“But before that,” she continued, “the boss wants to see you. Both of you, as soon as you arrive. Don’t go anywhere else.”
Blake’s eyebrow twitched and he pulled Pember closer. They were cheek to cheek as he cautiously said, “Why?”
Caitlin coughed. “I can’t say much right now. The boss will fill you in when?—”
“Is this an ambush, Cait?”
She let out a breath. “Jesus, Blake. Calm your tits.”
“Caitlin, I swear to fucking God?—”
“No,” she snapped. “This isn’t a fucking ambush, just get both your arses to the station.”
Pember let out a strangled sound and hopped up from the bed, Blake tried to grab his arm, but he slipped out of the room without another word.
Blake growled, swinging his legs over the bed and stalking to the bathroom. Pember was already in the shower, and it felt like a bucket of cold water had been tipped over their quiet post-sex repose.
Blake could not have resented Caitlin more in that moment.
“Anything else?” Blake barked, squirting toothpaste onto a toothbrush and jamming it into his mouth.
“Yeah, the night shift have turned up some pretty interesting findings from Reuben Atkinson’s medical exam.”
Blake tried to grab Pember’s arm as he jumped out of the shower, but he slipped out of his grasp like an eel.
Toast?he mouthed, pulling on another of Blake’s T-shirts as he bolted towards the stairs. Blake managed a curt nod before Pember disappeared from the landing.
Out of pure spite, he kept Caitlin on loudspeaker as he showered. “So what’s this earth-shatteringly important intel, Cait?”
Caitlin grumbled. “This feels so fucking wrong,” she said, as Blake scrubbed his balls.
“It’s what you get for calling first thing in the morning.”
“I can just call you back.”
“And take up more of my time? I don’t think so.”
“Fuck you. My morning’s been cut short too. The kids have got their Easter pageant today, but now I’m going to fucking miss it.”
They bickered back and forth until she eventually gave up and said, “I’ll just speak to you later. Jesus fucking Christ, you awkward bastard.”
Blake snorted, letting the phone cut off, leaving him with the dial tone. Showering just as quickly as Pember, he pulled ona pair of boxers and headed downstairs. Pember was bustling around in the kitchen, all of the cupboard doors flung open.
“Where’s your coffee?” he said, holding a carton of milk. “And you have no bread.”
Blake tipped his head. That wasn’t surprising—he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had groceries delivered. Quietly walking towards the kitchen, he rounded the small rectangular table and pressed his fingers to the nape of Pember’s neck.
“Slow down,” he said, squeezing slightly. “We’ve got time.”
Pember shivered, leaning back into the touch. “We don’t have time. You heard DS Vaughan—we’ve got to get to work.”
Blake chuckled, pulling Pember against him. Reaching down, he ran his palms up the backs of his bare thighs, chest rumbling when he found he was wearing nothing underneath the T-shirt.
“S-stop it,” Pember whispered, flushing as Blake pulled the T-shirt up.
“I like this,” he growled, nuzzling into Pember’s hair. “I think I’ll ban underwear in the mornings.”
Pember huffed, squirming when Blake dipped his fingers between his arse cheeks. He was still wet, and it stroked some primal part of Blake’s brain to know that it washisseed dripping down his thighs.
