Tina Leonard - His Valentine Triplets

Her accusing stare landed on Rafe, and he couldn’t help himself. He grinned. She stiffened, so cute in her judge getup, but completely naked to his eyes. It was as if she knew it.

After a long glare his way, during which time he noted her pink cheeks, and her full lips pressed flat with annoyance, she said, “Court will adjourn while I consider the motion. We will resume in one hour. And Mr. Callahan,” she said, her voice tight as she addressed Rafe, “I’d like to speak with you in my chambers, please. Counsel will not be required.”

“You’ve done it now,” Sam said in a low voice. “She’s going to eat you alive, scales and all. It’s your fault, too, for sitting there smirking at her.”

“I can’t help it,” Rafe said. “She just looks so stiff and formal in that robe. I remember tacking her hair to her desk in biology class, and chasing her on the playground. It’s hard for me to take her seriously.”

“She’s going to teach you the meaning of respect, dude. Good luck. I’m off to get a hot dog.” Sam sauntered away, his conscience clear, unconcerned about his brother’s impending misfortune.

Rafe sighed and approached the chamber of doom. “Judge?”

“Come in, please, Mr. Callahan, and close the door.”

She sounded like a vinegary old schoolteacher. Rafe sat down, and tried to arrange his face into the most respectful expression he possessed.

“Mr. Callahan,” Julie began, and he automatically said, “You can call me Rafe. I’m not a formal guy.”

She nodded. “As you wish. And you can call me Judge Jenkins.”

He nodded, reminding himself not to grin at her prissy tone. The fact was, Julie was in command of their futures at Rancho Diablo. If they could get her to recuse herself, they could probably get a more impartial judge to hear their case. This thought alone kept Rafe from smiling. He even tried his damnedest not to stare at Julie’s legs, shapely stems skimmed by the black robe, and elongated by high-heeled black pumps. Very severe, and very sexy. She wore her ebony hair in a no-nonsense upsweep, which made her look like a dark-eyed, exotic princess. She wore a lipstick that was a shade off red, and he wanted to kiss her lips until there was no lipstick left on her.

But he couldn’t. So he waited for her ire to recede.

“Mr. Callahan,” she began again, “you may be under the misapprehension that because we have had an engagement of a personal nature—”

“Sex,” he said.

Her full lips pursed for a moment. “You may be under a misapprehension that I will tolerate disrespect in my court.”

“No, Judge. I have the utmost respect for you.”

Her big brown eyes blinked. “Then quit smiling at me in the courtroom, please. You look like a wolf, which you may not be aware of, and it comes across as if you take this proceeding lightly.”

“I do not.” Rafe shook his head. “Trust me when I tell you that this proceeding is life-and-death to me.”

She nodded. “See that you try to maintain a more serious composure in the courtroom.”

“I will.” He nodded in turn, his expression as earnest as he could make it. “And you’re wrong, Julie. Just because I let you seduce me in a field doesn’t mean I don’t respect you.”

She gasped. “I did not seduce you!”

He shrugged. “You’re a powerful woman, Julie. Not only are you beautiful and smart, you’re sexy as hell. I couldn’t resist you.” He shook his head regretfully. “Ever since then, I’ve wondered if holding you in my arms was a dream.”

She glared at him. “You can be certain that I didn’t seduce you. You—you…” She seemed at a loss for words for once. “You seduced me!” she said in a whispered hiss. “This is what I’m talking about, Rafe. You Callahans always manage to twist things around!”

“Oh, Judge, it’s every man’s dream to be seduced by a gorgeous woman. Don’t burst my bubble.” Rafe smiled his most charming smile. “I wish I could seduce you, but I’m pretty sure you’re impervious to men.”

She blinked. “That didn’t sound very nice.”

“Maybe you’re just impervious to me.” He sat on her desk and swung a leg, considering his words. “That’s probably it.”

“I don’t even know how that happened that night. But,” Julie said, her voice low, “I’d appreciate you not bringing it up again, and particularly not in the courthouse.”

“But was it good for you?” Rafe asked. “That’s a worry that’s kept me up at night.”

Julie drew back. He gave her a forlorn look. “Good for me?” she repeated.

He nodded. “Did I make you feel good?”

She hesitated. “I guess so. I mean, considering it was you, I guess it felt as good as it could have.”

He tried not to laugh. She was lying like a rug, and in her own judge chambers, just down the hall from where she made people take oaths to tell the truth. “Ah, Julie,” he said, “there are nights when I wake up in a sweat thinking about how sweet you are.”

She appeared confused. Probably no one had ever said that to her before. But he knew she was sweet. He took her hand and tugged her close to him. “Seduce me again, Julie.”

“No,” she said. “You’re bad news, Rafe Callahan. My dad always says that, and it’s true. You’re really, really bad, and I should never have—”

He touched his lips to hers, stopping her words. “So why did you?”

“I don’t know,” she said, not pulling away from him. “I have no idea why I even let you talk to me, Rafe. I shouldn’t have done it, though, and I can tell you it will never happen again.”

“I know.” Rafe framed her face with his hands. “And it makes me so damn sad I just don’t know what to do.” He kissed her gently, then with more thoroughness as he felt some of the stiffness go out of her. “We geeks never get the beautiful girls.”

She blinked, pulling back. “Geeks?”

“Yeah. You know, those of us who think too much, when we should be men of action.” He moved his hands down her shoulders, down her arms, and began kissing along her neck. God, she smelled good. He had a stiff one of epic proportions sitting in his jeans, and the call of the wild firing his blood. “I’m guilty of thinking too much, when I should be going after what I want.”

He circled her waist, holding her to him, and kissed the hollow of her throat.

“Rafe—”

“Mmm?”

“Is this about the court case?”

He pulled back a moment. “Is what about the court case?”

“This.”

He looked into her dark eyes, completely confused. His mind was totally fogged by Julie, her sweet perfume, her sexy mouth—and then he realized what she was asking. “God, no, love. I compartmentalize much better than that.” He couldn’t help the grin that split his face. “I may be a thinker, but I’m not that good, sweetie. This is all about trying to get under the robe of the most beautiful girl in Diablo.”

Julie seemed to consider his words. Rafe was pretty certain he should strike while the iron was hot. Clearly, she was of two minds about letting him kiss her, and the fact was, he wasn’t about to let Julie out of his grasp. He remembered far too well how wonderful it had felt to be inside her. So he did what any normal, red-blooded man would do when faced with an uncertain female: he staked his flag on Venus. Pushing up Julie’s robe and dress and everything else that was in his way, he slid off the desk and kissed her soft tummy. She gasped, and he ran his hands under her buttocks.

“What are these?” he asked, staring at the darling little pink straps holding up her stockings. Julie looked like a Victorian saloon girl, and he was pretty certain he was so hard right now diamonds couldn’t chip him.