“I intimidate her?” Finn scoffed, held his hand out and clicked his fingers for the bottle. “Stop hogging it. Why would I intimidate her?
I’m not the oversized old man always on her ass trying to push her into things.”
Dan shrugged. “She has a very nice ass.”
“Trust me, I’m aware of that. Gimme the bottle.”
“I don’t push her into things. I make helpful suggestions regarding her future wel being is all.” Daniel gave up the liquor, feeling the effects of their speed drinking hitting him hard. “Shit. She’s gonna be so pissed we’re pissed.”
The kid shrugged and drank. “It’s all on you. I’m not going home.”
“Rebel, suit yourself. I’l have her al to myself, half-asleep and cuddly as a kitten. My very own pretty pussy, I can’t wait. We had sex after you stormed out. She felt needy after that scene. I feel so … used. Dirty, almost.” He grinned wide and the kid gave him a face made of lemons, al puckered lips and squinty eyes. What a situation, mediating between his girlfriend and her other boyfriend.
Ridiculous.
“Go fuck yourself.”
“Finn, she didn’t want you to leave. She was giving you the choice. Come back with me.” Dan held up the last quarter of scotch and swirled it around in the bottle. “Come on, we’re running out anyway and that bed does not appear comfortable.”
The kid shrugged.
“Come on.”
“What did you learn from this messy-ass marriage?”
Dan sighed again, loud and proud, and rested his head back against the cool of the concrete wall. It felt nice. “Well, it’s important to say you’re sorry, even if you don’t mean it. Sometimes, especially if you don’t mean it.”
Finn choked on a laugh. “That’s terrible.”
“Terrible but true. Sometimes you need to make the peace and work it al out later. Being together is what’s important.”
“This is your version of wisdom? I think I’ll pass.” The kid leant back on his elbows, laughed again and shook his head.
“I better head back. Certain you’re not coming?”
“No.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Finn woke up alone just before dawn with a brain-splintering headache. A shave and wash in the police station bathroom did nothing to alleviate it.
People started dropping in shortly thereafter, small-town gossip having made the rounds. He greeted all comers, sunglasses firmly in place. The dark lenses were small protection against the glare of daylight bursting through the front windows, threatening to boil his eyeballs in their sockets.
It seemed like everyone in town had come calling. Everyone except for the person he wanted to see.
He ignored the pounding in his head, smiled and nodded and said nothing. Committee members stopped by, Sam included. He waddled in with his big belly leading the way. Plenty of people dropped by, smiling and making the right noises about his promotion to town cop.
Time would tell. Finn had wanted to wear the badge since about the age of five, but what it meant now, he didn’t know.
Two bored teen girls were practicing their wiles on him when Al wandered in midmorning. The sight of her did things to him that made life less simple. She was a punch to the chest. He could feel his heart flop over and offer up its bel y.
The girls stopped and stared at him and Al. And then stared some more. Then they scurried out with much excited whispering.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey,” he said back.
She wore a denim skirt and a t-shirt with her hair down. Morning light did beautiful things to her, while it had tried to annihilate him.
How fucking unfair he’d only had her the one time. His fingers itched to touch her, to grab her and run.
Not being able to touch her would kill him. He would leave. Al would be safe here with Dan. Finn was unnecessary now. He couldn’t spend the next however many years watching her and wanting. Being kept at a polite distance would kill him, because this need he had for her wasn’t going anywhere.
“How’s your head?” Her fingers twitched at her side, her arms knife straight.
“It’s been better. Mind locking the door behind you? I’m done with visitors for a while.” Pain flashed across her face. He backpedaled fast. “No. Al, I meant with you on this side. Please.”
“Oh.” She turned her back and fiddled with the lock for a moment. Finn opened the internal door beside the counter, ushered her through to the back of the station. Out of sight of any spectators while they tied up loose ends seemed a good idea. Probably best not to have witnesses just in case he actually gave in to the temptation to beg and plead on his knees. Shit.
“Dan’s stil sleeping it off,” she said. “I don’t know what time he got back.”
“He didn’t wake you?”
“No.”
Finn shook his head, surprised over being surprised. “Manipulative son of a bitch.”
Al smiled, the love she felt for the big man obvious in her face. His overly familiar answering pang of jealousy made him silently snarl.
But she was here. She had come to him, and it had to mean something even if this was the big kiss off. That she cared enough to do it face to face was nice, though of course a phone call or an email was out of the question these days.
She wandered amongst the office desks out back, touching things here and there, looking awkward.
Smelling great. Soap and sex again. He never stood a chance.
“I have something to say,” she announced at last.
Finn sat on the nearest surface, a desk across from her. He nudged ancient piles of paperwork aside. “I’m listening.”
Her shoulders rose on a deep inhalation of breath that made the skin above her nose bunch up. “If I’m still what you want, then I need you to not grin at girls who stick their tits in your face.”
She paused for effect. He could only blink.
“I realize you’re an attractive guy, you’re going to get attention, that’s a given. I mean, you’re beautiful, I know this. But if you’re sleeping with me, then flirting like that is disrespectful. I’m a long way from being okay with it,” she said. “It hurts. I need you to understand that.”
He made to shrug and stopped. This was too important. “Alright.”
“There’s more,” Al warned, wearing her game face. Her serious eyes studied him, making him thankful the sunglasses still sat on his nose.
“Keep going.”
“If I’m not what you want then I stil want to be your friend. I care about you a lot, Finn. That doesn’t change … whatever you decide.”
Rendered dumbstruck by her honesty, he took off his sunglasses and dumped them on the desk, giving himself a minute. It took guts to put herself on the line. Shit, he’d had no business flirting with any girl. He knew it. Had known it at the time.
Maybe he had been jealous. Spending the night with a woman and then handing her back to her boyfriend … Not knowing where he fit in with her did not sit wel . In truth, he’d never not come first with a woman. If only he had found her before Dan. But he hadn’t. This thing between them would always be more complicated than normal. Still, he’d gotten involved with her knowing that.
Ali shuffled about on her feet for a minute then ceased that too, her frown increasing. He realized she fully expected him to tell her they were done. Expected it and hated it. It left them both in the same fucked up place neither wished to be. What a revelation. His heart thundered and he stared at her, mute.
“That’s al ,” she eventually prodded. Her gaze darted around the room, diligently avoiding him. “It’s what I should have said yesterday, as opposed to what came out. I’m sorry for that.”
He gave one cautious nod.
“Say something.”
Finn pushed off the desk and walked toward her, taking up her hands when they were toe-to-toe. Her fingers, warm and a little damp, slid through his own. Sweaty from the burgeoning heat of the day or nerves, he didn’t know. It didn’t matter. Everything was going to be okay. He’d promise her whatever the hell she needed him to so long as he could stay close to her. It was that simple. “I missed you last night.”
Air left her lungs on a sigh. “I missed you too. I guess I’m selfish. I want both of you with me, or I’m not happy.”
He brushed the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip, loving how her eyes dilated. Loving her saying these things to him.
But he wasn’t interested in hashing out their issues right there and then. Maybe Dan was right, sometimes the being together was more important.
“I want you,” he told her. “Right now, Al.”
“Here?” She looked around, perplexed. “In a cop station?”
“Right here. Right now.”
Her answer was the hitch in her breathing and the hunger on her face. It was enough.
He held her hands a little tighter, taking them behind her back. Just far enough to arch her spine and press the soft mounds of her breasts against him. “You know how I held your hands down last time?”
Al’s throat worked. “I remember.”
“Yeah. I remember too.” Finn took her mouth, kissing her with all the pent-up frustration lingering from the night before. Kissing her till he couldn’t remember what had caused all the fuss in the first place. His jeans strangled his dick as his balls became hot and heavy.
Getting her off and getting into her were the only things that mattered. But he had this mental image of exactly how it had to happen.
God help him, it had to come true. “Trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Turn around, hands on the table.”
Gray eyes blinked open, dazed and confused. Her lips were swollen and wet. She watched his mouth move but he couldn’t be sure she got the message. And the message was all important.
“Turn around, Al.” He helped her turn, then helped himself to two handfuls of her curvy ass. “Put your hands on the table.”