Read Online No Regrets by Joann Ross - Free Book Online

stunning blonde clad in a thong bikini playing a spirited game of Marco Polo with an aging television comic when a handsome man wearing obviously expensive linen slacks and a collarless shirt approached. If Jason hadn’t just left, Tessa would have sworn it was him.
    â€œMy baby brother tells me you’re an actress,” he said, handing her a slender crystal flute of champagne.
    â€œJason’s your younger brother?” She took a sip. The pale gold wine tasted like sunshine on water.
    â€œBy eight minutes. And I do my best not to let himforget it.” His grin might have been a replica of his brother’s, but the devils in his dark eyes were all his own. “But I have to admit this time the kid has definitely demonstrated terrific taste.”
    Tessa took another sip of champagne. “Thank you,” she murmured into her glass.
    â€œDon’t thank me. Thank whatever magnificent gene pool you were spawned in.” He rocked back on his heels. “I assume you have photos?”
    â€œOf course.” She was pleased for a chance to demonstrate that she wasn’t as naive as he thought her to be. She pulled the photos from her oversize purse.
    Although Tessa thought them flattering, Miles’s frown was not encouraging. “These look like high school graduation shots.”
    â€œYour brother thought they were good.”
    â€œMy brother’s a cop. All he saw was a drop-dead gorgeous female. While I, on the other hand, see the unflattering shadow beneath your eyes, and the way whoever was behind the lens didn’t even try to show off your cheekbones.”
    He reached out and ran his fingertips along the bones in question. “You could cut crystal with these,” he murmured. “But that hack made you look like a chipmunk-cheeked farmer’s daughter.”
    That stung. “I suppose you’re an expert on photography?”
    â€œActually, I am.” Rather than appearing fatally wounded by her attempt at hauteur, he seemed amused. He cupped her elbow in his palm. “Come with me and I’ll show you what a real photographer can do with a face like yours.”
    Tessa didn’t think she liked him. She knew she didn’t trust him. However, now that he’d pointed out the flaws in the photographs, she could see that he was right.
    She was trying to decide what to do when Jason returned. “You keep manhandling my women, Miles,” he said mildly, “and I’ll have to throw you in the slammer.”
    â€œI was just going to show Tessa my rogue’s gallery.”
    â€œI think she’d rather see my Wanted posters.” He put his arm around her bare shoulders. “Wouldn’t you, sweetheart?”
    She looked back and forth between the two brothers, trying to figure out whether or not their rivalry was real or a longtime game they enjoyed playing.
    â€œYou’re scaring her,” Miles complained. The smile he bestowed on Tessa was absolutely harmless. “Would you feel better if Officer Friendly here came along with us?”
    Tessa reminded herself that a faint heart never achieved anything. “I think I’d like to see your photographs.”
    â€œTerrific.” He nodded with satisfaction. “I’ve shot some of the most stunning faces in the business. And believe me, very few of them can hold a candle to you.”
    Exchanging a look with his brother over the top of her head, he led Tessa back into the house.
    Â 
    The next time Molly woke, she found another familiar face sitting in the chair beside the bed.
    â€œYou realize, of course, that you scared us all to death,” the elderly nun, who was the closest thing Molly had to a mother, scolded.
    â€œNext time I’m raped and beaten, I’ll try to be more discreet about it.”
    A frown furrowed the forehead that, when Molly had first met her, had been covered by a starched wimple. “This isn’t a joking