Page 57 of Stripping Bare

“Augmented reality. Gives you a view of reality overlaid with computer-generated stuff like sound, video, or data coming from a GPS. Think Pokémon Go. Based on that, I’m hoping they’ll show me any obstacles in my way, in one form or another. But if you see me about to walk into a tree, you could let meknow.”

“Anything else? What are you going to do if you’re actually able to track down thisguy?”

“Beat the shit out of his sorryass.”

Sometimes she forgot that Jonah was, at heart, a Western Carolina good ol’ boy. Persistent, possessive, andprotective.

Is that what I really want in aman?

In Seattle she’d seen the mellow, urban-dwelling video game mogul. This Jonah was someone else. And she’d be lying if she didn’t admit the North Carolina Jonah was keeping her hormones revvedup.

She liked him edgy andrough.

He slipped the goggles onto the top of his head and reached into the backpack once again. What he came out with socked the breath from Tessa’s chest. With clinical detachment, he looked over the handgun, released the magazine to check the bullets, then clicked it back intoplace.

“What isthat?”

One side of his mouth lifted, the most amusement she’d seen from him since her avatar had died a bloody death in the game earlier. “A Glock 19. You didn’t think I planned to go out there unarmed, didyou?”

“But there are norealguns in Steele Survivor. Isn’t that what he wants you toplay?”

“No real machetes in the game either,” he said. “That didn’t stop this fuckwad from modding themin.”

“You think he’s going to be armed outthere?”

“I’m sure ofit.”

Tessa tried to keep her breathing steady. If Jonah ran into real trouble, all she had to do was dial911.

“Don’t,” hesaid.

“Don’twhat?”

“Do whatever you’re thinking about. The fewer people involved in this bullshit scheme, the less potential for them to gethurt.”

“What aboutyou?”

He leaned in, his eyes a mesmerizing tiger yellow now. “I created this game. I know this town. I’ll befine.”

Then he kissed her. A slow plunder of her mouth that took her under and rolled her. Seduced her into the dangerous sea of Jonah Steele. He touched all of her—lips, teeth, tongue—until she felt as if he’d marked her as his. When he finally shifted away, she was breathing as if she’d climbed ten flights ofstairs.

“You… I… We…” Her heart was giving her ribcage a workout. “We’re finishingthis.”

“Yes, we are.” Then he got out of the car and pointed downward, indicating she should hit the automaticlocks.

Before they’d clicked into place, he was off and running. Tessa jammed the buds into her ears and the sound of Jonah’s breath steadied her. “Be careful,” she told him through hermic.

“I’ll be backsoon.”

She didn’t try to extend the conversation because she wanted him one hundred percent focused on what was in front of him. Jonah was scanning the landscape. From her vantage point, it was wild because she was seeing what he was seeing as he loped down MainStreet.

Blues, Brews, & Books. Brynne’s beautiful boutique. The bakery with the sandwich sign out front. Today it said:Mesa rescuing yousa or yousa rescuing mesa. Thisa good. Thisa verygood.

First Yoda and now Jar Jar Binks. Was someone there a Star Warsfan?

“You never know about Jeanine. She’s the lady who writes those each day,” Jonahsaid.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ask that aloud. So you can see MainStreet?”