Tattoos and Transformations (3 page)
Read Tattoos and Transformations Online
Authors: Melody Snow Monroe
He leaned in and cocked a brow. “So where are they?” Her mouth formed a perfect
O
. “Clint Callen. I’ll never tell.” Her feistiness hadn’t changed. “Guess I’ll have to find out for myself.” He sat back and wrapped his hands behind his head, enjoying the repartee.
She glanced away as if she didn’t want him to see the sparkle in her eyes. After a moment, she turned back. “What are you here for?”
“What do you think?”
“You don’t have any tattoos.”
He lifted his shirt, and her breath hitched. “I got a lot of them. I just keep them hidden under a T-shirt, too.”
“Nice!”
He was surprised at how much her approval meant. Being a landscape designer, he often went shirtless. Tattoos were art and he loved art. Often the customers would comment on the intricacy of the design, but he never cared one way or the other about their approval.
She reached out to touch his chest where the tribal designs were the most prevalent. Her fingertips nearly singed his skin. He pressed her hand to his chest. “Touch once and I won’t want you to stop.”
“What’s gotten into you? For twenty years you’ve avoided me.” That was true but not because he didn’t want her. She was a pest until she turned sixteen. After that, he’d been fascinated by her for many reasons. This woman had been fat, anorexic, Goth, punk, and a lot of fads in between. But deep down, she was a woman who needed loving. When he was near her, he ached to make her realize how
21
special she was.
“Guess I was waiting for you to grow up.” That was lame, but he couldn’t come up with a better reply.
She waved a hand. “Funny. So why stop the tattoos at your shirt line? Are you afraid of what your
daddy
would say?” She acted like he was some wuss. “Not afraid, but why push it?
Dad thinks only lower-class people have tattoos. He doesn’t see tattoos as artistic expression.” He gave a quick shake of his head.
“I think I’ve heard him express those thoughts, but your dad has a lot of misconceptions, especially toward women.” Her lips pursed.
His father’s prejudices always bothered him. He and Morgan got a chance to go to college, but not Jade. “Jade thinks he’s really changed.
Look at how he renamed his ranch to include Mom’s initial.” He was still stunned that his father did that, though he couldn’t have been more pleased.
“It’s a start.”
Harley lifted her chin away from where he was working. “Stay still.”
She smiled and mouthed, “Whoops!”
Harley’s attention to detail mesmerized him. Okay, he was more mesmerized by how Dakota’s breast rose and fell with each prick of the needle. The side of the old man’s hand was pressing on her tit, but she didn’t seem to mind. He imagined a million times what it would be like to hold her luscious breast in his hand and how she’d moan when he plucked the nipple with his teeth.
“Clint?”
Damn. He must have a shit-eating grin on his face. He sobered.
“Yeah?”
“Never mind. You looked lost.”
That was because he was in his lustful world. He cleared his throat.
“Harley, how long you going to be?”
The tattoo artist glanced at the wall clock. “Sorry. I know you had an appointment at four, but when Dakota called, I didn’t want to say
22
no. Can you give me thirty minutes?”
“Sure.” He pulled up a chair and sat a few inches from the delightful woman. He still couldn’t get over how much she’d changed.
Her dyed hair and removed piercings weren’t the only things different.
Her attitude and self-confidence seemed to have risen. Now that she was going to be a storeowner, she had a distinctive air about her.
“When’s the grand opening?”
She jerked her head back to him. “I’m hoping in three weeks.”
“Can I get a sneak peek?”
He loved how her breath always hitched when he caught her off guard. “Sure.”
“How about I stop over after I get my tat done? We can compare our artistry.”
She laughed. “I haven’t heard that line before.”
“It’s not a line.”
Now he felt bad that he’d purposefully snubbed her all these years.
She was daring and caring at the same time, a combination he hadn’t found in a woman before. His landscaping work brought in a lot of money, but he spent most of the time either doing the manual labor or designing properties. As much as he loved to party and date, he hadn’t made the time. Maybe today would be the start of a new beginning.
* * * *
Dakota was thrilled with her new tattoo. Harley had done a spectacular job. This day couldn’t have gone any better. Not only had she caught sight of Morgan, but she got to spend close to an hour with Clint!
Her heart still hadn’t slowed. Every time she closed her eyes, his gorgeous face appeared. He hadn’t shaved that day, which only enhanced his rugged sex appeal.
As soon as she paid, she dashed back to her place with about forty minutes to change. The floor needed to be swept and the rest of her
23
paintings hung. Jumping into panic mode, she hustled. First came the hanging of the paintings. Since all the hardware was in place, the pictures would be easy to put up. She’d waited until she was absolutely certain how she wanted to group the pictures for the best presentation before arranging them in their final position. Even if they weren’t perfect, she bet Clint wouldn’t mind.
She lifted each one, checked the paintings to the right and left, and if they didn’t compete with each other, she attached the hook in back.
When she was done, she stepped back.
“Not bad, art curator.”
The floor was dusty, but her gallery was a work in progress. Her appearance needed to come next. Not wanting to look anything like the old Dakota, she pulled on a pink frilly top that Jade had bought her for her last birthday, straight jeans
sans
holes, and cowboy boots.
She looked like any other Callen girl to her.
She must have taken a bit too much time because just as she reapplied her light pink lipstick the bell rang above the door. Clint was here and she buzzed him in. She hustled to the top of the steps, inhaled, and tried to act as nonchalant as possible as she floated down the stairs.
Like the prom date she wished she’d had, Clint waited at the bottom of the steps, almost looking eager.
Be cool.
“Hey.”
His eyes glistened. “I still can’t believe it’s really you.” She swatted his chest, staying away from his recently tattooed arm.
“I’m just plain old Dakota. I really haven’t changed.”
“Let me see some plain old Dakota artwork.” She’d always loved Clint’s good-natured ways. “I just put these up, but if you think some pieces don’t speak to you, I can replace them with others.”
She expected him to walk past all of the artwork, say something polite, and leave. Instead, he studied each one in great detail.
24
“Dakota, these are incredible.”
She never expected her pulse to race and tears to brim her lashes.
He loved her work! “You think so?”
He turned around. “Yes, I do.”
He continued traveling toward the back of the gallery where she’d displayed her tattoo photos. When he got to her pictures of her grapefruit tattoos, he leaned in closer. “You did these?” She moved next to him. “I’m a novice. I just like to play with the different colored inks.”
He turned toward her and clasped his hands on her shoulders.
“You need to show these to Harley. My God, you could go national with your talent.”
She rolled her eyes. “They’re just samples.” He shrugged. “I’m just saying. You’ve got talent, girl. Your landscapes are remarkable. Have you ever painted the mountains from Randall’s Ridge?”
She never had the time to go hiking. “Most of my paintings are copied off photographs.”
His lopsided grin set her stomach aflutter. “Well, then. I think you need to paint in real time. How about Sunday? I’ve got jobs lined up for the rest of the week, but I’m free then. What do you say?” His enthusiasm made her stomach curl and her pussy dampen.
“Sure.”
“I’ll bring all the gear. We’ll be hiking up a mountain, so wear good shoes.”
She could picture herself needing to stop every few minutes. Her aerobic capabilities weren’t the best. “I’m not really the athletic type.” Maybe he’d suggest a place they could drive to.
He wrapped an arm around her waist. “You’ll be fine. We can rest as much as you want.”
To spend the day with Clint, she’d be willing to be covered in mosquitos and sweat and be scratched by thorny plants. “What time?”
“The best time is when the sun is either rising or setting. How
25
about I pick you up at 3:00 p.m.?”
She almost blew out a breath. “I’ll be ready.” He backed up. “On Sunday, then.”
In a flash, he was gone. As soon as he was out of sight, she jumped up and down. She pulled out her cell and called Jade.
“Hey, Dakota.”
“I ran into Clint. He saw my paintings and he wants to take me hiking to Randall’s Ridge on Sunday so I can paint the sunset over the mountains. Can you believe it?”
Jade laughed. “Did he recognize you?”
She told her about seeing Morgan. “Neither did at first.”
“I’m happy for you, but don’t be disappointed if Morgan doesn’t react as favorably as Clint. Those two couldn’t be any more different.”
Didn’t she know it. “When you get a moment, I’d like your opinion on which of my photos to display.”
“I’ll drop by tomorrow and we can chat.” How great was it to have such a good friend? She sighed and decided she needed to stop at her dad’s to see about locating some shoes to hike in.
* * * *
“I tell you, she’s hot.” Clint waved his beer in his hand.
Morgan didn’t want to hear it. “It’s Dakota you’re talking about.
That’s like saying Sarah is hot.” He was exaggerating, since their little sister was fourteen and Dakota was a year older than Clint, but he wanted to make sure his brother understood that dating Dakota wouldn’t work.
“If you saw her, you wouldn’t say she looks like a little girl.” In his mind’s eye, he pictured the striking brunette he’d passed in the yellow dress today. Now there was a beautiful woman. “How has she changed?” It wouldn’t do to dismiss Clint. If he did, he’d never
26
hear the end of it.
“She removed all of her piercings and dyed her hair brown.” That would be an improvement, but her impish face and sassy attitude would be the same. “Remember what Dad always says.”
“What?”
“A leopard doesn’t change its spots.”
Clint polished off the rest of his beer. “Fine, but you need to look beneath the surface. She’s adventuresome. She’s talented. And she’s hot.” He set the bottle on the kitchen counter. “I bet she’d be the type to share.”
Morgan’s balls tightened. His brother knew that would get to him.
The women they’d had together hadn’t been the type they wanted to bring home to the family. In his mind, Dakota wasn’t either, but their mom loved Dakota. Their dad always had been a bit put off by her appearance, but she’d even charmed him. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not interested.” It was better to put this new interest to rest right away.
Clint propped a hip on the kitchen barstool. “She’s been chasing us for fifteen years. She still wants us. Hell, I’m taking her painting this weekend.”
“Painting?”
Christ
. Clint was in deep.
“We’ll be hiking up to Randall’s Ridge.” If he gave his younger brother a lecture about women and how they could suck him dry, Clint would be more determined to have her.
To be honest, Dakota never took advantage of the Callen money or what the family had to offer, but that didn’t mean she never would.
“Have fun.”
Clint’s brows turned downward. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I know you’re busy, but I don’t remember you turning down a piece of ass.”
“She’s not just a piece of ass.”
Shit
. He shouldn’t be been so vehement. “Besides, I’ve got enough to do.” He wasn’t convinced Dakota would put out for Clint. Underneath that heavy makeup, she was afraid of anyone getting close.
27
“The ranch is doing well and the tattoo parlor runs itself.”
“Bullshit. I spend several hours a week trying to get the best artists to come to Intrigue. It’s not easy running a business from a distance.”
Clint smiled. “When are you going to tell dad that you bought something as crass as a tattoo parlor?”
“Don’t plan to.” He wouldn’t put it past Clint to use his secret as a way for him to get the three of them together. Dakota meant too much to him to mess this up. When the time was right, he’d make his move on her.
28