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

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