Oh boy. “Maybe I had plans, too.”

“Yeah?” Closing the gap between them, one of his hands went to her hip, the other slid up her back to anchor her to him. “Tell me. Tell me slowly and in great detail.”

She laughed and fisted her hands in his shirt, but just before her lips touched his, someone cleared their throat behind them.

“Dammit,” she whispered, her lips ghosting against Finn’s. “Why do we keep getting interrupted?”

“That is the question,” he murmured.

With a sigh she pulled free and turned. “Jake,” she said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

In Jake’s lap was a box and on top of that box sat Thor, one ear up, one ear down, his scruffy hair looking even more thin and scruffy than usual, sticking up in tufts on his head.

“Brought you the last box,” Jake said. “Never seen anyone stretch a move out so long.”

“Yes, well, hiring movers was cut from the budget.” Pru scooped up her Thor, kissing him right on the snout. He panted happily, wriggling to get closer, bicycling his front paws in the air, making her laugh and hug him.

“I’m taking him for a grooming at South Bark,” Jake said. “He’s past due.”

“Also cut from the budget,” Pru said. But she traded Thor for the box. “Thanks.”

“I’ll bring him to work when he’s finished,” Jake said.

And then he didn’t roll away.

Pru gave him a long look, but Jake’s picture was in the dictionary under pig-headed so he didn’t budge. “You’re going to be late,” he told Pru in his boss voice.

With a sigh, she turned to Finn. “I picked up an extra Sunday shift today. I’ve got to go. Hope you have a good day.”

“In case it’s our last you mean?”

“You don’t think Sean will get the license paid tomorrow?” she asked.

“If he wants to live, he will.” But Finn’s attention was on Jake.

Pru forced a smile. “Okay, so we’re all going off to our own corners now, yes?”

“Go to work, Pru,” Jake said.

“Um—”

“It’s okay.” Finn gave her hand a squeeze. “Knock ’em dead today,” he said.

Right. Dammit. With nothing else she could do, she lifted the box of her stuff and walked away from the only two men to have ever earned a spot in her heart. She just hoped they didn’t kill one another.

Chapter 18

#BeamMeUpScotty

Finn watched Pru make her way toward the elevator with her box before he turned back to Jake.

Both he and Thor were watching him watch Pru.

Jake was brows up, the picture of nonchalance. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing much,” Finn said.

Jake took that in and nodded. “You’ve got an arm on you. The other night at the game you nearly saved our asses—not that anyone could’ve actually saved our asses.”

Finn shrugged. “I played some in college.”

“You going to keep playing for us?”

“Depends.”

“On what?” Jake asked.

“On if this sudden interest in my ball-playing abilities is in any way related to the woman we both just watched walk away,” he said.

“About ninety-nine percent of it, yeah,” Jake said.

Okay, so the guy got brownie points for honesty. “Why don’t you tell me what you really want to know,” Finn suggested.

“I don’t want to know anything,” Jake said. “I want you to know that if you make her so much as shed a single tear, I’ll break every bone in your body and then feed your organs to the pigeons. I mean, sure, I’d have to hire it out to do it, but I’m connected so don’t think I won’t.”

Finn stared at him. “You forget your meds or something?”

“Nope.”

“Okay, then, thanks for letting me know,” he said and turned to go.

Jake rolled into his path. “I’m not shittin’ you.”

“Also good to know.” Finn cocked his head. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that you already had a shot at her and you blew it.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because you just threatened me with death and dismemberment. Only one reason to do that—you fucked up somehow.”

Jake stared him down for a minute. He might be in a chair but Finn got the sense he could more than handle himself.

“That might be partially true,” the guy finally said.