Captured In Ink (Art of Love Series) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Edition License Notes

  Acknowledgements

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Connect with me online

  EXCERPT from Chapter 1, “Commissioned In White”

  Contemporary books by this author

  Paranormal/SciFi books by this author

  Captured In Ink

  Book Three of the Art of Love Series

  by

  Donna McDonald

  * * * * *

  Copyright 2011 by Donna McDonald

  Cover by LFD Designs for Authors

  Edited by Toby Minton

  Edition License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should remove it from your device and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is coincidental.

  This book contains content that may not be suitable for young readers 17 and under.

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to my new beta readers for their fast reading and great feedback.

  Thanks to my editor whose editing is awesome, but whose encouragement is priceless.

  Thanks to Brett Hatfield for talking to me about what it’s like to be a graphic artist.

  Thanks to my readers for patiently waiting for the next book in the series.

  Dedication

  To my son Michael who always makes me laugh, and who couldn’t believe I actually put one of our family jokes in this book. I love you, honey.

  Chapter 1

  Riding shotgun in his best friend’s beat-up work truck, Shane Larson was more depressed than he could ever remember being in his life. Instead of working on his latest graphic novel like he should be doing, in a moment of weakness he had rashly promised to do manual labor for Joe just so he wouldn’t have to spend one more frustrated day alone.

  Tomorrow would be two weeks. Two weeks since he had met the mysterious Ann who continued to haunt him. He couldn’t even think of an adequate clinical term for his condition, but Shane had to admit he’d been a depressed mess since waking up alone without her. For a man so close to getting a distinguished doctorate in understanding the human mind from a prestigious school, Shane Larson certainly wasn’t being much help to himself.

  “So how is the book coming along?” Joe asked, trying to bring Shane’s attention out of his head and into the pickup with him.

  “Not fast enough,” Shane replied flatly. “I’m probably going to miss my first deadline ever, and it’s all her fault.”

  “Her fault? You mean the mysterious Ann?” Joe asked, laughing in his disbelief.

  “I still can’t believe she ran away, Joe,” Shane said sadly.

  Joe laughed. “Well, it’s not like you haven’t done that plenty of times yourself.”

  “I guess that’s true,” Shane admitted. Maybe part of his problem was that he was usually the one who snuck out and left his bed partner sleeping. It was easy to do when you weren’t interested in staying to get to know the person better, but he refused to believe that had been the case for her.

  She had responded too honestly to him, and he had made her laugh. They had connected—damn it.

  “It was different with her,” Shane said firmly, staring out the window again.

  Joseph McEldowney had known Shane Larson since they were in middle school and he was usually the most level-headed person in the world. Nothing much twisted Shane’s shorts into a knot. Even the lovely Angela from their sophomore year in college hadn’t caused this much soul-searching angst, Joe thought.

  “Damn, Larson—just how good in bed was the woman? And does she have a sister?” Joe asked, trying to get Shane riled up because any emotion was better than the funk.

  “Yeah right—like I’m going to tell you how good she was,” Shane replied, irritated with the lecherous question, even if it was just Joe being Joe. “It wasn’t just the sex. I liked her. Didn’t you ever just like a woman, Joe? Why is that so hard to get?”

  And he had liked her, Shane thought fiercely, not that the sex hadn’t also been life-changing. A few months ago his father had chastised him for his dating habits, asking if Shane had ever ached to be back inside a woman. His teasing reply to his Dad had been a resounding no, but he would be answering that question a hell of a lot differently if it ever came up again.

  Now he ached for a woman all right, one specific woman, and worse than that, Shane wanted the whole package. He wanted to feel her under him, but he also wanted to hear her laughter when he amused her. He wanted to hear her telling him where to buy shoes and how important it was to follow his dreams. He wanted to hear her respectful, appreciative voice saying just about anything that made her green-eyed gaze hold his.

  And he wanted her hands. God, her tiny hands had been so strong and sure on him. He couldn’t imagine anyone touching him intimately now but her.

  The way Shane saw it, she had totally hooked him in about as many ways as was possible. A woman wasn’t supposed to change a guy this much and then just leave without a word.

  In the two weeks that had passed since he’d been with her, Shane had been begging the universe daily for another chance.

  “Damn it, Shane. I’m not good at comforting people. You look scary enough without adding to it with that serial killer scowl of yours,” Joe said, laughing. “My customer is a single mother with four kids. I’d just as soon not frighten them.”

  “Get off my case, McEldowney. I’m doing you a favor even being here. I should be home working instead of playing with you,” Shane countered, trying to make enough conversation to distract his brain from dwelling on her. “How long does it take to hang gutter anyway?”

  “Not too long. This is a good size ranch house, but we’re just repairing the one side. A couple hours tops, I’m guessing. You got a hot date tonight or something?” Joe asked, trying to tease Shane into a good mood.

  “Don’t start on me about hot dates,” Shane said harshly. “If you hadn’t abandoned me two weeks ago for your hot date I wouldn’t have met the woman and took her home with me. The woman was like crack, and I got addicted in one damn night.”

  Joe’s laughter rang out in the truck cab. “I can’t believe you never got her to tell you who she was,” he said, shaking his head. “Women bare their souls to you, Larson. All those months of abstaining must have made you lose your magic touch.”

  Shane shook his head as well. “I did not lose my magic touch. The woman was committed to keeping it to just one-night despite what happened between us. I swear I’d cash in all my go
od karma just for a chance to be with her again. You can’t know what it’s like until you’ve been with the perfect person.”

  For months now, Joe had been watching in stunned disbelief as Shane sent all women away with a polite “no thanks,” no matter how beautiful, how leggy, or how willing. Maybe Shane really was in love, which was not in Joe’s opinion an admirable condition for a man under the age of thirty. But Shane was just any man.

  “The universe listens to you,” Joe said finally, adding another shrug. “If I ever see someone fitting her description at the club again, I’ll let you know. I don’t get the urge you have to track her down, but I would let you know if I saw her.”

  “Thanks,” Shane said sincerely, as Joe pulled up at the curb in front of his client’s house.

  Joe stopped the truck and reached over to squeeze Shane’s arm in support. “Come on. Let’s get this over with. Maybe we’ll grab a beer after.”

  “I don’t believe this. Look at that. Like I needed more reminders.” Shane said, frowning.

  Ann had said she drove a mini-van, though Shane couldn’t imagine the tiny woman he remembered actually driving something that large. The universe was obviously having a laugh at his expense this morning because a mini-van with a sporty car parked next to it was in the driveway. He told himself not to angst about it and almost succeeded in wiping the frown from his face when a tall teenage boy walked out of the house, carrying a pretty little girl in his arms.

  “Hello,” the boy said, his gaze taking in the ladders and tool boxes. “Did you come to fix the gutter?”

  “Sure did,” Joe replied, using his sunny business smile. “Your mother home?”

  “You’ll want my Aunt Teresa,” the boy said to Joe, the welcome in his eyes fading slightly. “She’s at a neighbor’s, but will be home in a minute. I can show you what needs fixed.”

  “Okay,” Joe said easily, not sure why the kid’s attitude had gone into shutdown on him. He was a friendly guy and rarely had a client complain about his manners.

  Shane studied the boy’s quiet demeanor as he climbed from the truck. The look on the kid’s face was sad, but he remained attentively polite to Joe.

  Something’s going on here, Shane surmised. He stood by the truck door and rolled up his t-shirt sleeves in concession to the unusual heat of the autumn day. He turned to the truck to get tools and heard the kid draw in a breath.

  “Wow, Dude. I like your tattoo,” the boy said, coming closer. “Care if I look?”

  Shane grinned and held out his arm. The little blonde he carried pulled the thumb from her mouth and reached out to touch it, too. The boy pulled her hand away before she made contact.

  “It’s okay,” Shane said with a laugh. “I don’t mind if she wants to touch it.”

  “That’s the coolest tat I’ve ever seen. Do you read the Winged Protector?” the boy asked with awe in his voice.

  “I have to,” Shane explained, grinning at the boy’s genuine interest because he knew he was talking to a fan. “I’m the creator.”

  “Seriously? Wow,” the boy said, smiling at Shane. “My aunt and I are huge fans. We wait on every issue to come out.”

  “You may be waiting longer than usual on the next one,” Shane admitted, smiling at the little girl the kid held, who was smiling back. “I’m stuck on something in the storyline.”

  “Wait until Aunt Teresa meets you. It’s nuts that you’re really here. So is this like your day job?” he asked, eyeing the truck.

  “No,” Shane said with a laugh, seeing the kid’s disappointment in the unglamorous condition of the truck. “Joe’s a friend, and I owed him a favor. He’s using me instead of his ladder today.”

  The kid, who was almost as tall as Shane, looked at Joe and shrugged. “I could have helped with that.”

  “Probably, but looks to me like you have your hands full,” Shane said, reaching out and pulling the blonde cherub’s thumb from her mouth on purpose. The girl laughed at Shane, and the boy’s gaze went down the sidewalk.

  “Here comes my aunt now,” he said.

  Shane turned to look at the woman walking up the sidewalk. His heart stopped beating for one moment, and then picked up a panicked rhythm as he recognized her. The wicked laugh that erupted was joyous and a little bit maniacal as he released the tension he’d been carrying around.

  Shane looked up at the clouds and the blue between them, filled with gratitude for the mysteries of the world. “Thank you,” he said to the sky, hearing the boy laugh beside him.

  “Dude—you okay?” the boy asked, laughing.

  Joe walked to where they stood, his tool belt in his hand. He looked at the enormous smile on Shane’s face, wondering since when his friend liked kids so much.

  “What’s your name?” Shane asked the boy, his voice demanding of the truth.

  “Zack Lansing,” the boy replied. “Why?”

  “Zack, I’ll give you a pre-production copy of the next Winged Protector novel before it releases if you will tell me the full name of the woman walking towards us now,” Shane said firmly.

  “My Aunt Teresa? You want to know my aunt’s full name?” Zack asked on another laugh, confused but thinking it was funny the Winged Protector guy was so interested.

  Shane nodded slowly. “Yes, I do. I definitely want to know who she is. So she’s your aunt? How about that.”

  “Yes. Her name is Teresa Callahan,” Zack supplied. “Let me think, I think her middle name is—“

  “—Ann,” Shane said firmly with a broad smile.

  “Yeah, I think that’s right,” Zack said, his gaze narrowing as he assessed the man again. “You know Aunt Teresa?”

  “A little,” Shane said easily, not thinking of his calm answer as lying. “But I would like to know her a lot better. Is that okay with you?”

  “I guess. Isn’t that up to her?” Zack asked, laughing at the strangest conversation he’d had with an adult in a while.

  “I don’t think so—not this time,” Shane said, feeling a bone deep gratitude for having found her. “Your aunt is my destiny, Zack.”

  “Destiny?” Zack repeated, laughing at Shane’s nod. “That’s pretty heavy, dude.”

  Stopping in the middle of strapping on his carpenter’s belt, Joe’s gaze jumped between Shane and the kid, and then went up the street to the woman with shock.

  “Oh, you have got to be kidding,” Joe said in disbelief. “You actually found her? My client is your mystery woman?”

  Shane handed Joe the tools still in his hands and walked determinedly towards the woman who had changed his life.

  ***

  Reesa Callahan’s mind had been on making carpooling arrangements with a neighbor so Zack could go to basketball practice or she would have noticed the giant blonde-haired man sooner. Looking like a conquering Viking striding towards her, Shane Larson wasn’t exactly a man you could pretend not to see. He had to be every bit of six-foot-four, she realized, watching as Shane steadily held her gaze.

  The eyebrow piercing and the tattoo were menacing. A more rational woman would have been put off by that alone. His shaggy hair and unshaven face marred the romantic picture he made, but his sexy, confident, and determined gaze would have set any woman’s heart racing. Just like it did hers.

  She told herself not to smile, but it was really hard not to. The rest of his body was as good as God made young men—youthfully attractive, firmly muscled, and the stuff of dreams. And she should know because he’d featured in hers for two weeks now.

  Damn—he really was a giant, Reesa thought, tipping her head back and up when Shane stopped in front of her. Her fantasies about those huge shoulders of his were nothing compared to the reality of them. Her fingers curled into her palms remembering. Damn. Damn. Damn.

  “This is one of those weird life coincidences, isn’t it?” Reesa demanded, going on offense before he could even open his mouth. “Look, Shane, do us both a favor and just go away.”

  “Go away? Are you crazy? It’s taken me
weeks to find you. God, I forgot how short you are,” Shane said, reaching down and stroking her smooth cheek with his hand as he smiled into her face. “I can’t believe you didn’t come back to me. I’ve looked for you every day.”

  “Shane—stop the full court press here. There’s a reason they call it a one night stand,” Reesa said softly but firmly, stepping back and away from his caressing hand. “You know I never meant for you to find me.”

  “One night stand? Is that what you think happened between us?” Shane asked. “Boy, were you wrong. That was us falling in love, which is why we’ve been thinking of each other so much since. Missing you has even been affecting my work.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. We had sex. We did not fall in love, Shane Larson. You don’t even know me,” Reesa said firmly, walking around Shane.

  Shane caught up to her in one giant step. “Maybe not, but I want to know everything about you. Now I at least know your real name, Teresa. You can’t hide anymore.”

  “That’s not my name,” Reesa hissed.

  “Want me to call you Ann, instead?” Shane asked, starting to get annoyed with her refusal to pay attention. “Zack told me your real name.”

  “I—no, we are not talking about this. Just please go away. I have enough problems in my life to deal with,” Reesa said more softly, not wanting him to know how much his presence there unnerved her. “Go find one of those tall, leggy blondes who like you so much. Fall in love with one of them.”