Page 37 of Stripping Bare
“Fine.” She closed her eyes and he took her hand, sending warmth winding its way up herarm.
He urged her forward and a few steps later, a door closed behind her and he said, “You can open themnow.”
Sure enough, he’d led her to the correct bedroom. She placed Badger on her bed and he ran around it as if he’d won thelottery.
“You have a purse dog?” Jonah stared doubtfully at her dog, who was now burrowing under a ruffled pillow sham. He was trying to distract her from what they’d found in her living room, and she wished it were thateasy.
“No, he’s ahunter.”
“He can’t weigh more than ten pounds. What’s he gonnahunt?”
By this time, Badger had dug his way through all her throw pillows and they were flying left and right. This day had been the complete opposite of enjoyable, but Badger made Tessa smile. “He’stenacious.”
“And he’s coming to my house withyou.”
Tessa grabbed Jonah’s shirt and pulled him down to her for a kiss. Just lips against lips, but it helped groundher.
“What was thatfor?”
He wouldn’t want to hear how sweet he could be sometimes, so she just said, “Mydog.”
“You gave me a kiss from yourdog?”
“He’s demonstrative that way,” she said, her voice shaky from the feel of Jonah’s lips on hers. “I’ll need Badger’s kennel. His food is in the pantry and he has a bag in the entrycloset.”
“Why don’t we get you packed up first and then…” Jonah turned away to yank at one of her dresser drawers and stopped with his left hand hovering over her lingerie collection. She liked nice underwear, so it was quite astash.
Get more than you bargained for,buddy?
“I’ll pack my own underwear,” she told him. “You’re in charge of Badger’sbag.”
“Huh?”
For goodness’ sake, Badger could pack for himself faster than this. But it was nice to know Jonah wasn’t unaffected. While he stood there entranced by her undies, she went to thecloset.
It didn’t take long to get what she needed. Although she planned to return in the morning, she never traveled without at least two sets of clothes, so she selected a few items and zipped them into her tweed hangingbag.
She poked her head out the closet door. Jonah hadn’t moved positions, but now he held at least half a dozen bra and panty sets. His fingers flexed and released around the bundles of silk, satin, andlace.
Seeing him standing there looking down at her underwear made something hot spark low in Tessa’sbelly.
Uh-uh, sister. This isn’t the time or place for sparks. You’re mad at him,remember?
But he was being so sweet to Badger. Toher.
“I need to grab a few items from the bathroom. Think you could get Badger’s thingsnow?”
“Kennel, food, andbag.”
When she went to her en suite bathroom, she braced her hands on the countertop and breathed. Her nerves felt as if someone had tightened them with tuning knobs and was plucking at them.Twang, twang,twang.
Her body was simply processing the adrenaline from finding someone had broken in to her home. This wasn’t about Jonah and how he affectedher.
Right.Her insides were one big tangle of competing emotions—shock at what they’d found, gratitude she hadn’t beenalone.
Make room for the feelings. Observe, but don’t let themoverwhelm.
Unfortunately, she was finding it hard to follow her ownadvice.
