"So, that's it?" Gem asked the following night as she poured my drink at The Silver Star. "Lynn's gone now?"

"She's gone." I tapped my fingers against the bar in time with the music. "She'll be locked away until her trial, and there's no question about her being found guilty and hanged. First comes murder, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage...that's about the only thing I got right, by the way. The order of the rhyme."

Around us, the New Year's Eve party was in full swing. Some tables at the edge of the room remained, but most had been removed to create a wide space to act as a dancefloor. The guests were wearing light-up neon clothes, and they flitted about like fireflies as they networked.

Cassia was waiting for me among them. I'd already caught a glimpse of DC Emily Laney and DS Otto Gibbs, and I knew that Gem had invited Ryker James after she'd heard the arrest story. He was one of very few suspects who weren't in trouble: alongside Lynn's murder charges, Jason was still going to court for possession of a Class A drug, and I'd arrested Maxx for ABH.

Gem slid my water across the bar. "This is on the house. You saved my life."

"I was convinced Maxx Ackerman was the killer."

"You got the right one in the end. You're a good detective."

"Thank God you think so." I picked up my water with a smile. "I don't have any other talents to my name."

She snorted. "Really?"

"What?"

"You have plenty of talents. Firstly, making people feel welcome. I remember how good you were at settling Nina in when she became a sergeant. And Alex is settled now, too." Her gaze drifted over my shoulder.

I turned around. Alex was weaving through the crowd, wearing a work suit without the tie. I wondered if he ever dressed casually.

"Hi," I said when he stopped next to me. Gem had gone to serve another customer. "How was the wait?"

He gave me an impish smile. "Long. I wasn't dying, so they didn't seem to be in a rush to treat me."

"You should have got stitches yesterday like I told you to, instead of letting fresh air work its 'magic.'"

"Well, it's done now." He glanced at my hands, still resting on the bar. "How are your knuckles?"

I examined them guilty. "Fine."

"My governor is an angry chocoholic, it seems. That poor desk. I'm glad it wasn't mine."

I grinned. He held my gaze. A bolt of chemistry passed between us.

A glass was plunked down on the bar next to us, and we both jumped and looked away. Gem had returned with a lime crusher. "Is this what you wanted?"

"You read my mind," Alex said roughly, moving towards the eye-scanner.

"No, it's on the house for you, too," Gem said. "Thank you again. Now find Cassia and have some fun."

We pushed through the throng of dancing people and found Cassia exactly where I'd left her, standing out in a glowing two-piece body-con dress that showed the scrapes on her knees. She would have looked beautiful regardless, except Miles had arrived while I'd been gone, and her smile wasn't as bright as before.

"Hi, Alex," she said when we reached them. "Did you finally get stitched up?"

"Yes, thank you." His gaze swept over Miles. My sister's husband was of average height, which made him look short beside my sergeant, and he was handsome in a respectable way, rather than hot and rugged: a respectable haircut, a respectable suit, a respectable tie, a respectable stance. Everything about him screamed I am a respectable lawyer, which was appropriate given his profession as a Crown Prosecution Service barrister.

"This is my husband," Cassia explained. "Miles, this is Alex, Amber's new sergeant. Alex, this is Miles."

The two men shook hands. I watched Miles. I'd always been distant with my sister's husband -- not in an unfriendly way, but we'd never really clicked. Now I wondered if I should have made an effort to get closer. What was going on between them? Would I have known if I'd tried harder?

"Sebastian's dancing somewhere nearby with a blonde," Cassia said. "I saw Dixon and his wife not too long ago. And Ryker James found me while you were getting your drink and asked me to pass his thanks on."

We'd both thanked each other several times, even though he'd saved me. I thought he was just grateful that Lynn hadn't killed us all. I smiled. "All right."

"Heads up," Miles said. "Isn't that your ex-boyfriend?"

I glanced over my shoulder. Clyde was coming our way.

Alex took my arm. "It was good to meet you, Miles, but we should go." He pulled me back into the crowd, leaning down so that his lips were brushing my ear. "We need to talk."

Nerves and excitement tied a knot in my stomach. I swallowed hard as he released me. "Let's go to the bar."

We went back to the bar, and I called for Gem. When she came to us, I gave her the wrong truth. "Clyde's here, and I'm trying to avoid him. I know I shouldn't ask, but I thought we'd be safe on the little balcony. Do you have the key?"

Gem pulled a small key from her pocket and handed it over. "Of course. If he comes this way, I'll send him on a wild goose chase."

"Thank you."

We crossed the room and ascended the glass staircase to the first floor, where all the tables still remained. There was a large, metal door at the back, marked NO ENTRY -- STAFF ONLY. I unlocked it.

We emerged on a short, narrow piece of metal that hung over a silent alley. I shut the door behind us, and we took one step forward to the railing. Because we were on the first floor, we could only see the sky if we tilted our heads right back. When the fireworks started, everyone would get a better view of them on-screen.

Alex braced one hand on either side of me so that I was enclosed in his arms. I took a deep breath; smelled musk and lemongrass. For a moment, there was nothing to say.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?" I murmured eventually.

Inside, a muffled countdown began. Ten...

"Yes," he said softly. "I can't ignore it anymore."

Nine...

Eight...

"You can feel this between us?" I turned around in his arms. All the looks we'd shared over the past few days, all that had passed through the air between us when we'd been alone...I knew he could feel it. But I needed to hear it.

Seven...

Six...

"Yes." His hands dropped to my waist, and warmth spread across my hips. "But it's against the law."

Five...

Four...

This close, I could see the different flecks of green in his eyes. I liked the way he was holding me: not gingerly, not tight. He held me with confidence, because it felt right. And I threw everything to the wind. "Do you want me?"

Three...

Two...

"Yes."

One...

Fireworks screamed into the concrete sky, and I rose on my tiptoes and kissed him.

He softened beneath me instantly, his lips locking with mine. Our own fireworks exploded with a boom that rocked my world and made me feel weak at the knees.

I tried to hook my legs around him, but it seemed to bring him back below earth. He drew his mouth away, his eyes shadowed.

"Amber." His voice was quiet beneath the explosions. "We could lose our jobs. Our freedom."

We were still touching. Awareness simmered between us, conducted by our skin and heightened by the kiss. I knew he was right. I knew what we were doing was crazy; stupid.

The attraction had to go.

"Just kiss me one more time," I said. "One last time. Then we'll stop thinking about it. No one will ever know."

He hesitated.

"Please." I reached up and wrapped my arms around him. "I need you, Alex."

"And I need you." He lowered his head. "God help me, I need you."