Tattoos and Transformations

by Melody Snow Monroe

  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 48

  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 50

  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 52

  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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  Chapter Six

  After the fiasco with Morgan, Dakota wasn’t sure her relationship with Clint would work. He and Morgan seemed to be inseparable, and if Jade knew what she was talking about, her two brothers were determined to find one woman they could share.

  All week, she’d questioned her decision to go to Morgan’s ranch and pretend she was only there to paint. He hadn’t been rude, but she could tell her presence bothered him. While he’d made a nice comment about her drawing, his quick glance implied he wasn’t into her art. That was okay. Clint appreciated her, but if two people didn’t understand what the other person was passionate about, a long-term relationship would never work.

  Clint had called several times to see how she was doing, but with the opening coming up, she’d been swamped trying to get ready. Her cell rang and it was Clint again.

  She smiled. “Hey there.”

  “How would you like to do something really special on Saturday?”

  Her time was limited, but she couldn’t turn him down. “What is it?”

  His chuckle made her stomach twist with delight and her pussy rejoice. “It’s a secret. Can you make it?”

  “I love surprises. Sure.”

  “I’ll pick you up at 9:00 a.m. sharp.”

  “What should I wear?” The last time they’d climbed a freaking mountain.

  “Pants and a warm top.”

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  That gave her no clue. “I’ll be ready.”

  When he disconnected, she jumped up and down. If she thought Jade knew what the surprise might have been, she’d have called her.

  With Clint, she didn’t even dare to guess what he had in mind, but she hoped it ended with them intimately entwined. The fire he’d lit in her belly needed to be quenched—and fast.

  To make the most of the time she did have, she started a list for what had to be done. Ordering the cakes came first. Not only would next week celebrate her grand opening, but Cody Callen had let it slip about his wife’s big surprise, and Dakota wanted to get a cake for her, too. Two more artists were going to stop by with artwork they wished to commission. Lastly, she wanted to contact Harley, as he was an artist in his own right, to see if he wanted to put something up for sale.

  Over the years, she’d seen some pretty amazing designs he’d created.

  Maybe someone might like his beautiful ink work to hang on a wall.

  Between getting the ads in the paper and finally bringing the banner design to the printer, it was dinnertime already. Since she didn’t feel like cooking, she thought she’d take a walk down to the Eatery for a sandwich. That place never failed to have something good to eat. She blasted through the front door and was halfway to the counter when she spotted Clint and Morgan’s younger sister, Erin.

  Probably because there was a two-year age difference, they didn’t hang out much.

  She debated stopping to chat, but with the way Erin was making goo-goo eyes at some super hunky guy she’d never seen before, Dakota thought it better to leave them alone. She felt pretty safe that Erin wouldn’t recognize her, so her feelings wouldn’t get hurt.

  Now she wished she’d taken the time to get to know her better.

  When they were kids, two years was a lot. Now, the age gap meant nothing. Jade had mentioned that Erin had quit her job and was looking for something other than working in a clothing store. Dakota wondered if she might like to be a buyer for Devonne Callen, who’d been a top model before coming to Intrigue and marrying Jade’s twin 56

  cousins.

  What she did know was that Clint and Morgan were super protective of all their siblings. She’d never forget the time about three years ago, when she was at the Callen ranch visiting Jade and Tanya, who at the time was nineteen, and some guy stopped by to see her.

  Man oh man, did the kid get grilled by those two. She could only imagine what they’d do when they had a daughter. Her hand shot to her stomach. No way she’d ever get that far with her men.

  Her men?

  Right now, her only hope was to have a fantastic relationship with Clint and enjoy it while it lasted. Sooner or later, Morgan would insist they settle down and find the right woman for both of them.

  Dakota’s appetite kind of disappeared, but she ordered a roast beef sandwich to go anyway. She could always save for later what she didn’t eat.

  * * * *

  “No way I’m jumping out of a
plane.” Her hands were already sweaty from watching other people take a leap.

  Sure they landed safely, but that was beside the point.

  Clint tugged on her waist and drew her near. “I thought you were a daredevil.”

  “I like to ride on the back of a motorcycle, and I might even be willing to rock climb someday, but skydiving is a bit out of my comfort zone.”

  He stepped around and faced her, his hands still on her waist. “I’ll be with you.” He leaned over and nuzzled her neck. “Doesn’t that count?”

  “Like you’ll be holding my hand or something?” He laughed. “No, darlin’. I’m a jumpmaster. I have over six hundred jumps in the last three years alone. I’ll be using a drogue parachute and I’ll strap you on my chest. You don’t have to do a thing

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  but enjoy the ride.” He placed his lips to her ears. “It’ll be as exciting as when I licked your clit, only this will last longer.” Her breath hitched. Sharing an experience with someone would bring the two of them closer. Her body pulsed thinking about the rush.

  She closed her eyes. “Okay.”

  “Yes! That’s my girl.” He picked her up and swung her around.

  “Let’s go pack my chute.”

  “You do it yourself?”

  “Hell, yeah. I’m the only person I trust. I know I’ll do a good job.

  My life, and now your life, is at stake.” That made her feel somewhat better, but her stomach wouldn’t stop churning. Between his pinched brows and fake frown, he really wanted her to try. “Let’s do this.”

  “You’re going to love it. Come on.”

  If he died, she’d die. She supposed to get the most out of life, she had to try everything once. They headed over to an area where he spread out his shoot.

  “This is the D-bag, and I’m going to stuff all this nylon into here, which I’ll then put into another container. I’ll also have a second chute, called a reserve.”