Page 2 of Stripping Bare

“You want to talk about whatever has you looking at that bottle like it might save yourlife?”

Uh-uh.Not even on a day when snow fell inhell.

Buthewas the one who’d asked her to come to Steele Trap as an organizational psych consultant. Because he still owed her. Owed her for something he could never make restitutionfor.

When he’d announced the company would now have her on retainer, his staff had given him the hairy eyeball. But after they got over their pissiness at having a head doctor around, they claimed she was good. A good listener, a calm sounding board, a positive influence. An all-around well-spoken, well-educated, well-adjustedpsychologist.

She’d made something of herself when a lesser woman would’ve drawn inward for self-protection. Instead, Tessa had opened up and flourished. The day he’d walked into Steele Trap’s breakroom to find her—shoes off and smile glowing—competing in a Ms. Pac-Man tournament with half the company’s staff, he had known he was introuble.

Had known he could fall forher.

She was sweet and smart and knock-a-man-on-his-ass sexy. And he wanted her with a fierceness he shouldn’t feel. Should never acton.

“Thanks, but I’m good.” He tried to smile at her like he’d smile at anyone else—casual and easy. Like with everything else when it came to this woman, he was a fucking failure. “Nothing to talkabout.”

She strolled into his office, her hips moving subtly from side to side under the fabric of her skirt, making him wonder what her skin there felt like. He’d seen her naked hips once years ago, and all he’d wanted to do then was cover her up. The full-blown memory of that godawful night tried to make an assault on his brain, but he refused to let itinvade.

She raised her eyebrows pointedly and nodded at the scotch. “Then why don’t you ask me if I’d like adrink?”

“Sorry, but this is a soloactivity.”

“Well, that’s awfully selfish ofyou.”

His protest didn’t stop her. She simply pulled out one of his visitor chairs and made herself all comfy. Crossed one leg over the other, and he was mesmerized by the red high heel dangling from herfoot.

“Tessa, you don’t want to be around metonight.”

But rather than putting her off, his words seemed to darken her deep brown eyes with concern and curiosity. Yeah, his reluctance to talk had to be super-strength catnip for apsychologist.

Flailing for anything else to talk about besides himself and his crappy mood, he nodded at the recorder in her hand. “You know you can make voice notes on your phone,right?”

“This downloads straight to a secure database I use for all my client information.” She slipped it into a pocket on her jacket, obviously settling in. “So about thatdrink…”

Well, it was a damn sight better to make this a social visit than some kind of head-shrinking session. As far as he knew, she was a white wine drinker, so his stash probably wouldn’t be her gig anyway. “Scotchokay?”

“Anything butbeer.”

He located another glass and poured her a short shot, then filled his own to the rim. Just two friends, having an after-work drink. What the hell would friends talk about over adrink?

The holidays were alwayssafe.

“Going back to North Carolina for Christmas?” he asked, injecting his words with casual goodcheer.

With an absent hand, she reached for the glass and rotated it in a circle, gazing into the golden liquid. “Areyou?”

“Not thisyear.”

“Is that what’s making you so unhappy tonight?” she asked, leaning forward. “That you’re not making it back home for theholidays?”

Restless, he rose and sipped his drink as he paced around his desk. On his second pass, Tessa caught him by the wrist. “Talk to me.Please.”

He rested his hip against his desk, but that meant he was close enough to Tessa to draw in her scent, cool and mysterious like a fall mountain morning. Trying to suppress the need she tripped off inside him, he blurted out, “It’s my sister’sbirthday.”

“Why would that make you sounhappy?”

“Because it’s like she hasn’t been my sister in years.” Not really. Micki had withdrawn, day by day, as if she were fading away in front of everyone’s eyes. And then, right after she and Jonah graduated from high school, she’d simply left. Later, they found out where she was—Vegas. And who she was working with—a fucking fixer with some not-so-savory connections. “And because she’s mytwin.”

Tessa picked up her glass and took a quick sip before pushing out of her chair. “Happy birthday,” she said, her voice husky. “If I’d known, Iwould’ve—”