How f**king 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 f**ked 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 br**sts against him. “You know how I held your hands down last time?”