Page 75 of Stripping Bare

Brynne:Yeah, they’ve got a bunch of old toys they apparently started out playing with, but now they’ve moved on to big-boy paintballguns.

The tight feeling in Tessa’s throat eased alittle.

Tessa:Do you know where I could findthem?

Brynne:Tell you what, drive to Miss Joan’s house and we’ll go find themtogether.

Tessa:Which iswhere?

Brynne:White farmhouse down the road. You passed it on the way toJonah’s.

Normally, she wouldn’t have minded what had to be a mile walk, but she hadn’t thought to bring tennis shoes on what was supposed to be a quick overnightstay.

Tessa:I don’t have a car. Mine’s still intown.

Brynne:Take one of Jonah’s. He won’t miss it. Keys are in the freezer. See you inten.

It went against Tessa’s grain to take someone’s possession without asking, but what choice did she have? She certainly wasn’t going to wait around for Jonah to mosey backhome.

She fed Badger, let him out to potty, and then kenneled him. Much to his annoyance. He gave her a doggy huff and turned so his little butt was pressed against the metal door, a sure sign he was pissed ather.

Back in the kitchen, she shoved aside a package of steaks in the freezer and spotted a plastic baggie that held keys. Honest to goodness old-fashioned keys rather than modern keyfobs.

In Jonah’s garage, she studied his toys with a closer eye. They sure ran the gamut. A shiny blue truck with wooden sideboards that seemed like something a hip organic farmer would drive. A silver Mercedes with the gull-wing doors. A little white Fiat convertible that looked as if it still needed some TLC. The Tesla. And an orange car sporting a spoiler taller than the roof panel. It had the back-end of a roadrunner and the sleek, sloping front-end of ashark.

Oh, yeah. She wanted thatone.

She dug through the bag of keys and pulled out one for a Plymouth. A small pang of guilt shimmied through her when she slid into the black leather driver’s seat. But when she pushed the button on the visor to raise the garage door and cranked the car, that pang was drowned out by the sound of the enginerumbling.

She shivered at the vibrations shimmying through the metal and into her seat, reawakening all the nerve endings Jonah had turned on last night. What would he say if she suggested a make-out session in hiscar?

It would be fun to do something so carefree and youthful. Normal. Something she’d never done as ateenager.

The road from Jonah’s house to his mom’s was too curvy for Tessa to push the car. It reminded her of making love with Jonah—a lot of restrained power in a sleek package. But all it took was the right touch to turn potential intoreality.

Last night, he’d been cautious, resistant at first. But when she’d finally convinced him to stop being careful…Whew.That had been brain-bending. She had light burn marks on her knees. Marks she wouldn’t show Jonah for fear he’d see them and feelguilty.

He was so sure he would hurt her that he wasn’t willing to reveal himself and his true desires. His truewants.

His trueneeds.

And if he wasn’t willing to share those things with her, their relationship would come to a standstill. Because she wasn’t willing to settle for anything besides thetruth.

And Tessa’s truth was that she wanted Jonah like he’d been last night. But even more out of control. Completely out ofcontrol.

And probably not what she should be thinking about when she was about to meet his mom for the first time. She pulled into the drive in front of the white farmhouse. Cheerful Adirondack chairs were scattered along the deep porch. Holiday greenery was looped around the porch rails, and two potted evergreens flanked a front door decorated with a wreath made of magnolia leaves and redribbon.

She’d barely knocked when the door was pulled open to reveal a small woman with short silver-shot hair and a welcoming smile that emphasized the laugh lines around her eyes. “You must beTessa.”

How had sheknown?

“I know all kinds of things about my kids they don’t know I know.” She waved Tessa into the farmhouse and led her toward the kitchen. “Then I have insurance when I needit.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs.Steele.”

“Call me Miss Joan. Everyone elsedoes.”

“I’m sorry to just barge in, but I’m looking for Jonahand—”