Smirking, Blake slapped his arse and unpeeled him from the table. Bits of cereal fell from his face and chest. “Not yet,” he said. “But I have a feeling you will be.”
Pember giggled. “This is so unsanitary,” he said, pulling the damp T-shirt away from his skin. “I have Coco Pops stuck to my dick, milk in my hair and a cock in my arse.”
Blake chuckled, pulling him upright. “It’s a good look on you. Although I don’t think the table is going to hold up much longer.” He gave it a little jostle, just to test its stability. It was not stable.
Pember tipped his head back and kissed Blake over his shoulder. “You know, you’re pretty virile for a grouchy old man.”
Blake bit his lip before tilting him back over the table. Slowly, he pulled out, watching how Pember’s hole twitched and spasmed around him. With a finalpophe withdrew, grinning at how much of his seed dribbled down Pember’s tight thighs.
“Christ, you’re a pervert,” Pember huffed. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to sit down for the rest of the day.”
Blake shrugged, rubbing his back. “Sitting down is overrated.” With a sigh, he glanced back at the clock. “As much as I hate to admit it, we should probably head in.”
Pember turned, wrapping his arms around Blake’s neck. “Are you sure we’ve got nothing to worry about?”
Blake sucked in a breath. “Whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”
With that, he peeled off Pember’s T-shirt and threw it towards the washing machine.
CHAPTER 30
A PROPOSAL
Pember
The police stationwas closed to the general public, the Constabulary flag fluttering at half-mast. Taylor and Johnny were laying bunches of flowers by the reception desk, the lilies and tulips already beginning to wilt in the poorly air-conditioned room.
Pember watched as Taylor wiped the back of a hand across his face, and Johnny squeezed his shoulder.
“Pull yourself together,” Johnny whispered. “Sam would rip the shit out of you if she saw you like this.”
Taylor gave a watery smile and nodded, leaning into Johnny’s touch. “It’s the pollen,” he said with a sniff.
Pember and Blake moved through the waiting room in near silence, the other two alphas only looking up when Pember pressed his card to the keypad.
They were wearing full uniform, but both their gun holsters were empty. Taylor sniffed, his dark eyelashes coated with tears. “Sarge,” he said, wiping his nose across one massive, tattooed forearm. “Make sure you get the fucker that did this. She didn’t…She…” Taylor returned to crying loudly; Johnny only patted his back and nodded at them.
They meandered through the corridors, taking the long way round to Major Crime. A solemn air of disbelief had settled over the police station, and unease permeated deep into the heart of the building. People kept their heads down, not making eye contact with one another, as though doing so would force them to acknowledge what had happened.
Police officers didn’t just turn up dead. They weren’t justmurdered.
“The alphas are worried,” Blake uttered as they passed through the flashing screens and heavily air-conditioned Cybercrime Unit. “And the ones that aren’t alphas are worried for the ones they know.”
Pember swallowed, pressing closer to Blake’s side. “Perhaps I should start walking you to your car at night,” he said through a tight-lipped laugh, only half joking. “And you?” he whispered, glancing up at Blake’s stoic face. “Areyouworried?”
Blake held open the door to Major Crime. “Yes. But only about what this could mean for West Newton. What it could mean for you and the others in forensics. The scandal it would cause. The police are an easy target for blame as it is, this could—” Blake shuddered. “The public would never trust us again.”
Pember slowly nodded. “Shit.”
“Indeed.”
The mood through the Major Crime Unit was sombre. Even the young detectives were lacking their usual bluster. Lily nodded to them both as they passed. “Tea’s on your desk, Sarge,” she said, then glanced at Pember. “And… um, coffee, two sweeteners?”
Pember inclined his head and gave her a small smile. She dipped her gaze and quietly shuffled into the report-writing room.
“She’s perceptive,” he said, squeezing Blake’s arm. “I can see why you like her.”
Blake coughed quietly. “She has her quirks, but her heart is in the right place. I’m thinking of mentoring her through the promotion programme.”
