STONEFACE

Tymber Dalton

Chapter One

Good morning, gorgeous! I received my ARCs yesterday from your editor. Kissy-huggy! You totally rock, Go-Go girlfriend! Love ya! - TimE.

Gwen propped her chin in her hand and blurrily stared at Tim’s e-mail on her laptop screen as she slurped her coffee. She’d only had three hours sleep the night before.

That’s what I get for taking Dickweed’s call.

Richard—AKA Dickweed—Callahan, her ex-husband. Drunk dialing, of course, but when he cried about how he wished he hadn’t screwed up their marriage, she was just pitiful enough she let him talk for a little while longer.

Until he propositioned her for a blow job. That’s when she started screaming at him, once she realized he was the same damn scruples-challenged horndog he always had been, and only called her looking for some easy midnight nookie.

His girlfriend had broken up with him that morning—oh, surprise!—for cheating on her. He got drunk and horny and called Gwen at one in the morning. She only answered when her cell phone rang the Psycho theme she used for him because she worried maybe he’d been in an accident or something.

It’s my own damn fault. I should know better.

She let out a disgusted sigh. Would have been better if he’d been in an accident. Of course, after that rant and hanging up on him, she felt so angry and wide awake that she couldn’t get back to sleep and lay in bed tossing and turning and concocting some pretty horrible revenge fantasies that would most likely end up in a book at some point.

Fucking asshole. A benefit of being a writer was that she could kill her ex off in multiple books and not only never do a day of jail time, but get paid for it in the process.

Cheaper than therapy.

Staring at her laptop, she smiled at Tim’s e-mail. At least something about her morning was going right. He was such a sweetie. He reviewed books on his store’s blog and had fallen in love with her and her writing.

Well, as in love with her as a gay man in a committed relationship could fall in love with a straight woman who wrote male-male erotica.

If she had to start a crappy, sleep-deprived, six-freaking-thirty morning at her computer, at least it opened with a sweet e-mail from Tim.

She set her nearly empty mug aside and tapped out a reply.

Kissy-huggy backatcha, babycakes. Hope you enjoy it. You owe me coffee one of these days. Snugs and Hugs, Go-Go.

She hit send.

It had been their routine for almost three years, ever since Tim discovered her and started reviewing her books. He’d dubbed her “Go-Go” because of her initials G.O., Gwen Oxford, even though she wrote the erotica under the pen name Gwenna Olmsford. Also, because he said she churned out books faster than a go-go dancer shimmied. He’d meant it as a compliment, not a complaint, because he was always begging her to “write more, write faster.” He always signed “kissy-huggy,” and she always signed “snugs and hugs.”

She’d never met him in person, but would like to one day. If she could ever find the time. She rarely left her town, it seemed like, much less made it across the country to Laguna Beach, California, where he lived. That would be one hell of a drive from her home twenty miles east of Columbus, Ohio.

Flying was not an option. She did not fly.

Ever.

She drained the rest of her coffee and returned to the kitchen where she refilled her massive mug. It would be a three-pot morning, no doubt about it. Screw using the French press, too. She needed massive quantities of coffee on tap at all times to deal with a morning like this without committing homicide.

By seven o’clock she had poured mug number three and posted her morning Twitter and Facebook updates. She didn’t dare blog today. Not when she wrote, “Writing first kill scene between heroes this morning,” when she meant to type, “Writing first kiss.”

Ugh. Goddamned Dickweed. Divorced three years, and he still fucks up my life.

God only knew how badly she could screw up a blog if she tried to write an entry when this tired and cranky.

A little after eight, Amy’s car rolled into her driveway. Gwen stared out the front windows of her dining room, where her desk and laptop sat, and let out a deep sigh. Her older sister’s arms were filled with folders.

Gwen grabbed her mug and headed for the kitchen. By the time Amy made it into the kitchen and dumped the armload of folders on the counter, Gwen had started another pot of coffee.

“Please tell me that’s my tax paperwork?” Gwen asked.

Seeing her up close, Gwen thought Amy looked like she didn’t feel very good even though her dyed blonde hair had been perfectly styled, as usual, and her makeup flawlessly applied.

Amy examined a long, perfectly shaped and lacquered nail. “You wish. It’s not bad, though. It’s all the stuff from your lawyer about the divorce. I picked it up from their office yesterday afternoon. You can put it back in storage now, as long as Dickweed doesn’t try any more bullshit.”

Gwen shook her head. “Don’t say that man’s name to me this morning.” She related the drunk-dialing episode.

Amy studied the files. “Oh. Well, then maybe you should hold on to these. He might try another bullshit motion to get money out of you.”

“I’ll castrate him if he does.” He’d tried three different times, despite their divorce being finalized, to get alimony from her, or get his alimony payments to her reduced since her writing career had taken off, despite the fact that she still made far less than he did as an orthodontist.

Asshole.

“Enough about Dickweed,” Amy said as she tapped a fingernail on the table. “I’ve got an idea. What do you say I do some research for you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve got a conference in Rapid City next week. I can go hit the local monuments and stuff for you. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, all those. There’s a lot to do out in that area. It’d make great background info.”

“Evil day job?”

Amy dropped her gaze to examine her fingernails again. “Yeah. Tourism conference.” Her evil day job was working part-time for the county’s tourism board, in addition to helping Gwen as her assistant. Well, when she wasn’t home at their parents’ house and helping care for their brother.

It bugged Gwen that she couldn’t put her finger on it. “What’s up with you today?” she asked.

“What?”

“You’re…off somehow. Is something bothering you? Did you get into it with Dad or Mom?” Wouldn’t be the first time, although they didn’t take out their ire on Amy nearly as much as they did Gwen.

Amy shook her head. “I need some downtime, that’s all. Vacation. Breathing room.”

“You need to get laid. You’ll be forty next year. Use it or lose it.”

Her sister’s brief smile told Gwen the truth. This wasn’t just a business or research trip. But she probably needed an alibi to extend her stay out there.

“Okay, spill it. Who is he?”

Amy blushed and shrugged. “Nothing serious, okay? Just a guy.”

“Not even worth sharing his name?”

She blushed again. “Maybe if it gets serious.” Amy had always been the closed-mouth child. While Gwen and Liam could talk about anything to each other, Amy did good to share what she’d had for breakfast, much less deeply personal details.

“Okay, I’ll leave you alone. Go, have fun. Enjoy yourself.” Gwen’s phone rang on the counter to the tune of “Wipe Out.” Gwen’s best friend, Ruth. Calling about her daily crisis, most likely.

Amy stood and left the room.

Gwen didn’t have time to wonder what else was really going on with her sister, even though she sensed something more bothering her than just a secret man on the side. “What’s up, Ruthie?”

“I think Bob’s cheating on me.”

Oh, this day suuucks. “What?” Gwen contemplated adding a heaping portion of Jack Daniel’s to her coffee and heading back to bed a little before lunch.

Hell, it’s five o’clock somewhere.

“I think Bob is cheating on me. I swear he is.”

“You say that every year about this time. Tax time just happened. He does taxes for a living. He works a lot of hours. You promised me last year when we went through this that you’d ask your doctor for extra meds this year.”

“No, I really think he is cheating on me this time.”

“You thought that last year. And the year before that. And every year.”

Ruthie’s voice turned petulant. “I thought you’d be sympathetic.”

“I am sympathetic.” Gwen eyed a bottle of Valium sitting on top of her microwave with her vitamins and Tylenol, three pills left, from back surgery she’d had two years prior.

Damn, out of date. She tossed it. “I’m sympathetic every year when you think he’s cheating, and every year I’m helping you apologize to him for acting like crazy jealous psycho woman.”

“I called one of the numbers on his private cell. A woman answered.”

Gwen took a calming breath. “And?”

“She answered like she was happy to hear from him, and she said his name. Then when she realized it wasn’t him calling, she hung up and wouldn’t answer when I called back and now the number’s no good.”

“Creepy women calling me and asking me if I’m schtooping their husband tend to make me want to hang up and hide too, honey.”

Ruthie’s tone changed, uncertain. “Do you really think I’m overreacting?”

“Probably. You’re always overreacting. Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

Now Ruth sounded like a little girl caught misbehaving. “No.”

“Okay, honey, what’s our rule?”

“I eat and take my meds before I call you.”

“Go eat. Did you take your meds?”

“Yes.”

“What’s our other rule?”

“If I feel paranoid it means I probably didn’t eat when I took my morning meds.”

Gwen took a deep breath to help minimize the amount of snark in her tone. “Riiiight. Sweetie, go eat and call me back later. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Thanks for putting up with me, Gee.”

Gwen felt guilty for her irritation. She literally was the only friend Ruthie had left. She gentled her voice even more. “Go on, and call me back when you feel better.” She hung up and laid the phone on the counter.

Amy returned to the kitchen, still looking odd. Gwen wondered if maybe Mercury had gone retro again and no one remembered to tell her.

“What is it this time?” Amy asked. “Is her foil hat on a little too tight? Green men in her toilet?”

“I know you don’t like her, but she’s a good person.”

“She’s a basket case.” Amy sat at the kitchen table. “I don’t know how you put up with her.” She went back to examining a nail. “Damn sure don’t know how her husband puts up with her,” she grumbled.

Gwen turned on her. “Go what she went through and tell me you wouldn’t be three steps from a rubber room,” she angrily sniped.

Ruthie used to be a had-her-shit-together bank manager. Until four years prior, when she was three months pregnant and taken hostage by a bank robber whose getaway driver spooked and drove off without him when the women resisted. She’d been working the isolated drive-thru booth with another teller, and the men had jumped them when they emerged after closing. Ruthie had offered herself as a higher-value hostage in exchange for the teller he’d grabbed first, a single mom with three small children.

When a police SWAT team rescued her from a hotel room eight hours later, she’d been beaten, raped, tortured…and ended up losing the baby. A baby they’d tried to have for five years and two IVF attempts.

Between Ruthie’s post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, and other trauma-related issues as a result of the attack, she was nearly homebound. Other than their family, she had no friends left.

Besides Gwen.

Ruthie’s husband, Bob, was a sweet man who had stood by his wife’s side during it all, including her multiple hospitalizations and suicide attempts. Bob wasn’t like Gwen’s horndog ex. He wouldn’t cheat on Ruthie. He loved her.

All Gwen had to do was keep reminding Ruthie of that.

“Okay. Back to research,” Gwen said to get the subject off Ruthie. “What did you have in mind?”

“You mentioned you wanted to write a series of romances set out west. I could do some footwork for you.”

“You want an excuse to use up your vacation time and be able to deduct it.” And have more time with your mystery man, she thought. “When will Bob have my taxes done, anyway? I filed the extension after the other bullshit with Dickweed.” Considering Ruthie’s state of mind this morning, Gwen didn’t dare call her back to ask if she knew, and didn’t feel like calling Bob, either. “Did he give you a timeframe when you dropped the stuff off?”

“No, he didn’t. I know he’s going out of town, he told me. So you don’t mind if I go?”

Gwen took a sip of coffee. Ruthie had mentioned him taking a business trip next week.

Great. That means I’ll be shuttling between her house and Mom and Dad’s. “I knew I should have stayed in bed this morning. Of course I don’t mind if you go. I’m your sister, not your freaking boss.”

“Technically you are, because you pay me to help you. You’ve got the book signing in town next weekend, remember?” That wasn’t the only thing Amy was worried about and Gwen damn well knew it.

Gwen groaned. “You know what? I can handle it. Liam can come with me. He’ll be dying for a chance to escape Mom for a few hours. Just go and have fun. You’ve more than earned it.” She gave Amy a one-armed hug and carried her coffee back out to the desk.

Tim had replied to Gwen’s e-mail.

You can have as much coffee as you want on me, if you ever come visit me, I promise. Kissy-huggy! - TimE.

Well, if her day had to go to shit, at least she had Tim to cheer her up. They normally e-mailed back and forth several times a week, sometimes several times a day. He felt like a close friend even though they’d never met in real life, or even talked on the phone. She loved their flirty banter despite knowing it would never amount to anything other than great fodder for her books.

Le sigh.

Amy followed Gwen to her desk. “I need to go to work. So we’re cool with me bugging out on you for a little while?”

“Jesus, I said go. What, you going on safari or something?”

“No, just Rapid City for two weeks.”

She couldn’t resist the urge to bust Amy’s balls. “There’s two weeks’ worth of stuff to do in Rapid City?”

Amy rolled her eyes. “I’m going to drive around and sightsee. Do some hiking. If I don’t use that vacation time, I’m going to lose it. I’ll be out there already, so it’ll save me hassles with our ’rents, you know that. A legitimate reason to be gone so I don’t have to explain myself. You’ll back me up, right?”

Gwen snorted. “Yeah, they’ll blame me instead. It’s not like you have to change my diaper or anything, kiddo. I’m your little sister, not a fricking baby. I think I can check my own post office box and pay my own bills and stuff for a couple of weeks. And of course I’ll deal with Mom and Dad and keep Liam from killing them. Seriously, go have fun. You deserve it.”

Amy hugged her again. “Thanks, sis.”

Amy left, leaving Gwen to wonder if maybe she should head back to bed. Dickweed’s call, her sister acting odd and with a secret guy on the side, and Ruthie acting odder than usual.

And people wonder why I’m a writer.

Chapter Two

Jonathan stared at her with deep, dark emerald eyes full of passion. “I am going to claim you, woman. You belong to me.”

Shelaine wanted to resist but her body said otherwise. She felt moisture pooling between her legs as her own hunger grew. That’s when Markham growled in her ear. “And I am going to claim you, too. By the time the sun arises, you will be filled with our seed and begging for more.”

Her mind tried to rebel, but the rich, musky scent of the two shapeshifters was more than her senses could take. She fell into Jonathan’s arms as Markham reached beneath her dress and ripped her panties off her. His fingers plunged into her soaked pussy as—

Gwen’s computer made a whooping noise, pulling her out of her writing the love scene as Morticia Addams’ voice announced, “Mail’s in.” She grinned and switched over to her mail program. That special alert meant e-mail had arrived from Tim.

Read it, loved it! Can I have your baby now, pleeeeease? Kissy-huggy! - TimE.

Gwen nearly snorted coffee through her nose while reading Tim’s e-mail. That will teach me to drink and read. She set her mug on her desk before typing her reply, all thoughts of writing the impending fuck-fest between horny wolf shifters Jonathan, Markham, and their main squeeze Shelaine driven from her mind.

I think I have the wrong parts to interest you, babycakes, but I’m glad you liked it.

Snugs and Hugs,

Go-Go.

She tapped send.

Gwen drained her coffee and turned to get up. Before she did, she stared at her table, where she’d left the five-pound box of travel and tourist brochures from the Rapid City area that had arrived in the mail the previous afternoon. She had to stand in line for twenty minutes with the claim note from her post office box, waiting behind a rather smelly guy who apparently never made the acquaintance of deodorant. Or soap.

Or a shower.

Amy’s been busy. Not only had Amy included brochures, but a spiral notebook with page upon page of handwritten notes, dated and everything, with interesting tidbits and helpful information not included in the brochures. And two CDs of digital pics Amy had dumped off her camera onto her laptop and burned for her.

Amy hadn’t called her in the past few days, but Gwen didn’t worry. She was probably enjoying her “downtime,” if that’s what Amy insisted on calling it. At thirty-nine, Amy was the eldest of the three siblings and seven years older than Gwen, the baby. As sisters, they’d spent a lot of years not very close. Gwen and their brother, Liam, had always been super tight. Amy, not so much with either of them.

When Liam was diagnosed with MS five years earlier, it brought their whole family together.

Well, as much as their family could ever be together. Gwen’s relationship with their parents had been strained since her teenage years for a variety of reasons. Now Amy lived with their parents and Liam ten minutes away from Gwen, helping them out. Never married and no kids, Amy had volunteered to sell her house and move in with them after Liam got sick.

Gwen owned her house, courtesy of the divorce judge decreeing Dickweed had to hand it over to her as per their prenup because he cheated. It wasn’t uncommon for Amy to spend a night or weekend there with her when she needed to escape their parents, or for Liam to come over for an overnighter or day visit to hide from their mom.

Gwen didn’t mind pitching in and helping at their place, except when her father started in on her over her choice of ex-husband, the failure of her marriage despite it being Dickweed’s fault, her career writing “trash” books, and her failure to attend church on a regular basis like her “good” big sister. He constantly threw Amy up as the example Gwen should aspire to. Gwen didn’t blame Amy for that, but it had caused hard feelings in her for years, with only Liam there to understand and support her. Their mom always took their father’s side.

Self-preservation, she supposed. If she’d had to share a bed with David Oxford every night, she’d use every survival tactic she could latch on to, including alcoholism, if necessary.

Thank god for big brother.

Gwen was about to finally get up when another e-mail from Tim arrived.

I love you for your great head…eh, brain, Go-Go girl, so you absolutely have the right parts to interest me. ;) - TimE.

Laughing, Gwen shook her head and walked to the kitchen. If only he wasn’t gay with a boyfriend. Lucky bastard. Why can’t I find a guy like that in real life?

Her cell phone rumbled out the attack theme from Jaws.

Eyeing the Jack Daniel’s bottle with longing, she answered the call. “What’s up, Dad?”

“Have you heard from your sister?”

“Technically. I just received a huge box of research material she shipped me from Rapid City. Why?”

“Your mother left three voice mail messages for her yesterday, and she hasn’t returned any of them.” Gwen hadn’t been over to her parents’ house in two days. Liam assured her he was fine and would call her if he needed her to come help or run interference for him with their parents. They’d had a blast last weekend at the book signing.

Gwen closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Yeah, no shit, she’s probably enjoying her peace and quiet. “I’m sure she’s busy, Dad. She’s got meetings, too.”

“According to the agenda she left, her meetings ended three days ago. There’s no reason she should be busy.”

Gwen didn’t necessarily believe that, but didn’t want to rat Amy out. She opted to feign ignorance. “What?”

“Your mother has a question about one of Liam’s prescriptions, and we can’t get ahold of her.”

“Did you call her hotel?”

His tone took on indignation. “She lied about where she was staying. They have no record of Amy Oxford on their reservation records.”

That wasn’t Gwen’s first thought. She probably lied about who she was staying with. But the lack of a return call did worry her. “I’ll try her myself.”

“Well, if you get in touch with her, tell her that she’s got her mother worried, thank you very much. I would expect this kind of irresponsible behavior from you, not from her. Something must be wrong.”

“Dad, I’ll—”

He hung up, cutting her off.

She walked over to the bottle of Jack Daniel’s, a smaller one still half full from a Christmas party five months earlier. She uncapped it and dumped it into the sink. At this rate it was too tempting. She’d never been anything more than an occasional recreational drinker despite ample legitimate reasons over the years.

This latest blowup could really make her want to start.

She called Liam’s cell. He answered using a Humphrey Bogart voice. “How ya doin’, shweeheart?”

Gwen giggled. Her partner in crime. “Hey, bro. How’s it hanging?”

“Long and low as always, baby sis. What’s up?”

“Dad’s freaking out. I figured I’d better call you and get the accurate story.”

He sounded aggravated. “I told Mom I had the information about my scripts. She insisted on calling Amy anyway because she hadn’t called home in a couple of days. They keep tabs on her like freaking prison wardens. I’m not worried about her.”

“Ah. I thought that might be it. Maybe she just wanted extra downtime.”

He laughed. “Probably more like up and down time.”

“What?”

“Hold on.” It sounded like he put his phone down, and a moment later he returned, his voice lower. “I wanted to shut my door so Mom doesn’t overhear. I think Amy was meeting a guy out there. Which would explain why her name didn’t show on the hotel register.”

Suspicion confirmed. “We think alike, bro.”

“I couldn’t say that for fear of blowing her cover, you know? What am I supposed to tell them? ‘Hey, don’t worry about her, I think she’s just getting her freak on.’ I think not.”

Gwen burst out laughing. “Yeah. Dad would threaten her with the convent again.”

“I haven’t managed to convince him that one, we’re not Catholic, and two, she’s an adult.” He sighed. “Can you come spring me tonight? Please?”

Another guilty pang. Except for the fact that she’d want to kill her father, she would have volunteered to live there to help take care of Liam instead of Amy. “Will they let you out tonight? Are you feeling okay?” He’d almost been hospitalized over a kidney infection a few weeks earlier. She’d got him to the book signing only because he snuck out while their mother was out making her regular grocery store trip and their father was out playing golf. Liam waited to call their mom until after Gwen had safely spirited him away for the day.

“Just, please, come take me to your place for a couple of nights. I’m having a good week. I can move around okay. You saw me on Saturday, I feel fine. Two or three nights, please? You can order me a hooker. Or at the very least a damn pizza.”

Gwen laughed. No way in hell could she tell him no. “Be ready to run at three. Toss your bags out the window.”

“You are such a good baby sister. I’m willing my Star Trek collection to you, you know that, right?”

“Even Malibu Worf?”

The old joke never failed to make him laugh. “Malibu Worf, Malibu Data, anatomically correct Q, the whole damn crew.”

“Okay. You break it to them, and I’ll slow down on my way past so you can jump in.”

“See you at three.”

She looked around. Nothing needed cleaning, but she’d have to rearrange the living room a little so he could easily navigate in his wheelchair if he needed to use it. He’d sleep in the downstairs office she rarely used. The comfortable queen-sized Murphy bed folded down from the wall and was easy for him to get in and out of. She’d had the downstairs guest bath modified a couple of years earlier, after his diagnosis and before her divorce from Dickweed, so it opened into the office with a door wide enough for a wheelchair and configured so Liam could use it without assistance. She fingered her phone and decided to send Amy a text message instead of calling.

Pls call or txt me or Li. M&D going batshit. We won’t rat u out, promise.

Hopefully that would get some sort of response.

If not, she wouldn’t get a moment’s peace.

Chapter Three

“Ow! What the hell are you doing?” Jackson Kelly couldn’t move because his boyfriend, Timothy Ellis, sat straddling his chest, pinning him to their bed.

“Lie still. I told you it hurts more if you move.”

“You’re a fucking sadist—ow!”

“Hold. Still.” Tim pressed his palm against Jack’s forehead to keep him in place.

“I can’t—ow!—hold fucking still, Tim! You’re ripping my goddamned face off!”

“I’m almost done.”

“Ow!”

When Jack tried to push Tim off, Tim slapped his hand away. “Stop. Hold the fuck still.”

Jack thrashed and yelled and protested. Tim wouldn’t stop. Finally, Tim moved, letting Jack up. He put the tweezers on the bedside table. “There. You don’t look like a damn caveman anymore.” He climbed off the bed.

Jack glared at him before he went to go look at his face in their bathroom mirror, examining where Tim had yanked nose and eyebrow hairs.

“You jerk! You shaped them! I said you could get rid of my unibrow, not shape my fucking eyebrows!”

“You couldn’t tell what I was doing?”

“When it feels like someone’s ripping your nostrils out, no, you can’t!” He shot him another nasty look. “You’re a fucking sadist.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. It’s not like I held you down and gave you a Brazilian, you know.”

Jack shook his head. “Oh, fuck no. No way in hell.”

“But you’d look so cute.”

“Stop it.”

Tim ran his hand down Jack’s firm abs. “Just think, you could be smooth as a baby’s ass.”

“No. Absolutely not. I shave my face, and I let you trim my bush. That’s as far as I go. You want to skin yourself, be my guest. It’s not like I look like a damn Wookiee.”

“Thank god. I’m not into bears, you know that.” He let his hand drift lower, to Jack’s cock, as he gave Jack his infamous, cock-hardening, soul-melting puppy dog eyes. “This is Jack’s flaccid shaft.”

Jack burst out laughing. “That’s the last time I let you watch Fight Club right before bed.” As Tim wrapped his fingers around Jack’s flaccid shaft, it grew in his hand. “You don’t stop,” he warned, “you’re going to have to finish something.”

Tim tugged on him, leading him back to their bed. “Maybe that was my intention, did you think about that? You don’t have to be in court this morning. You said so last night. You can be a few minutes late to the station.”

Jack pushed the shorter man onto the bed and straddled him. “Maybe I should pluck your damn eyebrows.”

Tim pointed to his brow. “I pluck mine. I’m civilized. I’m not a damn pussy about it, either.”

“That’s because I think you’re a masochist.”

Tim grinned. “I thought you said I was a sadist. Make up your mind.”

“Maybe you’re both. One of those…what do they call them? A switch. Versatile.”

“You want to talk or fuck, Detective Kelly?”

Jack shifted position, until he knelt over Tim’s head, his cock just over his mouth. “What do you think?”

Tim opened his mouth and lifted his head, but Jack shifted his hips, teasing him until he finally let him suck his cock into his eager mouth. Tim grabbed his ass, pulling him closer, his fingers digging in and holding him in place.

Not that Jack wanted to move or had any intention of moving.

Jack reached out and braced his arms on the bed. Tim took him deep, wanting more, sucking him clear to his balls with every stroke. “Fuck yeah, baby,” Jack softly encouraged. “That’s it.” After a few minutes he knew he was close to blowing and made Tim release him.

Tim whined in protest, enjoying the bottom time, but Jack reassured him. “Just hold on, you’ll be a happy boy in a minute.” Jack turned around, changing positions so he could sixty-nine with him. Tim wasted no time sucking him down to his sac again as Jack wrapped his own fingers around Tim’s cock and licked it.

He could do this all day with him. If he didn’t watch out, he’d be late to work. He worked his hips in time with Tim’s mouth, enjoying the hot, wet suction from the glans to the base, working to draw the cum from his very depths. Beneath him, Tim’s trim, firm body squirmed as Jack worked similar magic on him. He cupped Tim’s balls in his hand and gently squeezed, making Tim moan. When he wet a finger and pressed it against Tim’s rim, Tim let out a muffled cry around Jack’s cock before he exploded a load of hot spunk into Jack’s mouth.

Jack stayed with Tim, swallowing, sucking, easing up when he knew his lover had enough.

Then he focused on his own orgasm. With his cheek pressed against Tim’s thigh, Jack closed his eyes and enjoyed his lover’s talented mouth as Tim happily pulled him over the edge of climax.

Tim rolled him onto his back, staying with him, relentless even after Jack tried to make him stop. Tim placed a kiss on his balls. “Nope. I want another one out of you, mister. You fell asleep on me last night. Morning wood relief is not nearly enough to make up for that.”

He didn’t have the heart to force Tim to stop, especially after he started playing with his ass and coaxed renewed interest from his limp cock. “At least I got you off first,” Jack said. “Not like I fell asleep and left you hanging. If it doesn’t bother me, it shouldn’t bother you.”

“Yeah, but I wanted to do more than just fuck you last night. I was looking forward to some bottom time.”

He reached down and stroked Tim’s head. “I’ll make it up to you tonight, buddy. I promise.” Tim’s blond curls bobbed between Jack’s legs. “I need to get to work.”

Tim already had Jack’s cock deep in his throat. He made a muffled uh-uh sound around his member and increased his efforts.

Tapping him on the head didn’t work. Jack finally lay back and enjoyed it, his fingers burrowing through his lover’s unruly curls. He bucked his hips in time with Tim’s ministrations until his balls tightened. His climax, not as hard as the last one, rolled out of him, filling Tim’s mouth with cum as his body tensed on the bed.

As he lay there recovering, Tim released him and rested his cheek against his abs. “There. We’re even.”

“I didn’t know you kept score.”

“I don’t, normally. I just didn’t feel right getting off last night without returning the favor.” He crawled up the bed to lie next to Jack, propped on one elbow. He stroked Jack’s chest. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into a full body waxing? You’d love it.”

Jack arched an eyebrow at him as Tim broke into laughter. He leaned in and kissed him. “You know I’m teasing. Why would I wait to complain until now? Damn, you’re fun to tease.”

Jack rolled away from him and climbed out of their bed. After casting a glance at the clock, he shot a glare at Tim. “Now I don’t have enough time to eat breakfast.”

Tim laced his fingers behind his head. “I’ll make you a to-go sandwich. Go hop in the shower.”

Jack’s harsh expression softened. He leaned in again and kissed him. “Thanks, babe.”

* * *

Tim waited until he heard the shower start to leave their bed. Naked, he walked out to the kitchen and hummed a random tune as he poached an egg and toasted an English muffin. Jack was his stone-faced man. In their six years together, Tim hadn’t coaxed Jack to talk about his private pain. Not that he ever could force Jack to divulge his heart’s deepest secrets, but he wanted to help him, wanted to love his man’s pain away. It hurt him there was a rock-solid bubble of ache inside of Jack that no amount of tenderness seemed to ease.

He suspected it centered around a tragic event in Jack’s past, one Jack had briefly glossed over not long after they’d gotten together. Even that little bit of recollection caused Jack nights of broken sleep and so much obvious anguish that Tim felt loathe to ask him more about it. He knew Jack had loved the girl very much. Sometimes, when they still lived in California, Jack visited her grave there even though she’d died here, in Rapid City.

At least Jack smiled more now than he used to, which said a lot considering how little he smiled now, and how he never seemed to smile when they first met.

Stoneface. As hard and craggy and cold at times as those damn presidents carved into the Black Hills not too far down the road from their house.

Tim wouldn’t complain. He felt loved beyond measure and knew Jack would rather die than hurt him. Not to mention he suspected Jack would kill anyone who ever tried to hurt him. He was protective in a sweet and wonderful way. Tim would readily take his reserved, dependable lover over any carefree Cali party boy who didn’t care to think past the end of the week, much less the rest of their life.

By the time Jack emerged from their bedroom, dressed and hair still damp, Tim had Jack’s breakfast ready. Jack walked through the kitchen and scooped the wrapped sandwich from the counter after leaning in for a good-bye kiss.

“Thanks, babe. See you tonight.” Jack started to step away from the counter, then returned for one last, lingering kiss. “I promise I won’t leave you hanging tonight.” He reached up and touched Tim’s chin before he brushed another kiss across his lips. “Love you.”

Tim smiled. “Love you, too. Go catch some bad guys. Make this town safe for the rest of us.”

Jack’s lips curled in a faint smile before he left. That was as close to happy as Tim usually saw Jack.

He’d consider it a win.

Tim headed for the shower. Lots to do, including finishing Gwen’s latest book so he could write the review. After Jack fell asleep the night before, Tim had gone ahead and read her book, all but the last twenty pages or so. He could easily stand there and jerk off in the shower if he thought about her books too hard. Sure she was a straight chick writing male-male erotica, but she wrote damn good erotica that stiffened his cock without hesitation. Not to mention her stories rocked.

Especially the ménages with two guys and a girl. He slowly smiled and resisted the urge to stroke his stiffening cock. One of these days he’d grow a nutsac and work up the nerve to ask her where she got her fantastic ideas.

And if she wanted any help with “research” in real life.

* * *

“Ellis Books and Bites…Yes, we carry books.” Tim tried not to roll his eyes even though the person was on the phone and not standing in front of him. “Yes, we carry fiction books…Yes, we carry mysteries…Can I look up a particular book for you?” He tried to keep a smile in his voice, but from the way the caller droned on it proved difficult to maintain his happy place. “We’re open until nine tonight…Yes…Thank you.” He hung up and let out a relieved sigh.

Celia, his store manager, giggled. “You’re not in Laguna Beach anymore, Toto.”

“Tell me about it. Remind me why I let Jackson talk me into moving to Rapid City?”

“Because you’re a good boyfriend.”

“Keep reminding me of that.”

“How’s the other store doing anyway?”

“I’m flying out there next week to help with inventory, but so far, so good.” Tim had taken a risk to open a second store in Rapid City, but his theory was why not try it if he’d be living here anyway? They’d moved the profitable internet operations to Rapid City, where real estate was cheaper, and converted the unneeded storage and office space in the Laguna Beach store into more café and display space. He paid a fraction of the price for a third larger storefront here in Rapid City, where he opened a second Ellis Books and Bites a year earlier. The Laguna Beach store brought in more money gross every month, but the reduced operating expenses in Rapid City translated into a nicer net profit every month, plenty to justify keeping it open since it housed their online operations.

It also kept him busy and from going stir crazy with boredom.

“How’s Jackson’s mom?”

Tim shrugged. “Good days and bad. His dad’s coping. Jesus, keep reminding me I’m a good boyfriend, kiddo.”

He handed her the phone and retreated to his office to do paperwork and check for new orders. They handled specialty and rare books through the internet, which helped supplement income for the brick and mortar stores. A side business as a third-party distributor for e-books helped even more. With Jackson’s mom in a slow and losing battle against Alzheimer’s, he couldn’t refuse to move with his partner when two years ago he said he needed to quit the LAPD and return to his hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota, to be close to his parents.

Considering Tim had never lived anywhere but in the Laguna Beach area, residing on the outskirts of the Black Hills and suffering through his first brutal South Dakota winter had been quite an adjustment for the native California beach boy.

One he’d made out of love.

After he wiped out his little Toyota during his first snowstorm on a patch of black ice, Jack made him promise not to drive on winter roads again until he could teach him how, and made sure to drive him to and from work every day. While Tim could now navigate winter roads in relative safety, he preferred to let Jack do the bulk of the winter driving. It still terrified him, especially the hills.

And around Rapid City, there were a lot of hills. Thank god it’d been three months since their last snow, although he wasn’t looking forward to the return of winter.

He turned back to his laptop, which he had set on the counter. At two in the afternoon, their lunch rush had thinned. “Read through this for me and proof it, would you?”

She turned the computer toward her. “What is it?”

“My review of Gwen’s latest book.”

Celia laughed. “Why not just copy the last several reviews you did and put one of those in there. You’ll gush about her anyway. You’d think you had a fangirl crush on her.”

He stuck his tongue out at her. “Hey, I’m a friend of the author, and she’s a damn good writer.” He leaned against the counter. “Maybe I can talk her into coming out here for a book signing sometime.”

“Internet stalker is more like it, not friend.” She paged through the review and made a few corrections before turning the computer back to him. “There you go.”

“I am not a stalker. Okay, maybe not friends, but we’re more than acquaintances. We’re flirty e-mail buddies. That counts for something.”

“You barely know anything about her personally. If you were straight and single you would be chasing her for her phone number.”

“I would not.”

She arched an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, so maybe I would, but that’s beside the point.” He glanced through the review one more time before posting it to the store’s blog, then zapped an e-mail off to Gwen letting her know he’d posted it. “She really is good. She’s cute, too.”

“Oh, do not tell me you cruised for a pic of her?”

“I can’t help it if she was tagged on Facebook, can I?” He brought up a photo and showed her. “Look, her and her sister.” Gwen had curly brown hair not quite to her shoulders, and sweet brown eyes. Her sister, Amy, shared her sister’s brown eyes, but looked like she dyed her straight hair dark blonde, judging from her dark eyebrows and roots.

Celia shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“If straight women can fangirl Adam Lambert, I can fangirl Gwen.” He closed the browser screen.

“You’re in lurrrrv.”

“Am not.”

“You are. Bet you’re sporting wood right now, aren’t you?”

Celia got away with teasing him like that only because he’d known her since high school. He’d asked her to move to Rapid City to help open and run the store. “Am not,” he fibbed.

Well, only a little fib. He wasn’t stiff, just…interested. He tugged on his trousers to adjust them.

She tried to peek over the counter. “Liar.” She turned when the front bell jingled as a customer came in. “We’ll pick this up later.” She went to greet them.

He smiled as he put his laptop under the counter. She could be a ballbuster, but he loved her like a sister. After they’d tried sleeping together as teenagers, he realized that maybe he did prefer dicks to chicks. He considered himself homoflexible. There were a few women he wouldn’t mind doing.

Gwen definitely topped that list.

He adjusted his trousers again.

Jack walked in a moment later and waved when he spotted Tim. As Jack approached, Tim’s cock fully stiffened. Okay, so since he was with Jack he had effectively become homosexual, because he wouldn’t give him up for anything.

“Hey,” Tim said before he leaned over the counter and kissed him. “What are you doing here this time of day?”

“I can’t come harass my boyfriend when I want?”

Tim grinned. “Sure, but are you doing it on the taxpayers’ dime or yours?”

“Late lunch break. Got caught up investigating a robbery. Thought I’d come bug you.”

“I’m flattered.” He led Jack over to the cafe, behind the counter. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Just a quick and easy sandwich.” He leaned against the wall and watched Tim put it together.

Tim could see from the look on Jack’s face that his mind was elsewhere. “Did you talk to your dad this morning?”

Jack nodded.

“How’s your mom?”

Jack’s expression clouded. “Dad said they’re trying another medicine,” he quietly said. “Started her on it yesterday.” He took the offered plate. “Thanks, babe.”

Tim made him a cappuccino and followed him to the back corner table he preferred. He slid the steaming cup in front of Jack and brushed his fingers over his hand. As Tim sat, Jack caught his hand and held it without looking up from his plate. “Thank you, Tim.”

Jack’s soft tone worried Tim. “For what?”

Jack finally looked up. Tim didn’t miss the way his eyes looked too bright, as if close to tears. “For coming back here with me. I couldn’t do this without you.”

Tim squeezed his hand and tried to lighten the mood. “Hey, you think some stupid snow is going to scare me away from you, think again. I told you, you’re stuck with me, Stoneface.”

Jack finally managed a faint smile. “I love you.”

Tim wanted to sit there and talk with him, but the front bell jangled, signaling a customer. Tim turned and waved. “I’ll be right with you.” He stood, and Jack pulled him in for a quick kiss.

“Thanks for taking such good care of me, babe,” Jack said.

“You’re my man. What the hell else do you think I’d do?” Tim released his hand after a final squeeze and headed over to the book counter where the customer waited.

* * *

Jack tried not to think about the conversation he’d had with his father on the way to Tim’s store. Nothing would stop the inevitable advance of his mother’s Alzheimer’s. He knew that and accepted it, but it didn’t make dealing with it any easier.

As he ate, he watched Tim take care of the customer. He knew how damn lucky he was to have Tim. Part of him had seriously expected Tim to reject the idea of moving. Maybe not outright, but to say he’d take a few months to transition things so he could move out and join him and then…not.

He’d never expected Tim to immediately, that very night in fact, jump into list-writing mode of everything he’d have to do to get them ready to move. It wasn’t until they spent their first night together in their new home in Rapid City that Jack could finally let go of his fear and accept Tim really was there for the long haul.

Before Tim, after Jack moved to California, he’d had a few relationships, none lasting more than a couple of months. Then there was a long, lonely stretch where he didn’t bother dating. He’d go to Mel’s grave and talk to her, then go home and try to sleep without drinking himself into oblivion first.

Then he responded to a robbery at a shop in the same complex as Tim’s store. Jack hadn’t missed how Tim, a friend of the victim, didn’t take his blue eyes off him while he took the victim’s statement. When he’d finished the interview and turned to go, Tim had followed him outside.

“Is there something else, Mr. Ellis?”

Tim nodded and stepped close, his gaze never wavering, voice low. “Yeah. You busy tonight? If not, would you like to be?”

From that night on, Tim had made it a point to keep him busy, one way or another, every night.

Jack finished his sandwich and Tim finished with his customer. Tim walked over and took the plate. “Better?”

“Thank you.” Jack stood and handed the mug to him, leaning in for a final kiss. “Don’t work too hard.”

“You stopping by their place tonight?”

Jack nodded.

“Look, come get me first, okay? Let me go with you tonight.”

“You’ve got a ton to do.”

Tim set the plate and mug down and grabbed Jack’s hands. “Stop,” he softly said. “Let me.”

Jack took a deep breath and closed his eyes before he nodded.

“Was that so hard, letting me help?”

“Smart-ass.” He opened his eyes to Tim’s blue gaze.

“You love this ass and you know it.”

“Yes, I do. I damn sure do.”

Chapter Four

Gwen had decided two thirty might be better if she wanted to pry her mother’s fingers off Liam before their father’s usual return home at five. Sure enough, Liam had packed, but their mother was busy fretting and worrying and wondering if she should also spend the night at Gwen’s. She’d totally freaked out over Gwen taking Liam to the book signing, claiming it wasn’t healthy for him to leave the house.

Gwen suspected the unhealthy thing was her mom trying to keep him cooped up like a fragile china doll.

Her mother sleeping over was the last thing Gwen or Liam needed…or wanted. She took a deep breath. “Mom, he’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. You and Dad go out to eat or something. Enjoy having the house back to yourselves for a couple of days.”

“But what about your back?” When her father wasn’t home, her mother acted like a different person around Gwen. Still a pain in many ways, but not nearly as obnoxious.

“My back is fine, it’s healed up, you know that. Besides, it’s not like I have to carry him.” She grabbed Liam’s rolling suitcase and laptop bag and trundled them out to her Honda Element. She’d already folded the back seats up so she’d have room for Liam’s stuff and his wheelchair.

When she returned, her mom was going after Liam again. “Just because your sister’s gone doesn’t mean you have to leave, too!”

Amy watched Liam successfully fight the urge to roll his eyes. He grabbed their mom’s hands. “Mom, I love you, and you take good care of me, but you need a break. Dad needs a break. I need a break. Amy’s getting her break. Gwen and I want to hang for a few days, and I need to redo her website anyway. It’ll be easier working on it there at her house than staying here and trying to coordinate over the phone with her.”

Gwen took another load of Liam’s gear out to her SUV. His walker and other things he might need to avoid a trip back to their parents’ house. Liam had really good days and really bad days. On the really good days, he could walk with a cane outside, and unassisted inside. On the really bad days, he was practically bedridden. Fortunately, the really bad days were rare. With the latest round of medication his doctors had tried, it’d been over a year since a really bad day, minus the occasional problems like his latest kidney infection. On the average, he used a manual wheelchair for outings and long distances, and his cane or walker in the house unless he was really tired.

He’d had to give up his car the year before. That had put him into an emotional tailspin it took Gwen and Amy months to pull him out of. He lied and told their parents and Amy he’d given up his driver’s license to keep them off his back, but the truth was Gwen had put him on her car insurance so he could still hold on to that little scrap of independence. On really good days, sometimes Gwen let him drive her Element, if she was with him.

Unfortunately, their mother had used the bleak milestone to cling more tightly to her son and keep him dependent upon her. The kids all understood she meant well, but Liam had almost no social life as a result. Except for business trips he took several times a year, Amy usually flying with him because of Gwen’s terror of air travel, he rarely escaped their mom’s eagle eye.

Gwen finally got him out of the house a little before three thirty, their mom hovering the entire time as Gwen held his wheelchair steady for him by the passenger door. He slowly climbed in and hung his handicap parking placard on her rearview mirror.

“See, Mom? I’m in safe and sound.”

Gwen quickly stowed the custom-made wheelchair in the back of the SUV and hugged her mom. “Seriously, don’t call every twenty minutes,” she said. “Enjoy tonight. Take a bubble bath. Make Dad take you out to dinner.” Their father would be home around five and she wanted to be out of there before he arrived. “Love you!”

Liam laid his head back against the seat and let out a relieved sigh as they backed out of the driveway. “I. Owe. You. Big time.” He looked at her, and she didn’t miss how close he was to tears. “I swear, Gee, I was about to kill her. I love her, and I know she means well, but…”

He looked away, out the window. She saw him reach up to his eyes as if wiping them dry. “I had so much fun with you on Saturday. Did you know Mom actually stayed home from church on Sunday? Said she was worried I’d sneak out again.” He took a deep breath. “I feel guilty for feeling like this, but there’s times I just want to scream at her to leave me the fuck alone.” He looked at her. “Know what I mean?”

She nodded. “I know. Don’t let it get so bad next time before you ask me.”

He reached over and patted her on the thigh. “I wubs you, sis.”

“I wubs you too, bro.” That was their special thing, since they were little kids and she followed Liam around like he was a god. When she was little she said “wubs” instead of “love” and it stuck.

Their mom called just as they pulled into Gwen’s driveway. Gwen managed to get her off the phone in a few minutes, claiming she needed to help Liam unload. He’d already opened his door and climbed out, leaning against the front fender and standing there with his eyes closed as if soaking up the sun and enjoying the peace and quiet.

Hell, that’s probably exactly what he’s doing. “You want your chair?” she called out.

He shook his head. “Let me have my walker. I want to take my time getting inside.” He threw his head back and yelled, “Frrreeeeeedom!”

“You’ve got to quit watching Braveheart,” she teased.

He laughed. “I feel like I’ve been paroled. Please tell me there’s a pizza in my future. I’ll even pay.”

“There’s pizza on tonight’s agenda, and a little special surprise chilling in the fridge for you.”

His jaw dropped. “No!”

“Yes.”

“The good stuff?”

“Your favorite.”

He grinned. “Oh, you sweet thang, if you weren’t my sister and it wouldn’t give me mega-cooties, I’d kiss you in a nasty, wet, sloppy, full-tongue kind of way.” He took his time making his way across the yard to her front porch. There wasn’t a set of steps for him to navigate, so he could easily manage by himself. Gwen had gone to the grocery store earlier and stocked all his favorite foods that their mom wouldn’t buy for him, including a six-pack of Coors. He couldn’t drink a lot because of his medication, but his parents refused to buy any beer because they believed all booze was evil.

Well, her father did, and their mother followed their father’s orders.

It took her a half hour to unload and get his things moved into the office. He parked himself on her couch and reached for the remote. “Remind me to buy you a Wii for your birthday so I can come play it. Have you heard from Amy yet?”

Gwen frowned and checked her BlackBerry. No messages, no voice mails, no texts.

“No.” She tried calling and got Amy’s voice mail. “Hey, listen, chica, not to rain on your parade, but please at least text me back you’re alive. Liam’s crashing with me for a couple of days, but Mom and Dad are seriously wigging out over your lack of communication. Love you, and have fun.” She hung up. Liam stared at her. “You think she’s okay?” she asked him.

He nodded. “She needed me to clear some spyware off her computer a few days before she left. She made the hotel reservations for two. I saw it in her e-mail, the confirmation.” He was a freelance computer programmer and made a decent living at it.

“You don’t remember the name of the other person?”

“She made it in her name, but that doesn’t mean they checked in under her name. Once you’re there you can put it in whoever’s name you want.”

“Why would she hide from Mom and Dad like that?”

He waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe it’s not Mom and Dad she’s hiding from.”

Indignation filled Gwen. “Now, you wait a minute—”

“Not you, Gee,” he said, calming her and waving her objections away. “I meant the guy she’s with. Maybe he needed to put the reservation in his name as a cover for something.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. I think she’s met him quite a few times over the past couple of months. Late nights I covered for her and said she’d gone out with friends, or taken a class, or was running a seminar or whatever. I’m running out of excuses.”

“Well what’d she say when you asked her what was up?”

He shook his head. “I’m not about to do that. Do you honestly think she’d admit it anyway? She needs her space, too.” His face darkened. “I can’t even go jerk off in the bathroom without Mom knocking on the door ten minutes later and asking if I’m okay.”

“Okay, that’s TMI even for you.”

“It’s the truth. I ask Mom to leave me alone, she asks why. I tell her I just want privacy. Then she’s knocking on the damn door every five minutes to see if I need anything.” He snorted. “Yeah, I need her to leave me the hell alone so I can rub one out.” He gave up trying to find something on TV. “I’m thinking about looking into moving to a group home.”

“Why?”

“I need privacy. I get absolutely none with Mom around. I close my door, she’s knocking on it. Or worse, she walks in without asking. God forbid I lock the damn thing. I can’t convince her I’m not a baby. If it wasn’t for Amy and you, I’d go crazy.”

She walked over to the couch and sat next to him. She sensed this wasn’t only about his privacy. She’d never seen him so brooding, so agitated. Her instincts screamed. There was more.

A lot more.

“What are you not telling me?” she quietly asked.

He looked down into his lap, where he worked his fingers together. He finally met her gaze, tears in his eyes. That told her how serious this truly was, because Liam was her rock, the solid, steady one no matter how bad it got. She was the emotional one, with a hair-trigger temper and the ability to fly off the handle at a moment’s notice.

“I love your books,” he said. “I know I haven’t told you that, but I do.”

Okay, weird tangent. “You did tell me that. Lots of times.”

“No. I mean all of them. Not just the mysteries and regular romances. Even the gay and the ménage ones you write under the pen name.”

That raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t know you read those.”

“I snarfed the ARCs from Amy’s computer.” He pressed his lips together until they formed a white, thin line. Then he took a deep breath and softly said, “I’m gay, Gee.”

She carefully thought out her reply. How she handled this would no doubt define her future relationship with Liam. “Who else knows?”

“No one. I always thought I was, but was too scared to do anything about it until I moved out after college because of Dad. I was sorting things out when I got sick. Since then, I’ve been stuck at Parent Prison, and you know what Mom and Dad would do if they found out. Especially Dad.”

Yeah, she did. Or had a good idea. If he freaked out over her writing about gay men, she could only imagine how badly he’d explode over finding out his son was a gay man.

She leaned in and hugged him. “You know, I’ve been thinking it gets kind of lonely around here. I’m going to end up being one of those crazy cat ladies if I don’t have more human contact. What do you say you move in here with me and we’ll be roomies?” She’d thought about making the offer before. The problem was, the last time she’d broached the subject to her parents her mother guilt-tripped her into not saying anything to Liam about it, citing every reason under the sun except global warming for why it was a horrible, irresponsible, stupid idea.

He hugged her even tighter, and she pretended not to hear his choked sob. “Do you mean it?”

She stroked his hair. “Yeah. Of course I do. I mean, we need to wait until Amy gets back to break it to Mom and Dad, but yeah. You stay here for a few days, then go back like normal, and we’ll plan your prison break. I need a few days to move my crap out of the office to the upstairs spare bedroom and get everything rearranged. I can probably get Bob to help me move your stuff when he’s back from his trip.”

She let him cry, tightly clinging to her as he sobbed his relief. He rarely broke down and lost his cool. She’d only seen him cry twice like this—after his diagnosis…and now. She couldn’t refuse him this. He was her big brother. Only thirty-five, with hopefully many decades of a good life left in him despite their mother treating him like a dying man. What kind of life would it be if he was kept virtually a prisoner by their well-meaning mother?

God knew he’d spent enough time in their younger years bailing her out of trouble. Time for her to pay back the favors.

After a few minutes, he composed himself and she got him a tissue. He laughed. “I hoped you’d handle it well, but you take the cake, Gee. Jesus, I fucking wubs you like you have no idea.”

“I wubs you, too, bro. I wish you’d told me sooner.”

He shrugged. “There was never a good time when Mom wasn’t within earshot.” He blew his nose. “You are the world’s best sister. Well, okay, you tie for first with Amy.”

“We’re your only sisters, dip.”

He grinned. “I’m glad you’re my sisters.”

* * *

After Liam recovered, he settled in to do his own work while Gwen checked her e-mail and found one from Tim.

Write more, write faster, Go-Go girl. I need my next fix! Got your review up on the store blog, hope you like it. Kissy-huggy! - TimE.

He included a link.

She read a little nervously, even though she suspected it would be a glowing review. Yep, another rave from him. Not all reviews he gave her were perfect. He didn’t hesitate to point out flaws, but always in a gentle way that never bruised her pride.

She would write him back later, but a glance at the time showed she needed to order their pizza. During the wait for it, she stewed about not receiving a return call or text message from Amy. That wasn’t like her. She’d been gone nine days now. To disappear off the radar like this wasn’t typical behavior for their responsible older sister.

Ten minutes after they sat down to eat, their mom called.

Again.

“How’s Liam?”

Gwen felt tempted to joke she’d hired him a hooker, but didn’t think her ultra-conservative mother would approve of the jest. “He’s fine. Want to talk to him?”

Liam frantically waved his arms and shook his head. “Oh, yes, if I can?”

She grinned evilly as she handed the phone to him. He glared at her and swallowed the piece of pizza he’d been chewing before speaking. “Hi, Mom. I’m fine…I know…I will…Boneless, skinless grilled chicken and steamed veggies…Yes, very healthy…Right. Dinner’s getting cold, Mom. Bye.” He hung up and put her phone on the table. “You are sooo lucky I love you so much. That was mean, making me talk to her.”

She laughed and reached for another slice of pizza. “Never tasted boneless, skinless grilled chicken like this.”

“Oh, please. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a cheeseburger?”

She poked his trim abs. “At least you’re not overweight. I’ll be riding your butt to watch that when you’re living here, you know.” With his reduced mobility, keeping his weight healthy to prevent additional health problems was important.

“Hey, I work out. I’ve got that tabletop arm bike thing I use, and I still lift weights. I also swim three times a week at the Y. But damn, I’m not a friggin’ rabbit. I want red meat sometimes.”

“And pizza.”

“Fuck yeah!” He sipped his beer. “And one of these every so often. Jesus, you are the best sister, hands down. Amy loses. She won’t buy me beer.”

“Too afraid of Dad?”

“Terrified. Last time I asked her, she freaked out so bad you’d think I’d asked her to strip for a living.” He closed his eyes and chewed another bite, savoring it. “This is heaven, sis. Really and truly.”

“Pizza and beer is heaven? Dude, we need to get you laid.”

“Yet another thing not happening if I’m living there. Can you see me trying to date? I’m at the point where I fake hurting every Sunday so Mom’s not dragging me to church with them or guilt-tripping me for not going. She keeps trying to fix me up with these women who…” He shuddered. “They’re either older than me, or practically jailbait. Not to mention another serious flaw.”

“None of them have penises?”

He laughed. “Bingo!”

* * *

After dinner, they cuddled on the couch to talk and watch TV. They did more talking than watching, Gwen lying with her head in Liam’s lap. It’d been months since the last time Liam had spent the night at her house, even though he came over a few days a month to spend the day.

Usually meaning he vegetated or watched HBO or Showtime to decompress from being around their parents.

“I may lock myself in my bedroom when you try to take me back. You realize that, right?”

She looked up into his handsome face. He had the same shade of brown hair as her, but he was the only one of the kids with blue eyes, like their mother. In high school, he’d had girls drooling over him. “I promise it’ll only be for a couple of days. You’ll need to start packing anyway.”

“Maybe I should start sneaking stuff out with you a piece at a time.”

“If you want to be moved in before doomsday, I suggest a more up-front approach. What will they do, forbid you to move? You’re an adult. I won’t let them hold you hostage, I promise.”

He played with her curly hair, wrapping strands of it around his fingers. “Mom’s going to cry and guilt-trip me.”

“I survived it. You can, too. Just think—beer.”

He laughed. “You know how to get right to my heart, don’t you?”

“Of course I do, bro. We’ve got to stick together.” She reached for her BlackBerry and checked her e-mail. Still nothing from Amy. She tried calling and got her voice mail. “Hey, I gave Liam beer. If you don’t call soon, I’m ordering him a tranny hooker off Craigslist. Bye.”

Liam roared with laughter. “That’s mean!” he finally choked out. “She’s going to have a cow.”

“Yeah, well, maybe it’ll get a response.”

An hour later, her phone vibrated. She picked it up and frowned.

“What is it?” Liam asked. “Is it her?”

Gwen stared at the text message from Amy.

Pls leave me alone. No more calls. I’m staying here a few weeks. Need space.

She turned the phone so he could read it.

“Oh, fuck.” He reached for his phone, dialed, and also reached Amy’s voice mail. “Hey, Amy? Give me a call, okay? Please? Love ya. Bye.”

A moment later, his phone also vibrated as a text message came through.

Told G no more calls. Not coming home right now. Seriously. I need space & 2 b alone.

They looked at each other. “This isn’t like her,” he said. “I really hate to say this, but you need to go out there and find out what’s going on.” Then he groaned. “Dammit, that was the world’s shortest parole on record.”

Chapter Five

“Ruthie, I need you,” Gwen pleaded.

Ruthie shook her head. “How am I supposed to take care of Liam?”

Gwen took a deep breath. If it was up to her, she’d let Amy stay MIA in Rapid City, except it would worry their parents and get a buttload of aggravation dumped on her and Liam as a result. Not to mention her parents would invariably blame her for Amy’s disappearance because of the research Amy had done, regardless of the fact that she went out there for her day job in the first place.

And she didn’t want to be the one to narc out Amy’s secret man on the side to her parents. Just because she was aggravated didn’t mean she wanted to pile even more trouble on her sister.

Unfortunately, Liam had a few valid points as to why Gwen should go looking for her, including that maybe something had happened to her with her mystery man.

Gwen thought if it did, it was Amy’s own fault for being so secretive. But since Liam had asked her to go, no way could she refuse. Not to mention it did worry her that dependable, good-girl Amy would bug out like this.

“There’s nothing for you to do except be there for him,” Gwen assured Ruthie. “Keep him company. Make sure to help him if he needs it. He’s not an invalid. He just has problems with strength in his hands sometimes. He hasn’t had a bad day walking in a while. Help him cook if he needs it. If you don’t, he’s got to go back to Mom and Dad’s, and he’ll go stir crazy there. Not to mention Mom and Dad will go even more batshit over Amy being missing. Please, sweetie, I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t think you could do it. Bob’s still gone on his trip anyway. That way you won’t be alone either. Please?”

Ruthie nervously looked around at the safety of her home. It’d been three months since she’d last left her house, and that was when Gwen took her to a doctor’s appointment. “I don’t want to hurt him, Gee.”

“He’s not a baby you’ve got to worry about dropping on his head. He’s an adult. Sometimes he needs help with stuff in the kitchen. Sometimes he has trouble getting up off the couch by himself. Then all you do is hold his walker and help steady him. No lifting, no bathroom stuff, nothing like that. You two get along just fine.”

“You need me now? Right now?”

She nodded. “I have to leave tonight. It’s an emergency. I can take a flight out, but it leaves in three hours. If you can’t do this, I can’t go tonight and Liam has to go back to my parents. We’re trying to do this without them knowing. You know how they are. This is the lesser of the two evils of admitting we think there might be a problem without ratting her out. The sooner I get out there and get answers, the better. Please?”

“You hate to fly.” But Ruthie was already off the couch and walking to her bedroom. “It terrifies you.”

“Yes, I know it does. If I drive it’ll take me nearly two days, nonstop, and that’s brutal. If I don’t leave tonight, I might chicken out and not go at all. Please?”

She nodded. “Okay, okay. Let me get my stuff.”

“Thank you!” Gwen closed her eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks to the Universe. She did trust Ruthie with Liam. Might not trust her with a baby or small child with all the drugs she took for her condition, or even a large dog or a goldfish, but Liam could hold his own with her.

Her mother would have a flipping cow if she found out. Gwen would rather face down her fears of flying than the crushing disappointment in Liam’s face at having to take him back less than twenty-four hours after he got there, and she wasn’t above guilt-tripping Ruthie to Liam-sit. Hopefully she could fly out, find her sister, find out what the fuck, and be home before her mother knew she’d left.

“Hopefully” being the key word in that plan. Cops were useless, because they wouldn’t take a report over the phone when she called. To them, Amy wasn’t “missing,” even though this was totally abnormal behavior for her.

Ruthie packed quickly then frowned as she surveyed her meds on the kitchen counter. “Jesus, I take a lot of crap.”

Gwen laughed. “You’re just now realizing that?”

She shook her head. “Yeah, but packing it up, it really seems like a lot versus holding one bottle at a time. I never thought about it before.” She found a plastic grocery bag and swept the dozen or so bottles into it, clearing the counter. Gwen helped her pack her laptop and mp3 player, and found her cell charger. A few minutes later, after triple-checking the house to make sure the locks were secure and everything turned off in the kitchen, they were on the road back to Gwen’s house.

Before rushing off to Ruthie’s, Gwen had grabbed handfuls of clothes and her toiletries and a suitcase and dumped them on her sofa. Liam volunteered to pack it for her while she convinced Ruthie to stay with him. By the time they returned, she had ninety minutes to make it to the airport and a taxi pulled into the drive behind her.

Liam opened the front door. Bless his heart, he’d even packed her laptop for her. “Cell charger?” she asked.

He nodded. “It’s in there. Hi, Ruthie. Ready to make s’mores and tell ghost stories? Maybe we can TP the neighbors later, or egg their mailboxes.”

She smiled. “Brat.” Ruthie, two years older than Liam, had been a good friend of his, too, when they were kids.

Maybe the two of them will be good for each other for a couple of days, Gwen thought.

In five minutes, Gwen was ready to go. She handed her keys to Liam. “You’ll need these. You or Ruthie, move the car around in the driveway tomorrow. Mom will wonder why it’s in the same place. You know she’ll cruise by.”

He smiled. “You’re trusting me with your keys?”

She kissed him on the cheek. “Yeah, I’m desperate. Have fun.”

On the way to the airport, she studied Amy’s text message again. It made no sense. What the hell had happened to make her want to stay out there without any explanation?

Liam had printed out the hotel information from Amy’s Gmail account. He’d logged into it with her password, the same one she used for nearly everything, apparently. While it held no clues as to the other person’s identity, it was a reservation for two.

Gwen bolted out of the cab and raced to the ticket counter. This late in the evening there was no line and she ran for security and the gates ten minutes later, with thirty minutes before her flight boarded. After a quick stop in the bathroom to throw up in terror, she dialed Liam.

“You all right?” he asked.

“No.”

“Did you throw up?”

“Yes.” Fear-induced nausea was nothing new to her, and usually Liam was the only one who could settle her nerves.

“I’m sorry, sis. I shouldn’t have made you do this, but I’m really worried.”

“Done is done. See if you can find anything else in her e-mail we might be able to use to track her.”

“Oh! Her credit card statements. I’ll look at those, I saw the info in her e-mail. Check your e-mail when you get off the plane, babe. Your rental car info will be in there, too. I got you a midsized.”

“I wubs you, bro.”

“Wubs you, too. Don’t drink on the plane, you’ll be wasted when you get to Rapid City. Remember, I can’t come bail you out for drunk driving.”

She queued to board and sat in her seat with a death grip on the armrests. Fortunately, the plane wasn’t completely filled and she had no seatmate.

After a horrible, turbulent flight that bounced her around from Ohio to Florida one spring break in college over ten years prior, she’d swore she’d never fly again. Which proved problematic when Liam had to drive down and pick her up when she refused to accompany her friends on the flight home, and her parents wondered why she was in Florida in the first place after Liam accidentally let it slip.

She made it a point never to fly again.

But this was her sister, and Liam had asked her to do it. Liam didn’t needlessly worry about things. The fact that he felt concerned worried Gwen.

I survive this, maybe I’ll go visit Tim in Laguna Beach after all, she thought as the engines revved in preparation for takeoff. As the plane trundled down the runway, Gwen squeezed her eyes closed, fought another bout of fear-induced nausea, and muttered flyflyflyflyfly under her breath until she felt the landing gear lift off the tarmac and eventually fold into the plane’s belly with a soft thump.

After a sigh of relief, she slowly released her grip on the seats and fought the urge to mug the stewardesses for the entire alcoholic content of their beverage cart.

It was after midnight when the plane made its final approach into the Rapid City Regional Airport following a brief stopover in Chicago. She found the rental car counter, got instructions to the hotel where Amy made her reservations, and wearily rolled into their parking lot a little after one in the morning local time.

The desk clerk wasn’t helpful, it was late, and Gwen felt too exhausted and stressed to argue further. She checked into her room and collapsed on the bed. Liam had e-mailed her everything he could find, which wasn’t much, and she needed to view the pdf files on her laptop anyway.

She sent him a text.

Made it alive & sober @ hotel. Wubs u.

Before she could carry her phone to the bedside table, plug it into the charger, and lay it down, it vibrated. He must have been waiting up and holding his phone to reply that fast.

Wubs u 2 sis. Call me in morn. Sleep tight.

Gwen crawled into bed and crashed into sleep.

* * *

Tim’s mind wandered as he aimlessly flipped through channels on the TV until Jack took the remote control away from him.

“What’s wrong with you tonight?” Jack asked, setting the controller safely on the end table out of Tim’s reach. “You’ve been weird all night.”

Fortunately, Jack’s mom had been having a good day and knew both of them when they dropped by to visit. Tim’s relief over that had been dampened when they returned home and he checked his e-mail. “I haven’t heard back yet from Gwen about my review.” He chewed on his lower lip. “I hope she liked it.”

“Why wouldn’t she? It was a good review, right?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I know it’s stupid, but usually she e-mails me right back. It’s not like her to not respond.” In his gut he couldn’t get over the feeling that something was off. In the nearly three years he’d been corresponding with Gwen, she never failed to return an e-mail, even if it was just a quick note from her phone that she was out and would get back to him.

He wished he had her phone number so he could call her and check on her.

“Maybe she’s busy,” Jack said. “Maybe she has a life. Maybe she got struck by lightning and can’t remember she has a rabid admirer.”

Tim flipped him a bird. “You like her stuff, too.”

“Yeah, but the woman probably has a family.” He pulled Tim into his arms. “Maybe she’s working. Probably hard work thinking up all that pervy shit she writes.”

“Asshole. She’s single and not dating anyone.” He nipped Jack’s lower lip. “It’s pretty hot pervy shit, even you have to admit that.” He shifted position, straddling Jack on the couch so he could rub his crotch against Jack’s hard, jean-clad thigh. “Especially the ménages.”

Jack’s hands settled on his hips. “You would love those.”

“Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t want to try that at least once.” Not that they’d probably ever do it in real life, but the fantasy hardened Tim like granite. “Tell the truth, Stoneface. You’d love having your dick sunk in a sweet pussy while I fuck your brains out. Or both of us sharing a girl. Or any of several really hot and dirty combinations I could think of. You had girlfriends before. You said so.”

Jack issued a noncommittal grunt. “You want to do something tonight, or rehash porn books?”

Tim planted his hands on his hips. “They’re not porn. They have a plot.”

“Um, yeah, they are porn. Excuse me. Erotica.”

He grinned. “That’s better. Actually, they’re erotic romance. Hey, we sell a lot of them. Don’t complain too much, they make money. The het women love them.”

Jack lifted Tim’s shirt off and tossed it to the floor. “Talking doesn’t get you laid, buddy.” He ran his hands over Tim’s chest, tweaking his nipples, one surefire way to get his attention.

Tim let worry about Gwen swirl out of his mind as Jack slipped his hands around him and pulled him close. He nipped Tim’s nipples, making him rock his hips against his lover’s thigh that much harder. “Oh, fuck yeah!”

Jack sat up and turned, lowering Tim to the couch. “My baby need something in his mouth to keep him occupied?”

Tim eagerly nodded. Jack unfastened his jeans and knelt over him. Tim grabbed his ass and pulled him close, sucking his hard cock deep into his throat.

Oh, yeah. This was what he loved, the way Jack took charge like this.

His own cock throbbed as he ran his lips up and down Jack’s shaft, swirling his tongue over the ridge and along his slit, tasting his salty pre-cum. He slid one hand between Jack’s thighs and palmed his sac, loving the feel of the warm, soft weight in his palm.

Just as he’d started to drift into that lovely little headspace he enjoyed, Jack pulled out.

“No!” Tim protested.

Jack laughed and grabbed Tim’s hand. “Bed, babe. Now. I want to bury my cock in your ass.”

“Mmm, okay!” He practically dragged Jack to their bedroom. He immediately shed his clothes and jumped into their queen-size bed, where he flopped onto his back.

Jack shook his head and laughed. Tim almost thought about asking Jack about the sad look in his eyes. Then he decided he didn’t want to interrupt their fun. Jack had enough reality on his plate. Between Jack’s job and his mom’s condition, Tim didn’t need to be interrogating him about why he suddenly looked a little sad.

Jack dropped his clothes to the bedroom floor and stalked him like a jungle predator. He crawled onto the bed, hunger in his eyes.

It only served to harden Tim’s cock even more.

“I’m going to fuck you real good,” Jack rumbled.

Tim swallowed. “How you want me, baby?” he hoarsely asked. When Jack got like this, he’d do anything for him, anything he asked. “Want me on my back or on my front?”

Jack straddled him, grabbed his wrists, and pinned his arms over his head. “Just like this, babe.” He lowered his lips to Tim’s, crushing him in a soul-melting kiss he felt from his hair to his toes. The friction of Jack’s body rubbing against his was nearly enough to make him explode. He could feel pre-cum leaking from his cock.

Jack shifted position slightly, clutching both of Tim’s wrists in one hand before reaching over to the bedside table. When Jack brought his knees up between Tim’s legs, Tim raised them, knowing exactly how Jack wanted him.

Tim loved it when Jack took him like this, rough and possessively. Every inch of his body felt alive, and he practically shivered when he heard the familiar snick of the top being popped on the bottle of lube.

“You ready for me, baby?” Jack asked.

“Always.” He drew his knees back into his chest, opening himself wider to his lover. Jack drizzled the lube over his taint and into his ass, then worked some inside him with a finger. The coolness of the lube against his flesh only served to accentuate his need.

Jack slathered lube over his cock before lining the head up with Tim’s rim. “I’m going to fuck you so good, baby.”

Tim stared into Jack’s face. His brown eyes looked nearly black with passion. “Take me. Do it.” As always, when he felt the tip of Jack’s cock first breach his body, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the stretching sensation. Jack slowly fed his member into Tim’s ass until he was completely buried inside him and his balls rubbed against Tim. Then Tim opened his eyes and looked up at Jack.

Jack’s eyes dropped closed. “Oh, yeah.” He lowered himself down onto Tim and held his wrists with both hands. Tim wrapped his legs around Jack and held on for the ride. He felt his cock rubbing along Jack’s stomach and knew he would explode long before Jack did.

He felt cocooned in Jack’s embrace, his lover’s arms holding him a willing captive as Jack started a slow, steady rhythm, withdrawing almost to the tip before thrusting deep within him again.

Tim felt his lover’s skin grow slick where his own pre-cum leaked between them. The delicious sensation only added to the friction he felt. “Man, I’m going to come.”

“Not yet,” Jack murmured. “Hold in it, babe.”

Tim knew he sounded like he was whining and didn’t care. “I can’t hold it. Please, don’t stop!”

But that’s exactly what Jack did, buried deep inside Tim. His lips came down possessively, his tongue deeply plunging and exploring Tim’s mouth as Tim frantically wiggled and squirmed and tried to coax Jack into moving again. But pinned like that, beneath the larger man’s body, Tim couldn’t do anything but wait for Jack to decide when the fucking could continue.

“I love the feel of your body,” Jack whispered.

Like this, Tim knew, he came as close to ever seeing the true Jack, the man without barriers and walls and emotional pain, as he ever could. “Then fuck me, dammit. I need you!”

Jack chuckled and finally started moving again, much to Tim’s relief. “Oh, hell yeah,” Tim nearly sobbed, relieved. He felt his balls tighten as his climax built deep inside him.

“You going to come hard for me, baby?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, you know it.”

“Then do it.” He slammed his hips into Tim, building his thrusts into a nearly brutal force and tempo until Tim’s cock exploded. His cum smeared between them as Jack slid back and forth along his body.

“Yes!”

Jack rose up on his arms, releasing Tim’s wrists as he pounded into Tim until he cried out with his own release. Then he held still for a moment, head bowed, until he finally caught his breath and pulled out.

Tim immediately sat up and pushed Jack over onto his back. He grabbed a washcloth from their bathroom and wiped the cum off them, then cleaned Jack’s cock before tossing the cloth back into the bathroom.

Satisfied, he slid into bed with Jack and snuggled against his side. “That was fantastic.”

He didn’t miss the pleased smile that flitted across Jack’s face. “You’re just saying that.”

“Babe, you know you’re the only guy I want.” He planted a kiss on Jack’s lips before settling in again. “Forever and ever. I love you.”

Jack cuddled him closer. “I love you too, Tim.”

Tim closed his eyes and felt sleep overtake him.

* * *

Jack stared at Tim’s peaceful, sleeping face and thought about their earlier conversation. Yeah, he’d had girlfriends before. Not many. Only four total, Mel being the last. He didn’t want to talk about Melodie. It hurt badly enough thinking about her.

He’d never told Tim anything about Mel other than how she…died.

How she was murdered was more like it, even though it was, technically, an accident.

Thinking about her always brought a wave of grief, followed by anger. Because when she died, he didn’t just lose his girlfriend. It meant Jack had to cope with losing his other love—his boyfriend—to jail, leaving him totally alone.

To this day he never understood why Mel let Pete drive drunk. Why didn’t she take the keys from him? She was a strong-headed woman and had never tolerated that before. He couldn’t imagine what would have led her to letting Pete drive. If nothing else, she never would have gotten into the car with him.

He hadn’t spoken to Pete since that night. He’d first been grief stricken she’d died, worried because Pete was hurt, too. Then to find out Pete was drunk when they crashed…

Jack burned, unopened, every letter Pete had sent from jail. Nothing Pete said to him could make Jack forgive him for killing Mel and leaving him totally alone. Had it been an honest accident, it would have been different.

In Jack’s eyes, Pete murdered her.

No one had known the three of them were anything but roommates, and that she was Jack’s girlfriend. They’d lived and loved together. Talked about moving to California, where Melodie had grown up, to live openly together as a threesome. Made plans to move the next spring.

Maybe even start a family together, the three of them.

He’d loved both of them so much, more than he ever thought it possible to love someone.

Then they were gone.

Jack preferred to totally cut ties, to treat Pete’s incarceration as a second death. To grieve and move on. It was also why he decided to switch majors in college from English and go into law enforcement, to help take drunks off the street so others didn’t have to die.

It was the only way to keep the anger from eating him alive, even though he missed like hell having not just one, but two people to love and laugh with.

Stoneface. He didn’t want to tell Tim anything more about what happened than he’d told anyone else, that his best friend killed his girlfriend in a drunk driving accident. Maybe one day he could admit it to him, but it still hurt too much.

Chapter Six

Jonathan and Markham pinned Shelaine between them, their large cocks buried inside her, thrusting and withdrawing like independent living beasts all their own. Passion had turned her limp legs to jelly. She wanted nothing more than to lay there between them and hear them say, “Where did you want to go for breakfast…”

The slam of a door from a nearby room startled Gwen awake from her hot dream about Jonathan and Markham, her latest wolf shape-shifting heroes. She heard two men discussing nearby restaurant options as they walked away out of earshot.

Disoriented, she stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.

Where the fuck am I?

She groaned as she closed her eyes again. Rapid City. She fumbled for her BlackBerry and squinted at it. It read five fifteen a.m., but outside her window, she saw grey light creeping around the outsides of the generic hotel curtains. Was that five o’clock local time, or five o’clock home time?

She sat up and looked at the clock on the bedside table.

Local time.

She’d been so exhausted the night before that she’d just dumped her suitcase on the bed and not opened it. She unzipped it, pleasantly surprised to see Liam had also included the notebook, photo CDs, and a few of the brochures Amy had shipped.

She didn’t want to call yet, in case he wasn’t awake. She figured out the room’s tiny coffeemaker. While it brewed her a morning cup of wake-up, she crawled into the shower and stood under the hot water until she felt marginally human again.

Dressed and slightly caffeinated, she tried Amy’s phone first, even though she didn’t expect her sister to answer. It went straight to voice mail.

“Look, I don’t care why you’re not coming home, but please call me and talk to me, okay? Bye.” Gwen didn’t want to tell her she was here looking for her in Rapid City, in case Amy decided to hide.

Next call—Liam. He answered on the second ring. “Did you find the notebook in your bag?” he asked her.

“Thank you. I didn’t even think of packing that. Any problems with Mom?”

“Nope. She already called once. I told her to please not bother us today because we’re working on your website and I need to concentrate.”

“You think she will?”

“Hopefully at least until dinnertime. If she calls you, don’t take it. Call me first in case I’ve talked to her.”

“Roger.” She flipped through the notebook and looked at Amy’s notes. “Hold on.”

“What?”

She read. “Her notes about Mt. Rushmore. ‘We didn’t have any trouble hiking the trail down to the Sculptor’s Studio.’”

“‘We’? She wrote ‘we’?”

“Yeah.” She flipped through the pages. “Most of the time she refers to I or me, as if she’s alone. Here’s another ‘we’ talking about Wind Cave. It’s like she’s slipped and missed it. Most if it refers to her alone.”

“Any luck with the front desk?”

“No. Last night the clerk was a bitch and wouldn’t tell me anything. I’m going to try again this morning. Then I’m going to the police and see what I can find out. I doubt they’ll do anything yet.”

“I’m going to work on her credit cards more. There was a charge for a gas station three days ago in Rapid City, but no hotel charges. Or maybe she’s using her bank card. I don’t have the access code to get into that.”

“Just use the forgot password feature and log in to her mail again to retrieve it.”

“I don’t have her user ID code for the site or I would, believe me. I’d have to go home to Mom and Dad’s and toss her desk to find her files.”

“Ooh, that sounded very Magnum, P.I.-ish.”

Liam faked a snooty British accent. “Zeus, Apollo, sic balls.”

Gwen giggled. Living with Liam would be fun. If it hadn’t been for her parents, she would have gladly offered to move in to take care of him, except she’d been in the middle of divorcing Dickweed.

Not to mention she refused to live with her parents. “When I find her, do you want to hold her down while I pound her, or vice versa?”

His voice turned serious. “If.”

At his tone, a chill settled over her. “Don’t talk like that. When I find her. I will find her. I don’t know what hair crawled up her ass, but I’m yanking it out.” A thought hit her. “What about her cell phone records? Don’t calls show up there? Maybe we can find something out.”

“No good. I already tried. Nothing but calls to you, me, Mom, Dad, and her job. Get this though, I saw an empty box in her trash for one of those TracFones a few weeks ago. So whoever it is she’s talking to, she doesn’t want it traced.”

“Or he doesn’t,” Gwen said.

“Exactly. So that’s a dead end regardless.”

They said good-bye, and she browsed through the notebook again. Anal-retentive perfectionist Amy had meticulously detailed when she visited the sites.

Gwen fired up her laptop and popped in the first photo CD. The pictures were, in typical Amy fashion, neatly arranged in folders by date, and further by location taken. Gwen browsed through them. Amy appeared in quite a few of the pictures. It didn’t hit her until ten minutes later why.

Duh. Whoever Amy stayed with took the pictures of her. From the happy smile on Amy’s face, she appeared to be having a good time. Gwen matched the pictures to the handwritten notes. Whoever the other person was, Amy had been very careful never to snap a picture of him. Gwen assumed a him.

If Amy’s secret lover was a her, maybe Amy had more secrets than Gwen first imagined.

At least the pictures left Gwen with good recent images, including some of the clothes Amy had brought with her on the trip.

She called Liam back. “Whoever the guy is, he’s not in the pics, but he took a bunch of Amy.”

“She’s still in Rapid City. She bought gas last night with her Amex. I’m working to see if I can figure out which station. Any luck with the front desk?”

“That’s my next stop.” She hung up and transferred several of the best pictures to her BlackBerry before heading to the lobby.

Thankfully, the clerk was different than from the night before. The young woman was pleasant, helpful. When Gwen explained the situation, she looked around and motioned for her to hand over the BlackBerry, where Gwen had one of the pictures displayed.

She nodded. “Yeah, I remember her. She was here with a guy. I checked them out yesterday morning.”

Hope flared in Gwen. “Can you give me his name?”

She winced. “I’m sorry, I can’t.” She leaned in. “But if the police call, I’ll gladly give it to them. If I give it to you, I could get fired. I can’t afford to lose my job.”

Gwen held back her frustration but understood the clerk’s dilemma. “Can you describe him?”

“Average height, maybe around six feet. Brown hair, brown eyes, nothing spectacular. He wore glasses, if that helps.”

Gwen jotted it down. “Yes, it does. No idea where they went?”

“No. I handled their checkout. From the way they were talking, I got the impression they weren’t leaving the area yet. They were looking at some of the local brochures.” She pointed to the obligatory rack of tourist pamphlets in the entryway.

“Were they fighting or anything?”

“No. She seemed a little sad over something, but they acted very affectionate with each other.”

“Thanks anyway.” She returned to her room and called Liam back with an update.

“Next stop cops?” he asked.

“Yeah. I don’t hold out hopes of them doing anything, but maybe they’ll at least take a report so if something happens, we’ll have the start of a paper trail.”

“You realize she probably is okay, right? We’ve now got confirmation she was with a guy. Maybe they’re planning on eloping or something.”

“If I don’t get answers, Mom and Dad will skin me.”

“I’ll protect you, sis.”

“So says the guy afraid to break the news to them that he’s moving out. Thanks.”

They said good-bye, and she headed back to the front desk to get directions to the closest police station. She started for her rental when she realized maybe she should take her laptop. She’d left it in the room.

Might as well check my e-mail.

To counteract her workaholic tendencies, Gwen only checked her private e-mail through her phone. Everything else, she had to use her computer to read. She found that Tim had written her that morning.

Hey, Go-Go. I didn’t upset you with my rambling review, did I, sweetie? Kissy-huggy. - TimE.

Mentally smacking herself in the head, she fired off a quick reply.

I’m sorry, babycakes, sorry I worried you. I read it and loved it. Problems at home, emergency road trip to Rapid City. I’m there now looking for my sister. I’ll catch up with you soon. - G.

She scanned a few more e-mails and shut down, then packed it and the notebook and drove to the station. She nervously sat for ten minutes until a super-hot detective walked up to the waiting area.

“Miss Oxford?”

She nodded, her gaze immediately homing in on his left hand. No ring. Hot damn!

Wait, missing sister. Focus.

“I’m Detective Kelly. Follow me, please,” he said. She did, gladly, enjoying how his tight ass moved under his snug slacks. Short brown hair, brown eyes, six-feet-plus of solid, trim muscle in a shoulder holster.

Mmm. He’s my next hero.

In the thirty second walk to his desk, she’d mentally written half of a scorching hot love scene she wouldn’t mind a chance to star in with him. Total yum with a gun.

She’d kill Amy for this. Dragging her out to Rapid City, and she wouldn’t even have time to suss out this dude. Then again, maybe he’d be up for a quickie. It’d been a year since she’d gotten laid, and she decided she’d be willing to forego commitment in lieu of him settling for wearing a condom and going halfsies on a hotel room.

Especially with a hunk like this in a city where no one knew her.

Oh, forget splitting the room. If he’d do her, she’d gladly pay for it. Hell, she’d call it a business expense and deduct it on her taxes.

Perk of being a writer. Call it research.

“What can I do for you today?” he asked.

To me, not for me, and anything you want. “Um, it’s about my sister. She’s sort of disappeared.”

He frowned. “Sort of?”

“Yeah.” She started from the beginning. Within the first thirty seconds, Gwen saw from the look on his face that not only was he not going to break out the search teams for Amy, but she probably wouldn’t get laid, either.

Damn.

“Miss Oxford, did you try calling her again?”

“This morning. Straight to voice mail.”

“I’m afraid we can’t do anything. She’s not missing.”

“Yes, she is.”

“It’s not against the law for an adult to willingly not go home.”

“Look, you don’t know my parents. If I don’t physically lay eyes on Amy and talk to her, get some answers from her, my mother and father will go apeshit. Can’t you just run her bank records or something? Ask the hotel clerk who she was with? We know she’s still here in town as of this morning. I just need to talk to her for five minutes, face-to-face, to find out what the hell is going on so I get answers.”

He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “There’s nothing I can do right now.”

“Yes, there is,” she insisted. “You can find out where she is so I can talk to her.” She felt irritation creep into her voice despite her best efforts and tried to clamp down on her infamous hair-trigger temper. “If I don’t find out what’s going on, my life and my brother’s life will be a living hell until I do. Not to mention we’re worried about her. Cops do stuff like that all the time, don’t they? Welfare check or something, isn’t that what it’s called?”

“It’s not like on TV, Miss Oxford.” She didn’t miss his condescending tone.

“I know that. I’m a writer. I’m not stupid.”

“Then you should know it’s not like most writers portray, either. Unless you have a legitimate reason to believe she’s in danger, or is a danger to herself or others, she isn’t a missing person. She’s a hiding person. Unless she’s got a warrant out on her, or is violating parole or probation, or is wanted in connection with a crime, there isn’t anything I can do. If you want to find her before she’s ready to come home under the current circumstances, contact a private investigator. If you have reasonable cause to believe she’s in danger, then we can get involved.” He leaned forward. “I will warn you against filing a false report saying you believe she’s in danger if you don’t really think she is.”

She set her jaw. “Please call the desk clerk at the hotel. She said if the cops talk to her, she’ll tell them who the guy is. At least give me that. Toss me a bone, buddy.”

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.”

“You could get off your ass and make one simple phone call!” She hadn’t risked her sanity and shitting her pants in fear to fly all the way out there, just to be stonewalled by a lazy, albeit handsome, dick-Barney-fucking-Fife who couldn’t be bothered to let his fingers do the walking.

His expression darkened. “We’re done here, Miss Oxford.” He stood. “Do you need me to escort you out, or can you find the front door by yourself?”

“No, I can find it. Sorry I wasted your time. I’m sure somewhere in this city is a missing donut in need of your attention.” She grabbed her stuff and stormed out of the station.

Fuck! Me and my goddamned temper!

* * *

Jack blew out a relieved breath. Technically, he could have looked into the woman’s story, but from what she’d said it was most likely the sister needed a break from the craziness at home.

Especially if this woman was any indication of what the rest of her family was like.

The fact that she’d been the spitting image of Melodie hit him like a kick in the balls when he’d walked out to the waiting room to bring her back to his desk. Except for her hairstyle, she could have been her, just a few years younger than what she’d probably look like today.

If she hadn’t died.

He closed his eyes for a moment before leaving his desk and walking into the restroom, where he locked himself in for a minute so he could splash water on his face.

He didn’t need this. Why now? Suddenly, everywhere he turned, every conversation, even ones with Tim brought back memories of her.

He would have to tell Tim the full story. It’d probably hurt Tim’s feelings a little that he hadn’t talked about Mel before now, but Tim was good about understanding him. Never tried to pry things out of him.

Just like Mel.

Fuck. Except that Tim was a hunky guy, the two of them could have been twins, personality-wise. How had he missed realizing that in the past six years? Funny, spunky, sweet, smart, protective, loyal. Sexy and emotional.

He stared at himself in the mirror. It felt like he rarely smiled anymore. Another reason for Tim’s nickname. Stoneface.

He used to smile. A long time ago. He remembered being happy all the time, it seemed. Even if life was crappy, he had Melodie to cheer him up.

And…

But he didn’t want to think his name this morning.

He didn’t even want to think about the man he used to love.

* * *

She called Liam. “I blew it, bro.”

“What?”

“I just pissed off a cop.”

“You in jail?”

“No.” She told the story. “What do I do now?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe you should just come home.”

The thought of flying again filled her with panic. “I didn’t fly all the way out here not to find her.”

“She apparently doesn’t want to be found.”

“Tough shit. She should talk to us and give us an explanation. She bugs out without explanation, leaving us holding the bag? Fuck her. She’s going to have to tell us what’s going on so we know what to tell Mom and Dad.”

“Hold on.” She heard him tapping on his laptop. “Hey, they’re still in Rapid City. Well, she is, at least. Probably both of them from the amount. A purchase just came through on her Visa for a meal.” More tapping.

“Where?”

“I don’t know, hold on. It’s a Denny’s. Let me see if I can figure out which one.” More tapping. “Yes! I found it. I’m e-mailing you a map link right now. Where are you at?”

“Rapid City.”

“Smart-ass. Where?”

“How the fuck should I know? I don’t know how the hell I’m going to find the hotel again.”

“Gee, honey, what did I teach you about your phone when we got it for you?”

She sighed. “Built-in GPS.”

“Right. Go use it. Bye.”

She hung up and retrieved the address from her e-mail, wrote it in the notebook, then switched to the maps feature on her phone and plugged it in.

She was less than two miles away.

She made it without wrecking while trying to follow the phone’s directions. After a quick consultation with the manager on duty and showing her Amy’s picture, Gwen discovered she’d missed them by ten minutes. Discouraged, she returned to her rental.

The private eye option was looking better by the minute.

Her phone rang “Silent Lucidity,” startling her. “Did you find her?” Liam asked.

“No. Just missed them. She’s still with the guy.”

“Her friend Rita from work just called. She was trying to reach Amy. Apparently, Amy e-mailed her and told her she needed to take an extra two weeks of unpaid leave, cited personal issues.”

“Two weeks?”

“Yeah.” He sighed. “Come home, sweetie. We’ll deal with Mom and Dad. I’m sorry I sent you out there on a wild-goose chase after her. I’ll reimburse you for the flight, hotel, and car.”

“It’s the principle of the matter now.” And she couldn’t bring herself to step on a plane yet.

Liam’s tone turned big brotherly, the calming inflection he used to make her see things his way. “Gee, I can’t drive out there and get you. At least you can get drunk on the plane and have a taxi bring you home. You have to come home now. You’re done.”

The thought of flying again terrified her. Last night, in crisis mode, she could put it behind her. “Just one more day to look for her, please?”

His voice gentled further. “I’ll take a taxi to the airport and meet your flight, Gee. It’s okay. Come home. You tried. I’m sorry I made you go.”

“You didn’t make me go. I volunteered. How’s Ruthie doing?”

“I showed her the wonders of World of Warcraft. She’s addicted and having fun killing virtual monsters. Bob’s going to hate me. Come home, Gee.”

“I haven’t even had breakfast yet.” Then again, if she was getting on another plane, maybe eating was a bad idea. She would only puke it up again.

More tapping on his end. “There’s a flight out of there, connecting through Chicago again, at two. Want me to put you on it?”

“No.” She shuddered. “Just…wait. Okay?”

He sighed. “Go back to the room, get your stuff, check out, and go eat. Call me when you’re at the airport, and I’ll get you booked on the flight.”

Big brother trying his best to fix the only thing he could fix now, since they couldn’t find Amy. “No. I’ll do it. Let me go.”

She returned to the room and tried not to think about flying again. At least she could check her e-mail. She immediately spotted a message from TimE.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!! You’re in Rapid City?? CALL ME right now!

Followed by a phone number.

Knowing she was only putting off her terrifying inevitable return flight home, she called the number. A man answered, his sweet, rich voice soothing her.

“Ellis Books and Bites, this is Tim.”

“Hi, it’s Gwen—”

His voice immediately changed, excited. “Oh my god! Go-Go, what the hell are you doing here in Rapid City?”

“Here? I thought you lived in Laguna Beach?”

“Long story, I’ll tell you later. Where are you? You have to come see me!” She gladly agreed. It would further stall her departure from Rapid City. She could claim she lost track of time and spend one more night there. “Where are you staying?” When she told him, he sounded shocked. “Oh, hell no! You pack your bags, right now, and get your sweet tush over here. You’re staying with me tonight, girlfriend. That place is a dump. You come over here, spend the night, and my boyfriend and I will take you out and treat you to the best steak dinner you ever had, guaranteed. Anyway, I owe you coffee, if I recall.”

She couldn’t refuse that offer. Besides, didn’t that now put her trip into the deductible business expense category? Bonus.

He gave her directions and hurried her off the phone. “Get packed, check out, and I’ll be waiting here for you. I’ll play tour guide and oh. My. God. I cannot believe I finally get to meet my buddy face-to-face!”

When she got off the phone, she knew she had a smile on her face. At least the trip wasn’t a total loss.

She’d wait to call Liam and tell him that. He’d know exactly what she was doing.

Stalling for time to avoid flying again.

Less than an hour later, she pulled into the bookstore parking lot. When she walked through the door, her eyes landed on a tall man, not quite as tall as Deputy Dickhead that morning, but just as good looking.

They grow ’em cute in South Dakota.

He finished ringing up a customer. When he spotted her, he let out a decidedly unmanly squeal that didn’t seem to fit his hunky bod. “Gwen!”

She nervously smiled and nodded. “Tim?”

He raced over to her and, before she could say anything else, he picked her up and swung her around. “Oh my god! Girl, you’re here! In my store! My favorite author!”

She felt heat race to her face. He had shaggy blond hair and sweet blue eyes. She knew Tim was ten years older than her, but he didn’t look it.

And he’s gay. Fuck. My dumb luck.

“I’m sorry you thought I was mad at you,” she apologized. “I didn’t mean to make you think that.”

“Oh, hey, it’s okay!” He grabbed her hand and led her to the back of the store, to his office, and pulled her up a chair. “Okay, so spill it. What’s up?”

It spilled out of her, all right. With the stress of not finding Amy and having to fly home alone finally catching up with her, she burst into tears as she told him the story. She concluded with her literal gut-wrenching terror of air flight.

Tim handed her a tissue and hugged her, gently patting her back. “Hey, sweetie, it’s okay, it’s all right. I don’t know who that asshole is you dealt with this morning, but my boyfriend’s a detective with the police department. He’ll help you.” He looked at her. “I wouldn’t feel right putting you on a plane in this state of mind anyway.” He hollered through the open door for someone while she blew her nose.

A young woman appeared a moment later. “You bellowed?”

“Celia, meet Gwen Oxford. You know, Gwenna Olmsford.”

The other woman’s jaw dropped. “Holy cow! Nice to meet you.”

Gwen nodded and tried to smile even as she sniffled. Jesus, my first real, on-the-road live appearance outside of Ohio, and I’m a damn basket case.

“Hey, can you watch the store for me?” Tim asked Celia. “Call in one of the gang to work extra and help you out. I need to take care of Gwen.”

“Sure.”

Gwen’s phone rang “Silent Lucidity.” As soon as Liam heard her voice, he asked, “What’s wrong, Gee? Why are you crying?”

That started her crying again as she tried to explain she was now sitting in Tim’s store and acting like a total douchebag.

Liam tried to soothe her. “Gee, sweetie, it’s okay. Calm down. Let me talk to him.” She’d told Liam about her ongoing e-mail “relationship” with Tim.

She handed him the phone. “It’s my brother, Liam. He wants to talk to you.”

Tim took the phone. “Hello, Liam?…Yeah. That’s an understatement…I understand. Seriously, as long as she needs, I’m not letting her go anywhere this upset. And you’re welcome to stay as long as you want. Let me give you my numbers…” A minute later, he hung up and returned her phone. “Big brother gave me my marching orders to keep you safe and sound under threat of emasculation. He’ll fly out tomorrow and take you home after the two of you spend a few days here at Casa Ellis while looking for your sister.”

Another bout of guilt hit her, along with a renewal of her tears. “Thank you!” When he hugged her, she tried not to think about how good his arms felt around her. “Big brother saves me again.”

“What?”

She sniffled and sat up. “He had to drive from Ohio to Florida and back once to bring me home after spring break. Jesus, he shouldn’t have to fly out here for my sorry ass.”

“He obviously loves you very much. And trust me, your ass isn’t sorry. Besides, the two of you will be our guests for a couple of days. Maybe you can find your sister and get this stuff sorted out.”

“You don’t understand. Liam’s got MS. He shouldn’t have to fly any more than necessary. He’s just getting over being sick a couple of weeks ago.”

“From the way he sounded, I don’t think anything will keep him from his baby sister. Let’s get you back to my place. Come on.”

Chapter Seven

Gwen stepped out of her car and listened to how quiet it sounded. Tim lived in a nice house about fifteen minutes south of town, on a wooded hillside overlooking a small valley. Beautiful country. When Tim noticed her reaction, he turned and pointed to the west.

“Black Hills National Forest is that way. We’re right on the edge. You haven’t made it to Mt. Rushmore yet, have you?”

She shook her head.

He clapped his hands together. “Oh. My. God! I get to play tour guide!” He grinned. “You’re going to have a blast! Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, the whole nine yards.” He grabbed her suitcase and led her into the house, down a hall to a bedroom with an attached bathroom. “This room shares the bath with the other guest bedroom,” he explained, flipping on the light. “I’d give you the other bedroom, but that’s where Jack’s mom sleeps when she stays with us and it’s better equipped.”

“I know I’m stressed, but that made no sense.”

He laughed. “Sorry. You said your brother has MS. The other bedroom’s larger, set up so a wheelchair can move around. See? Bathroom’s converted, too.”

She rubbed her arms when a chill ran up them despite the warm afternoon. How perfect was this? The bathroom was totally accessible. No doubt even if Liam didn’t need it, he’d still bring his wheelchair rather than risk busting his ass.

And now she wussed out and he’d have to come get her.

Tim spotted her face and pulled her in close for a hug. “Have you eaten anything today?”

“No,” she admitted.

“You look horrible. Let’s get you some food.” He led her to the kitchen and sat her down at the small breakfast table. “What’s your poison? Sandwich? Omelet? Salad? Kitchen’s open and if I have it, I’ll make it for you.”

She couldn’t get over how cute he was. The only picture she’d seen of him was his Facebook profile pic, and that hadn’t been a very good one, just a lousy cell phone image. “Surprise me.”

“Gotcha.” Ten minutes later, she was noshing on probably the best omelet she’d ever had in her life. He sat across the table from her and watched her eat. “Now talk to me, and start over from the beginning because I think I missed something during the crying portions of your tale.”

Talking to him in real life felt as comfortable as it did in e-mail. Except for the fact that he looked hunkier in real life, and turned out to be a fandamtastic cook, he was the same person. She retold the story.

After she finished, he nodded, a serious look on his face. “I think you and your brother are right. There’s something funky going on. You don’t even know for sure if she’s okay, or maybe being held against her will. A text message isn’t the same as talking. Anyone can send a text from a phone, or an e-mail from a computer, if they’ve got their hands on it.”

“I think my mistake was telling the cop I’m a writer.” She frowned. “Well, that and insulting him. Cute guy, but what an asshole. I’m probably lucky I’m not in jail for telling him off. Me and my temper, I got into it with him.” She set her fork on the empty plate. “I didn’t help matters any, that’s for sure. Liam always had to bail me out of trouble in school. I was always getting into fights with older kids.” She laughed. “I had two senior football players ready to pound me once when I called them fucking pussy assholes for picking on a freshman. Liam got there to pick me up from band practice just in the nick of time.”

“Ballsy kind of girl, huh? No wonder I’m in love with you. Like I said, Jack’s a detective. I’m sure he’ll help you.” He glanced at his watch. “Dammit, he’s supposed to be in court this afternoon, though. We’ll have to wait until he gets home tonight. Meanwhile…” He cleared her empty dishes for her. “You are coming with me to see the sights!”

* * *

No wonder I’m in love with you.

She wistfully sighed, even though she knew he meant it innocently. If only. Damn, he was cute. More than cute enough to make up for Detective Dorkhead that morning. Tim would most definitely be her next hero. She’d write him into a book. Maybe even make him the hero in a series. She sure as hell wouldn’t hesitate to jump his bones if he was interested.

Well, if he was straight, single, and interested.

Depending on how cute his boyfriend was, maybe she had her next ménage couple and could write herself as the heroine.

It was eleven thirty when they headed out in Tim’s car. He pleasantly chattered almost nonstop as they wound around the Black Hills and through the small scenic town of Keystone to Mt. Rushmore. “There they are, the original Stonefaces,” he joked as they rounded a curve and the mountain came into sight. “Unlike Jack, who’s just an imitation.”

“What?”

“My boyfriend. We’re proof that opposites attract. He’s an über-serious cop, I’m the bouncy beach boy.”

She laughed. “He’s a lucky man.” She wondered if she could get away with flirting with him in real life the way they did in e-mails. “I’d steal you if I thought I had half a chance.”

He pulled into a space in the monument’s parking garage, then turned and winked. “Honey, who says you’d have to steal me? I don’t think you can steal the willing.” His playful grin dampened her panties.

“You are so getting a character modeled after you, you realize that, right?”

“Good guy?”

“Very good.”

“Charming? Witty? Well hung?” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Very well hung.”

He grinned. “Excellent.”

Tim’s plan didn’t just involve sightseeing, but following Amy’s trail through the notebook. “One of my customers is a ranger here,” he explained as he led her to the Park Service office. “She might be able to help us out.”

They tracked her down, but she had no recollection of seeing Amy. She returned Gwen’s BlackBerry to her after looking at Amy’s picture. “That doesn’t mean someone else didn’t see her or might remember her,” the woman said.

Tim perused the notebook. “Let’s try down at the Sculptor’s Studio,” he suggested. “Looks like she took a lot of notes about it. Probably talked to someone there.” He led the way. Gwen stopped for a moment to look at the mountain.

“You know, I never realized it was set up like this.”

He followed her gaze. “Like what?”

“I just always thought it was in the middle of nowhere.”

He laughed. “Well, to a Laguna Beach boy, South Dakota is the middle of nowhere. Must be culture shock for you, too.”

“I meant I always thought it was like out in the open by itself. Like in the middle of a field somewhere.”

“Ah. I see what you mean. I thought that, too. I guess a lot of people do, but nope, it’s tucked snug as a bug here in the Black Hills.”

She thumbed through Amy’s pictures in her BlackBerry and found one, held it up, and studied the view. “This is close, isn’t it?” She pointed. “Look, there’s that column in the view.”

He took her phone and looked. “You’re right.” He turned around and took her into the bookstore where they asked the clerks on duty if they’d seen Amy and showed her picture. No one remembered her.

“Okay, so to the studio like we planned,” he said. They made their way down the stairs to the studio, Tim being a gentleman and slowing down so Gwen could catch her breath. Once there, Gwen followed him around as he talked to staffers.

One older woman, a volunteer, nodded as she studied a picture of Amy. “I remember her. She was with a man. We had a very nice chat. She asked me a lot of questions about the history of the studio.”

Gwen’s heart raced. “Do you remember the man’s name?”

“No, ’fraid not. I didn’t get either of their names. I just remember her taking notes in that notebook,” she said, pointing to the one Gwen held. “That’s the only reason she rang a bell for me. I’m sorry, but we deal with over a million visitors a year at the park. Very few usually stand out in our minds unless they do something particularly memorable to draw our attention. If you’d come a few weeks later, I probably wouldn’t have remembered her at all.”

Gwen sighed. “Thanks anyway.”

“Oh, I do remember them asking me if I was familiar with the Crazy Horse monument, if that’s any help.”

Tim nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

They climbed the trail back up to the main level and Tim led her to the parking garage. “We’ll have to come back with your brother so he can see the place. I’m sure they’d let us drive him down there to the Sculptor’s Studio instead of making him hike. I didn’t even get to take you into any of the exhibits.”

“So where to next?” she asked.

He looked at the notebook. “Crazy Horse. It’s closest. And she took a bunch of notes there, too, from the looks of it.”

Gwen tried not to keep her nose pressed to the car window while he drove. They wound through hills and woods that took her breath away with their beauty.

“It’s pretty land, isn’t it?” he asked.

She tore her gaze away from the scenery. “Yes, very.”

“If you’re terrified to fly, I guess you don’t get to see much of the country, do you?”

“Nope.”

“Listen, and I mean this in all sincerity. Is there any reason you two have to rush off? There’s so much to see and do around here. I’ve got to fly back to LA next week on business for a couple of days, but you and Liam are more than welcomed to stay with us as long as you want. When I get back, we can do more sightseeing.”

“That’s really sweet, but I don’t want to be an imposition.”

“Hey, my favorite writer literally drops in, if you think I’m in a hurry to get rid of her, think again.” He winked at her. “Maybe I can convince you to move out here.”

“Hmm. Don’t tempt Liam too much. A chance to escape our mom and dad? You might be stuck with a permanent houseguest if you don’t watch it.”

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “So he’s the weak link in the chain, huh? I’ll make sure to bribe him well.” He grinned.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “You are a tease, aren’t you?”

Mock horror filled his face, “Moi? A tease? I think not, girlie.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I mean every word I say.”

She fought back another wistful pang. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

* * *

By the time they pulled into the Crazy Horse Monument parking area, Tim couldn’t help but hope there was a chance to talk her not just into visiting for a few days, but maybe moving. She was everything he thought she’d be and more.

Contingent, of course, upon Jack liking her.

And, duh, being able to convince her to stay. Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part, but he really hoped he could talk her into staying.

Tim didn’t love easy, and only once before, with Jack, had he felt the instantaneous, soul-wrenching attraction he felt with Gwen. A single gal who wrote the kind of stuff she did, she had to at least be open-minded to the possibility of two guys in her life, right?

His cock hardened at the thought.

* * *

He wouldn’t let her pay her own way into the park. They found the main office and repeated the routine of asking around to see if anyone remembered Amy. It wasn’t until they wandered through the artisan displays that Gwen thought of something. One woman sold gorgeous handmade silver jewelry. Amy had taken a picture of the same woman working on a piece.

When Gwen showed her Amy’s picture, the woman nodded. “Yes, I remember her. We had a nice chat. It was a slow day, so she sat down and we talked for quite a while.”

Gwen’s gut tightened. “Did you get the name of the man she was with?”

The woman frowned. “She wasn’t with a man. She was alone.” She thought about it a moment longer. “Although she did take a phone call from someone, it sounded like she was meeting them nearby.”

Gwen fought the urge to groan in frustration. “Thank you for your time.”

Tim led her back to the car. “So close, and yet no cigar. Dammit, I wish Jack didn’t have court today. I know he’d help us.”

“Silent Lucidity” rang on her phone. “Okay, I’m flying in tomorrow afternoon. Can you meet me at the airport, or do I need to get a taxi?”

“I’ll meet you—” Tim tapped her leg to get her attention, then pointed at himself. She smiled. “I’ve just been told Tim will be coming with me to pick you up.”

“Too bad he’s not single,” Liam joked. “He sounds like a great guy.”

“Hey, if anyone gets dibs on him, it’s me,” she replied. Tim smiled and waggled his eyebrows at her. “How are you breaking the news to Mom?”

“I’m not. I’m simply going. Ruthie’s sworn to secrecy. Mom’s out at one of her church group things for most of the day. I already snuck home, and Ruthie helped me grab some more stuff. No dice on Amy’s bank card. I found the log-in info, but there’s only some restaurant and gas charges, no hotel charges.”

“How’d you get home?”

“You left me your keys, remember?” His voice changed with another movie imitation. “I’m a very good driver.”

“All right, Rain Man. You’re lucky I love you. She catches you driving, she’ll kill me.”

“This is why I’m glad I’m living with you now, even if they don’t know it yet. Go have fun with your new boyfriend. Lucky girl. Maybe him and his boyfriend will want to help you reenact one of your books.”

She reddened a little as she glanced over at Tim, who was doing a poor job of pretending not to listen to her end of the conversation. “Thanks. Talk to you later.”

Tim started the car and smiled. “You are single, aren’t you?”

Gwen laughed. “Yeah. Why?”

He shrugged. “Wouldn’t want to be accused of stealing another guy’s girl, that’s all.” She didn’t question him or his playful, teasing smile.

* * *

Jack had stewed all day. The woman from that morning started his day off badly, and it went downhill from there. The DA gave a methhead a plea bargain in exchange for turning on his dealer, but it meant the addict would be on the streets later that night on probation.

All he wanted to do was go home, collapse, eat dinner, get a backrub from Tim, and hopefully get laid before falling asleep. The unfamiliar car sitting in his driveway would make that impossible, apparently. Tim’s car was gone, and he found no one home even though strange luggage and a laptop case sat on one of the guest room beds.

Fantastic.

He wondered who they belonged to. It wasn’t unusual for Tim to invite friends out from Cali, but usually he warned him about their arrival.

He poured himself a bourbon over ice and sat by the hot tub on the lower back deck to stare out over the valley. He loved this view. He knew Tim missed the ocean and surfing, but he’d never quite lost his taste for a quiet Black Hills evening. There were definite benefits to living near LA, like not having to hide anything about themselves, and being able to hold hands in public if they wanted without too many worries of getting the shit kicked out of them.

Not having to deal with behind-the-back snickers of his fellow officers.

Despite those benefits, Jack knew his heart lay here in South Dakota.

They hadn’t sold the Laguna house, only rented it out. Maybe in a few years they could go back there and resettle. He couldn’t believe Tim handled the move as well as he had, including opening the second store.

True love.

He sipped his drink and tried to relax. Jesus, if only he could forget that woman. Her voice sounded different than Melodie’s, but her face had brought back both painful and happy memories.

He closed his eyes and couldn’t help but think about Melodie. Nearly two decades later, and he could hear her voice clear as day in his head. Smell her perfume. Remember the feel of her hands on him as the three of them snuggled in bed.

He knew damn well Tim’s ménage “fantasy” was more an attempt to feel him out than an effort to get a hotter orgasm out of him. Tim’s kinky streak ran as deeply as his own, even though he was content to be monogamous.

Yes, if the opportunity presented itself, he might be open to another triad. Only if he knew he wouldn’t lose Tim in the process. Being poly had its benefits, but the drawbacks could be heartbreaking, and Tim had never experienced anything like that. His sweet beach boy literally had led a mostly sheltered life in terms of tragedy. He’d grown up with liberal parents who’d embraced and loved him, even when he came out to them as a teenager. He’d never had to endure the fears and risks of living openly as a gay man in Laguna Beach. Rapid City had grown up in the past two decades and become a little more tolerant than it was when Jack left for California, although they were still more cautious here than they’d had to be in Laguna.

Tim hadn’t grown up having to worry about every nuance when out in public, always looking over his shoulder to make sure no one could overhear him, never able to do something as innocent as holding hands without worrying who could see.

Even after they’d had Melodie with them, they still had to live a lie, only able to freely be open when safely at home behind a locked door, or when they took a trip to California to visit her parents…

Lost in his thoughts and memories, Jack startled back to reality with the sound of the front door slamming shut and Tim’s voice as he talked to someone upstairs.

Jack pulled himself out of his deck chair and carried his half-empty glass up to the kitchen. Tim must have heard him, because he raced out of their bedroom and nearly bowled him over as he grabbed him and spun him around in a happy embrace.

“Guess what?”

Jack struggled not to spill his drink. “We won the lottery?”

“Nope! We have a guest!”

“Yeah. Saw the car. Thanks for the warning.” He set his glass on the counter. “Could have used a call.”

“You were in court this afternoon. I remembered. See? I do listen to you.”

Jack dropped his voice. “I wish you’d given me a heads-up. I’m not much in a dealing-with-guests sort of mood. I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to deal with. You’ll love her! I want us to take her out to dinner—”

“Her who?”

“Our guest!” Tim grinned. “You’re going to be so surprised! I know I was, this is incredible!”

Jack grabbed him by the arms to hold him still. He already felt the first warning throbs of a tension headache. “Tim, babe, please. Who is our guest?”

He heard the guest room door open seconds before the woman from that morning in the station hesitantly stepped into the kitchen.

“Fuck.”

Tim either didn’t hear him or ignored his epithet as he walked over and draped his arm around her. “Gwen, honey, this is my boyfriend, Detective Jackson Kelly. Jack, this is Gwen! You know, my writer buddy!”

She glared at Jack. “We’ve met.”

* * *

Dammit. Figures. How small a town is Rapid City anyway?

“You’ve met?” Tim looked confused.

She nodded. “Deputy Dickhead.”

His eyes widened. “What? You mean you dealt with Jack this morning?”

Her heart sinking, she pulled away. That’s what she got for indulging herself in a little hot fantasy, fueled by Tim’s fairly serious flirting. There obviously wouldn’t be any help to find Amy, either. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Tim. I’ll pack my stuff and head for a hotel.”

Detective Dingdong leaned against the counter, crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded. “Probably a good idea.”

Tim wore a desperate look and refused to let go of her. “No! You are not going anywhere, lady. Your brother will kill me if I let you leave. I promised him I’d take care of you.”

“I’m sure your boyfriend doesn’t want me staying here.”

“You’ve got that right,” Officer Dildo chimed in.

Tim grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall to the guest bedroom, where he shut the door behind them.

“Look,” he whispered, “I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with him, but I’m damn sure going to find out.” It surprised her to see how angry Tim looked, and she suspected she wasn’t the target. “Please, baby, promise me you’ll stay.”

She couldn’t stand the desperation in his blue eyes. “I’ll stay, but we should forget about dinner tonight. I’ll just stay in my room out of his way, and when Liam gets here tomorrow, we’ll get a hotel room near the airport. She’s probably fine. This was just a wild-goose chase.”

He pulled her close and it took every ounce of will she had not to rise up on her toes and kiss him. “You listen to me,” he said, his voice serious. “He’s not the only one who lives here. You’re my friend, and you aren’t going anywhere.” Then he kissed her, full on the lips with every bit of passion she ever wrote about in a first kiss between her fictional characters. It shocked the hell out of her, so much so she didn’t have time to react or respond before he lifted his mouth from hers. He winked. He did that a lot, she’d noticed. “You be a good girl and stay here, and maybe there’s more of that for you, if you want it.”

Stunned, all she could do was nod.

He smiled, sexy and soothing and playful all at the same time. “You can’t leave because I’ve been dying to ask you about your work. Especially where you get your ideas for the ménages.”

She forced her voice to work. “How’d we get on this tangent?” she managed to gasp, still recovering from that mind-blowing kiss.

Tim pulled her tightly into his arms, and it was then she realized that huge, hard bulge digging into her hip wasn’t his cell phone. Oh, fuuuck me, baby!

“Because if you want a little real-life inspiration, I for one would be happy to give it to you.” He kissed her again before stepping away to the door. “Wait right here, don’t go anywhere. I’m going to find out what the hell’s going on with him. Okay?”

Unable to find her voice, she nodded.

He grinned. “That’s my good girl.” He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Her knees unhinged. She sat on the bed and touched her lips with her fingertips.

Holy fuck!

Yeah, he’d kissed her, all right. She still felt the slight scratch of his afternoon stubble against her cheek, and where his fingers had dug into her ass.

And the memory of his well-endowed cock pressing…

Yowza!

She fell back on the bed, unable to decide if she should laugh or cry.

Chapter Eight

Jack watched as Tim stormed through the kitchen, grabbed his arm, pulled him into their bedroom, and quietly shut the door behind them.

Then Tim turned on him with an angry look he’d never seen before on his lover’s face. “Now, dammit, you listen to me and you listen good. You behave yourself. She’s my friend, and I really like her, and she needs our help. I don’t care if you two got off on the wrong foot, she’s really worried about her sister, and she’s got a lot of shit going on in her life right now. What is wrong with you? This is rude even for you!”

Of all the possible ways Jack had thought of broaching this conversation, this never made the list. He sank to the bed. “She looks just like Mel,” he softly admitted.

“What? Who…” Comprehension dawned. “Oh,” he softly said. “Oh, Jack.” Tim sat next to him. When he slung his arm around Jack’s shoulders, Jack let him pull him close. “I’m sorry, baby.”

It spilled out in a rush, even though he hadn’t meant to let go. “Pete killed her. The son of a bitch was drinking, and he drove and he killed her. So I lost both of them.” He finally met Tim’s sweet gaze. “We were poly, a triad. It was me and Pete, and then we met her and we fell in love with her. No one knew that, we couldn’t tell anyone. We said she was my girlfriend because of my parents. Pete’s family was all back East. Can you see my parents accepting something like that when they barely tolerate me being gay?” He wiped at his eyes. “So they’re both dead to me. Mel’s in her grave, and he’s in a cell. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole thing before. It’s not something I like to think about, much less talk about.”

Jack pulled his wallet out and opened it. Inside, tucked behind a picture of him and Tim, he kept a picture of her. “See?”

Tim nodded. “Yeah. They could be twins.” He returned the picture. “Is that the real reason why you got into it with her this morning?”

“Her sister’s not missing.”

“Come on. Rapid City isn’t LA or New York. You can bend rules in some cases, and you know it. You’ve told me it happens all the time with you guys, as long as you don’t bend them too far. You’re just doing someone a favor, like you would check on someone’s coworker who didn’t show up when they’re Mr. Reliable. Don’t blow her off and be rude to her because you’re afraid of getting your heart broken.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Tim grabbed his chin and made him look at him. “You can’t go back in time. She’s not Melodie. But she’s a sweetheart, and believe me, I think she’d jump at a chance to have some fun with us.”

“What?”

Tim smiled. “Look at the stuff she writes. I’ve been flirting with her, and I’m pretty sure she’d be interested if we told her we were, too.”

“Then what? She leaves and we never see her again? She’s here to find her sister, not fuck around.”

Tim told him about kissing her. “We all have some fun. Friends with benefits. Right? If you want to.”

The problem was, Jack did want to, especially when he thought about her books. The important question though, did he want to because of her, or because she looked like Mel?

Tim didn’t force him to give an answer one way or another. “Go talk to her,” he said. “Apologize for getting into it with her. Then we’re going to grab a shower and take her out to Bartlett’s for steaks. I want to show her a good time regardless of whether she makes it into our bed or not. She’s still my friend, nothing about that will ever change.”

Jack knew it meant a lot to Tim. If for that reason alone, he’d make up with her.

Even if it ripped his heart out in the process.

Leaving Tim in the bedroom, he went and knocked on the guest room door.

“Come in.”

When he opened the door, he found her sitting on the bed. She frowned when she saw him. Probably expected Tim.

He walked in. “Okay, look, I’m sorry. We didn’t exactly hit it off well this morning.” He walked over to the bed and extended his hand. “Jack Kelly.”

She hesitated before finally accepting his grip and shaking. “Gwen Oxford.”

“I know. We love your books. I’m sorry I didn’t put that together before. Tim’s obsessed with you.” He thought about how that sounded. “In a good way, a nonviolent, non-creepy-stalker kind of way.”

That finally brought a ghost of a smile to her face. “I really like Tim. He’s a sweetheart. You’re a lucky guy.”

He nodded. “I know, believe me.” He sat next to her on the bed. Then her phone went off, startling him with the screeching shower murder theme from Psycho.

“Goddammit!” she swore before she answered. “What?” she barked into the phone. Gwen listened for a moment, her mood obviously darkening with every word the caller spoke. “No. Absolutely not. You listen to me, and you listen good. You are the one who fucked up. You are the one who wanted the prenup. You are the one who violated your marriage vows and the prenup. You fucked yourself when you fucked everything on two legs, Richard. So go. Screw. Yourself.” She hung up and let out a frustrated scream, then seemed to remember Jack sitting next to her. “Sorry. My ex-husband. I wish he’d lose my phone number.”

She looked so cute, with her brow scrunched up in aggravation. “What’s he want, if you don’t mind me asking?” Jack asked.

“He wants out of his obligations. He’s realizing two grand in alimony every month is cutting into his lifestyle. His own damn fault. He cheated on me.” She tossed the phone onto the bed. “I don’t need this shit right now.” She looked close to tears. “Not on top of Amy being missing.”

“I can’t promise you I can do much to find her. Technically, she’s not missing. I will unofficially make at least one phone call before I go chasing my next donut.”

That won him a full-on smile. His heart pinched tight in his chest. Like that, she looked just like Mel.

She threw her arms around him. “Thank you! I’m sorry I got snotty. I’ve got a temper and I’m worried about her, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I know you guys can only do so much.”

He returned her hug. Christ, she felt damn good in his arms. “It’s okay.” He sat back and tried not to think about making love to her right then and there. She wasn’t his Mel. She was barely an acquaintance, even though Tim knew her. “Dinner’s on us. You’ve got time to grab a shower, if you want. Hope you love steak.”

“Just wave mine over an open flame a few times and hold the salad.”

“Ah, a girl after my own heart then. Living room, thirty minutes. You ride with us, we’ll stuff you so full you won’t know what to do.” He stood to leave.

She giggled. “You talking dinner still, or something else?”

Ah, fuck it. Life’s short. He arched an eyebrow at her. “Feel free to interpret it any way you wish, m’lady. We’re at your beck and call.” He swore he heard her gasp as he gently shut the door behind him.

He walked down the hallway toward their bedroom, a smirk on his face. Maybe this was what he needed to get his mind out of the past.

Tim’s unmistakable look of hope made Jack’s smirk broaden to a full-on smile. It felt good to smile. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it in the hamper. “Chill. We made up.”

“Kissed and made up?” He grinned.

“Not quite.” He pulled Tim to him and kissed him, deeply, demanding. “You want me to do this, we do it my way. Got it?”

Tim nodded, his eyes dark with passion under heavy lids. Jack knew the fastest way to melt Tim’s spine was to get dominant and take total control. “Yeah.”

Jack kissed him again, backing him into their bathroom. “Why aren’t you naked yet?” Jack asked.

Tim started ripping off his clothes, not even bothering to unbutton his shirt all the way as he yanked it over his head and dropped it to the floor before starting on his pants.

Jack smiled and slipped off his work slacks. He started the shower and tried not to laugh at the sight of Tim frantically getting naked.

“You’re so cute when you’re anxious,” Jack teased.

Finally naked, Tim wrapped his arms around him. “You mean it?” he whispered. “We can play around with her?”

“Okay, one, if she really wants to. Two, if it doesn’t feel weird and creepy. And three, we’ve got no condoms. You have to get your hands on some before we get home, preferably without her knowing about it in case she changes her mind. That way she won’t feel uncomfortable if she says no. And four, if either you or I realize we can’t go through with it, we’ll stop it, and the other will agree regardless, got it?”

Tim nodded, a silly grin plastered from ear to ear. He dropped to his knees and kissed Jack’s cock, which obligingly stiffened in response. “I’ve got it.” He sucked Jack’s cock into his mouth and swept his tongue around the head. “And I’ve got you, too.”

Jack patted the top of his head. “All right, you’ve teased me. Get your ass in the shower or I’ll shoot off right here, and there won’t be an issue about taking her to bed.”

* * *

Tim insisted Gwen sit in the front passenger seat while Jack drove. The sun was setting over the hills to the west as they wound through town and pulled into the parking lot of a moderately busy restaurant downtown, located in what appeared to be an old building.

Jack opened and held the front door for her. Inside the foyer, the men flanked her, Tim gently resting his arm around her waist as the hostess took care of a couple ahead of them. When it was their turn, the woman smiled at the two men.

“Jack, Tim! Haven’t seen you two in a while. How are you?”

She felt Tim practically bouncing next to her. “We’re great. This is our friend, Gwen Oxford. She’s a bestselling author!”

Gwen’s face grew red over Tim’s praise. Jack stepped in. “Tim, babe, you’re embarrassing her,” he playfully chided. “Tone it down a few decibels.”

The hostess smiled as she picked up three menus. “Any friend of theirs is always welcomed here. Follow me.”

Gwen took in the restaurant’s wonderful ambiance as she followed the hostess to their table, a comfortable booth in a dark corner. Above the table, a green-shaded brass lamp cast an intimate pool of light on the table. All over the rough brick walls, pictures displaying Rapid City and the Black Hills’ past provided more than a few minutes of distraction.

“Great place, huh?” Tim asked as he pushed his menu to the side.

Gwen noticed. “Yeah. Don’t need a menu, huh?”

“Nope. Always get the same thing. Prime rib, baked sweet potato, and salad. Jack there always has trouble making up his mind before he usually ends up ordering the same thing he always does.” Tim rolled his eyes.

Gwen laughed. “Don’t pick on him.” She wanted to like Jack, especially since he was so hunky and Tim’s boyfriend. She leaned in and patted Jack’s arm. “Does he always pick on you like this?”

Tim had been taking a sip of water. He nearly spit-taked it all over their table as he burst out laughing. “You defending big, bad Stoneface there? Ha! That’s a laugh. I’ve never seen him need defending, especially from me.”

“Yes,” Jack said, playing along, “he’s horrible about picking on me. He even wants to get me waxed.”

“Waxed? Where?” she asked.

“Everywhere.” He glared at Tim. “When I let him pluck my eyebrows, he tortures me.”

“You big baby,” Tim casually shot back. “Just because you like the caveman look doesn’t mean I do.”

Their playful banter soon had Gwen laughing. She sensed Jack loosening up as the evening went on. At one point, Tim disappeared to the bathroom for a few minutes, leaving her alone with Jack. The fact that she no longer felt nervous around him didn’t escape her notice.

He was handsome, despite his more serious demeanor when compared to Tim.

“I’m sorry about your mom,” she said during a lull in the conversation. “Tim told me a little about her.”

He nodded, the shadow of a frown crossing his face. “Thanks. There’s not a lot they can do for her, unfortunately.”

“How’s your dad managing?”

He shrugged. “He’s doing the best he can. Tim’s been a huge help. He’ll go over during the day sometimes when Dad needs to get away or run errands. Gives him some respite time.”

“No brothers or sisters to help out?”

He shook his head. “Nope, just me. And Tim,” he quickly added. Then he smiled. “They weren’t thrilled to find out I’m gay, but I’ll hand it to them, they’ve accepted it and Tim.”

“Yeah, Tim seems to be a keeper.” She let out a sigh. “You both do. Look, I’m really sorry about this morning. I shouldn’t have blown my top like that.”

He waved it off. “It’s okay, I understand. I know it’s stressful on you right now. But honestly? In my experience, things like this nearly always turn out all right.” He cleared his throat. “From what you’ve told me about your parents, she’s probably just looking for some time away from them.”

Gwen grudgingly agreed. “I know. It just sucks that Li and I have to be the ones to deal with her mess with them. If she wants to bug out, fine, but she should have to do the dirty work of standing up to Mom and Dad about it.”

He nodded as he sipped his iced tea. “I agree with you there.”

“I wonder where Tim is? He’s been gone a while.”

“Probably flirting with the waitresses,” he said, looking around.

Did he look a little nervous? They chatted a few more minutes. Tim finally returned, looking a little flushed and out of breath.

“Are you okay?” Gwen asked.

He smiled. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Sorry. Had to take a call from the other store about an issue. No biggie.” He dug into the remnants of his prime rib. Gwen’s rib eye steak had been cooked to tender perfection, while Jack had chowed down on a tenderloin, apparently a departure from the sirloin he usually ordered.

Their conversation settled into an easy rhythm and tone. Tim talked her into sharing a dessert with him while Jack settled for a coffee and watched them eat. By the time they finished and Tim picked up the check, Gwen wistfully wished the evening wouldn’t end.

Unless it ended with me in their bed.

She sighed, knowing that would never happen. Not with her luck.

* * *

Best steak she ever ate, no lie. She snuggled deeper into the passenger seat and watched Jack as he drove. Tim hadn’t exaggerated when he said they were polar opposites. Tim’s open joviality, sweet nature, and easy smile compared to…

Stoneface.

Jack’s intense nature lurked just below the surface, barely kept in check. Dark passion burned in his deep, brown eyes.

And that hot, hard body.

Yum.

It was enough to stoke the coals of a whole book’s worth of fantasies. No, scratch that. Not just one book, but a whole series of them.

Back at their house, Tim wouldn’t settle for her disappearing into her room for the evening. “No, babe, you need to see this view at night. It’s gorgeous.” He led her to the lower back porch, where a hot tub occupied most of the covered deck. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

He meant the valley beyond, even though her eyes were fixed on the crystal clear sky above, which was pinpointed by countless stars.

Jack didn’t say anything as he laid his keys on the kitchen counter, but he didn’t disappear into their bedroom, either. He followed them downstairs and out a sliding glass door to the deck.

She couldn’t remember ever seeing so many stars before. Even though she lived outside Columbus, there was still enough light pollution that it obscured the delicate scattered carpet of faint stars laid out in the sky before her.

“It’s gorgeous,” she agreed. She felt Tim step closer behind her, his body pressed against hers.

She didn’t mind.

Jack stepped to her right side and leaned against the railing. “I missed this when I lived in California. There’s lots of smog out there. A lot of times, you don’t get nice nighttime views like this.”

“Why did you move out there?” she asked.

She thought Jack’s expression darkened, but Tim chimed in. “So he could meet little ole me,” he joked.

That’s when Jack smiled, warm and genuine, and looked at her. “Not exactly, but no, I wouldn’t have met Tim if I hadn’t moved out there. So it was worth the time out there to find this guy.”

It wasn’t her imagination that Tim was wiggling a little against her backside. She wiggled back and heard him chuckle.

Heat rose in her face as her panties grew damp. What did she have to lose?

She wiggled again and felt him harden through his slacks.

“Why don’t you join us in the hot tub, Gwen?” Tim suggested. When he stepped back she had to suppress a wistful sigh. But when he reached for his pants and started to unbuckle, she swallowed hard. Within a moment he was naked and stepping into the hot tub.

Jack turned and smiled at her. “Why not?” His gaze never wavered from hers as he stripped and joined Tim in the hot tub.

She didn’t miss that both men were hard as they sank chest-deep in the water.

And very well hung.

Oh boy. Boy, oh boy.

The men didn’t speak. Jack looked amused while Tim looked hopeful.

Gwen kicked off her shoes, took a deep breath, and pulled her blouse off over her head. She let it fall to the floor where the men’s clothes lay.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

She felt the blush deep in her face as she got naked. Her nipples immediately tightened and peaked in the cool air, and she hurried to join them in the pleasantly hot water. They sat on either side of her.

“How’s that?” Tim asked.

She nodded, her throat suddenly dry. What the hell am I doing?

Hopefully getting laid, the rational part of her brain said.

Jack leaned back and closed his eyes. He looked very comfortable. She had to admit the evening air, the beautiful view—and of course, the company—had her relaxed in no time.

Well, maybe relaxed wasn’t the right word. Tim reached over and gently massaged the back of her neck. It felt good, but it also sent pulses of heat straight to her already throbbing clit.

She remembered the feel of his lips on hers earlier that evening when he kissed her.

Who was she kidding? She wanted, just once, to live out the solar-surface-hot fantasies she got paid to write about. She’d never even had anal sex with one man in bed, much less been doubly penetrated by two hot hunks.

Hell, she’d never had boring old missionary sex with one hot hunk. Dickweed wasn’t ugly, but when she compared his mug to these two hot bodies, he went from a solid seven, on a scale of one to ten, straight down to a negative three hundred and eighty.

And that was being generous.

“So,” Tim said with a playful smile, “let’s continue our earlier discussion.”

“What?”

He leaned closer, his blue eyes boring into hers. “Where do you get your deliciously naughty ideas, baby cakes?”

She gulped. “Um, I just…do.”

His finger trailed around the side of her throat and up to her earlobe. “From that deliciously naughty imagination of yours?”

She nodded, maybe a tad too vigorously, but she was two seconds from becoming a wanton woman. “Uh-huh.”

Jack chuckled, a sexy, low, rumbling sound that further turned her insides into melted butter, but didn’t speak.

Tim edged in close, his lips mere inches from hers. “How about you let us help you do a little research?”

The thought she should politely refuse and laugh this off occurred to her…for all of a nanosecond.

Fuck it, I want to screw around.

She nodded.

Tim smiled and slowly leaned in, kissing her. It was every bit as passionate as the earlier kiss, but it was also slow, gentle, the opening act in what she suspected would be an all-night symphony of the most delicious sex she’d ever had in her life.

Research…yeah, that’s it.

She could tell herself that’s all it was and be able to look at herself in the mirror the next morning.

She finally told her brain to take a hike and returned his kiss, moaning softly as he wrapped his arms around her and she melted into his embrace.

* * *

Jack watched Tim and Gwen kissing. He could tell from the set of her body she was nervous, but watched her relaxing as his lover held her and plunged his tongue into her mouth.

His already hard cock twitched and throbbed beneath the water. When his mind started to drift back to years earlier, he forced it to remain in the here and now. He didn’t want to do that to himself. This wasn’t Mel, no matter how much like her Gwen looked.

But part of his heart that had always remained in pain felt a little better pretending she was.

He reached below the water and slowly stroked his cock, not enough to get him off but enough to make it throb even more as he watched Tim nibble his way along Gwen’s jawline, down her delicate throat, and raise her up out of the water enough he could suck her right nipple into his mouth.

She softly moaned with pleasure as she held onto Tim’s shoulders.

Unable to take it any longer, he moved through the water, around Tim, until he could suck her left nipple into his mouth. He flicked the stiff tip with his tongue, drawing more moans from her.

When her hand found his shoulder for support, her fingers holding on tight as they teased and tormented her, he reached up and covered her hand with his.

Hell, if she could use them for research, he could use her to relive a little of his past, right? No harm, no foul?

Not like she’ll be staying, or probably ever even come back.

He hoped he could convince himself of the lie, that he wouldn’t lose his heart to her. But as she softly moaned again he suspected that’s exactly what would happen.

What the hell am I doing?

One of Tim’s hands snuck between Jack’s legs and found his cock, his fingers stroking up and down, firing Jack’s need. He loved Tim, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to sink his cock deep inside Gwen’s pussy and fuck her until she screamed. He’d missed that, having two people in his bed.

He’d enjoy it the short time he could and deal with the fallout later.

* * *

Gwen couldn’t believe this was happening to her. First, when Tim’s mouth latched on to her breast, then Jack joined him, it ratcheted up her need to a supernova degree.

Well, at least I got this right in my books.

It felt better than good, each tug of their warm mouths sending surges of need straight to her cunt.

She didn’t want to think about what would happen when she had to go home, back to her lonely life.

Moving to Rapid City was looking like a reeeally good option at the moment.

She moaned again when they stopped sucking on her nipples. Tim laughed. “Don’t worry, sweetie. We’re not going to leave you hanging, believe me.” They shifted position, until she was lying back against Jack, his strong arms around her, his fingers gently tweaking her nipples. Tim moved between her legs as she floated on the surface of the hot tub, his hands on her hips and pulling her close.

When she felt him duck between her legs, she closed her eyes and threw her head back against Jack’s shoulder. Then Tim’s lips started tugging and playing with her clit, and she exploded, startling her so much she let out a cry. The orgasm washed through her, taking all strength from her body.

Jack’s lips closed on hers and she gladly let him explore her mouth with his tongue.

This. Is. Heaven.

If it wasn’t, she didn’t give a damn because it sure as hell felt like it.

Jack’s hands massaged her breasts, still playing with her nipples, rolling and tugging on them and keeping her orgasm rolling through her. By the time she finally came down from it, it felt like she’d run a marathon. All strength had left her body.

Tim sat up and grinned. “Good?”

Jack lifted his mouth from hers but she couldn’t find the breath to form words. She just nodded.

Tim’s fingers slipped inside her pussy, which even without the warm water of the hot tub was well lubricated from her juices. He slowly finger-fucked her, stroking her G-spot and stoking the fires inside her again.

This was waaay better than any of her books, and they hadn’t even fucked her yet.

“Let’s go inside to the bedroom,” Tim suggested, helping her stand. Her legs still felt shaky and weak. She wasn’t quite sure she could make the walk upstairs.

Jack grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her, keeping an arm around her as they helped her up the stairs to their bedroom. Tim turned the stereo on and stepped behind her as Jack stood in front of her, kissing her again.

He was a damn good kisser.

She threw her arms around his neck and let the towel fall to the floor. She couldn’t believe that she was really going to bed these two hunks, and that just a few hours ago she was convinced Jack was a total asshole.

Tim ground his naked body against her, his hard cock rubbing against the seam of her ass. He nibbled on the back of her neck, melting her, making her whimper.

She felt Jack’s cock, also hard, rubbing against her belly. Another desire took over. She let go of his neck and sank to her knees in front of him, sucking his cock deep between her lips.

* * *

Holy crap! Jack closed his eyes and gasped as she went down on him, her hot, wet mouth completely encasing his cock. It’d been years since a woman went down on him.

No. I won’t think of Mel.

Unfortunately it was difficult not to think of her, because giving head had been one of her favorite things. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to indulge in the fantasy.

It certainly made his heart ache just a little less.

He cast reservation to the wind and let his past and the present merge, pinpointed on the delicious feel of his cock being expertly swallowed.

Gwen’s tongue skillfully stroked his shaft, flicking against the glans, taking him deep, sucking just right.

When Tim leaned in and kissed him, Jack nearly shot his load right then. Her hot, moist mouth perfectly caressed his cock, every bit as good as Tim, just in a different way.

I can’t wait to bury it in her pussy.

He couldn’t, either. He wanted to make her come while he was fucking her and feel her cunt massage his cock as her muscles contracted. He wanted to spend all night with his cock buried deep inside her pussy. Or inside her tight ass.

“Sweetie,” he gasped, “you’ve got to stop or I’ll blow. You’re too fucking good for me to hold back much longer.”

She sat back and looked up at him, her brown eyes shining with playful lust. “Glad to see I’m not rusty.”

He laughed. “Um, babe, you’re anything but rusty.”

* * *

Gwen didn’t want to stop. She wanted to suck Jack dry and keep going until she got him hard again. Then she wanted him to fuck her brains out. Ditto Tim.

She wanted to live out as many of her fantasies as she could in whatever short amount of time she had with these two hunks.

Dignity? What dignity. She wanted to get laid. And if she had two willing hunks ready and able to do it, she wasn’t about to turn them down.

She turned and found herself face-to-face with Tim’s cock. Before he could move out of reach, she engulfed him and enjoyed listening to his happy moan. She tasted the salty tang of pre-cum in his slit as she slowly ran her tongue around the head. With one hand, she slowly stroked his cock. With the other, she gently cupped and massaged his balls. His fingers plunged into her hair, stroking her head.

“Oh, yeah, baby. That’s so good.”

Something else she’d gotten right in her books—she did feel powerful. Having these two men desiring her was a shuttle-launch-worthy boost to her ego.

After a couple of minutes, Tim finally managed to coerce her into letting go of him and the men helped her to her feet and over to their bed. They all collapsed onto it, Jack behind her, Tim in front, their hot flesh pressed against hers.

In that moment, she didn’t feel the slightest bit self-conscious about her less than perfect body or time out of the dating and fucking scene. All she cared about was getting both of those cocks inside her.

She ended up on her back on the bed and Jack pushed her legs apart as he crawled between them. When his head dipped between her thighs, she let out a loud moan as his tongue swiped along her swollen clit.

“He’s good, isn’t he, baby?” Tim whispered in her ear before he nibbled on her earlobe.

“Uh-huh!” she gasped.

Tim captured her mouth with his, fucking her with his tongue while Jack did obscenely delicious things to her pussy down below. She felt him insert a couple of fingers into her cunt as his lips latched on to her clit, gently sucking on it.

She rolled down the cliff toward another shattering orgasm as he slowly finger-fucked her. Then, just as she was about to crash over the edge, he withdrew his fingers and started playing with her tight, virgin ass.

Gwen let out a loud cry as her climax hit. Tim swallowed the sound, moaning with her as he dry humped her thigh. When she finally lay trembling on their bed, Jack worked his way up her body and kissed her. She tasted her juices on his lips.

“Good, baby?”

She nodded, unable to speak.

He smiled. “I bet I know what you want now, don’t I?”

She nodded.

Tim jumped off the bed as Jack rolled her over onto her stomach. At first, she thought maybe she’d misinterpreted what he meant, because Jack started rubbing her shoulders and back, relaxing her.

Then he worked his way down to the seam of her ass and she felt his lips and tongue teasing along her crack. She spread her legs to allow him better access and loudly moaned into the pillow as his tongue teased her rim.

Oh, fuck yeah!

Okay, so something else she’d written about that she’d never tried in real life and got right.

She ground her hips back against him, wanting more, wanting him deeper. He chuckled as his hands clamped down onto her hips, holding her still. “I can’t do this if you keep wiggling away, baby.”

Baby. She wasn’t so stupid to think he was in love with her after some good head, but she wouldn’t deny it made her feel warm and tingly to hear him call her that.

It made her feel wanted.

She heard Tim return a moment later and felt Jack sit up. Then the snick of a plastic lid being opened and the feel of cool lube against her ass.

Tim stretched out in bed next to her and started kissing her as Jack’s fingers slowly started massaging her rim again. He gently pressed for entrance with one finger and spent several long, achingly slow minutes stretching her.

Her cunt throbbed, desperate to feel a cock inside her. Tim reached up and cupped one of her breasts, teasing the nipple with his thumb. She thought the sensation would drive her mad with need.

“Please,” she gasped. If they kept this up, she’d spend all night coming. And it’d been years since she’d had two orgasms in the space of twenty-four hours.

Both of them self-induced.

How sad am I?

She shoved that thought out of her brain and tried to relax as the men refused to rush.

“No, I like hearing you beg,” Jack teased. “The longing in your voice. That just really gets me revved up.”

Tim chuckled. “He’s not kidding. I can’t tell you how many times he’s made me beg.”

“Please!” She had no shame. That point had long passed and was miles away in her rearview mirror.

“Please what, baby?”

She wiggled her hips. “Please fuck me!”

He added more lube and a second finger to her tight ass, slowly fucking her with his hand. “Oh, I will fuck you, baby. All night long. So will Tim. You’re just dying to feel what it’s really like to have two cocks inside you at the same time, aren’t you?”

Her body trembled with need. “Yes!” she gasped.

Tim sat up and held up a condom wrapper. “I think I’d like to slide my cock inside that sweet pussy of yours.”

She swallowed hard and eagerly nodded. He took his time sheathing his cock in the condom, frequently shooting her looks that told her he was enjoying torturing her with the wait every bit as much as Jack was.

He lay back and rolled her on top of him, Jack never relinquishing his hold on her ass. In fact, before Tim could enter her, Jack added a third finger, stretching her even more, making her gasp.

Jack stopped moving. She heard the concern in his voice. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Hell, yes! Please don’t stop?”

Both men laughed. “Don’t worry,” Tim said, grabbing her hips. “We won’t.” He positioned her above his cock and she moaned as she impaled herself on him.

“Oh, yes!” She wanted to start riding him, the delicious feeling of Jack’s fingers in her ass stoking her desire to furnace intensity. But the men wouldn’t let her, holding her still while Jack kept up his sweet torture.

“Not yet, baby,” Jack crooned. “When we’re ready.”

She wiggled and squirmed, but Tim wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down to his chest, holding her still while he deeply kissed her. Finally, after what felt like forever, Jack withdrew his hand and disappeared for a moment. Then she heard him return and the sound of a condom wrapper being ripped open.

After a long, agonizing moment, she felt him kneel behind her and even more lube drizzled down the seam of her ass. “Relax, baby. We’ll be here a while.”

At first, she wasn’t sure she could take him despite the careful preparation. But he did go slow, every little bit of forward motion filling her deeper, stretching her with an erotically charged ache she both loved and wasn’t sure she could take another second.

When he was finally seated deep in her ass, he pulled her up, her back pressed against his chest. Tim’s eager hands immediately went to her breasts, pulling and tugging on her nipples as Jack nibbled on her shoulder.

“How’s that feel?”

Better than great, even better than she thought it ever could. Never in her perviest dreams had she ever thought it could be that good. She nodded. “Great!”

He nipped her. “Better than you imagined?”

She tried to wiggle and move to rub her clit against Tim’s body, but Jack held her still in his firm embrace. “Yes!”

Tim laughed. “Oh, baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” He dropped one hand to her swollen, throbbing clit and started rubbing.

Gwen’s orgasm immediately exploded, rolling through her body, intensified by the feeling of the two cocks buried deeply inside her. She gave all control over to Jack as he held her, whispering dirty things in her ear as Tim relentlessly kept her coming. Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, Jack lowered her on top of Tim and both men started moving. They fucked her slowly at first, getting their rhythm down, seesawing their cocks back and forth into her as she trembled with each wave of pleasure rolling through her.

Who needs a vibrator? she thought as another climax had her muscles squeezing both cocks and only intensifying the sensations within her.

“Jesus, that’s beautiful!” Tim gasped as his hands clamped down on her hips again. “Holy crap, I’ve never felt anything like this!”

Jack’s hands grasped her shoulders as he slowly thrust, withdrawing almost all the way before pushing deep within her. Tim’s cock hit her clit with each stroke, and she gave up trying to think as pure lust and passion assaulted her senses.

She lost track of time and the number of orgasms she had when Jack’s tight voice broke through her haze. “I can’t hold it, Tim. You’d better come.”

“Don’t wait on me,” he said. “I’m almost there.”

As one, the men began to piston their bodies into her, driving her into one more orgasm as she felt their cocks bottoming out inside her, filling her, owning her.

She felt them come, amazed at the throbbing heat filling her. Jack pulled out first, far too soon for her liking before she realized the logistics of the condom required it. Tim kissed her as he rolled her onto her side and slid out, but he stayed in bed next to her while Jack got up. A moment later as she was lost in Tim’s embrace, she felt Jack’s hand between them and realized he was trying to take care of the cleanup for his lover.

Tim laughed. “Thanks, man.”

“No problem.” Then Jack returned, stretching out behind her, one arm draped over her waist. His hand drifted down between her legs, not playing with her clit but lightly resting on top of her still-throbbing bud. Part of her wanted to drift to sleep just like this, cradled between two men and feeling sexy and desired and happy.

Part of her wanted to do that again. Right then.

“How was that?” Tim asked.

She stretched, feeling happy and sated. “Wonderful!”

“Good research?” He snickered.

“You do realize that’s not what this is about, right?” She felt bad that maybe the men thought she was just using them. Well, okay, she was using them for a night of hot sex, but not for the reasons they might think.

“Oh, honey, I’m just busting your chops.” He grinned. “I’ve had the hots for you for a long time.”

Her throat went dry. “You have?”

Jack laughed behind her. “Yep. Every time he gets his hands on a new book of yours, I get rode like a Shetland pony he gets so horny. He rereads them several times in a row.”

“I’ve never heard you complaining, buster,” Tim shot back playfully.

“I didn’t say that was a complaint, Tim.” He nibbled on her right earlobe. He seemed to have a thing for using his teeth. She didn’t mind in the least. It melted her more every time he did it, as if he knew her secret weakness.

Then again, she’d written that plenty of times in her books. Maybe he was just correctly assuming it turned her on.

Tim shook his head as he gently stroked her arm. “I can’t believe you’re here. Not just in my bed, I mean,” he quickly added. “I mean that I got to meet you. This…” He laughed. “This was way beyond my hopes and dreams.”

She felt her face redden. “I hope you realize that I don’t normally do this. I mean, I don’t normally jump right into bed with a guy…guys. I’ve never been with more than one guy before. This is not normal behavior for me…” You’re babbling! Shut up!

Tim’s face turned serious. “Aw, sweetie, don’t worry. We don’t think that.” He leaned in and kissed her. “We’ve been chatting, what, a couple of years now? I know you’ve had a dry spell.” He flashed her that playful smile again. “Believe me, there are plenty of times after we’ve e-mailed that I wished I could help you with that little problem.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Jack rumbled. “He’s a really helpful guy. He’s got a thing for stray animals, too.” She couldn’t tell for sure if he was just teasing or not until he started nibbling on the back of her neck. “I can’t say’s I blame him in this case. What man in his right mind would want to leave you hanging?”

* * *

I need to tread lightly, Jack thought. The last thing he wanted to do was lose his heart to this woman.

Scratch that, the second last thing he wanted to do was lose his heart. The very last thing he wanted to do was watch Tim get his heart broken when she returned to Ohio and they never saw her again. He suspected Tim was a good portion of the way to being in love with her already.

He remembered how good it felt being part of a triad, how nice it was falling asleep in bed with not just one but two lovers, people to share his life and bed with.

“Watch out, or you two might have a permanent houseguest on your hands,” she said.

He wasn’t sure, but thought maybe the tone of her voice had changed. Just as he was about to turn her over to look in her eyes, she started shaking and Tim embraced her.

“Aw, baby, it’s okay, sweetie.”

She started sobbing against Tim’s shoulder. Jack sat up, torn, unsure what to do. Tim shot him a look over her shoulder that no doubt meant, “Dude, do something and don’t just sit there!”

He stroked her arm. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I don’t want…to go home!” she sobbed. “You don’t…know…what my parents are like!” She took a long, hitching breath before more tears hit. “I hate them sometimes. I really hate them!”

Tim’s somber tone struck up several warning bells in Jack’s brain. “Why not stay here for a while? An extended vacation? You’re welcomed to, I told you that.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Jack knew that look. Tim was already head over heels for her.

He had to stay strong. He’d had enough heartbreak in his own life. He wanted to spare Tim as much of that as possible.

But part of him never wanted to say good-bye to her.

She cried for a few more minutes, then started laughing, giggles that rolled out of her and caused her to shed even more tears. Jack couldn’t help but smile as she finally hiccupped herself to some semblance of sanity.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she took another hitching breath. “This is just so…surreal. I can’t believe I just did this. I don’t know if anyone would believe it if I wrote it in a book.”

“Regretting it?” Jack asked. Part of him was convinced she’d say yes.

She shook her head as she looked from Tim to him. “No. Never.”

“Then let us take your mind off your troubles,” Tim offered. “I’m sure I can think of several dirty ways to do that.”

Gwen smiled. “I’m sure you can, too.”

Fuck it. I’ll enjoy it while I can. “I know I can,” Jack added.

* * *

Tim couldn’t believe this woman was in his bed with them. He was hopelessly in love with her, but how would Stoneface react to that? He wanted to beg her not to return to Ohio, that there was no reason to leave. Hell, he’d survived the transplant process from Cali to South Dakota, surely she could, too.

You barely know her.

No, that wasn’t true and he knew it. He did know her. Just because they’d never met face-to-face before didn’t mean he didn’t know her heart, her hopes and dreams, her fears.

Her perceived failures in life and love. It was part of their e-mail discussions over the past three years.

He wanted to smack her ex-husband for her for treating her like dirt. What man in his right mind cheated on a woman like Gwen?

He answered his own question. A fucking stupid one.

Tim had been many things in his life, but stupid, he knew, wasn’t one of them.

And he’d be stupid to let her get away from them without a fight.

He knew Jack felt something for her, too. Tim could see it in his face when he looked up at him while they were together inside her. He could see it now, too, mixed with the typical guarded caution. But a few minutes earlier…

It was the first time he could remember seeing true, unadulterated joy on Jack’s rocky visage.

Jack’s life was full of old pain. Maybe, just maybe, he could convince Gwen life could be just like one of her books, only better. Because in real life they could have a happily-ever-after.

* * *

Gwen let Tim roll her onto her back. He pushed her legs apart. “I’m greedy,” he said with a playful smile. “I want to hear you scream again.” He dipped between her legs, his tongue gently stroking her clit.

She wasn’t sure if she could come again. Then Jack propped himself on one elbow next to her and began sucking and playing with her breasts. She plunged her hands into his hair, holding him tightly to her, enjoying the feel of his tongue flicking against her nipples.

It didn’t take long. Tim slipped a couple of his magic fingers into her, and she felt herself climbing impossible heights before she crashed into another orgasm.

Okay, so this was like her books.

It felt like every nerve ending vibrated in the aftershocks of her climax. Tim sat up and hooked her legs with his arms, pulling them up. “I’m going to fuck you again, baby. I can’t get enough of you.” He grabbed another condom, slipped it on with lightning speed, and plunged his cock deep within her.

Gwen never dreamed sex could be this good, even though she’d written about it enough times. Sex with Dickweed had been okay, satisfying usually but nothing stellar.

This was…awesome.

Tim stretched his body out on top of hers and kissed her as his cock slowly glided along her clit with every stroke. “Scream for me, baby. I want to make you feel good.”

She felt it building. Sex had never been this good. Ever.

Not even in her books.

Jack smiled. “I can’t resist that.” He put on another condom, grabbed the lube, and took up position behind Tim.

Gwen was torn between wanting to watch the men get it on and the delicious things Tim’s body did to hers. Tim stopped moving, his eyes dropping closed as he rested his forehead against hers.

“Fuck,” he whispered, “that’s so not fair. I’m gonna blow like this.”

She felt the bed shake. Jack chuckled. “I can’t resist that cute ass stuck in the air like that. You should know that.”

Tim started moving again, impaling himself on Jack’s cock before driving deep inside her again. Tim’s eyes opened, that sweet blue gaze piercing deep within her. “I could do this for the rest of my life,” he murmured.

“So could I,” Jack said, his voice tinged with passion.

“Me, too,” she agreed. She pulled Tim’s head down, kissing him as her orgasm exploded.

“Oh, baby, I feel you,” he said. “I’m coming!”

“Fuck yeah!” Jack said. She felt him start to pound into Tim’s ass with a loud grunt, skin slapping against skin, bouncing Tim’s cock harder against her clit as both men came.

They collapsed into a sweaty, panting pile of flesh. Jack slowly rolled off Tim, who quickly pulled out. In moments, she found herself snugly nestled between the men and drifting off to sleep.

Tim kissed her forehead. “Good?”

“Mm hmm.”

She felt Jack settle his head next to hers, resting against her shoulder. “Thank you, Gwen,” he whispered. “You’re beautiful. I could fall asleep next to you every night.” He slipped an arm around her waist, and she held on, moved by the sincerity in his voice.

“I could fall asleep between you two every night,” she admitted, afraid to even wish for the impossible.

Tim also slipped his arm across her waist. “That would be a dream come true,” he said.

As she fell asleep, she wondered if he meant it.

If for once in her life she could be that lucky.

Chapter Nine

The next morning, Gwen awoke pleasantly sore and securely snuggled between Jack and Tim. Tim’s hand was nestled between her legs, cupping her mound, while Jack had a secure grip on her left breast.

She stared first at Tim, then Jack, who were both still asleep. She felt the first giggle try to bubble forth, and she clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle it. If she started laughing, she wouldn’t be able to stop, and she didn’t want to awaken the men. Had she really let these two gorgeous men fuck her silly last night?

At the same time?

Apparently, she had. The proof was in the residual ache in her ass.

And what a nice ache it was, too.

She took a deep breath and, finally sure she wouldn’t start laughing, slowly let it out again.

I could get used to this.

That’s when the wistful pang of regret hit. Liam would arrive in a few hours. She wasn’t too worried about what he’d think. Knowing him, he’d probably cheer her on.

But what about when they had to return home?

It didn’t surprise her to realize she didn’t want to return home, even though she knew that was a stupid, juvenile thought.

She couldn’t deny she’d already hit the downward slippery slope and was rapidly gaining speed toward falling in love with Tim and Jack. The irony that she wouldn’t write this scenario in a book didn’t escape her. Rationally, she should just keep it about the sex and enjoy what she could while she could. Try as she might, wish as she would, she couldn’t just pack up and move from Ohio. For one thing, Liam needed her to run interference between their parents from time to time. She couldn’t leave him.

And how did she know the men would even return her feelings? For all she knew, they might just see her as a fun time, an easy lay.

She closed her eyes. Jesus, they must think I’m a slut.

She hoped they didn’t despite their assurances the night before.

Tim stirred a little, turning onto his side facing her. His fingers slid into her cunt, and he let out a soft chuckle. “You’re still wet, baby.”

Gwen felt the heat in her face as she blushed. “That’s because you slept with your fingers all over my clit.”

On her other side, Jack let out a yawn. “That’s the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a while. What time is it?”

“That’s because we fucked ourselves unconscious.” Tim lifted his head to look. “You’ve got an hour before you need to get moving.”

Jack gently squeezed her breast. “You mean before I get ready for work.” He nibbled her shoulder, sending a pleasant shiver through her. “I want to get moving right now, and I don’t mean getting out of bed.”

Oh, fuck it. They were cute, horny, and in the same bed she was. If that made her a slut, she couldn’t care less.

Well, at that moment in time she couldn’t care less. She’d worry about later…later.

Jack sat up and smiled at her. It made him look even more handsome. “I think I know how I want to get moving this morning.”

The passion in his brown eyes turned her insides to mush. She simply nodded.

He kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and even enjoyed the feel of his morning stubble scratching against her cheek. These were real men, not make-believe, not fantasies.

And they were interested in her.

“I hope you don’t mind us wanting you to sleep in our bed while you’re here.” He smiled again. She had a feeling that wasn’t something he normally did a lot of.

“I don’t mind at all,” she assured him.

“Good,” Tim chimed in, “because how else am I going to work on keeping you here?” She didn’t want to hope there was truth to his words. She didn’t want to set herself up for the disappointment of reality.

“Maybe I could just handcuff you to the bed,” Jack teased.

“Ooh,” Tim said. “Bondage!”

She laughed as she looked between the men. “You’re both too much. Believe me, if you’d have me forever, you wouldn’t have to chain me to the bed to keep me here. I’d stay willingly.”

* * *

Jack’s heart flip-flopped. He didn’t want to believe she was doing anything other than joking. Who was he kidding? She wouldn’t stay here. She had a life and family back in Ohio.

And she looked just like Mel. He still couldn’t say if his reaction was because of who she was…or who he wished she was.

He ran a hand through her auburn curls and kissed her again. It didn’t matter. He wanted her now, regardless of why. He’d enjoy it and pray it didn’t blow up in their faces. “Believe me,” he murmured, “we’d be happy to have you.”

She felt so good in his arms, so perfect, just like Tim. His cock fully hardened, nearly painful. He wanted a chance to bury it inside her pussy. He reached over, grabbed a condom, and quickly put it on. She wrapped her legs around him as he nudged against her pussy.

The lovely, lustful gaze on her face twisted his heart. “Do you want it, baby?” he hoarsely asked.

“Yes!”

“Look at me.”

Her eyes focused on his as he took his time sheathing himself inside her, until he finally felt her warm muscles encasing his member. Damn, she felt good. “How’s that feel?”

She nodded. “Good!”

He nipped at the base of her throat. “I’m going to fuck you real good,” he promised, moving slowly, enjoying the soft, wordless sounds escaping her.

“Oh, he’ll fuck you real good, all right,” Tim said. “He’ll fuck your brains out.”

“You’ll like that, won’t you?” Jack asked.

“Uh-huh!”

“Tell me what you want, baby.” He took long, slow strokes, feeling her need grow by the second from the way her body tensed and flexed under him as she tried to urge him to go faster.

“Please fuck me,” she said. “Please.”

“That’s my good girl.” He kissed her as he picked up the pace of his thrusts, alternating short, hard strokes with long, deep ones.

* * *

Holy fuck! It felt like her whole body was electrically charged. The way he seemed to take control…It totally melted her. She could easily do this for the rest of her life. His cock felt so good inside her, a little larger than Tim, who’d been a respectable size to start with. Their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly, and it didn’t take long for her to feel the first tingles of her impending orgasm.

“That’s it, baby,” he softly urged. “Give it to me. I want it.”

She held on for dear life and tried to move with him, inside his strong arms, and realized she couldn’t keep up. His body owned hers, and she willingly gave over all control to him as he picked up the pace, driving her harder and faster toward release.

“I’m going to fuck that orgasm right out of you,” he teasingly promised. “Going to keep going, maybe get two or three out of you.”

Whether it was the delicious way his cock hit everything just right inside and out, or maybe it was the confident, possessive tone of his voice, or maybe both, she didn’t know. But she cried out when that sweet explosion hit, tearing her apart at the seams from the inside out.

“There it is,” he said with a chuckle, and he started hammering his cock into her, keeping her orgasm rolling and spinning through her like an erotic tornado. She rode it as he rode her, hanging on, vaguely aware of her nails digging into his shoulders as he fucked her harder than anyone had ever fucked her in her life.

And she prayed it would never end.

She felt his cock swell and throb inside her. “Here it is, baby,” he grunted, and in two more hard thrusts he came with a moan, his body going still as she tried to catch her breath.

They were both sweaty by the time he pulled out, but he didn’t leave, staying there propped on his arms over her, kissing her, nibbling at her ear, nuzzling her neck with his lips.

Tender. Loving.

She never would have imagined upon their first meeting that there was a softer side to this man.

“Are you okay?” he tentatively asked, maybe a hint of fear in his voice.

She grabbed his head and pulled his mouth down to hers in a passionate kiss. “Yes, I’m better than I’ve ever been in my life,” she said with a smile. “Way better.”

* * *

They took a long shower together, the men slowly washing every inch of her body. She’d never felt so cherished when she was with Dickweed.

Jack had to go to work, and Tim would drive her to the airport to get Liam. When Gwen checked the airline schedule, Liam’s flight was on time. Tim made them all breakfast, a delicious omelet that completely filled her. Gwen couldn’t understand why she felt so nervous. This was her brother, for crying out loud. The one person she never felt nervous around.

She sat in the passenger seat while Tim drove them to the airport. While she couldn’t wait to see Liam, her nerves were about to get the best of her. Her accepting that Liam was gay was one thing.

Would he really be okay with the fact that she’d jumped into the sack with two men who were pretty much complete strangers?

Tim laced his fingers through hers. “Nervous?”

She nodded, not daring to speak. Her stomach had already made a few iffy loops that morning, but she hadn’t thrown up.

Yet.

He laughed. “Honey, if you don’t want to tell him about us, we understand. It’s whatever you want.” They pulled up to a red light and he looked at her. “But honestly?” His voice changed tone and timbre, growing serious. “I hope this is the start of something long term. The thought of you just leaving and walking out of our lives and us never seeing you again rips me up inside. I feel like I’ve known you for years even though we just met.”

He leaned over and kissed her. A car behind them honked when the light changed to green.

He laughed as he sat up and drove. “Of course, technically we have known each other for a couple of years, but you know what I mean.”

She knew. And the fact that it felt so right and natural falling asleep between the two men made her never want to return to Ohio.

But how would she explain them to her parents?

* * *

When Liam arrived, she was relieved to see he was using his cane and not his wheelchair. She hugged him, and he stuck his hand out to Tim. “You must be Tim. Nice to finally get to meet you.”

Tim smiled. “Likewise.” Tim immediately reached out to take Liam’s carry-on bag from Gwen, who’d wrestled it away from Liam as soon as she could. “Did you check anything?”

“Yeah, a bag and my wheelchair.” He looked at Gwen. “Bob is sooo going to kill me.” He grinned mischievously. “Ruthie is totally addicted to World of Warcraft now. And she’s damn good at it, too. I left her with my backup laptop, and she’s happily making online friends as she goes on campaigns to kill things.”

“Where is she? Did she go home?”

“Nope. I left her holding down the fort at your house. Bob’s still out of town anyway, and she’s going to help fend off Mom and Dad for a couple of days.”

Gwen felt guilty over that. “I hope she’s okay.”

“Honey, believe me, she’s fine. She looks happier than I’ve seen her in years.” He snickered. “When you can get her away from the computer.”

They made their way to baggage claim. Tim wouldn’t let Liam carry anything, and had them wait outside the terminal so he could bring the car around. When he left to go get it, Liam slung his arm around Gwen as they sat on a bench and snugged her close.

“Wubs you, sis.”

She smiled. “Wubs you too, bro.”

“So, how is he in the sack?” He grinned. “Or should I say, ‘they?’”

She nearly choked. “What?”

“Oh, please. I saw the way he was looking at you.” He laughed and touched the back of her neck. “And that hickey didn’t get there by itself.”

She clapped her hand over her neck. “I’m…I’m…”

He pulled her close again and kissed the top of her head. “You’re in heaven. You also look happier than I’ve seen you in years. Ruthie’s not the only one who’s experienced a massive paradigm shift in the last twenty-four hours. Am I right?”

She felt her face heat. No doubt her cheeks were bloodred. She nodded. There was no reason to deny it or lie about it. Not to Liam.

“Okay, then. Nothing to be ashamed of.” He rested his chin on the top of her head. “You’ve been writing about it for years. Time for you to experience a little happily-ever-after in real life, you know.”

She hugged him tighter as she burst into tears. “You’re the best brother ever.”

He laughed. “I’m your only brother, sweetie.” He sighed. “You and me against the world.”

“Yep. You and me.”

* * *

Gwen let Liam sit in the front seat. The men talked as they drove back to Tim’s house. After Liam was settled in the other guest room and had a chance to freshen up, the three of them gathered around the kitchen table with the notebook and Liam’s laptop and went over what Gwen and Tim had found out.

“But nothing’s showing up on her cell phone?” Tim asked.

Liam shook his head. “Nope. I’m guessing she’s using the prepaid phone.”

“Sure seems like she’s hiding something,” Tim said.

Gwen nodded. “Yep. But why? She’s told Liam and me about boyfriends before.”

Liam snorted. “I bet he’s married.”

“Really? You think so?”

“I’d put money on it. Which is weird because you know what? That would so not be like the Amy you and I know. Our responsible older sister has more secrets than we can guess, I would imagine.”

Gwen didn’t want to think that about her sister, but she couldn’t deny it made sense. Having been cheated on herself, she didn’t want to believe her sister would do the same thing to some other poor, unsuspecting wife. “Let’s just focus on finding her and making sure she’s okay before we start making suppositions as to the why. Maybe she had a great horndog holiday and the thought of returning to the same house as our parents has her shitting her pants.”

“Okay,” Tim said, “are your parents really that bad that she’d do something as drastic as running away from home?”

“Yes,” Liam and Gwen said in unison.

“You don’t know them,” Gwen said. “Mostly it’s our father, but our mom goes along with him.”

“I wish we were exaggerating,” Liam added. “Puritanical would be a good catch-all term. And Mom’s just flat out a worrywart.”

“You know,” Tim slowly said, “if you two wanted to turn this into an extended working vacation, we’d love for you both to stay here.”

Liam sat back and laughed. “I appreciate it, but I suspect it’s Gee you’re more interested in than me.”

Tim smiled and captured her hand, lacing his fingers through hers as he smiled at her. “Any family of Gwen’s is welcome in our home. Well, except maybe your parents.”

Gwen laughed, heat rising to her face. “You’d get sick of me really fast. I’m a workaholic.”

Tim grinned. “And you don’t think Stoneface is?”

“Who?” Liam asked.

“Jack,” Tim and Gwen said together.

“It’s his nickname,” Tim added. “The past twenty-four hours, he’s been happier than I ever remember seeing him.” He caught and held Gwen’s gaze. “Because of you, babe. And if you think I’m going to let you just walk out of our lives like that, you’re sadly mistaken.”

Her heart pounded in her chest. Is he serious?

Liam leaned back in his chair, a playful grin on his face. “Well, Gee, looks like we should look into making a move to South Dakota.”

This was too much, too soon. She couldn’t process it, much less deal with it. “Let’s just concentrate on trying to find Amy first. Then we can talk about everything else.”

* * *

There wasn’t a lot they could do except keep trying to retrace Amy’s steps. After Tim fixed them a scrumptious lunch, they went to a few more of the local attractions in Amy’s notebook. Tim called Jack but got his voice mail. A few minutes later, he received a text message back.

In depositions all afternoon, sorry. Let’s go out for dinner.

“Well, we’ll have to wait on that angle,” Tim said as he read the text message. “I’m sure once he gets a chance he’ll look into it from his end.”

Jack called Tim later when he left the office. When Tim got off the phone, he gave Gwen a playful swat on the butt. “Go get dressed for dinner, sweetie. We’re all going out.”

“I didn’t bring anything fancy, you know. I wasn’t expecting to go out on dates.”

He smiled and pulled her to him, where he kissed her. “Then maybe tomorrow we need to rectify that, and I’ll take you shopping.”

Liam leaned back in his chair and laughed. “Sis, I’d say you’ve officially got yourself a couple of boyfriends.”

She felt her face redden. “You don’t have to do that, Tim.”

“Oh, yes I do.” He nibbled the side of her neck, weakening her knees despite the fact that Liam was sitting there in the kitchen with them. “We’ve got a hot lady we want to show off.” With that he released her, turning her around and giving her a gentle push in the direction of the spare bedroom.

She felt like her feet didn’t touch the floor—yet another cheesy romantic cliché proven correct—as she made her way to the bedroom to change. She heard Jack arrive while she was getting ready. When she emerged in the kitchen, Jack grabbed her and planted a kiss on her that dampened her panties and nearly melted the shoes right off her feet.

“Hi, sweetie.”

“Hiya,” she whispered.

She dared a glance at Liam, who grinned from ear to ear. “Yeah, I’d say you’ve got it bad, sis. Now write me a happily-ever-after with a hot, hard-bodied hunk, would ya’?”

* * *

They took Gwen and Liam to a different restaurant, a tiny, family-owned place on the main street in the small town of Keystone, down in the valley overlooked by Mt. Rushmore. A cross between old western and Italian, it shouldn’t have worked, but it did. The smell of fresh garlic and tomato sauce greeted them as they walked in. They had to wait a few minutes for a table, but apparently Jack and Tim were regulars, and a waitress seated them in a corner booth with a little bit of familiar chitchat along the way.

“This is neat,” Liam said as he looked around. Antique photographs of the area from the late 1800s to the mid 1950s lined the walls, along with custom-painted murals depicting Italian scenes. The stereotypical red and white checked tablecloths lined the tables.

“The food here is excellent,” Jack said as he handed out the menus the waitress left them. “Everything is great.”

Gwen relaxed throughout the meal. It was more than obvious to her that Liam was sincere when he said he approved of what she’d done. He also seemed to genuinely like Tim and Jack, and the four of them talked and laughed all evening until they were the last customers there.

“Hold on,” Liam said, digging out his phone. “I want to get some pictures.” They took several rounds with all their phones, the waitress even helping out so all four of them could be in some of the shots.

Her nervous worry returned, however, once back at Jack and Tim’s house. Liam apparently sensed her anxiety. He gave her a hug. “It’s been a long day, sis. I’m heading for bed.” He kissed her forehead before letting her go with a mischievous smile. “Have fun tonight.”

He disappeared into his bedroom and softly closed the door behind him.

Tim winked at her. “Ready to head for bed, sweetie?”

She smiled. “I’m guessing sleep isn’t going to be soon in coming.”

“No,” Jack said as he stepped behind her and nibbled her ear, “but you soon will be.” She moaned as he playfully nipped her. “And soon, we will be, too.”

They led her to their bedroom. Tim put on the radio and tuned it to a jazz station. She stood with her back pressed against Jack’s hard body as he slipped his arms around her. He nuzzled the back of her neck, the stubble on his chin pleasantly scratchy against her flesh.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered in her ear. “I love the feel of your body.”

Tim stepped over. He lifted the hem of her blouse and kissed the top of her breasts, his tongue flicking along where the cups of her bra prevented him from accessing more. “I think it’s time to get rid of these clothes, baby.”

She lifted her arms and allowed Tim to remove her blouse. He made quick work of her bra, cupping and kissing her breasts as she felt a hard bulge digging into her lower back through Jack’s pants.

Jack returned his attention to her earlobes, nearly taking her knees out. Tim released her breasts and worked on her slacks, unfastening her belt before unbuttoning them and sliding the zipper down to reveal her pink panties.

Relatively damp panties, truth be told. She’d hoped for a repeat of the night before—and that morning—but was afraid it might not happen.

Now her dreams were coming true a second time.

She kicked off her shoes and tipped her head back to kiss Jack. His tongue plunged deeply into her mouth. She offered no resistance, stepping out of her pants when Tim prompted, shivering a little from excitement as he pushed her panties down her legs.

Cool air brushed her flesh, making her nipples tighten and adding to the lust building inside her already wet pussy. Tim’s fingers traveled between her legs, playing with her clit and sliding inside her cunt. She moaned into Jack’s mouth and spread her legs as much as she could. Jack helped support her, his strong arms holding her upright as Tim rubbed her clit.

“You going to come for us, baby?” Tim asked.

“I want to.” She felt her juices sliding down the insides of her thighs. Never in her life had she ever felt so horny or come so hard as she had with these two men. She felt sexy, desirable. Wanted.

“Come for us,” Jack said, his voice growing deeper as the bulge pressing into her back grew harder.

Encased in his strong arms, she leaned against him and closed her eyes as Tim’s talented fingers stroked her closer to release. As she felt the orgasm slam into her, Tim plunged two fingers into her channel and fucked her with his hand, his thumb hitting her swollen clit with every stroke.

It felt like a beautiful firebomb going off inside her. She threw her head back against Jack’s sturdy shoulder and totally turned herself over to the men. As her orgasm finally subsided, she managed to pry her eyes open. Tim withdrew his hand from her pussy and licked her juices off his fingers with a playful smile.

Jack scooped her up and playfully dropped her onto their bed. She hungrily watched as both men stripped and joined her. Jack knelt over her head, and she opened her mouth, wanting to suck his cock. She wrapped her mouth around the head, her tongue flicking the slit and tasting salty pearls of pre-cum there.

“That’s it,” he encouraged her, his hand buried deep in her hair. “Suck it good, baby.”

His words and tone fired her passion deep inside her. She eagerly devoured him, taking him as far back into her throat as she could. She held onto the base of his cock with one hand and used the other to stroke and gently massage his heavy balls.

He held onto the headboard with one hand. “Oh, yeah, baby. That’s it.”

Gwen wanted to make him come, wanted to swallow every last drop he pumped out. She felt powerful as she made him moan with every swipe of her tongue along his cock. Just when she thought he might be close, he pulled out. She started to protest, but he laughed. “Don’t worry, baby. Just a change in position.”

He made her move and he lay back on the bed and spread his legs. “There you go.” She dove for his cock again.

Tim laughed as he stroked her ass. “That’s more like it.” She heard a condom wrapper being opened, then felt the head of his cock pressing against her well-lubricated channel. She wiggled her hips at him, prompting another laugh.

“Getting anxious, sweetie?”

“Mm hmm,” she mumbled around Jack’s cock.

“Ooh, I liked that,” Jack said as he cupped her head with his hands and guided her motions. “I liked that a lot.”

She tried to laugh, but with a mouthful of Jack’s cock it came out more as a mumbled snort, which made both men laugh. “On second thought,” Jack said, “don’t talk with your mouth full, baby.”

As Tim slowly fed his cock into her pussy, she tried to push back against him, wanting to feel both cocks deeply impaling her at each end. “Yeah, that’s it,” Tim encouraged her. He gripped her hips and started slowly fucking her, his balls slapping against her ass with every stroke. “You like being spit roasted, don’t you?”

The dirty talk stoked her passion even more. She moaned around Jack’s cock in response and met every one of Tim’s strokes, trying to urge him faster, harder, deeper.

“That’s our girl,” Jack said. “You want hard and dirty, don’t you?”

The rumbling tone of his voice pushed her over the edge a second time as Tim’s cock hit her G-spot. She moaned, deep-throating Jack’s cock and triggering his orgasm. She moaned again as she tasted his seed pumping into her mouth.

“Oh, fuck,” Tim gasped, “that’s damn sexy.” He thrust harder, faster, and soon added his happy moans of release to theirs. She felt his cock grow harder, swell and throb inside her before he fell still. “Holy crap!”

He pulled out and flopped to his side. He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her over onto her side where he spooned against her. Jack shifted position and lay against her. She nuzzled her head in the hollow of his neck as they all regained their breath.

“Wow,” she whispered.

Jack stroked her arm. “Wow is right, sweetie. That was amazing.”

“Fantastic,” Tim agreed. He kissed the back of her neck. “Absolutely wonderful.” After a few minutes, Tim slowly rolled away and headed for the bathroom to clean up. When he returned, Gwen snuggled against him. It felt right being comfortably sandwiched between them.

She started dozing off to sleep when Jack rested his arm across her hip. “Good night, baby,” he whispered. Then he kissed her forehead.

A warm rush of emotions flowed through her at the tender tone of his voice. “Good night, Jack.”

Tim kissed the back of her neck and pressed closer. “Good night, sweetie.”

She smiled and wiggled her ass against him. “Good night, Tim.”

Like that, she crashed into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Fortunately, the next day was Saturday, and they were able to sleep in. Unfortunately, it meant all the local tourist attractions were full to the brim, meaning that asking around if people had seen Amy would be pretty futile.

Jack made a few unofficial calls, but there wasn’t a lot he could do then without raising suspicions. He’d have to wait until Monday to do more.

“Well, I guess this just means you’ll have to let us play tour guides,” Tim said with a grin.

“And I can tell that just breaks your heart,” Gwen replied.

Jack laughed. “He loves to show people around.”

They took Liam and Gwen to the small town of Custer. They had fun browsing statues of bison placed all over town in front of businesses, decorated in different themes. They had lunch at a quaint little restaurant on the main street before going to Custer State Park. There, Gwen and Liam saw their first bison in the wild. After driving them around the park and showing them the pigtail bridges on Iron Mountain Road, they headed back toward Rapid City for dinner.

It was only seven in the evening when they returned to the house. Liam lightly slapped Gwen on the shoulder. “I’m going to grab my laptop, iPod, and headphones. Give me about twenty minutes to get set up before you start howling,” he said with a smirk.

She blushed but hugged him. “Thank you.”

“Hey, I wish I was getting as lucky as you, girl.”

The three of them went downstairs to the hot tub. They all stripped and climbed in, naked. She loved sitting between Tim and Jack and staring out at the valley below.

“This is a beautiful place,” she said. “I’m used to Ohio. It’s so different out here. So quiet.”

“Wide open spaces,” Jack agreed. “You either love it or hate it, it seems like.”

Tim nodded. “I wasn’t sure how much I’d like it out here. I’m a beach boy, grew up surfing and with smog.” He laughed. “It sort of spooked me when I saw all the stars my first night here. It was a clear sky.” He looked at Jack and smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him laugh so hard than he did at my reaction.”

“Well, you have to admit, it was funny,” Jack said. “You should have seen the look on your face. Wide-eyed wonder.”

“I think I’d love it out here,” she said, not realizing she’d said it aloud until she saw Tim’s broad, beaming grin.

“Is that a promise, baby?” Tim asked. He pulled her close and planted a kiss on her lips. “Because let me tell you what, if it is, I’m all for you moving here yesterday.”

* * *

Jack smiled, but didn’t comment. His heart raced. He and Tim hadn’t really discussed any of this yet. Sure, in a perfect world, he’d have her moved in a heartbeat. But…

This wasn’t one of Gwen’s books. This was real life with all its concerns and problems and perception. He had a feeling her parents would blow a gasket if she announced she was up and leaving for Rapid City. No doubt that would put a damper on her enthusiasm. She would make excuses to delay the trip. She would…

He realized what he was doing and tried to shut down that line of thought. Live in the moment, he reminded himself. Live for now.

It was something Tim had drilled into him in the beginning of their relationship. Something Tim was so good at. It was one of the reasons Jack loved him so much, that he could do that.

“Don’t pressure her, Tim,” he said. It’d probably just been an idle thought on her part. No reason for Tim to go all pouncy puppy on her, badgering her for a commitment she no doubt had no desire to give.

“No pressure,” Tim said lightly, “but I can give you a bunch of reasons why living here is a great idea.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “First and foremost is ease of logistical research.” As he said that, Jack watched Tim’s hand slip beneath the water. Presumably between Gwen’s legs, because she moaned a little, closed her eyes, and slid down lower on the seat.

Jack fought to not roll his eyes. Tim might be head over heels for her, but now that he’d started down that track, he’d have no end of bad luck trying to derail him into a serious discussion.

He felt his cock harden as she softly moaned again. Fuck it. He couldn’t concentrate with her sitting there being well molested by Tim.

And truth be told, he’d rather help molest her than think about an iffy future with her.

* * *

Gwen spread her legs to give Tim’s fingers better access to her pussy. What the hell was it about these two guys that they could totally melt her the way they did? Not only in bed—or in the hot tub, as the case might be—but out of it as well. Touring the area had been a blast and didn’t last long enough for her liking. Both men were smart, fun to talk to, and had a lot of knowledge of the area. Even Jack came out of his shell.

She would love to move here. Could she do it? She could always sell her house. But that wouldn’t help Liam out. Maybe he would move with her—

Tim’s finger found her clit and started rubbing it, cutting off further thoughts. The two men were about to do delicious things to her body again, and she didn’t want anything to distract her from that.

Jack moved closer and zeroed in on her earlobe, nibbling in just the way that drove her mad. “How’s it feel to have two guys after you,” he rumbled in her ear.

“Uh-huh!”

He delicately traced the shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue. “We’re going to fuck you really good tonight, baby. We’re going to wear you flat out.”

He tipped her chin toward him and captured her mouth. Tim’s other hand started playing with one of her nipples as he continued teasing her clit. Between the warm water and hot sensations, it didn’t take long for the first orgasm to hit her.

Jack cradled her body against his, kissing her. She wished he’d never let her go. She’d never felt so safe as she did with them.

Stop thinking that! They wouldn’t really want her, would they?

After she recovered, they went up to the bedroom where the men were more than ready for their turn. This time, it was Jack’s body she straddled, impaling herself on his hard cock while Tim grabbed the lube and slowly started loosening her tight ass.

Although after the past few days with the two men, it wasn’t nearly as tight as it had been. She’d never felt anything as amazing as having both men inside her and coming at the same time. It made her feel sexy, powerful.

Tim’s cock slowly pierced her tight hole, working his way inch by inch into her as Jack held her ass cheeks apart for him. She lay on Jack’s chest and moaned, her eyes closed, listening to his heart race beneath her ear.

She could easily do this for the rest of her life.

Once Tim’s cock was completely seated inside her, the men prompted her to sit up. Tim’s talented fingers once again focused on her throbbing clit as Jack reached up and played with her nipples.

“Open your eyes and look at me, baby,” Jack softly commanded.

She did, seeing nothing but desire in the dark brown depths. It didn’t take Tim long to bring her to another shattering orgasm, considering how sensitive her clit still was from the first one. It felt so incredible feeling her muscles clamping down on their cocks, the pleasant burn of both men buried deep inside her.

“That’s it, baby,” Jack cooed. She wanted the men to fuck her, hard and fast, but they resisted, forcing her to let go and relax. Tim made her come twice more before they allowed her to beg them into really fucking her.

“What do you say, Tim?” Jack asked. “Think she’s ready?”

Tim snickered. “More than.” The men started moving together, soon settling into a rhythm her body matched and mirrored. It set yet another orgasm off and she cried out, nearly sobbing at the intensity of the sensations rolling through her.

How would she ever go back to “regular” sex with one guy after this?

Tim’s hands gripped her hips as he fucked her ass. “You want it harder, baby?”

“Yes, please!” she gasped.

He grunted a little with each thrust, the slap of skin against skin filling the room as she smelled her own sex and their desire. She braced herself against Jack as he thrust up into her. Gwen knew no matter what, she’d never regret this, with them. This was too perfect, too right.

Too good.

Jack came first, setting Tim off. Both men cried out as they came, losing their rhythm as their strokes slowed and stilled with their cocks throbbing inside her.

Trying to catch her breath, she collapsed on top of Jack. His skin felt damp from sweat, and she closed her eyes, trying to absorb every second, every sensation, to never lose it from her memory.

Tim slowly withdrew. Jack gently grabbed her hips and eased himself out of her. They cleaned up and trashed the condoms before curling back up in bed with her. Tim spooned with her, his now limp cock nestled pleasantly against the seam of her ass. She rested her head on Jack’s arm, his other draped over her waist.

Like that, she fell asleep wondering if a South Dakota winter was any worse than an Ohio one.

* * *

Sunday morning, they were awakened at seven a.m. by a knock on the door. “Sis? You awake?”

Gwen bolted upright at Liam’s tired tone. She scrambled off the bed, over Tim, making him yelp in surprise as she accidentally caught him in the stomach with her elbow. “Sorry!” she apologized as she grabbed Jack’s robe. She raced for the door as she was wrapping the robe around her.

Liam stood in the hallway, looking like he’d just woken up. He held his cell phone. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

He held up his phone. “Mom just called and left a voice mail. She’s heading over to the house to see if I wanted to go to church with her. Since she didn’t get me on the phone, she said she’s coming by.”

“Crap!”

“Uh-huh.” They’d stalled their mother with an elaborate series of lies. They’d gone out with friends. They’d been out walking. They’d taken a trip to the mall with Ruthie and Bob.

They were running out of excuses.

“How do you want to handle this one?” she asked him.

“As much as you aren’t going to like this,” he said, “by telling her the truth, that we’re in Rapid City looking for Amy.”

She leaned against the wall and groaned. Tim and Jack appeared in the doorway. “Everything okay?” Jack asked.

“Yeah,” Gwen said. “Just parental problems.”

“And we’ve got plenty of those to spare,” Liam added.

“Do you want me to call her?” Gwen asked.

“No, I’ll do the dirty work,” he said. “But I wanted to get our story straight.” He dialed, and Gwen heard it when their mom picked up almost immediately. She couldn’t make out everything her mother said, but suspected what she was saying.

“Mom,” Liam said, “don’t go by the house…No, I’m not hurting, I’m fi—No, listen, what I’m try—”

He closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and took a deep breath as their mom rambled for a moment.

“Mom, listen to me, would you? We’re not at the house. We’re in Rapid City, looking for Amy…I’m fine, Mom, would you please listen to me?…No, don’t you dare call Gee and yell at her, she’s standing right here…Mom, would you…Mom…MOM!” he screamed the last one and Gwen heard silence descend on the other end of the line.

Liam took a deep breath. “Mom,” he said in the tone that Gwen knew meant he was struggling not to blow his top, “listen to me. For the last time, I volunteered to come out here. Gwen came out here first, then I followed to help her. She didn’t ‘drag’ me out here. We haven’t found Amy yet, but we have a friend out here who’s a police detective and he’s helping us look for her…No, we do not need you out here…No, we don’t think she’s dead. For chrissake, would you listen to yourself babble?”

He took another deep breath. “Mom, I’m sorry, but we think Amy might be upset about something and just wants some alone time, okay? Once we find her, we’ll let you know. Please, don’t keep calling and bugging us, okay? When we know something, we will call you and let you know. Love you, and good-bye.” He hung up. Before he could shut his phone off, it rang again. He sent it straight to voice mail before turning his phone off.

“You’d better turn yours off, too, or you won’t get a moment’s peace.” Before Gwen could even step toward the kitchen, where her purse and phone lay on the counter, her phone also started ringing.

She sent the call—their mother—straight to voice mail and then turned it off.

“Well, since we’re all up already,” Tim said, “let’s get some breakfast.”

* * *

Tim cooked breakfast with Gwen’s help. After they all got showers and dressed, Tim and Jack took them out to the Badlands, to the drivable loop off I-90. Gwen loved the prairie dog town and the incredible rock formations. They headed back toward Rapid City, stopping in the tourist town of Wall to have lunch at the famous Wall Drug lunch counter.

By the time they returned to Rapid City late that afternoon, Gwen had barely spared a thought for Amy. She loved her and was concerned about her, but her sister was a grown-up and capable of thinking for herself. If she wanted to stay missing, fine.

It meant more time for Gwen with Tim and Jack.

They stopped by a grocery store before heading home to grill burgers on the back deck. Tim would leave for California the next morning. The depth of the pang that hit her soul at the thought of him leaving surprised her.

It was amazing how easy it was being with the men. She didn’t feel the slightest bit self-conscious going out with them in public, holding hands with them both, walking between them.

It felt right.

Going back to Ohio, even though her life was there, did not feel right.

She dismissed the thought and tried to focus on the here and now. And right here and now, she felt happier than she could ever remember being in her life.

Chapter Ten

“You sure you don’t want to fly out to California with me, babe?” Tim asked her Monday morning. “Let me show you the Pacific Ocean?”

She wanted to say yes. God, did she want to. But they had to find Amy. It wouldn’t be right for her to leave Liam there and for her to just take off with Tim. “It’s not that I don’t want to—”

“It’s okay, sweetie.” He kissed her. “I know you’re worried about your sister.” He held her tightly. “I’m going to miss you, but I’ll be back in a couple of days. Promise me you’ll still be here.”

She enjoyed the feel of his arms around her. “I promise.” She’d stay here forever with them if they’d have her.

Quit thinking like that, stupid! she chided herself. You’re already too much in love with them!

“I promise I’ll take good care of her, Tim,” Jack said in a playful tone.

“You’d better, Stoneface.” He kissed her one more time before he released her. Then he kissed Jack. “I’m going to miss you, too, buddy.”

Jack smiled. Gwen couldn’t get over how handsome he looked when he did that, so much different than his usual rocky visage. “Me, too. Come on, we’d better get going if you want to make your flight.”

She bid them good-bye and waved to them from the front door. She was walking past Liam’s bedroom door when he opened it, a bleary look on his face. “They gone?” he asked as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Yep. Coffee?”

“Oh god, yes, you beautiful thang, you.”

She giggled as she walked to the kitchen. Amy might be MIA, but she still had Liam.

She always had Liam. Despite his MS, he was her rock, her haven.

He made it to the kitchen by the time she had his coffee ready. After breakfast, she tried to sit down with her laptop and do some work. It wasn’t hard to craft a ménage love scene after the past several days of real-life experience. She stifled a laugh. Some of the things she’d written about in the past wouldn’t quite be physically possible in real life.

But it sure would be fun trying.

* * *

Jack watched as Tim walked into the terminal with his carry-on bags. He always felt a mournful pang when Tim left. He knew he wouldn’t be sleeping alone that night, and Gwen was wonderful to sleep with, but he always missed the hell out of Tim when he had to leave.

And deep in his heart, he always carried the tiny fear, What if he doesn’t come back?

He drove to the station. When he walked into his office, he found a message slip on his desk. He sat and stared at it for a moment before returning the call.

“I found that unofficial BOLO subject for you,” Ralph told him.

“Let me have it.” Jack jotted down the info, then thanked his friend and hung up. He stared at the phone. If he had found Amy, it meant Gwen would head home immediately, wouldn’t it?

It’d be wrong to not try to find her. Gwen and Liam deserve answers.

One of the benefits of living in a smaller town like Rapid City meant tracking down people who didn’t know law enforcement was on the lookout for them was a lot easier than in the LA area. After a couple of calls on Friday, he thought he had the name of the man she’d been with. That had allowed him to contact a friend of his at the airport, who gave him some rental car contacts, one that paid off. Amy’s rental car had been spotted at a hotel close to the airport. He signed out and drove there, showing his badge to the desk clerk on duty.

“I’m looking for one of your guests. Her name’s Amy Oxford, but she may be registered under the last name of Tamsin, or as Mrs. Robert Tamsin.”

The clerk tapped on her computer, then nodded. “Room 126.” She frowned. “Are they in some sort of trouble?”

“No, nothing like that. Just a routine welfare check. Paranoid family worried about her back home. She hasn’t checked in the past few days, and they were concerned.” He smiled. “I just need to pass her a message to phone home. They think her cell phone might have died. No trouble.”

The desk clerk relaxed. “Oh, good. We don’t want any trouble around here.”

Jack found the room. Before he knocked he grabbed his ID and badge. “Amy Oxford? Detective Jackson Kelly, Rapid City PD. I need to have a word with you.”

He held up his photo ID and badge so she could see them through the door’s peephole. He heard a soft female voice say, “Just a minute.” Then the rattle of the chain and deadbolt as she opened the door.

She looked pale and drawn, her blond hair limp. She resembled Liam and Gwen in the nose and chin, but if you didn’t know they were related, you wouldn’t suspect. “Come in.”

She wore an oversized T-shirt and sweat pants. He stepped in and glanced around. Other than her laptop on the table and cosmetics on the bathroom vanity counter, the room looked tidy. “I suspect you know why I’m here, Ms. Oxford.”

She sat on one of the beds and nodded but wouldn’t look at him.

He stood over her. “Your brother and sister are extremely worried about you. Not to mention they’ve lied to your parents to cover for you. What’s going on?”

She burst into tears. He waited her out as she composed herself. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

“What?”

She nodded as she sniffled. “I found out two days after I got here. I was worried I might be, then I couldn’t stand it anymore and bought a home test from a drugstore here.” She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “I can’t go home yet. I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, you’re almost forty, right? Don’t you think you’re a little old to be worried about what your parents will think? It’s not like you’re in high school.”

“Oh, you do not know my parents. They’ll flip out!” She sounded near panic at the thought.

Well, at least Gwen and Liam hadn’t exaggerated about that. Apparently the three siblings shared a common enemy. He sat at the table. “Liam and Gwen are really worried about you. What do you want me to tell them?”

“Tell them?”

“Yeah. When I get home today, they’re going to ask me if I found you yet.”

“What?”

“They’re at my house. Staying with me and my boyfriend.”

She groaned and fell back on the bed. “I’m going to kill her! She made Liam come out here with her? Goddammit!”

“No, actually, it was Liam who made Gwen come out here. She flew by herself. That’s how worried she was about you. Then they found out you were here with a guy, and she was terrified to fly home again. Liam apparently wanted to escape your parents badly enough he flew out here to bring her back, but they decided to spend a few days with us while looking for you.”

“But how’d they end up at your house?”

“My boyfriend is Gwen’s friend, Tim Ellis.” She looked clueless. “Ellis Books and Bites. He reviews her books on his store’s website. When she told him she was out here, he sort of took charge of her for Liam.” He smiled. “And that’s how your brother and sister ended up as our guests.”

Amy sat up. “Oh, yeah. I know who he is now.” She laughed without humor. “Small world.”

“Yeah. So. What do I tell them?”

Panic returned to her face. “Please, you can’t tell them you found me!”

There was more to this than just being afraid to tell her parents she was pregnant. “If you tell me the whole story, maybe I won’t. What are you really afraid of?” Legally, there wasn’t anything he could do to get her to confess the full story. Just being there talking to her violated several department regulations because of how he’d obtained the info. She wasn’t a person of interest in a crime, and she wasn’t in danger.

Finally, she sniffled and looked at him. That’s when she revealed why she couldn’t tell her family.

After leaving her, Jack drove back to work and sat in his car outside the station for a few minutes, still processing the information she’d revealed. On the one hand, he should tell Gwen and Liam. On the other, it wasn’t technically any of his business. There was no crime involved.

Then there was the matter of him falling in love with Gwen.

I’m a stupid asshole. Even knowing how much it would hurt to lose her, he’d let himself do it. Gwen and Liam would return to Ohio, and he’d never see her again. Tim would have his heart broken, too.

There was also the matter of not wanting to hurt Gwen with the information he now held. From what Amy admitted, the revelation would devastate Gwen and Liam, not to mention probably drive a permanent wedge between Amy and her siblings. Amy planned to stay out here a few extra days to give her lover time to get his affairs in order before she came home, saving her the guaranteed drama of living with her parents.

If the guy wasn’t bullshitting Amy and even planned on leaving his wife in the first place. She wouldn’t be the first person screwed over, literally and figuratively, by someone they trusted.

How well he knew that pain.

Pregnant…well, there were worse things to be. Like dead.

With a heavy sigh, he called in that he was taking lunch. Then he shifted the car into reverse and pointed it toward home.

Better to get this over with sooner rather than later.

* * *

Liam had set himself up to work on the back deck, tapping away on his laptop with his iPod cranked. Gwen knew she should be working, too, but she also wanted to be out looking for Amy. Her life was on hold because her freaking older sister decided to bug out and leave the two of them holding the bag.

Oh, she’s damn well getting a piece of my mind when she gets home.

Then again, she couldn’t complain too much about the fact that coming out here to look for Amy in the first place was the reason she met Jack and Tim. That brought a smile to her face. Okay, so that wasn’t too bad.

Hell, that was fantastic. A dream come true.

She missed Tim. Part of her wished she’d taken up his offer to fly to Laguna with him so she could see California and the Pacific Ocean for the first time. For him she’d fly.

Might puke her guts up, but she’d fly. Then again, she had Jack all to herself for a few nights, and that was definitely not something to complain about.

She couldn’t help but smile over that fact.

Okay, enough daydreaming. Time to get to work. She was about to go get her laptop when Jack walked in.

“What are you doing home? I thought you were grabbing lunch out?” She leaned in for a kiss and didn’t miss how tense he seemed. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he muttered. “I just stopped by for a few minutes.”

Her intuition screamed at her. “For a man with nothing wrong, you sure do seem off your feed, so to speak.”

“What if Amy has a good reason for not coming home right now?”

Her intuition screamed even louder. “What? What the hell are you talking about?” She gasped. “You found her?”

“But what if?”

“I don’t give a shit what her reason is. She’s my sister. I’d hope she’d love me enough to care about me and hunt my ass down if I ever went AWOL. Now tell me what you found out.”

He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “She doesn’t want to come home right now, and she has a pretty good reason.”

Gwen grabbed his arm. “Would you please just tell me?”

“I promised her I wouldn’t.”

Gwen stared, in shock. “You actually talked to her? When?”

“Before I came home.”

“Where the fuck is she? Dammit, you have to tell me!”

“Only if you promise me you won’t go off half cocked.”

Gwen felt like slapping him. How could she have gone from madly in love with this man just a few hours ago to wanting to murder his ass where he stood? “Where the hell is my sister?”

He handed her a slip of paper. “Room 126.”

She snatched it out of his hand. “Why didn’t you call me as soon as you found out?”

“Because I needed to talk to her first.” He pushed away from the counter and gave her a wide berth on his way to the fridge. “The universe doesn’t revolve around you and your priorities, Gwen.”

* * *

Oh, fuck. He knew that was the wrong thing to say—and not what he’d meant to say in the first place—as soon as he said it. Her face turned red. “Wait, hon—”

“Fuck you,” she softly said. “I can’t believe you. I trusted you. You know how damn worried we are about her and you say that to me? Nice to know where I stand.” As she started across the kitchen he snagged her arm.

“Gwen, please. Just wait.”

She jerked her arm away. “How long have you known where she was? Were you just keeping me hanging around so you could have me to fuck while Tim was gone?” He spotted the tears in her eyes.

He wanted to put his arms around her, but something inside him snapped. “Oh, that’s rich. Not like you were ever planning a return trip to Rapid City once you got back to Ohio.” He didn’t want it to end, especially not like this, but maybe it was for the best. Get the truth out on the table. Tim wouldn’t have to go through this, the good-byes with empty promises that she’d return. He could do the dirty work for them both, get the inevitable over with, and make it easier on Tim.

She looked shocked. “What are you talking about?”

“You were just using us, weren’t you? Research, right?” He used finger quotes around it. “A roll in the hay with two gay guys for one of your books? Or were we just a personal ego trophy, to see if you were hot enough to make us want a woman again?”

She stepped backward, away from him. “No!” She shook her head as tears rolled down her face. “If you’ll recall, you two made the first move.”

He did remember that, specifically that it was Tim who’d desperately wanted to make the first move, and he went along with him because she looked so much like Mel.

Yet another reason he never should have gotten involved with her. “Yeah, well, that was a mistake I shouldn’t have let happen. I knew it would have to end, and Tim especially would get his heart broken.”

This was for the best, even though he wanted to take it back, apologize and grovel, and pull her to him and hold her. If she left now, before he fell any more in love with her, he would be able to get over her. He could simply tell Tim she’d left, not that he ran her off.

“Tim would get his heart broken, but not you.” She shook her head. “I fucking knew it,” she whispered. “I’m a goddamned moron. I never should have let myself fall in love with the two of you.” She angrily wiped at her face. “I knew this was a bad fucking idea. There’s never a happily-ever-after for a situation like this in real life, is there?”

“Not in my personal experience,” he said. “Someone always gets hurt.” How well he knew that.

She turned away from him, grabbed a paper towel from over the sink, and blew her nose. She didn’t turn to face him. “And here I’d actually been practicing in my head how to break it to my parents I’d be moving out here.” She laughed, but it sounded pained, harsh. “One of these days I’ll learn that fairy tales are only for my books,” she softly said. “If I want one, I’ll have to write it. We’ll be gone when you get home tonight.”

“I’m sorry. I really am. But it’s for the best for everyone.” He tried not to react to her revelation about how she felt or that she wanted to move, because frankly, he wasn’t sure he believed it. It could simply be an act to gain his sympathy. In truth, he didn’t know her that well. She could be a freaking manipulative bitch, for all he knew.

Except that’s not what his heart or instincts told him. Those told him to grab her, apologize, take it all back, and beg for forgiveness with a whole lot of groveling on his knees, if necessary. He loved her.

But she looked like Mel.

He couldn’t force himself to move.

She nodded but didn’t turn to face him.

“Look, your sister and Liam need you anyway. You don’t have to tell me stories about you wanting to move out here to make me feel better. You don’t need to lie to me. I know how it would have happened. You’d go home, plan to come back for a visit, then something would happen. Delays. More delays. Until a year or more passed with more excuses, and eventually we never hear from you again. I love Tim too much to let that happen. Isn’t it better we just end it now? Remember it as fun and just let it go?”

She made that sound again, a laugh that sounded like a snort, but she didn’t reply.

Part of him desperately needed her to agree with him, to ease the ache in his own heart. So he didn’t feel like such an asshole. “You’re a nice woman, you’ll find—”

“Please, don’t. Okay? Have enough respect for me not to give me that bullshit line. That’s almost as bad as the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ line.” She still wouldn’t turn from the sink.

“But I’m right, right? Tell me I’m wrong.” He felt his own anger creeping in. “Tell me I’m fucking wrong that we’d never see you again.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, because you are obviously pretty sure of yourself. Thank you for your hospitality. And please tell Tim thank you for us.”

This isn’t how he wanted things to end. But they had to end.

Things always ended.

He just wanted them ended on his own terms, with as little pain to Tim as possible. “Gwen, would you please look at me?”

“Just go. You made your position perfectly clear. I’m sorry you feel the way you do. Obviously, you’ve made up your mind. Nothing I say will change it.”

This felt wrong. His old pain warred within him. Wasn’t that part of the problem, that she looked like Mel? If she hadn’t looked like her, he never would have fallen for her, right?

But why did it hurt so much to think about her walking out of their lives?

He walked over and touched her arm, but she sidestepped away from him, still not turning. “I’m a big girl, Jack. You don’t need to comfort me to make yourself feel better.”

“Gwen—”

“Goddammit, you spoke your piece, now get the hell out of here!”

He turned and walked out, somehow resisting the urge to slam the door behind him. He was halfway back to the station when he pulled into a park and sat, thinking. What right did she have to act hurt? If he was wrong, why didn’t she beg him to change his mind? Challenge him?

Why couldn’t he get her words out of his head? I never should have let myself fall in love with the two of you.

* * *

She held it together until she heard the door shut and his car pull out. She locked herself in the master bathroom, turned the sink on for noise, and slid down the wall to the floor where she cried for half an hour.

Moron! she screamed at herself. Fucking moron! You should have known better than to fall in love with someone you’d just met.

Someones.

She washed her face, blew her nose, and turned off the water. Then she went and packed her stuff. Not that she had much to pack, fortunately. She washed her face again then decided she looked reasonably normal enough so she could face Liam.

He still sat on the back deck, working on his laptop. He looked up when she stepped out the sliders. He immediately slid his sunglasses on top of his head as he frowned. He yanked one of his earbuds out. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

She’d rehearsed this in her head. “Jack found Amy.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. He talked to her. Do you want me to pack your stuff for you, or can you manage?”

He sat back in his chair and studied her. “Gee, what’s going on? What happened?”

She shook her head and held up a hand as she struggled to maintain her composure, finally winning that battle. “He and I just had a talk,” she softly said. “Apparently he was convinced I wasn’t serious about him and Tim.”

“Did you tell him you loved them?”

“It doesn’t matter, Li. He spoke his piece. He made it perfectly clear to me that it’s best if I leave.”

“What about Tim?”

“He said he doesn’t want Tim to get his heart broken.”

“Well what the fuck about your heart getting bro—”

“Please,” she softly begged, holding on to her composure by a rapidly fraying thread. “Please, let’s just go. I told him we’d be gone when he gets home.” She handed him the piece of paper. “This is where she is.”

Liam looked at it before returning his gaze to her. He frowned briefly then a look she recognized well took him over. Protective big brother, upset for her.

She sank to her knees in front of his chair and cried as he enveloped her in his strong, comforting embrace.

* * *

In an hour, they were on their way to the hotel. Gwen didn’t know what she was going to say to her sister when they got there. All she knew was that she didn’t want to lose her temper.

Unfortunately, under the circumstances, she knew that it probably would happen anyway. Hopefully Liam would be able to keep her in line.

But she was dying to give Amy a piece of her mind. Amy better have a damn good excuse as to why she left.

“Don’t lose your temper, Gee,” Liam said.

“I make no promises, bro,” she replied.

“I know you’ve had a shitty day, but just try for me. Please?”

She didn’t reply, just nodded.

Liam didn’t need her help getting out of the car at the hotel. Gwen took a deep breath before they stepped up to the room door. She reached out and knocked.

At first, they received no response. Gwen was about to knock again when they heard the chain rattling. Amy opened the door looking ragged and drawn, like she’d spent the morning crying.

Her sister never looked like this. Gwen felt some of her anger dissolve. “Can we come in?” Liam gently asked.

Amy nodded and stepped aside letting them walk in. She closed the door behind them and stood there, not looking at them.

Gwen had run through several scenarios in her head over the past few days. The one that usually floated to the top of the barrel was her screaming her head off at Amy—if she was alive and well and voluntarily missing—until she lost her voice.

Amy looked like Gwen felt.

“What’s going on,” Liam asked as he settled himself on the bed closest to the door.

It looked like Amy was going to answer when they heard a cell phone go off with a ring tone Gwen had never heard before. Amy snatched a cell phone off the dresser and silenced it. That’s when Gwen realized it wasn’t Amy’s regular cell phone, which was also sitting on the dresser.

Amy sat at the table, refusing to meet their gazes. “I’m sorry I ran off like this. I didn’t mean for you to come out here looking for me.” She stroked her fingers over the phone, like she wanted to dial a number.

“Who is he?” Gwen asked, not even sure if she was right.

But Amy’s head snapped up, shock and fear in her eyes. “Who?”

“The guy you were out here with. I’m guessing that’s what’s going on, right?” Amy stared at them. Gwen hated the cliché of someone having a deer-in-the-headlights look, but if any description applied to their sister at that exact moment, it would be that.

When Amy didn’t answer, Gwen prodded more. “Did you suddenly forget to speak? Don’t piss on our legs and try to tell us it’s raining. Who is he?”

Amy shook her head. She stared at the phone in her hand. “I…I just needed some time—”

“Bullshit! Amy, who the hell is he? What’s the guy’s name?”

If Amy didn’t start coughing up some answers soon, Gwen was going to lose what little hold she had on her temper. Amy wasn’t the only one with personal problems.

Amy’s face went red, a sure sign she was lying. “What guy are—”

“Amy, knock it off!” Liam barked. Gwen and Amy both jumped. Gwen couldn’t remember ever hearing her brother sound so angry. “We were born at night but it wasn’t last night. Quit bullshitting us. Just tell us what the fuck is going on. You owe us answers, dammit!”

Amy burst into tears. Before she realized what she was doing, Gwen stepped over to her and hugged her.

Amy threw her arms around Gwen, squeezing tightly, holding on with a desperation Gwen could never remember her sister expressing.

That frightened her. Amy was always the picture of the utmost composure. Whatever this was, it was bad.

Amy cried for several minutes while Gwen held her. Finally, without lifting her face from where she had it pressed against Gwen’s shoulder, she mumbled, “I’m pregnant.”

Gwen froze and stared at Liam, who looked shocked.

“What did you say?” Liam asked.

Amy lifted her head and, with tears still streaming down her face, wailed, “I’m pregnant!”

Gwen closed her eyes. Part of her wanted to burst out laughing. Her Goody Two-shoes sister had gotten herself knocked up?

Part of her wanted to cry. Her sister would never hear the end of this from their parents.

“Who is he, Amy?” Gwen asked.

She shook her head. “No, I can’t tell anyone right now. I don’t want anyone to know.”

Liam flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “He’s married, isn’t he?”

Amy nodded. “Yes,” she softly admitted. “He’s going to divorce his wife. He was already planning on it before I found out about this.”

Gwen bit her tongue.

Liam asked, “How long have you known you were pregnant?”

“I found out after I got here.” She finally pulled away from Gwen and wiped at her face with her hands. “I’m sorry I put you two through this. I got scared. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Why didn’t you just come home to us?” Liam asked. “Don’t you know we would have helped you?”

She shook her head. “I can’t face Mom and Dad right now. He…he’s going to make some arrangements and find us a place to live and break the news to his wife that he’s leaving her. I wanted some time alone before I had to go back. And I wanted to give him time to do what he needed to do.”

“So you scare the crap out of us by going radio silent?” Gwen heard her voice getting more shrill.”

“Gee, calm down,” Liam softly said. “It’s okay. Come here.”

Gwen went to sit next to Liam. He slung an arm around her, pulling her close and comforting her. “Amy, I wish you could have trusted us enough to come to us,” Liam said.

“I figured it was better if you didn’t know. That way Mom and Dad couldn’t throw any of the blame on you two.”

“You mean on me,” Gwen bitterly said. “Dad will blame me regardless.”

“Enough, Gee,” Liam chided. “Look at the three of us. It’s not like we’re kids anymore. We’re all adults, and they have us crapping our pants.” He started laughing, and Gwen couldn’t resist his infectious tone. She started laughing too, and eventually Amy joined them, a sad smile on her face despite her laughter.

“Okay,” Liam eventually said. “We need a plan. We need to have our stories straight for when we get home.” He looked at Gwen and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “We’ve all had a rough few days. If we stick together, we can make it through this a lot easier than letting Mom and Dad divide and conquer.”

Amy sniffled again. Gwen felt a little less sorry for herself. At least she wasn’t in Amy’s shoes. She stifled her righteous indignation that Amy was involved with a married man. After her divorce, Amy had heard Gwen rail against cheating men for countless hours.

No wonder she didn’t want to confide in me.

“Just tell them I had a mental breakdown,” Amy said. “It’s close to the truth anyway.” She rested her hand on her stomach and it hit Gwen that in a few months she would be an aunt.

It also struck a painful twang in her soul of what she’d just lost.

No. I won’t think of that right now!

“You need to get your stuff packed and come with us,” Gwen said.

Amy shook her head. “No. I can’t go back yet. I’m not ready.”

“If you think any time is a good time to go back, think again.” Gwen took a deep breath in what she knew was a futile attempt to rein in her anger. “You need to come home with us.”

“I can’t face them yet,” Amy whispered, sounding like a frightened teenager instead of a woman almost forty.

“So you’re going to leave us holding the bag with Mom and Dad?” She felt her temper ratcheting up again.

“Gee,” Liam warned.

“No, Liam, I’m sick of this.” She turned to back Amy. “You want to stay here? Fine. I’m sorry your life sucks right now. But let me tell you something, we’re not going to lie to them for you anymore. You’re on your own.” She stormed over to the door. “Come on, Liam. Let’s go.”

He sighed and got to his feet. “Amy, you’re an adult. But I have to agree with Gwen that there never will be a good time to face Mom and Dad about this. Sooner will be better than later.”

They returned to the rental car. Liam let the silence lay between them all the way to the airport. Before they drove in to the rental car return lot, Liam pulled out his phone.

“What are you doing?” Gwen asked.

“I’m biting the bullet.” He dialed. After a moment, someone answered. “Hi, Mom. Yeah, listen, we talked to Amy.” Gwen heard a burst of excitement from her mom, but couldn’t make out her words. “Just listen, okay? She’s fine, she’s healthy, and she’s not coming back yet. Gwen and I are coming back late tonight…We talked to Amy and she’s fine. She’s just taking some downtime, like I thought.”

He looked at Gwen, who resisted the urge to grab the phone from him and tell their mom the full story. Liam let their mother vent another burst of excited-sounding words. “Mom, she’s fine, okay? She’ll be home when she’s ready, and right now I need to get off because my phone’s almost dead. Good-bye, Mom.” He hung up, then shut his phone off. He looked at Gwen. “I suggest you shut yours off, too.”

She was reaching for it when it went off. The caller ID showed their parents’ number. Gwen sent it to voice mail and shut the phone off.

Liam shook his head. “We’re in for a few rocky days, sis.” He reached over and squeezed her hand.

She squeezed back. “Sure seems like it, bro.”

* * *

There was still an hour before their flight was scheduled to take off. At least dealing with Amy had provided Gwen with a little bit of a diversion from thinking about her men.

She suspected from the way things went down with Jack that Tim was in the dark about it. Regardless, she needed to make a clean break.

Gwen wouldn’t split the men up. If she couldn’t have Jack, she would have to walk away from Tim, too. She pulled out her laptop. Liam arched a quizzical eyebrow at her but she ignored him. He didn’t speak, knowing that at times like this what she needed most was to be left alone.

She tapped into the airport’s Wi-Fi. No, no messages from Tim yet. She suspected Jack hadn’t even told him. This would be the hardest thing she’d ever had to write.

Dear Tim,

I don’t know if you’ve talked to Jack yet, but Liam and I are returning to Ohio. Jack found Amy. He also made his feelings perfectly clear to me, that he didn’t believe I’d fallen in love with you both.

I’m sorry if I read too much into his and your actions. I really did think the two of you felt the same way that I did. I guess it was silly of me to get my hopes up, and I’m sorry if I put you in an uncomfortable position.

Please, do not contact me. I will not do anything to come between you and Jack. And frankly, it would be too painful to hear from you.

Have a good life. Thank you for everything you did for me and Liam. Please tell Jack despite the way things ended that I do appreciate him finding Amy for us. I will miss both of you and treasure the time we had together.

Love,

G.

* * *

Tim read the e-mail, shock erasing all other thoughts. What the fuck had happened? He tried calling Jack and got his voice mail.

He hung up without leaving a message. Despite what her e-mail said, he tried calling Gwen, but her phone went straight to voice mail. He didn’t leave a message there, either. Instead, he tried calling Jack again. This time, he left a message.

“Jack, what the fuck happened with Gwen? I got an e-mail from her saying she’s leaving and not to contact her. Call me, goddammit! What the hell happened?”

He tried calling Jack’s office line, but reached his voice mail there, too.

Frustrated, he threw his phone on his desk and ran a hand through his hair. This couldn’t be happening. They were so close to perfect happiness, and now it was slipping through their hands, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

He grabbed his phone and called Gwen’s cell again. This time, he left a message. “Look, I don’t know what happened and I can’t get hold of Jack. Please, babe, don’t walk out of our lives like this. I love you.”

He hung up. Until he could get some answers from Jack, he was stuck in the most painful kind of limbo.

* * *

Gwen went to throw up in the bathroom about a half hour before their flight. To take her mind off her queasy stomach, she turned on her phone and checked her voice mail. Playing the message from Tim nearly started her crying again, but she would be strong. She would be brave.

She wouldn’t look back.

She deleted the voice mail.

* * *

At their stopover, while Gwen went to the bathroom to throw up again, Liam called Ruthie and let them know they’d be home later.

“Oh, good. Bob’s home, and I was going to let him come pick me up.”

“Thank you so much for all your help, hon. We really appreciate it.”

“Is Gee okay?”

“Bathroom.”

“Tossing her cookies?” Ruthie asked.

“Yep.”

“Poor thing.”

“Hey,” he said, “you can take that laptop home with you for now, if you want. If I need it back, I’ll let you know.”

She sounded happier than he’d heard her in a while. “Really? You mean it?”

“Of course I do. I’ll get it back later.”

“I’m going to ask Bob to buy me a new one and let you set it up for me.”

He laughed. “Be happy to.”

He was off the phone with her when Gwen returned. He slung an arm around her shoulders and held her close. “You okay, sis?”

She wordlessly shook her head.

“I don’t have any easy solutions for you. Unless you let me go back to Rapid City and kick their asses.”

She shook her head again and hid her face against his shoulder.

He sighed as he pulled her closer and held her. “It’s okay, Gee. I’m here for you. I won’t leave you. I promise.”

They made it back to Columbus a little after two a.m. and caught a cab back to Gwen’s. He didn’t like the sad look on Gwen’s face. In Rapid City, she’d been happier than he’d seen her since her marriage to Dickweed dissolved. To see her that happy just yesterday, and now today to witness her agony was almost more than he could stand. This was something he couldn’t fix for her no matter how badly he wanted to.

He hugged her before she went upstairs to bed. “We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”

She nodded, not releasing him.

He kissed the top of her head. “I meant it, Gee. You and me. Okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered. He watched her slowly mount the stairs to the second floor before he went to bed.

Chapter Eleven

Their mother didn’t bother giving them time to settle in the next morning. At seven o’clock, she was knocking on Gwen’s front door. Less than pleased, Gwen didn’t bother trying to fake a good mood when she opened the door.

“Why are you still in bed?” her mother demanded as she pushed past her into the house.

“I only got to sleep a little bit ago. What are you doing here?”

“I want to check on Liam.” She headed for the office, but Gwen snagged her arm and spun her around.

“He’s still asleep, Mom. Leave him alone. He’s fine. Next time, call first.” Gwen knew she’d regret taking that tone with her mom, but her mother brought it on herself by waking her up and getting snarky and pushy with her before she’d even had a cup of coffee.

Everyone in her family knew that was just flat-out dangerous. Gwen barely felt human before her first cup of coffee.

Her mother shook Gwen’s grip off. “I will not tolerate that kind of behavior from you! Show some respect. I raised you better than that.”

Gwen was about to respond with a scathing retort when the office door opened. Liam appeared, leaning against the doorframe. From his mussed hair and bleary look, Gwen guessed he’d also just gone to sleep not too long before their mother’s rude intrusion.

“Mom, what the hell are you doing here?” he asked.

Her mother raced over to him. “I wanted to check on you! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Go home.”

He started to turn and presumably return to bed, but she stopped him. “Why don’t you let me bring you home? You’re already awake. I can have your things loaded—”

“I am home, Mom. I’m moving in with Gee. We’ll get my stuff out over the next few days.”

Their mother looked like he’d slapped her. “What? You can’t move out. You need me.”

“Mom, I love you, but spending this time with Gee has made me realize I should be living here. I miss her, she misses me, and we get along fine. This is where I belong. You and Dad can finally have your lives back.”

“You get along just fine with Amy. I’m sure when she finally gets this silly stuff, whatever it is, out of her system, things will go back to normal.”

Liam scrubbed his face with his hands. “Mom, listen to me. I’m moving in with Gee. This has nothing to do with you, Dad, or Amy. It’s about what I need to do for me. I want to live with Gee, and that’s all there is to it. Please, go home. We need to get some sleep.”

Their mom didn’t want to let it go without a fight. “I think you need to come home with me so we can talk about this when you’re feeling better. Let me make you breakfast. I’ve got your favorite sausage at home, and even bought that bakery cinnamon toast you—”

“I’m feeling fine, just tired because we haven’t had any sleep. Go home and don’t call either, because we need sleep.”

She looked from Liam to Gwen and back again. When she realized she wouldn’t make any headway with either child, she dramatically sighed and shook her head. “I can’t believe you’d risk your health like this.”

“Mom, go now, before you say something you can’t take back,” Liam warned. “I’m not budging, and frankly, I’m not in a mood to be nice about this.”

Gwen breathed a sigh of relief when their mom turned and stormed out. She securely locked the door behind her.

Liam leaned against the doorway again and held his hand out to Gwen. “Come on. Sleep with me, sis. I think we both need the comfort.”

She cuddled in bed with him, as she had countless nights as a child, and closed her eyes. “She’s not going to give up that easy, is she?”

He snorted, amused as he draped an arm around her. “Nope. Not even close. She’ll regroup and try again. You okay?”

“I wasn’t thinking we’d have to deal with her this soon. I thought we’d have until this afternoon, at least.”

“We haven’t dealt with anything yet.” She thought he’d drifted off to sleep when he spoke. “You’re not regretting asking me to move in, are you?”

“Nope. I wubs you.”

He nuzzled the back of her head. “I wubs you, too.” After a moment, he spoke again. “Are you okay?” he quietly asked.

He didn’t need to clarify. It was the first time he’d brought up Jack and Tim. Liam always did have a knack for knowing when not to press her too hard when she was upset. “Not right now, I’m not. I will be. As long as I’ve got you.” She hugged his arm closer around her waist. This reminded her of when they were kids, when Liam would hold her while she cried over teasing at school or something their parents said to her.

It made her feel safe. “I think it’s going to take time,” she admitted. “A lot of time.”

“Just remember, no matter what, I’m here for you. I won’t abandon you, I promise. You and me, kid. Always.”

“Yep,” she agreed. “You and me.”

* * *

They slept until noon. Gwen awoke first and lay there listening to Liam’s deep and steady breaths. In sleep, he’d rolled away from her even though he kept his back pressed against hers.

Thank god for him. When teased in school, he was there for her. They provided alibis for each other with their parents as teenagers, and he was her shoulder to cry on when needed. He’d never treated her as a pain in the butt little sister. He’d always made time for her, taken her under his wing to protect her from their parents.

When he first got sick, she was the one who slept at his bedside in the hospital every night during that first stay until they diagnosed him and he ended up moving in with their parents.

When she caught Dickweed cheating on her, her first call had been to Liam. He even went to the lawyer and to court with her during the divorce hearings, holding her hand and drying her tears more times than she could count.

Eventually he rolled over to face her. “You awake?” he mumbled.

“Yeah.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“I can’t yet.”

“Okay.” He lay there quietly for a moment. “When you’re ready to talk, I’m here to listen. I swear, kiddo. Do I need to plan a return trip out there to kick their asses?”

She managed a faint smile. “No.”

“No, I guess I wouldn’t need to kick Tim’s, would I? Just Jack’s.”

That made her smile. “I think we’ll be too busy kicking Amy’s ass when she gets home to worry about those two men. In fact, I’d rather not think about those two men at all.”

It hurt way too much.

* * *

Later that day, once Gwen was wider awake and fully caffeinated, she called Ruthie. “Thanks again for helping me out. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

“No problem. I’m sorry I was reluctant to do it at first.” She hesitated. “I had a lot of fun. Thank you for trusting me to take care of him.”

Gwen felt a rush of sadness for her friend. She remembered kick-ass Ruthie, afraid of nothing.

She remembered the baby shower she’d been planning for her friend.

Gwen’s tears caught her off guard. What did she have to feel sorry for herself about? All she did was have a few fuck-filled days with some hunks, end of story.

Ruthie lost herself, and nearly lost her life.

And she lost her baby.

“Gee? What’s wrong, sweetie?”

Gwen couldn’t help it. She broke down sobbing as she spilled the entire story to Ruthie, leaving out the part about Amy’s guy being married and Amy being knocked up. If anyone would understand, it was Ruthie. Although Gwen felt guilty as hell for burdening her friend with her relatively petty problems.

After she finished, she heard Ruthie sigh sadly. “Want to come over for whine and wine?” she joked.

Gwen laughed as she grabbed a dishtowel from the kitchen counter to wipe her face with. “Whine and Wine” nights were one of their special things, had been since they were both old enough to drink. Ruthie hadn’t suggested one in years.

Maybe her friend was starting to heal.

“That sounds good,” Gwen said. “You don’t think I’m horrible?”

Ruthie snorted in amusement. “Honey, hell no I don’t think you’re horrible. I envy you. You got to live out one of your fantasies.” She paused, her voice growing somber. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you, hon. It sounds like they were great guys.”

Gwen’s turn to snort. “I thought they were. Tim was great. Jack was just an ass, it turns out. Tim’s a better man than I.” She realized what she said as Ruthie burst out laughing. “Well,” she said, laughing with her friend, “you know what I mean.”

* * *

Despite their mother’s dire warnings that Liam should continue living with them, her passive-aggressive protestations that she didn’t mean to make him miserable, and resolve-weakening bouts of tears, Liam called in a few favors with friends since Bob was unavailable to help them move Liam’s stuff. Catching up with work from being gone for so long on his trip or some such nonsense.

Gwen guiltily pushed away her irritation. Bob was a good guy. He didn’t deserve for her to be ticked off at him.

The next afternoon, they got Liam’s stuff packed and relocated, some of it to Gwen’s house, some to a storage unit.

Their father didn’t weigh in on the topic, preferring to let his stony silence speak for him as he sat in the living room and read his newspaper without lifting a finger to help.

That night, as Gwen and Liam sat on what was now their couch and ate pizza, she unexpectedly broke down sobbing. The day’s events had kept her mind off Tim and Jack. She hadn’t checked her e-mail or her BlackBerry, preferring to let that issue remain undisturbed for a while.

Now, with another lonely night alone in bed ahead of her, she couldn’t help but think about them.

Or about the fact that Tim hadn’t e-mailed her. She’d hoped against hope that he might.

She thought about breaking down and e-mailing him and rescinding her request for him not to contact her, but her pride wouldn’t let her do that. What, beg a man I have no chance in hell with to e-mail me?

That would flat out be masochism of the bad kind.

Liam stroked her hair. “How about calling them?” he suggested. “Or at least call Tim.”

“No. Jack made his position perfectly clear. I was an idiot to get my hopes up.”

When her phone rang a little later, she felt her heart jump until she realized it was Amy.

“Gee, I’m sorry,” Amy said immediately.

Gwen didn’t want to fight with her anymore. She’d had enough recent loss in her life to last her a lifetime. Alienating her sister wouldn’t help things. “I’m sorry, too. When are you coming home?”

“That’s why I called. I’m flying home late tonight. Can you come meet me? And…can I spend the night there? I don’t want to go to Mom and Dad’s yet.”

“Yeah, but you have to sleep on the couch. Liam’s moved in with me. We got his stuff today.”

There was a moment of hesitation. “Oh. I didn’t realize it was going to happen that fast. How did Mom and Dad take it?”

“Mom, predictably. Dad’s pretty upset about all of this.”

Amy’s voice grew soft. “I’m sure he is. What did he say when you told him?”

“What? About the baby? Hell no. That’s your job, not mine. He’s already pissed off at me, and he’s blaming your disappearance and Liam’s moving out on me.”

“I’m sorry about that. Thank you for not telling them.”

“I hope this guy is worth it,” Gwen snarked before reining in her temper. “So, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know yet. A friend of mine said I can stay with her for a while. But she needs a couple of days to empty out her spare room so I can stay there. Until I…get my own place. I can’t live with Mom and Dad anymore. If Liam’s with you, it means I don’t have to.”

Liam motioned for the phone, and Gwen gladly handed it over. She didn’t want to talk to Amy anymore. She didn’t want to think for the rest of the evening. All she wanted to do was curl up into a ball in Liam’s lap and forget about the world.

To try to forget about what she’d lost.

* * *

Liam insisted on going with her to the airport despite Gwen trying to talk him into staying home. He’d had more than enough excitement for a while, in her opinion, but she refused to smother him like their mother had.

All the way there, Liam rested his hand on Gwen’s thigh. They didn’t talk, but his comforting presence helped ground her. When they pulled up to the baggage claim area, Amy was already sitting on a bench by the curb, waiting on them. She looked exhausted. No makeup, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

That wasn’t like Amy. Amy never left the house without makeup. Once again, Gwen felt sorry for her sister despite her irritation at her sister’s irresponsible behavior.

At least I’m not pregnant, she thought and not for the first time. She knew her own period was due to start any day from the fact that she’d felt the first twinges of cramping. Of course, a raging case of PMS didn’t help with her hair-trigger temper any, either.

Gwen got out and hugged her without talking before they loaded her bags into the back of the SUV. Amy climbed into the backseat.

“Hiya,” Liam said. “What’s new?”

With that, all three of them started laughing. Gwen shook her head as she shifted into drive and they headed back to her home.

“Thanks for coming to get me,” Amy softly said. “I really appreciate it.”

Gwen glanced in the rearview mirror. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not,” Amy said. She took a deep breath. “I owe you both a huge apology. I’m really sorry. I just didn’t want to tell you what was going on. Then after I found out about…” Her voice broke up. She cleared her throat and stated again. “I’m sorry.”

Liam twisted in his seat to look at her. “Why didn’t you think you could talk to us? Haven’t the past couple of months shown you could trust us?”

Amy stared at her hands. “I was pretty ashamed of myself.”

Gwen didn’t say anything. Liam let it go, and they rode the rest of the way to Gwen’s house in silence.

* * *

The next morning, Amy was already sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and talking with Liam when Gwen wandered downstairs. Gwen had sworn to herself that she wouldn’t get upset with her sister, no matter what. She’d be mature and calm and understanding, if not in agreement, of her sister’s motives for putting them through hell.

Liam got up when Gwen walked in and fixed her a cup of coffee. She didn’t try to stop him. Another of her promises to herself, that she wouldn’t baby Liam, would let him decide what he could and couldn’t do.

“Thanks, bro,” she gratefully said upon accepting the proffered cup of steaming morning goodness.

“You’re welcome. Sit with us. We’re talking.”

She took up the seat between them, Liam on her left. Amy looked even more haggard this morning, her limp hair pulled back into an untidy ponytail. Gwen wondered if she’d even brushed her hair upon awakening, or if she’d slept with it like that. As disheveled as her older sister looked, Gwen suspected the latter.

“So, what’s new?” Gwen tried in a light tone.

The ghost of a smile crossed Amy’s face. “It’s okay, Gee. I know I screwed up. I don’t expect a free pass.”

Gwen sighed and ignored Liam, who bumped her leg with his foot under the table in warning. Gwen tucked her legs under her chair, out of kicking reach. “Amy, we love you, but honestly? This was really whacked.”

Amy nodded. “I know.”

“Mom and Dad were crawling up my ass over this. I got blamed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s bad enough that Dad chews me out every chance he gets for total bullshit, but I don’t need you throwing me under the bus, too.”

“Gee,” Liam warned.

Aaannnd, we’re off. “No, bro, I need to say this. I’ve held it in long enough.” No, it wasn’t Amy’s fault, but she was tired of being the whipping boy for her parents. “Look, they hold you up as the golden child, the perfect one. I’m sorry this has happened to you, and I’m not trying to lord this over you. But honestly? Couldn’t you have stood up for me once in a while to them?”

Liam sighed and sat back in his chair to wait her out.

Amy nodded. “You’re right,” she softly said. “I should have.” She looked at Liam, then Gwen. “I was always jealous of you.”

That shocked Gwen into momentary silence. “What?”

“Yeah. You had the tenacity to go out and get what you wanted. You got married. I know Dickweed wasn’t a happy ending for you, but you got out of there and away from our parents. You went after the career you dreamed of. You’re making a living at what you love to do. You escaped Mom and Dad.”

Did her sister really think that? Had Gwen been so wrong about her all those years? “But you’re their favorite. What do you have to be jealous over?”

Amy shrugged as she looked into her coffee cup. “You and Liam were always so close. I never fit in with you two.”

Gwen and Liam exchanged a glance. Liam raised a hand to still Gwen’s comments. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

Amy briefly glanced up at Gwen. “When she arrived, suddenly I didn’t matter anymore. You were always all over her. You and I used to play all the time and then little sister arrived and I didn’t matter anymore. I had to be the good child in their eyes because you two always banded together against them.”

“Are you shitting me?” Gwen said, unable to hold back. “You’re trying to blame all this on me?”

“No!” Amy vigorously shook her head. “No, that’s not what I’m saying.” She took a deep breath. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. It’s just that for so many years I was trying to keep my head down and be the good kid that I forgot who I was.” She played with her coffee mug. “I didn’t mean to get involved with…him.” Gwen suspected Amy almost slipped and mentioned his name. “I definitely didn’t mean to get pregnant. But I love him, and he loves me.” She looked up at them, defiance splashed across her face. “He makes me feel special. He says that I make him feel special.”

“You’re both special, all right,” Gwen snarked. “I’ll get you both hockey helmets and load you on the short bus to the special school. What were you two thinking? What about the guy’s wife? Do they have any kids?”

Amy shook her head. “No. But he’s always wanted them.” She shrugged. “This isn’t the way we wanted things to happen, but we don’t regret the fact that we want to be together.”

“Did either of you think about the guy’s poor wife!” She’d held back her feelings on this aspect of the fiasco long enough.

“Yes,” Amy said quietly. “That’s why we were trying to keep this hidden until after he’d left her. Then we were going to pretend that we started seeing each other after he was separated.”

Gwen sat back, disgusted with her sister. “Does she know yet, or has the chickenshit even told her? And how do you know he’s even telling you the truth?”

“Because he is,” Amy said defiantly. “There are special circumstances that I can’t tell you about.”

Gwen shook her head. “The only circumstances I need to know is that he’s a liar and a cheat, and if he cheated on his wife, he’ll damn sure cheat on you. Didn’t you learn anything from my experience with Dickweed?”

Liam tried to intervene. “Gee—”

Gwen waved him off. “No, fuck that, Li. I’m sick of Miss Holier-Than-Thou-I-Go-To-Church-And-Show-Off-For-Mom-And-Dad being held up as some stellar example of perfection!” She turned on Amy. “Let me tell you something. That poor woman, if the shit weasel even goes through with leaving her and doesn’t leave you hanging out to dry by yourself, is in for a lot of heartache and pain. Loss of trust. Wondering what was wrong with her that she wasn’t good enough for him.” She felt her own pain and anger from her divorce well up, mix with her fresh pain over losing Tim and Jack, and explode with a force that would make Mt. St. Helens look like a soggy, waterlogged firecracker.

Gwen felt her misery grow in proportion to her rage. “She’s going to go through a lot of anger and pain. She’s going to look at every man she meets in the future and wonder not if, but when, he’s going to lie to her and break her heart. She’s going to date guys who might be great, but hold them to a higher, possibly impossible standard of perfection. She’s going to doubt everything they tell her and look at herself in the mirror every morning and wonder what the fuck is so wrong with her that she can’t keep a guy.” She felt the tears rolling down her face and was vaguely aware that Liam had stood and grabbed her arm.

She shook him off and towered over her sister. “She’s going to wonder why you get to have what she wanted, what’s so special about you that wasn’t special about her. She’s going to feel like shit about herself all because you two couldn’t wait to do the decent thing and he couldn’t keep his pants zipped!”

Amy’s face grew red, but she didn’t say anything in her defense. She didn’t look up at Gwen.

For some reason, that infuriated Gwen even more. “Now you’re going to have a baby with this guy? A guy you can’t even trust not to go running around on you later?”

“He’s not like that,” Amy firmly said.

“No, I’m sure he’s not.” Gwen’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “I’m sure he’s Mr. Perfect, and his wife’s a total whackjob, right? He would neeever cheat on you because you’re so speeeecial,” Gwen said. In full attack mode, she wasn’t about to back down until she’d had her say. Or run out of steam. “Well, let me tell you something. I don’t envy you. I really don’t. Because you’re in for a world of pain and misery. Maybe right now everything with him seems rosy and beautiful, but once a cheat, always a fucking cheat. And I’m going to be the first to say I told you so when he tosses you aside!”

“Gwen!” Liam barked. “Enough, sweetie.”

Gwen swiped at her tears. Amy still wouldn’t look up, but she spoke. “I’ll be out of here this morning after I change clothes. Thank you for picking me up last night, and thank you for loving me enough to be worried about me when I was gone. I’m sorry I put you both through that.” She pushed back from the table and left the kitchen.

Gwen took a few deep breaths before she started sobbing and crumpled into Liam’s arms.

“It’s okay, Gee,” he softly said as he held her. “Richard can’t hurt you anymore.”

“I loved them,” she sobbed. “I loved them both. What am I supposed to do now?”

He knew who she meant. “I don’t have any easy answers for you, sis. But taking your pain out over Tim and Jack on Amy isn’t going to help you or her. Her guy isn’t Richard.”

“He’s going to use her like he’s used his wife.”

“Maybe, but you don’t know that for sure.”

She cried for a few more minutes before retreating to her room. She didn’t come out until after Amy had left in a cab less than an hour later. She regretted blowing up at her sister and knew she shouldn’t have done it.

But why did it feel so good to finally get that old crap out of her system?

Chapter Twelve

Gwen looked over Liam’s shoulder as he hacked into Amy’s online calendar. He pointed. “There.”

“Can you e-mail that to me?” Gwen felt a little bad about the invasion of privacy, but only a little. She’d tried calling Amy several times over the past three days, reaching her voice mail every time.

All she’d received in return was a brief e-mail from Amy telling her the apology was accepted.

Gwen felt bad. She deserved the silent treatment from Amy after the things she’d said to her, but she wanted to say them to her in more than just a recorded voice mail. She wanted to try to rebuild a bridge that apparently was never really there in the first place.

Amy wouldn’t talk to Liam, either. He’d received a frantic call from their mother a day earlier, telling them Amy had arrived with a couple of friends and a moving truck while their father was at work.

Apparently Amy didn’t drop the bomb about the baby or her secret guy on the side. She only told their mother that with Liam gone, she’d received an offer to be roommates with a friend of hers who needed the financial help to keep her house from going into foreclosure.

Gwen didn’t approve of the lie, but she did admire Amy’s ingenuity. It was a story their mother might not like, but she couldn’t guilt-trip Amy too terribly much, considering the supposed circumstances.

In a way, Gwen felt sorry for her mom. She was now stuck at home, alone, with their father.

Gwen wanted to have a relationship with her sister. She’d eat crow, apologize like hell, and bite her tongue clean in two if she had to. And if this was the only way she could get Amy to sit still for a few minutes to talk to her, so be it. She wanted to apologize to her sister and try to make amends. This was no time to be petty.

This was a time for her to man up, so to speak, put the past behind her, and be there for her sister.

Liam nodded, brought up another window, and a second later Gwen’s BlackBerry buzzed. “There you go,” he said.

“That’s this afternoon?”

“Yep.”

“Am I doing the right thing?”

He shrugged. “If I thought I could shake some sense into her myself, I would.”

“You going to be okay by yourself?”

“Yeah. I’ll only slow you down. Call me when you know what’s up, okay?”

She kissed his cheek. “Yeah.”

All the way to the doctor’s office, Gwen wondered how to handle this. She wanted her sister back, wanted her in her life.

Missed her like hell.

No, they didn’t always get along the greatest growing up, but she was usually an ally, or at the very least a buffer, against their parents now that they were adults. Despite the angry words she’d tossed at Amy in the kitchen the other morning, there were times she could remember Amy trying to step in when their mom or dad started in on Gwen over her career choice.

I will not lose my temper. She took a deep breath and let it out again. If nothing else, she could mend the rift with her sister, and the three of them could have a relatively peaceful, supportive relationship. Even if it was only because they’d united against their parents.

Amy would need help, because Gwen strongly suspected the baby’s father wouldn’t be involved that much. Despite Amy’s assurances to the contrary, Gwen knew what men could be like. Especially lying, cheating assholes who got women other than their wives pregnant. And besides, Amy didn’t need a man in her life. She had enough in savings to get her by until she started working full time again. Gwen and Liam would babysit for her. They could talk her into moving in with them.

She wistfully smiled. Kids of her own weren’t on the radar, especially now and maybe never, but she wouldn’t mind being able to spoil a niece or nephew rotten. Liam would make a great uncle. He wasn’t much more than a big kid himself in many ways.

This would all work out okay, once they finished running interference for Amy with their parents. They’d take the brunt of it for her, shelter her, let her focus on being a mom so she could enjoy it as much as possible.

She didn’t see Amy’s car when she pulled into the parking lot. She parked off to the side, hopefully where Amy wouldn’t notice her.

Her nerves a jangled mess, Gwen walked into the doctor’s office and was surprised to find Amy already sitting in the waiting room. Amy didn’t look up when she walked in, until Gwen walked over to her.

Amy’s jaw dropped. “Gwen! What are you doing here?”

She sat beside her. “Please, don’t be mad at me. I’m sorry we fought and I lost my temper.” She grabbed her sister’s hands. “I’m so sorry. I was a total bitch, and you didn’t deserve for me to go off on you like that. Listen to me, Liam and I love you, and we want to support you in this. We don’t want you going through this alone. Liam and I agree we want you to live with us. We’ll help you take care of the baby. We’ll babysit for you when you go back to work, and we’ll help you with Mom and Dad.”

She shook her head. “I–I–”

“Stop, please. Let me finish. We don’t care what happened or why, and we’re not going to play the stupid blame games Mom and Dad are so fond of. It happened, and we’re here for you.” She took a deep breath. “We mean it. We’ll—” Her voice broke off as Ruthie’s husband, Bob Tamsin, emerged from the bathroom and froze when he saw Gwen sitting there. After a moment’s stunned shock, he walked over

“Bob? What are you doing here?” Gwen asked. Then she looked at Amy and spotted her horrified expression. The Rapid City desk clerk’s description of the man Amy stayed with came back to Gwen.

All the pieces suddenly clicked into place. Bob had been on a business trip the same time Amy left.

Bob hadn’t been available to help Liam move.

Ruthie still swore Bob was having an affair.

The prepaid phone Gwen spotted in Amy’s stuff.

Gwen didn’t want to contemplate if Jack knew about this part of Amy’s secret or not. Had she even told him about Ruthie? She couldn’t remember.

As the full impact of Amy’s betrayal hit Gwen, her breath left in a whoosh. She stood on feet that had suddenly gone numb. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head and backing away from them. “I don’t believe it. I can’t believe it. After all she went through, you do this to her?”

Bob tried to speak, but Gwen pointed at him. “No. Don’t. Don’t you dare make excuses!”

Amy hadn’t moved from her chair. “Gwen, please, we didn’t mean for it to happen. It just did.”

Gwen felt ill. Worse, she felt like an idiot. No wonder Amy didn’t want to tell her and Liam about the secret man in her life. “How long has this been going on?” Gwen shrilly asked. She didn’t care that the whole waiting room had gone silent and was staring at them.

“Six months,” Amy softly admitted.

Six months. For six months, Ruthie had kept insisting something was wrong.

How right she’d been.

Gwen couldn’t stop shaking. She somehow managed to turn herself around and get pointed toward the exit. Bob caught up with her outside and tried to grab her arm to stop her, but she wheeled on him. “Don’t fucking touch me, you son of a bitch!” she screamed. “How the fuck could you do this to Ruthie?”

“You don’t know what it’s like living with her, Gwen. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did. I’m sorry this is going to hurt Ruthie, but I’m not sorry I finally have a chance to be happy with a normal woman after all the years of crap I’ve had to deal with.”

Gwen’s stomach rolled. She thought she might actually throw up. She held up a hand to silence him and stumbled backward. “Get the fuck away from me, you lying bastard. I can’t believe I actually thought you were a good guy.” She ran for her car, only realizing she was sobbing once inside. Her fingers trembled so bad she dropped her key three times before she seated it in the ignition and started the engine.

When she walked into the living room at home, she found Liam on the couch, working on his laptop. “How’d it go, sis?” Once he spotted her tears, he set the computer on the coffee table and opened his arms.

She fell onto the couch and Liam held her while she sobbed. She felt grateful he didn’t bother asking what happened.

Retelling it might make her sick.

Her BlackBerry rang—“Wipe Out.”

Ruthie.

She shoved it at him. “I can’t talk to her,” she said, her voice a haggard whisper. “Please, talk to her. Tell her anything, but I can’t talk to her yet.”

Confused, he answered. “Hiya, Ruthie, what’s up?…She’s upstairs taking a nap. I kept her up late last night. Don’t want to talk to me, huh?” he joked. “That’s okay, you know I was just teasing you, kiddo. So what’re you up to?” After chatting with her for five minutes, he got her off the phone.

His eyes met Gwen’s. He brushed the hair from her forehead. “All right, sis,” he quietly said. “I take it things didn’t go well. What happened? Talk to me.”

“I met the baby’s father,” she managed to choke out. “Now I know why Amy was terrified to tell us who he was.” She stared at her phone, which he still held.

He frowned as he studied the phone. Then he closed his eyes and swore as he connected the dots. “Oh, no.”

She nodded. “Oh, yes. The fuckwad was there at the doctor with her.”

He looked at her. “Oh, fuck me. Poor Ruthie. Did he explain himself?”

“I didn’t give him a chance. There’s nothing either of them can say to me to explain themselves. They’ve been seeing each other for six months.” She laid her head in his lap and let him stroke her hair. “There is no excuse. What? She accidentally fell on his dick enough times to get knocked up?”

He laughed. “That’s a good one. You should use that in a book.”

“It’s not funny.”

He sighed. “No, unfortunately, it’s not funny.”

She wanted Tim and Jack. She wanted to curl up in their arms and sob herself to sleep. But they were a half a country away in Rapid City, and Jack wanted nothing to do with her.

“I can’t tell Ruthie,” she finally said. “It’ll kill her. Or she’ll kill him. Or I’ll kill him, I don’t know. All I do know is I can’t tell her.”

“Don’t tell her. You shouldn’t. It’s not your job.”

“But what do I say? She’s my friend.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t say anything.” He stroked her hair. “It’s between Bob and her.” He glared. “And Amy.”

“I hate Amy for this.” She looked back at all the times Amy made snide comments about Ruthie. “She knew, all this time, what she was doing and could look me in the eye and…” She swallowed back bile. “I hate them.”

“I think it’s safe to say you’ll agree with me on rescinding our invite to her to live with us.”

“Uh, yeah. And she can fend for herself with Mom and Dad.”

They sat quietly for a few minutes. He laced his fingers through hers. “I hear real estate’s pretty reasonable in South Dakota. You know damn well Jack loves you, too. I saw how he was over you, talked to him myself. He was probably trying to protect his heart, afraid you’d never come back once you left for Ohio.”

She ignored the last part of his comment. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Who says you have to?”

She rolled over in his lap and looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “There’s nothing keeping me here. I sure as hell don’t want anything to do with Amy after this, either. I think my relationship with Mom and Dad would benefit from some distance and a few state lines between us. I can work from anywhere I have high-speed internet. I bet Tim’s offer is still good.” He played with her hair. “You and Jack could have a heart-to-heart and patch things up.”

“You’d do that for me?”

He nodded. “Uh, duh. You’re my baby sister. You’re the one person in my life I know loves me the way I am.” He brushed another stray hair away from her face. “You’re as miserable without them as I was living at Mom and Dad’s. I’ve got my happily-ever-after, romance writer girl. Well, happily enough for me for now considering what the past couple of years have been like. It’s time for you to get yours.”

She snorted. “Tell Jackson Kelly that. I won’t ask Tim to break up with him, and Jackson made it perfectly clear to me where I stand with him.”

“So? Then we can move anywhere you want. You name it. I’ve got health insurance, so that’s not an issue. I’ll pay my share of the bills. Roomies. We could move to Laguna Beach.” He winked.

She ignored his implication. “Too expensive to live there.” She’d never lived anywhere but Ohio, within twenty minutes of her parents. “I don’t know. Moving’s a huge step.”

“Think about it. Whatever you want to do, kiddo. Seriously. You and me.” He held her chin and made her meet his gaze. “Let’s take a chance and do it. As long as we have each other, we can do anything, right? Just you and me.”

She patted his arm. “You and me.”

* * *

Jack spent a miserable morning at work. He knew he radiated a foul mood from the minimum ten-foot distance everyone gave him. He threw pens and file folders down on his desk, and nearly broke his desk phone when he slammed the handset down.

It didn’t help that he’d gotten into a screaming match with Tim the night before over the phone, and again this morning. Now he was wondering if he’d lost both Gwen and Tim because of his stupidity.

I should call her. I should call her, apologize, and beg her to come back.

He couldn’t make himself do it. Mostly, because he didn’t know why he wanted to do it. He still wasn’t convinced his feelings for Gwen were really for Gwen and not because she looked like Mel. Sure, Gwen was a great person in her own right, but would it be fair to her in case in a month or a year he realized he wasn’t in love with her for who she was?

That didn’t ease the ache in his heart.

* * *

She called Ruthie back a little later, after she’d blown her nose and washed her face and didn’t feel like throwing up. She forced cheer into her voice. “Hey, girlie, what’s up?”

Ruthie sounded subdued. “I need to talk to you.”

Gwen’s stomach knotted and threatened to upend. “About what?”

Gwen heard her take a deep breath. “I’m going to leave Bob.”

“What?”

“Before you ask me, yes, I took my meds this morning, and yes, I had breakfast and lunch.”

Gwen ignored Liam’s questioning look. “Honey, what’s going on?” As if she couldn’t guess. Gwen wondered if the rat bastard told Ruthie she’d confronted him and Amy at the doctor’s office.

Ruthie actually sounded calmer and more rational than she had in years. “I overheard him talking to someone on the phone last night. I didn’t confront him. I heard him talking about meeting her today. So I called him on his cell a little bit ago, asked him how he was doing, and he said he was at work.”

Gwen closed her eyes. “And?”

“So I hung up with him and called his office. I told them who I was, that I’d just got off the phone with my husband, and said he asked me to call them to see if he left his umbrella there. See? I didn’t go off half cocked. The receptionist went and looked for me. Obviously, he wasn’t in his office. So I called him right back and pretended like I forgot I needed him to bring stuff home for me from the store and talked for another minute or two, like everything was fine. Then he told me he has to go, that he’s going into a meeting.”

“Maybe he didn’t mean at the office.”

“No, he told me his receptionist came in to tell him his appointment was there early.”

Gwen didn’t know what to say, so she kept her mouth shut.

“Gwen, I can’t live like this. I know I don’t always think clearly, but dammit, for the past six months, something’s been different about him and even I know it. He hides his cell phone all the time. If he leaves it around, he’s wiped the call logs. He changed the password on his e-mail account. He did a bunch of little stuff I didn’t think about at first. I know I’m not easy to live with, but I can’t live with him if I can’t trust him.” She cried. “He’d be better off without me anyway.”

“Ruthie,” she soothed, “please don’t talk like that.”

She let out a snort of disgust. “I don’t mean killing myself. I don’t even mean killing him.” She sniffled. “I already called my brother. He’s driving over right now. He said I can stay with them. He’s always hated Bob anyway.”

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“Yeah. I don’t even want to know who it is. I don’t care.”

Gwen stifled a guilty pang. “I’m so sorry, honey.”

Ruthie sniffled again. “Listen, I need to get off here and pack some stuff. If Bob calls you looking for me, don’t tell him where I am, okay? Please? Just tell him I’m safe and that I wanted to go away for a few days. I need to get my shit together, get my life back. I’m tired of living like this. You can call me on my cell, I’ll have it with me.”

Maybe this was a good sign. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course you can, as much as you put up with me.”

“Liam and I might be moving.”

She gasped. “You’re getting back together with your guys?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I’d say that.” She wouldn’t allow herself the luxury of hope. “I haven’t even decided for sure if we will move, but Liam wants to move, and frankly, I want to be someplace else. We love Amy and our parents, but we agree it’d be healthier for both of us to put some distance between us and them. At least for now.”

“Good for you!” She laughed. “I’ll still call you and bug you.”

Gwen laughed, too. “You’d better. I’ll get mad if you don’t.”

“You’re a good friend, Gwen. Do you know how much I love you?”

She would miss Ruthie like hell. As exasperating as her friend could be at times, she really did love her. The things that had happened to her weren’t her fault, and Gwen couldn’t honestly say she wouldn’t have reacted exactly the same way Ruthie had. “I love you, too, Ruthie. I promise we’ll come visit you.” They said good-bye. After Gwen hung up, she stared at the phone.

“Well?” Liam asked.

She related the conversation and he shook his head. “Well, that saves you the hassle. Talk about fortuitous.”

“Yeah.” She looked at him. “You mean it? You really want to move?”

“Anywhere you want to go, sis. I have money saved up, about thirty grand. I was going to use it to move out of Mom and Dad’s. Might as well use it for us to move. Or we can use it for a down payment on a house even.” He studied her expression. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared.”

He smiled and pulled her in for a hug. “Me too, kiddo. We can be scared together, okay?”

* * *

To keep fireworks to a minimum, they’d relented and accepted their mother’s invitation to come over that night for dinner. Gwen prayed Amy didn’t show up despite her mother complaining she couldn’t get Amy to return her calls. Liam rolled out of his bedroom door in his wheelchair.

“Are you hurting?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Nope. Just resting up.” He grinned. “I’ll be damned if I’ll show up there in my chair. We’re not even taking the walker. I’ll take my cane. But I’ll use this until we leave so I don’t wear myself out.”

“Do we tell them tonight about the move?”

He nodded. “Yep. I plan to. We’ll tell them I accepted a job out west.”

“Why? We don’t even know where we’re going yet.” She didn’t even know where she wanted to go. Anywhere far enough to allow her to run from her painful memories.

Anywhere that would take her mind off Tim and Jack.

“Because it’ll take the pressure off you, and because you damn well know where we’re moving to.” He smiled. “I’d love to live out there and be able to see the West. If we don’t like it, in a year or so we’ll move somewhere else. Or hell, we can buy an RV and travel. Neither one of us needs to be tied down.”

She put her hands on her hips. “You need doctors.”

He shrugged. “So? We schedule travel to coincide around my doctor appointments. No biggie. There are doctors out there who deal with MS who aren’t in the Columbus area.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Come on, hot guys for you, hot guys for me, we can scope them out together.”

She burst out laughing. “You’re too much.” She walked over and hugged him. “And I wubs you, bro.”

“Wubs you too, sis.” When she straightened, he grabbed her hands and squeezed, hard. “You and me, right? No matter what they say to us at dinner? You have my back and I have yours, right? Promise?”

“Yeah, I promise. No matter what.”

She didn’t know if she liked the devious grin he wore. “Good. Now let’s get my ass loaded.”

They pulled up to their parents’ house a little after six. Gwen no sooner had the ignition turned off when her mom flew out the front door, hovering over Liam as he tried to get out.

“Mom,” he said, a hard edge to his voice, “I love you, but back the hell off.”

She looked hurt. “I just want to help!”

“I know, but I can do this. Just stand back.” He used his cane and carefully unfolded himself from the seat. He smiled. “See?”

“Where’s your chair? You should be using your chair outside!”

“I made Gee leave it home. I didn’t need it, and it’s stupid to make her load it.”

Her mother shot Gwen a dark look through the car to where Gwen hadn’t unfastened her seatbelt yet. “Why are you letting him walk and wear himself out?”

Before she could respond, Liam waved his hand in his mother’s face. “Helloooo, standing right here, Mom. Not a baby, not an invalid. Get over it.”

Gwen knew that look she gave him, the hard set to her jaw. Guilt trip alert. “Well,” she huffed. “I’m glad to see I’m not needed.”

Liam’s sharp tone surprised Gwen. “Mom, stop it. Right now. Cut the guilt crap. I tried for years to tell you I wasn’t a baby, and you never listened. I love you, and believe me, I really appreciate everything you and Dad did for me, but I’m okay and I’m getting along fine with Gwen. You and Dad should be enjoying your privacy.”

Their mom turned on her heel and stormed back to the house. Liam ducked his head and looked inside the car. “Bok bok bok,” he clucked at her.

She finally unfastened her seatbelt. “I’m not a chicken.”

“Bok.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, earning herself a laugh from him.

After getting out and locking the car, she followed a step behind him, close enough she could steady him if he stumbled, but not hovering. He made it up the drive and onto the front porch without trouble or hesitation. He went straight to the dining room, where their mom had already set the table. Their dad walked in, a thunderous look on his face.

“What did you say to upset your mother?” He directed the question at Gwen.

Liam raised his hand. “Get off her case. Mom’s mad at me. I told her I didn’t need any help walking from the car and she tried to chew Gee out for not bringing my chair.”

Their father’s gaze didn’t waver from Gwen. “Well, why didn’t you bring his chair?”

“Yo, Dad. I’m sitting right here.” Gwen recognized the frustration and barely checked anger in Liam’s voice. He’d had enough, and now that he wasn’t living here, he’d make his stand. “I told her not to bring it.”

“You’re supposed to take care of your brother—”

Liam’s fist slammed into the table, rattling the dishes and making Gwen jump. “Dad, stop it! Right now!”

Their father finally looked at Liam. “What did you say to me?”

“I said stop it. I’m thirty-five, not a kid, not a baby. Lay off Gee. If you have a problem, take it up with me, not her.”

Their mother appeared in the doorway, a pinched look on her face and a casserole dish in hand. She set it on a hot pad on the table. “Everyone sit down,” she said, ignoring the fireworks. “It’s ready.”

“Do you need any help, Mom?” Gwen asked.

She didn’t even look back as she turned. “No.”

Without the leaf, the dining room table was round. Gwen sat with Liam on her right and her mother on her left. Liam reached under the table and patted her thigh reassuringly.

Their father sat in his usual place, a dark, thunderous look on his face as he glared at them.

Gwen wondered when the true fireworks would start. She fought the nervous roll her stomach took and prayed she didn’t yak all over the table.

Her mother finished bringing out the food. During her father saying grace, Liam reached over and held Gwen’s hand under the table. As their father finished, Liam gave her hand a gentle squeeze. When she looked at him, he winked.

This would be okay. This time she was fine letting him step into protective big brother mode without feeling guilty or irritated about it.

Truth be told, she needed it. She didn’t know if she was strong enough to stand up to their parents on her own about this, even at her age.

The conversation was strained all throughout dinner as they moved on to dessert. Liam forged on as if everything was fine, deliberately ignoring their father’s stony silence and their mother’s clipped replies.

Finally, their mother thawed a little. “I still can’t believe Amy has turned like this. I don’t know what is wrong with her. I wonder if she’s taking drugs?”

“No, Mom, she’s not taking drugs,” Liam said. “She’s just trying to figure out her life. Midlife crisis.”

Mom sniffed. “Well. I don’t know why she should be having a crisis. What is there to be…crisising about? She only works part time. If she’d stayed here, you wouldn’t have moved out—”

“Mom, don’t,” Liam gently warned. “Don’t go there. Please. Let’s enjoy dinner.”

Gwen inwardly groaned at their mother’s high-pitched tone. That indicated tears would soon follow. “Well, it’s true, isn’t it? She leaves, you leave.”

Gwen gave Liam credit for trying. He kept his voice gentle. “Mom, I moved out because it’s time for you and Dad to get your lives back. When he retires, you two can do everything you planned. Gee and I get along great—”

“And we didn’t? I thought you were happy living here. I tried so hard.”

Their father said nothing.

Gwen’s stomach rolled, but Liam continued, undeterred. “Remember how you freaked out when each of us left for college? Think of it like that. Only you should be glad it’s me and Gee sticking together. You always told us as kids that we should stick together.”

That mollified her a little. “Well, I do have to say I’m proud of you two for being so close. Now if I could only figure out where we went wrong with your sister.” She dramatically sighed.

“You didn’t ‘go wrong’ with any of us.” Liam took a bite of his peach cobbler as Gwen was suddenly seized by a really bad feeling her brother was up to something. He didn’t disappoint, either. “Being pregnant will do that to you,” he blithely added.

Gwen froze. Liam continued eating as if he hadn’t just dropped a Hiroshima-sized bomb on their parents.

Their father finally spoke. “What did you say?” His voice sounded tight and strained. She prayed he wasn’t close to having a coronary.

Liam took another bite of his cobbler as if nothing was wrong. “Pregnant. Amy had her OB appointment today.” He frowned a little. “Didn’t she tell you about it? Mom, this cobbler is great, as usual. Gee, do you have the recipe so you can make it for us at home?”

Gwen fervently prayed Liam had an exit strategy. Her stomach dangerously rolled again.

Their mother looked stunned. “Amy is not pregnant. She’s…she’s not married. She doesn’t even have a man in her life!”

Liam snorted. “Um, yeah, she is.” He faked innocent confusion. Gwen recognized that expression from when they were kids. “I could have swore she said she told you guys about the baby.”

Their father threw his napkin on the table. “What is going on? No one’s told us anything! What baby? What in Heaven’s name are you talking about?”

Gwen forced down the last bite of her cobbler and kept her mouth shut. Liam finished his and leaned back in his chair. “I’m sorry, Dad. I thought she told you.” The picture of Mr. Innocence.

“Who’s the father?” their dad demanded.

“Now that I don’t know. She didn’t tell us that.” Okay, technically that was the truth. She didn’t tell them. Gwen had figured it out on her own after catching Amy and Rat Bastard red-handed.

Oh, good, another man to nickname.

Their mother shook her head in disbelief. “No. I don’t believe it.”

Liam scratched his head. “Well, sorry to be the bearer of all this bad news tonight. Amy’s pregnant, Gee and I are moving to South Dakota, and I’m gay.”

Gwen closed her eyes, her lips pressed together, cringing, waiting.

Their father did not disappoint. “If this is some idea of a joke, young man—”

“Oh, it’s no joke, Dad.” She heard Liam push his chair back. She didn’t dare open her eyes yet. “We love you, but you two have been operating under some pretty unrealistic ideals for a long, long time. Gee makes a damn good living at what she does. Amy has a life to live, and so do I. I’m tired of being scared of hiding who I am around you. Now I don’t have to. I’m going to move out there and start a new life, and Gee is willing to pull up stakes and go with me.”

Gwen finally dared open her eyes. Her parents stared at her. Her father trembled with anger and jabbed a finger at her. “This is all your fault, young lady! You writing that…that…filth! You’ve corrupted your brother!”

“Stop!” Liam stood, holding on to the table for balance. Gwen felt close to tears, but the protective anger on Liam’s face kept her from breaking down. “Gee is the one person I felt safe coming out to. The first person I came out to. This isn’t her fault, it’s the way I am, the way I was born. So back off, Dad. I knew you’d react this way. It’s why I was afraid to admit the truth to you. Well, I don’t have to be afraid anymore. I love you, and I love Mom, and I’m grateful beyond words for your love and support and care when I got sick, but it’s time for me to suck it up and move on and be who I need to be. Now I’m not scared to take care of myself anymore.” He grabbed his cane and held his hand out to Gwen. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go home.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” their father screamed. “You’re going to stay here and discuss this, and then I’m calling our minister and have him come talk to you.”

Their mother didn’t rise from her chair. She sat there and cried. Gwen felt a little guilty about that, it coming down to this, but she trusted Liam and knew a confrontation would have happened regardless of how they approached it with their father.

Liam shook his head. “Sorry, Dad. This isn’t a demon you can say a few prayers over and exorcise. I’m gay, not possessed. Deal with it. You have a gay son, you have one daughter who makes her living writing erotica, and another daughter knocked up out of wedlock. The irony is, of course, that the knocked-up daughter is not the one who writes erotica, but the ‘good’ daughter, the one you’ve thrown in poor Gee’s face all these years.”

Gwen took his hand and stood, her own tears close to the surface.

Liam looked at her. “Come on, sweetie,” he gently said. “Let’s go home.” She let him lead her toward the front door.

Their father moved faster and blocked their exit. Liam still had a good three inches of height on him. “You’re not going anywhere!” their father roared. “You’re going to stay here so we can pray over you!”

Liam’s voice dropped, angry. “Get out of our way, Dad. We’re leaving.”

“I’m not moving!”

“Okay then.” Liam hooked his cane over his arm and, without releasing Gwen’s hand, reached into his pocket for his cell.

“What are you doing?” their father demanded.

“I’m calling 911 and telling them you’re holding us hostage and refusing to let us leave.”

Their mother finally stood and rushed to the front door. She grabbed their father’s arm. “Dave, please, just let them go!”

Liam’s thumb hovered over the send button on his phone. “What’ll it be, Dad?” Gwen never remembered hearing Liam sound so angry. “We’re not staying and being subjected to your abuse about our lives. We’re not backing down. Not this time. It’s time you see the truth about who your children are and learn to deal with it. You want to go after someone, go after Amy for scaring the crap out of all of us by disappearing the way she did and getting herself pregnant.”

Gwen clung to Liam’s arm, terrified he’d follow through with his threat to call. As pissed off as she could get at her parents, she didn’t want either of them in jail.

Their father finally let their mother pull him aside. Liam nodded and thumbed the end button to clear the number from his phone before he slipped it back into his pocket. “Mom, Dad, we love you. We are grateful to you, and we think you were good parents. But we are adults and we are tired of having to hide the truth about ourselves and trying to fight for your approval. We love you the way you are. We just wish you loved us for who we are and saw us for the functioning, successful adults we became. You did good. That should be good enough for you, and I’m sorry it’s not. No matter how much we love you, I’m not letting you bully us anymore.”

Gwen didn’t miss Liam’s particular phrasing, still the protective big brother.

Liam tugged on Gwen’s arm and pulled her toward the door. He grabbed his cane as she opened the front door for him. Not releasing her, he led her through the doorway and guided her to her car.

He didn’t let go until after she opened the passenger door for him and he got in, where he winked at her. “Let’s go.”

She cast a nervous glance at the front door, where her parents stood, staring at them.

Her tears hit a block from their house. She pulled over into a parking lot and cried with her forehead on the steering wheel until she laughed, then cried again. “What the fuck, Li? You told them about Amy!”

He rubbed her shoulder. “Well, I figured hey, it would take some of the sting out of me coming out to them and telling them about us moving. It worked, didn’t it? They didn’t even complain about the move.” He shrugged. “Besides, serves Amy right for sleeping with Ruthie’s husband.”

She spied his playful smile, which started her laughing again. She leaned over and they hugged for a long time. “Well, now you are really stuck with me,” she said.

He patted her on the back. “Yeah, well, if you think I’m going to let my baby sister move halfway across the country without me where I can’t keep an eye on her, think again.”

They both sat back. Gwen found a napkin between the seats and blew her nose. “So what now?”

He laughed. “I’d suggest a bar, but that might get us in trouble. How about over there?” He pointed down the street, to a liquor store.

She nodded and shifted the Element into drive. “Damn fine idea, bro. Damn fine idea.”

Chapter Thirteen

“You and your stupid fucking ideas.” Blurry-eyed and hung over, Gwen sat at the kitchen table with a steaming mug of coffee in front of her.

Liam didn’t look much better. “Hey, you were the one playing Mad Scientist Bartender last night. I thought I taught you better than that. Never mix grape and grain, that’s what I said.” He smiled at her then eventually laughed.

She couldn’t help it. She smiled and laughed with him despite her pounding head. She didn’t want to check her e-mail, knowing, yet again, there wouldn’t be any messages from Tim.

Then again, what had she expected? She had told him not to contact her out of respect for Jack.

God, I’m such a fucking moron. Why had she pushed Tim away just because Jack rejected her?

That hurt almost as much as her hangover.

Liam reached across the table and gripped her hand. “Partners, right? Laurel and Hardy.”

“Abbot and Costello.”

“Ponch and Jon.”

She grinned. “Bugs and Daffy.”

“Pinky and the Brain.” He squeezed her hand. “You okay, Pinky?”

Gwen nodded with a smile that eventually faded. “Yeah. It feels weird though. In a scary, freeing sort of way. Like there’s nothing left to lose. Nothing left to be afraid of.”

He nodded. “Yeah,” he softly said. “That’s exactly what it feels like for me, too.” They stared at each other for a moment. “I want to show you something,” he said. He got to his feet and, without his cane, slowly but steadily walked to his room. He returned a moment later with several sheets of paper and sat beside her. “What do you think?”

She looked through them, print outs from a local RV dealership website. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Look, here’s my idea. We get an RV, I’ll put the down payment on it and hell, I’ll even make the payments. We get a tow dolly for your car. We pack up the house and my shit and we put it in storage. We rent out your house, use an agent to manage it for you. That way you don’t have to commit to selling it right now and it’s still making money to pay the taxes and insurance and stuff. We spend a couple of months driving around, wherever we want. California. Florida. Maine. Hell, we can go up to Canada or down to Mexico if we want. An RV is small enough I can get around in it okay, maybe even easier than a damn house. Neither of us are pack rats. We stay in a place for a few days or weeks, we both work during the day, hang out at night and whistle at cute guys.”

She smiled at his hopeful grin. “You do realize the majority demographic of RVers tends to be retired married couples, right?”

“That’s why we keep the Element and tow it. Then we can go cruising together.” He grabbed her hands. “Remember when we were kids we talked about traveling the world together? We were going to climb Everest and Kilimanjaro. We were going to see Paris and Tokyo. We were going to take a cruise and all that shit. Remember that night before I graduated high school?”

She remembered, but hadn’t realized he did. They’d lain outside on a blanket in their backyard, just the two of them, her cuddled against her big brother and staring up at a beautiful full moon in a cloudless sky. They’d talked about seeing the world together, inseparable. She’d worried his graduation was the loss of her brother, her best friend. That he’d go to college and she’d hardly ever see him.

That she’d be stuck there at home, with her parents, and facing her father’s scowling face alone every morning before school. A father who chastised her for “wasting time” taking creative writing classes and who always glorified Amy’s stellar math scores.

Liam had spent that evening alone with her, instead of with his friends, assuring her nothing could be further from the truth. That he would never abandon her.

He never had, either.

She looked at the papers again. He let her think and didn’t interrupt her.

“You can’t drive an RV to Tokyo,” she teased to break the tension.

He grinned. “I know. Fuck Tokyo. I want to see Key West. Heard there’s lots of hot guys there.”

She laughed. “I assume San Francisco’s on the itinerary, too?”

He shrugged. “Why not? We don’t have to travel forever, you know. Let’s give it six months. An extended working vacation. Hell, you can set up book signings and we can deduct it. If we like it, we go another six months, and so on. We don’t like it, we pick somewhere, anywhere, and settle down and have our stuff shipped to us.”

“I feel like I’m about to jump off a cliff.”

He stroked her cheek. “I’ll catch you, sis. I promise. I wubs you.”

She felt tears again and threw her arms around him. “I wubs you too, bro. Okay. Let’s do it.”

* * *

Jack worked a lot of overtime starting from the day Tim returned to Rapid City for the next couple of weeks. He couldn’t bear the hurt and pain in Tim’s eyes. When Tim tried to discuss Gwen, he shut him down.

He couldn’t bear it.

Yes, he loved her. But that was stupid, because he barely knew her. Maybe the only reason he reacted the way he did to her was her uncanny resemblance to Mel.

And that wasn’t love. That was bullshit. It wasn’t fair to her, and it wasn’t fair to Tim. How long before the resemblance wasn’t enough to make up for the differences in her personality from Mel?

After a few weeks, he and Tim settled into some semblance of normal, but he noticed his lover was more subdued, less playful.

Morose.

Tim looked and acted like Jack felt.

Miserable.

Missing Gwen.

There were plenty of times he contemplated sending her an e-mail, or asking Tim to go ahead and e-mail her regardless of what she’d said to Tim, but then he’d chicken out. What if she’d already moved on? What if he was wrong and she had only been in it for the fun? If she really wanted them, wouldn’t she have tried harder to hold on to them?

It wasn’t worth the heartache. The new heartache, that was.

He was already used to heartache. Tim didn’t call him Stoneface for nothing.

* * *

Jonathan, Markham, and Shelaine didn’t waste any time. The men stripped first, and helped Shelaine out of the remainder of her frocks before collapsing to the soft, down-stuffed mattress.

“You will be a well-fucked woman tonight, love,” Jonathan promised.

She giggled. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” Two days before the full moon, Markham’s voice always sounded nearly like a growl, even when full of sibilants. “We will bury our cocks deep and hard inside you and make you howl like a she-wolf.”

Their searingly filthy language in bed always melted her insides and turned her pussy wet and wanton. “Then fuck me, my mates, so howl I might.”

The men jumped on her, hard and fast, making her smile. Being surrounded by her virile mates, who were perpetually horny this time of the month, always made her feel lustful and beautiful.

Jonathan’s thick member accurately slid home into her pussy, staking its claim there. Markham would have to grab the lotion and take her from behind. “Ah, woman, you unman me—”

“Earth to Gwen,” Liam teased. “You back in werewolf world?”

“Oh, sorry.” She smiled. “Yeah, writing in my head. Occupational hazard, you know.” Her first Pellington Pack novel had soared to number one on her publisher’s bestseller list within twenty-four hours of release. Her editor immediately asked if she had more on the way. She hadn’t originally planned to make it a series, but she wasn’t going to argue or complain at the additional two books they gave her advances on. Being on the beach seemed to inspire her, stoked her imagination.

Gwen buried her toes into the warm, white sand and wiggled them. “So, what do you think?”

Liam sat, his cane in the sand beside him, head thrown back, eyes closed behind his sunglasses. He’d splayed his arms out behind him and looked happier than she’d ever seen him. “Sun. Sand. Waves. It’s fucking snowing in Ohio, did you know that? I looked it up this morning. It’s seventy-five here, and I’m probably getting laid tonight.”

He looked at her with a wide grin. “Life is gooood, sis. Damn good. That’s what I think.”

She couldn’t help but smile with him. Liam had made friends online with a guy, Hal, in Sarasota. Probably not long-term relationship material, he admitted, but they would meet up tonight and possibly spend the night together at a nearby hotel. She’d drive Liam to the restaurant, hang out long enough for Liam to decide if he wanted to go through with it, then she’d return to the RV.

Where she would, invariably, wait up all night with her cell phone in her lap, praying he was all right and having fun.

“No regrets?” she asked.

“Nope. You?”

She shook her head and stared out at the Gulf of Mexico. She missed Tim and Jack, but knew that was a dead end as far as her heart was concerned. She couldn’t get Jack’s angry words out of her mind and didn’t want to try beating herself up for the loss. “No regrets.” She reached over and cupped his hand. “Thelma and Louise.”

He roared with laughter. “I’m not driving off any cliff for you, baby sis, and I’m damn sure not letting you drive off one.” He shifted position and draped an arm around her, then kissed the top of her head. “Wubs you.”

She snuggled closer. She had Liam. So far, romantic love had brought her nothing but heartache. First Dickweed, then Tim and Jack. Liam was the bright spot in her life. For the rest…

Well, she had a vibrator that never let her down—as long as she kept fresh batteries in it. “Wubs you too, bro.”

* * *

Liam looked a little nervous as he tried to tie his necktie. He finally gave up and turned to Gwen. “Please?”

She smiled and fixed it for him. “You never wear a tie for me.” She faked a pout.

He laughed. “Um, yeah. I don’t date you, either. You get a tie on your birthday dinner, I promise.” He’d put on jeans, a button-up shirt, and the blue tie covered in flamingoes.

“Why this tie?” she asked.

He looked shocked. “You gave me this tie! It’s my lucky tie.” He smiled and pulled her in for a hug. “Thanks for doing this for me, sis. I really appreciate it.”

“You locked and loaded?” she teased. She’d spotted the empty condom box in the bathroom trash.

“Yeah.” He patted his back pocket. “Armed and ready.” He’d been having a few really good weeks, not even needing his cane. She’d let him drive the Element a little, too, but not tonight. He felt far too nervous to drive. They got in the Element and he sat with his cane propped between his legs as she drove, fiddling with it, anxiously spinning it around between his palms as he stared out the window.

“Second thoughts?” she asked.

“No. Just hoping he doesn’t use a safeword and run for cover.”

“If he does, he’s an asshole who doesn’t deserve you.”

“Leave it to you to cheer me up, kiddo.”

She walked into the restaurant with him, close enough that he could easily reach out and grab her arm if he needed her to steady him. Hal was already there, sitting in the foyer and waiting for them. He stood when they walked in and she hung back for a moment while they shook hands and said hello.

Hal was cute. She felt a momentary stab of envy for Liam—and jealousy that unless Hal turned out to chew with his mouth open, Liam would most likely be busy that night.

“Gee.” She turned when Liam called her. He held out his hand to her and she walked over. “This is my sister, Gwen. Gwen, Hal.”

Hal offered a warm smile and a firm, but not obnoxiously strong handshake. “Nice to meet you. Liam’s told me a lot about you. I love your books, I’ve read all of them.”

Her turn to blush. “Thank you.” She wanted the night to be for Liam, not focused on her.

Dinner was fun, and by time for dessert, Liam had already given her their okay signal. She let out a yawn. “If you boys don’t mind, I’m going to head on back home.” She shook again with Hal. “It was very nice meeting you,” she assured him. She leaned in and hugged Liam and whispered in his ear, “Have fun. Wubs you.”

“Wubs you too, sis.”

She took her time driving back to the RV park, fighting her melancholy as she stared at houses already putting up Christmas lights. They planned to stay in Sarasota another week before heading south to Key West, where’d they’d spend at least a month or two. Then they’d slowly make their way west toward California in the spring. They wanted to avoid any snowstorms. Once spring settled in, they planned to take the Pacific Coast Highway north, through Oregon and Washington, then cut east through Seattle, Spokane, and eventually end up in Rapid City after the mountain passes were clear of snow.

There were a lot of National Parks, monuments, and tourist traps between Key West and South Dakota they could hit, lots of fodder for stories. Liam was already busy coordinating book signings with her agent and publishers all over Florida that winter, so she really couldn’t back out. He worked so hard for her.

And let’s face it, Rapid City is just big enough we could live there and never run into Tim and Jack as long as we don’t get ourselves arrested or go into Tim’s store.

Liam wanted another run at the city, to see the sights he missed the first time around. If she couldn’t handle it, he assured her, they’d roll out east across the state, and head maybe up to Maine before the end of the summer, then back south again. True snowbirds, following the good weather and rolling into bookstore parking lots.

She fired up her laptop and checked her e-mail, ignoring the pang of longing when she didn’t see an e-mail from Tim.

When would that die, anyway? When would her heart give up any hope of getting them back? It’d been stupid to rush into it in the first place, should have known better. Quickies were fun, but not when it meant getting your heart broken in the process.

She shut the computer down and tried to watch TV. Nothing interested her.

The sound of “Wipe Out” on her cell phone made her jump. “Ruthie?”

She sounded…happy. “Hi, Gee. How’s the road tripping?”

“What’s going on?”

Ruthie laughed. “I know, I sound normal, don’t I? Guess what I did today?”

“You finally killed Bob?”

Ruthie laughed again. “No! I took my first driving lesson.”

She sat up. “Your first what?”

“Driving lesson! My brother signed me up, said I should go take them even though I still have my license, to get used to driving again.”

“That’s…that’s fantastic!”

“You want to know what’s even better?”

“Bob fell in a woodchipper?”

Ruthie’s laughed sounded almost alien to Gwen’s ears. How many years since she’d heard her friend genuinely laugh like that? “Not quite. My instructor asked me out on a date.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He’s nice, too. Divorced, two kids. He gets along with his ex okay, they got married young and grew apart.”

“Holy crap, Ruthie, that’s fantastic!”

“I know, it’s a sign.” She went quiet for a minute. “I also wanted to tell you thank you.”

“For what?”

“Bob finally admitted what he did with Amy. What’s going on with them. He said you saw them at the doctor’s and that you and Liam pretty much disowned her.”

Gwen closed her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was afraid to, but dammit, I couldn’t stay there and look at her knowing what she’d done with him. I’m so sorry.”

“No, I know. It’s okay. I understand. But thank you for not abandoning me.”

Guilt pierced her. “Um, I’m halfway across the country, honey, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Yeah, but we talk all the time like we always did, so that’s okay. And you let me rent your house. I can’t thank you enough for this. I mean it.”

“You handling things okay?”

“Yeah. Bob refinanced the house and paid me my half of the equity to buy me out, and he’s buying me a car. He agreed to alimony for ten years unless I get a job paying more, and he’ll pay my health insurance and my deductibles.” She hesitated. “Amy moved in with him last week. They found out they’re having a girl.”

“I bet my parents are going batshit.”

“Not too bad. Your mom’s adopted me.”

Gwen grimaced. “Oh, Ruthie, I’m so sorry.”

Ruthie roared with laughter. “No, it’s okay, really. She’s over here all the time, and she takes me shopping when I need something. Your dad comes over and helps me with the yard and stuff. It’s okay.” Another pause. “She asked me today how you guys were doing, if I’d heard from you lately.”

“She could call. You said you gave her my new number.” Gwen had changed her cell number after two more drunk-dialing calls from Dickweed.

“I think she’s afraid to.”

Another pang of guilt. “Never stopped her before.”

“Maybe you should call her. I know, I know, but do it. It’d make her feel better to hear from you and Liam.”

“Better not call tonight then.”

“Why not?” Gwen explained Liam was out on a date. Ruthie laughed. “Oh. Um, yeah, maybe leave that part out. I think she still hopes he’ll meet a nice girl and settle down.”

“Lucky bastard. The guy’s cute, too.”

“Ah.” Another pause. Gwen began to dread those. “You should call your mom. Seriously. She misses you. I think she understands now. She didn’t see before. She went from having three kids to basically none. Amy won’t talk to them, and your father’s disowned her. Which has left your mom out in the cold because she’s afraid to stand up to your father. I think she wishes they’d handled things differently all the way around. Oh! She actually read your latest book.”

Gwen’s mind raced. She had two come out in the past month, one of them extremely graphic and erotic. “Which one?”

“The tame one, the Gwen one. The mystery.”

“Whew. Oh.” She didn’t know if she wanted to ask. “And?”

“She really loved it. She asked if I had some of your others she could read. Tame ones. I went through your books and loaned a couple to her.”

Gwen hated the hope she felt. That had gotten her hurt before, by unrealistically expecting emotional support from her parents. She knew they loved her, but it would have been nice to have their blessings about something for a change. “Maybe I’ll call her.”

“I would. It’ll make her feel better.”

Gwen hung up and stared at the phone. After several aborted attempts, she finally bit the bullet, pulled up their number, and hit send.

Her mom answered on the third ring. “Gwen?” Her voice sounded soft, like she was trying not to let her dad hear.

“Hi, Mom. I just talked to Ruthie.”

Her mom’s voice dropped even more, like she didn’t want her father to overhear. “How are you doing, sweetheart? How’s Liam?”

“We’re fine. He’s fine. He’s…out at dinner with a friend tonight.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Um, no. Just a friend. Just dinner.” And hot man boinking. “How are you and Dad?”

She suspected her mom had closed herself in her bedroom or one of the other rooms, because her voice sounded a little more normal. “Good. He’s fine, he’s watching TV in the living room.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry things were left that way between us.”

Gwen fought back her tears. “It’s okay. Liam and I needed this. I couldn’t stay there and watch Amy and Bob together. I just couldn’t.”

“Ruthie really is a sweetheart. I understand why you were so close all these years.” Her mom laughed. “She’s putting up with me. I’m trying not to hover, but she’s such a sweetheart. I really enjoy spending time with her, and it gets me out of the house.” Another pause. “Will you and Liam make it home for Christmas?”

She and Liam had enjoyed their first drama-free, guilt-free Thanksgiving a week earlier. Their first Thanksgiving without their parents and older sister. Not to mention they now considered their RV “home.”

“I don’t think so, Mom. Not this year. We’re going to string lights on the RV and sit on the beach.” She needed to say this and get it off her chest. “We love you guys, we really do. Let’s let things settle a few more months with Dad and Amy. Liam and I aren’t ready to deal with her or him yet. We’re okay. Really.”

“How’s his health…” And there they went. Gwen noticed unlike in the past, where her mom might have railed about what he was doing, she listened to what Gwen said.

Actually listened.

Even more importantly, she didn’t gripe or complain or make suggestions. “I’m glad he’s doing so well. I worried all the driving might be bad for him. Sitting for all that time.”

“No, he can get up and walk around. We’re not on the road all that much. We’re parked more than anything. He loves the beach.”

Her mom’s next statement shocked her. “Ruthie helped me set up my own e-mail account. Can you e-mail me pictures and letters?”

Her mom growing a spine? Her father had always discouraged their mom from using a computer because he didn’t like them and didn’t see a valuable use for e-mail when they had a phone. “Of course! I’ve got some I can e-mail you right now.”

“It’s not a big computer, it’s just a little laptop Ruthie had. I think she said this one was Liam’s old one. She made Bob buy her a brand-new one and gave met this one. I’ve got it set up in Liam’s old room.”

Gwen shot off several photos to her mom. A moment later, her mom laughed. “He’s got a tan! He looks so good! I mean, so do you.”

“Yeah. He’s becoming a beach bum.”

A long pause. Gwen began to wonder if the call dropped. “You both look very happy.”

“We are happy. Like I said, just give us some time.” She’d never told her mom about Tim and Jack, never even hinted she’d had her heart broken. Her mom wouldn’t have understood anyway, and Gwen suspected she would have deserved any admonishments for putting herself into such a stupid and scandalous situation to begin with.

“It wasn’t just the family stuff and Amy,” Gwen said. “Liam and I needed to get some away time, to reset our priorities. To spend time together. We both needed it.”

Another long pause before her mom responded. Tonight was pause night. “Is he out on a date?” her mom whispered. “With a man?”

“Do you want the truth?”

“Yes.”

“You promise not to freak out?”

“Yes.”

“He’s on a date with a very nice man. I got to meet him. We all had dinner together. Liam doesn’t think it’ll develop into anything, but he’s making friends.”

“He’s happy though, right?”

Gwen shoved back her wave of irritation. This was true progress. “He’s really happy. He loves you, and he misses you, but he’s making up for lost time and the things in his life that he lost when he got sick. He needs to do this. He’s not dying.”

She heard her mom sniffle. “I’m glad he’s happy. Maybe if he feels like it, tomorrow he can call me. I’d like to say hi. I promise I won’t nag. I miss you both.”

If Gwen didn’t get off the phone soon, she’d start crying. “I’m sure he’d like that. I’m going to go, I need to charge my cell,” she lied. “It’s almost dead. E-mail me, too. I’ll start e-mailing you now that you’ve got it.”

“I’d really like that. Love you, sweetheart. Please tell Liam I love him, too.”

“Love you, too, Mom.” She got off the phone and stared at it. Then she wrapped her arms around her body and cried herself to sleep on the sofa.

* * *

Tim sat on the back porch with a beer and stared out at the valley. Normally, this time of year, he was already busy decorating the house and outside with lights and decorations, but not this year.

His heart wasn’t in it.

He heard Jack walk onto the deck but didn’t acknowledge him. Jack pulled up a chair next to him and sat down. They’d had a quiet Thanksgiving with Jack’s parents. His mom had been in a good condition, nearly normal, able to have conversations with everyone. If he hadn’t known she had Alzheimer’s, he wouldn’t have suspected.

Jack let out a sigh. “Can we talk?”

“Sure.” He took another pull of his beer.

“What do you want to do for Christmas?”

Tim shrugged. “I don’t really give a shit.” He shot Jack a pointed look.

“How long are you going to mope around like this?”

“Depends.” He took another drink. This was his third beer. He knew he shouldn’t be drinking, because he was in a foul mood to begin with.

“Depends on what?”

“On how long it takes you to quit being a jackass and call Gwen.”

“She won’t talk to me even if I do, you know that.”

“No, I don’t know that.” He finished the beer and stood. “You broke this. You need to be the one to fix it. She didn’t deserve what you did to her. We could all be having Christmas together right now if it wasn’t for what you did.”

Jack stared at his hands. “I told you, this is for the best.”

“No, that’s the bullshit lie you keep telling yourself because you can’t figure out why the fuck you fell in love with her. I know why I fell in love with her. Isn’t it enough that you do love her?”

“Is it?”

“Christ.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “Man, I love you, but sometimes you are a really dumb fuck, you know that?” He stormed into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Jack stared out at the valley. He didn’t tell Tim that he had tried calling her a few days before Thanksgiving.

The number wasn’t good anymore.

* * *

Gwen awoke with a start to find Liam standing over her in the dark RV with a concerned look on his face. “Hey, why aren’t you in bed, sweetie?”

Disoriented, she sat up and looked around. “Um, I fell asleep.” She yawned. “Why are you here? What time is it?”

“Four in the morning.” He sat next to her and shrugged. “It was fun, but I think he and I both knew it would just be a fun night. He brought me home.”

Liam didn’t look upset. “I’m…sorry?”

He laughed. “No, it’s really okay. We agreed friends with bennies was the way to go. Too many differences to make it as more than friends, but attracted enough to each other to…you know, overlook those differences for a night.” He smiled. “Might see him again before we move on, and we agreed to get together whenever we were in town. Plus we’ll keep in touch by e-mail.”

His hair was damp. “You took a shower. Lucky bastard.”

He smiled. “I have to admit, not worrying about hot water and having a shower bigger than a breadbox is a nice luxury. Come on, you can curl up with me and go back to sleep.”

They settled in the back bunk, Gwen nestled in his arms like when they were kids. They’d spent a lot of nights together like that, especially when she was younger and mercilessly teased at school about her braces and glasses. Liam always comforted her even when their father told her she should just suck it up and be tough.

She shoved away her thoughts of Tim and Jack. “Ruthie called,” she said.

“Yeah? How’s she doing?”

“Good. I called Mom, too. Ruthie said I probably should.”

She felt the sudden tension in Liam’s body. “Oh.”

She rolled in his arms to face him. “I told her you were out on a date. She was pretty mellow about it. She said she was sorry about what happened and to tell you she loves you.”

“Go to sleep, kiddo.” She didn’t miss his tight tone. “We’ll talk later in the morning.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Chapter Fourteen

Tim stared at the webpage. He didn’t hear Celia when she walked up behind him. “Still moping, I see?” she said.

He closed the lid of the laptop without turning. “Still spying on me, I see.”

She poked him in the shoulder. “Dude, do I have to smack you with a clue-by-four? You need to either take a leap of faith, or move on. This is just pathetic. Both of you are.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. Tim had let her drag the whole story out of him a few days after he returned from Laguna Beach after Gwen had left.

“Dumbass,” she’d said then. “Write her.”

“She said not to.”

“Yeah, because she’s hurting and in a lot of pain. What the fuck is wrong with that boyfriend of yours? I thought you said he loves her, too? Why’d he run her off?”

“Because he was scared.”

“Dumbass.”

Now, Celia stared at him. Glared at him was more like it. “Write her.”

He shook his head. “I can’t.”

“Dumbass. Then let her go.”

He shook his head again. “I can’t, Celia. I love her and I miss her.” It’d been seven months, and he still missed Gwen. Thought about her every day. Stared at her picture on his phone every day.

Jack missed her, too. He caught his lover looking at the pictures of them at dinner on more than one occasion.

“You’re a fucking dumbass. Both of you.” She shouldered him aside and opened the laptop, pulling up the webpage. Gwen’s website. She scrolled down to the bottom, clicked the “designed by” link that led to another website, then whipped out her cell phone and dialed.

“Who are you calling?” Tim asked.

“The person I should have called months ago when I first found out about all this stupid-ass bullshit, you damn dumbass.” She waited, then when someone answered, she said, “Hi, this is Celia. We met last year at Tim’s store…Right. Look, Tweedledipshit and Tweedledumbass here are pining away for Gwen…” She listened, then laughed brightly. “Cool. Here he is.” She shoved the phone at his face. “Talk to him.”

She gave Tim no choice. He fumbled the phone and stared at her as she stormed across the store to take care of a customer who’d walked in. “Hello?” he tentatively asked.

“Tim?” The man’s voice sounded familiar, but cautious.

“Liam?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

Tim swallowed hard. “Um…” He took a deep breath. Nothing ventured, and all that crap. “Can we talk?”

* * *

Liam remembered Celia. She was funky and friendly and by the way he witnessed her interacting with people, feisty. He tried not to laugh when Tim told him about how she’d finally stepped in.

At least he could talk freely. Gwen was at the grocery store, and he had the RV all to himself. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. I’d love to give your other half a piece of my mind. Gwen’s been miserable.”

“I’m so sorry, Liam. I didn’t know Jack was going to go off like that…” he said, and then he explained a few things Liam didn’t know. Gwen didn’t even know, either, or she might have chosen to stay and fight for the men. She had a hair-trigger temper, but she also fought tenaciously for those she loved. Ruthie was a prime example of that.

And Gwen sure as hell loved those two men.

Liam pondered the possibilities. Because of a whole lot of irrational fear, three people who should be happily living together were miserable.

He felt a smile crease his face. At least, in this case, he could make everything all better for his little sister. “I have a plan.” He saw the Element pull into their designated parking space next to their RV. “Shit. Gwen just got back. Let me e-mail you, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks.”

He hung up and was working on his laptop when she stepped into the RV. “Want help unloading?” he asked.

“Nope. I’ve got it.”

He leaned back. “You feel like packing up at the end of the week, or you want to stay for another week?”

She shrugged. “Whatever you feel like doing. Why?”

They’d spent the winter circling the Southeastern US and staying away from nasty weather, most of it inside Florida, ambling between the Keys, east coast, west coast, and Panhandle. They were currently parked in a small RV park east of Jacksonville, beautiful and surrounded by old oak trees, only minutes from the beaches.

With March in full swing, it was safe to start heading toward California. The weather in the Midwest was currently mild.

And now he had a definite destination in mind. Gwen had a bunch of edits due in the next few weeks, so it would take them the better part of a month to reach their destination.

“I want to head west.”

* * *

“This would be a lot easier if you’d tell me where we’re going,” Gwen snarked.

Liam laughed. “Nope.” He stopped for a red light and looked at her. “I told you, it’s a surprise.” He enjoyed driving the Element. The past several months had been nothing but really good days, his health better than it’d been in years. Neither of them felt comfortable with him driving the RV, but for short drives, he did well with the smaller SUV.

Gwen had an idea the reduced stress of not being around their parents had a positive benefit on his health. She knew it had benefitted hers.

She also had an idea what his surprise was, but didn’t want to hope at the same time she dreaded it.

They wound from Ocean Beach down to Laguna Beach. When they pulled into a small shopping center she spotted the sign and felt her heart doing backflips all the while it dropped through the basement. “Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.” Please tell me it is.

He grinned. “For the past eight months, all I’ve heard from you is how I should take chances and put myself out there. Well, time for you to nut up or shut up, sis.” He leaned across the seat and hugged her, his forehead resting against hers. “Maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Throat dry, she emerged from the car on shaky legs and stared at the storefront. Liam pulled his cane out from behind the seat and walked around to her. “You gonna stand there and gawk, or you gonna take a chance?”

“I’m going to kill you,” she whispered.

“No you won’t. You wubs me.” He grinned. “Besides, the RV’s in my name. You still need me.” He grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”

She’d been so proud of herself for not dwelling over them. For not obsessively looking at the pictures Liam took of the three of them at dinner that night. Especially not of the one where Tim and Jack were looking at her with blatant longing in their expressions.

In her mind she’d let them go, even though her heart tenaciously hung on to them.

He led her to the door. A sign announcing her book signing hung prominently by the entry, in the front windows, where it couldn’t be missed. The store reminded her of the one in Rapid City, the same feel. Relaxed, calm.

A woman behind the counter smiled as she greeted them. “Can I help you find anything?”

Liam held up Gwen’s hand. “This is your star attraction today, Gwen Oxford, AKA Gwenna Olmsford.”

The clerk’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow! Nice to meet you in person. Mr. Ellis has raved about you for years.”

Gwen beat back the emotional pang. “That’s very kind of you.” Liam squeezed her hand. When she glanced at him, he winked.

“He hasn’t arrived yet,” the clerk said. “I don’t think he was expecting you quite this early, but I can call him—”

“No,” Gwen said. “That’s okay. Don’t rush him. We’ll wait.”

She realized ten minutes later she had a death grip on poor Liam. When she released his hand, he smiled as he flexed his fingers. “Damn, girl, you got a grip on you.”

“Sorry.”

She left Liam sitting on one of the comfortable lounges and was browsing the stacks, a large section of shelves blocking her view of the front door, when she heard the door bell jingle. Immediately, Tim’s voice came to her, apparently talking on the phone with someone.

She froze, her eyes squeezed shut. Could she do this? Really? Seriously?

He ended his call. “Kelly, have you heard—Liam!”

“Hiya.”

“How are you, where’s…” Her body tensed as their voices dropped and she heard male whispers.

She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t see him and not be able to be with him. It hurt too much.

A moment later she felt more than heard a presence round the end of the shelf and stand in the alcove where she hid. Then she jumped at the gentle touch on her shoulder.

With a deep breath to steady herself, she turned and looked.

Tim stood there, nervously smiling, his blue eyes full of concern.

They silently stared at each other for a long moment. She was about to say something when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She didn’t try to break away. One of his hands slid down to her ass, the other tightly fisted her hair, holding her in place in case she tried to run, apparently.

He tasted so good, his body felt good, and she suppressed her moan as he took total control of her.

After a moment he didn’t release her, but his lips traveled down her neck. “I’m sorry I didn’t e-mail or call you, even though you told me not to. I should have. I should have pushed you to talk to me. I was so stupid to not stand up to him and make him see reason sooner. I love you so much. Jesus, I’ve missed you. He’s missed you, too, believe it or not.”

Gwen clung to him. “I missed you, too. Both of you.”

He kissed her again, slowly, thoroughly making up for lost time. “He loves you, babe. We need to talk. There’s things he has to tell you face-to-face, but he’s sorry for the fight. He really is. He’s not good at talking about himself or things in his past, but when you hear the full story, you’ll understand. I know you will.”

Her gut tightened. “Is he here?” She didn’t know if she could deal with facing him just yet.

“No, he’s home. He wanted to be here, planned on coming with me, but his mom’s in the hospital. Pneumonia.”

Her fear took over again, blasting hope out of her brain. “Why didn’t he call or e-mail me if he wanted to talk?”

“Because it took him a while to quit being mad at himself. He’s a stubborn man. You know that.”

“Stoneface.”

“Yeah. Believe me when I say it’s complicated, but it’s his story to tell you, not mine.” He held her tightly, not letting go. She didn’t want him to, either. She felt perfectly happy standing there with his arms encircling her. “Come with me.” He wouldn’t let go of her hand as he led her into a back office. There, he locked the door behind them and pulled her into his arms again as he backed her toward the desk. “We’ve got two hours until the book signing, and I don’t know about you, but I’m making up for lost time.”

The thought she should stop him crossed her mind, briefly, before she punted the idea out of her brain. By the time he got her to the desk, their shirts lay on the floor in a tangled heap. “Wait, what about Liam?” she asked.

He snorted. “Babe, I love your brother, but not like that, and I’m not doing him. I’m in love with you. That would just be creepy.”

She swatted him as he grinned. “I meant I feel bad leaving him out there alone.”

He nuzzled her neck. “Whose idea do you think this was, anyway? I was given orders to take you somewhere and love some sense into you.” He lifted her onto the desk and kissed her again. “I was told not to bring you back unless you had a smile on your face. I think he’d hurt me in the bad way with that cane of his if I didn’t do it, too.”

She didn’t want to talk—she wanted him to make love to her. “I’d hate to disappoint him.”

“So would I.” Tim kissed her. He ran his lips down her neck to where he nibbled on her shoulder. “Babe, I love you.” He slid her bra strap down her arm, kissing the flesh as he bared it. “And we’ve got a lot of talking to do, and so does Jack, but for now…” He reached around her and unhooked her bra, tossing it over his shoulder. His flesh felt hot against hers as he leaned in and cupped her left breast with a tender hand, sucking her nipple into his mouth.

She bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying out. It felt so damn good to have his hands on her again. Even though they’d only been together a few days in Rapid City, those few days felt like a lifetime, like the three of them had been made to be together.

She’d missed Jack more than she cared to admit.

Tim teased and taunted her nipple, sucking, nipping, laving his tongue around it. After he had her whimpering with need, he moved to her right breast, repeating the treatment and churning her cunt into a wet, needy, pulsing ball of heat.

Her hands fumbled at his slacks until she finally got them opened. He shoved them down his legs and nearly tripped when he couldn’t get them off past his shoes. Grumbling, he yanked them off, threw them over his shoulder, pulled his pants off, and let her push him back onto the desk.

She’d dreamed about them both, fantasized about them with her vibrator. But nothing compared to the real thing. She sucked his hot member down her throat, moaning softly over the sweet, musky smell of him, of laundry detergent and soap and the salty tang of pre-cum that rolled down her tongue.

His hands tangled in her hair. “Oh, Jesus, baby, yes!”

She ran her tongue up and down his cock, tracing every ridge and vein, remembering how much fun the three of them had enjoyed in their few short days and nights together.

Was it possible to ever recapture those good times?

She shoved that thought away. She wanted this, right now.

He finally pulled her off him. “Baby, if you don’t stop, I’m going to blow right here.” He switched places with her, pushing her skirt up over her hips and yanking her panties off. He buried his face between her legs with a happy sigh. “This is what I missed.”

Gwen collapsed back on the desk, for a moment nearly overcome with giggles at the sight she must present. Then Tim latched onto her clit with his lips, flicking it with his tongue and rapidly driving her over the edge to a climax she had to slap her hand over her mouth to stifle.

He stood up with a silly grin on his face. “Glad to see I didn’t forget how to do that.” He found his slacks, pulled a condom out of the pocket, and quickly put it on. He grabbed her by the hips, pulling her legs around him as he sank his cock deep inside her.

His sweet blue gaze burned right through her. “I love you, Gwen, and I’m not letting you go.” He crushed her lips with his as he pounded into her.

She grabbed his shoulders, moving with him, relishing the feel of his hard shaft fucking her. She didn’t just want this, she needed this. She needed him.

She needed them.

She closed her eyes as another orgasm pulsed through her. Tim nipped at her lower lip. “That’s it, baby. Give it to me. Jesus, I missed you so fucking much.”

She wanted to sob with relief, that the missing piece was returned to the gaping hole in her soul. She didn’t want to think about next week or tomorrow or even the book signing in a couple of hours. She wanted to lose herself here and now with Tim, to feel once again like she was a part of something greater than herself.

Something better.

Someone well loved.

Even more than the sex, she’d missed Tim’s friendship through e-mail. She missed their banter. She even missed ole Stoneface’s glaring mug.

Another orgasm, not as strong as the first two, swept through her. She clung to Tim as he sank his cock deep inside her with his own climax. She felt him pulsing, throbbing, coming.

He reluctantly withdrew and gathered her into his arms where she cried on his shoulder. He turned and sat on the desk, holding her, cradling her, his face buried in her hair as he whispered apologies to her over and over again.

When she finally calmed herself, he cradled her face in his palms. “I love you. I love you so much, and I’m not letting you get away from me again,” he whispered.

He scooped her up and carried her to the sofa. “One way or another, you will be coming home. And by that I mean Rapid City.”

It was silly of her to even entertain the fantasy, although every cell in her being wanted to. They made love again on the couch. She lost all track of time in Tim’s arms.

Then she caught sight of the time. “I’d better get ready.”

He helped her to her feet and led her over to his private bathroom, where he started kissing her. He almost managed to seduce her again before she remembered why she was there. “Tim, I need to get cleaned up.”

He pulled her close one last time. “I know, babe. But I prefer not to share you. Well, with the masses. I love sharing you with Stoneface.”

She couldn’t help but smile. She loved being shared with him, too.

* * *

Gwen spent a nervous and emotional afternoon. She read a few excerpts from her books, greeted fans, signed books, and avoided Tim’s intense stare. All through it, despite their hot sex earlier that afternoon, she was terrified to hope for more despite what he’d said, and even more terrified to get her heart broken again. When it came time to leave, she hooked her arm through Liam’s. When Tim tried to embrace her, she wouldn’t let go of Liam. All Tim could do was give her a one-armed hug.

Tim kissed her. He whispered, “I meant it when I said you’re not getting away from me again, sweetheart,” in her ear. “I love you, and you’re mine. I don’t care what I have to do to show you.” He nipped her earlobe before stepping away. Her knees practically unhinged, but somehow she remained upright.

Without a doubt she loved him. And, God help her, Jack too, despite how he’d treated her.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t work. Tim wasn’t there when she had it out with Jack. He hadn’t seen the look on Jack’s face. And she refused to take Tim away from Jack. Most likely Tim wouldn’t want to leave Jack anyway. What might have been had things worked out differently between the three of them?

Gwen didn’t talk much as they picked up the RV, loaded the Toad, as they called the Element, and drove north out of the LA area. Much of the time Liam sat in the passenger seat and stared out the front window. He knew better than to try to get her to talk in the dark mood she was in.

She felt guilty as hell for making love to Tim when she suspected nothing more would ever come of it. If Jack couldn’t man up and tell her how he felt, what did that say about the strength of his feelings?

Not very damn much, in her book.

Later that evening, as they pulled into the campground they’d made their reservations at, she turned to Liam. “Why did you do that to me?” she quietly asked. “You set me up.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t hear you complaining. You love them, they love you. Time for you to fight for what you believe in.”

“Tim loves me. Jack hates me.”

“Funny, it seems Tim said Jack loves and misses you. My MS must be fucking with my language comprehension.”

She glared at him before storming out of the RV to the office to pay for their space and find out where it was. When she returned, he hadn’t moved.

“They. Love. You,” Liam emphasized. “Deal with it. They want you. They miss you.”

“Jack sure has a funny way of showing it, telling everyone but me. Nice. Sounds like everyone else is trying to convince Jack of how he feels.”

“Ouch. Neurotic much? Jack was supposed to be here today, too. Didn’t Tim tell you that?”

“Yes.”

“Then what’s your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem! I already agreed we’d go to Rapid City, didn’t I? If he really loves me, maybe by the time we get there he can figure out how to say the damn words himself, ’kay? If not, it’s not like I’m too much worse off than I am now.” She threw the keys down on the table and fought the urge to throw something.

“Harsh, sis. Really harsh. His mom’s in the hospital. Cut him some slack.”

“Last time I saw him, Detective Dick-for-brains was able to use a fucking phone and a computer. He could have called or e-mailed me. Oh, big surprise, he hasn’t.” She snatched her keys from the table and stormed outside again. She made three aimless, stomping laps around the rig before she could get her thoughts together and remember what she was supposed to be doing.

They’d stay at the campground for a week in order to avoid a storm to their north. Liam always worked enough flexibility in their schedule to allow for detours and downtime, especially since Gwen did all the RV driving and still needed time to write. Unfortunately, the forced stay for the weather meant Gwen couldn’t use driving to take her mind off the afternoon’s events.

Gwen stormed to the back of the rig and started unhooking the Element from the tow dolly. Liam emerged from the RV, leaning on his cane and watching her without saying anything. After Gwen moved the Element out of the way, she returned to the RV and Liam guided her back into their space. He handled hooking up the sewer connection and set up the levelers, while she rigged the electrical, water, and cable and got the slide-out positioned. This park had free Wi-Fi, meaning they didn’t need to rely on their slower air cards. Over the past few months they’d developed a smooth-running routine, and within an hour they were set up, showered, and eating dinner.

After doing his research, Liam had opted to buy them the gently used thirty-foot Class A with a diesel engine, reassuring Gwen she’d soon easily learn how to drive the rig. Just big enough for them to have room to comfortably move around in, including a back bedroom one of them could escape to if needed. He’d had more confidence in her driving skills than she had, but after two weeks of practice before heading out on the road, she did admit to feeling comfortable. They frequently bunked together in the large queen-size bed in back, although sometimes one or the other opted to sleep on the comfortable sofa bed if either of them needed alone time.

Tonight, she needed alone time. Once Liam realized she wasn’t budging from her laptop at the dinette table, he kissed the top of her head before heading to the back. “See you in the morning, kiddo.”

“Sleep tight.” She knew she wouldn’t sleep much, her mind roiling, thinking about Tim and Jack. She tried to work and ended up playing Solitaire on her computer. At one point she thought she heard noises in the back bunk, like maybe Liam was talking to someone on the phone, but she turned on the TV and channel surfed to drown him out. Stretched out on the sofa bunk and cuddled around her pillows, she tried to fall asleep as the TV played.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, she thought she heard Liam moving around. Knowing he’d call for her if he needed help, she closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. She heard what sounded like people softly talking outside, but she’d gotten used to noises like that when staying in a park. She preferred sacrificing the relative privacy of boondocking for the security of parks, in case she ever needed to get help for Liam in a hurry.

She dozed, then felt someone crawl into the bunk with her. At first she thought it was Liam, and she settled back against him…

Until the man’s hand comfortably settled between her legs. She let out a frightened scream and tried to pull away when a familiar voice asked, “Do you have any idea how fucking expensive it is to take a taxi from Laguna Beach to here?”

Tim.

“Hey, sis, let’s change up bunks for tonight,” Liam said from the other side of the cabin. “I have a feeling you’re going to want to sleep late.”

She sat up and glared at Liam, who stood by the door with an amused look on his face. Tim stared up at her, his blue, wide-eyed, innocent look soon melting her irritation.

“I’m all for a little sleeping late,” he said.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I told you I wasn’t letting you get away again. Besides, I want to see more of this fair country of ours. I needed to get back to Rapid City anyway, so I called my buddy Liam here, and he told me where you’d shacked up. Figured if I wanted to catch up with you guys, I’d better do it sooner rather than later.”

“Come on, Gee. Quit playing hard to get,” Liam scolded her. “Go take the bedroom tonight. I’ll keep the TV turned up loud.” He grinned.

Fortunately, in the dim light she knew neither man could see her blush. She climbed out of bed and considered locking herself in the bedroom away from Tim. Until he stepped through the door with her, closed it behind him, and kissed her as he pushed her down to the bed.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a proper welcome back at the store,” he said. “Let me make it up to you.” He lifted her T-shirt and sucked her right nipple into his mouth as he cupped her left breast in his hand.

Her protest died on her lips. She buried her fingers in his shaggy hair and bit back a happy moan as he moved back and forth from one breast to the other, sucking and biting at her nipples until her pussy ached to feel his cock inside her.

“Let’s get something straight,” he said, his voice sounding ragged. “I love you, and I’m not losing you again. No matter what I’ve got to do to convince you to stay, I’m getting the two of you back together. Then you’re going to live with us in Rapid City, Liam’s coming to work for me, and I’m going to flatten all the wheels on this damn thing so you can’t leave again.”

She didn’t want to hope. She opted for snark. “That’s a pretty expensive tire shop visit, buddy. You’d best be prepared to make sure you can keep me happy.”

Even in the dim light she spotted his playful grin. “Oh, I have no doubt about that. I’m about to show you just a few of the ways I have in my arsenal of persuasion.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Arsenal of persuasion?”

He nipped at the hollow of her throat. “So I’ve read too many purple prose bodice rippers. Shoot me. You want me to make your eyes roll back in your head, or you want to spend all night critiquing my less than adequate verbal jousting skills?”

She grabbed the back of his head. “Make them roll, buddy.”

“That’s my girl.” He finished pulling her T-shirt off. Then he worked his way down her body, sliding her shorts and panties down her hips and legs until he freed the garments and tossed them onto the floor. He pushed her legs wide apart and dove between them, going right for her clit in a near-frantic way.

It didn’t take him long to make her come, but he didn’t stop. Relentlessly, he forced her to keep coming, using his fingers and tongue to fuck her wet pussy as he worked her clit and rolled her through several orgasms until she begged for mercy.

He sat up, grinning from ear to ear. “Did I just hear you beg me to stop?”

She laughed, breathless. “Yes!”

“Good, that means one more.” She was still laughing when he dove between her legs again and forced one more climax out of her.

“That’s the sound I’ve missed, baby,” he said as he crawled up her body. He quickly shed his clothes, donned a condom, and she happily moaned again as she felt his rigid cock slide deep inside her.

She’d missed this, too. A vibrator was fun on occasion, but it couldn’t supply the warm weight of a man’s body pressing hers into the mattress. Gwen wrapped her arms around him and tipped her hips to take him as deeply as she could. He started slow, kissing her as he fucked her, his tongue flicking against hers, exploring, tasting. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of him, how right their bodies fit together.

Just like with Jack, too.

She cut off that line of thinking. There was still a lot of emotional real estate to cover in that department. Just because she was sleeping with Tim didn’t mean this would end happily if she couldn’t get things settled to her satisfaction with Jack.

Unfortunately, she knew she loved the son of a bitch.

Both of them.

She shut down her brain and focused on the delicious feeling of Tim’s cock bringing her to one more orgasm before he finally let himself come. He cleaned up and returned to bed and while she thought they might both lay there and talk for a while, Gwen found herself almost immediately crashing into sleep with the comforting feel of Tim’s arms wrapped around her.

He kissed the back of her neck. “I love you, baby. I mean it, I’m not letting you get away from us a second time.”

“I love you, too.” She just hoped she could patch things up with Jack.

Chapter Fifteen

They took their time working their way back to Rapid City over the next eight days, heading up the California coast into Oregon, through Washington state, then across through Spokane to Idaho and beyond on I-90. She spent a lot of time talking with Tim during the drive. He said Jack’s story was best left for Jack to tell, but to trust him when he said it would explain a lot.

She wanted to believe him, but she also didn’t want her heart stomped on a second time. She also knew that it would tear her heart apart to walk away from Tim again.

They spent the night outside of Spearfish instead of pushing all the way into Rapid City. Gwen felt her heart squeeze in her chest when they pulled into the driveway at Tim and Jack’s house. Tim’s car was parked by the house, but not Jack’s truck.

Tim drove them to the hospital. Jack’s truck sat in the parking lot.

Now that she was faced with the reality of a confrontation, she didn’t want to do this. What could he say to her to take back the hurt and pain of the past few months? Didn’t have the stones to talk to her personally?

Liam grabbed her arm and tightly held on after she got out of the car.

“What’s wrong? Do we need to go back for your cane?” she asked.

He laughed. “Nope. I’m keeping you from running away.”

Tim latched on to her other arm. “Good idea.”

Tim led them up to the third floor and down the hallway to a room near the end of the corridor. He stuck his head in first, then waved them in.

“Hi, Bill,” Tim said. A handsome, older man, a preview of how Jack might look in twenty or thirty years, offered them a wan smile. “How is she?” Tim asked.

When Gwen stepped around Tim, she saw the woman lying in the bed. She wore a carefree smile that brightened when she spotted Gwen. “Melodie!” She sat up in bed and clapped her hands together. “Sweetheart, they didn’t tell me you were coming today! Come here and give me a hug!”

With a nervous glance at Tim, who nodded, she stepped closer.

Her husband gently corrected her. “This isn’t Melodie, sweetheart.”

“Of course she is,” she scolded. “I can see her as plain as you.”

Tim spoke up. “Helen, this is our friend Gwen, and her brother, Liam.”

Helen now had a pretty strong grip on Gwen’s hand. “It’s Melodie and Pete, and you darn well know it.” She smiled at Gwen. “Silly men, aren’t they, Melodie? You and me, we know better.”

Gwen felt at a loss, unsure how to respond. She’d never dealt with someone with Alzheimer’s before. Fortunately, her husband stepped in. “Helen, you need to take a nap. It’s time for your afternoon nap.”

“Oh, is it? Okay.” She lay back in her bed. “Will you be here later when I wake up, Mel? I’ve missed you so much. You too, Pete.”

Tim subtly nodded at Gwen.

“Sure we will,” Gwen reassured her.

Ed kissed his wife. “We’re going to step out and let you sleep, all right?”

“All right.”

Out in the hallway, Ed’s strong façade dissolved. Tim enveloped him in a hug. “You all right, Ed?”

“I’ve had better days.” He wiped his eyes and turned to Gwen and Liam. He extended his hand. “Ed Kelly. I’m sorry, but if I didn’t know she was dead, I’d say you were Melodie, too. It’s like looking at a ghost.”

Gwen spared an inquisitive look at Tim, who offered a slight shake of his head indicating he’d tell her later. This must be part of the story Tim had hinted at.

They were making their way down the hall toward the elevators when Jack emerged from one. When he saw them, he stopped in his tracks. Fear gripped her heart, wondering how he’d react.

He strode toward her, grabbed her, and enveloped her in a desperate hug she reluctantly let herself return when it became more than obvious he didn’t want to let her go.

“Jesus, I missed you,” he whispered in her ear. “I love you. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

She closed her eyes and really relaxed into his embrace as his words sunk home. “Tim said there’s a story,” she whispered back. “I have a feeling I just figured out a little of it on my own. We met your mom.”

He looked down at her and nodded. “Is she still awake?”

“Probably.”

He laced his fingers through hers and looked at the other three men. “We’ll catch up with you in the cafeteria in a little while.”

Tim offered up a wink and corralled the others, herding them toward the elevators.

Jack led her back down the hall to his mom’s room. Outside the door, he leaned in again and whispered, “I promise I’ll tell you the entire story in a little bit, but not right now. Not in front of her.”

Gwen nodded.

The others had left in an elevator. Jack cupped her cheek with his palm and brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’ve missed you so much, baby. I’m sorry I was an ass. I’m not good at groveling, but maybe if you give me some hints and let Tim coach me, I can do it pretty well.”

She felt her heart slipping again despite wanting to protect herself. “Maybe I won’t make you grovel too badly.”

He led her into the room. Instead of napping, his mom sat up in bed, the TV remote in her hand. She flipped channels randomly, apparently fascinated more by the function of the clicker than the actual programming choices.

“Mom, how are you feeling?”

She smiled at him. “I’m fine. You brought Melodie back. That’s good.” She put down the remote and waggled a crooked finger as she scolded him. “You scared me to death. You told me Melodie died. I knew that couldn’t be right. That was a mean trick.”

Gwen felt his grip tighten on her hand, but she suspected it was his stress, not him trying to impart a silent message to her. “Mom, this is my friend, Gwen Oxford. She’s a writer.”

His mom frowned. “That’s Melodie.”

Jack’s voice softened. “Melodie died in the accident, Mom. She looks a lot like Melodie. You’re just a little confused. That happened nearly twenty years ago.” He released Gwen’s hand and walked over to the bedside, where he sat in the chair his father had vacated moments earlier.

His mother’s face grew sad. “Melodie’s dead?”

He sadly nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Mom.”

“But Pete was here earlier.”

He frowned and looked up at Gwen. She silently mouthed, “Liam.”

Obvious relief washed over his face. “That wasn’t Pete. That was Gwen’s brother, Liam.”

“I could have swore it was Pete I saw earlier. We had a nice chat.”

“No, Mom. It was Liam. Or maybe you’re thinking of Tim. He was here, too.”

“I know who Tim is. I know who Pete is. I saw him before. Then he came back with Gwen.” She looked sad again. “I miss Pete. You three were so happy together.” She stroked his cheek. “I know you three were living together. You couldn’t fool me.” She poked his hand, which rested on the bedrail. “You thought you were fooling me, but I knew better. You and Pete were together, and then you fell in love with her. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think your father knew about you and Pete. I didn’t know if he’d be okay with it. And it wasn’t our business anyway, as long as you were happy.”

Gwen choked back her own tears as Jack’s eyes filled. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

“Why?”

“I’m sorry if I let you down.”

“Oh, honey, you didn’t let me down.” She reached out and touched his cheek. “I’m so proud of you. You became a detective, you’ve done a lot of good, helped a lot of people. I wish you’d forgive Pete. It’ll eat you up. He can’t forgive himself, either. He told me so.”

Gwen suspected that stretched the limits of Jack’s already obviously fraying control. He leaned in and kissed his mom’s forehead. “I’m going to go grab a quick bite to eat. You should take a nap, Mom.”

“Okay. And say hi to Pete for me if you see him again. During the chat we had before lunch, I made him promise to come see me again tomorrow.”

“Sure, Mom.”

He snagged Gwen’s hand on his way out the door. She thought he’d lead her to the elevator, but instead he detoured to the stairs. In the privacy of the stairwell, he leaned against the wall, pulled her to him, and cried.

She didn’t speak. She held him, stroking his back, wishing he’d opened up to her before instead of lashing out in fear.

Plenty of time to armchair quarterback that later. For now, he needed her.

“You look just like her,” he eventually said. “I don’t mean a little like her, or a faint resemblance. You look just like her. Other than your hairstyle, you could be her.”

A mental chill washed over her. “Who was she?”

He uttered a choked laugh. “I can’t believe Mom knew. I thought we hid it so well. She nailed it, though. Me and Pete lived together. We thought we passed ourselves off as roommates, not lovers. We met Melodie and fell in love with her.” He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. “He killed her.”

She gasped. “What?”

“Drunk driving accident. I’d had late classes, and they went out to dinner. He got drunk and they wrecked. She was thrown from the car. He was driving.”

She held him tighter. “I’m so sorry,” she said. It sounded lame, but it was all she could offer.

“Can you forgive me for being an idiot? I never expected to meet someone like you.”

“If you can forgive me for the donut cracks.”

He kissed her. “Yeah. No problem.”

They stood there for a long moment. She felt the tension in his body, the grief, the stress. “I need you to honestly answer me a question,” she said.

“Okay.”

“Did you fall in love with me for me, or because I look like her?”

The fact that he didn’t immediately answer her question did just that. “I do love you, Gwen.”

“I know you do. But I think we’ve got a lot to talk about later, don’t we?” She hugged him tighter. “If you want me to ever fully trust you, you have to open up and let me in. It’s damn sure not fair to Tim, either.”

He nuzzled her forehead. “I know.”

They left the stairwell, and he detoured into the restroom. She waited for him outside while he pulled himself together. Despite her love for him, she still felt the sting in his words when they parted before, the hurt she carried in her heart for months.

The question she couldn’t yet resolve now that she knew the truth—Would she ever believe he loved her for who she was, or for who he wished she could be?

* * *

They rejoined everyone in the cafeteria. After they were seated at a table with the others, Jack laced his fingers through Gwen’s. Tim stared at them from across the table. “Everything copacetic?”

Jack nodded before he looked at Gwen. She squeezed his hand and smiled. “We’ve still got some talking to do, I think, but it’s promising.”

After they bid good-bye to Jack’s father, Gwen rode to the house with Jack in his truck. He reached over and laced his fingers through hers.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there in Laguna,” he quietly said. “I was really looking forward to your book signing.”

“Tim told me.” She stewed for a moment, wanted to blast him, then let out a long, controlled breath. “Why didn’t you call me or write me if you wanted to apologize?”

“I didn’t know what to say. And at first I was so upset I was afraid I’d make it worse.” He looked at her. “Upset at myself,” he clarified. “I wasn’t sure how I felt, and I wasn’t sure how you felt.”

She didn’t know what to say, so she remained quiet.

“If it’s any consolation,” he said, “Tim didn’t speak to me for a couple of weeks.” He offered a sad smile.

That was a major difference, she now realized. He looked so much sadder, more careworn, than she remembered. Seeing the brief smile helped her recognize the look.

“I’m sorry about your mom,” Gwen said. Now wasn’t the time to get into a detailed back-and-forth with Jack about everything. She wanted to decompress, digest the new information, and talk more with Jack when he wasn’t so stressed out over his mom.

“Thanks.” He shrugged. “There’s nothing they can do, really. Medication helps a little, but nothing can stop it.”

She knew that feeling all too well. “Liam’s really lucky. He’s been watching his weight and his diet, staying in shape, staying healthy. He’s on a good mix of meds that are helping keep his MS at bay.” She suddenly choked up. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him.”

Jack squeezed her hand. “He chewed me out, too,” he admitted.

“He didn’t tell me that.” What else had Liam left out?

“Yep. Called me at work a few days after you two got back to Ohio and bitched me out royally. Worse part is I knew he was right, and I still couldn’t make myself make the call.

Gwen patted herself on the back that she held onto her temper. “Again, why couldn’t you call me?”

“Because I knew I’d fuck it up.” They pulled up to a red light and he looked at her. “And let’s face it, you were pretty pissed at me. Chances are even if I had, you would have let me have it. Right?”

She grudgingly had to admit it. “Yeah. Probably.” Holding her temper didn’t mean she wouldn’t hold back her feelings. “It hurt, Jack,” she quietly said. “It hurt a lot.”

“I’m sorry, babe. Seriously. I admit I was totally out of line that day. I want to make it up to you.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I promise I will.”

She would withhold judgment on that. “Let’s just take it one day at a time, okay? Because we still have a lot to talk about, and right now isn’t the best time.”

“Okay.”

* * *

They had a quiet dinner together at the house, then moved out to the back deck to talk. She felt emotionally wrung out. As much as she would have loved to crawl into bed with both of them, she knew in her heart that night wasn’t going to be the best night to do it.

Neither man pushed her. She’d had enough talks with Tim over the past several days she didn’t need to rehash it for him. Jack studied the cup of coffee in his hand.

Finally, to break the heavy silence more than anything, she spoke. “You need to know that I’m scared, Jack. I love you, and I love Tim, and it broke my heart hearing those things from you when I left here that day. I’ve done a lot of growing and thinking in the past several months, and I’m not the same person I was.”

He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Maybe it was wrong,” she continued, “to just jump into bed with you two the way I did. Maybe I’m not that kind of person. For good or bad, it happened, and that part I do not regret in the least. I do regret that now I’m left with this fear that if I put my heart out there to you again, I’m going to wake up one day and you’re going to turn on me like you did the last time.”

He nodded, but let her continue.

“Do you understand where I’m coming from?”

“All I can do is say I’m sorry, Gwen. I’ve missed you like crazy and regretted letting you leave. I never should have done that.”

She stifled a yawn that overtook her. Nearly dark, she felt like she could fall asleep in her chair. Her body felt heavy despite hope trying to gain a foothold in her heart.

She also knew she had to make a hard decision.

“I think,” she slowly said, “that for tonight I need to sleep in the RV.” Tim started to protest, and she shut him down. “Alone.”

Tim looked a little hurt. Jack wouldn’t look at her. “I have a lot to think about,” she said. “It’s not that I don’t want to be in bed with you two, but let’s be honest. If I go to bed with you two, we won’t be talking, will we?”

Neither man denied it.

“I have no will power when it comes to the two of you. And Jack, you and I need to have a long talk when we’re not so frazzled. Okay?”

Jack nodded. “That’s fair,” he softly said. “I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”

“I know you don’t, and I appreciate it.”

Tim still looked like a sad puppy. She gave him a smile. “I’ll be fine. You’ve had me all to yourself for the past several days. Spend some time with Stoneface.”

She kissed each man. Jack gave her a big hug before letting her go. “I love you, Gwen.”

“I love you, too.”

Tim caught her hand and pulled her onto his lap. “No chance of changing your mind, babe?”

“Not tonight, hon.” She kissed him before standing and stepping out of reach. “Let’s take things slow. It’s worth doing things right this time, okay?”

Both men nodded, and she turned and walked through the house, out the front door, and to the RV.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why am I not sleeping inside with them?

She knew the answer to that. It would be too easy to close her eyes to the questions in her heart, to let them go unanswered.

No more. She refused to live like that. She didn’t want a repeat of Dickweed, where she’d closed her eyes to the truth and only when it rudely smacked her in the face did she finally address it. She could look back and see instances all throughout her relationship with her ex where he was cheating on her, but she’d chosen to believe his lies.

Not that this situation was like that one, but she needed to know exactly where she stood with both men before she let her heart get bruised and battered again.

She refused to be like her mother, ignoring the obvious and making excuses. And then what about Bob? He’d seemed like the perfect husband for all those years, and he cheated on Ruthie, a woman who’d been through so much trauma already.

If a man like Bob would stray, how could Gwen be sure of anything?

Alone and wrapped in the comfort of a blanket, she went to sleep in the back bunk.

* * *

The next morning, she was awakened by a soft knock on the RV door. Probably not Liam, because he would have just walked in. She wrapped the blanket around herself and went to open the door.

Jack stood there, dressed for work and looking sheepish. “Hey.”

She felt the way her heart pleasantly flipped when she saw him. “Hey.”

“Breakfast is ready, if you’d like some.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Can I come in?”

“Of course.” She stepped aside so he could enter. He pulled the door shut behind him and stood there, looking at her for a moment.

She stepped toward him, and as if perfectly synced, his arms slipped around her and held her tightly to him.

He pressed his face into her hair. “I love you. I don’t want to lose you again.”

“I don’t want to lose you, either. We need to have a long talk, though. Maybe tonight after you get home, okay?”

He hugged her even more tightly. “Okay. Please believe me when I say I’m sorry for what I did.”

“I know you are. I’m sorry I lost my temper. It wasn’t all you. Maybe the problem is we did things too fast the last time. I don’t want to make that same mistake.”

He looked down at her. Gently, tenderly, he brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’ll take however long you need to convince you I mean what I say.”

“Then we’ll talk tonight.”

“Okay.” He led her inside. Liam was already at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him. “Morning, sis. You okay?”

She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Yep.” She started to sit but Tim grabbed her and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.

“Missed you last night, babe.”

“I missed you, too.” She cast a meaningful look at Jack. “I missed both of you.”

Jack gave her a smile that took years off his face.

She would have to figure out how to get past her pain, one way or the other.

* * *

Jack left for work. He had court that morning. Tim and Gwen would go to the hospital to visit Jack’s mom. Liam begged off going with them. He wanted to spend the day relaxing and catching up on work. Gwen suspected he wanted her to have alone time with Tim, too.

She relaxed while Tim drove them to the hospital. His hand stole across the seats, where he laced his fingers with hers. “You have no idea how glad I am you’re home,” he said.

“Technically, I’m not home. The RV is our home.” Despite wanting her own happily-ever-after, she reserved her heart. She still needed to have a long, private sit-down with Jack, and even then, the outcome might not be what she prayed for.

Not if he couldn’t fully open his heart. Love wasn’t enough. She needed to know he loved her for her, not because of Melodie.

Ed hadn’t arrived yet. Helen sat up in bed, intently watching a program about current stock trends on CNBC. She brightly smiled when they walked in. “Tim! Come here and give me a hug, sweetie. I haven’t seen you in so long!”

He gently squeezed Gwen’s hand. Helen must be having a good morning. He leaned in and hugged her. “How are you doing, Helen?”

“Had a nice breakfast earlier. Ed called me a little while ago, he’ll be by after lunch.” She looked at Gwen. “Didn’t I meet you yesterday?” Her face clouded. “I’m sorry. I’m not at my best with names now.”

Gwen stepped forward and held out her hand. “Gwen Oxford. You met me and my brother, Liam, yesterday.”

Recognition dawned. “Ah! That’s right. Pete came by yesterday, and I kept confusing your brother with Pete.”

Tim and Gwen exchanged a sharp look. A heavy feeling settled in the pit of Gwen’s stomach as she sat next to Tim beside the bed.

Helen sadly smiled at her. “You look just like Melodie. She was such a sweetheart. I miss her and Pete so much.” She reached over and patted Tim’s arm. “Not that I don’t love you, Timmy, because I do.”

Gwen suspected his smile was forced. “I know, Helen. I understand.”

“I wish Jack would forgive Pete for what happened. It’s not healthy for him to hold hatred inside all these years. Especially when it was an accident.”

As Gwen opened her mouth in an attempt to steer the conversation in a different direction, a man appeared in the doorway, a small vase of flowers in his hands. He stopped short, his eyes locked on Gwen, his expression filled with shock.

Helen, despite the ravages of her Alzheimer’s, proved faster than any of them. “Pete!” She sat up and waved him in. “Come here! I want you to meet someone!”

He looked ready to run, but apparently forced his feet forward until he stood on the other side of the bed.

Gwen felt Tim’s shock and suspected his thoughts mirrored her own, that Helen wasn’t nearly as out of it yesterday as everyone thought she was.

“Pete Sacher, this is Tim Ellis, and Tim and Jack’s friend, Gwen Oxford.”

Pete nodded. “Hi.”

Tim and Gwen both nodded back and in unison said, “Hi.”

“I don’t want to interrupt you,” Pete said as he set the vase on the bedside table. “I’ll leave you alone—”

“Oh, no you don’t,” Helen admonished. “You’re going to stay and visit with me. I told you, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. I’ve missed you terribly.”

Looking decidedly uncomfortable, he sat in a chair on the other side of the bed. Gwen didn’t miss how he stared at her, apparently unable to take his eyes off her.

It would have creeped her out if she didn’t know why.

After an hour of mostly uncomfortable conversation, with Helen oblivious to the tension, Pete excused himself. Gwen, wanting to talk to him, also excused herself, leaving Tim to shoot her a questioning look as she took off after the man.

He quickly hurried down the corridor to the elevators. Before the doors could close on him, she rushed inside with him and caught his arm.

“Hi, Pete. Listen, please, can we talk?”

He shook his head. “I really should go,” he mumbled.

“Jack isn’t coming by until after work. Please? Let me buy you a cup of coffee or something.”

Finally, after another glance at her, he nodded. “Okay.”

Once settled at a far corner table, away from others in the cafeteria, she reached across and touched his arm. “Why did you come visit her?”

He sighed. “I loved her and Ed like my own parents. I heard from an old friend of mine that she was in the hospital, and that she’s…well, you know. She’s not going to be coherent for too much longer. I wanted a chance to talk to her and apologize when I knew she would halfway be able to understand me.” He pulled a napkin from a dispenser on the table and started shredding it into tiny pieces in front of him.

“Jack told me you were in jail.”

“I got out last year. I didn’t know he was back in town at first. I was afraid to contact his parents. I didn’t know if they’d even want to see me.”

“Helen said you told her it was an accident.”

Tears welled up in his eyes. He didn’t look at her, just focused on the growing pile of paper scraps in front of him. “I wasn’t driving,” he whispered.

“What?”

“It was still my fault it happened, though.”

Gwen tried to absorb that information. “Why did you tell them you were driving if you weren’t?”

He took a deep breath and finally raised his gaze to hers. “Jack never responded to any of my letters. I stopped trying after a while. I have a feeling he never read any of them. I tried to tell him in them.” He blew his nose on another napkin, then pulled a fresh one from the dispenser and started shredding it. “I had a couple of drinks at dinner. Mel took the keys from me.” His gaze seemed to shift from Gwen’s face to a point inside his own mind as he recalled the events.

“I was just screwing around. Had a good buzz on, feeling good, you know? Started playing around with her in the car while she was driving.” His voice softened even more. “I unbuckled her seat belt and started messing with her while she was driving. Then we rounded a curve and there was a damn deer standing in the middle of the road. She swerved to avoid it. We went off the road and rolled, and she was thrown from the car while I ended up behind the wheel.”

He closed his eyes. More tears squeezed out from under closed lids. “So it was still my fault, wasn’t it? I didn’t want people to know that’s how she died. It was easier to plead guilty and not put her family or Jack through that. He’ll still hate me regardless. I was drunk, I was screwing around with her, and she died because of me. End of story.”

Stunned, Gwen sat back and tried to absorb that. “You should tell Jack.”

“I don’t think I should set foot anywhere near him.”

“You still love him.”

He slowly nodded. “But I know that’s in the past. Helen told me about Tim yesterday. Believe me, I’m not looking for a reconciliation with him. I know that’s not going to happen, and I’m not even going to try. I at least wanted to talk to Helen. She was like a mom to me.” He sniffled and blew his nose again. “She told me yesterday she knew about me and Jack and Mel the whole time.” He laughed. “Kids always think they can fool parents. Doesn’t matter how old the kids or parents, the result is the same.”

He met her gaze again. “You do look just like Mel. I nearly crapped myself when I saw you sitting there.”

She rummaged through her purse and pushed a pen and notepad across the table to him. “Please, give me your phone number and address.”

“Why?”

“Because I have a feeling Tim is going to agree with me that Jack’s never gotten over this, and maybe what needs to happen is he needs to face this head-on and talk to you once and for all.”

He eventually took them and wrote his information before pushing them back across the table to her. “How long have you been with them?” he asked.

She sadly smiled. “Technically, I’m not with them. It’s a long story. Part of that story has to do with Jack never getting over what happened. So if I want a chance to be with them, I think Tim and I need to force Jack to face his past and move on.”

* * *

Tim arched an eyebrow at her upon her return to the room. They said good-bye to Helen, and when they reached Tim’s car, he didn’t bother starting it. He turned to her. “Spill it.”

She told him the story. When she finished, he closed his eyes as he shook his head. “Dammit,” he whispered. “Fucking hell.”

“What do we tell him?” She didn’t tell him she’d gotten Pete’s information. She wasn’t sure if Tim would approve of her plan or not and didn’t want Jack to blame him if it blew up in her face.

He opened his eyes, but he sat back in his seat and stared out at the parking lot. “I don’t know the right thing to do here, babe.”

She told him about her conversation with Jack after their arrival. Then she reached out and touched his arm. “Tim, I don’t know if he can get past this unless he deals with it. I can’t spend the rest of my life wondering if he loves me because of a ghost or not.”

He shook his head, and she didn’t miss how his eyes looked moist, as if close to tears himself. “I know, sweetie.” He started the car and began backing out of the parking space. “I know.”

* * *

She found Liam on the upper deck, the one leading from the living room. He wore sunglasses, a pair of baggy beach shorts, and flip-flops. He’d staked himself out a cozy work area under the patio table umbrella.

She sat at the table. He looked at her and pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead. “Spill it, Gee.”

For the second time, she repeated what happened, except she revealed that she’d gotten Pete’s contact information. As she told the story, Liam chewed on his lip and looked out over the valley. “I don’t have any advice to offer,” he said, “except this. If you guys decide on an intervention, it could force Jack into a corner where he tells you all to go to hell. Everyone deals with shit that emotionally kicks their asses in their own way. Some people use anger. Some bury themselves in their work. Some people use hiding in their house and taking an alphabet’s worth of antianxiety meds.” He smiled. “Some move in with their sister.”

She finally smiled. “Not helpful.”

He shrugged. “I don’t have any advice. Can you love Jack for who he is, now, today, knowing he’s got issues? Can you love him the way he is? And here’s the other thing.” He leaned forward and clasped his hands on the table. “Let’s say for the hell of it he does have a confab with this guy. What does it solve? Does it answer the question for you, or does it leave you with more questions? And again, what if he opts not for healing himself, but taking a nuclear option and walking out on both you and Tim?”

He softened his voice. “I love you. My priority is you. I’m not making a judgment call about you and them, because I can see where, if this works out like one of your books, that you could be happy. I want that for you. But you’re first and foremost my little sister. That means it’s up to me to warn you that while it’s obvious Tim’s probably on board, I don’t want you getting your hopes up just to get them crushed again.” He winked. “I don’t think going to jail for beating up a cop because he broke my sister’s heart—again—would look good on my résumé.”

“So I just sit around and always wonder what the hell’s going on inside his head?”

He shrugged. “I’m going to play Devil’s advocate. What right do you and Tim have to force him to talk to this guy?”

Eventually she sighed and turned her gaze to the valley. “None,” she softly admitted.

“Exactly. The question is, where do you go from here? I think Jack really loves you. At some point you’ve got to be able to trust someone about what they say. If you can’t trust him to speak the truth, then can you really give him your heart?”

“I love him,” she said as she felt tears prickling her eyes. “I love both of them. And I missed them so damn much, you know that.” She stood and walked over to the railing and stared out over the valley. “I don’t know if I can trust like that anymore. Not after Dickweed, and not after what Jack said to me that day. I have to be sure before I can make the commitment. Every time I put my heart out there, I get hurt. I’m sick of it. Part of me wishes I’d never gotten involved with them because it hurt so fucking much.”

She turned to him. “Don’t take this the wrong way, bro, but I’d rather spend the rest of my life alone with you than spend it with them and wonder every day if Jack really means what he says.”

* * *

Below them, on the lower deck, Tim stood with his eyes closed and his heart pounding as he listened to her and Liam talking. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, and he hadn’t meant to, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t lose her again. He damn sure didn’t want to lose Jack.

If it took forcing a showdown between Jack and Pete to bring this festering boil to a head once and for all, that’s what he’d do. If it backfired…

Well, he hoped Liam and Gwen would find room for him in the RV.

Chapter Sixteen

Gwen retreated to the safety of the RV to work. She put on her headphones, the expensive noise-cancelling ones Liam had given her that Christmas, plugged them into her iPod, and hunched over her laptop at the table. She lost herself in her work, finally escaping into her latest fictional world where maybe she couldn’t totally shape things to her liking if the characters rebelled, but it allowed her a chance to quit thinking about Jack and Tim and Pete’s eternal grief and guilt.

That’s why she screamed when she felt a touch on her shoulder several hours later and looked up to find Liam standing there, and surprised to see it was nearly dark.

Heart racing, she slid her headphones down around her neck. “Jesus H. Christ, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Sorry. Tim said dinner’s almost ready.”

She glanced out the window and realized Jack’s truck now sat in the driveway. “How long’s he been home?”

“About an hour.”

She stewed. “Nice of him to not come say hi,” she muttered.

Liam slid into the other side of the booth. “Okay, quit that, right now. Stop the passive-aggressive bullshit. That’s the kind of stuff Mom likes to pull. He asked me if it would be okay if he came out here, and I told him I thought you were working so maybe he should wait until you took a break so he wouldn’t interrupt your work.”

She wanted to get petulant, grouch back at him, but knew he was right. “Sorry.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell him sure, go ahead and interrupt her, but I thought after the morning you had you needed to blow off some steam.”

She switched off her headphones and her iPod and slid them across the table, out of her way. “What do I do? Do I tell him about Pete?”

“I can’t tell you that. I don’t know. This is one thing I wish to hell I could fix for you, sis, but I can’t.” He reached over and grabbed her hands and squeezed them. “Believe me, if I could wave a magic wand over it for you, I would. I hate like hell seeing you hurting. At some point, you have to quit being scared to take a chance and go for it. That’s what you told me, isn’t it?”

“I took a chance and it got my heart broke once already by him.”

“Yeah, and he’s apologized, right?”

Part of her wanted to avoid the risk of getting hurt again. Just hide out in the RV for a few days and then leave when Jack and Tim were at work. Not say good-bye, just put them in her rearview mirror as a “lesson learned” chapter of her life.

She also knew that would hurt just as bad as Jack’s words to her that afternoon.

“Why didn’t you tell me you called Jack and chewed him out?”

Liam shrugged. “Honestly? I was really pissed at him. And I figured if I told you, considering all the shitstorm of stuff we were dealing with about Amy, you might have gotten pissed at me, too, for interfering.” He smiled. “It’s hard for a big brother not to look after his baby sister.”

That earned him a smile. A few months ago, she would have been pissed. He was absolutely right about that. “Thank you, bro,” she softly said.

“Hey, anytime. You ready to go inside and quit hiding now?”

She saved her work, shut the laptop down, and followed Liam into the house. Tim had outdone himself. The house smelled delicious. She didn’t spot Jack, but Tim grabbed her as soon as she walked into the kitchen and pulled her into his arms where he gave her a long, sweet kiss.

Gwen fought the urge to break down and cry. She didn’t want to lose them.

Tim guided her down the hall to the smaller guest room and pulled her inside. “Talk to me, sweetie,” he softly said. “Please?”

She rested her forehead against his chest. “I can’t right now. I’m sorry. I just need to sort stuff out.”

“He does love you, babe—”

She pushed away. “He needs to tell me all this himself. He also needs to decide why he loves me.”

“Does it matter?”

She whirled on him. “Yes it fucking matters! Put yourself in my place and then imagine looking forward ten, twenty years from now wondering still if you’re loved for who you are, or for who you look like!”

She started to push past him to retreat to the RV when the guest room door swung open. Jack stood there, freshly showered and a dark, unreadable expression on his face.

“Tim,” he said in a soft voice that didn’t sound like him, “can I have a few minutes alone with her, please?”

“Yeah. Sure.” He planted a kiss on top of her head before walking out.

Jack stepped in and closed the door behind him, leaning against it. She wished he didn’t do that, so she had an easy escape route back to the RV.

She shouldn’t feel like this, like a rabbit in a snare. That’s not what love was supposed to be about. At least, that’s not the way it was in her books.

In her books, when the heroine felt like this it was a clue to run like hell without a look behind.

“I do love you,” he insisted when he finally spoke.

“You can’t answer my question yet, though, can you?”

“I’m not going to lie to you. Does it matter why this happened? Really? I love you for who you are. That’s what I realized while you were gone, that I missed you and loved you. You. I made the worst mistake of my life by sending you away, and I’ve regretted it ever since. If I could take it back, I would. Yes, I’m a stupid jerk. I admit it. Yes, we all rushed into this, but I don’t regret that we met you, and I do love you. What do I have to do to convince you how I feel?”

Part of her wanted to blurt it out right then about meeting and talking to Pete. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Why can’t you open up about Melodie? About Pete?”

“Because it hurts too fucking much, that’s why. What difference does it make this many years later when it can’t change anything? She’s dead, he’s in jail, and it ruined my life.”

They stared at each other for a long moment. “I’m sure Tim doesn’t think of your life together like that,” she said. “As ruined. According to him, you’re the center of his universe.”

“He was the first good damn thing to happen to me after losing them. Her. After losing her.”

Gwen had an epiphany. “Do you still love Pete?”

His jaw tightened. “I wake up every fucking morning hating him for taking her away from me.”

“That doesn’t answer my question. You can hate someone and still love them. God knows that’s the way I feel about my sister and father.”

He started to answer her, his mouth opening, then snapping shut again, shock on his face. He stared at her for a long time in silence. Then without speaking, he turned and left.

She stood there with her heart racing, waiting to hear him slam the bedroom door shut. Instead, she heard the front door open and shut and his truck start. Before she could run outside and stop him, she spotted his taillights disappearing down the driveway in the dark.

Tim rushed into the foyer. “What happened? Where is he?”

“He’s dealing with a revelation,” she softly said. She would have simply thought he was trying to deal with his anger except for what she saw just before he left.

Tears in his eyes.

* * *

Jack pounded his fist against the steering wheel as he drove. He didn’t bother wiping his tears away.

He’d spent all these years ignoring what sat right in front of him. The deep pain, the ache that refused to go away. More than wanting vengeance or justice.

Wanting them back.

Wanting him back.

Everyone from his mother to the counselor who’d tried to help him harped on forgiveness, not for Pete’s sake, but for his own. Unfortunately, his anger encased his heart and what little charity remained in him, preventing him from offering any forgiveness, even just to give the idea lip service. No chance of faking it until he could really mean it.

How could he forgive the man who, in one stupid instant, left him alone and grieving?

A man who, yes, he still loved. With that one question, Gwen had forced him to admit the one thing he desperately avoided thinking about all these years.

He still loved Pete. Even if Pete walked through his door he wouldn’t get back together with him, but there was still a part of his heart and a locked room full of memories in his brain that missed the fun times, the passion-filled nights.

The man he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with. Pete, and then the three of them together after they fell in love with Mel. And all those years, he’d fought against grieving those good times because Pete was the same man who’d taken it away from him. Pete didn’t deserve his grief. He only deserved his anger.

He damn sure didn’t deserve his forgiveness.

Did he?

He drove for a while before pulling off in Keystone, near Rushmore, where he could look up and clearly see Washington and a little bit of Jefferson. Tim called him Stoneface. Most of the past years, he’d felt more like Stoneheart. Afraid to give anything away.

How had Tim put up with him? When faced with possibly losing Gwen again, why the hell couldn’t he do this? Why couldn’t he put the past to rest and enjoy the present? Tim and Gwen both wanted to love him, and he loved them.

Why couldn’t they be enough for him to turn his back on that time in his life? On his anger?

After pulling himself together he turned the truck around and drove home. Gone nearly an hour, Tim would probably be going crazy worried about him. He’d left his cell phone on the counter and they couldn’t get hold of him. He pulled into his usual place in the driveway and had almost reached the front door when it flew open and Tim rushed out.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded and let Tim pull him in for a hug. “I need to talk to Gwen. I’m sorry I ruined dinner.”

“It’s okay. We waited for you.”

Gwen looked up from the couch when he walked in. He tipped his head toward the hall and she understood. She stood and followed him back to the guest room, where he closed the door behind them and pulled her down to sit with him on the bed.

He didn’t release her hands. “I do love you,” he said. “Yes, maybe the fact that you look like her played a role in how fast we all got together. But you’re not her. I know that, and I love you for who you are, not for who I wish you were.”

She nodded, but didn’t interrupt him.

He took a deep breath. “You’re right,” he softly admitted. “I do still love Pete. Not like I used to, obviously. But there’s a part of me who never quit loving him and that hurt more than anything.” He looked into her eyes and was surprised to see her smiling. “What?”

She threw her arms around him and hugged him. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For trying.”

He hugged her harder. “Does this mean you won’t leave?”

“As long as you promise to keep trying and don’t shut me out again.”

“I promise, baby.” He kissed her, wanting to cry at how sweet she tasted and how good she felt in his arms. “I promise I won’t stop trying. You and Tim may need to give me a nudge here and there to remind me if I’m shutting down again, but I’ll keep trying.”

“That’s all I ask.”

* * *

Gwen wanted to sob with relief but somehow held it together. He couldn’t have given her a more perfect answer if she’d written it for him. With her heart feeling a thousand pounds lighter, she let Jack lead her down the hall to the kitchen where Tim had put dinner out. Thank god it was stew and vegetables, along with a huge salad, so nothing was ruined by the delay.

Tim acted nervous, glancing at the two of them. Even after she sent him a reassuring smile, which he returned, he still seemed on edge. They’d just finished eating and she was helping him clear the table when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it.” Tim rushed toward the foyer.

Her intuition pinged. Tim had acted not at all surprised to hear the doorbell, but as if he’d expected it.

A horrible feeling rolled in her gut, confirmed when she heard male voices in the foyer. She stuck her head out the doorway and glanced down the hallway. Behind Tim walked Pete Sacher.

She jumped when Liam laid his hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he softly asked. She shook her head, staying his questions.

Jack had stood and was also helping clear the table, his back to the kitchen. “Who is it, Tim?” he called out.

Tim, followed by Pete, walked into the kitchen. Tim’s expression when he briefly met her gaze screamed, “I’ll tell you later.” Pete just looked ready to bolt.

She couldn’t blame him.

Tim cleared his throat and stood next to Pete. “Jack,” he softly said, “you can hate me later, but I asked him to come over.”

Jack turned. It was only because Liam had walked back to the table and grabbed the salad bowl as Jack let go that it didn’t hit the floor and shatter. Jack stared at Pete in shock for a long, silent moment.

“What are you doing here?” Jack finally asked, his voice sounding shaky.

Tim intervened. “I told you, I asked him to come by.” He looked at Gwen. “I’m sorry. I eavesdropped on you and Liam earlier. You left your purse in here, and I found your notepad and called him.”

Jack looked torn between grief stricken and murderous. “What the hell are you talking about? Why would Gwen have his number?”

She decided Tim needed a little help and stepped forward on his other side. “Your mom wasn’t having a confused moment when she said Pete visited her in the hospital. He showed up again this morning while Tim and I were there. I convinced him to talk to me.” She took a deep breath. “This isn’t how I would have handled it, but Tim’s right. The two of you are long overdue for a talk.”

Pete stood silently, his head down and gaze fixed on the floor.

Tim stepped over to Jack. “Please? Just hear him out.” He guided Jack toward the living room while Gwen touched Pete’s arm.

“It’s okay,” she said, leading him. “It’s time the truth comes out.”

Jack stood, his body rigid, by the back sliders. He didn’t speak to Pete. Liam had already taken over finishing the dishes while Gwen retreated to the doorway. Tim stood with Jack, softly pleading with him.

“Please, babe, you need to put this behind you. Talk to him.”

“What do you want me to say?” Jack choked out. He finally turned and looked at Pete. “He killed her. What more is there?”

“There’s more,” Tim assured him. He looked at Pete. “You need to tell him.”

Pete, still unable to look at Jack, repeated the story he’d told her in the hospital. Both men cried as he talked, and even Tim looked close to tears.

When he finished, Pete took a deep breath. “It’s still my fault, regardless,” he said. “I take the blame. No, I wasn’t behind the wheel, but I still killed her. You’re right about that. Every morning I wake up hating myself for destroying our lives like that.”

Jack had listened in silence, Tim standing close. Gwen didn’t know if he stood there for comfort or to quickly intervene if he thought Jack would go after Pete. Jack stared at the floor, tears silently rolling down his face, his fingers clenching and flexing as he struggled to maintain his composure. Then Jack crumpled to his knees with a loud sob.

She thought Tim would comfort him, but he waved Pete over. As Pete knelt next to Jack, the two men embraced, both crying and talking too softly for her to hear.

Now Tim was crying, too. He walked over and caught her hand and led her from the room. Back in the kitchen, he hugged her. “I think Jack won’t kill him,” he whispered in her ear. “And I think we need to leave them alone for a while.”

She nodded and closed her eyes, her heart racing. This was what she wanted, for Jack to face his past and cleanse his emotional wounds so he could finally move on for good. But now a worrying thought struck her: What if he wanted Pete back?

As if reading her mind, Tim buried his face in her hair. With his lips next to her ear he whispered, “No matter what, babe, you never lose me. Ever. I have faith in him and how he feels about us, but in case I’m wrong, you never lose me. I swear it.”

Liam walked over. Keeping his voice low, he said, “Why don’t you two go on out to the RV for a while? I’ll make sure they don’t get into it. I’ll finish cleaning up dinner.”

Tim agreed. Together, they went outside and curled up in the large bed in back. She felt safe in his arms, secure, even as her heart wondered if they would ever hold Jack again.

As if reading her mind, Tim spoke. “A lot of water has passed under that bridge, babe,” he said. “Too much, I think, for him to ever go back. But he needs to face this once and for all or we’ll never have him all to ourselves. We’ll always be sharing him with his memories and his hatred.”

She couldn’t fault that logic.

* * *

She had dozed off in Tim’s arms when a soft knock on the RV door startled her awake. Tim called out. “Yeah?”

Liam stuck his head inside. “It’s okay for you guys to come back in now, I think. They’re still talking, but they’re sitting in the living room.”

“Thanks,” Tim said. He looked at her. “Ready?”

She nodded. “I have to be, don’t I?”

With her stomach a mass of jumbled nerves, she let Tim lead her inside. Jack looked up from where he sat on the sofa as Tim and Gwen stood in the living room doorway. He stood, walked over to them, and hugged them both. “Thank you.”

Tim voiced the question she was afraid to ask. “Everything okay?”

He kissed Tim. “Everything’s fine.” Then he kissed her. “Please sleep inside tonight? If not with us, at least in the house.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

“In the house?” Jack asked.

She kissed him back. “In your bed.”

His happy smile nearly broke her heart. Could he finally find the peace that had eluded him for so many years?

They joined Jack on the couch, flanking him. Pete, looking much less uncomfortable than upon his arrival, sat in one of the chairs. Pete offered Tim and Gwen a mild smile. “Thanks for this. I appreciate it.”

Jack reached to either side and took Tim and Gwen’s hands. “I don’t think I stand a chance against these two. Oh, hold on a minute.” Jack stood and disappeared into the back of the house, to their bedroom, she imagined. He returned a few minutes later carrying two photo albums.

Pete’s eyes misted over. “Oh, man. You kept them.”

Jack smiled, but she didn’t miss the sadness lining it. “Yeah. Of course I did. Haven’t looked at them in years, though. I couldn’t bear to.” He returned to the couch and sat between Tim and Gwen again as he laid the albums on the coffee table and opened the first one. Pete left his chair and sat on the floor by the coffee table so he could see them.

They spent an hour going through the albums, Jack and Pete even laughing a few times over some memories, both men shedding plenty more tears. Liam joined them, commenting on Gwen’s resemblance to Melodie. “It’s spooky.”

Jack looked at her and smiled. “But it’s a good kind of spooky.”

Close to midnight, Pete glanced at the time. “I’m sorry I kept you all so late. I need to head home.”

Jack readily embraced him, the two men silently holding each other for a long, melancholy moment. Jack whispered something to him, too low for Gwen and Tim to hear.

Pete nodded, looking close to tears again, and whispered back. Jack walked him out to his car while Gwen and Tim remained in the living room.

Tim pulled her into his lap. “See? This is good.”

Exhausted mentally and emotionally, she nodded as she let him hold her close. “Yeah.”

When Jack returned a few minutes later, he gathered up the photo albums with a wistful look on his face. Instead of returning them to wherever he’d stored them, he made room for them on a shelf holding other photo albums.

Then he turned to them. “You were right,” he admitted to her. “Part of me does still love him. I miss him and I love him, but you two are my life. I quit being ‘in love’ with Pete a long time ago. Even though I know the full story now, that doesn’t change the fact that I love Tim, and I love you. Pete was part of my past. You two are my future.”

Tim kissed her. “See? I told you so.”

* * *

Gwen led the way to the bedroom.

Their bedroom.

Jack stood in front of her as Tim pressed against her back. “I love you, babe,” Jack said. “For who you are.”

She smiled. “I know. I believe you.”

“Oh, good. Does that mean I don’t have to flatten the tires on the RV?” Tim teased.

“Touch that RV, and I’ll beat you,” she joked back.

“Don’t worry,” Jack assured him. “I promise I won’t screw up like that again.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “And I promise I won’t screw up like that again, either.”

They quickly ended up in bed. Jack stared into her eyes, melting her soul in the process. She did believe him. She was willing to put herself out there and trust him the way she trusted Tim. To be honest, she’d known Tim longer than she’d known Jack. It was natural for her to have that easier relationship with him.

Jack was more than worth it, in her mind. “I think I need a good fucking from you, Detective Kelly,” she joked.

“Mmm. I think you do, too.” He crushed her lips with his. Heat flared deep within her as her world shrunk to encompass nothing outside the feeling of his hot flesh pressed against hers and Tim curled next to both of them, kissing any available flesh he could get his lips on.

“I second that motion,” Tim said, handing Jack a condom.

Jack smiled, further incinerating any remaining doubts. During one of their talks, Tim had confided in her that Jack had never looked as happy as he did when the three of them were together. Now, she could clearly see that. His smile held an easy, happy feeling.

She felt moisture pooling inside her pussy. Her clit throbbed, wanting to feel his hot shaft stroking inside her.

He pressed the head of his cock against her cunt. “You want me, baby?”

She dug her nails into his ass and greedily fucked her hips up toward him. “Does that answer your question?”

“Damn, girl.” He kissed her as he fucked her, hard and fast. “You’re ours, do you understand? I won’t let you get away again. If you really want to leave, say so, but our lives have been miserable since we lost you.”

His words more than his talented fucking were what drove her over. The sincerity in his husky tone.

The tears in his eyes.

“I love you both. I don’t want to get away. Just don’t push us away, Jack.”

He threw his head back and let out a loud cry as his orgasm hit. His cock rammed deep inside her, triggering her own climax. Tim leaned in and flicked her nipple with his tongue. “That’s it, baby,” he encouraged. “Come for him. Come for us.”

It wasn’t as strong as some of the orgasms they’d given her in the past, but it felt better than any of them because she knew exactly where she belonged.

Jack collapsed on her, taking her with him as they rolled to their sides. He clung to her. “I missed you so much.”

“Me too,” she agreed.

“Ahem,” Tim said, clearing his throat. “What about me?”

They looked at him and laughed as they held their arms open to him. “We wouldn’t be the same without you, Tim,” Jack said. “Who would take care of us and keep us in line?”

Tim moved in close and kissed Jack, then Gwen. “You two would be lost without me.”

“Absolutely,” she agreed.

Jack pushed Tim back and knelt over him. “I owe you a little special treatment too, I do believe,” Jack said. He bent down and sucked Tim’s cock into his mouth.

Gwen gasped, turned on beyond belief at the sight. “Holy crap,” she whispered in an awed tone.

“There’s room for two,” Tim said.

She giggled. Jack slid over, and she helped Jack work over Tim’s cock and balls with her tongue. Only when he was squirming on the bed and begging for relief did Jack sheath his lover in a condom and motion for her to climb on.

Jack knelt behind her, holding her as she rode Tim. Tim’s sweet blue gaze melted her. “Jesus, you’re so beautiful, babe.”

She felt beautiful. The men always made her feel hot and sexy.

He cupped her breasts in his hands as Jack reached around her and found her clit. She moaned, her pussy contracting around Tim’s cock as Jack chuckled.

“That’s the magic spot, isn’t it, baby?”

“Uh-huh!”

Tim’s thumbs brushed against her nipples, hardening them into taut peaks. “You like knowing we’re always panting after you, don’t you, baby?”

She ground her hips against Tim, enjoying the way he bottomed out inside her. “Yeah!”

Jack growled into her ear, “You belong to us, baby. Forever.” He nibbled on her neck and that was all it took to send her over the edge. Sobbing from the sheer relief of having both her men back, she collapsed against him as Tim grabbed her hips and pistoned his cock up into her until he exploded with a cry.

Tired and sated, the three of them collapsed onto the bed. Tim and Jack both wrapped their arms around her, creating a secure cocoon of love. “Sweet dreams, baby,” Jack whispered as he kissed the back of her neck.

She wiggled her ass against him. “I will, believe me.”

Tim kissed her lips. “Dream about us,” he said.

“Absolutely.” She pulled their arms tightly around her. “Forever.”

Chapter Seventeen

Loaded to the gills with antinausea and antianxiety meds, Gwen sat, terrified, between Jack and Tim in the boarding area at the departure gate at the Rapid City airport. Liam watched from the other side of the aisle with amusement on his face.

“Don’t hurl on me, sis. Please?”

“Shut up,” she growled.

He twirled his cane around. Specifically opting not to bring his wheelchair was a calculated risk Gwen hadn’t interfered with. She felt a little guilty not trying to persuade him to bring it, but knew he was an adult who could make his own decisions.

He was ready to make his final stand against their parents.

In the past month, one thing had become perfectly clear to her—that Jack and Tim were her home, and the thought of living anywhere else filled her with dread. She could handle brutal winters with two hunky, loving men to warm her bed every night.

True to his word, Jack had made every effort to open up. Sometimes either she or Tim had to prod him to not hold in his feelings, but his every action spoke of his dedication to proving his love for her.

They had Pete over for dinner several more times, the two men mending fences and at least regaining their friendship. Pete also helped Ed with Helen, taking some of the burden off Jack and Ed and giving them much needed respite. Tim gave him a job at the store at Jack’s suggestion. Tim and Liam usually rode to work together, while Gwen enjoyed having the house to herself during the day for writing.

When the gate agent called their flight, Liam stood. “Don’t let her get away,” he snarked. “She’ll bolt if you give her half a chance.”

“I think even you could outrun her, as loaded as she is right now,” Tim joked.

Gwen didn’t think the meds were helping her at all. She still felt terrified, although she didn’t feel an urge to yak all over her men. She settled into her seat on the plane between Tim and Jack, with Liam in the row behind them. She fastened her seatbelt, laid her head back, and closed her eyes.

Minutes later, Jack gently nudged her. “You going to fly to Florida, or are you coming with us?”

She groggily lifted her head and realized people were getting off the plane. Tim had already stood and gathered both his and her carry-ons. “What?”

“We’re here. Time to change flights.”

“Huh?” She’d only closed her eyes for a minute. “Quit screwing with me.”

Liam reached over the seat and tapped her on the shoulder. “Better living through chemistry, sis. Get your butt moving.”

Emboldened by this development, she didn’t feel nearly as scared as they boarded the connecting flight. Ruthie, who had passed her driver’s course with flying colors, even if her budding relationship with the instructor flunked, would pick them up upon their post-midnight arrival. Gwen dozed off on that flight, too, and felt remarkably calm when they emerged from the terminal and found Ruthie waiting on them with her new SUV.

She squealed and threw her arms around Gwen, then Liam. “So you going to introduce me, girlfriend?”

Gwen blushed as she did. She’d overcome most of her initial discomfort after Tim’s disclosure to his staff that Gwen was now officially part of the family.

They still hadn’t told her parents…or Amy.

Jack and Tim loaded their luggage while Liam stiffly climbed into the front passenger seat. When he caught Gwen’s worried look, he smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

Ruthie had been sworn to secrecy about their plans and drove them back to what would soon officially be her house, once the sale paperwork went through. Tomorrow they would pick up a large rental truck and a rental car and packing supplies.

All their parents knew was Liam and Gwen were visiting for a few days.

No reason to bring trouble earlier than necessary, she’d thought.

Rather than evict Ruthie from what was now her bed, Liam opted to sleep on the comfortable couch so Gwen and the men could have his former room.

Exhausted, they fell asleep nearly immediately. When Gwen awoke the next morning, she felt a brief moment of disorientation before she remembered where she was. Home.

No, not home anymore. Home was in Rapid City, with her men and Liam.

The two men didn’t awaken when she carefully extricated herself from between them. She made her way out to the kitchen to start coffee, only to find Liam had beat her to it.

She wrapped her arms around his waist as he stood at the counter and waited for the coffee to brew. “How you feeling, bro?”

“A little stiff, but not bad.” He turned in her arms, smiling. “Going to stand tall and strong when we go over there for dinner tonight.”

She groaned. He’d talked to their mother and handled the arrangements for them going over for dinner that evening. “Do we have to?”

He kissed the top of her head. “Yep. We’re done hiding, remember? What, they going to disown us or something?” He laughed. “The guys wubs us. They especially wubs you. We’ve got a home.”

“I was just thinking that. This isn’t home anymore. Being here doesn’t feel like being home.” She pondered that. “I didn’t expect that.” She’d spent so long convincing herself she’d made a horrible mistake falling in love with Tim and Jack, and that she’d never see them again, that to have her future laid out so brightly before her felt as surreal as her first night in their bed.

“But it makes things easier, doesn’t it?”

She nodded. “Sure does.”

Ruthie walked in, looking barely awake. “God bless you, my son. You got the coffee started.”

While Gwen and Ruthie chatted via webcam several times a week, the dramatic changes in her friend still startled Gwen, in a good way. Ruthie looked healthier and more vital than she had in years. She acted more confident, walked taller, much the way she’d been before the attack that ruined her life. She even had a telecommuting customer service job where she could work from home.

“So how are you doing?” Gwen asked her. “Really?”

Ruthie laughed and pointed to her counter. “How many pill bottles you see?”

Gwen counted only two. “What are those for?”

“One’s for cholesterol, the other’s a very mild antianxiety med, and they’ve stepped my dosage down on that one. Doctor says I might be able to start tapering off it completely next month.”

Gwen squealed and hugged her. “I’m so proud of you!”

“I’m proud of me, too.” She shrugged. “I figured if you and Liam could stand up to your parents, then it was time for me to try to take my life back, too. I got tired of being scared of everything. I like having a life again.”

* * *

By noon, the men had picked up the moving truck, rental car, and cleared out Liam’s storage unit, while Gwen and Ruthie organized the packing of Gwen’s house. Gwen was leaving most of the furniture for Ruthie, but she had three rooms full of floor-to-ceiling bookcases she needed to empty and pack the contents.

By four that afternoon, they were halfway done with the house and Liam declared them finished for the day. “We need to get ready for dinner.”

Gwen’s stomach tensed as the reminder threatened to do what the flight from Rapid City hadn’t. “Can’t you go? I’ll stay here with Ruthie.”

Tim pulled her to him. “We’ll be there with you, honey. Strength in numbers.”

Jack jumped into the shower with her. He wore a playful smirk. “Think of it this way, either they’ll accept the situation, or they won’t. Either way it doesn’t matter, because it doesn’t change a thing between us. Right?”

“Right.” She let him gather her into his arms. “I just want peace.”

“Honey, honestly? When have you and your brother ever had peace with your parents?”

She sighed. “Never.”

“Right. That’s what Liam told me, too.” They heard the bathroom door open. “Tim, come here.”

He stuck his head into the shower. “What?”

“You brought it, right?”

Tim frowned briefly before he apparently understood what Jack meant by his question. “Yeah?”

“Brought what?” Gwen asked.

Jack smiled at her, but spoke to Tim. “Go get it.”

“Now?” Tim asked.

“Yeah, now.”

“Now what?” Gwen looked from Jack to Tim.

Tim left and reappeared a moment later. Jack and Gwen had finished and were drying off. Tim and Jack, both stark naked, dropped to one knee before her and each took a hand. “Will you marry us?” Jack asked as Tim slipped the ring on her finger.

She couldn’t speak. In shock, she just stared at the ring.

Tim said, “Technically you’re marrying me, so I wanted him to actually pop the question.”

The huge solitaire amazed her. “How did you decide who it would be?” she finally managed to ask. Part of her realized that probably wasn’t the most practical or romantic question, but it was the only thing she could think of.

Jack and Tim stood. Jack kissed her first. “I want it to be him because of the business. Makes life easier. We’ll both wear rings and take the vows though. So, are you going to keep us hanging?”

“Yes!”

Tim smiled. “Yes, you’re going to keep us hanging?”

She lightly smacked him on the shoulder. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

* * *

Jack rode in the backseat with Gwen while Tim drove. Liam rode shotgun and gave Tim directions. Gwen felt her anxiety ratchet up close to vomit-inducing levels.

“I really don’t want to be here, guys.” Gwen said this from the safety of the rental car’s backseat as she stared at her parents’ house.

“Remember what you told me before I had my heart-to-heart with Pete?” Jack asked.

“That was different.”

“This is easier,” Jack insisted.

“Says you,” she groused. “You don’t know our parents.” She glared at the house.

Liam left his cane in the car, and after finally coaxing Gwen out of the backseat, the men flanked her and gently guided her to the front door.

Their mother frowned when she noticed Liam wasn’t using his cane, but hugged him without mentioning it. “You look so good!”

“I feel good, Mom.” Gwen huddled close to Jack and Tim as Liam introduced the men. “Mom, this is Detective Jackson Kelly, and Timothy Ellis.”

Gwen prayed Liam didn’t opt for a repeat performance tactic of lobbing his news bombs during dinner like the last time they’d eaten with their parents.

Their father stood aloof in the living room doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. “You didn’t have to bring a cop to make sure I wouldn’t hold you two hostage,” he sniped.

Gwen found her backbone and started to reply, but their mom beat her to it. “David, you shut your mouth right now. What did I tell you? Behave, or go to bed.” She planted her hands on her hips and glared at her husband.

Both Liam and Gwen gasped. “Mom!”

She turned to them and smiled. “I’ve been spending a lot of time with Ruthie,” she whispered, softly enough their father couldn’t hear. “She’s rubbed off on me.”

Gwen couldn’t help but laugh. Their father glared, but kept further comments to himself and joined them at the table. Overall, dinner went better than she expected despite her father’s dark and moody silence. Tim, Jack, and Liam kept up a lively conversation with their mother. Gwen kept sneaking looks at her father and knew from the dark glare in his eyes that he would explode upon finding out the news.

Hell, even if I tell him I’m joining a convent and turning into a nun, he’d probably explode.

She realized she was stroking the engagement ring with her thumb. It felt strange and yet right to once again have a ring on that hand.

Jack and Tim both jumped up to help clear the table before dessert. They insisted on Liam and Gwen staying at the table with their father.

Liam shot her a secret wink while their father wasn’t looking.

Oh, crap.

“So, Dad, how’s work been?” Liam asked.

“It’s been like work,” he grunted. “Unlike some people, I don’t get to go driving all over the country on vacation on my brother’s dime.”

Gwen felt her stomach heave. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she heard a sudden silence descend in the kitchen.

Liam, however, laughed. “Aw, you’ve got that backward, Dad. More like I get to loaf on Gee’s dime while she chauffeurs me all over the place.”

She dared a look. Liam wore a pleasant grin while their father scowled at him. “I think it’s stupid,” their father barked. “You need to be near your doctors, and she needs to get a real job.”

She saw the tendons tighten in Liam’s neck, but his grin never faltered. “She has a real job. One of her last books hit number three hundred on Amazon Kindle, and it spent a couple of weeks at number one on her publisher’s website.”

“Couldn’t have been good if it wasn’t higher on Kindle.” For the first time in her life, Gwen wanted to slap the smirk off her father’s face.

Liam was far from done. “No, you’ve got that wrong. There’s over several hundred thousand books on Kindle, Dad. Anything that breaks the top ten thousand, that’s good. Anything that breaks the top thousand, especially from an independent publisher, is amazing. Anything in the top five hundred…” He laughed. “Just goes to show you how much you don’t know about your most successful child, but why would you care?” He examined a hangnail and blithely said, “Not like she had an affair with a married man and got knocked up out of wedlock—”

Her father slapped the table as he roared with indignation. He bolted out of his chair. Gwen forgot about her fear as she jumped to her feet, sure that he was about to go after Liam. Their father didn’t move, however, just stood there and glared at her.

Her brother remained seated and nonplussed. “What’s wrong, Dad? The truth hurts, doesn’t it? The daughter you refuse to give her due is the child you should be the most proud of.”

“Li, it’s okay,” she said, trying to defuse the situation, although how that would be possible in this current plane of reality, she wasn’t sure. “I’m used to it.”

“Well, I’m not,” Liam insisted. “You deserve recognition for your talents, even if he doesn’t agree with how you make your living.” He finally glared at his father as he slowly stood. “And by the way, I’ve got a hot news flash for you. We’re moving, permanently, out to South Dakota. Ruthie’s buying Gee’s house.” He reached a hand out for her and she slowly walked to stand next to him. “Jack, Tim, can you come in here?”

Even though she couldn’t see her, Gwen knew her mom had been huddled by the kitchen doorway. She hustled in, ahead of the men, and took up a position behind her and Liam. Jack and Tim followed and stood behind Gwen.

“Do I get the honors,” Liam asked Gwen, “or did one of you want to do it?”

Jack laughed. “I think you’ve done enough, but thank you.” He rested one hand on Gwen’s shoulder and she fought the temptation to lean backward into him. “Mr. Oxford, I have a feeling you’re not going to like this news, but let’s get it out in the open. Tim and I are marrying your daughter.”

Gwen didn’t like the sudden crimson hue in her father’s face. “What?” he finally whispered. Just because she thought he was an overbearing jerk sometimes didn’t mean she didn’t love him or wanted him to keel over from a stroke.

Tim rested a hand on her other shoulder. “Us. Her. Hitched.” He gently poked her. “Show him the ring, sweetie.”

She held up her hand and her mother gasped. Gwen wasn’t ready for it when her mom pushed her way through the men and hugged her. “Oh, congratulations, honey!”

Gwen knew the worst was yet to come, and her father didn’t disappoint. “What do you mean you and Tim are marrying Gwen? That’s impossible!”

Jack took over. “Not really. Tim’s legally marrying her, but all three of us are changing our names, hyphenating them.” He looked at Tim and the love in his expression nearly made Gwen cry right then and there. “We love each other, and we love Gwen. We’re only complete when the three of us are together.” He turned back to her father. “No, it’s not traditional, but it’s not really your business what we do in the privacy of our bedroom.”

Her father’s mouth opened and closed a few times without any sound coming out. The crimson shade deepened to nearly purple. Then he turned without a word and stomped out of the living room. They heard him go upstairs and slam the bedroom door.

“Well, that was fun,” Liam quipped.

Their mom still looked a little shocked, but she had tears in her eyes. “Are you happy?” she asked.

Gwen nodded. “Very. I’m sorry it’s not normal and you can’t brag about us at church, but I love them and they love me.”

Her mom looked at Tim and Jack and waggled her finger at them. “You promise to take care of my baby girl?”

The men smiled and nodded. “Yes, ma’am,” Tim said. “I promise we’ll take good care of her.” Jack nodded, too.

Her mother hugged the men, then Liam. “You’re going to stay out there too, aren’t you?” she sadly said.

He nodded. “Yes, Mom. I’m sorry, but I’m happy out there.”

“Can I come visit you all out there?” she softly asked.

“Of course,” Jack said. “You’re welcome any time.” He cleared his throat. “You and your husband.”

She sat heavily and waved her hand at the doorway in a dismissive gesture. “Him? Hah! That’s a laugh. I doubt I’ll get him to speak Gwen’s name for a while. He’s still upset with Amy and barely speaks to her. I don’t even tell him when I go to spend time with her and…Bob.” She stumbled over the last word as she looked at Gwen.

“It’s okay, Mom,” Gwen assured her. “I know you love her. I don’t hold that against you.”

“I don’t tell Ruthie anything about them unless she asks. I feel bad about what happened, but in a way maybe it was for the best, you know? I guess that sounds sort of sappy, but look how much better Ruthie is now without Bob. She’s working and driving and dating and has a life. I’m not excusing what Bob and Amy did, and I’m not saying they were right. But it all worked out.”

She lowered her voice even more. “And Chesley is so adorable. She’s a beautiful baby. They’re happy together. So that’s okay, right?”

“No comment,” Gwen said.

Her mom looked sad. “If Ruthie can forgive them, sweetie, why can’t you?”

“Not my job to forgive them, Mom.” She tipped her chin toward the doorway their father had stormed through. “At least I’m not going off on them like he is.”

“Your father is a man of his time and upbringing. I doubt he’s going to ever change.”

“You’ve changed.”

She sadly smiled. “Unfortunately, I changed when I met your father. I didn’t stand my ground when I should have. This is more like who I used to be. I love your father most of the time, but I refuse to isolate myself from my children any longer. I’ve wasted too many years trying to placate the man. He is who he is, but I’m done letting him define my relationship with you kids.”

* * *

After dessert and their father not making another appearance, they returned to Gwen’s house. Ruthie was saying good night to her date in the front yard when they pulled in.

Ruthie’s face lit up with a huge smile as she introduced everyone. “This is Charlie.”

Gwen couldn’t help but notice Ruthie was not only smiling in a way Gwen hadn’t seen her smile in years, but she looked several years younger. “Nice to meet you,” Gwen said.

After he left and Ruthie joined them inside, she laughed. “Sorry, he called last minute after you all had left and we grabbed a quick dinner.”

“He seems very nice,” Gwen said.

“Want me to check him out for you?” Jack protectively offered. Gwen had noticed that after learning about Ruthie’s past, Jack seemed very…well, big brotherish toward her. Not unlike Liam toward Gwen.

Tim laughed and smacked him on the shoulder. “Down, boy. Not every man is a serial killer.”

“Yeah, and how does she know who he is?” Jack shot back. “Never hurts to check.”

Everyone stared at him before they burst out laughing.

Ruthie hugged him. “That’s very sweet, but he’s the brother of a friend of mine. He’s not a serial killer that I’m aware of.”

“Well,” mumbled Jack, “if you change your mind, I’ll do it.”

Gwen smiled. How very different he was from that horrible afternoon in their kitchen when they fought and she left. Now knowing what she knew about him, she understood why he’d pushed her away. And perhaps it was for the better, because in the intervening months while she and Liam were on the road and away from their parents, she was able to learn more about herself, do a lot of thinking.

Able to work on trying to control her temper.

Ruthie pulled her aside later before they all went to bed. “I want to talk to you about something.” She led Gwen to the kitchen, where they had a little privacy. “I’ve invited Bob and Amy over for dinner tomorrow night.”

Gwen nearly choked. “What?”

Ruthie clung to Gwen’s hands and wouldn’t let her pull away. “Please, listen to me. Yes, I’m mad at Bob, but believe me, I’ve gotten my pound of flesh out of him. He hurt me, very badly. But you and Amy and Liam used to be close. You’ve never even seen the baby. She deserves to have a relationship with her Aunt Gwen and Uncle Liam. Don’t punish her for who her parents are.”

Gwen could barely speak through her shock. “How can you forgive them for what they did? Forgive Bob after he saw what you went through?”

Ruthie shrugged. “I don’t absolve him of what he did. I do have a lot of resentment. The truth is, I know he feels guilty. He’s gone above and beyond what he had to, legally, to take care of me. He’s helping me buy this house. He’s still paying me alimony. He’s paying my health insurance.” She took a deep breath. “Does it hurt? Yes. But when I look back even before he started cheating on me with Amy, I see things that were really wrong. He was there for me when it counted the most.”

“He cheated on you!”

“I had a choice to make. You saw me. I could have stayed hostage to what happened to me, which was letting those assholes win, or I could take my life back. Am I where I wish I was? No. I wish Bob hadn’t cheated on me and that I was still married. However, I am happier now, overall, than I have been in several years. I see a bright future instead of my depression. I’m taking my life back.” She grinned evilly. “And believe me, I’m not going to hesitate to lay a guilt trip on Bob any chance I can and make him keep paying for quite a while. He can afford it.”

Gwen finally laughed and they hugged. “Okay,” she softly said. “I’ll play nice. But only because it’s you asking me to.”

“Thank you, Gee,” she said. “It’s time you quit letting what Dickweed did to you color the rest of your world, too. You don’t have to like your sister or Bob, or what they did. That baby should know her family. Bob’s parents are dead and he was an only child. Your dad refuses to speak to them. So it’s just you and Liam and your mom. Give her a family. Let her know she’s loved.”

* * *

Gwen spent that night and most of the next morning packing up loose odds and ends, helping Ruthie clean the house and unpack her things, and catching up with e-mail. Their mother came over late in the afternoon.

For once, Gwen was glad to see her.

She gave Gwen a big hug. “Thank you for doing this.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not happy about it,” she grumbled.

Her mom smiled. “I know. That’s why it means even more to me that you are.”

Charlie came over later, and Gwen again had a chance to see how happy Ruthie looked. Bob and Amy showed up right on time. Both of them looked uncomfortable, but their mom swooped in to pick baby Chesley up from her carrier seat. “There’s my little peanut!”

Gwen had to admit her mom also looked happier than she’d ever seen her. She walked over with the baby in her arms. Chesley had blue eyes, like Liam, and curly brown hair.

“Want to hold her?” her mom asked.

She hesitated, then held her arms out. The baby smiled and reached for Gwen. Liam walked over and joined them. “Hey, kiddo.”

Ruthie finally realized Bob and Amy were just standing there, looking even more uncomfortable. “Come on in and sit down, you two.”

“Thanks,” Bob quietly said.

Gwen glared at them before turning her back on them. She walked to one of the back windows, which overlooked the yard. Tim and Jack moved to flank her, each with a hand on her shoulder.

“She’s a cutie,” Jack said.

Gwen nodded.

Her mom walked over. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Are you going to ignore them all night,” she quietly said, “or are you going to talk to them?”

“I don’t suppose you’ll let me ignore them.”

Tim rested his chin on her shoulder. “It’s okay, babe. Just fake it until you make it.”

She sighed and finally returned to the living room, where Amy and Bob were talking with Liam, Charlie, and Ruthie. “She’s adorable,” Gwen said as she handed the baby back to Amy.

Amy gave her a hesitant smile. “Thank you.”

And that was the start of a tentative, but passable conversation for the rest of the evening. When it was time for Bob and Amy to go, Gwen even walked to the door with them and hugged Amy.

“I’m sorry, Gee,” Amy whispered in her ear. “I miss you guys so much, and I know I deserve it, but I’m really sorry. I never meant to push you two away. I love you. I hope you and your guys and Liam are happy in Rapid City.”

Gwen fought back her tears. She might cry sooner rather than later, but she didn’t want it to be in front of Amy and Bob. “Thanks. I appreciate it. You…can e-mail me and call me, if you want.”

Amy hugged her harder. “Thank you.”

Their mother prepared to leave a few minutes later. “What did Dad say about you coming here tonight?” Liam asked.

She smiled. “He didn’t. I just told him I was going out, and that there were leftovers in the fridge.”

“Ooh, Mom’s kicking butt,” he teased.

“No, not kicking butt, just standing up for myself.” She smiled at Ruthie and Charlie. “And standing up for my kids, and for what’s right.”

That night, Gwen curled up between her men and had her good cry.

* * *

The next morning, their mother came by to fix them all breakfast and say good-bye to everyone. Gwen couldn’t believe their mom had reacted as well as she had to all the recent events.

Gwen hugged her long and hard as she stood beside the rental truck. Jack and Tim would take turns driving it and the rental car. Liam would ride shotgun in the car so they could stop whenever he needed.

“Thanks, Mom,” she tearfully said. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too, sweetie.” She stepped back and offered her a smile. “You and Liam have fun and take care of each other. I’m so proud of you.”

“Proud?”

“Yes. You’re following your dream.” She looked at Tim and Jack. “And no, I never imagined two men in your life. At least that doubles my chances for more grandchildren, right?”

Gwen felt herself blushing as Tim and Jack laughed.

“Absolutely,” Jack said.

As they rolled toward the interstate, Gwen took a final look at once-familiar landmarks. Already things had changed a little since the last time she’d been “home.” Stores had closed and been replaced by other stores. There were new businesses and houses, and construction projects on roads. It was the same, but different.

“You okay, sweetie?” Jack asked. He would take the first shift.

“Yeah.”

“Any regrets?”

“Yeah.” He looked at her, startled, and she smiled. “I regret I didn’t kick your ass that day in Rapid City. We’d already be moved out there if I had.”

He laughed, relieved. “I wish you’d kicked my ass, too, sweetheart. Believe me.”

Epilogue

Gwen relaxed on the upper porch, looking out over the valley from the comfort of her chair. Golden-hued shadows were lengthening as they stretched across the landscape. She’d just submitted her fourth Pellington Pack novel to her publisher.

Shelaine and her horndog shape-shifter mates couldn’t even begin to keep up with Gwen’s real-life hunks.

She smiled at that thought.

Liam sat at the patio table, headphones on, iPod blaring and totally engrossed in his work. Late in the summer, while the daytime temperatures had reached nearly ninety, it was already pleasantly cool and would drop to almost chilly levels by the middle of the night.

Tim emerged through the sliders, drinks in both his hands. A beer for himself, iced tea for her. He handed it to her and took a seat next to her. He propped his feet up on the railing and slung an arm across her shoulders. “How you doing?”

“I’m okay.”

“Jack called a few minutes ago. He said your mom’s plane was a few minutes late, but they’re on their way.”

“Oh, good.”

She and Liam had built a good rapport with their mother over the past few months. Gwen could honestly say she was looking forward to her visit.

“And,” he playfully teased, “he said there’s a surprise.”

Her stomach rolled. She rested her hand on her belly. “What kind of surprise?” she nervously asked.

“Good surprise.”

“I should get dinner started.”

“Nope. I’m taking care of it, I told you that.”

The men had spoiled her rotten. Their wedding just days after their return to Rapid City had been a quiet, small civil ceremony with Liam, Pete, Jack’s father, and Celia present. Both men wore wedding rings.

Tim rubbed her belly. “You doing okay?”

“No morning sickness tonight, if that’s what you mean.” Now four months along, her baby bump was more like a baby mountain, in her opinion. The men had wasted no time getting her knocked up.

Not that she was complaining.

She was the happiest she’d ever been in her life.

After a few minutes, Tim returned inside to start dinner and Liam shut down his laptop. “You excited?”

“Yeah, I’ve missed her. I’m glad she came around.”

A shadow of a frown crossed his face. Their father had sent them a scathing letter, essentially disowning them unless Liam “repented” his homosexuality and Gwen gave up her “whorish ways.”

It didn’t surprise them in the least when their mom moved in with Ruthie a week later and filed for divorce. They couldn’t blame her. It saddened them to lose contact with their father, but they were relieved that a healthy bridge had finally been built between them and their mother.

Gwen had even managed to forgive Amy. She’d started e-mailing with her a few times a week.

Liam moved his stuff inside. Gwen waddled in behind him and sat at the kitchen table. When the front door opened a few minutes later, she heard Jack’s voice call out.

“We’re home!”

She was starting to stand when her mom hustled through the kitchen doorway, a bright smile on her face. “Gee! Oh my gosh, look at you!” Her mom engulfed her in a huge hug.

“Hi, Mom.”

Her mom touched her belly. “How’s my grandson?”

Gwen smiled and patted her tummy. “Already kicking up a storm.”

“Good.”

Gwen heard more voices and was shocked to see Ruthie appear in the doorway. “Oh my god!” Gwen hurried over and hugged her. “You sneak! I didn’t know you were coming, too!”

“Well, how the hell else am I supposed to give you a baby shower?”

“This was the surprise?” she asked Tim, who looked a little nervous.

“Um, sort of.”

Amy, holding Chesley in her arms, appeared in the doorway. “Hi, Gee.”

Gwen’s first instinct was to be mad that she’d shown up, too, then she stopped herself. No matter how mad she’d been at her sister in the past, she still loved her.

And she had missed her.

She opened her arms to Amy, who stepped into her embrace. “Thank you for coming.”

Amy broke down crying. “I’m so sorry, Gee,” she whispered. “I miss you guys so much. I’m sorry I screwed things up so badly.”

Their mom took Chesley and everyone left the kitchen, leaving the sisters alone.

“If it means anything,” Amy said, “I told Ruthie I was sorry, too. And I mean it.”

“I know. She told me.” That was the only reason Gwen could forgive her sister, because Ruthie and Gwen had several long, tearful conversations about it.

Gwen still wasn’t fond of Bob, and she and Ruthie had dubbed him Bastardo, but she would never call him that in front of her niece. She’d always be pleasant to him in front of the baby.

Didn’t mean she wouldn’t call him that in private.

And Ruthie was happy with Charlie. They’d gotten engaged and were talking about him possibly moving in with her in a few months. They both wanted to take things slow, but Gwen’s mom had reported that she thought they were perfect together.

Gwen didn’t know, didn’t want to know, the details of how Amy and Bob hooked up in the first place. All she knew was that she would hold her temper for the sake of the little girl she’d grown to love. Her unborn son’s cousin.

She didn’t know which man was her baby’s father. They’d figure it out after he was born. Not that it mattered, because his last name would be Ellis-Kelly.

After dinner, they all gathered in the living room to talk and catch up. Chesley wandered around between her three uncles. Gwen was hit by the thought that this was how a normal, healthy family did things.

Her eyes grew misty, but this time, they were happy tears.

She blamed her pregnancy hormones.

Liam, sitting next to her, smiled and gently nudged her. “You all right, Gee?”

She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Yeah. I’m all right.”

He kissed the top of her head and slung an arm around her shoulders. Jack and Tim were on the floor with Chesley, showing her how to build a Lego car. Liam whispered in Gwen’s ear, “You did good, Gee. They’re going to be great dads.”

“You’d be a great dad, too, you know. You could always adopt.”

“Maybe one day. For now, I’m happy to be Uncle Liam. Besides, you’ll need me around to babysit. I have a feeling those boys are going to want a houseful of kids.”

She smiled. “You might be right about that, bro.”

“That’ll make Mom happy.”

Gwen grinned. “It’ll make Dad blow his top.”

They stared at each other and burst out laughing. “All the more reason to do it,” she said.

They watched the men and the baby for another moment. “How does it feel to write yourself a happy ending?” he whispered in her ear.

“Damn good,” she whispered back. “Really damn good.”

THE END

WWW.TYMBERDALTON.COM

Content

STONEFACE
Tymber Dalton

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue