turkey when you’re already jittery. The only way to truly shut off hormones was a weekend-long marathon of sex or letting time do its thing, and I had neither the stamina for the former nor the patience for the latter.

So I blitzed through shampoo and conditioner, yanked on jeans and a T-shirt, wrestled my hair into a haphazard ponytail, and gave myself one last pep talk in the mirror. You can do this, Melanie. Be a rational adult w