"Do not take stuff the wrong way on purpose!" Pepper protested right back. "Just teasing you, Wonder Boy. Stop being such a sissy."

She shook her head. "You may think think there's worse things than smelling like Brian, but...." She caught the grin at the same time that she'd caught up with what he'd said. Oh, he was really asking for it, wasn't he?

She was not going to blush or look away. She wasn't. It was like playing Chicken, only with your will instead of a car. "Fine," she said simply, and pulled the shirt over her head and off, throwing it at him. And then she stared at him, one eyebrow quirked pointedly. There. She dared him not to be uncomfortable now.