Lucas tilted his head. “Reed, please tell me you haven’t tried to make ice-cream in it?”
Oliver scowled and kicked the alpha’s knee under the table. “Of course not.”
He had. It hadn’t ended well.
“Tell me about the rest of the conversation with the Inspector,” Lucas said, lifting the fork to his mouth.
Oliver huffed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I-It was nothing, really. He just asked if I would consider going for promotion soon.”
Lucas tore off a piece of naan bread with his teeth, chewed, swallowed, and placed his fork back on the plate. “And? Are you considering it?”
Frowning, Oliver took a sip of water and ran his tongue across his teeth. “I always thought perhaps—one day—it might be an option. But as the boss said, there are next to no sigmas in management. And definitely no unmated ones. He said I’d have to have a psychological assessment at the very least.”
Lucas leant back in his chair, the broad muscles of his chest straining under the white t-shirt. “That seems extreme.”
“Right? As if ten years of service isn’t enough to prove I’m not crazy.”
“He said you’re abrasive, not crazy.”
“Yeah, but he also said that having a mate would mellow me out. I honestly feel a bit put out by the entire conversation, like he was only considering it because you and I are—” He gestured between them, waving his hand back and forth.
Lucas grinned and leant forward. “What are we, Reed?”
Oliver blushed and took another long drink of water. “Temporary roommates.”
The alpha sucked his teeth. “Is that so?” His hand slid across the table until his fingers brushed Oliver’s wrist. “We’ve been colleagues, friends, and now roommates. Are there any other titles you’d like to explore?”
Oliver traced a fingertip over the back of Lucas’ hand. “Well, you’re practically my carer at this point. What, with all the meals, and the car cleaning, and the bed making,” he said, trying to play the question off as a joke. “I’m honestly not sure what I can bring to this relationship.”
Oliver’s eyes went wide when he realised what he’d said.
“Relationship?” Lucas said, a slow smile curling the edge of his lips. The bastard was teasing him.
“I-I didn’t mean it like that. God knows I’m not exactly boyfriend material.”
Lucas’ expression softened as he entwined their fingers. “You look like boyfriend material to me.”
Oliver’s gaze dropped to their clasped hands. “Lucas,you’reboyfriend material. I’m just a mess. Besides, have you even considered that maybe all these feelings might just be because of the lingering heat pheromones?”
Lucas tilted his head. “Yes. I had considered it,” he said, licking his lower lip. “But do you know what I realised, as I was trying to find a pineapple air freshener for your car earlier today?”
“That I have terrible taste in air fresheners?”
Lucas chuckled, running his finger over Oliver’s thumb. “That I have had the most infuriating toothache ever since that night in your kitchen.”
Frowning, Oliver snapped a piece of poppadom between his teeth. “Tooth decay. Because of all the cakes I’ve been feeding you.”
“No, Reed. Not because of the cakes.” Lucas flashed his fangs, as if to prove his point. Oliver stared at them, the piece of poppadom hanging halfway out his mouth. They really were quite large and very sharp.
How would it even feel to be bitten? His brother had made it sound like the most wonderful thing in the world, but looking at his toothsome bedfellow, he wasn’t convinced. Oliver knew it was possible to break the mating bond—a course of hormonal injections and a pheromone patch and the bite would fade. Sure it would probably hurt like hell, but what was a bit of pain in the long run? His parents had always instilled in him that the bite should be for life, which he thought was incredibly unfair, given that alphas could tarnish multiple throats at once, but rarely accept the bite themselves.Plus, breaking a bond sent some omega’s spiralling into deep depression. Despite being a sigma, could he really take that risk?
“I don’t share,” Oliver blurted out, brain still half-engaged with the pearly white fangs in front of him. He covered his mouth, trying to catch the words, but they had already tumbled out.
Lucas’ smile widened. “Neither do I.”
The heat spreading across Oliver’s throat was reaching an alarming temperature, so much so that he had to press the cold glass to the side of his neck. “I-I’m not saying I want the bite, but I’m also not saying that I would never consider it. This thing between us is so new, and a little overwhelming. I’ve been on my own for so long and I’m afraid I’m going to fuck it up, or that you’re going to end up regretting everything that’s happened. But I don’t want my indecision to cause problems for you, either.”
Lucas’ gaze dropped to the tabletop as he slowly let go of Oliver’s hand. “I’ll go back to the hotel. To give you some space.”
