Stripped Bare Read Online Free PDF

picnic dinner. Our families. Our friends. Places we’ve been. Places we’d like to see. By the time the basket is empty, we’ve finished the bottle of wine.
    Somehow, our bodies have remained touching throughout the meal.
    He notices it the same time I do. We smile at each other, and then Jax takes my hand, sliding his index finger along mine, making me shiver.
    “Are you cold?”
    “No.”
    Jax grins and continues sliding his finger until it reaches my palm. I bite my lip as he twirls his fingertip along my skin.
    “We’ve never kissed,” he says. “Isn’t that ironic? I’ve seen so much of you, and yet—”
    “I know.”
    “And I want to . . . so fucking much. It’s taking every single ounce of my self-restraint not to kiss you right now.”
    I want him to kiss me. I want to feel his arms around me.
    I want it too much.
    I’m being so strong, and if he kisses me, I know I’ll crumble.
    “Please don’t.”
    “I won’t.”
    His words break my heart, but I force a smile anyway.
    Because I know it’s the right thing to do.
    For now.

 
    “Did you preheat the oven?”
    “I don’t know what that means.”
    Tesla sighs. It’s cute as hell.
    “Jax, you have to preheat the oven. Otherwise, the cake could sink in the center.”
    She moves around my kitchen as if she designed it herself. I sit at the island and watch, mesmerized, as she finds cake pans and special ingredients I never even knew existed. I’d have to remember to give my housekeeper a raise for keeping it so well-stocked.
    Tesla is in her element, and it’s amazing to watch as she carefully stirs ingredients in a stainless steel bowl. I’ve never seen anyone so happy to be making such a mess.
    Tonight is officially our seventh date.
    One week.
    Without one kiss.
    Tara assures me this is healthy.
    Smart.
    Respectful.
    I, on the other hand, have other choice words for it.
    Hell.
    On.
    Earth.
    “What are you thinking about?” Tesla asks as she finishes placing the cake in the oven.
    Lifting you up on the counter and kissing the shit out of you.
    I lie, despite my endeavor to always be honest with her.
    “I was thinking about a meeting I had today.”
    She sets the timer before joining me at the island. “A good meeting?”
    “I think so,” I say, pouring her a glass of wine. “I’m working with the chamber of commerce on a small business initiative. We’re going to try to revive a part of downtown that’s been hit hard by the recession—offering low-interest loans to new local businesses.”
    “That sounds interesting.”
    I nod. “We might be a global conglomerate, but we’re always looking for ways to help the local economy. I’m looking into some investments. Besides, I admire small-business owners. They start with nothing and build a business from scratch.”
    “Kind of like baking.”
    “Exactly like baking,” I agree. “You start with a few small ingredients, and hopefully—”
    “It will rise.”
    Something’s rising, all right.
    And suddenly I’m seventeen again. She’s beautiful, smart, and funny, and I am incapable of controlling my body’s reaction to her.
    “Is that why you were looking at that piece of property? The one by the sidewalk café?”
    “Yes, it was.”
    “That’s a good location,” Tesla replies, sliding her finger along the rim of the glass.
    How can a finger be so seductive?
    “I think so, too, and the blue was a good color choice.”
    “You really painted it sky blue?”
    “I did.”
    Her entire face brightens, and I want to kiss every inch of it. A blush creeps across her cheeks, because she knows. She knows how much I want to kiss her, and it gives me hope that maybe she wants me to kiss her, too.
    When the timer sounds, Tesla leaps off the stool and pulls the cake out of the oven to cool.
    “Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla frosting? I can make either.”
    “Whichever you prefer is fine with me.”
    “That’s your answer for everything, you realize.”
    It’s true.