Liam shot me an exasperated look. “You didn’t have to run right off and tell him.”

“What?” I said, already shoving another cracker into my mouth. “I was excited.”

He sighed and turned to Lee. “And why the fuck would I give a shit about some old geezer I’ve never met?”

“Because you’re making a change, cleaning up the Cross name,” Lee replied, slipping his arm around my waist and preventing me from eating any more of his finger foods. “Hey, who’d have thought the coppers’d be the new family business?”

I grinned and stuck out my tongue. “You should be thanking me for the improvement. And I’m not family yet.”

Lee barked a laugh. “Yet being the operative word. I’ll have a ring on that finger before the year is out.”

I gaped at him but couldn’t help the smile that spread from ear to ear. “Shut up.”

“Make me,” he purred, capturing my lips in another kiss.

Liam groaned and left the kitchen, not wanting to witness any more of our smug coupledom.

***

Lee stood across the street from the police station, his arms folded as he leaned against his parked car, waiting for me. I got a warm fuzzy feeling in my tummy as I walked across to him and he pulled me into a hug, pressing a kiss to my temple. It was nice having a boyfriend to pick me up after a long day on the job.

“Hey,” he said, pressing his face into my hair and inhaling deeply.

“Ugh, please don’t smell me right now. I had to chase down a mugger earlier, and I stink.”

“You smell amazing,” he countered huskily. “And you’re a sergeant now. Let the others do the grunt work….”

“Ah, but you’ve gone straight. I have to find my excitement somewhere.”

Lee chuckled and ran a thumb across my lower lip. “I’ll give you excitement, you cheeky little minx.”

His laughter died when his attention snagged on something just behind us. I sensed my dad’s presence before I even turned around, my skin prickling when he said my name. “Karla.”

I stepped out of Lee’s arms and turned to face him, his frown and thick, narrowed eyebrows signalling his disapproval. I didn’t necessarily need to be doing anything bad; he just disapproved of me in general.

“Dad,” I said firmly as I stood up straight.

He was studying Lee, his face stern with concentration as he tried to figure out how he knew him. Lee and my dad had had a small few run-ins over the years, plus Dad had pictures of him from the McGregor investigation. Still, Lee’s hair had grown out and he wore a trim, fitted shirt, a suit jacket, and slacks. He dressed like that on days when he was in business mode, so he didn’t look the way Dad was used to seeing him. I swear, it was crazy the things a suit could do to blind people. Though in this case Lee was a retired wolf in sheep’s clothing. Dad’s attention came back to me as he cleared his throat.

“I heard you passed your sergeant’s exam,” he said.

He wouldn’t be giving me any “congratulations” or “well done” hugs. God forbid he show some actual emotion. However, the fact that he’d approached me at all was out of character. Dad was the kind of man who waited for you to come to him; otherwise, he’d lose his sense of importance.

“I did.”

“At least now you won’t be in the trenches,” he said cynically.

And there it was. I knew he couldn’t keep up the good behaviour for very long.

A silence fell, and Lee slid his fingers into mine as a show of support. I didn’t really hate my dad, but I knew I didn’t love him, either. I felt a strange sort of disconnection, and it was kind of sad, but that’s how it would always be between us.

Dad’s attention returned to Lee. “I supposed this is your young man.”

“Very pleased to meet you, Superintendent Sheehan.” Lee smiled widely and reached forward to shake his hand. I could tell he was getting a real kick out of this.

“Likewise,” said Dad. “Karla, it’d please your mother greatly if the two of you came for dinner this Sunday.”

“Oh, sure,” I said, trying not to simultaneously stutter and choke on my own restrained laughter. “We’ll try our best to make it.” The fact that he didn’t recognise Lee was too hilarious for words. If Dad knew who he was really inviting over for dinner, he’d probably turn around and vomit all over his shiny brown leather shoes.

“Good. I’ll let her know,” he said before tipping his hat to us and turning to walk away. Before he could complete the turn, he twisted back, eyes on Lee. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch your name.”

“The name’s Lee. Lee Cross,” my boyfriend replied, and as soon as the words left his mouth, my dad’s eyes practically popped from their sockets.

“Well,” I blurted. “We’re in a bit of a hurry, so we’d better go.”

Tugging on Lee’s hand, I ushered him over to the car. We were already pulling away from the kerb when Dad finally came to his senses, his jaw firming and his expression darkening as he watched us drive away.

“I’m sorry, but that was priceless,” said Lee, laughter bubbling out of him.

“My poor dad,” I chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look both furious and confused at the same time.”

“Serves him right, the old prick. Couldn’t even muster up a single congratulations for you. See the difference between him and me? I lift you up, he pushes you down. You don’t need that shit in your life.”

God, I adored him. “No, you’re absolutely right. I don’t.”

Lee shot me a tender smile and focused back on the road.

“Hey, by the way, 007,” I said, poking him in the arm. “Don’t think I’m letting you away with that cheesy line. I’m telling everyone how you introduced yourself. And I mean everyone.”

Lee gripped my thigh and gave it a firm squeeze, his other hand still on the steering wheel. “Do it, and I’ll withhold oral sex for a month.”

I mock-gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

“I most certainly would.”

“Fine. I’ll keep your James Bond secret. Wouldn’t want to tarnish your rep, now, would I?” I teased him before continuing, “Anyway, I’m willing to bet the invitation to dinner at my parents will soon be rescinded.”

“Yep.”

“You could at least pretend to act disappointed.”

“Nope.”

I laughed. Seriously, there was no way I could love the man sitting beside me any more than I already did. Placing my hand over his, I rested my head on his shoulder and exhaled. I was happy in the moment but also looking forward to the future.

And it felt good.

Later that evening, I stood on the edge of a seven-foot wall in an old industrial estate near the docks. Lee was beside me, holding my hand. The other week I’d asked him to teach me the basics of free-running, and he’d thought I was joking. I wasn’t. Just because I was a sergeant didn’t mean my days of chasing down thieves were over, and who else better to teach me than one of the best?

“Loosen up,” said Lee. “When we fall and hurt ourselves, it’s because our bodies go rigid when we panic. You ever see a cat break a leg? No, because they’re all loose and springy. Pretend you’re a cat.”

I resisted the urge to meow. “Okay, I’m a cat.”

“Just so you know, the first time I tried a jump like this, I sprained my ankle.”

“I can deal with a sprained ankle.”

“Liam broke his leg once. And Stu nearly shattered his knee when he didn’t warm up properly.”

“Are you trying to freak me out? Because if you are, it’s working.”

Lee’s fingers squeezed mine. “I just want you to be aware that this won’t be easy. You’re gonna have bruises and sprains. Shit, you’ll ache in places you never knew existed before.”

I firmed my mouth and narrowed my gaze. “You’re trying to put me off.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he replied simply, affection bright in his eyes.

I leaned over to kiss his cheek, my voice turning unexpectedly soft. “Everything good hurts first. If we hadn’t soldiered on, we wouldn’t be here right now.”