Instead of reassuring him, her comment had Shane’s gaze darkening. “What do you mean? Just how many have you had?”
Reesa laughed again and blushed. “Something like a dozen or so,” she said, not wanting to tell him fourteen.
“A dozen? Damn, you’re as bad as Jessica,” Shane said, laughing. “I am Dad.”
“Jessica? Which one was Jessica? I don’t think I met her,” Reesa said, sniffing.
“You haven’t, but you will. She was the tallest redhead in the group. Looks just like Brooke, only older and much, much bigger,” Shane said, laughing. “Wait—please don’t tell her I described her that way.”
He dropped his hands from her face, but took one her hands in his and linked their fingers. “How mad are you that the judge made you marry me to keep the kids?”
“Passing the buck for that mess to the legal system are you?” Reesa asked, her tone sarcastic.
“I won’t say the idea hadn’t crossed my mind, especially after I talked to my attorney, who is also my step-father, but that’s another story. But you’ll be happy to know, I promised my father and brother that I wouldn’t try to get you pregnant or anything like that,” Shane said sheepishly.
“Oh Good God,” Reesa said fiercely, pulling her hand from Shane’s as he laughed. “Is there nothing the men in your family don’t discuss? You’re worse than me and Jillian. I thought guys never talked about personal stuff.”
“Another urban myth shot to hell,” Shane said dryly, enjoying her consternation and looking forward to soothing her at the first opportunity. “Look on the bright side, as your legal husband. your investment in my sex training now comes with a lifetime guarantee of all the orgasms you can handle.”
Michael was irreverent anyway, but her face flamed thinking about Will and Shane discussing their intimacy. How was she ever going to look at Shane’s father again? She reached out and smacked Shane in the shoulder, but he only laughed harder.
“For the record, I don’t like the world knowing about our sex life—good or bad. Not everyone needs to be informed about our lousy wedding night. This will be your only warning,” Reesa threatened.
“I thought our wedding night was pretty wonderful considering how sick you were. We’ll consummate our marriage tomorrow morning,” Shane said easily, patting her shoulder. “I’m not worried about sealing the deal.”
“Gee, thanks,” Reesa said dryly, pushing Shane’s patting hand off her.
She handed him the folded paper with her image on it. “I thought artists were more observant, Larson. These are not my breasts,” she said firmly.
Laughing at her tone, Shane looked at her breasts, considering.
“I hadn’t paid enough attention to them at the time I drew this. Frankly, I could have drawn other parts of you with a lot more precision. In defense of my art, I bet your breasts would look just like this if they were being squished by a spandex superhero suit.”
“You’re just making me think I traded one dweeb for another,” Reesa told him, sliding off the bed. “I’m starved. We’re having pizza for breakfast. Jillian’s bringing donuts too.”
“I heard,” Shane said. “Uh—speaking of dweebs, I need to tell you a story.”
“Not until I’ve had food,” Reesa said, holding up her hand as they went down the hall. “I need coffee and food first.”
“Okay,” Shane said softly, with a warning in the agreement. “Just don’t take any business calls before you talk to me. You need to be prepared.”
Reesa sighed and breathed in the heavenly smell of coffee when she got to the kitchen, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking the inevitable with Shane all but gloating.
“Brent came by yesterday, didn’t he?” she asked, figuring her former fiancée had come by to see what had happened in court. He hadn’t believed for a moment that it was going to work out in her favor. And she hadn’t either, Reesa admitted, staring up at her stubborn rescuer.
While she still wasn’t one hundred percent sure that it had, Shane seemed confident enough for the both of them. Reesa decided that was good enough for now.
“I thought Addison stopped by to see my wedding band, so I showed it to him,” Shane said innocently. “I don’t know why he doesn’t believe we got married. I was still wearing my wedding clothes and technically had just climbed out of bed with you when I saw him. The man is such a skeptic.”
The kids stopped talking to listen to their conversation, and Reesa snorted as she looked at their expectant faces. Her marriage might still worry her, but Brent’s opinion of her choices definitely didn’t. This was her family. Nothing was going to change that now.
“He’s left us no choice then. Death to the dweeb,” Reesa said firmly. “I didn’t want his damn job anyway.”
“Awww….Aunt Teresa said an ugly word. Now she has to stand in the corner,” Sara announced happily.
Shane leaned down and kissed Reesa, happy and content to be with them. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you company,” he whispered against her lips. “I’m in the damn corner all the time anyway.”
Reesa laughed at Sara’s squealing, and held Shane’s face down to her so she could kiss him back the way she wanted.
# # # # #
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~ Donna McDonald
KEEP READING in this ebook to read an excerpt
from “Commissioned In White”, Book 4
of the Art Of Love series.
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EXCERPT from Chapter 1, “Commissioned In White”
Despite his questionable friendship with Steve Lipton, Will sat on the groom’s side of the church, smiling at the picture Jessica made in her soft green bridesmaid dress standing next to a beaming Susan in her white bridal gown. While he was sincerely happy for Steve and Susan, his mind couldn’t help daydreaming about him and Jessica. They were three weeks away from their own wedding, and Will was anxious for the time to pass.
He was ready to be married again and didn’t care who knew it. He was ready to make love to Jessica while the gold bands Michael was making for them gleamed in the soft lighting they preferred in the bedroom.
When he pulled his attention from the future back to the present, he saw Susan turning to hand Jessica her massive bouquet of gold roses. The colorful roses suited her, Will thought. Susan was just as bright and lovely as the flowers.
“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Groom, you may now kiss your bride,” the minister said with smile.
Steve pulled Susan up to him, his fingers digging into her lace covered hips. He bent her backwards with the force of a kiss that went on so long the minister cleared his throat twice before Steve finally relented and let her go.
Susan stumbled back a little, and a laughing Jessica reached a hand out to steady the back of the smaller woman she cherished as friend.
The grinning groom gave the jaded maid of honor a wicked look over his new wife’s head. Jessica rolled her eyes at him, but grinned back, happier for Steve and Susan than she had words to express. She had followed her heart in introducing them and had never regretted it for a moment.
The recessional music started up and Steve took his wife’s hand, tucking it lovingly into the curve of his elbow.
Jessica
allowed Steve’s best man to do the same for her, but she looked at a grinning Will and winked as she walked down the aisle trying not to trip on the long trail of her gown. She was walking a bit unsteadily in the three-inch spikes Susan had insisted she wear, despite the fact that she towered half a foot over both the best man and the groom.
It wasn’t quite the “hoot” Susan had planned on it being for the wedding, but wanting to be a good sport, Jessica thought about other instances where it might be fun to wear the shoes with Will. Those thoughts put a smile on her face as they all trailed out.
Later, Jessica was standing in the receiving line shaking hands when she felt familiar fingers trailing gently down her spine and across one satin covered hip. Turning her head, she found herself eyeball to eyeball with a smiling Will, totally caught off-guard when he leaned forward and touched his mouth hotly and possessively to hers.
“Wow—sexy kiss. And in public no less,” she whispered. “What was that for?”
“Because you look amazing and I don’t want other guys getting ideas about hitting on the maid of honor. I saw the way the best man was looking at you,” Will declared.
Jessica laughed softly. “He’s married, doofus. So you got all demonstrative for nothing.”
“Are you taking me home with you?” Will asked dryly.
“I imagine,” Jessica said, her tone as ironic as his. “Since you’re sleeping in my bed every night.”
“Then it was not for nothing,” Will said, keeping his voice soft and low in her ear. “You can consider it foreplay, and I’ll make good on it later.”
“Well, you’re in rare mood,” Jessica said sweetly, turning reluctantly to the bride and groom as they stepped away from the line of well-wishers at last.
The very tired groom stepped up and kissed Jessica boldly on the mouth, hugging her close even as Will frowned at him. Steve just smiled harder and counted more blessings.
“I will never in my life be grateful enough to you for introducing me to Susan. I am the happiest man you’ve ever seen today,” he said, picking up his bride’s hand when Susan stepped forward and leaned into both of them for a giant three-way hug.
Jessica held nothing back from the couple, sniffling as she embraced both of them. “Well, this is what it’s supposed to be like. Gold roses, shiny rings, beautiful clothes, and weeping, jealous friends. All weddings should be as great as this,” she said, meaning it sincerely for them.
Steve and Susan laughed, pulling away from Jessica as they all struggled to recover from the emotional outburst.
“Three more weeks, and then you’re next old man,” Steve said, swinging his gaze to Will who wasn’t frowning anymore but still looked a bit concerned. “Think you’re going to feel less jealous when you have your woman branded at last?”
Will pursed his lips and looked at the younger man thoughtfully. “Not sure yet. I’m waiting to see how it works out for you. You don’t exactly inspire me with confidence, Lipton.”
Steve laughed at Will’s dry wit. The more he got to know the man, the more he liked him. “I’ve got it easy, Larson. You—on the other hand—need to brush up on your Shakespeare. Did you ever read Taming of the Shrew?”
“Don’t make me kill you both over this sexist conversation,” Jessica stated, a warning note in her voice that made both men only grin at her. “Steve, take my overwhelmed friend who is also your lovely bride to the champagne table and get her something to keep her from fainting. If she hits the floor, you are dead meat.”
“I’m fine,” Susan said, patting Jessica’s arm. “Can I have my flowers back, please?”
Jessica separated the huge bridal bouquet from her discreet triple strand of single roses, handing the fragrant mass to Susan who immediately pressed her face into them and inhaled. Since Steve looked like he was going to kiss her again, or even worse, Jessica turned the love-struck bride toward the food table with a little push.
“Go—both of you. Get a little something to sustain you. I’ll be along in a minute. Your mushy love vibes are getting to me.”
The bride and groom wandered off laughing together, too bemused with each other to make rational decisions about much of anything. Jessica sighed as they walked away. She sure hoped she held it together better when her time came.
“Am I in trouble?” Will asked. “Steve started the discussion.”
Jessica snorted. “Yes he did, but you are not innocent. Would you really brand me if you could?”
Will lifted Jessica’s hand and tucked it into his elbow, guiding her forward. “I’m in a church and don’t want to lie, so let’s just go have some champagne too.”
“Will,” Jessica chastised, her fingertips stroking his firm bicep as they walked. “There is no one else that even interests me.”
He was fifty-three and the most masculine man she had ever known. Truth was Will had already branded her. Maybe it didn’t show to the world, but she had hoped by now he knew.
Will turned a wicked smile to the woman he was never going to be one hundred percent sure of, but whom he was going to spend the rest his life satisfying in every way he could. “Reassure me all you want, but we’re still going through with the wedding. You insisted Ellen set up the whole dog and pony show, and we’re going through with it, no matter how sweet you talk.”
“You know you are the one who needs the ceremony, not me. And I am not trying to talk you out of getting married—or the wedding,” Jessica protested. “I can’t help that I had a small anxiety attack when I tried on the dress. You can’t assume I’m reluctant about getting married just because of that. Carrie had the same reaction, I heard.”
“Carrie was pregnant. What’s your excuse?” Will asked, holding her gaze.
“Bride nerves,” Jessica said firmly. “Plus I gave my retirement notice for January. I’m starting part-time at the gallery during Christmas. Should I go on? Since I’m turning my life upside down, I think I’m entitled to a few nerves about being a bride.”
“Don’t forget we’re also moving into the new house this week,” Will said, grinning at her sigh of resignation.
Jessica sighed a second time before she could stop herself. “I hadn’t forgotten. That’s why I’m letting the new art teacher sub my classes. He’ll take over full-time after Christmas. I hate moving, but I’ve already accepted that there’s no way around the work.”
“The kids are still going to help,” Will said, patting her hand. “And the new bed arrives tomorrow. Shane’s going to help me assemble it. You’re going to love diving into that monster every night with me.”
“Are you going to soundproof it like Shane did theirs?” Jessica asked dryly.
Will grinned widely and laughed at her amusement. “Why would I do that?” he asked, releasing Jessica’s hand to retrieve a couple glasses of champagne for them.
He handed one to Jessica and waited until she had lifted it for a sip.
“Besides, who’s going to hear us making out? I like the noise. I find it inspiring. Not to mention, I’d love to brag to my youngest son about being able to move the bed,” Will said.
Jessica choked on her champagne, bringing the bride’s and groom’s attention immediately to her. Her face flamed with embarrassment at their stares. Will had developed the annoying habit of trying to shock her when they were in public, and she fell for it nearly every time.
“Larson, I can’t believe you managed to embarrass a woman who never loses her cool. What in the world did he say to you, Jessica?” Steve demanded, hearing his wife snickering at his side, the champagne already helping to steady her.
“Do I pry into your private conversations?” Will demanded in return. “No—I do not. Just go back to seducing your bride, Lipton. Leave my woman alone.”
Steve and Susan both laughed at Will’s pretense of consternation.
Jessica lifted an eyebrow. “Your woman?”
Will lifted his chin and sipped his champagne as he held Jessica’s gaze over the rim of the glass. “Want me to te
ll Steve what I said?” he challenged.
Jessica hooked her arm through Will’s, no longer trusting that he wouldn’t call her bluff. “That’s me. I’m his woman,” she said cheerily, laughing at Susan who giggled at her caving in to Will.
Steve just looked at Jessica in shock. “So I just have to ask you this—you’ve dated so many men—why on earth did you click with Larson? He’s a good ten years older than your average guy, not to mention the man reeks of macho.”
“I assure you Will never reeks,” Jessica said off the cuff, shrugging and leaning her head against Will’s. “But he does make me laugh.”
Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head, not believing her statement at all.
“Jessica—I thought you said it was because Will was really, really good in bed,” Susan proclaimed with a wide blurry smile.
Will laughed softly, grinning like a fool while Jessica nabbed the second empty flute from the now tipsy bride’s fingers.
Steve bit his lip but grinned back at Will, giving him a thumbs-up sign when the women weren’t looking.
“Okay—I think we’ve all had enough champagne for now. Let’s get some canapés or something to soak up that buzz,” Jessica said, leading the bride to the next table.
“Hell of thing to hear about another man’s expertise on your wedding day,” Will said sadly, stepping close so only the groom could hear him. “Sorry about that, Lipton. Hope your ego isn’t too bruised. I wouldn’t want you to disappoint your bride tonight.”
“Are you kidding me? I am so attracted to the woman I married that every time I’m with her I just want to crawl inside and never come out,” Steve declared. “And now I can do it legally.”
Will reached out and took the still half-full champagne glass from Steve’s hand. “TMI, Lipton. You’re obviously as tipsy as your bride. Have you eaten?”
Captured In Ink (Art of Love Series) Page 29
