He neutralizes his expression. “It’s a miracle, Doc.”
Scoffing, I hold them up between us. “What… How?” I trail off, unsure of what to ask at this point.
He covers a mischievous grin and chokes back a laugh. “Okay, don’t get mad, but I may have hid them. But I didn’t deliberately take them out, I swear. They detached on their own in the wash. I just… chose not to put them back in.” He studies me warily behind long lashes, waiting for either a scolding or a smile.
I can’t help the chuckle that breaks free. His childish antics are adorable. “You’re ridiculous. Why’d you do it?”
“Truth?”
I nod.
He strides forward, and when I step back, I bump into the dryer. With his hands resting on the appliance on either side of me, he successfully locks me in. He ducks, surveying my breasts, then drags his attention back up to my face. “Because I love the way your tits look in your bikinis without them.” His pupils dilate, and I swear the temperature in this small room goes up a notch. “The way your nipples tighten up and harden drives me wild. I want to suck and bite them and watch the way it makes you squirm.”
As if on cue, my knees buckle.
“Just like that.” He smirks.
I reach between us to palm his cock. Before I make contact, I remember we’re no longer alone in my apartment.
With disappointment threading through me, I push against his chest and step out from his hold. “Looks like you won this round, Greer. Well played.” With a grin and a quick tap on his dick with the back of my hand, I walk out, leaving him high and dry.
I make myself scarce for the rest of the day, giving Asher and Bea time together. It isn’t until she’s taking a bath that I’m summoned.
Asher knocks lightly on my door and enters without waiting for me to reply.
“Hey, Claire?”
“Hmm?”
He assesses me—my sleepwear, the topknot, and the glasses; the way I’m tucked under the sheets—and takes a step back. “Never mind. It’s fine.”
I straighten. “No, what’s up?”
“Can you play barber shop with Bea? She says I’m doing it wrong and refuses to wash her hair unless you do it.”
Biting my lip to hold back a flattered grin, I swing my legs over the side of the bed. “It’sbeauty salon. And no problem.”
He exhales a long breath. “You’re a life saver.”
26
Asher
The month flies by,and before I know it, it’s the end of July, and Jack and Natalie are meeting my parents halfway so Bea can spend a week in the city. She was hesitant to leave, but after I got Uncle Ezra on the phone and he promised her she could paint his nails and play with his hair, she couldn’t strap into her booster seat fast enough. That man is down bad for not one but two Greer girls.
“Are you excited to see your boys later today?” Claire asks as we clean up the kitchen.“What are their names again?”
“Benji, Raymond, and Zion.” I can’t fight the stupid grin on my face. “And yeah. It’s my favorite part of the summer.”
“Do they know about me? I mean, about us?”
“They do. I don’t keep secrets from those guys.”
Her eyes go wide at my admission.
Grimacing, I clarify, “Sorry. They don’t knoweverythingeverything, but they do know we’ve been—what did you call it?”
“Roomies-with-bennies?”
