Page 11 of Stripping Bare

“What platform are you looking at? Console oriOS?”

Before he could correct Keith’s assumption, a blond waitress hurried toward Jonah with a tray of appetizers. “Can I offer yousomething?”

By the husky tone in her voice, she wasn’t trying to sell him on the deliciousness of those one-bite porksliders.

“Thanks, butno…”

She smiled and leaned forward to give him a clear view of what appeared to be 400ccs of silicone. “Are yousure?”

He caught movement over the waitress’s shoulder, and looked up to find Tessa walking toward the group.Crap.She probably thought he’d been ogling the woman’stits.

Why did she always seem to catch him at hisworst?

He wasn’t actually a butt-brained douchebag. At least not all thetime.

Tessa touched the waitress on the elbow and nodded to the guys opposite Jonah in the conversation circle. “Those gentlemen were just asking for moresliders.”

The waitress glanced at the other guys, dressed in shirts screen-printed with things like “Zelda is the girl” and “Video games don’t make us violent. Lag does.” Then she looked back at Jonah with disappointment clearly shining in hereyes.

Hell, it wasn’t as if he had anything on them when it came to dressing like a grownup. His own shirt said “√-1 23∑ π… It was delicious.” But his credit card was the one that had been handed over for tonight’s tab. And something about a Barclays Black Card seemed to get women’sattention.

The waitress did a little eyelash flutter at him, then headed toward the other guys, who greeted her and the sliders with a cheer and some juvenilebackslaps.

Tessa moved closer, teasing Jonah with her scent. While the others momentarily gave the waitress and the food their full attention, Tessa sipped her wine and smiled over the rim of her glass. “It was nice of you to host this get-together. Are we celebratingsomething?”

“No, just catching up.” He didn’t want to tell her about his app ideas because they’d been inspired by her. By what had happened toher.

Something no one should have toendure.

If a person ever felt threatened, he or she should be able to quickly and covertly communicate with a small circle of people they trusted. People who could help them out of a dicey situation. The uses for an app like that could be widespread, but he wanted to roll it out to domestic violence and sexual assault victimsfirst.

He shrugged and tried to avoid Tessa’s scrutiny. Whenever she looked at him like that, as if she could clearly read all his thoughts, he didn’t know whether to feel psychoanalyzed or turned on. “Heard a few people were in town,so…”

“Jonah, look atme.”

“What? I am looking atyou.”

“No,” she said, laying her soft hand on his scruffy cheek and almost stopping his heart, “you’re staring at my leftear.”

He couldn’t help but let a small smile break through, because she was right. “You have niceears.”

Crazy thing was, his statement was true. Decorated with classic pearl earrings, Tessa’s ears were dainty and perfectly curved.Sexy.

Sexy ears. This was what happened when he didn’t have enough to keep him busy—he got juiced up looking at a woman’searlobes.

Her hand skimmed down his face, and she let it fall away. Even while surrounded by people, the loss made him feel alone. Hell, if it weren’t for Tessa, he could be sitting alone in a jailcell.

“Thank you,” he blurtedout.

“For?”

“For clearing me,” he said, turning more fully toward her to ensure others didn’thear.

“All I did was tell thetruth.”

“You made it possible for my sister to live the life she wants instead of the one she was forcedinto.”

“And you? Are you living the life youwant?”