Tattoos and Transformations (6 page)
Read Tattoos and Transformations Online
Authors: Melody Snow Monroe
He slid his hands down to her waist and held on tight as his jism nearly burned a hole in the condom. His cock expanded and stretched her so much, she lost her breath. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she held on for dear life as her climax tore through her like a punishing tornado.
“Jesus, Dakota.”
She would have responded had she been able to form any words.
He withdrew and leaned her onto her side. He grabbed his underwear and cleaned her the best he could. When he cuddled behind her, she thought if this were her last day on earth, she’d have died a satisfied woman.
His arms stayed wrapped around her until the mountains turned purple and the air chilled.
Clint sat up. “I think we need to get back down before it gets dark.”
Her boneless body wasn’t as enthusiastic about the trek, but she knew she had no choice. “Okay.”
After they both dressed, he packed up and then tossed her a food bar. “Eat this. We used up a lot of energy.”
“Got a steak packed in that bag?” She’d need a big meal to
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compensate for the sex they’d had.
He laughed. “Don’t I wish, but I know a place that can serve one.” He must be thinking of his home. Morgan would be there and she wasn’t quite ready to run into him looking so sweaty. “I have a client stopping by after she gets off work. Can I take a rain check?” She smiled as sweetly as she could.
“Absolutely.” While his comment held cheer, the sparkle in his eyes had dimmed.
“Are you going to tell Morgan what we did?”
“
What we did
was make wonderful love. Would you mind if I did?”
She shrugged. “He won’t care.”
He hauled the pack over his shoulder and motioned she head back to the trail. “I think you’re wrong.”
She looked over her shoulder. “Has he said anything?” She’d already had one miracle today. She probably shouldn’t push for two.
“I actually brought up the concept of sharing you with him if we ever hooked up.”
That halted her. She spun around. “You knew we’d have sex up here?”
He instantly drew her to his chest. “No, but I figured if you were willing, we’d not be able to stay away from each other and eventually our passion would get the best of us.”
She stepped back and smiled. “You are so full of shit.”
“It sounded good, didn’t it?”
A cool breeze and a dark cloud reminded her they had to get down the mountain. “Yes, but that’s not the point. Tell me about Morgan.”
“Don’t take it the wrong way, but when I mentioned you, he got kind of got mad.”
She swatted a cobweb off her face. “Mad?”
“When I brought up your name, he made every excuse in the book why I should find you unattractive.”
“Ouch.” She came to the main path and turned left down the
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mountain.
“I think he’s sweet on you.”
Something had rattled Clint’s brains in the last few years. “I would have drawn that conclusion, too. I talk bad about all the guys I like.” She shook her head as she grabbed on to a tree branch to balance going over a slippery rock.
“Let me pose this to you.”
She wished she didn’t have to have this conversation while trying to pick her way over rocks and down a steep incline. “Shoot.”
“Speaking hypothetically, what’s your take on ménage relationships?”
Her foot must have stepped on a mossy slope because she slipped and landed on her butt. “Shit.” Pain ripped up her spine.
Clint was at her side in a flash. He pressed his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t move and let me check you out.” The radiating pulses lessened. “I think it’s my ego that’s bruised more than my butt.” Or perhaps it was the fact that he’d entered her brain and read every thought.
“Hold still, will ya?” He asked her a series of questions as he ran his hands down her spine. “Looks good. Let’s get you on your feet.” Embarrassed, she let him pull her up. She brushed off her butt.
“Can we get down before we discuss my sex life?” He burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I was just speaking my mind. Sure thing. My mouth is zippered closed.” She loved his outlook on life. True to his word, he didn’t bring up Morgan again. She scrambled down the mountain without another incident.
He helped her into the truck. “I’ll give you a few days to recuperate before asking you out again.” He winked.
“Thanks.”
He started the engine. “However, I do have a plan if you’re amenable.”
“What’s that?” He always did love to scheme.
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“Perhaps tomorrow, you could come real early in the morning to our ranch and set up your easel to paint some flowers.” She laughed. “Why would I want to do that?”
“The light’s the best in the early morning.” Who was this guy? “I mean, why would I want to come to your ranch?” She had thought only Morgan worked the ranch and that Clint stayed there while he ran his landscaping design business, but now wasn’t the time to bring up the distinction.
He glanced over at her. “Not too bright, are you?” Had he not been driving, she would have punched him in the arm.
Instead, she slapped the dash. “Tell me.”
“Because when Morgan leaves the house in the morning and runs into you, the fireworks will fly, and I want to see the explosion.”
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Chapter Five
This was the dumbest plan Dakota had ever agreed to. She was bundled in a thick fleece pullover and sitting on a low stool in front of her easel about fifty feet from Morgan and Clint Callen’s front porch.
She had to admit, the flowers were spectacular as was the stone pathway that led to the front of the house. So far, neither man had shown up, but Clint had texted her that Morgan was about to go riding on the range.
To make it appear as though she was an invited guest who really wanted to paint flowers, she’d already made the sketch and taken a few pictures. Because the light wasn’t the best, the photos lacked detail.
The side door opened and heavy boots stomped their way down the steps. To pretend Morgan didn’t exist would be dumb. She inhaled to steel her nerves and looked over her shoulder. She casually waved.
“Hey, Morgan.” Returning to her picture, she dabbed her brush into the yellow paint and stabbed the canvas.
As expected, he charged over to her. “What are you doing here?” He stood so close she could smell his animal scent. She placed the brush into her storage cup and looked up. “Long time no see.” Her heart was racing so fast she was sure he could see it beat beneath the sweater.
He leaned closer. “Dakota? That you?”
She couldn’t believe he hadn’t recognized her, especially since Clint claimed he told Morgan about her transformation. “The one and only.” She lifted her chin and smiled.
“Jesus. Clint said you’d changed, but I wouldn’t have guessed.”
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“So it seems.” She stood in the hopes he’d remember her now.
“You passed me the other day and said nothing.” His gaze dropped to the right. “The girl in the yellow dress?”
“Yup.”
“Well, shit.”
His vocabulary seemed to have deteriorated in the last few years.
“Clint suggested that I add some flowers to my collection of paintings.
I’m sure Jade told you that I’ve taken over her studio and am turning it into an art gallery.” She had a ton of flower close-ups, but she’d not hung them yet. Technically, she wasn’t lying. “I hope you don’t mind if I paint these.”
He shot a look at her painting as if to verify her story. “No. No problem.” He nodded to what she’d done. “It looks great.” He was just saying that. She’d only painted half a flower. “The grand opening isn’t for another two weeks, but stop on by any time to see my new digs. You’d hardly recognize the bottom floor. ”
“Sure.” His gaze shot to the ground. “I gotta go.” He stomped off, slapped his hat against his thigh then jammed it onto his head. She sat only because her legs had a hard time keeping her upright.
Hmm
. That didn’t go as she’d hoped, but it was as she’d expected.
* * * *
Holy shit
. Clint had said Dakota had changed, but he never would have imagined she’d have made such a drastic transformation merely by dyeing her hair and taking out those damned piercings. She had the same charming smile and her eyes twinkled with mischief like they always had, but he knew that once her opening occurred and everyone learned what an amazing artist she was, she’d revert back to being punk Dakota at some time. He doubted the pink-lipstick phase would last long.
Call him crazy, but anyone who would go to such extremes to get
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noticed wasn’t for him. All that freaky hair stuff and piercings screamed she had no desire for anyone to get close to her. He understood she had issues with her mom dying, but she was only six when that happened. Maybe he was being insensitive, but dyeing her hair all sorts of colors wouldn’t bring her mom back to life.
Maybe what got him the angriest all those years ago was when she said she was going to go to Washington University in St. Louis, where both he and Clint ended up. But did she? No. She decided to stick around Intrigue and help Jade. While noble, she might have been a renowned artist by now if she’d followed her heart.
When he first met her, she’d been the smallest girl he’d ever seen, but the most fearless at the same time. He was nine and a bit intimidated by her. Clint, however, followed her around like a puppy.
Then they got smart and moved on, but Dakota appeared to be fascinated by both of them. Maybe that was why he didn’t want to dip his wick into her.
He got to the barn and saddled his horse. Running a ranch was a big job and becoming more demanding each year. Too bad Clint loved creating beautiful yards out of dirt or he’d try to convince him to help. He knew all too well that people’s passions never changed.
Clint loved design like Jade loved iron. He’d always be a horse man.
Hell, maybe Dakota would always be an artist.
The day was shaping up to be a warm one. So far, they’d had a nice summer and he hated to see the weather change. The cold would be here soon enough.
Heading toward where the cows were congregating, he glanced over his land. While he didn’t own a spread anywhere near as big as his dad’s, this five-thousand-acre parcel was the perfect size for him.
As he neared the herd, he spotted a piece of the fence down and rode to check it out.
It looked like someone had driven a truck straight through the fence. “What the fuck?” He glanced over his shoulder and spotted two of his hands, who seemed oblivious to the possible hazard. Last thing
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he needed was for his cattle to escape. His land was on the eastern edge of the Callen estate. Old man Whitaker’s place sat to the east of him, and the guy didn’t like stray cattle to trespass.
Cord and Jack were inspecting the herd when he rode up to them.
“Hey, Cord. You see that downed fence?”
He looked up like he had no idea what his boss was talking about.
“Huh?”
Morgan pointed to the potential problem. “Can you do something about that? What the hell do I pay you for, anyway?” Cord jerked back as if he’d been hit. The man was lucky he hadn’t gotten off his horse and done just that. One fight a day was all he could stomach. Morgan turned his horse around and headed back to the barn. If he stayed around much longer, there was no telling how many people he’d alienate today.
Dakota’s face flashed before him. He thought he’d more or less banished her from his mind years ago, but here she was again, trapping his heart. It was like they were nine and ten again. He remembered the time Clint suggested they all play doctor. Where Jade was at the time he didn’t recall, but it was just the three of them.
As soon as he started to unbutton his shirt, Dakota took one look and ran away. After that she changed. She’d gained a lot of weight and just as quickly got real skinny again. She was gone for a few months from school. Rumor had it she was in a hospital recovering from anorexia. When she returned, her weight appeared normal, but she was never the same.
He brushed down his horse and put him away. Clint and he needed to have a talk about why he’d invited Dakota to the ranch without asking him. They both owned the home and land equally, but it would have been considerate to let him know.
When he strode back to the house, Dakota thankfully had packed up and left. It didn’t surprise him. He hadn’t exactly been welcoming, but if his brother had warned him, he might have been more prepared.
He still couldn’t believe he’d fantasized for the last few nights about
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the girl in the yellow dress. She had reminded him of someone. Now he knew who.
For the rest of the day, he spent his time in the office paying bills and making sure the farm had enough feed for the week. Around five, Clint came in full of sweat and dirt. He’d let him clean up before they had a heart-to-heart about his invited guest.
The shower turned on, and Morgan grabbed a beer to get ready for their discussion. Fifteen minutes later, Clint came out wearing only jeans. His barefoot brother traipsed into the living room and headed straight for the kitchen. Before he had a chance to ask him about Dakota, Clint spoke up.
“How did your chat go with her? She’s changed, huh?” Morgan got up and sat on the stool at the counter. “Like you haven’t been in contact with her ten times already? I’m sure you know how it went.”
Clint pulled a beer from the fridge and downed half of it in one swallow. He grinned. “You like her, don’t you?” Denying it would only set Clint off. “She’s different.” He cocked a brow. “Good different or bad different?”
“I’m not having this conversation.”
Clint placed the bottle on the counter and leaned his elbows on the slab. “Why? I want her, and I think she’d like to share.”
Christ
. His cock hardened, but his brain clicked into a more reasonable mode. “No.”
His younger brother painted on his often-used sad face. “I say try her, you’ll like her.”
The cheer in his tone caused bells to explode in his head. “You fucked her, didn’t you?”
“We made love on top of Randall’s Ridge.” He closed his eyes and inhaled. Then he lasered him with a steely look. “It was better than life itself. We will break you, bro. She’s the one for us.”
“She’s too much of a free spirit.” Clint studied him for too long.
“What?”
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“That’s your problem. You’re so uptight that if you were with a woman who was spontaneous, fun loving, and adventurous, she’d scare you.”
“I don’t need to be psychoanalyzed.” He hadn’t even figured out why she got under his skin and made his dick hard thinking about her.
“That’s exactly what you do need.”
“Okay. Fine. Suppose we go out and I have a great time. We even end up in the sack and she rocks my world.”
“Which is what would happen.”
He hated when Clint wouldn’t let him finish. “Then she reverts back to the old Dakota.”
“So? She’s still the same wonderful woman.” No, she wasn’t. “Can you imagine what Dad would say?” Clint polished off his beer. “No. What would Dad say?”
“That she’s not Callen material.”
Clint laughed, which didn’t settle well in his gut. “If she’s fertile, she’s Callen material.”
Unfortunately, that might have been true. “All I’m saying is be careful.”
“Because I might get hurt emotionally?” Clint laughed and shook his head. “You want her, don’t you?”
Morgan got off the stool, not needing this conversation. “If you want a smart-ass chick who can shut down emotionally at the snap of a finger, then I say go for her.”
“Don’t walk away from me. We need to settle this.”
“Settle what?” His tried to keep his breaths even.
“I want her and always have. We agreed that when we settled down, we’d share the woman we love.”
A laugh escaped. “You’ve gone out with her once and you know she’s the one for you?” His brother must have been drinking on the job.
“We’ve known her for twenty years.”
Morgan walked away, but Clint didn’t seem to like Morgan’s
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rebuff. His brother followed him.
“If you can get under her skin and show her you care, she’ll never do you wrong. Look how she stayed by Jade’s side all these years.
Think how much it must have hurt to see her own dad train her best friend to work in his line of business.” He had wondered how Dakota never seemed to get jealous. He faced Clint. “That’s because Dakota is too tiny to lift an anvil.” Jade was five feet nine inches and packed full of muscles, and Dakota didn’t weigh more than a wet blanket.
“That doesn’t mean she wasn’t hurt by her dad’s betrayal.” Faithful friends who stuck by a person through every kind of shit were nearly impossible to find. “It’s hardly a betrayal, but I’m not going to argue the point.”
Clint’s shoulders stiffened. “So you won’t mind if I bring her over here?”
“This is your house, too.”
“Remember that when we’re running around naked.” Now his brother had crossed the line. “You wouldn’t dare.” He shrugged. “You’re the one who said she’s wild. Never know with her.”
This was surely a test to see what he’d say. He wasn’t going to let Clint goad him into a fight. “I suppose you brought up the concept of a ménage with her.”
His heart hitched waiting for the answer. “Sure did.”
Shit
. Leave it to Clint not to elaborate. “And?”
“She kind of laughed saying that you hated her and that it would never work.”
He had pretended that she did nothing for him. “You left it like that?”
“What was I to say? That my brother is secretly in love with you but is too fucking stupid to admit it even to himself, but that if you rub your tits against him a couple of times, he might come around?” He wasn’t sure what part of the sentence made him snap, but his
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fist connected with Clint’s gut.
Clint partially doubled over but came back with an uppercut that rattled his brain. He didn’t want to have a brawl, especially over a woman. He stepped back and held up his hands. His right knuckles throbbed from the hit.
“Sorry.” He moved his jaw right and left to make sure nothing was broken.
Clint’s grin came out lopsided. “Thank you for confirming my suspicion.”
He didn’t even want to hear his brother’s conjecture. “I’m not sharing.”
“Well, you sure as hell can’t have her for yourself.” That was not what he’d meant.
Yes, it is.
“I’ve got work to do.” He spun around and headed back to his office. “Do what you want.”
Just don’t flaunt her in front of me
.
The image of her and Clint naked, fucking their brains out, made his blood boil. Maybe if he could convince Dakota that she really didn’t want him, the concept of her willingness to share would go away.
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