Mr. February Read Online Free PDF Page B

down the hall, toward the bathroom.
    “I’m in shock he actually obeyed you,” Jillian commented.
    “A guy can’t argue washing his hands before he eats. They probably want to sit together.”
    Rafe scooted over, closer to Jillian. Under the small table, their thighs almost touched. She smelled good, of the great outdoors and beer and something sweet underneath that he definitely wanted to check out.
    After returning from the bathroom, JR and his lady friend sat down and helped themselves.
    “So, JR, I hear you’re looking for a job,” Rafe said while the two of them inhaled the remains of the pizza.
    “That’s right. I’ve applied for a couple things, but, so far, nothing has come through.”
    “What type of work are you looking for?”
    “Anything.”
    “Tell me about your work experience.”
    “What is this, a job interview?”
    Jillian sucked in an audible breath and stiffened. Her brother seemed to have an attitude problem. Rafe shrugged. “Just asking.”
    “I delivered fast food. I worked on a farm, clearing land to make a pasture and doing odd jobs. For a couple months, I apprenticed with a carpenter.”
    “What happened with that?”
    “The boss was a mother fu—A butt.”
    It seemed clear JR was no picnic, either. “I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for you,” Rafe said.
    “Thanks, man.” JR shut the empty pizza box and nodded at Chelsea. “Let’s go watch TV.”
    “How about cleaning up your mess first,” Jillian said, sounding irritated.
    “Chill, Jill. Okay.”
    After clearing their plates, the couple sauntered to the living room.
    “You see what I’m dealing with,” she said, compressing her pretty mouth into a thin line. “JR makes me want to scream! But Chelsea’s sweet, even if she is too passive. And she is carrying my niece or nephew.” A smile danced across her face.
    “You’re excited about that.”
    “You’d better believe it.”
    “What was that knowing look she gave you?”
    “You saw that?” Jillian blushed. “She, um… She recognizes you from the calendar.”
    Rafe rolled his eyes.
    “You don’t like having your photo on it, huh?”
    Rafe shook his head. “I do it because we bring a lot of money in to help others.” Darkness had fallen, and he checked his watch. “I should get home.”
    He whistled for Calvin, stretched out on the kitchen floor. When the dog trotted to his side, he leashed him and stepped out the kitchen door and moored the leash to the stoop railing.
    Jillian joined him. “Thanks again for your help.”
    In the cold air, her breath looked like wisps of smoke. Rafe nodded. “No problem.”
    Under the yellow porch light, he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, a quick good night. But she tasted sweeter than he’d imagined, and one brief kiss wasn’t enough. What started out as a casual gesture quickly flared into something bigger and hotter.
    She responded immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back. Forgetting their philosophies on life were as different as night and day, Rafe angled closer, coaxed her lips apart, and deepened the kiss. He couldn’t get enough, even enjoyed the vague taste of pineapple.
    In no time, he was ready to combust. He wanted to shed his clothes, strip hers away, and take her, right there against the siding.
    The inferno raging through him brought him up short. This kind of thing didn’t happen to him, not after a couple of kisses.
    Confused and a little freaked, he tore his mouth away.
    Jillian’s eyelids fluttered open. She looked as dazed as he felt. Through sheer strength of will, he resisted pulling her in for more.
    He unfastened Calvin from the railing and then offered a gruff, “Good night, Jillian.”
    “Night, Rafe.”
    He strode for his car.
    *
    Thanks to a habit ramrodded into her by her father, Jillian had never been able to sleep in. Even after working until the wee hours Saturday night, she woke before dawn on Sunday, with a craving for a Samantha’s