I hadn’t so much as skimmed my fingers over the cover page when Asher came through the front door. A jolt of surprise swallowed my voice and made my heartrate jump, forcing me to snap the book shut and slip it back into my bag.

Asher rounded the corner and appeared in the kitchen before I could question my sneaky behavior and why the feeling churning in my gut told me to keep the book a secret—even from him.

The next few hours I spent with Asher were anything but relaxing. Even after taking out