Captured In Ink (Art of Love Series) Read Free Page A

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