“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.