“Fuck,” he said, eyes falling on the heaps of clutter surrounding the opening. “She’s hidden loads of stuff up here. This must have been going on for a while.”
He could hear Lucas sighing from the room below. “Just find the phone. We can come back for the rest if necessary.”
Just as he was about to begin digging through a box of junk, Oliver’s eyes drifted to a pink and black phone that was lodged near the hatch. “It’s here,” he said, pulling a pair of blue latex gloves from his pocket. He held it through the opening and pointed towards his rucksack. “There’re some evidence bags in the side pocket.”
As Lucas busied himself with packing up the phone, Oliver enjoyed seeing the alpha from above. It’d likely be the only time he’d be able to look down on him, after all. His hair was thicker and curlier on top than Oliver realised, and he had a truly magnificent set of traps.
“Swing your legs over the edge, I’ll help you down,” Lucas said, reaching up.
“You sure? I could just jump.”
Lucas tutted. “This isn’t my first loft extraction, Reed. You’ll break your ankle.”
Blinking the dust out of his eyes, Oliver did as he was told and dangled his legs over the edge. Lucas, being the six foot five man that he was, caught his ankles and pulled. Oliver yelped as Lucas’ fingers slid under his jeans and up the bare skin of his calves, dragging their bodies together as he pulled him from the loft. His fingers pressed into the muscles of Oliver’s thighs and over the curve of his arse, extracting a tiny whimper from Oliver’s lips.
Lucas’ hands really were huge—even more so when they circled around Oliver’s slim waist. His breath caught as the alpha’s face dragged over his stomach, between his ribs and to the crook of his neck.
Oliver shivered as they seemed to hang there for a moment—the alpha’s hot breath on his throat as he pressed his face into the space beneath his jaw. Without meaning to, Oliver’s armsfolded around Lucas’ neck, drawing him close as he pressed his face into his hair. He smelled clean, like shampoo and the hotel linens.
“Reed,” Lucas whispered against his skin, teeth grazing the cord of muscle that ran between his shoulder and ear.
“Alpha,” Oliver breathed into his hair, the omega side of him thrashing and whimpering to be let loose.
Clapping a hand over his mouth, he pulled back, mortified by how breathy and wanton his voice sounded. Untangling his arms from around Lucas’ neck he tried to push away, but the alpha held him in place, leaving him suspended in his arms in the middle of Helena Cartwright’s bedroom.
He wanted to wrap his legs around the alpha, the omega side of him screaming, take me, take me, take me. His pheromones lay waiting just beneath his skin, the suppressants the only thing keeping them at bay.
However, the police officer in him commanded,take your fucking hands off the sergeant you filthy pervert. Straight to horny jail for you.
There was a knock, and Lucas growled against the crook of his neck. They untangled themselves just as Shirley pushed open the door. “Find it?” She said.
Oliver’s nostrils flared as he stared at the social worker, and Lucas must have given her a similar look, because her face dropped as she slowly backed out the room. Refusing to meet the alpha’s gaze, Oliver scrubbed a hand through his hair and pulled on his backpack. “Let’s go,” he said, moving towards the door.
They walked back down the stairs in silence, the only sound coming from Lucas’ heavy footfall. They said goodbye to Helena, both of them promising to play more Lego soon.
Shirley was waiting for them at the front door, her shoulders slumped and expression downcast. She started mumbling something about how difficult Helena had been recently, andhow she didn’t know what to do with her. Oliver’s temper flared, his lip curling back over his teeth, and before he could stop himself his hand flew out to slap the wall next to Shirley’s head. She yelped, eyes going wide as she looked momentarily dumbstruck.
“Shirley,” Oliver growled at the beta. “Stop making excuses and pull your fucking finger out.”
Without warning, Lucas’ fingers pressed into the back of his neck, tugging him against his chest and away from the terrified looking social worker. Oliver’s body reacted, the touch doing something that made the anger fall away in an instant.
“Thank you for your time,” Lucas said, abruptly turning them both away.
They stayed like that all the way back to the car, Lucas gripping the scruff of his neck like a naughty kitten. Oliver wanted to run away. Wanted to curl up in the safety of his bed and never think about that moment again. Unfortunately, standing between him and home was Lucas White and the long car ride back to the station.
FOUR
LEMON & HONEY
Oliver tried to wriggle free from the alpha’s grip, but the fingers clutching the nape of his neck made him as pliant as wet clay. His teeth clenched as they crunched down the gravel driveway, and he was utterly fuckingriledby the time they reached the car.
“Temper, temper, DC Reed,” Lucas whispered, breath hot against Oliver’s cheek.
“Let me go,” he growled back.
“With your wolf about to burst out? I think not, detective.”
The alpha’s knuckles grazed his ribs, running down the taut line of his stomach as two fingers worked their way inside his jeans pocket. In one deft movement, Lucas tugged the car keys free, opened the door, and threw him into the rear of the vehicle. Oliver landed in a heap across the back seats, the top of his head thumping against the booster seat.
