Captured In Ink (Art of Love Series) (24 page)

Shane let his full weight fall between Reesa’s legs, discovering that with both of them bracing he could push as hard as he liked. He made sure her head only hit his hands. It was murderously arousing to his libido which was screaming at him to give in to it.

“How close are you, baby?” Shane demanded as he always did.

“Close—really, really close,” Reesa answered as she always did, laughing again and arching as the wave of pleasure ripped through her muscles and flung her. “Now, Shane!”

He obeyed her call, crashing against her in his release, a giant wave of a man washing up on the shore of the only woman he’d ever both liked and loved.

As Shane slowly returned to normal, he felt Reesa cradle him in grateful arms and his heart contracted with a need so much stronger than the physical one they’d just satisfied. He knew Reesa didn’t want to burden him with sharing her responsibilities, but Shane was tired of leaving her to do everything alone.

“You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known,” Shane told her, honesty in every word.

“Me? You’re the bedroom artist—and this time you really did all the work. Though I have to admit it was fun to just lie here and take it,” Reesa joked, tucking Shane’s now damp hair behind his ears. “I also really like knowing you expend enough of that boundless energy of yours to get all sweaty with me. It makes me feel like the sexiest woman on earth knowing I’m work for you.”

“That’s because you are the sexiest woman on earth,” Shane said, kissing both cheeks.

In the distance, he heard Jillian’s sports car pull into the driveway. “Looks like our break is over. Sara and Jillian are home early. Glad it wasn’t
too
early.”

“Me too,” Reesa said, sighing regretfully when Shane slid out of her and away.

He walked to the bedroom door, closed and locked it—something they had forgotten on their way down the hall. Then he came back and sorted their clothes, tossing Reesa’s on top of her comatose form.

“I can’t move very fast after two orgasms. One energizes me. Two kicks my butt,” Reesa said, closing her eyes for a moment to block out watching him dress. “When the kids go to their grandparents’ house this weekend, I’m sleeping the whole two days.”

“Want company? Sex is better than drugs for sleeping,” Shane offered.

“Yes—to both the company and the sex. Go stall two minutes for me, okay?” Reesa asked.

Shane nodded and closed the bedroom door behind him as he snuck out. He was in the kitchen putting away groceries when Jillian chased a squealing Sara through the front door of the house.

“Hey,” he said, smiling at Sara’s laughing face. “Where have you been, Sara Lansing? Is that makeup you’re wearing? You look stunning.”

“Aunt Jillian took me shopping, Shaney,” Sara said, twirling around. “See my new dancing shoes. They light up.”

When Sara spun to show him, Shane laughed. “Very nice. Do you think they come in my size?”

Sara looked at his feet and shook her head. “They would only fit your toes,” she said, her tone serious.

Jillian snickered at that. “The girl has an innate fashion sense and understands sizing at age five. I think we have the makings of a fashionista on our hands.”

“Wonderful,” Reesa said, walking into the kitchen and checking out Sara’s shoes. “Aunt Jillian better get rich enough to pay for fashion design school.”

“Girlfriend, that little blonde is my retirement plan. One big design and I’m set for life. She’ll have to take care of me because I paid for her dancing shoes,” Jillian said, grinning at Reesa who looked like she’d just crawled out of bed.

Jillian’s gaze shifted to Shane, who was studying Reesa discreetly. She couldn’t help noticing there was a lot more than just lust in his gaze today. The last time Jillian had seen that look was on her brother’s face, and he had been looking at Reesa’s sister.

Envy warred with pleasure and lost. Reesa certainly deserved the love of a good man if any woman did.

“I have to run, Baby Girl. Give Aunt Jillian a kiss,” Jillian ordered, stooping and opening her arms for Sara to fly into them. Jillian gratefully planted a kiss on each pretty cheek.

Sara was a tiny replica of her mother, and Jillian knew it tugged at Reesa as much as her. Brian looked the most like Jackson. She was still trying not to see it every time she looked at the boy. Zack and Chelsea were perfect blends, their light amber skin glowing.

And Reesa had taken it on herself to try to give the kids as normal a life as could be expected without their loving parents.

Jillian stood and looked at her friend with sincere regret. It was getting harder and harder to leave them every few days. She was getting damn tired of spending more time in airplanes than on the ground.

“The most beautiful place on earth has finally lost its appeal for me, but Maui is waiting again, girlfriend. You all take care while I’m gone. I’ll be back in a week.”

“Jillian, thank you for buying Sara the clothes,” Reesa said, walking after her to the door. “You do so much for us. Take a couple of days for yourself in Maui. Sleep by the pool. Drink a Mai Tai. Find some sexy Hawaiian to keep you company. It’s—it’s important to make time for yourself. I’m fine. We’re fine.”

Jillian nodded. “I might do that—I need a break from planes, that’s for sure. Are you making time for
yourself
?”

Reesa laughed and blushed. “You know what I’m doing. Stop giving me a hard time about it.”

“I haven’t had to since Shane Larson’s been so willing. He looks like a hard time every time, even if the package is scary,” Jillian whispered, laughing.

Reesa threw her arms around her for a tight hug. “I love you so much, Jillian. You are the best friend ever, and Shane has been the best favor you ever did for me. Now go before I start getting weepy on you.”

“When I get back in two weeks, I’m taking vacation so I can be with you when you go back to court,” Jillian said. “Mom and Dad are ignoring me. They’re in Florida now visiting friends. I haven’t given up trying to get them to stop their crazy shit.”

“I love you for trying, but don’t let it cause a bigger rift between you and your parents,” Reesa told her, hugging her tightly.

“I like you being in my debt. You owe me so many favors now, even I’ve lost count,” Jillian said with a tinkling laugh as she went out the door.

When Reesa came back to the kitchen, Sara had one of her shoes on top of one of Shane’s.

“How many would it take if we bought a shoe for every toe?” she asked, her face beaming all the way up the two miles of giant looming over her.

“Ten,” Shane said, looking down into her serious face.

“I’ll talk to Aunt Jillian when she comes back from Meow-we,” Sara said, picking her shoe up and slipping it on her foot again.

“
Maui
, baby,” Reesa corrected.

“That’s what I said.
Meow-we
,” Sara replied earnestly.

“Thank you, Sara. It’s very nice of you to want to share your good fortune with me,” Shane told her, lifting his gaze to Reesa’s.

The words “marry me” hovered on the edge of his tongue, all but demanding to be spoken. But before he pushed that agenda any harder, he supposed he needed to tell his mother about Reesa and the kids.

She was going to think he had lost his mind, but the kids would win her eventually. His mother wanted grandchildren. Not that Michael and Carrie weren’t planning to give her some as well, but they just had to wait a year before trying again.

Shane could give her instant gratification in that area. He could give her a princess.

“Sara is a very benevolent ruler,” Shane told Reesa seriously.

“She certainly is,” Reesa said. “That’s the only kind of princess we let rule around here.”

Shane laughed at Reesa’s proud smile. She was a great role model and a loving person. Maybe she hadn’t been ready for motherhood, but she was doing a good job anyway.

Why couldn’t he learn to parent too? Then the kids would have two caring people in their lives again. If he were Michael’s age, no one, not even Reesa, would be questioning his interest in marrying her or his willingness to take on being a father figure to the kids.

But he wasn’t Michael’s age, and he wasn’t as settled and financially secure as the men Reesa had dated before him. He was just himself.

Shane fervently hoped that would prove to be enough.

Chapter 14

“About time you showed up,” Michael yelled as his brother walked into the gallery main area with a couple of strikingly attractive tall teenagers following closely on his heels. It had been almost two weeks since he’d even heard from Shane, much less seen him. Now he showed up with kids in tow like he did it every day.

Michael was covered in a layer of plaster dust. He imagined that he looked as gray as Drake Barrymore with what was in his hair.

“You look like you’re having fun playing in the dust,” Shane said, smacking his brother on the back and sending white dust flying. He listened to Zack and Chelsea laughing beside him as they fanned the white dust from the air.

“Zack and Chelsea—this dirty man is my brother, Michael Larson,” Shane said, introducing them. “Michael, this is Zack and Chelsea Lansing. They were bored with school out this afternoon so I thought some manual labor might be entertaining.”

“Dude—this was so not our idea,” Zack protested, even though he smiled at Shane while rolling his eyes.

“Yeah,” Chelsea seconded, sneaking a look at Michael. She was thinking they didn’t look much alike for brothers.

Shane put his hands on his hips, and tilted his head at the two of them. “Would you rather have gone with your aunt to the doctor and had lunch at the sandwich shop?”

“No,” they chimed together, grinning.

“So we’re going to help here today and go for pizza after. Helping the art gallery open is community service and character building. You’ll have something to brag about to your friends next week at school. I assume the walls are finished and we’re cleaning up?” Shane asked his brother.

“Yes—I think I’ve gotten the worst of it off the walls,” Michael said. “We’re into the sweeping and mopping stage, then all the surfaces will have to be wiped down.

“How did Carrie get all this done so fast?” Shane asked, looking up at the lighting and over to the now velvet-smooth plaster walls.

“I don’t know what she promised the lighting technicians, but they bring coffee to her every day. Now she’s got them wiring a media center in a conference room that she intends to use for art class presentations and to run slideshows during art shows. It boggles the mind,” Michael said.

“I bet—makes me tired just hearing about it,” Shane replied.

“Then she told me she found out the plaster guy has wanted one of Drake’s pictures for years. So as part of his payment, Carrie bought a portrait from Barrymore and is having it framed for the man,” Michael said, running a hand across his hair before he realized what he’d done. Now he was probably even grayer. “I haven’t seen my wife for more than five minutes since we bought the place, but hell, at the rate the renovation is going, it’ll be open by Halloween.”

Shane laughed, but honestly felt great admiration for his sister-in-law. “So what can we help with?”

“Grab a couple brooms and start sweeping. Make sure the dust gets put in those giant trash cans,” Michael told them, smiling when the kids walked to a pile and wrestled over picking out brooms.

“There’s painter masks in the conference room if they want respiratory protection. Good kids,” he said, watching the pleasure in Shane’s eyes as he looked at them sweeping and talking.

“Yes, they are,” Shane said, bringing his attention back to his brother. “They get along better than most teenagers, but that’s probably their survival mechanism at work. They’re hyperaware about needing each other now that their parents are gone.”

“My goodness, don’t you sound all seriously concerned. You got a real possessive gleam in your eye there too, Dr. Larson,” Michael teased. “Are your intentions altogether honorable?”

“They are until I get their aunt alone. Reesa strips the honorable right off me,” Shane said, grinning. “I’ve never been so pleased about anything in my entire life. Being with her is like winning the girlfriend lottery.”

Michael laughed. “Dad will be so proud that you’re not serial dating anymore.”

Shane grinned. “It’s more than that, Michael. I’m planning to marry her.”

Michael punched his arm playfully at the news. “Figured you’d be too territorial to enjoy playing house for very long without the ownership papers. You’re too much like Dad.”

“Hey, Michael, I’ve recruited my son Brandon to help,” Drake said, interrupting as he walked up to the men. “Hi. Sorry. Drake Barrymore. I’d shake your hand, but it would only be bad for you with what I’ve been doing today.”

“Drake—this is my brother, Shane,” Michael said. “Hi, Brandon. Thanks for coming to help again.”

Michael smiled at the kid who threw up a hand, but was watching Zack and Chelsea who hadn’t seen him yet.

“Grab a broom,” Michael invited, pointing at the dwindling pile, laughing when the boy took off to join the others.