Dalton, Tymber - Stoneface (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Tymber Dalton Page A

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