Chapter 131

Melanie’s POV

I was two seconds away from perfecting my quadrilateral brushstroke technique—tongue out, eyes half-closed in concentration—when Asher stepped into the bathroom. My heart did an Olympic-level triple twist, and I almost swallowed a glob of toothpaste. Great, I thought, nothing sexier than mouth full of foam.

He must have caught my panic-flare in my eyes, because instead of gawking like a kid at a magic trick, Asher slid across the tile floor like he owned the place. His hand landed on the small of my back, his body curling toward mine until his lips hovered at my ear. “You are so damn sexy,” he whispered, voice low enough to make my knees go rubbery.

Okay, brain, focus. I rinsed, spat, and tried to sound nonchalant. “Right. Because brushing your teeth is the pinnacle of sexy.”

He chuckled—deep, warm, perfectly annoying—and backed off just a hair so I could see his smile. “When you look like that, Mel? It totally is.”

My cheeks flamed