Page 14 of Stripping Bare
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In the hallwayoutside her newly purchased condo in an Asheville mid-rise, Tessa touched her lips, still tingling from Jonah’s earlier all-consuming kiss and the scruff around his mouth. He’d kissed her as if he wanted to get inside her. Not just inside her body, but inside the deepest darkest parts ofher.
From the second he’d walked into the downtown bar tonight, he’d been restless. It didn’t take a trained mental health professional to figure that out. He’d smiled and chatted with the people gathered, but the easygoing expression had never touched hiseyes.
Why did she seem to be the only one who ever sawthat?
Other people constantly said things like “Jonah’s so chill,” “Doesn’t get in much of a hurry about anything,” and “Hard torile.”
Tessa unlocked her front door and placed her purse and keys on the foyer table—keys in the aqua art glass bowl and her bag in a gatheringbasket.
From his kennel, Badger was giving her a doggy grin and frantic tailwag.
“Hey there, King B,” she crooned, hurrying over to release him. Tonight, she didn’t care that she hadn’t changed into her comfy clothes before he leaped into her arms. What was a little dog fur on a night like this, when she was feeling so uncertain? So shaken by her own decisions. “How’s my goodboy?”
From the way her piebald miniature dachshund was licking her chin, he wasecstatic.
Letting his wriggling body soothe hers, she blew out a breath and looked at her living room. Although her move was recent, she’d put a rush on her furniture delivery and everything was unpacked and in its proper place. Even the ten-foot artificial Douglas fir in the corner hung with white lights and matchingornaments.
Normally, having all her belongings organized made her feel calm andcontrolled.
Nottonight.
But her pup was helping. The feel of his smooth short fur under her hand. The warmth of his body against hers. The gift of his unconditionallove.
She quickly kicked off her heels, purposefully allowing them to lie askew on the cool tile under her feet, and slipped on a pair ofscuffs.
“Park time, buddy.” She’d chosen this building because of the bark park in the central courtyard. When she reached for Badger’s leash, his body went into overdrive, his tiny butt doing the bump with herchest.
In the hallway, she put him on the floor and he pranced down it as if he were ten feet tall, his head up and pointy chest bowedout.
If only Tessa could feel so confident all the time. She’d learned that little rituals—like putting her belongings in their appropriate place—helped to remind herself she was in control, that she had climbed her way out of something that might’ve wrecked a lesserwoman.
But Jonah Steele could still wreck her inside if she lethim.
Maybe she could call her mom and tell her about tonight. Then again, if she did that, her mother might give her the advice to move on, that she deserved a man who saw her for the woman she was now instead of the shattered girl she’d oncebeen.
But Tessa wasn’t willing to give up. Not until she’d really tried to connect with Jonah. When she’d first been brought on at Steele Trap, she’d been grateful, but had been intent on proving to Jonah that she’d made something of herself. That although she appreciated what he’d done for her, she no longer needed aprotector.
She hadn’t been prepared for what seeing him as a man would do to her emotions. The physical attraction had been electric and disconcerting. But she’d also found herself pulled in by the way he kidded around with the people who worked for him, the charitable donations he made without asking for acknowledgment, the spark in his eyes when he played video games in the employeelounge.
She wanted a chance to get close tothatJonah.
Outside in the doggie park, Badger did his business, then spent a few minutes trying to woo a Doberman. She ignored him, much to hisdisappointment.
“You might have more luck with that corgi from 603,” Tessa toldhim.
The side-eye Badger gave her said, “I’ll thank you to stay out of my lovelife.”
Back in the condo, she scooped up her heels and headed for her bedroom, where she stored the shoes in their color-coordinated plastic box. She took off her pants and top, saw the amount of fur on them and tossed them into her dry cleaning pile. The camisole underneath she left on and pulled on a matching pair of silk loungepants.
When she let her hair out of the twist, the kinky curls fell and brushed her back. Her chest loosened, allowing her to finally take a full breath. Jonah’s kisses had the power to do that to her—steal all herair.
A glass of pinot grigio, a snuggle with Badger, and her cushy couch were exactly what she needed right now. But once she’d settled into the down cushions and pulled a cashmere throw around her and Badger, her nerves were still jumping just under the surface of herskin.
She placed her glass on the coffee table and reached for the TV remote. “How about aFireflymarathon?”
It wasn’t Badger’s favorite—he much preferred back episodes ofMeerkat Manor—but tonight Tessa needed to escape into anotherworld.
