Captured In Ink (Art of Love Series) (3 page)

“Did you do something to make Aunt Teresa mad?” Zack asked tightly, his instinct to protect his aunt momentarily overriding his awe of Shane Larson.

Shane pulled his mind from its wishing and wanting to focus on the boy confronting him.

“Maybe I did make her mad. I might have made your aunt fall in love with me when she didn’t want to,” Shane explained, wanting to laugh at the kid’s shock at his frank statement. “I fell pretty hard for her when we met. Maybe I messed it up telling her too soon. I’ve never been in love before. It’s not like there’s a rule book.”

Zack laughed at the bold words, though he suspected the man wasn’t kidding, even if it sounded like a joke to walk in cold and announce you loved someone. Obviously, Aunt Teresa wasn’t buying it.

“
Love?
That’s crazy dude. But if it works out, I guess you won’t be any worse than the last guy,” Zack decided, following his pronouncement with a shrug.

Last guy?
Shane wondered where the last guy was and why such a hot woman had been trolling for sex at a club if there was a potential guy in her life. Then he remembered that the “last guy” had to be gone at least five months. He and Teresa Callahan had ended their celibacies together. To Shane, it was one of the best things about that night. He now saw it as a sign that he and Teresa Callahan had been waiting to find each other.

Jillian rose from her seat on the couch and walked to where Shane Larson stood staring after Reesa, obviously lost in his thoughts. The man was really tall, not like her brother Jackson had been, but still Jillian knew Larson would be scary tall for her petite best friend who tended to not date anyone over five-eight or nine.

Not that Jillian believed Reesa was seriously worried about the man’s height at this point. She’d already spent the night with him, so height was just the handiest excuse. Jillian figured Reesa was more worried that the man wanted her in his life, something she knew Reesa wasn’t able to contemplate at all at the moment.
And damn Brentwood Addison for that shit,
Jillian thought viciously, sincerely hoping the investment strategist rotted in hell. Brentwood alone was reason enough to help this shaggy, scary guy as far as she was concerned.

“You seriously interested in her?” Jillian demanded.

“More than I can really go into in front of a mixed age audience,” Shane answered sincerely, holding Jillian’s dark, assessing gaze. “I definitely want to date her.”

“Don’t get your hopes up because your chances aren’t good, but at least call her
Reesa,
not Teresa,” Jillian advised. “She hates her real name.”

“Thanks for the heads up. Can I give you this cutie pie?” Shane asked.

Jillian nodded, and he passed Sara to her. “Sara Girl, you are going to have to start walking. You are five and way too big to be carried around.”

“I am not five,” Sara denied, sticking her thumb back into her mouth.

“Sorry,” Jillian said to Shane. “We have some issues we’re working through here. Somebody thinks she’s a baby instead of a big girl.”

Looking around at Zack, Chelsea, Jillian, and Sara, Shane made a swift assessment of the situation and an even swifter decision that he belonged in the picture.

“I’ve got to go help fix the gutter, but I’ll be back sometime soon,” Shane said to both Jillian and Zack. “
Reesa Callahan.
I like it. It suits her much better than Ann.”

Smiling genuinely for the first time in two weeks, Shane walked back out the door and went to find Joe.

Jillian and Zack exchanged looks, both of them shaking their heads. Then Jillian laughed as the truth just tumbled out on its own. “Reesa could have dated a preppy guy who smiled at her all night, but no—shaggy, ugly Larson was who she opted to spend time with. In my opinion, Reesa Callahan brought this whole mess on herself.”

Zack chuckled in response. “He said Aunt Teresa was his
destiny
.”

Jillian rolled her eyes. “Destiny? Man, it’s getting deep in here now. Bring the shovel around in case Larson comes back and we have to dig our way out of the melodrama. Never date an artist, Zack.”

Zack laughed at his aunt’s wicked humor and headed back outside to see if the two men needed his help. Personally, he liked Shane Larson, and the man wrote the
Winged Protector
.

He sort of hoped things worked out.

Chapter 2

Time to get to the heart of the matter, Jillian decided. She set Sara down next to Chelsea on the couch, and headed down the hall. She found Reesa in the master bedroom putting away folded laundry and slamming drawers shut as she did so.

“Girlfriend, what the hell do you do in bed that’s so great? And why are you not sharing your secrets with me?” Jillian demanded, giving Reesa a questioning look. “It’s bad enough that I’ve watched every male you ever dated or slept with try to marry you. But this is the first time I’ve seen a one-timer track you down to get some more.”

“Oh please—I was just a novelty to the man. You should have seen the twenty-something who hit on him in front of me. I swear I never told Shane Larson who I was or anything personal about me no matter how talented he was at extracting information,” Reesa denied. “The man was very good—no, forget that stuff. I am not going to say it out loud. Just tell me how to get rid of him, Jillian.”

“
Get rid of him?
God sent him here today, girlfriend,” Jillian said, laughing. “You can’t be messing around with divine intervention. If you don’t date the man, body parts might start dropping off.”

Reesa snorted, refusing to laugh at Jillian’s teasing. “Well, I did finish the mountain of laundry in record time today. I guess for my reward I could throw on a pair of five inch stilettos and a short skirt to cook dinner for the seven of us. Would that count as a date?”

“Now you’re just being a wise-ass,” Jillian said, keeping her retorts quiet, yet sharp.

Reesa put the last of the clothes in the chest of drawers that once held her sister’s clothes, and then turned to face her friend full-on.

“You know I can’t even consider dating Shane Larson. Even if I was interested—which I am not—I’m guessing he’s not even thirty. I would never date someone so young with my current life situation. Get real about this, Jillian. If Brent didn’t want to take on the kids, someone like Shane is never going to want the whole package I come with.”

“Brentwood was a wimp, and that’s the kindest word I have to describe the SOB. Shane Larson, on the other hand, looks quite capable of a lot of things. Was he good in bed?” Jillian asked.

Reesa was quiet so long that Jillian laughed again at the telling silence.

“
Worse than good
,” she finally admitted, using their code for only the most seriously hot men. “The man made me laugh—over and over—in between the many orgasms he was more than happy to provide me.”

“Shame on him then,” Jillian teased, pushing down her envy. “You should strip off his shirt and flog him. That way I can check out the chest lurking under those massively wide shoulders.”

“Jillian—stop!” Reesa ordered, clutching the empty clothes basket, trying not to think about Shane’s shoulders or any other part of him. “Stop making me think about his body. I’ve spent two weeks thinking about what he was like. I cannot think about him any more. I cannot have him.”

“Well, my bad,” Jillian said with a laugh. “Do you know what I’ve spent two weeks thinking about? Work—that’s what. You don’t see any of my men tracking me down and getting in my face. If Larson wasn’t the color of chalk, I might be interested in him myself.”

Reesa laughed. She couldn’t help it. She knew Jillian preferred her men to be the color of coffee—and the darker, the better.

“He’s not my type either, but that’s just part of it,” Reesa said firmly.

“I know what you’re thinking. So he’s tall—big deal. Are you worried that he’s one of those big macho guys who just wants a tiny woman to make him feel like a
real man
?” Jillian teased, hoping to push Reesa into admitting how she really felt.

Shane Larson had looked pretty smitten to Jillian. And if she wasn’t wrong, Reesa was pretty smitten herself. Jillian smiled, enjoying the idea of an unshaven guy with a tattoo replacing Brentwood Addison, the uber smooth CPA who thought he was God’s gift to women—and especially to Reesa.

Reesa swore softly. “It’s not that. There is hardly any macho at all in Shane—or at least not the bad kind of macho. Actually, he’s got some really good moves for a tall guy. I got past his height bothering me pretty quickly. Plus, he’s really strong, and that’s—well, interesting in ways I hadn’t expected. Frankly, he was the most fun I’d had in ages—maybe ever.”

“I can see why all that fun would be a huge liability in your stressful life,” Jillian said sarcastically, happy to hear Shane had been better than Brent in bed. “So what’s the problem with letting Larson hang around and try to date you while he provides some occasional
fun
?”

“Do I need a list? The big one is obvious enough. Look at him. Shane’s probably fresh out of college with those ripped jeans,” Reesa yelled, then clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Don’t worry. I doubt he heard you screaming about him. Girl, you don’t know his age unless you’ve asked. Have you asked?” Jillian taunted, the question hanging in the air.

“He wears a size fourteen shoe. All the other information I know about him is not shareable,” Reesa said firmly.

“Let’s go ask then,” Jillian pleaded. “I’m curious myself now. He talks well for someone you’re convinced is too young. Aren’t you curious to know more about him?”

“You’ve lost your mind, Jillian. I want Shane Larson to leave, not bait him into staying,” Reesa said.

“Fine. Be a wimp. Want me to go check?” Jillian asked.

“I really don’t want to know that he’s twenty-five and never had a serious girlfriend. Can’t he just leave and let me remember the night the way I want to in my mind?” Reesa complained. “I can’t believe he thinks he fell in love with me.”

“
In love with you?
He said that? And after one night?
Damn, girl, that’s some serious smack he’s talking,” Jillian said, biting her lip. “Okay, now we have to know more. You stay in the house if you can’t take the heat.
Love
—that changes everything.”

“No it doesn’t,” Reesa protested. “Jillian—
NO
!”

Jillian turned on her three-inch heels and left the bedroom.

“Jillian—don’t do this.” Reesa called out, but in the end could only sigh as she watched her go. There was no stopping Jillian once her mind was made up.

Reesa sighed, figuring she might as well kiss all her illusions of Shane Larson goodbye.

***

Jillian walked out the front and around the side of the house, the spiked heels of her sling-backs sinking into the soft grassy ground as she walked.

Joe looked down from his perch on the extension ladder, his gaze landing on a swearing woman in a tight, short skirt and a blouse with several buttons undone. His eyes glazed over, distracted by an amazing set of chocolate breasts peeking out, which Joe decided was a perfect complement to her sweet face and mile-long legs.

When he leaned forward and down to get a better look, Shane grabbed the back of his shirt to pull him back into place. Joe laughed as he righted himself.

“Watch it! Don’t fall off the damn ladder, Joe. What’s the matter with you today?” Shane demanded, his gaze finally shifting to see Jillian fighting her way towards them.

“Hey,” Shane said, smiling in welcome. “Jillian, right?”

“That’s right, Romeo,” Jillian said sharply. “And I want to talk to you.”

“Is this best friend vetting?” Shane asked, a knowing smile lighting his face. He understood mating rituals in many cultures. They had been some of his favorite studies for his degree.

“Great. Ask me anything. For Reesa, I’m an open book,” he said.

“More like a novella if you ask me,” Jillian said dryly. “How old are you, boy?”

“Twenty-seven,” Shane said. “How old is Reesa?”

Twenty-seven
, Jillian thought.
Well, at least he’s slightly past the twenty-five mark, which Reesa would see as a child for sure.

Jillian ran an assessing gaze over the entire man again. She distinctly remembered picking Larson out hoping to hook Reesa up with a nice-looking guy wearing a sharp, expensive watch. Reesa hadn’t even considered the nice-looking guy, but had bedded the scruffy-looking Larson without a qualm.

Doing a mental eye roll at fate, Jillian conceded that he seemed a little older with his unshaven face and shaggy hair. But those piercings—God, there wasn’t a word in Jillian’s vocabulary for a man wearing more jewelry than most women did every day.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, honey,” Joe said stiffly from his perch, drawing the woman’s gaze up to his.

“This is Joseph McEldowney. Joe is my best friend,” Shane explained, watching Joe and Jillian barely acknowledge each other.