“It isn’t working,” I said slowly, staring at my empty beer with my jaw clenched. Ever since Sarah had come back into town, my jaw had been in a permanent state of tension. Now I spent most of my nights tossing and turning, torn between fantasizing about her soft lips and even softer hair, and wanting to scream at her to get the hell out of my town like she had ten years ago.

“Well, duh,” my best friend, and old partner, said. “I could have told you that.” He paused, tapping his chin. “Oh, wait, I did tell you that.”

“I told Captain the same thing, but he said that he was pissed the commissioner made him take her on, so the best way to scare her off was to pair her with the only person she hates more than him.”

Hernandez snorted. “You.”

“Yep, me.”

“Yeah, well, your dad’s an asshole,” Hernandez said, grinning.

“Yep.”

“And so are you,” my best friend added helpfully.

I shrugged. “Probably.” After a moment of silence, I added, “You know, she has yet to use my real name. Insists on calling me Rollins.”

“We all use last names,” Hernandez said, frowning. “Hell, no one uses my real name.”

One of our friends, and Hernandez’s old combat buddy, Finn Coram, slid into the seat next to us. He didn’t drink, so he was sipping on a coke instead of a beer. “Carrie does.”

“Carrie’s the only exception,” Hernandez said. “How is she, anyway? And how’s Cory?”

“Great, and great. He’s walking,” Finn said, grinning with pride. Carrie and Finn had been married for almost ten years, and were quite happily the parents of two children, one of which was a little over a year old. “And adorable as hell.”

“Of course,” Hernandez agreed.

I nodded, too. “Obviously.”

“So what are we talking about?” Finn asked, settling in.

“Ben’s ex, and how she calls him Rollins instead of Ben.”

Finn frowned. “Don’t all cops do that?”

“Yeah, but we haven’t all fucked one another, have we?” I shot back.

“I don’t know,” Hernandez said his lip quirking up in a smile. “There was that one time where we woke up in that bed—”

“Shut the fuck up,” I growled.

Hernandez laughed, but did indeed shut the fuck up.

Finn arched a brow. “Man, I’d love to hear that story.”

“Did she ever tell you why she ran?” Hernandez asked.

“No, and I don’t give a damn,” I muttered. It was a lie. I gave a damn. How could I not? We’d been happy, and the high school’s IT couple. Everyone envied us, hated us, or wanted to be us. Then one day she just decides to stop talking to me, asks for space, and then moves to North Carolina for college after telling me she was done, with tears streaming down her face? Yeah. I cared. “It was forever ago.”

“You totally sound like a guy who doesn’t give a damn,” Hernandez said dryly. His dark brown hair was as perfectly combed back as always, and his deep brown eyes were shining with amusement—again, as always. Despite his time in the Marines, and all the shit he’d seen overseas, there was nothing that my best friend couldn’t find humor in…including my current plight of being partnered with the one woman who had managed to break my heart.

I flipped him off.

Finn pointed at me, staring me down. “You totally want to know. Don’t bullshit us.”

I said nothing.

The bartender came over with our refills. Thank God. “Thanks, Molly.”

She winked at me. “Anything for you, Officer.”

“Detective,” Hernandez supplied helpfully.

She shrugged. “Whatever.”

Hernandez opened his mouth, losing his laughing-at-the-world look, but Finn elbowed him. “Let her be,” he whispered.

“She just said—” Hernandez started, gesturing at her angrily.

“I know.” I picked up my beer. “Let it go.”

“Whatever,” he echoed. Hernandez huffily picked up his Guinness, scowling at her back. “You’re not allowed to fuck her.”

I choked on my beer, coughing.

Finn burst into laughter. Half the feminine eyes turned toward him with interest, but they were wasting their time. Finn only had eyes for his wife. “Jesus, Hernandez.”

“What?” Hernandez said innocently. “She’s been eyeing him for years. It’s no secret she wants it.”

“Not interested,” I muttered.

In fact, the only woman I’d been interested in lately was my reluctant partner. Too bad I’d already had her once, and she’d broken my heart. Why had she come back to Somerton? It was bad enough she’d run away in the first place, but then she had the gall to pretend it had been my fault that she decided she didn’t love me anymore? One day, we’d been happy and planning to attend college together. The next, she was asking for space, and then telling me she’d changed her mind, accepted a spot at Duke, and then she was gone.

Just like that.

She hadn’t even told me why.

Four years of dating, dreams, and plans in high school—and I didn’t even get a fucking explanation? And yet I was the bad guy?

“You have a thing for her still.” Finn said, breaking the silence. He gestured at Hernandez. “Just like this one and Marie.”

“Fuck you,” Hernandez said, scowling, losing his jovial air for the first time that night. “I never had a thing for her, and still don’t.”

“Yeah, okay,” Finn agreed, rolling his bright blue eyes.

“She has to go,” I cut in, interrupting what would surely turn into a fight I’d already heard a million times before. It was an ongoing argument between the two friends, and had been for as long as I’d known them.

Finn shrugged. “So get rid of her.”

“I can’t.” I ran my hand down my face. “I told her to request a transfer. She refused.”

Finn lifted a brow. “Then you ask for one.”

“I did.” I frowned. “Dad said no.”

You know, I didn’t even know why she decided to become a cop. Last I’d spoken to her, she’d been planning on a career in Psychology. Then, all of a sudden, she’s back and she’s my partner? How did that even happen? Why’d she change her mind? Oh. Right. That’s what she did. Changed her mind without warning.

It was her thing.

Hernandez set his beer down, his eyes shining in that way that could only hint that he was about to come up with a devious plan. Last time I had seen that look, the local high school mascot had ended up on the school roof—and no, we hadn’t been in high school at the time. Captain had been pissed. “So, make it happen.”

“How?” I asked cautiously.

“You two have history.”

I rolled my eyes. “No shit, Sherlock.”

“Well, use it.”

“That’s fucked up, man,” Finn said, whistling through his teeth.

I stiffened, catching on to what he was saying. “No way.”

“Why not?” Hernandez shifted closer, his eyes shining.

“Because he’s not an asshole,” Finn answered for me.

I pointed at Finn. “What he said.”

“If Captain finds out you two are fucking, which goes against his policy, then he’ll have no choice but to reassign one—or both—of you. Or he may even terminate her employment.” Hernandez shrugged. “Maybe I’ll even get my partner back.”

Finn shook his head, clearly not liking this plan.

Neither did I. “I do miss being your partner… But still, I can’t do it. Not even to her.”

“Suit yourself,” Hernandez said.

“Besides, she wouldn’t even want to. She seems to blame me for whatever led to her leaving all those years ago—which makes no sense.”

Hernandez snorted. “Not at all. She’s the one who screwed you over—not the other way around. She deserves whatever you throw at her, if you ask me.”

“She didn’t screw me over.” I frowned at my beer. “She just left. People leave.”

Finn shook his head, surveying the crowd around them. He never chilled and just enjoyed his time. He was always on alert. Always watching. Guess that came with being the son-in-law of a high-profile presidential candidate, though. “Not like that.”

“Exactly.” Hernandez picked up his beer. “Did you tell her you cried after she left you?”

I snorted. “No.”

“Maybe you should,” Hernandez said.

“Yeah. That’ll scare her off,” Finn added.

This time, he earned my middle finger.

“I’m telling you, my plan is flawless. Not only does it allow for a little bit of revenge, but it also gets rid of her. Because we all know what’ll happen if you two get back together again,” Hernandez said cryptically.

I lifted a brow. “Besides us getting reassigned?”

“Yep.”

Sighing, I took the bait against my better judgement and asked, “What?”

“Well…” Hernandez grinned. “She’ll run off on you again, of course.”

“Fuck you,” I growled.