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“Detective. She’s decided to run away with me and there’s nothing you can do about it.” His look was thunderous and I laughed, happy to see someone else as off kilter as I was and over a woman. “Tough luck, man.”
Jackson barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Maybe if you looked at her the way you looked at Janey, I’d believe you. Now get your paws off my woman.” His features softened as they drew closer, kissing like they hadn’t seen one another in weeks instead of a few hours.
“On that note, I’m gone. Please don’t have sex on anything you use for the basket, but have fun.” Jackson flipped me off and I waved before I hurried out of the kitchen before I saw something I couldn’t unsee.
Reese was working on the food which left everything else up to me, now I just had to figure out what the hell to do about it.JaneyFinally. The project that was the Hometown Heroes calendar was finished. Complete. Done. Over. The only thing left to do was get approval from the mayor’s office, which meant Nina or Penny, and then it was off to the printers. Luckily for me, shipping them was someone else’s job.
There was still work to be done where the calendar and its proceeds were concerned, but for all intents and purposes, the Hometown Heroes calendar was complete and that meant I could turn my focus back to my own art. And my latest project.
And not at all on Rafe Montgomery, the last bachelor standing in Tulip, and the man currently taking up too much real estate in my mind. I hadn’t seen him since I flew out of the fire station and I wasn’t sure if I would hear from him again. And I hadn’t yet decided if that was okay or not, mostly because I didn’t know.
I liked Rafe. I liked sleeping with him and spending time with him. I liked the way he smelled and the way he always smiled before he kissed me, like it was a pleasure to put his lips to mine. Okay, I just plain liked the guy and that was a problem. A me problem that needed to be fixed. Immediately.
Hence my keeping my distance in a big way. So far it had worked.
If I could keep it up, I would be fine. Better than fine, I would be perfect. And when Rafe moved on to his supermodel pediatrician girlfriend, I wouldn’t even be affected. Not even a little bit.
Eventually.
Since thoughts of Rafe wouldn’t go away as easily as the man, I shook those thoughts free and closed my laptop before standing to stretch my tense muscles. An activity that brought forth more thoughts of Rafe and how I could really use a naked workout session with him. “No more! Stop.” If my mind wouldn’t help me in this matter then I would have to be strong enough for the both of us. “Think about art. About finishing the calendar. About anything else, girl. Sheesh!”
The doorbell rang and it was just the distraction I needed from thoughts of Rafe, unless of course it was the matchmakers again, in which case I would run up to my room and hide out until they got tired of waiting. Then again, maybe they had finally realized that I was also single and, maybe, interesting in snagging a man of my own.
I froze two feet from the door. Did I really want the guy those ladies thought would be perfect for me? They’d probably choose someone boring like an accountant or a librarian, because that’s what they thought of me.
“I can see you in there Janey.”
I frowned at the familiar deep voice, unsure if my mind was playing tricks on me or if Rafe was really on the other side of the door. There’s only one way to find out, Janey. True, but a quick look down and I realized I wasn’t dressed for company, not in my finest work from home yoga pants and too thin Trivia Night tank top. The supermodel pediatrician probably didn’t wear anything so grubby even when she was home alone, heck probably even when she was home with the flu. But I wasn’t her. I was me.
Janey Matheson. If that wasn’t good enough for Rafe or anyone else, then good damn riddance. With that thought I squared my shoulders and wrapped my hand around the doorknob, pulling slowly until the full impact of Rafe stood before me.
As gorgeous as he ever was, only today there was something different about him. The same deep blue eyes and dark hair, the same playful smile. But there was an earnestness about him as he stood there in a plain gray t-shirt and faded well-worn jeans that highlighted his slender physique to perfection. “Rafe. What are you doing here?”
