As he was patting his neck dry, he heard footsteps echoing down the corridor. He knew exactly who they belonged to by the heavy thud and long gait, so before Lucas could burst in and lecture him, he pushed open the bathroom door. Unfortunately, Lucas was faster and pushed Oliver back against the sinks before he could protest.
“Reed,” he said, pinning him between his body and the countertop.
It irritated Oliver beyond all reason, so he shoved Lucas back against the toilet cubicles. “Did you know?” He growled, taking a step towards him. “That no one—not onefuckingperson—told Alfie about his parents? Or that the Inspector was having him brought here to be interviewed?”
Lucas’ nostrils flared as heat flashed across his eyes. “Yes,” was all he said, jaw clenching.
Oliver dropped his chin, glaring up at the alpha under furrowed brows. “He’s four years old, DS White. Do you know how much this could fuck him up if handled poorly?”
“I do,” he replied, straightening to his full height.
Had Oliver not been so angry, he might have cowered back from the powerful alpha, instead he stamped his footand pressed up onto his tiptoes until their noses were almost touching. “Then why didn’t you dispute this? Or at least warn me? Jesus, I thought you had more of a back-bone than that.”
“I disputed it,” Lucas replied, lips peeling back over his canines. “But the Inspector made it quite clear that my involvement in the investigation was hanging on by a thread.” A coil of hair loosened itself from his topknot.
“Fuck. The. Inspector,” Oliver snarled, teeth bared.
Lucas’ mouth split into a feral grin as his hand flew out to wrap around Oliver’s throat. “Such insubordination, DC Reed,” he growled, tipping Oliver’s head back as he towered over him.
“Coming from you,” Oliver said through gritted teeth. “We aren’t meant to be alone during work hours.”
“And yet here we are,” Lucas replied, bearing down on him.
Oliver sucked his lower lip, the alpha and omega within him waging war on one another yet again.Yes, he was angry with Callahan, andyes, he disagreed with how the victims were being handled. But it was the crippling tension between him and Lucas that was breaking his back every fucking day. He thought he’d moved past it, but the rock hard cock in his trousers said otherwise.
“You’re a terrible fucking friend, Lucas.” And despite holding the alpha’s stormy gaze, Oliver couldn’t help but feel ashamed by how much his words quivered.
“And you should learn to do as you’re told,Reed.”
He glared up at the alpha through sandy lashes, his tongue darting out to dampen his lips. “I’ve never been obedient,” he whispered, the words sounding far more sultry than intended.
Lucas shifted his grip from the front of Oliver’s throat to the back, his thumb and forefinger pinching the vertebrae at the nape of his neck. He leant forward, grazing the tip of his long canine across Oliver’s chin. It felt like a warning, and a promise in equal measure.
The sweet smell of peppermint toothpaste drifted into Oliver’s nostrils, followed by the heady musk of Lucas’ scent. He knew the alpha was testing him, but he leant into the scent as his mind and body craved the warmth and security of his embrace. Their lips touched for the briefest of moments. A ghost of a kiss, as though nothing more than a thought.
“And yet, you can be as sweet as a kitten when it suits you,” Lucas uttered against his lips, before releasing his neck and striding out the bathroom.
Oliver struggled to catch his breath as he watched the alpha leave, and he stared at the blue painted fire door as though willing Lucas to reappear. He didn’t, of course, and after several moments Oliver tentatively turned back towards the sink and braced his hands on its cold porcelain edges.Shit.He’d been both naïve and an idiot in believing the two of them could be friends.
Staringdown at his clasped hands, Oliver waited for the Inspector to speak. The clock ticked away at the far end of the office, and he was certain that Callahan was making him sweat on purpose. Eventually, the Inspector sighed and cleared his throat.
“DC Reed,” he began, tone almost wearisome. “Do we have a problem here?”
Oliver looked up, but did not meet the alpha’s gaze. Instead, he stared at the Thin Blue Line pin adorning his tie.
“No, sir,” he replied, voice quiet.
The Inspector let out a sharp breath. “Good. Now, DC Reed… Oliver, we’ve worked together for a number of years, yes?”
Oliver looked up. “Yes, sir. You were my first ever uniform Inspector.” In fact, Inspector Callahan had been Oliver’s supervisor for most of his decade-long career. There had only been a brief period of absence when Callahan moved to CID two years before Oliver.
“Oh good Lord, has it been that long? Well, I should hope over those years you have come to realise that you can talk to me. Aboutanyconcerns you may have.”
Coming from a man who wanted to use the death of a child’s parents as ‘rapport building.’
“Yes, sir,” he said, though he did not mean it. Whilst he’d known Callahan for almost a decade, he would never trust the man—despite allowing him to mask as a beta to hide his sigma status.
“Good,” he replied, steepling his fingers on the desk. “With that being said, this situation with DS White—” Oliver’s back tensed, the warmth of Lucas’ breath still lingering on his lips. “Are you alright?” The Inspector continued, “You’ve not seemed like yourself lately.”
