Mr. February Read online

  Local folklore surrounded the centuries-old tree, which stood some six yards from Guff’s Lake. Supposedly, if a couple kissed under the tree, theirs would be a lasting love.

  Jillian had never been kissed her under the tree, not even by Douglas. “Actually, I do.”

  Chelsea was silent for a moment, and Jillian guessed she wanted JR to take her to the tree.

  After hemming and hawing, the girl bit her lip. “Can I ask you something, Jillian?”

  “If it’s about my brother, I have no idea what he’ll do.”

  “Huh?” Chelsea said, with a blank look. “This is about work. If I don’t get the job at the Rogue Valley Cheesery… Do you think you could hire me as your assistant?”

  She’d never shown any interest in making pottery, but, then, Jillian hadn’t exactly encouraged her. “I’m flattered, and I think you’d make a great assistant. The problem is, I’m barely making enough money to cover my own expenses, let alone pay you. Although you never know. If my classes take off… Maybe. First you’d need to learn pottery basics.”

  “But I need a job right away.” Chelsea’s shoulders slumped. “I understand. I’ll keep looking.”

  She didn’t seem interested in learning about pottery. Still, she did have retail sales experience… Jillian had an idea. “The Rogue Valley Arts Festival I’ve been working so hard to get ready for is a little more than three weeks away. I expect to be busy day and night, and I’d appreciate an extra pair of hands. Maybe you can help me out then?”

  Chelsea’s somber expression lifted. “You mean it? Thanks, Jill.”

  “The festival only lasts three days, with an extra day needed to set up the booth and a long night taking it apart again Sunday evening. I won’t be able to pay you much.”

  “Anything is better than zero.”

  Suddenly Pooh’s ears pricked up. With a joyous woof, she scrambled up and raced for the door. Jillian recognized the sound of the purring engine. Her heart bumped hard in her chest. “Isn’t that Rafe’s car? He must be bringing JR home.”

  Chelsea stood. “I thought he would walk back.”

  Jillian half hoped Rafe would drop off JR and leave. Given her growing feelings for him, that would be the safest route.

  She let Chelsea go out alone and waited a few minutes, listening for the revving engine to tell her when Rafe drove away. But all she heard were Calvin’s woof and Pooh’s responding yip. Curious and unable to help herself, she slipped out the door.

  Rafe had exited the car. Calvin wagged his tail at Pooh, who pranced with excitement. Despite the cool afternoon temperature, Rafe wore no jacket. In a navy T-shirt and jeans, he looked so good she wanted to drool. He sauntered toward her, while JR moved toward Chelsea with a swagger in his step.

  He put his arm around Chelsea and grinned. “Zach and I start a week from today.”

  They shared a quick kiss, followed by a meaningful look. Arms around each other, they headed into the house, leaving Pooh behind to frolic with Calvin. And Jillian alone with Rafe and the dogs.

  She wanted the same things—a kiss, a meaningful look. and the promise of a lot more. Just now, her feelings for Rafe were so strong, she tucked her hands under her arms to keep from reaching for him.

  “So it went okay?” she asked, impressed she sounded totally normal.

  He nodded. “Even with Zach’s expertise and the two of them working, the job won’t be easy. But I think JR will manage.”

  Jillian crossed her fingers—and decided to share her doubts. “My brother doesn’t have the best track record for sticking with things,” she warned. “Especially when the task is difficult.”

  “I’m not worried.”

  She released the breath she’d been holding. “Thanks for giving him this opportunity, Rafe. I…we all…appreciate this.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Pleasure. The word whispered across her suddenly feverish skin. Rafe’s eyes had gone as warm and as dark as melted chocolate. Jillian felt the heat radiating from him. A wave of longing rushed through her. She stepped back, away from his magnetic pull, but the heat stayed with her.

  “Chelsea applied for a job at the Rogue Valley Cheesery,” she said, pretending to be unaffected. “She also asked to be my assistant.”

  “Are you going to hire her?”

  “I can’t afford to. Besides, she isn’t really interested in making pottery. But I did hire her to work in my booth at the Arts Festival.”

  Rafe nodded. “I see you’ve been working today.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted, and she groaned. “Let me guess. I have clay on my face again.”

  “Right there.” He pointed at her cheek.

  Good thing he didn’t touch her. Otherwise, she just might go up in flames. She wet her finger and then rubbed at the spot. “Gone?”

  “Yeah.” Rafe had been watching closely, his expression impossible to read. “I’ve never been in a pottery studio before. Do you have time to show it to me?”

  Jillian had no idea why he looked taken aback by his own question. He certainly surprised her. Aside from students and fellow potters, few guys had ever asked.

  “You really want to see my studio?” she asked, pathetically excited to give him a tour. But also a little nervous. She really needed to get away from him and cool off. “I don’t allow pets in there. Animal hair tends to muck up my glazes.”

  “As long as Calvin can hang out in the fenced area with Pooh, he’ll be fine.”

  She would keep the tour short and professional, she assured herself while she and Rafe penned in the dogs. Then she’d send Rafe on his way. That should be harmless enough.

  “Follow me,” said, beckoning him to join her.

  Chapter Nine

  ‡

  What was he doing, heading into Jillian’s studio? Rafe silently chided. Sure, he wanted to see her work space, but with his desire for her barely in check, this probably wasn’t a smart idea.

  She shut the door behind them and gestured around. “This is where all the magic happens.”

  The studio was bigger it looked from the outside, spacious even. Yet, at the same time, surprisingly cozy. Despite blinds pulled against the afternoon sun, a skylight overhead provided plenty of natural light over the clean concrete floor, the big, scarred table, and the faded sofa well past its prime. A pottery wheel sat off to one side, not far from a wall of cabinets and two of open shelves filled with pottery.

  Rafe nodded at the Guff’s Lake Fire Department calendar hanging near a bulletin board, and the photo of Gus grinning. “Good to see you actually use that thing.”

  For the first time since he’d brought JR home, she cracked a smile. “Hey, I consider it my civic duty to support your benefit fund. You can see why I renewed my lease on the cottage.”

  “This is some studio.” He noted the bulging shelves. “You sure have a lot of pottery over there.”

  “Most is for the upcoming Arts Festival. There are lots more, packed and waiting, in the cabinets. Those you see need to be kiln-fired a second time. As soon as I have room, I’ll create more.”

  “How many pieces are you planning to make?”

  “According to my inventory spreadsheet, I need at least double what I have.”

  Rafe had never figured her for the spreadsheet type. “You keep a tally of your inventory?”

  She nodded. “I also track orders and sales. If I want to stay on top of my business, I have to.”

  He’d had no idea she was so organized and practical, or that she worked this hard. She wasn’t nearly as flaky as he’d thought.

  On another wall, blocks of clay wrapped in plastic bags sat on a smaller group of shelves. “What’s all that?”

  “My students’ supplies. This week, they learned the basics of working with clay. Next Monday, they throw their first pots.”

  “That should be interesting.”

  “And messy, and frustrating for some. Crafting a piece of pottery is harder than it looks. My plan is to have fun and h
ope everyone signs up for more advanced classes. Of course, I’ll also ask them to post comments on my website and spread the word to their friends and acquaintances.”

  “Cool idea to use your website that way.” Rafe wandered over to the shelves of Jillian’s pieces and whistled. “Some of this is amazing.”

  She flushed with pleasure. “Thanks. So JR’s job will last between ten days and two weeks?”

  “Probably. If things work out and Zach is satisfied with your brother’s work, he may decide to keep him on,” he said, wanting to keep the pleased look on her face. “But that’s up to Zach. Don’t say anything to JR.”

  “I won’t.” She rewarded him with a brilliant smile, so beautiful he couldn’t look away. “Why are you doing this, Rafe?”

  For her. He wasn’t about to dig any further than that. “Because your brother needs work, and I need someone to clear my land.”

  “This means a lot to me. To us.” She bit her lip, drawing his attention to her sexy mouth, and then stepped closer. “Thank you so much.” Leaning in, she brushed his cheek with those lips.

  Did she have any idea what that did to him? Not about to light a match to that particular fire, Rafe froze. Her hair smelled like spring, and, underneath, he caught a whiff of clay and sunshine and woman.

  Revving up, straight into overdrive, growing harder by the second, he gritted his teeth. “What are you doing?”

  “It’s a thank-you kiss.” Her flushed cheeks and darkened eyes belied the words.

  Rafe meant to back away. Instead he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not the marrying kind,” he warned, his vanishing hold on his self-control making his voice gruff.

  “At the moment, I don’t care.”

  “You should. I—”

  “Stop talking and kiss me.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged him down. And he was lost.

  *

  Rafe’s kiss was different than before. More demanding, almost ravenous, sparking Jillian’s own hunger. When he skimmed his palms up her sides, she tensed with expectation. His thumbs brushed across her nipples, and the breath fluttered from her lips.

  To her dismay, he stopped and tore his mouth from hers. “Do you want me to stop?”

  She could barely think, let alone form words. After returning his hands to her aching breasts, she pulled him into another kiss.

  Rafe seemed to sense when her knees were about to buckle. With his lips fused to hers, he backed her toward the sofa and drew her down. It was too short for them to stretch out fully, and Jillian ended up on his lap.

  He lifted the hem of her long-sleeved T-shirt up over her bra, unfastened the front clasp, and pushed it aside. Cool air washed over her hot skin. She shivered.

  His molten gaze slid over her. “You have beautiful breasts.”

  “I’ve always wished they were bigger.”

  “They’re perfect, with the prettiest pink nipples.” With his finger, he traced one areola. “Tight, like rosebuds.”

  Oh, the pleasure. Suddenly damp between her legs, Jillian let her head fell back and thrust out her chest, silently offering herself.

  With a masculine growl of desire, Rafe lowered his head and pleasured her with his mouth.

  Sheer bliss. Longing for more, she shifted restlessly in his lap.

  “Easy,” he cautioned, grasping her hips and holding her still.

  Dazed, she blinked at him. The man looked as if he was in pain. “Did I hurt you?”

  “Not exactly.” His lips quirked. “This feels more like torture.”

  Hot hands skated down her stomach. The button on her jeans had always been slightly bigger than the buttonhole, and difficult to unfasten.

  Would he have trouble with it? Jillian caught her breath. But no, he deftly worked it open, like the experienced man, the stud he was.

  Her guarded heart, open and tender, contracted in alarm, all but destroying her desperate need for him. “Don’t, Rafe.”

  He went still. “Okay.” In short order, he zipped up her jeans, tugged her shirt down, and set her on the cushion beside him. “Maybe we should talk.”

  *

  Rafe desired Jillian more than he could ever remember wanting a woman. And she was just as hot for him, which was a total turn-on. But she’d been right to stop him.

  “As bad as I want you, Jillian, what we’re doing is crazy,” he said, for both her sake and his. “You’re looking for marriage and kids, and we both know I’m the wrong man for that.”

  She nodded and blew out a heavy breath. “When we’re apart, that’s easy to remember. But when we’re together and your eyes go hot and dark and focused… Then it’s hard to recall what I want. While you were kissing me and touching me… I didn’t want us to stop.” Hesitating, she glanced down at her hands for a moment. “I never felt this way before, and it scares me.”

  Rafe appreciated her honesty, but the words made him plenty nervous. “I don’t want to be the guy who breaks your heart.”

  Her eyes flashed. “You think I do? I’m not falling for you, Rafe. I just… I have this physical thing for you that won’t let go.”

  “You’re talking about sex.” Relief washed over him. He glanced down at the hard-on about to bust his fly open. “As you can see, I’m on the same page. The chemistry between us is off the charts.”

  “Exactly. And it’s keeping me from even looking at another man. I’m not at all sure how to fix that.”

  Through the closed studio windows, Rafe heard the dogs barking and JR’s voice. Thank God for the shuttered blinds. He’d been so hot for Jillian, he hadn’t even thought about privacy.

  Hadn’t thought, period. He shook his head in disbelief. But then, the same thing had happened the first time they’d kissed. With one big difference—today had been more intense.

  His cell phone rang. He slid it from his hip pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s Adam. I’m supposed to be at his place, to help install a new shower. One of the many things he wants done before Sam and William move in this summer. Excuse me.”

  Jillian nodded and showed her back to him while she fastened her bra. Rafe also turned away, giving her privacy.

  “Hey, Adam. I lost track of the time. I’ll be over shortly.” He disconnected.

  When he faced her again, she’d smoothed her T-shirt into place and buttoned her jeans. She looked as if nothing had happened—if you didn’t count her flushed skin and kiss-swollen lips.

  Beautiful and passionate. Irresistible.

  Unable to keep his hands off her, Rafe brushed her silky-soft hair from her face, his hungry fingers lingering on the delicate shells of her ears. Her eyes went soft again, and her lips parted, testing his willpower to the max.

  He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Look, I don’t want to mess with your plans to find a guy who shares your dreams for the future. We probably shouldn’t see each other anymore, especially not alone. I’m not saying we should go out of our way to avoid each other, but if we are together, we’d best make sure other people are around.”

  “Agreed.” Jillian squared her shoulders and opened the door.

  As they stepped into the sunlight, JR’s eyes widened. Rafe gave him a terse nod, unpenned Calvin, then beat a hasty retreat out of there.

  Chapter Ten

  ‡

  “In the almost three weeks since I was last here, Georgia sure has grown,” Jillian marveled, gazing at the infant nursing at her mother’s breast.

  “She’s gained almost two pounds and a third of an inch in length,” Shannon proudly shared. “Which puts her in the eighty-fifth percentile for all babies her age.” She smoothed her hand over the little round head. “Isn’t she something?”

  Her tender smile tugged at Jillian’s heart and made her want a baby of her own all the more.

  “That’s some sigh,” Shannon said. “The second you walked in, I sensed something was off. What’s wrong?”

  “You know me so well.” Jillian crossed her legs and laced her fi
ngers in her lap. Eager to spill her troubles, she got right to the point. “It’s Rafe.”

  “Hunky firefighter Rafe? The one who isn’t your type?” Shannon arched her eyebrows.

  “All right. I’m attracted to him. That doesn’t mean he’s the man for me. Although he’s such a great guy. I mean, he got JR a job.” On the phone last week, she’d told Shannon about her brother’s temporary employment and had shared that she’d given him a deadline to move out. “This is his first day at work, and he actually whistled as he left this morning.”

  “That’s a nice change. Back to you and Rafe. You were saying he’s not the man for you, but…” Her eyebrows arched in question.

  “There’s some other stuff.”

  “Such as?”

  “We have this amazing chemistry.” Jillian’s cheeks grew warm, and she knew she was blushing.

  “You two are having sex? Get out of town!”

  “Actually, no, but we have discussed it.” Last week, after engaging in some of the most arousing foreplay of Jillian’s life. Since then, despite continually reminding herself Rafe was all wrong for her, her longing for him had only grown.

  “We both agreed it shouldn’t happen,” she explained. “From now on, we’re going to avoid each other, but if, for some reason, we happen to meet, we’ll make sure other people are around. Because when the two of us are alone together…” Searching for the right way to describe the intense feelings between them, Jillian paused. “It’s dangerous.”

  “The attraction is that strong?”

  Miserable, Jillian nodded. “More powerful than anything else I’ve experienced.”

  “You’re not exactly jumping for joy. Maybe you don’t want to stay away from him.”

  “No, but if I’m going to find a man who wants to settle down and start a family, it’s for the best. May I burp Georgia?”

  “Be my guest.” While Jillian coaxed out a burp, the conversation focused on the infant.

  Then Shannon changed her diaper and laid her in the crib. As soon as Jillian and her friend returned to the living room, Shannon picked up where they’d left off. “When you talk about Rafe, your whole face changes. Are you in love with him?”