Page 66 of Stripping Bare
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Tessa founda wet bar tucked into one wall of Jonah’s living room and poured herself a generous serving of Far Niente cabernet. “King B, let’s take your dinnerupstairs.”
It made no logical sense, but she would feel safer on the secondfloor.
For a second, she debated texting Jonah to see when he’d be back. No. She was just spooked. Maybe if she settled down with a movie, the story and the wine would centerher.
In her room, Badger circled her feet until she picked him up. “I’m restless, too,buddy.”
She flipped through the movies on her phone, choosingThe Empire Strikes Back. Han and Leia’s first kiss never failed to make her heart sigh, and the asteroid scene always made her blood pumpfaster.
Han Solo:Never tell me theodds.
That was probably also a good adage when it came to getting close to Jonah Steele. Because if Tessa had known how hard it would be to crack his shell, she might’ve talked herself out of pursuinghim.
She glanced at the cushy reading chair in the corner. Comfortable as it appeared, it wasn’t calling to her tonight. So she strolled down the hall until she came to a door she thought led into Jonah’s bedroom. Some creative juggling allowed her to turn the doorknob and flip on thelight.
Wow.
Two entire walls were floor-to-ceiling windows. The other two walls were paneled with horizontal heart pine boards. A king-size platform bed was tucked against one of the wood walls and above it hung a stylized depiction of a blond woman in a blue skinsuit. On her arm was some type of cannon, making it clear she was no one’s damsel indistress.
Okay, so Jonahwasn’ta sexist when it came to video gamecharacters.
Tessa just needed to make sure he saw that she could be just as kick-ass as Ms. Blue Skinsuit. Maybe she didn’t have weapons strapped to her arms, but she was far fromdefenseless.
She’d made damn sure ofthat.
The bed was covered in a down duvet and a woven throw, and on either side, pendant lights were centered over side tables. The corner area between the walls of windows was set up like a sitting room, with a leather love seat, a couple of mid-century chairs, and an ottoman serving as a coffee table. The ottoman was littered with haphazard stacks of graphic novels, manga, and gamingmagazines.
She saw Jonah echoed everywhere. Smart design. Natural textures. Creative art. And sleek lines that deceptively camouflagedcomplexity.
Unable to help herself, she went to explore the masterbathroom.
If the bedroom waswow,this room waswooooow.The floor was covered with intricately patterned green and gray tile that led to a shower big enough for a cocktail party, but the fixture that captured Tessa’s attention was the bathtub. If something that sumptuous could be called atub.
With two levels, one built above the other, the continually running water cascaded. During her years of active recovery, her therapist had recommended that Tessa reconnect with her body. To reclaim it for herself. That process had started with warm, relaxing baths. Then she’d moved on to looking at her body through the water, reacquainting herself with what someone else had tried to take fromher.
Water had helped her reclaim her confidence. Helped her regain comfort with herbody.
The thought of being in that tub with Jonah, both of them slick and naked, made awareness sluice through her. Her nipples hardened and her thighs clenched. She wanted to back him against one of the sides, straddle him, and ride him until they were both out of theirminds.
She could all but feel his big hands on her hips, lifting her, then pulling her down to fill her. Chest to chest, her arms around his neck, her lips onhis.
The truth was she wanted to fuck that man’s brains out. Wanted to screw him until he was too endorphined-out to resist her, to fight her anymore. She wanted him to see her as the woman she wasnow.
Wanted him to truly accept how amazing they could be together, both physically and emotionally. She and Jonah were meant to be together. She knew that as well as she knew her ownname.
She returned to the sitting area in the bedroom, drank her wine, and watched half of the movie. But for once, it wasn’t holding her interest. The day had finally worn her out. She wasn’t willing to let Jonah slip past her when he camehome.
She could’ve stretched out on the love seat, but the bed called to her. Of course Badger trotted over with her and scratched at the side of the mattress. “How about a pillow tonight? I’m not sure Jonah wants Badger fur in hisbed.”
Badger dropped back to all fours and gave her a disgruntled look over his shoulder. But when she placed a king-size pillow on the floor and patted it, he curled up on it with ahuff.
She fiddled with the switch for the bedside light and discovered she could dim it rather than black out the room, which would make her rest easier. For the most part, she’d left the past where it belonged, but she liked to be able to see hersurroundings.
Sliding between the smooth sheets, she caught Jonah’s scent—cedar and leather—on the pillow. Yum. She wanted to bury her face in it. To satisfy her sensory urges, she settled onto her stomach and rubbed her cheek against the cool fabric. Within minutes her eyes weredrooping.
I’ll just rest them for a littlewhile.
