Intimate Illusions [The Callens 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Melody Snow Monroe

  This next week would once again put her back in the limelight, but it would be for the last time. She wasn’t going to let the agency talk her out of her decision to retire.

  Inside, as she hurried to her room, she passed Max’s open office door. He was hunched over the computer. Ian might be right. Max did need to lighten up. While running a ranch must take a lot of work, she bet if Ian helped more, Max could enjoy life to the fullest.

  Knowing she only had a short time to get ready, she jumped in the shower. She scrubbed her body and washed her hair. This time, she’d leave her long hair straight. She didn’t have to be in model mode until the end of the week. That in and of itself would be refreshing.

  Close to six, she tapped Max’s office door. He looked up, and his eyes brightened, but the tension in his forehead remained. She wondered what it would take to make him happy. “Your mom said we needed to get back by six.”

  Max glanced back at the computer. “I’m going to be a little late. Can’t Ian take you?”

  “I’m sure he can.” She tossed him one of her signature smiles. “Don’t work too hard.”

  He huffed out a laugh. This twenty-eight-year-old acted closer to forty. She’d always been accused of being more mature, but there was a good reason for her persona. She wondered what his take on his family would be.

  She found Ian outside on the porch speaking with a man. A van sat in the drive whose side was blazoned with the name Intrigue Big Vet.

  The men shook hands, and the handsome vet jogged back to his vehicle.

  “Ready to chow?” Ian clasped his hands around her waist.

  She swiveled around. “Yes. Max is coming later.”

  He didn’t act surprised. “Fine.”

  When he escorted her to the garage, she was surprised that he drove a brand new truck, since his brother had an old, dented one. She shelved that tidbit to analyze another time. On the short drive to his parents’ house, he regaled her with stories of his and Max’s childhood.

  “One time when we were about eight, we decided that we wanted to build our own fort and live there. We each had our own backpacks, and Max said we should gather supplies.”

  She laughed. “You probably got a handful of Twinkies and some soft drinks, and Max got a flashlight, a tarp and a sleeping bag.”

  He slapped the wheel and looked over at her. “Damn, but you’re good.”

  “So what happened?”

  “What you would imagine happened. We took two ponies and rode out to this swimming hole near the main house. We didn’t think anyone would find us even though we went there all the time. We gathered sticks and leaned them against a tree branch and covered them in a tarp. We thought we were so cool.”

  “I bet it got cold at night.”

  “You can say that again. It was October when we planned this brilliant idea. Around ten at night, I must have been whimpering or something because Max insisted we go back. The worst part was that Mom, Dad, Dustin and Cody were all in the living room waiting for us. We both got our asses tanned. We didn’t pull that stunt again.”

  She laughed so hard, tears streamed down her face. “Max is always looking out for you.”

  “Still is.”

  She couldn’t tell if there was any bitterness there. If so, he might try to act more responsibly and perhaps Max would back off, but who was she to tell him what to do?

  When they arrived at his parents’ ranch, the place had been transformed. There were three tents to the West of the house. Two of them had picnic tables under them, and the third was fully enclosed. Most likely that was where they’d be changing between their runway walks. The runway, which she’d seen before, was a masterpiece. A group of men were installing lights along the edge of the stage and on tall posts that overlooked the runway. From the amount of work that was going into the affair, this was going to be quite a production. Hopefully, the show brought in lots of money for the hospital.

  Ian jumped out of the truck and came over to her side and opened the door. He held out his hand to help her down. He’d jacked his truck up on shocks a tad higher than usual, so she appreciated the help. His souped-up car reminded her more of what high school kids drove than Wyoming ranchers, but then again, Ian wasn’t like most men.

  Mrs. Callen was outside directing traffic. He leaned over and gave his mother a kiss. Devonne’s heart melted at the interaction. She and her mother rarely touched. “Where’s Max?”

  “He’s finishing some paperwork. Don’t worry. He’ll never miss a meal you’ve prepared.”

  Mrs. Callen smile weakened. She too must know how hard Max worked. “Tonight he’ll be disappointed. With so many people, I had it catered.” She motioned to the tent on the right. “Go ahead, you two, and get something to eat. The models and their hosts are on the right, and the staff is on the left.”

  Ian placed a hand on the small of her back and led her over to the tent. A stream of tingles shot up her spine where he’d placed his palm. He stayed slightly behind her as if he was letting her decide where to sit. Cheri and Red were by themselves.

  “May we join you?”

  Their gazes went straight to Ian. “Sure.”

  She inwardly laughed. Even though these women might bring out the playboy in him, Devonne could tell Ian longed to be like Max. Competing against his brother and failing seemed to be his biggest hurdle.

  Instead of the girls steering the conversation to the modeling gig, she started off the conversation. “Guess what I got to do today?”

  They glanced between the two of them. From the way Red licked her lips, she was going to say something lewd. “I got to go riding. Ian showed me a beautiful spot on his ranch.”

  Both girls leaned forward. “You are so lucky.”

  Ian sat up straighter. “You’re staying at the house, right?”

  “Yes,” Red answered. “The accommodations are great, but there’s just us girls.”

  He laughed, and the rich sound stirred something inside her. One thing about Ian, there was nothing false about him.

  “My parents have a lot of horses you girls could ride.”

  Red scrunched up her face. “I’m kind of afraid of horses.”

  He shrugged. “I’m betting some of the cowhands would be happy to show you how it’s done.” For some irrational moment she thought Mr. Flirt would volunteer to help them. She was thrilled when he didn’t.

  “Can you drive a car across your property instead?” Red asked.

  He laughed. “Not unless you want to get your spine out of whack. It’s pretty bumpy out there.”

  “Oh.”

  The rest of the conversation turned to the fitting tomorrow and which designers they liked best. Ian was a good sport. He asked one or two questions but pretty much just listened. She figured for a guy like him that was hard.

  After they finished, they tossed their plates in the big trash bin. There was still a lot of work that had to be done before the show on Saturday, but this crew appeared to be well directed.

  Toward the end of dinner, the hammering and drilling resumed. Ian placed her hand in his. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  They took off toward the main house in a trot. She liked how Ian was spontaneous. They skipped up the steps and across the large wooden porch. He brought her into the house and swung her around until her back was against the wall. She was a bit out of breath when his lips descended on hers. She wondered if someone would walk in on them, but at the moment, she didn’t care.

  The surprise, the rush, and the forbidden nature of the kiss shot adrenaline through her system. She expected him to be forceful and demanding. Instead, his kiss was sensuous and alluring. She should have stopped him, but the prickles of delight filling her whole body made halting the event impossible. In fact, her hands seemed to wrap around his back on their own. She pressed into his powerful chest and slipped a hand up to the back of his head.

  “What the fuck are you doing?”

  She stilled, and Max pulled Ian off her.
Oh, shit. From the fury in the man’s eyes, there was going to trouble.

  She stepped forward and held up her hand. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” While she wasn’t blonde, she was good at playing the femme fatale. She fanned herself even though the outside temperature wasn’t hot. “I asked Ian to show me where the bathroom was, and I kissed him.”

  She reached over and squeezed Ian’s hand, hoping he’d understand that he didn’t need to blurt out the truth. From the way Max’s hands were clenched, he was about to go off on Ian. Ian had said Max sometimes treated him like a child. She could see why, but today the poor guy didn’t need to be embarrassed for sneaking a kiss. If she hadn’t wanted the affection, his balls would have been in his throat.

  Max’s hands unfurled and glared at Ian. “I came to tell you that the stage needs some reinforcing. The lighting crew knocked something out of whack. Neither Dustin nor Colby are here. Mom asked if you could take a look.”

  “Sure.”

  She thought he’d take off, but when his shoulders straightened as if to challenge his brother, Max stomped off.

  The footsteps retreated quickly. Ian spun around. She thought he’d be grateful, but there was a hint of anger lacing his eyes. “Why did you tell him you’d kissed me?”

  She ran a hand down his chest. Seeing this side of Ian upset her. She hadn’t expected him to care so much about his brother’s reaction. “Max was about to lay into you, and I didn’t think it was any of his business.”

  His steely gaze stayed on hers for a moment then softened. “Thank you, but I can handle my brother. I’ve been doing it all my life.” He looked over her head, and his gaze lost focus for a moment.

  She didn’t want to leave their interaction on a sour note. She kissed his cheek. “I never said you couldn’t take care of yourself. I was thinking of me. I’m so used to people jumping to the wrong conclusions. I’m sure Max saw you kissing me and thought that I was another loose model who couldn’t stand up for herself.” He opened his mouth, probably to defend the model image, when she placed a finger on his lips. “I, too, can take care of myself. Now, don’t you have a runway to fix?” She winked, and a grin broke out on his face.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She laughed as Ian rushed off to help his mom.

  * * * *

  The kiss vibrated inside him. Ian had kissed hundreds of women, but there was something about the yearning pouring out of Devonne’s body that got to him. Sure, he was somewhat pissed that she thought she needed to stand up for him. What kind of man did she think he was? Weak and one that needed to be protected? If so, that sucked.

  On the other hand, she had cared enough to do something for him. That was more than any other woman he’d known had ever done. He’d be the first to admit that he’d picked Devonne out of all the women because she was the most beautiful. To have someone like her at his side made him look good. After the kiss, something changed, only he couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

  He needed to fix the stage and didn’t have time to sort it all out. Though there were a lot of people running around, Max was easy to spot. He was the one viciously banging away at one of the legs supporting the stage.

  “Hey!”

  His brother didn’t stop. That wasn’t a good sign. Ian was the first one to admit when he’d messed up or shirked his responsibility, but this time, he was innocent. He grabbed Max’s non-hammer-wielding arm and spun him around.

  His brother lowered his arm. “Why don’t you go back and play with your model? I’m almost done.”

  He got in his face. “What is your problem? You jealous because I’m having a good time?”

  Confusion clouded his brother’s face. “No. Devonne seems like a nice girl. She’s twenty-three for God’s sake. She’s leaving in a week. Nothing can come of this relationship, so leave her alone.”

  A week was a long time. “Devonne is great and nice and wonderful, but I’m not stopping.” He grabbed his brother’s bicep. “She’s the first woman who actually gets me.” Too bad she’ll walk out of my life all too soon. “She kissed me, remember?” So what if that was a lie or mostly a lie. He might have initiated the kiss, but she’d sure as hell had kissed him back.

  “Just be careful. You’ve left a trail of women behind before.”

  That was because they all saw only my façade. “I’d never hurt her.”

  Max turned back to the stage and finished hammering in the nail. “You probably already have.”

  He hoped to hell that wasn’t true. “What do you want me to do?” He wasn’t even sure if he was asking about repairing the stage or about how to handle his growing need for Devonne.

  Max drove in the nail. “I’m done here.” He faced him. “Be careful.” He placed the hammer back in the tool chest and walked off.

  Christ. He didn’t need Max pissed off at him. Max always seemed to catch him the moment he stepped out of line and never saw him caring for the cattle or fixing a fence or repairing a broken door. He needed something in his life to change. Too bad he didn’t know what that something was.

  Chapter Five

  Devonne thought it wise to keep her distance from both men for a while. The twins had issues that needed to be resolved. Ian’s self-image was piss-poor. He didn’t seem to have any idea how amazing he was with people. He was charming, insightful, and caring. His need for fancy cars and yes, fancy women, probably lowered his worth in Max’s eyes, but Ian deeply cared what his brother thought of him. Too bad neither man saw what a great guy Ian was deep inside.

  Max, on the other hand, was stability personified. She’d seen the protective side of Max when he stopped the cameraman from getting in her face. He also seemed to take the management of the ranch perhaps too seriously. Having to keep an eye on his brother further seemed to be taking its toll. While she didn’t know Max well, just from the short time she’d seen him, he acted far older than twenty-eight. She agreed that someone had to take care of the running of the ranch, but he needed to loosen up. If only she could put both of them together into one human being, he’d be the perfect man.

  That would be boring.

  Each of the men posed a different challenge, and she liked that. Being with Ian was fun and easy. Soon, she’d find out about being with Max. Oh, how she loved challenges.

  The men believed she’d be gone in a week. While she had to go back and check on the store, she planned to return to Wyoming. Settling down in this pristine land might be the ideal place for her. Right now, the jury was still out on where she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

  She only saw glimpses of Ian and Max as she made her rounds around the ranch. The other models here were younger, and most hadn’t done an outdoor show like this one before. She felt it her role to reassure them. They needed to know what to do in case wind ruffled a short dress or blew hair across one’s eyes. Some might need a bit of guidance as to how this show would be different from what they were accustomed to.

  Around two, she took a break and went in search of the men. Neither of their trucks was in the drive anymore. Darn. Hopefully, they’d come back for dinner. If not, she’d have to get someone to drive her to their ranch.

  At dinner, she found herself alone once more, so she sat with Mrs. Callen.

  “I hope my sons are taking good care of you.”

  The woman was such a doll. “So far, yes. They have a lovely home.”

  “Had I known one of you was going to stay there, I would have gone over and cleaned.”

  She laughed. “Max is a neat freak. The place is great.”

  Mrs. Callen’s shoulders relaxed. “I’m glad to hear that. If they give you any trouble, you let me know. They can be a handful.”

  Devonne couldn’t imagine having seven children, especially when the first four were boys, all within five years of each other. She’d always wanted a slew of kids, but maybe not that many.

  “Mom.”

  Devonne turned around. Max stood behind her.

&nb
sp; Mrs. Callen beamed. “There you are. Is everything okay?”

  “I’m here to take Devonne back home.”

  “We need her here first thing tomorrow morning at eight sharp. She’ll be the first one to be fitted. Then she’ll be free for the rest of the day.” His mom winked.

  “She’ll be here.” He looked down at her. “You ready?”

  “Sure.” She swung her legs over the bench and stood. She was in low-heeled boots and had to look up at Max.

  She needed to use long strides to catch up with him as he headed to his truck. She threaded an arm through his. “Have I done something to make you mad?”

  He stopped in his tracks. “No.” He shrugged. “Well, you did kiss Ian.”

  She clasped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was illegal in Wyoming.”

  A small smile stole across his face. “Okay, that’s not it.” He glanced to the ground. “He’s vulnerable.”

  That made her laugh. “You need to give Ian more credit. He’s a man, just like you. Trust me when I say he can handle himself. His people skills are exceptional. In fact, I bet he’s broken more hearts than women have broken his.”

  He leaned over and opened the car door for her. The small smile remained on his handsome face. “I think you might be right.”

  Once they got home, Ian wasn’t around. She guessed he was either in town at the Raging Bull, or riding around on his horse trying to get his act together. There was a deep layer under his happy-go-lucky exterior.

  It was only 7:25 p.m. She’d take a shower then find out more about these interesting twins. As soon as she stepped into the bathroom, the smell of bleach hit her. The counters had been polished to a shine and the glass shower door sparkled. Hmm. Someone had been cleaning. She guessed Max was the culprit. She had to smile. Other than when she’d been at a hotel, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had cleaned for her. That small act made her feel special.