Cooper wasn’t a criminal, or he never would have been allowed in the Programme to begin with.
Still.
“He fell into my lap.”
The computer glitch that had resulted in Nate being here. The way Liz had fallen all over herself to get Nate to meet him. Maybe Cooper did something boring, like cardboard box manufacture, but maybe he was tied up in…what, exactly, Nate wasn’t sure, but he did know that the underworld boasted a high proportion of werewolves. It was a simple fact that super strength and a killer instinct were attributes that lent themselves to the thug life.
The bedroom door swung open, and Cooper came in wearing a hotel robe. He was smiling, and Nate was distracted from his thoughts by how fucking pretty he was.
“Hey, baby,” Cooper said, stripping out of his robe and diving onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around Nate and rolled them so Nate was on top. “Ready for round two?” he asked, his eyes dark with want. He tangled his hand in Nate’s hair and pulled him in for a kiss. By the time he’d finished exploring Nate’s mouth, Nate was on board.
Cooper spent the next hour doing what he’d said he would—wrecking Nate thoroughly. He fucked into him with long languid strokes, rolling his hips in a way that should have been illegal, and by the time they were done, Nate was so fuck-drunk that any questions he’d had about who Cooper Hudson might be had flown right out of his head.
Chapter Four
When Nate turned from the mirror and spread his arms, saying, “How do I look?” it took all of Cooper’s self-control not to bend him over the dining table, yank his suit pants down and fuck him right there. It wasn’t that Nate was wearing anything all that special to dinner, although the sight of white shirtsleeves cuffed against tan skin and the movements of his muscled forearms did have Cooper’s cock twitching.
It was more the knowledge that underneath that crisp white shirt, he was sporting a couple of lovebites from earlier in the day that marked him as Cooper’s. When combined with that surprising nipple piercing and his inked skin, well. Cooper hadn’t been lying when he’d told Nate he was irresistible. He was already mourning the end of their week together.
But he couldn’t step away from his job for any longer than that, not if he wanted to keep things running smoothly. He’d already had to fire one of his newer employees today when the man had been caught sharing screenshots of information for the second time. Cooper wasn’t about to tolerate that, not in a business where discretion was everything.
“Is something wrong?” Cooper was pulled out of his thoughts when Nate paused with his hands on his belt buckle. “Is this not swanky enough? Because I hate to break it to you, but this is as good as it gets on my wage.” A furrow appeared in his forehead under the lock of hair that insisted on falling forward.
Cooper stepped towards him and brushed the hair back. “Actually, I was thinking how very fuckable you looked.”
Nate flushed. “Flatterer.”
“It’s not flattery. It’s the truth. I’d be happy to skip dinner, bend you over the table and take you right now.” Even as he said it, Cooper was almost tempted, and wondered how Nate would feel about room service.
Nate shook his head. “Don’t even think about it. You promised me seafood.”
“I did, didn’t I? And I’m a man of my word.” Cooper ran his fingers through Nate’s fringe once more. He couldn’t help the way his voice dropped lower as he traced a thumb over Nate’s lower lip. “But maybe later?”
“Definitelylater,” Nate agreed with a grin.
Cooper let out a pleased rumble at the thought.
Nate placed a hand on his chest, right over the centre of the vibrations, and he sounded more amazed than afraid when he said, “Fuck, listen to that. You’re all animal under there, aren’t you?”
“Only for you, sweetheart.” It was true. When in human company, Cooper kept his animal side locked downhard—some people were still cautious even a decade after the werewolf reveal, and he’d seen one too many YouTube videos of someone claiming they’d been ‘threatened’ by the merest hint of a fang—and he had no problem staying in control.
With Nate, though? It was like his wolf was circling just below the surface ready to break free at any moment, and Cooper wanted toletit. He’d never experienced anything like it, and it was disconcerting and exhilarating all at once.
He leaned in, pressed his face to the curve of Nate’s neck and inhaled. There was a spicy undercurrent to Nate’s normal aroma, one that Cooper was quick to identify as lust. “Are yousurewe can’t get room service?” Cooper mumbled against his throat, teasing.
Nate stiffened, hands clutching at his sides, and bitterness flooded his scent. “Sure.”
Cooper snapped his head up. “What’s wrong?”
Nate ducked his head, avoiding Cooper’s gaze. “Nothing. It’s fine.” His heartbeat thundered at the lie.
Cooper used two fingers to lift his chin. “Don’t lie to me, Nate. I can hear it.”
Nate muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “fucking werewolf senses”before swallowing. “It’s—I got dressed for dinner and it was a waste of time, that’s all.”
Cooper’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “Why was it a waste of time?”
Nate gave him a disbelieving look. “Because youjustsaid we’re staying in.”
