Mr. November

by Lori Foster

  Josh locked his thighs. The hell she would. The hell he’d let her! Last night had been—

  “But I knew I couldn’t.”

  His anger died a rapid death.

  She turned her face up to him, appearing dazed again. “I don’t want to share you anymore. That damn reception was hard enough, having all those women fawn over you and knowing what they were thinking because I was thinking it, too.”

  His tension eased. Cautiously he asked, “What were you thinking?”

  “How much I wanted you. How sexy you are, how heroic and wonderful and—”

  “I’m just me, babe.” And he reiterated, “And I love you.”

  She swallowed. “I need to start getting things set up for the next calendar.”

  “The next calendar.” Her verbal leaps made his head spin. Two more seconds and he was carrying her back to bed for more of that primal mating that made him feel a whole hell of a lot better.

  “I’d like to make it a yearly event. All kinds of possibilities occurred to me, only…” Amanda bit her lip, then forged on. “Only I can’t stand the thought of sharing you.”

  Josh smiled and explained, “You don’t have to share me.”

  She put a hand to her forehead and looked away. “I don’t own you.”

  “Marry me.” He made the offer with a racing heart and a lot of uncertainty. “That’s close enough isn’t it?”

  Amanda whipped around to face him, dropped into her seat, and watched him with the same fascination she might have given a snake. “You want to marry me?”

  Josh went to his knees in front of her. He really had to make her understand. “I’ve known a lot of women—”

  She put her hands over her ears, and he pulled them away. Amanda was such a jealous little thing—and he loved it.

  “I’ve had a lot of fun, Amanda,” he explained. “But no one has ever made me feel like you do.” He carried her hand to his chest, held it there over his heart. “I love you. I want to make babies with you and plant gardens and go on family vacations and all that.” Josh frowned with sincerity. “I want us to grow old together. And I damn well want you to tell me you love me, too.”

  She started to speak, but he wasn’t ready for her to yet. He had a few more points to make. “Amanda, you do love me, you know. Last night you were incredible. I’m sorry I lost my head there, but you’re just too much—”

  “I’m just me!”

  “—and once you touched me, well, baby I went a little nuts.” Josh shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with us having great sex. I’d meant to be really gentle and romantic, but it didn’t work out that way. I’d been thinking about you all night and I guess I was half-cocked before I got here.”

  Amanda choked at his wording, and then sputtered, “I told you, you shouldn’t think about me when you’re working!”

  “You,” Josh told her, “are never far from my mind.” He pulled her from the chair and into his lap on the floor. Any space between them was too damn much. “Besides, thinking about you is what saved the day.”

  Josh explained about the cat and how her experience made him stop and think. “If it hadn’t been for loving you, I’d have followed my gut instinct and gone back in that house last night, looking for an infant. Then who knows what might have happened to me.”

  “No!” Amanda curled around him, desperate and sweet, protective even though he outweighed her by over a hundred pounds.

  Cradling her head to his chest, Josh said, “What happened to you was awful, sweetheart, but it’s in the past and I’m here now. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Josh froze. He grabbed her shoulders and tried to lever her away so he could see her face, but she clung like a stubborn vine. “Amanda!”

  He felt her smile against his throat. “That’s what I was going to tell you. Last night, you needed me. Not just a body, not just any woman. You came to me and I knew you needed me.”

  “Hell, yes I need you! Isn’t that what I’ve been saying?”

  “You didn’t have to work at getting me into bed because I’d already decided I wanted you there. Everything was different because you’re different and how I feel about you is different.”

  His chest expanded, with love and a dozen other elusive emotions. “You love me?”

  “Yes. So how can making love with you be anything but wonderful?”

  Josh squeezed her until she squeaked. “You little sneak! I’ve been in agony here, trying to figure you out, trying to decide how to get you to say ‘I do,’ and all along you knew you loved me.”

  “You wouldn’t let me tell you.”

  “You only wanted to talk about another damn calendar.”

  Now she pushed back to see him, and she grinned. “I will.”

  He frowned suspiciously. “You will what?”

  “I will marry you.”

  “Oh.” Josh wanted to shout, to jump up on the table and dance, to drag Amanda to the bedroom and strip her naked. He just nodded. “Good. What a relief.”

  “And I will do another calendar—”

  He groaned and started to topple to the floor.

  Amanda laughed and pulled him upright “—but you won’t be in it.”

  “Thank God.”

  “I want new blood,” she said, making him scowl with his own share of budding jealousy. “This is turning out even bigger than I’d first planned. The amount of money we made last night was astronomical. I have all kinds of ideas for letting women in on choosing the models for next year. This time we’ll include the paramedics, and maybe we’ll even be able to talk Mick into…”

  Josh pulled Amanda down to the floor as he reclined, arranging her on top of him.

  “Josh! What are you doing.”

  “I want you to make love to me again.”

  “Oh.” She relaxed.

  “And I want you to quit talking about other men. I don’t like it.”

  “I am doing the calendar.” She levered herself up, digging her pointy elbows into his chest to scowl at him, just in case he didn’t hear the seriousness in her tone. “I’m good at it and I enjoy doing my share to help.”

  Josh slanted her a look. “You aren’t doing it for retribution? This isn’t your idea of donning a hair shirt?”

  “I’ll always feel horrible over what happened that night, Josh. There’s no way that’ll ever change.”

  “I’ll always love you,” Josh whispered. “There’s no way that will ever change.”

  Amanda smiled, bent and kissed him sweetly. “No,” she said, “I’m not mentally flogging myself. Not anymore. I just want to help a worthy cause. I’ve seen now how much the money helps.”

  “Okay. I’ll help too—just not by posing ever again.” Josh caressed her behind. “Can we live here?”

  Amanda had just started to stretch out over him again, but drew herself back up. “What?”

  “After we’re married,” he explained. “I’m thinking we could do a large addition, something that would work well with the existing structure and the grounds. We’ll need room for babies and all my stuff, a bigger kitchen and another bathroom.”

  Amanda laid down on him and hugged him tight. “Yes, I’d love that. Living here with you would be perfect.”

  He held her hips against his growing erection. “You wanna have a baby right away?”

  She laughed, leaned up to look at him, then laughed some more. Her body shook atop his and Josh had to smile. Her laughter was such a turn-on, he started inching up the hem of her robe to get to her luscious behind.

  “My parents won’t believe this.”

  “Hmmm?”

  “That after everything, I’ve fallen crazy nuts in love…with a firefighter.”

  Epilogue

  “MICK, YOU HAVE TO move your hand so I know which guy to vote for.”

  “I’ll cast the vote for you. Hand me your card.”

  Amanda laughed as she watched Mick and Zack doing their best to keep their wives from viewing
the strutting men on stage. They’d paid big money in the name of charity to get front row tables for the event, but now they were turning into prudes. Amanda had every faith that Del and Wynn could hold their own.

  Josh was backstage with the men, directing them on when to showcase their assets, while constantly heckling and provoking the young men. He enjoyed his role as assistant and supervisor much more than being a model.

  Amanda couldn’t imagine being happier. She was now the president of the Firefighter’s Calendar yearly production, and as he’d promised, Josh freely gave his help. He was, as she’d accepted from the first, a most remarkable man. And he was all hers.

  They’d married two months ago. Their wedding was a huge elaborate celebration and Wynn and Del had teased her mercilessly about her fancy lace and pearl dress, her long train, her veil. But when they’d appeared in their own lacy, feminine gowns, as part of the procession, Mick and Zack had nearly fallen over. Their eyes had glazed and their shoulders tensed and Josh laughed out loud at them.

  Amanda learned that the men didn’t see their wives dressed up very often, and apparently, seeing them thus was a huge turn-on. She’d heard Wynn whisper to Del that dressing up more often might not be such a bad idea. They’d both turned to Amanda, and said she’d have to give them some tips. Amanda really liked them both and valued their friendship.

  Her parents had attended the wedding, along with her sister, and of course, they all loved Josh. He charmed them easily, all the while holding Amanda close.

  To Amanda’s surprise her father had gotten teary eyed when he hugged her. They’d had regular, friendlier contact since.

  Josh stepped up behind Amanda and put his large hot hands on her belly. “You feeling okay?”

  She leaned her head back on his shoulder. “I feel fabulous.”

  “No sickness?”

  Amanda laughed. “Josh, I just found out I’m pregnant two days ago!”

  He kissed her temple. “I’m going to take such good care of you.”

  “Mmmm.”

  “Mick tells me pregnant ladies are always horny.”

  Amanda sputtered a laugh. Del was in the family way too, but then, Amanda doubted that had anything to do with her heightened sexuality. As far as she’d been able to tell, both Wynn and Del were always willing to indulge in a little physical love-play with their husbands.

  Now that she’d been with Josh, Amanda totally understood that sentiment. All he had to do was look at her and her knees went weak. She felt weak now, and they were in the middle of a special program!

  With that thought, Amanda gave her attention back to the stage.

  “If I’d have put you up there,” Amanda said, eyeing the young firefighter now flexing his muscles and grinning at the feminine catcalls, “we’d have made a fortune.”

  “You’ll make a fortune anyway and you know it. Besides, my wife is territorial. She hates having me ogled by other women, and I love her too much to upset her.”

  Amanda turned into his arms and hugged him fiercely. The past, for her, was just that. In the past. All the hurt, all the guilt, were now faded memories, buried beneath the incredible love she shared with an incredible man.

  He was a hero. He was her hero. And working together on the calendar benefit, they’d make a big difference to a lot of people. She couldn’t ask for anything more.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-8739-0

  MR. NOVEMBER

  Copyright © 2001 by Lori Foster.

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