Page 114 of Stripping Bare

Kill his mother? What did that mean? But before Tessa could figure it out, Keith grabbed one of the sensor vests from Miss Joan and shoved it into Tessa’s hands. That action had mercifully moved the gun inches away. “Take off your shirt and put thison.”

Willing her hands to remain steady, Tessa let her gorgeous sweater drop to the ground, then unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged out of it. She would do whatever it took to keep his attention off Jonah’s mother. From her peripheral vision, Tessa saw that Keith was staring at her breasts. From fear and the cold, her nipples had peaked. “You don’t have the right to look at me and you sure as hell don’t have the right to touch me. You may have us at gunpoint, but you don’t own my body. Touch me there, and you’ll have to murder me to keep me from killingyou.”

She’d thought she could do anything it took for Miss Joan, but not that. No man would ever control her thatway.

No man would take away herchoice.

Keith cleared his throat, and his gaze darted away from her breasts. “Then hurry up and put on thesensors.”

Pulling the tangle of wires over her head wasawkward.

“Make sure they’re attached,” he said. “If I find even one is loose, the game isover.”

That’s right. Play ordie.

When she stepped toward Miss Joan, Keith jammed his gun into Tessa’sear.

“If you want the damn things attached,” she ground out through the pain, “then we’ll need to secure the sensors on each other’sbacks.”

His nod was grudging. He shifted the gun toward Jonah’s mom. “Do Tessafirst.”

Her fingers were chilled against Tessa’s skin, and she whispered, “I’m sorry.” After checking each of them, she told Keith, “Alldone.”

They traded places, and while she was working behind Jonah’s mom, Tessa angled her body to block Keith’s view of her movements. She attached each of the sensors as he’d instructed, but she yanked on the wires leading into the battery pack resting against Miss Joan’s lowerback.

“It’s cold,” Tessa said. “Can we please put our shirts on over the sensors?” That would also hide what she’d done to Miss Joan’swires.

Keith grunted his assent and gestured toward the bag on the ground. “Get the rest of it out ofthere.”

Tessa squatted down and pulled out two sets of goggles and gauntlet controllers like the ones that had been sent to Jonah. “I assume you want us to put themon?”

“Hurryup.”

Helping Miss Joan with her shirt and equipment gave Tessa an excuse to get close to her again. She slipped the goggles on her head, which made her look like an old-fashioned pilot. “If we have to play, you’ll want to pull those down over your eyes,” she said where Keith could hear her. But as she loosely secured the controller gauntlets, she lowered her voice to a half whisper. “Once it starts, getaway.”

“But Jonahwill—”

“Jonah probably has no idea where we are. This time, I’ll take care ofmyself.”