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‘ More like prickly on the outside, soft on the inside. But also cute. ’

Running a hand over his mouth, Blake sucked in a breath. ‘ No problem. Do you need anything else? ’

‘ I don’t think so. But, one question… Why two tubes of joint cream? ’

Blake sucked his teeth and cursed his dad for making him look like a complete fucking prat. ‘ Sorry, they’re mine. I’ll get them in a few days. ’

Three dots flickered across the screen. ‘ Oh, I assumed they were for Val. Do you have achy joints? ’

Val… Yes, blaming Val would have been the obvious choice.

‘ Yes, ’ he lied.

‘ Old man. ’

Blake snorted. ‘ Still got that cheeky mouth, I see. ’

‘ You like my cheeky mouth :-P ’

He did.

‘ Get some rest, ’ he replied.

‘ No denial? Okay, sure. How’s the investigation? Any updates? ’

‘ Rest. ’

‘ Can I call you? ’

Blake’s belly swooped. ‘ To talk about the investigation? No. ’

‘ To talk about your day, grumpy. ’

Blake let out a steady breath. ‘ My day was the investigation. ’ He knew he was being short, but it was taking all of his self-restraint to not send a barrage of questions about his welfare.

‘ Okay, then, everything else. How’re George and Bailey? ’

‘ Good, ’ Blake replied, sending him a photograph of Bailey and George in the police kennels.

‘ Oh God, she’s filthy. ’

Blake smirked. ‘ She spent all day chasing the land sharks. I think one of the dog handlers wants to adopt her. ’

‘ Tell them she’d make a terrible police dog! Thank you though. For looking after her. I really appreciate it. ’

‘ No worries. ’

‘ Are you okay, Blake? ’

‘ Yes. Rest. ’

‘ Please can I call you? I’d really like to hear your voice. ’

Blake swallowed as he slipped off the bed and leant against the windowsill. Pember’s kitchen light reflected off the patio tiles, meaning he must have made it out of bed.

‘ Alright. ’

The phone didn’t ring straight away. So, Blake watched as the light flicked off and the house grew dark. A dim light appeared from the back bedroom a minute or so later, causing him to wonder if that was where Pember had made his nest.

The phone rang, but Blake only stared at the screen.

If he answered, he wasn’t sure he’d have the strength to end the call later.

Eventually, however, he cleared his throat and pressed it to his ear.

There was a high-pitched noise down the other end of the phone, followed by the sound of fabric rustling.

“Pem?”

“S-sorry, yeah. Hey. Hi.” His voice was breathy, making Blake’s cock stiffen again.

“Are you okay? You sound out of breath.”

“Y-yeah, sorry! I’m all good, how’re you?”

Blake sucked his lip, canine grazing the edge of his mouth. “I’m fine.”

“Good. Good. I’m really sorry about leaving so abruptly yesterday, I… I freaked out, to be honest.”

Blake sighed. “You don’t need to explain, Pem. I get it.”

“Yeah, I know, but it came on so suddenly, and I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing.

I could see the effect it was having on you, which made it even worse so I just…

ran away. The only other time I’ve had a full heat was when I was sick last year.

Ollie saved me, and I just kept thinking about that. ”

Pember’s words made Blake go cold. He rubbed a hand over his mouth. “I never intended to make you feel like that. Christ, you must think I’m a total fucking arsehole.”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant. I’m okay now.

After the shock wore off I started to kinda get into the groove with things.

I’ve learned a lot about myself and I started to recognise when a heatwave was coming on.

The more it happened, the more I felt like I could handle it.

I didn’t… I wasn’t allowed to fully experience my heat growing up.

Neither was my sister. D-don’t get me wrong, I’m still medicated up to the teeth, but I’m just not sure I fully trust the new meds. All day today I’ve been…”

The words trailed off, and Pember drew in a breath. Followed by several more.

“Um, Blake?”

“Yes?”

“What would happen if I asked you to come over tonight?”

Blake closed his eyes, running his tongue over his teeth. “What do you want to happen?”

“I want… I-I—” Pember’s voice was breathy again, and Blake could actually hear the dry rasp of his throat as he swallowed.

“I can’t stop… I can’t stop thinking about you.

Even before the heat, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.

I want… I like… you, and I’d really like to show you my nest. I worked hard on it in between…

you know. But maybe that’s not appropriate. Maybe I’m reading too much into?—”

“I’ll come over,” Blake said, because as the words left Pember’s mouth not even the ground opening up in a fiery chasm could have stopped him.

“Y-you will?”

“If you’re sure it’s what you want?”

There was a pause. “Well, yes, it’s what I want, but what about you?”

Blake almost growled as he pulled on a T-shirt and slid on his slippers.

“What do I want?” he said, shooing the dogs off the bed.

“I want you to know whatever happens, I’ll never take advantage of you.

If I come over, and you decide you want me to guard the front door all night, I’ll do it.

If you want me to run you a bath or make you a sandwich, I’ll do it.

Fuck, if you want me to read one of those boring fucking science journals you keep having delivered to the house, I will do it. ”

Pember huffed out a laugh. “They aren’t boring.”

“Sure, if you can understand a single fucking word.”

He was getting flustered, he knew that, but was already across the landing and taking the stairs two at a time.

“Blake, can you stop changing the subject when I’m trying to proposition you?”

Blake smirked against the phone. “Oh? So you aren’t inviting me over to carry out household chores?”

“You’re so annoying.”

Blake’s hand was on the doorknob, and he was about to step out into the night when he stopped, realising he hadn’t answered Pember’s question.

“What I want…” he said, fingers tightening around the handle. “What I really want is for you to know that I can’t stop thinking about you either. And that I’m willing to wait until whenever you’re ready.”

Pember let out a long breath, stopping Blake in his tracks.

“I’m not ready to have kids, Blake. A-and as I said, I’m not sure I trust the new meds.

I don’t even think I’m ready to be knotted.

I… I’ve never shared my heat with anyone; I don’t know what I’m doing, but I… you…” The words trailed off again.

Blake swallowed and smiled softly. “I thought you learned a lot about yourself?”

“Well, I mean, I did. Sharing that with a partner is kinda scary.”

“What did you learn?”

“W-what?”

“Tell me what you learned about yourself.”

Blake could practically hear the flush in Pember’s words. “Well, you know. This and that.”

Humming, Blake let his voice drop into a deep rumble. “Like what?”

“Like… like the cooling pad is a godsend. I have to eat in between waves, and that I need to be in my nest before the cramping starts. And that a nest isn’t all about endorphins and oxytocin, it’s about safety, you know?”

“Mhm. Anything else?”

“Just that I?—”

“Yes?”

“Just that I really like vibrators.”

Blake grinned, the comment sending a bolt of arousal straight to his already heavy cock. “Is that so?”

“Y-yeah. Do they have something like that for alphas?”

“You mean during ruts? Of course.”

“What’re they like?”

Blake was still grinning as he stalked back towards the stairs. “Would you like me to show you, Pem?”

Pember let out a noise that was somewhere between a moan and a whimper. “Y-yeah. Yes, please. I’d really like that. But, can you hurry?”

“I’m coming,” he said, sprinting back up the stairs and into his bedroom. Sliding open his bedside table, he pulled out a little black box. “Can you open the door or should I scale the drainpipe?”

Pember laughed, followed by a string of breathy moans. “As if you could… fit… through the… window. H-hurry, Blake.”

“I’m coming, Pem. I’m coming.”