Stoneface

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.