“Wait,hecalledyou? Block his fucking number Ollie, he’s got no right to be contacting you.”
“Relax, it was on my work phone. And he does have a right to contact me because he’s the kids’ social worker, and I’m coordinating the interviews, remember?”
“Shit. Shit, shit, shit. What the hell are we going to do?”
“Wearen’t going to do anything. You’re going to make yourself a nice cup of decaffeinated tea and sit down. I’ll figure out how to handle Patrick, even if Nancy has to pick up the slack for a while.”
“Decaf tastes like shit, and Nancy has annual leave next week. So, answer methat, brother.”
Oliver sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “You really enjoy making things difficult for me, don’t you,brother?”
“Not at all, you prat. I just… I just can’t see you go through that again. Please,pleasepromise me you’ll stay away from him.”
“Yes, I promise. Can I go now? I have a massive backlog of interviews to catch up on.”
“Interviews? Ollie, you’re in heat. You’re supposed to be enjoying this time with your mate, not working!” Oliver grimaced at the word ‘mate,’ because despite everything, the concept felt completely alien. Huffing, he turned back towards the door.
“Yes, yes, it’s been very enjoyable, but I’ve got to get back to work, eventually.”
With that, the conversation ended, and Oliver headed back out into the hallway. Just as he stepped over the threshold, he came face to face with Lucas’ chest. His hand was outstretched as though he had been reaching for the door handle.
“Reed,” he said, pushing him back into the bedroom. Oliver let out a small whimper as he found his back pressed against the wall, Lucas’ hand splayed next to his head. His voice was deep and rumbling as he spoke. “Reed, I never.Ever. Want you to find yourself alone with that man. Do I make myself clear?”
Oliver’s eyes went wide as he stared up at the alpha, the bluntness of the command making his hairs stand on end. “W-Why do you say that?” He stuttered, cold dread filling his veins. He’d taken a risk telling Lucas. A risk that he was regretting with every passing moment.
“Because something about that man sets my teeth on edge. The way he speaks, it’s just—I can’t explain it.”
Oliver barked out a laugh—not because the comment was humorous—but because of the sheer relief.
“You might out-rank me,sergeant, but you can’t order me to stay away from someone just because you don’t like them.” He poked Lucas in the ribs in an attempt to make light of the situation, but immediately regretted it.
“I mean it,” he replied, pulling him against his chest. His thumb rubbed the love bite that still darkened the crook ofOliver’s neck, a fading reminder of what they had already shared. Returning the embrace, Oliver pressed his face into Lucas’ t-shirt, inhaling the masculine scent that seemed to permeate even the most blackened parts of his soul.
“I think the heat is ending,” he whispered against Lucas’ shoulder.
He knew the heat had ended the moment he heard Patrick’s voice. The spark of joy and contented bliss shrivelled, leaving just another dark hollow inside his already damaged heart. Estrus had a funny way of doing that—protecting the host when danger was afoot.
“Come here,” Lucas said, pulling him towards the bed.
Oliver was about to protest, to say that hereallydidn’t feel like another round of sex, no matter how mind-bogglingly good it had been. But Lucas only tugged off their clothes, pulled back the blankets, and nestled Oliver between his arms. “No more interviews,” he said, kissing the top of his head. “Just you, me, and sleep until the morning.”
And Oliver couldn’t really argue with that.
The following morning,Oliver found himself in an abysmal mood as he stood in the police station car park. Post-estrus catharsis was, unfortunately, a fact of life for omegas and sigmas alike. He and Matteus had gotten into some blazing arguments when their cycles aligned, and poor Julian acted as referee on more than one occasion.
“Are you sure this isn’t too soon?” Lucas said, leaning out the car window to look up at Oliver. His hair was messy, and the sunglasses had made a return.
Oliver took a deep breath and straightened his tie. “Yes. I’d rather get back in the saddle. I’ve lost enough time as it is.” He felt Lucas tickle the back of his thigh, and he turned to look down at the alpha. “Are you sure the Met aren’t going to have an issue with you wasting your hotel room?”
The tip of Lucas’ tongue appeared between his teeth as he wet his lower lip. “We could stay there together,” he said, finger drawing a circle across Oliver’s waistband. “Pretend we’re on holiday. It is a five star, after all.”
Despite his terrible mood, Oliver just about managed a snort of laughter as he slapped the alpha’s hand away. Bending down to rest his forearms on the windowsill, he hooked a finger over the bridge of Lucas’ sunglasses and drew them halfway down his nose. “I think they might have even more of an issue paying for two. One of which isn’t even their officer.”
Lucas grinned, the tips of his canines grazing his lower lip. “It’s a cross-border project. We’ve got to fit in team-building along the way.”
“I don’t think they meantthatkind of team-building,” Oliver replied, flicking the alpha between the eyebrows. “They were probably expecting you to take us out for a game of crazy-golf or something.”
A high-pitched whistle from across the car park abruptly ended their conversation. Oliver sighed as he turned around to see Nancy and Harry standing near a cluster of marked police cars. Nancy waved enthusiastically, whilst Harry shrank back into his oversized duffle coat.
