His libido was already in overdrive at the mental picture of Nate with his pants around his knees begging for Cooper to suck his dick, and Nate didn’t help matters, tilting his head back and sliding fresh oysters from their shell into his open mouth, following them with throaty moans thathadto be deliberate.
Cooper’s wolf whined. It took all his control to stay seated and not drag Nate off to the restrooms and fuck his throat. He had to force himself to fix his gaze on his plate after Nate licked a dribble of oyster juice from the corner of his mouth, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Nothing like a fresh, salty mouthful.” He grinned.
Cooper arched an eyebrow. “You’re really going to tease me right now?”
Nate’s smile widened. “You started it, Coop.”
“I may have underestimated you,” Cooper admitted, grinning back. This might be torture, but it was the fun kind. Given the choice between a laughing, irreverent Nate and the subdued, uncertain Nate from earlier who’d been willing to forgo dinner on Cooper’s say-so and who had assumed he was nothing more than a fucktoy, this version was far preferable.
The waiter cleared their starter plates and brought their meals, and Cooper did his best to remind himself that as fuckable as Nate was, there was more to him than that. “Why work as a labourer?” he asked. “Was it something you wanted to do?”
Nate shrugged. “Mum and Dad split up when I was seventeen. Dad moved to Queensland, and Mum moved us in with her new bloke. It kind of threw off my year twelve exams, and I was never going to uni anyway, so I started looking for a job. I’ve always liked being outside, and a mate knew a guy, so I did a two-week work trial, didn’t fuck up and Sully hired me. The end.”
“And you’ve never considered an apprenticeship to qualify? You seem smart enough.”
Nate shook his head. “Nah, who’d be a boss? I like having no responsibilities. Sully’s a good bloke to work for.” He tilted his head and observed Cooper for a second before asking, “What about you? You never said what you do, but I can tell you’re all kinds of important. What is it, banking or something?”
Cooper blinked, unprepared for the question. “Or something. Corporate bullshit. Nothing exciting.” He waved a hand in a vague motion while he cast about for a way to change the subject. “What do your parents think about you working as a companion?”
“What do yours think of you hiring one?” Nate shot back.
Cooper gave a rueful smile. “Fair point.”
“I’m not a kid, Coop. I know what I signed up for. And so far? It’s pretty good. Although”—he licked his lips—“I do wish the hot guy I’m with would hurry up and eat his lobster. And then we could go back to the hotel, and he could eat my arse.”
It was just unfortunate that his comment fell into one of those perfect, unplanned silences that happen in public spaces, and echoed around the restaurant.
Someone tittered at the next table. Someone else cleared their throat. Cooper had to shove a chunk of lobster into his mouth to stifle a laugh when Nate muttered, “Well, fuck,” and flushed deep red under his tan.
“Does that come before or after the arse-eating?”
Nate groaned, rubbing his hands down his face, before he huffed out a laugh and shook his head, face still flaming.
He picked up his beer and took a long swig. As he watched Nate’s throat work, Cooper’s amusement faded and was replaced with a hot stab of lust, his low-simmering arousal flaring into something more urgent. “Eat your dinner, baby,” he said, his voice an urgent growl.
Nate’s eyes widened and his lips parted, the scent ofwantneedyesrolling off him. His throat clicked as he swallowed and he gave a nod. “Yes, sir.”
And ‘sir’ wasn’t even Cooper’s kink, but fuck if it didn’t have his cock straining enough that he wondered how he was going to walk out of the place.
He debated dragging Nate away there and then, before recalling their earlier misunderstanding. No. He was an adult. He could keep his shit together at least long enough to finish dinner and prove to Nate that he wasn’t some pushy, entitled dick.
His wolf whined its disapproval.
Cooper told it to shut the fuck up.
It was obvious he wasn’t the only one no longer interested in dinner, though, because Nate managed two-thirds of his meal before pushing his plate away. “I’m done.”
Cooper pushed his chair back. “Same.” He stood, thankful his erection had subsided somewhat, and went to pay the bill, Nate following hot on his heels.
He ordered their ride and as they waited outside, he draped one arm around Nate’s shoulders and drew him close, whispering, “I should warn you, baby. I intend to pay you back for teasing me earlier. I’m going to fuck you till you beg.”
Nate leaned into the touch and murmured back, “See, you say that, but from the look on your face, I’m guessing you’ll blow your load in about seven seconds once you’re inside my arse.”
Cooper pulled back and crossed his arms across his chest in a show of being offended. “Rude! I’ll last at least ten. Maybe fifteen, if you’re lucky.”
Nate burst out laughing, and Cooper let him think he was joking—but if he was honest, he was so pent up that seven seconds seemed about accurate. The one compensation was that as a shifter, he’d be raring to go in five minutes.
And in another five after that. Perks of werewolf biology.
