“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

She had no answer.

“Come here.” Daniel set aside his dinner and she all but scurried into his lap, taking refuge. His big hands cupped the back of her head as he fed her a steady stream of kisses, long and deep and lovely. They almost took away the pain. “Talk to me.”

Ali slipped her hands beneath his shirt, held her palm over his heart and huddled in against him. The scent of him was so warm and familiar, a balm to her jagged edges. “I need you.”

“I’m yours. But I don’t think sex is going to solve this one. God help me. Why don’t you talk to me for a minute instead?”

“Dan …”

He made a sharp, exasperated noise and pushed his nose into hers.

“Please, Daniel.” Her hands slid up to his shoulders, over his hard, hot skin. Ali climbed up and straddled his lap, covered his mouth in kisses. “I need to know you still want me.”

“Of course I want you.”

“Show me. Please.”

“Babe,” he groaned. His hands shredded her clothing while she worked at his. She needed him now, had to have that connection.

The heat and strength of him could comfort her no end. They’d be okay. Nobody’s heart was broken.

Daniel got her na**d faster than she’d imagined humanly possible. Her fingers clawed at him as she rubbed herself against him. Close enough wasn’t good enough. She needed him inside of her. Desperation rode her hard and he seemed to understand. Arms wrapped around her, squeezing her bones breakingly tight. He held her together and kept her in one piece. Then took her down to the mattress.

His hands and mouth were all over her. They lay skin to skin with his c**k nudging at her opening.

“Yes. In me. Hurry,” she moaned. He swore as the hard length of his c**k surged into her, healing every ill.

He drove her hard and fast toward cl**ax. Her legs clenched tight around his hips. Her arms locked around his neck. She moaned and mumbled words of love as she came. Ali didn’t even realize she was crying until he kissed her face, brushed away her tears.

“I love you,” he said, his panting breaths hot against her ear. “I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”

She bal ed her hands and held onto him tighter, ignoring the stupid tears. The muscles in her legs and arms burned from gripping him so tight. But no way was she letting go.

“Everything will be okay,” he said, smoothing back her hair. “Just wait and see.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Daniel had seen some pathetic sights in his life. At two o’clock in the morning, Finn was right up there. He lay sprawled out on the bunk in the Blackstone police station’s sole holding cell, wide awake and humming sad old songs by the Man in Black.

“I brought supplies.” Dan held up the bottle of scotch Santa had handed over earlier in lieu of a welcome mat and dumped the kid’s pack by the cell door.

Finn arched a brow at the luggage. “Throwing me out?”

“No. You idiot.” He twisted the cap on the scotch and took a mouthful of the fifteen-year-old malt, letting it sit on his tongue before swallowing it down. “Man, that’s good. We should have cut crystal for this but we’re gonna make do with the bottle. I figured you’d want some of your things seeing as you’re obviously not planning on returning tonight. I have every faith you two morons wil sort this out, eventually.”

“Then you have more faith than me.” The kid swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, holding a hand out for the liquor.

“What happened with Erin?”

Finn’s brows shot up high while he downed a healthy amount of the superb single malt, thus proving it was wasted on his immature twenty-six year old taste buds. Both the scotch and quite possibly Al, but what exactly could Dan do? He’d kickstarted the situation between them. It was his own damn fault if his girl had feelings for the fool. Finn hadn’t gone to find Erin, however, and he sure as hell wasn’t happy. Which answered the most pressing questions regarding whether the situation was salvageable.

“Nothing happened with Erin,” said Finn.

Daniel settled himself down the other end of the bunk with his back to the wal . Happily, his first time inside a jail cell. “Try again.”

“It was harmless.”

“So harmless that you’re crashing here and Ali’s asleep curled up in a ball like she’s waiting for someone to come along and kick her,” Dan scowled. “Harmless enough that she was crying. Not over something I did. Over something you did.”

The kid scowled back at him, sampled further from the bottle before shoving it back in his face. “It was harmless. She overreacted.”

“You kids, I swear.”

“Don’t expect me to call you daddy.”

Daniel choked down the scotch, laughing and drinking at the same time. “You real y are an idiot.”

The kid just grunted.

“You know, I don’t have to be here trying to smooth things over between you two. This would be the perfect time for me to phase you out.”

“That so.” Finn tensed his shoulders, ready for a fight.

“This is my chance to have her al to myself again. I think we’l be safe enough here, even if she isn’t thrilled with the idea of rejoining society just yet. You’ll find someone else. Maybe you already have …” Dan passed the bottle back, feeling the warmth of the alcohol spreading through his veins, despite the kid’s icy stare. “So, that’s about where I’m at.”