Oliver grinned and dragged his eyes over the alpha, his gaze falling on his hands. They were, in a word,huge. Like two big bear's paws folded across his lap. He laughed at the thought of Lucas hunched over a desk, struggling to set a tiny ruby into a piece of jewellery.
“Why are you laughing?” Lucas said, with an appalled expression.
Oliver coughed back another laugh. “S-Sorry, the thought of you struggling just tickled me a little.”
“I’m glad my failings are so amusing to you.” Lucas huffed and pushed the sunglasses further up his nose.
“I never said you were failing,” Oliver scoffed. “I’m sure you have talents elsewhere.”
He wanted to die the moment the words left his mouth. They were supposed to sound light-hearted—teasing, almost—instead, they came out like a poor attempt at seduction. Lucas shifted in his seat, dropping his shoulder and leaning close to Oliver’s ear.
“I could have told you all about my many talents over breakfast, Reed.”
Luckily the lights chose that moment to change so he could distract himself by putting the car into gear. God, he hoped the roll-neck sweater hid the blush spreading up his throat.
“Yes. Well. The fish tank in the office needed cleaning.”
“At six o’clock in the morning?”
“Yes.”
“Will it require cleaning again tomorrow?”
“Most definitely. Every day, in fact.”
“Hm.”
They sat in silence for the rest of the journey, Oliver’s knuckles practically turning white as he gripped the steering wheel. Lucas sat as still as a statue, eyes turned towards the road.
Eventually they arrived at the care home, where a portly beta woman in her mid-fifties stood waving at them from the front door. “That’s Shirley,” Oliver said, turning off the engine. “She’s Helena’s social worker.”
Lucas frowned. “Where were the social when all this was happening?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” He grimaced. “Let’s go.”
Shirley rushed towards them in a flurry of arms as they stepped out the car. “She’s inside, DC Reed. She’s not happy today, so you’ll have to tread carefully.”
And Oliver wanted to say, ‘Gee thanks, Shirley.’ It’s not like he hadn’t been treading carefully for the whole three years he’d been working with Helena. Instead, he just smiled and allowed her to fuss and fret for a few moments.
“This is DS Lucas White,” he said, eventually growing tired of her bluster. “He’s from the Met.”
Shirley took a few steps back as she looked up at Lucas. She barely reached the middle of his chest. “Y-Yes, I remember you saying so on the phone. Nice to meet you.”
Lucas nodded and held out an arm. “Shall we?”
Helena was waiting for them in the little living room; she had her knees curled up to her chest with a pair of teddy bear slippers on her feet. She wore denim shorts and an oversized t-shirt. Oliver remembered her like that, not the obstructive designer-wearing up-start described in the paperwork.
“Ollie!” she said, jumping up from the sofa and running to give him a hug. Which set his alarm bells ringing almost immediately, as Helena wasnotone for physical affection. Nor had she ever hugged him before.
“Hey, H. How you doing?” He said, gently placing her at arm's length. Her eyes immediately slid to Lucas, who loomed in the doorway like a spectre. She looked momentarily fearful before her back straightened and her top lip twitched.Definitely an alpha in the making.“Don’t mind him,” Oliver said, reaching back to poke Lucas’ chest. “He might look flashy, but he’s alright.” Helena nodded, as they moved over to the obnoxiously bright floral print sofas.
After exchanging small talk, Oliver finally said, “H, do you know why we’re here?”
Helena sucked her teeth before taking a sip from a glass of coca-cola that was on the table. “You wanna talk about my boyfriend?”
Oliver’s heart sank, and he glanced up at Lucas. They shared a look that said‘definitely being groomed.’
“R-Right. Do you?—”
