way he'd keep from jumping her if she took off her clothes. Maybe he should lose instead. How would she react if he got naked?
He dealt with unsteady fingers. As he reached to pick up his cards, she put her hand on his, stopping him. "How about altering the stakes?"
Uh-oh. "To what?"
"If I lose, I'll take off my clothes. But if you lose, you have to answer any question I ask. Truthfully. No waffling."
He'd rather stroll through Times Square at midnight, wearing only a pink tutu and lipstick. Sweat beaded on his forehead. "No."
"You're not afraid to bare your body but you're scared to bare your soul?" She slanted an inscrutable look from under her lashes. "I understand. If you're not up to the challenge…"
Damn it, the most conservative woman he'd ever met was witling to strip in front of him. He couldn't back out without looking like an idiot. Besides, he'd been playing poker for years, and with men who would sever his jugular without a second thought. How tough could beating her be? "Okay, I'm game."
He scooped up his cards, barely able to suppress a smile when he saw a pair of tens. He kept those, took three more and drew another ten.
She asked for four cards. She consulted her written sheet of rankings, and with a big smile produced a pair of aces.
"Nice, sweetheart, but not enough." He showed his triple.
With good humor, she removed a boot and tossed it aside.
His next hand produced a flush which beat her two pair. She tugged off the other boot, sending it to join the first. Man, this was like stealing Tootsie Rolls from a toddler.
The third round brought him a straight to her three jacks. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the dismay on her face as she unbuttoned her sweater, leaving her in the filmy blouse and green skirt. The image of her climbing down the drainpipe in her sexy purple skivvies burned across his mind. All the blood from his brain rushed to his groin, and his jeans grew uncomfortably tight. The urge to laugh died. He shifted.
She frowned. "I'm not doing very well. Maybe we should quit."
A wise man would agree. He had never been mistaken for a wise man. Besides, he wanted to linger in her bright, warm glow a little longer before walking away, into the dark. Into the cold. Alone. "No quitting now."
She chewed her lower lip. "All right. Then let's up the ante."
A very bad feeling crept over him. "Up the ante?"
"One final hand, winner take all. If you win, I take off everything. But if I win—" She fixed him with a calculating look that started his stomach churning. "You answer three questions, no holds barred."
He shook his head. "I don't—"
She smiled smugly. "Now who's the chicken? Baak-baak-baak," she taunted.
No red-blooded male could cave in to that and keep his self-respect. "Okay, Houdini. Go for broke."
She suddenly began shuffling the cards with the smooth expertise of a Vegas croupier. "My deal. The game is five card stud. One down, three up, one down. Nothing wild."
He swallowed down the lump lodged in his throat. "You said you didn't know how to play."
"I never said that." Her lips quirked into that smug smile again. "I asked you to explain the game."
"You little scammer." The urge to laugh warred with the desire to strangle her. He drummed his fingers. "I've been hustled."
She shrugged. "This was your idea, remember? You in or out, Henry Chicken Hawk?"
Yeah, great idea, Bubba. He clenched his jaw. "In."
She dealt a facedown card to each of them.
He lifted the edge of his card. A king, not bad. Next cards face-up. A second king for him, she got a queen. Then he received a third king and Tessa a two. His mood lightened and he grinned. "Better quit while you're ahead."
She calmly dealt the next cards face-up. He snagged an ace and she dealt herself another queen. Even if she managed a third queen, his triple would outrank her. "Last chance to bail."
She shook her head and dealt the last cards facedown.
He slowly lifted the corner of his final card. Another ace. Hot damn, a full house, aces high! His heart raced. Even if she got a full house too, he still outranked her. Unless she pulled off a miracle, she'd be naked in a few minutes. What then? Don't kid yourself. You know what's gonna happen. She deserved so much more than a meaningless